Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Toe the line or lose your job

At least if you're a government employee. The Supreme Court ruled today that the First Amendment does not protect "every statement a public employee makes in the course of doing his or her job."

Hm, I must have missed that part of the First Amendment where it spells out all the exceptions to freedom of speech. Let's see.

Congress shall make no law ... 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.

Nope, still don't see it.

[At this point an NSA agent breaks into my house and hits me upside the head with a baseball bat.]

Congress shall make no law ... 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, except in such cases where it would embarrass or inconvenience powerful government officials.

Oh. Right. There it is. Can't imagine how I managed to miss that.

What's that sound I hear? It must be the founding fathers rolling over in their graves as they behold government of the people, by the people, and for the people slowly perish from the earth.

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