Americans know more about their First Amendment freedoms than in many years previously — but if we’re honest about it, it may well be because we’re now worried about keeping them.

The 2019 State of the First Amendment survey, released today by the Freedom Forum Institute, shows the highest awareness of those basic rights than at any time in the 22-year history of the national sampling.

Ok — we should always know a good deal about those core freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. The First Amendment defines those unique qualities of what it means to be an American. But in most years of the survey, we failed miserably on even naming them … often with more than one in three adults unable to even name a single one of those five, 226-year-old freedoms that begin the Bill of Rights.

This year:

• 71 percent named at least one freedom, up from 60 percent in 2018;
• The number of respondents who couldn’t name even one dropped to 21 percent from 40 percent last year;
• More of us, across the board, could name specific freedoms than in years past. Comparing 2019 to 2018, speech rose to 64 percent from 56 percent; religion rose to 29 percent from 15 percent and press rose to 22 percent from 15 percent.

Why are those figures up? Calls for more education focused on the First Amendment have been sounded for years. More likely, it’s increasing controversies: Hate speech on the web or at public rallies. Bullying via social media or on the job. Protection for religious preferences that some see as a pretense for permitting bias and prejudice. Attacks on a free press, along with disappearing local news media outlets.

Even familiarity with First Amendment freedoms does not guarantee automatic support: 29 percent said those freedoms go too far, compared with 23 percent last year. Still, that’s well below the all-time high of 49 percent who said we have too much freedom, reported in the 2002 survey — about nine months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

Chief among the factors that seem to be driving that “too far” concern: 77 percent see misinformation on the web and the spread of “fake news” as serious threats to democracy.

We do seem to be parsing misinformation concerns apart from the institutions that comprise a free press: Despite repetitive, multi-year claims by some politicians — including, most visibly, President Trump — that news operations present “fake news” and are “enemies of the people,” the 2019 survey found about the same level of support for a free press as last year: 72 percent. The all-time low of 68 percent came in 2017, perhaps an echo of the previous year’s election rhetoric led by then-presidential candidate Trump.

Even when it comes to student press — an oft-neglected or excluded part of the free press — and student speech on social media, majorities favored uncensored posts and comments. Fifty-four percent of adults said student journalists should be free to report on controversial issues without the approval of school authorities; 64 percent said students should be able to express opinions on social media without being punished later by school officials.

Let’s not get too giddy about the increase in awareness, though it’s nice to see. Majorities do favor a free press and freedom of expression, but there still are sizeable numbers that would curtail or control those freedoms in some fashion.

Nevertheless, we can take comfort in this year’s survey findings that do seem to evidence the resiliency of our core freedoms and our attitudes toward them: When our freedoms are under attack, we — the beneficiaries of those freedoms — pay attention and push back.

Gene Policinski is president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute. He can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter at @genefac.

The woman stands 8 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Wow, that would be quite a basketball player. But this is no basketball player, it is a statue. Specifically, it is a monument to the pioneer women of America. It is one of only 12 such statues which are located across the nation. This one is found in rural Kansas.

This statue is located in Council Grove, county seat of Morris County. Diane Wolfe is the director of the Council Grove/Morris County Chamber of Commerce. I was referred to Diane by Kay Hutchinson, who recently retired after 22 years as executive director of the Greater Morris County Development Corporation.

Kay and Diane are strong advocates for Morris County. “There are more historic sites on a per capita basis in Morris County than Washington, D.C.,” Kay said. As a key community along the Santa Fe Trail, Council Grove is the location of the Custer Elm, Post Office Oak, and 20 or more other historic locations.

One prominent site in Council Grove is the Madonna of the Trail statue. The history of this statue goes back more than a century.

In 1911, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution established a national old trails road committee to explore establishment of a national memorial highway. That led to the founding of the National Old Trails Road Association in Kansas City in 1912. This group promoted the creation of a national highway from Cumberland, Maryland to California, part of it along the route of the Santa Fe Trail. The DAR chose to place statues in the 12 states along this route.

The purpose of these statues, according to the DAR website, was to “provide a symbol of the courage and faith of the women whose strength and love aided so greatly in conquering the wilderness and establishing permanent homes.”

Sculptor August Leimbach was commissioned by the DAR to create these twelve identical statues, funded entirely by private contributions. The design was titled Madonna of the Trail.

The sculpture depicts a pioneer woman striding forward in sunbonnet and long skirt. A young boy is clutching her side. She holds a baby with one arm and a rifle barrel with the other. The head of a rattlesnake can be seen in the grass at her feet.

