Editor,
I read an article saying that Southwest Airlines asked a passenger to cover up or turn inside out a shirt with profanities about the president and vice president. Various groups - who obviously have no idea about the meaning of the American Constitution - raised the usual arguments of free speech.
The Constitution is not a document that exists to give absolute license to individuals. It was framed more as a statement of what the central government cannot do than it was as a license of individual liberty.
Also, Southwest Airlines, as a private entity, does reserve the right to remove a person whom they decide is acting in a way that may cause a disturbance. If you go to a bar or eatery, you will see signs that say the business has the right to refuse service to anyone.
Political speech is not a protected class or category per the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Civil Rights Act of 1968 - there is no such thing as discrimination based upon partisanship or political expression.
This drone response about freedom of speech given by certain groups is a symptom of the poor study of American history in our schools that leads to a belief that the Constitution equals a license of absolute liberty.
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Brandon Curtis
UNM alumnus
