Through Political Parrhesia we found the 2002 First Amendment Report disclosing that support for the First Amendment has declined.

49 of Americans polled think the First Amendment provides too many protections. Last year only 39 felt this way.

It gets worse. According to the Freedom Forum press release on the study :

"More than four in 10 said they would limit the academic freedom of professors and bar criticism of government military policy." (Muzzle Instapundit? No way!)

"About half of those surveyed said government should be able to monitor religious groups in the interest of national security, even if that means infringing upon religious freedom. "

"More than four in 10 said the government should have greater power to monitor the activities of Muslims living in the United States than it does other religious groups."

This survey on the state of the first amendment has been conducted annually since 1997 by the Center for Survey Research & Analysis at the University of Connecticut.

The study "examines public attitudes toward freedom of speech, press, religion and the rights of assembly and petition."

American Journalism Review magazine was a partner in this year's study, and the complete results of the study are in its September issue. You can also access and download them here.