Each sculpture is placed on a 10-foot base. The sculpture and base together weigh five tons.

The sculptures were dedicated in 1928 and 1929. At that time, the president of the National Old Trails Association was none other than the future U.S. president, Harry S Truman.

The statues were located in the 12 states along the route, in communities where there was a DAR chapter to support it. In Council Grove, the statue is located in a pretty park at the intersection of Highways 177 and 56.

Phyllis Metzger at Council Grove is active in the DAR. The Kansas State chapter of DAR pays for upkeep on the statue.

“We are very proud of her,” Phyllis said. “What those women went through to go west in those days was absolutely phenomenal.”

All 12 statues still stand in the same communities, although some have been slightly moved due to road construction. Only one of those statues is placed so that it faces east. That one is in Bethesda, Maryland. The local joke is that the statue was placed facing east because no sensible woman would turn her back on Washington, D.C.

The twelve statues are a lasting memorial to those brave frontier women. “The statue represents how those women were so instrumental in the settling of America,” Diane Wolfe said.

It is exciting to find this statue in the rural community of Council Grove, population 2,051 people. Now, that’s rural.

The woman stands 10 feet tall and 3 feet wide. She is a larger-than-life depiction of the pioneer women who bravely made their way west. We commend Diane Wolfe, Kay Hutchinson, Phyllis Metzger, and all those who are making a difference by honoring this history. I’m glad each of these sentinels still stands, as the Madonna of the Trail.

Friends,

After a long week in Washington, I traveled to the border with a group of other physicians  and I am glad that we were able to convince Democratic leadership to stop with their obstructionism and address the crisis late before we left.

Thursday afternoon, I joined over 300 of my colleagues in passing the Senate amended H.R. 3401 to ensure DHS and ICE officials are properly funded to take care of the ongoing immigration crisis. I have been touring border patrol stations and detention facilities so that I can reassess the situation with my own eyes.

Many of you have been calling my office voicing your concerns about what is currently happening at the border, I share these concerns.

It has been 59 days since the President called the situation at the border what it is, an emergency.

Now, with the passage of this legislation we will soon have the much needed resources going down to the border and can continue our work on finding a permanent solution to securing our nation and addressing the humanitarian situation there.

I’ll be heading back from the border and hope to see you at one of my town halls this coming week:

July 2nd 8:00 A.M. – Clark County Town Hall – Ashland Community Center

July 2nd 10:00 A.M. – Meade County Town Hall – Chuck Wagon Restaurant

July 2nd 12:00 P.M. – Gray County Town Hall – The Shepherd’s Center

July 2nd 2:00 P.M. – Hodgeman County Town Hall – Hodgeman County Health Center

July 3rd 8:00 A.M. – Greeley County Town Hall – Melven O Kuder Senior Center

July 3rd 10:30 A.M. – Wichita County Town Hall – Wichita County Business Care Center

July 3rd 12:00 P.M. – Scott County Town Hall – Bryan Conference Center

July 3rd 3:00 P.M. – Lane County Town Hall – Lane County Courthouse

July 3rd 4:30 P.M. – Ness County Town Hall – Leisure Years Center

July 5th 9:00 A.M. – Rush County Town Hall – Golden Belt Telephone

July 6th 8:00 A.M. – Pawnee County Town Hall – Larned City Hall 

Discussing Election Security

My colleagues and I discussed election security this week in the Science, Space and Technology Committee, and according to our expert panel, “we’ve made enormous progress!” Since the Help America Vote Act became law in 2002, states have received over $2 billion in grants to help with election administration, assistance in increasing accessibility, and replacing outdated voting machines. Kansas has taken advantage of these grants, receiving over $4 million last year to strengthen cybersecurity of polling machines and voter registration systems as well as to ensure that every machine across the state has a paper audit trail. These improvements both in Kansas and across the country will help improve the integrity and accuracy of our elections. I appreciate the Committee discussing ways we can continue to support state and local governments in improving these vital systems.

Secretary Perry Addresses Science Committee

Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry met with Members of the House Science Committee on Monday evening, ahead of his testimony before the Committee on Tuesday. We discussed some of the unique challenges facing rural America, from energy storage and transmission to efficiency advancements that will benefit our farmers and ranchers back home. It was a great opportunity to highlight how our producers are becoming more efficient, but also to emphasize the fact that “one-size fits all” regulations don’t work for rural communities. I was also able to mention that wind accounts for nearly 30% of energy production across the state, and new solar farms are taking advantage of the nearly 6 peak daylight hours that southwest Kansas receives each day.

