First Amendment Day!

I'll tell you, I may sound like a nerd, but it was cool to celebrate First Amendment Day today.

For those of you who don't know, today was UNC's First Amendment Day. It started with the planting of a free speech tree in front of Carroll Hall. I actually got to help plant it - awesome. Then there was the reading of some books that have been banned across the country. Did you know that someone challenged Anne Frank's diary in Alabama? Seems like an awful stretch to try to get that one banned. There were lots of debates and discussions held on campus and I was very proud that so many students participated.

After ten weeks of breaking the law to use Facebook in China (oh, and happy birthday, PRC), it's pretty awesome to realize just how lucky we are to not only have freedom of expression, but also freedom to receive information from others. The best and worst part about the First Amendment is that it protects the kind of speech that makes your blood boil. There are lots of things said that I think are ridiculous or hateful or detrimental, but I appreciate the fact that they have a spot in our marketplace of ideas. We just have to make sure to shop wisely...

If you've never taken a second to appreciate freedom of speech, do it now. It's a wonderful freedom that's ever so easy to take for granted.