Flashback flash forward flash powder

Remember those surveys we used to see about people who didn't recognize the words of the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution and instead thought they were from some radical subversive group and some even suggested that such statements be banned? I'd love to see someone do another such survey now - although I admit I'd be afraid to read the results.

Ithaca, New York, December 18 — Forty-four percent of Americans believe the U.S. government should restrict the civil liberties of Muslim Americans, according to a nationwide poll.

The survey conducted by Cornell University also found that Republicans and people who described themselves as highly religious were more apt to support curtailing Muslims' civil liberties than Democrats or people who are less religious.

Researchers also found that respondents who paid more attention to television news were more likely to fear terrorist attacks and support limiting the rights of Muslim Americans. ...

The survey found 44% favored at least some restrictions on the civil liberties of Muslim Americans. Forty-eight percent said liberties should not be restricted in any way.

Some specific findings:

- 27% of respondents supported requiring all Muslim Americans to register where they lived with the federal government.
- 22% favored racial profiling to identify potential terrorist threats.
- 29% thought undercover agents should infiltrate Muslim civic and volunteer organizations to keep tabs on their activities and fund-raising.

I wonder how those figures compare to previous feelings about "communists" or "anarchists" or whoever was the popular figure of the time - such as Japanese during World War II. I wonder that partly because one person commenting on the article reported on a story from May 7, 2001, when a Minnesota state legislator objected to a planned appearance before that body by the Dalai Lama, calling Buddhism a "cult" and saying "As a Christian, I am offended" by his presence.

Perhaps inadvertently, this brings out the fact that, contrary to what we've been telling ourselves, 9/11 did not "change everything." It just changed the excuses.

Footnote: Researcher James Shanahan said the team was startled by the correlation with religion and exposure to television news, saying "We need to explore why these two very important channels of discourse may nurture fear rather than understanding."

The more you watch TV, the less you understand about the world? Duh.

The nature of the connection, it's true, is unclear: Does TV's content cause people to be ignorant and fearful, or is it that people who are more ignorant and fearful tend to close off the world and narrow it to TV? But the fact of the connection is old news.