Do Freedom of Speech on Your Own Time

That's how stunningly ignorant of the First Amendment and our Constitution Steve Minuchin, the Secretary of the Treasury under Donald Trump, proved himself to be today.

In a grumbling, caviling attempt to admonish Colin Kaepernick and other professional athletes who chose not to stand during the playing of the National Anthem, Minuchin demonstrated his complete lack of understanding of the principle of freedom of speech (and, some might say, of the English language itself).

I have a well-worn copy of the Constitution on my kitchen table.  At all times.  Day and night,  24/7/365.    And I've not only committed the First Amendment to memory, but have dug into its intrinsic semantics.  Here's a quote from the Amendment, and my thoughts on the meaning of that quote.

                 Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech ...

Got that, Steve (and Donald)?  It's not just that Congress, or, by extension members of other branches of government, can't deny individuals freedom of speech, they cannot, in any way, impinge upon or restrict that freedom.  Unless, of course, using the freedom might cause harm.

Don't believe me?  Here is a small list of synonyms for abridge:

• compress
• constrict
• contract
• cut down
• decrease
• diminish
• lessen
• reduce

Don't know about you folks.  But it strikes me that setting the kinds of limits Messrs. Minuchin and Trump might like on freedom of speech are antithetical to the idea.  And Mr. Secretary, you might also want to review that portion of the First Amendment that refers to peaceably assembling and petitioning for the redress of grievances ...