“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Fortunately, later courts have ruled that freedom of speech must be upheld by ALL levels of government, and not just by Congress. Even if the courts had not so ruled, many of us believe that this is a natural right, not to be infringed by any level of government.
This is why it irks me to read about two Virginia police officers being dismissed for merely being SUSPECTED of having views that are considered offensive in the eyes of the Establishment Left:
Anti-Fascists of the Seven Hills, which said it was based in Richmond, Va., wrote online in February that Sergeant [Robert A. Stamm of the Virginia Division of Capitol Police] Stamm {snip} was linked to the Asatru Folk Assembly, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has described as an extremist group that invokes pre-Christian Nordic spirituality…
In the second case, Daniel Morley, a school resource officer with the Chesterfield County Police Department, was fired Thursday following an investigation into allegations that he was affiliated with the group Identity Evropa, also known as the American Identity Movement. Members of that group helped plan the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Antifa Seven Hills had identified Mr. Morley as a “pledge coordinator” for the group, which recruits on college campuses and elsewhere. {snip}
Mr. Morley was suspended in March while the department investigated the claims. Col. Jeffrey S. Katz, the police chief, wrote on social media on Thursday that investigators had authenticated the online postings and activities.
“The views espoused by and attributed to Mr. Morley violate county and departmental policy and our organizational values; his continued employment is antithetical to the expectations of our personnel and those we serve,” he wrote.
Is there any instance of “free speech” that cannot be infringed by invoking “organizational values?” What if the police department were located in the Bible Belt, and its “organizational values” required all officers to be Christian? What’s offensive to some may not be offensive to others. Considerations such as “community values” should only come into play, regarding government jobs, if their violation also happens to be a violation of the law. The law should be the only standard by which officers are judged – and if we are going to judge them based on whether we consider their views “moral” or not, then we need to devise a moral code that’s agreeable to everyone. The SPLC should not be the body that determines such things.
WR the Realist commented (at Amren) that
Identity Europa, now American Identity Movement, is one of the most moderate of the pro-white groups. You’ll be kicked out for having any sort of Nazi or fascist tattoos, insignia, or signs.
I think this is correct. I’m fairly certain that they do not allow Jews to join their organization (I did apply once), but this does not make them a “hate group.” The Congressional Black Caucus doesn’t allow whites to be members… not that I’m comparing the two organizations; I’m simply pointing out that even the Establishment Left recognizes freedom of association when it suits their purposes.
Similarly, the Federal government has been denying visas to people based purely on ideology. For example:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWarECxIcaU?controls=0&w=560&h=315]
I had more to write on this topic, but family matters have left me with precious little time these days. I may edit this post later.
