The Unfreedom of Speech

The Constitution has offered protection for the Freedom of Speech for centuries, but that guarantee has come under fire more often in recent times. People can not speak their mind without follow-up condemnation of their statements. Russ Limbaugh damned a woman testifying before Congress on contraception as a 'slut'. This rude and abrasive comment evoked countless demands for an apology as did Robert DeNiro's statement about having a white woman in the White House. No one is America can say what they want anymore, as in the case of a Marine sergeant's criticism of the President and most recently the manager of the Miami Marlins saying in an ESPN interview that he respected Fidel Castro for having stayed in power for so long. Positive thoughts about the Cuban leader have been banned in Southern Florida since before the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Marlins organization acted swiftly to punish Ozzie Guillen for failing to keep his mouth shut about his political beliefs. They demanded an apology and suspended the Spanish speaking manager for five games without pay. Guillen responded to this personal crisis in another ESPN interview. "I'm sorry for what I said and for putting people in a position they don't need to be in. And for all the Cuban families, I'm sorry I hope that when I get out of here, they will understand who Ozzie Guillen is. How I feel for them. And how I feel about the Fidel Castro dictatorship. I'm here to face you, person to person. It's going to be a very difficult time for me." Back in 2008 Guillen said the following in Men's Journal. "Fidel Castro. He's a bull---- dictator and everybody's against him, and he still survives, has power. Still has a country behind him. Everywhere he goes they roll out the red carpet. I don't admire his philosophy. I admire him." By this time I hope that Ozzie Guillen has learned his lesson. Americans are free to speak as long as what they say is what everyone wants to hear. Such as 'Desi Arnez amo.'