Seven Years: Recap

Of the articles that appeared in connection with the seventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the most interesting one I ran across was this one, on the FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) website, recounting some of the attempts by colleges and universities to suppress patriotic and pro-US speech in the wake of 9/11:

On the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our nation, FIRE joins the rest of the country in remembering those who were lost. As we look back on that day, it is important that we also remind ourselves of the importance of the freedoms that make this country what it is, and that we commit ourselves to defending those freedoms when they are threatened.

As those who follow FIRE's work well know, many, if not most, American colleges and universities restrict freedom as much as they claim to promote it. In fact, in the immediate wake of the 9/11 attacks, many universities responded by threatening students' and faculty members' fundamental rights.