Jay Inslee is clueless on the First Amendment

It seems pretty clear that Governor Jay Inslee is running for president based on his rambling answers surrounding the national anthem protests.

During an interview, he made it clear that he supports everyone doing anything during the anthem. It’s a way to not offend anyone, especially voters in his base when he foolishly declares a run for president. But some of his answers indicate he is clueless on the First Amendment.

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“People have the right to free speech in this country,” Inslee said when asked about the national anthem protests around the NFL. He even seemed to compare Rosa Parks to NFL players taking a knee.

But then, he swerves off course as it refers to the law. Way off course.

“Then there are workplace issues. Which is the boss going to tell you ‘you don’t have freedom of speech?’ Well, I’m not sure I agree with that.”

It doesn’t matter if he agrees with that. Freedom of speech does not extend to private businesses. Most people with even a cursory understanding of the law know this.

“As a general rule, the First Amendment doesn’t apply to the private workplace,” Daniel Schwartz, employment law partner at Shipman & Goodwin, told CNN.

And it’s not different in Washington state.

“As a general rule, private employers can impose rules and standards on their employees including having to do with speech,” Terry Venneberg, a Washington employment lawyer, told KING 5.

Now, it doesn’t mean you’re always without the ability to freely express yourself. If the company’s handbook or your contract outlines “rights” on speech or expression, the company must adhere to them. But unless you work for a government entity, Inslee should understand you don’t have speech protections.

So why would he take such a ridiculous view of the law? It’s simple. President Donald Trump wants players to stand, so, naturally, “If Donald Trump is for it, I’m almost against it…!” Inslee laughed.

To make this worse:

I’m not gonna introduce a law saying you can’t take a knee. Taking a knee is something some people do when they ask someone to marry them too so there’s a different viewpoint in this regard.

Can someone let Inslee know that law would be immediately deemed unconstitutional?

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