Brief Quiz: Constitution IQ

Can you identify which answers to this quiz on the U. S. Constitution facts are CORRECT and INCORRECT?

1.  WHAT WAS OUR COUNTRY’S FIRST CONSTITUTION CALLED?

The Declaration Of Independence

2.  LAWS FOR THE UNITED STATES ARE MADE BY:

Congress

3.  THE LONGEST POSSIBLE TIME A PERSON CAN NOW SERVE AS PRESIDENT IS:

8 Years

4.  A MAN ACCUSED OF A CRIME IN COURT HAS A RIGHT TO:

Hear The Witnesses Against Him

5.  INVOKING THE FIFTH AMENDMENT MEANS AN ACCUSED MAN:

Refuses To Testify Against Himself

6.  OUR FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT WAS:

Thomas Jefferson

7.  THE BILL OF RIGHTS IS:

The 15th Amendment

8.  IF NEITHER THE PRESIDENT NOR THE VICE-PRESIDENT CAN SERVE, THE POSITION WOULD BE FILLED BY:

The Speaker of the House

9.  THE MAJOR DEPARTMENT HEAD WHO IS APPOINTED BY THE PRESIDENT TO DEAL WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES IS THE:

The Secretary of Defense

10.  THE PRESIDENT IS ELECTED IF HE:

Wins a majority of the electoral votes

Now, go here to take this Constitutional quiz for yourself and see where you went wrong. I feel there is one question that most will get incorrect.

President’s Day (And Take the Quiz)

Happy President’s Day!. In my neck of the woods, public, parochial and private schools closed today. When I worked in child care, 2 of my employers closed the centers for this day. The other 2 wondered why would any child care closed for business on President’s Day. In my remaining child care years, I had to get use to not having the 3rd Monday off in this month, which meant unless I took a vacation or personal day, I worked straight from January to the Memorial Holiday in late May unless the center closed in the winter months due to heavy snow and/or ice weather conditions.

During my school years, schools closed on Feb. 12th and Feb. 22nd for Abraham Lincoln and George Washington respectively. It was not until 1971, when Presidents, Lincoln, Washington and the inclusion of all other U. S. Presidents fused into one day for celebration by the former and late President, Richard Nixon.

As we celebrate President’s Day, how much do you know about any of the U. S. Presidents? Go here to take a beginners’ level quiz on the Presidents. I got 1 wrong concerning 19th century presidential action on Native Americans. I scored at 90%.

Dorie Miller, A Pearl Harbor Hero

Oh, December 7, 2011 is  the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii! We do remember those who lost their lives that day. There were many heroic actions that took down our attackers and saved many American lives. One such hero was Dorie Miller depicted in the 2001 movie, Pearl Harbor that starred Ben Affleck.  Cuba Gooding Jr. played Dorie (Doris) Miller.

I am not that surprised by those who thought that Mr. Gooding gunning down Japanese aircraft in the movie was unrealistic fodder to pad the Pearl Harbor movie. Back in 2001, a letter in the editorial section of the Philadelphia Daily News questioned why such a scene was in the movie, because the person said he had never read such in any history book (I did). I think the person wrote with sarcasm. It is true that you many not find most of the individual heroism of Dorie Miller or other sailors and soldiers in the history books. The newspaper added a photo of Mr. Miller to the many responses about his heroism.

 I saw a few, ” So that really did happen!” comments today on Face Book.  Dorie Miller a black Navy cook who had not been trained to use anti-aircraft machine guns, did so and shot down Japanese aircraft.  He was awarded the Navy Cross by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.  Dorie Miller died in 1943 while serving on an escort ship in the Battle of Tarawa which the Japanese torpedoed. In Miller’s honor, the Navy named a Knox-class escort ship,  USS Miller FF-1091. Read more here.

Dorie Miller mentioned among the heroic Bluejackets of the Navy  

John Kennedy: Remembering The Assassination Events and My Young Thoughts

Today, November, 22nd  is the 48th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I remember when he was a the Democratic presidential nominee against Richard Nixon, the Republican nominee. I was only 9 years old during that election season and thus did not understand anything political. All I knew was that Pres. Eisenhower was for Nixon, the VP taking his place and wondered why my parents were for someone else name John Kennedy. Pres. I was more aware of Pres. Eisenhower and Vice Pres. Nixon with no awareness of John Kennedy. One of my parents told me that they were for Kennedy, because he was a Democrat. I was told that we (my parents) are always for the Democrat.

On this day 48 years ago, I was 12 years old. It was a Friday in 1963. My junior high school (long before the change to middle schools) dismissed the students an hour early at 2:00 p. m. on Fridays. I walked in the house around 2:25 p. m. eastern standard time to my grandmother shouting, “They shot the President!” My immediate response was, “What President?” A few minutes later, Walter Cronkite  announced that Pres. Kennedy had died in Dallas, Texas via central standard time. I still remember the sunk feeling that compassed me. I wondered what was going to happen now.

Philly public schools closed until after the nationally televised funeral. Along with my parents, I sat glued to the TV. I remember watching the suspect, Lee Harvey Oswald being escorted and then viewing him being shot. My mother could not get over it. She kept saying, “We just saw a man actually get shot on live TV! Wow!”

I remember the adults in my life loved Kennedy, despite the fact that he voted against the 1957 Civil Rights Act. I think most are unaware of that fact. He was a Democrat for capitalism against the Russian communism. I do not think the kind of Democrat he was would sit well with the Democrats of today.

Thoughts in Connection with the MLK Memorial

I watched most of the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial this past Sunday. Some believe he would embrace the Occupier movement if he were alive today. I agree that Dr. King initially would have embrace the Occupying movement as it tries to relates to the hurting poor and middle class. I do think he would be speaking out against the foul mouth Occupiers with their “F” the Troops and the Government signs. I grew to believe that he had a socialist leaning, but I do not think Dr. King would be in lockstep with the “in your face” socialist and communist organizations behind this Occupying movement. I even wonder if the Occupiers would even recognize him! They would probably treat him like they did civil rights pioneer, Rep. John Lewis!

Click on the images of Dr. King’s niece, Dr. Alveda King (Beal) and civil rights pioneer, Clarence B Jones to hear them on Dr. King.

Since Dr. King was a minister/preacher, a man of God, it bothers me that there is no reference to God included in the memorial.

Can You Pass the U. S. Citizenship Test?

I just took the test of 40 questions on AOL and incorrectly answered 2 questions. I correctly guessed about 3 or 4. After watching Jay Leno and hearing Sean Hannity posed similar and much easier questions to people born and educated in this country, I do think there is a large portion of the citizenry who could not correctly answer a third of the questions.

I admit it embarrasses me that I got 2 wrong which dealt with national holidays (I was going by what days I got off from my child care work days) and U. S. constitutional  history. I am even embarrassed by the ones I guessed correctly on, because I should know the information. Take the test and see how well you do. Please note that there is one out of date question. Last November’s elections makes the correct answer wrong.