Many teenagers are indifferent to the First Amendment. In a nationwide study of 100,000 high school students released early this year by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, about three-quarters of those surveyed said they either don't know how they feel about their First Amendment rights or they just take them for granted.

Benin is one of the poorest countries in the world, but it also has been hailed as the poster child for democracy. Between Nigeria and Togo, this western African country is about the size of Pennsylvania but has about the same number of people as Indiana -- 7.46 million. Benin has 60 ethnic groups and is the birthplace of voodoo.

As the first African country to transition from a dictatorship to a democracy, Benin has been hailed as a "beacon of democracy" by the British Broadcasting Corp. and has attracted admirers worldwide. The Beninese have former President Mathieu Kerekou to thank for that.