I appreciated Secretary Perry taking the time to meet with us this week, and his willingness to thoughtfully engage on these issues. I look forward to continue working with him to ensure that our farmers, ranchers, and communities have the tools and regulatory flexibility they need to succeed.

Congress Competes in America’s Pastime 

This week marked the 58th annual Congressional Baseball game where my fellow Republican colleagues and I competed with our friends on the other side of the aisle. With all proceeds going to different charities, this bipartisan tradition allows us to set aside our political differences and gives us a chance to have a little friendly competition. This is my third time playing on the team and even though we didn’t win this year I am proud of the performance of my colleagues from both dugouts. We managed to raise $1.3 million dollars for several charities including: The Washington Literacy Center, The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation, and the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund.

Bipartisan Effort for Transparency in the Drug Industry

Earlier this month, I introduced legislation to equip lawmakers with additional insight on the role of pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBMs) in the healthcare industry. PBMs are third party administrators that were designed to negotiate and manage what medications are covered by a health plan, but there’s been increasing evidence that they have been pocketing these so-called savings for themselves at the expense of everyone else. My legislation would direct the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on the role PBMs play in the drug supply chain under Obamacare.

For more information click here to read my press release. 

Welcoming Our Art Competition Winner 

The theme for the first district this year was “I Like Ike” with participants submitting art centered around our 34th President and legendary Kansan General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ethan is a student at Wheatland High School in Grainfield, Kansas and his submission, titled “American Hero,” shows Eisenhower as a soldier standing in front of an American flag.

Last week, Moran joined six other Senate Republicans in backing a resolution against President Trump’s use of emergency powers, to sell arms to the Saudis. Afterwards, Moran stated his concerns about the Saudi government and their role in Yemen’s civil war. He also stressed that it is the prerogative of Congress, not the President, to make such decisions.

Moran is right on all counts. By contrast, Senator Pat Roberts voted against the resolution, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, of Wichita, is currently in Saudi Arabia cultivating deeper ties, apparently as a counterbalance to Iran. This is bad policy.

If Pompeo and Trump are truly outraged by Iran’s opposition to democracy, its poor human rights record, and its support for terrorism, then their stance on Saudi Arabia is indefensible. The Saudi regime’s record is even worse. Both of them ruthlessly hunt down, jail, and murder political dissidents and members of their LGBTQ communities, among others.

However, Iran at least has a vibrant middle class, popular culture, and youth scene that may eventually push for democracy. These are much weaker in Saudi Arabia. Also, Iran’s regime is not quite as oppressive toward women. Regarding terrorism, Iran’s support for groups attacking Israel are well-known, but Saudi Arabia is no better, being closely linked to the extreme, fundamentalist interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism, which underpins Al Qaeda and spreads terrorism globally.

Saudi government officials have also been identified by the FBI and CIA as sources of funding, training, travel visas, and logistical support for the 9/11 hijackers. Then comes Jamal Khashoggi, the U.S.-based Saudi journalist murdered and dismembered by Saudi operatives last year in Turkey. Khashoggi was killed after publically criticizing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. A U.N. special investigation suggests that Salman authorized the killing. With friends like these …

Pompeo and Roberts’ stand on Saudi Arabia is indefensible, from either a human rights or a counterterrorism perspective. Instead, they are practicing the classic strategy of realism, or realpolitik — the amoral approach to foreign policy often associated with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. This approach is a bit like board games such as Risk, but for real—countries advance their national interests by playing adversaries against one another to achieve a balance of power, with little or no concern for any ideals such as stopping terrorism or advancing human rights. In this game, only the national interest matters.

Since Saudi Arabia and Iran both have terrible records, Pompeo and Roberts cannot seriously expect us to believe that they oppose Iran due to its abuses. Among Kansas Republicans, only Moran has credibility now.

The stakes are high. In the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), Saddam Hussein’s U.S.-backed regime (yes, you read that correctly) initiated the conflict, thinking that post-revolution chaos made Iran an easy target. Instead, a truce was established only after eight years and at least a half million people dead —possibly up to three times that number—in the bloodiest war since World War II. Back then, the U.S. sought to co-opt another country with a poor human rights record, using it as an ally and proxy against Iran. As we now know, it did not end well.

This is no time to repeat the lessons of history. Jerry Moran is now our voice of reason from Kansas. Let us hope he can get through to Pompeo and Roberts while there is still time.

Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.