If Speech is Free, Others should not Dictate how it is Expressed

  Most likely, all the players will stand for the National Anthem during the Super Bowl. Some of the Philadelphia Eagle players raised their fists during the anthem during the season, but stopped with the playoffs. Some New England Patriot players participated in the protests early in the season, but have since stopped.
   Any final thoughts on the flag controversy? I have some.
   I guess I feel people should not only have the freedom to speak and the freedom to protest, but the freedom to choose when and how they do it. I feel we are wrong to judge them by suggesting they are not patriotic. To me, they clearly love this country, clearly love the flag, and clearly appreciate the soldiers who died in war. To judge them otherwise is calumny. To cast aspersions on other people is wrong. To falsely accuse another person is wrong.
   When doing something hurts people, those are wrongful actions. Sometimes, though, no hurt results and none was intended, so why make a big deal of it? Why take offense when no offense was intended?
   I would that we were not so judgmental of these protesters. I would that we allowed them to have their opinions, and allowed them to express their opinions in the manner of their choice. If speech is free, another person should not be dictating how you express it. We are not allowing them to have their opinion and not allowing them to express their opinion in their own chosen way when we demand they stand for the anthem.
  We are curtailing free speech. We are being judgmental. And, we are taking offense when no offense is intended. Yes, we are manufacturing a crime when no crime is being committed.
  We might suggest it is only our opinion that they should stand, and we should be allowed to have our opinion. True. But, when we say they should be required to stand, or when we require them to stand at threat of boycotting the NFL, we are taking away their right to have an opinion. We are practicing coercion.
  And, when we have a president who calls on team owners to fire players who express their freedom in a manner he does not approve of, we have a president who is literally taking away a little freedom of speech from a little segment of our population.