Free Speech Works Both Ways

Die Gedanken sind frei. (Thoughts are free.)

   If athletes must refrain from commenting on politics, then politicians must refrain from commenting about sports.
   If liberal students prevent conservatives from speaking their minds, then conservatives can do the same to liberal students.
   
   These thoughts came forward this week after the president urged professional football team owners to fire those who kneel, rather than stand, when the national anthem is played.
   Several players went to one knee on Saturday during opening ceremonies to protest the president's comments after the racist incidents in Charlottesville, Virginia, recently. In reaction, the president said kneeling,  rather than standing, showed a disrespect for the U.S. flag, and the National Football League owners and managers, should prohibit it and fire those who knelt.
   But is kneeling less of a show of respect than standing? In other situations, kneeling is a demonstration of more respect, not less. In fact, many feel that standing shows equality as well as respect, while kneeling indicates subordination.
   At several college campuses recently, student demonstrators became so raucous as to threaten violence against conservatives who had been invited to speak at the campus. This led to several of the speeches being cancelled.
   But what if students at a conservative college did something similar when a liberal was invited to speak on the campus? Would that also be acceptable?
   The rationale is that hate speech must not be allowed. But not all speech is hate speech. And unless a speaker is likely to incite violence or is libelous, American principles allow any kind of speech.
   As for speech that incites violence, recent episodes during the presidential campaign show that the successful candidate himself said things that incited violence. Moreover, he seems to be continuing that practice.
      As for the first couple of incidents over the weekend where NFL players knelt during the opening ceremonies, they made it clear that the act was a protest of the president's remarks that in Charlottesville, both sides were at fault. In addition, there is the reaction from the White House after an African-American woman sportscaster wrote on social media that in her opinion, the president is a "white supremacist."
   The reaction from the White House was that she should be fired for expressing such an opinion. Just as the president claimed players should be fired for expressing their opinions.
   Where does it say that Americans should lose their jobs because of their opinions? Who decides that?
   Many employers do, in fact, discourage the expression of opinions on company time. Others encourage it. In journalism, there are many who are paid quite well for that reason alone -- their opinions.
   And regardless of one's job status, we are free to express our own opinion on our own time in any fashion we choose.
   As for the NFL incidents, the view from here is that kneeling while the National Anthem is played shows more, not less, respect for the American flag and the equality and justice for all that it represents.
   And in doing so, locking arms and kneeling shows solidarity with those who have suffered from racism and bigotry, as well as a protest against an alleged political leader who refuses who find fault in bigots.
   Taken together, the NFL players', coaches' and owners' actions over the weekend are showing more respect for American principles, not less.