The San Francisco Examiner also printed my Bill of Rights Day Letter to the Editor, though they carved it up so much that I don't really like what was left. It makes me sound like a teenager. (EDIT: No offense intended to teenagers-- I should have said "It makes me sound like I would have when I was a teenager". That's closer to what I had in my mind when I said that.)
Here's the letter they printed:
Happy Birthday, Bill
DEC. 15 is Bill of Rights Day -- the anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights.
I've concluded that I think that's pretty cool, and if there's a holiday deserving a spot in my annual calendar, it's Bill of Rights Day.
I know the timing's not great, but what can you do? You can't change a birthday.
Lance Brown
Nevada City
...and here's what I sent in:
December 15th is Bill of Rights Day - the anniversary of the ratification
of the Bill of Rights.
I only became aware that it was a holiday in recent years, and the first
time I celebrated Bill of Rights Day was in 2001. As a Libertarian, living
through a wholesale expansion of federal law enforcement tactics in the
name of the "war on terror", honoring the birthday of the Bill of Rights
with a rally seemed like a smart idea.
The next year, the ideas behind the rising threats to civil liberties had
matured into a change in attitude of many Americans and elected officials,
about limits on the government's power to impose itself on us. In that
environment, I held a "funeral" for the Bill of Rights-- and, like most
funerals, it was a celebration of the Bill's life, as well as the mourning
of a loss.
This year, I've come to accept that this is a holiday that's becoming
genuinely important to me. And I've concluded that I think that's pretty
cool, and if there's a "new" holiday deserving a spot in my annual
calendar, it's Bill of Rights Day. Maybe you should try it out yourself
for a few years, and see how it fits for you. I know the timing's not
great, but what can you do? You can't change a birthday.
I've recently compiled nearly 20 ways that people can celebrate and honor
Bill of Rights Day, and put them into a free website:
http://billofrightsday.com . It will be there this year and every year, to
help people make plans for the big day. I hope you'll take part in this
growing tradition.
Come on everyone, give it a try: "Happy Bill of Rights Day!"
It just goes to show you-- keep it short, or they'll make it short for you (and you might not like how).
The SacBee took an alternate route. The editor e-mailed me and told me I had to cut the length for them to print it. So I re-submitted the letter, shortened a bunch. The letter they printed ended up being just what I sent in the second time.
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-- Len Thompson
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