Free speech not exactly free

A recent letter, “NRA reeks of hypocrisy,” makes a pretty good case for freedom of speech in general, and our First Amendment right to free speech in particular, in this country.

That said, it conveniently forgets to mention that, for the most part, speaking one’s mind on the job is typically accompanied by negative consequences. Anyone who has ever worked for a living knows that a job site is not a democracy, and speaking one’s mind on the job can be and usually is a one-way ticket to the unemployment line.

Colin Kapernick and others like him are free to speak their minds anywhere and anytime they want because it is their constitutionally-guaranteed right to do so. But if they do so on their employer’s nickel and at their employer’s work site, they must accept the predictable negative consequences of exercising that right. In other words, to quote a famous phrase, “You’re fired!”

This story was originally published October 18, 2017 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Free speech not exactly free."