Personally...this has happened to me so many times! Google is my best friend. I was raised in a very conservative household. I didn't have tv or listen to the radio. My knowledge of the world was what was fed to me by my parents. Most of my upbringing was mainstream Christianity and the Bible...with very little politics or current events ever discussed or explained to me. I used to stand around with my friends and they would talk about simple issues of government, taxes, laws, events etc...and I would just nod along.
I'd like to write about something with a little relevance besides all my cooking and knitting. haha. (Not that those aren't relevant things!) My first answer to a question you won't ask is "What the heck does it mean when a guy in a movie says, 'I plead the fifth!'"
When I first heard that phrase I didn't really register it as anything but, "I ain't talking!" or "I'm not going down without a fight!" But, the phrase is referring to our nation's Bill of Rights. These are the 'lets make things really clear' items that were used to clarify our Constitution. There are 10 well known Amendments to our Constitution that we call the Bill of Rights. Number Five is called....the Fifth Amendment. When a guy says, "I plead the fifth!" THIS is what he is talking about.
The Amendments were created to protect the rights of individuals in our nation that could not be defined by the broad base of the whole Constitution. So, it's a good idea to go learn what those are. :)
The Fifth Amendment itself reads: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
I'm a simple girl. Put simply:
- You can't be put on trial for a crime that there isn't enough evidence. The police have to go through a lot of procedures to properly arrest, indict and try to convict you. After that, they can gather all their evidence and say, "We think Wayword hit Wrecktapus on the head with a chamber pot in the attic!" They have the chamber pot, Wrecktapus' testimony, and other evidences (like motives) to convict you of said crimes.
- You also can't be tried for the same crime twice! I only have to tell you to watch the movie, "Double Jeopardy" with Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones.
- You can't be a witness against yourself. Like, you can't be made to feel bad during your trial to force you to plead guilty for the crimes you are being charged for. Once you're in a trial, it has it's own process, one of which is, you can't be made to tattle on yourself.
- You can't have all your stuff taken away without making sure you were given a fair chance to prove that you don't deserve to have it all confiscated. Think, you're a millionaire and you end up going to jail, they can't just take all your money because you're not around.
- And last, you can't have your property taken away and given to the public without being compensated for it. The government has to pay you back for whatever property they use/sell.
Most of the people in movies are referring to the first part of the Fifth Amendment when they yell, "I plead the fifth!" as they are being put in handcuffs...they simply mean, 'where is all the evidence to convict me?' They usually believe they are hiding their crimes well...but the police usually has something on them to justify their arrest...so remember that the next time you see it!
-Waywordgrrl
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