A depressing experiment conducted by Rebel Pundit — at a Chicago literature festival, no less. Too bad he didn’t ask for party identification, as I’m keen to know if there’s any significant split on this issue between liberal and conservative men-on-the-street. Believe it or not, First Amendment issues don’t poll as well as you might think. A 2005 survey of high school kids found more than one in three thought the text of the amendment goes “too far” in protecting civil liberties, with only 83 percent saying that people should be allowed to express unpopular views. Another poll of adults conducted last year by the First Amendment Center found that 49 percent(!) think the amendment goes “too far,” a 10-point increase since 2001. Makes me wonder if that change is entirely driven by concerns about terrorism or if terrorism has forced a broader rethink of the First Amendment in some people that leads to the jackassery you’re about to see. Re: the latter, based on the anecdotal evidence here, I suppose not. Anyone think the “let’s ban ‘Going Rogue'” crowd also supports, say, getting tough with terror detainees?

Exit question: Does the fact that only one half of one percent voted to ban Mein Kampf prove that the participants here weren’t taking this very seriously? Or does it prove that they’re only willing to ban books that pose some sort of political threat to them right now?