The Little Brown Reader

Bill of Rights Day LTE in the SacBee

This is a letter of mine that was just published in the Sacramento Bee.

sacbee.com -- Letters to the editor

Bill of Rights Day

Dec. 15 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.

By December 2002, the threats to civil liberties had risen to a level where we thought it made more sense to have a "funeral" to mark the day. So we did. And this Monday we'll have a memorial ceremony, as a sequel.

This year, I've come to accept that this is a holiday that's becoming genuinely important to me. I've compiled nearly 20 ways people can celebrate and honor Bill of Rights Day, and put them into a free website at BillofRightsDay.com.

Come on everyone -- give it a try: "Happy Bill of Rights Day!"

- Lance Brown, Nevada City