Law School Visits: William & Mary

Williamsburg is a beautiful town, and I do like the law school.  It has a neat Bill of Rights program, and the students were friendly.  I sat in on an interesting constitutional law class on affirmative action.  W&M has a few drawbacks- I noticed it doesn’t have as much communal space, compared to the prominent commons areas at other schools.  But overall it’s not a bad place to spend three years.

In spite of that, it wasn’t enough to sway me from UVA.  I can’t articulate an exact reason why.  UVA just has so many opportunities, and I feel that the loan debt will be worth it.  I haven’t made the final decision yet.  Tomorrow I’m going to check out George Washington, and after that I’ll take a few days just to let it marinate.

Update: Duke Law has contacted me with the news that I’m on the waitlist.  I’m just going to pass on that.  There’s no sense changing my plans mid-summer when I can go somewhere just as good on regular admission.

Thoughts on Free Speech

As of yesterday, JuicyCampus.com has shut down for good.  For those of you who are not college students, Juicy Campus was a website in which students could post anonymous comments, primarily gossip, in forums for various schools.  I’m not (in)famous enough to warrant mention on Juicy Campus; from what I could tell it was mostly used by Greeks.  But a lot of students were hurt by it, including a friend of mine.  So I was happy to see it die.

What caught my attention was this quote from Juicy Campus’ CEO Matt Ivester, who blamed the site’s closing on the general economic downturn:

Ivester thanked those who participated in “meaningful discussion about online privacy and internet censorship,” issues that stirred up controversy while the site was active.

The Justice Party platform is unapologetically in favor of freedom of speech.  Profanity, pornography, gossip- they’re all things that I personally dislike.  But short of endangering the safety of others by yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater, they are protected by the Constitution.  Juicy Campus had every right to exist free from censorship.

That said, one reason free speech is so important, aside from being a basic human right, is that it allows for a free marketplace of ideas.  And ideas that are in such poor taste as Juicy Campus should die a natural death.  I applaud the investors and advertizers who abandoned Juicy Campus, and hope that the students who previously used it will grow a spine and start saying things to their victim’s face.

My relationship with guns

It’s complicated.  The Justice Party platform endorses gun rights.  I’m a firm believer in the second amendment, and the right to protect yourself and your family.

That said, I am personally very uncomfortable with firearms.  Although my ex-boyfriend and my uncle both visit the gun range on a regular basis, I’ve never so much as touched a gun.  My pro-life, pacifist side doesn’t sit well with it.

My practical side tells me that I really ought to learn how to handle a weapon.  My pride hurts to admit this, but I’m puny.  Sure, I’ve taken the self-defense class offered by the university.  I avoid being alone in sketchy places and so on.  But if I ever found myself face to face with a 6′2″ rapist with muscles, the question would be one of mere survival.  I’d like to have better odds.

When/if I finally suck it up and exercise my Constitutional right to purchase a firearm, I’ll let you know.