Congress shall make no law respecting a establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or 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.    

Ah, the First Amendment, one of the founding ideals of why we love this country so much. There are countries in this world still today where if you were to speak ill of the president/dictator/leader du jour, you’d be thrown in prison and locked away. In this country we enjoy such freedoms as allowing people to “occupy” areas in protest as long as they are peacefully assembled.

Unfortunately, some people don’t get what this really means.

Ozzie Guillen’s recent quotes about Fidel Castro were really unbelievable to hear here in America. They were especially surprising since he is the new manager of the Miami Marlins. Miami is the one city in this country where you should never speak positively about Castro. There are many people who escaped the dictatorship there and have found new freedoms here in America and remember the horrible things that they saw during their time there.

“I respect Fidel Castro,” Guillen is quoted as saying in an article appearing in Time magazine. “You know why? Many people have tried to kill Fidel Castro in the last 60 years, yet that [SOB] is still there.”

In addition to that, Guillen was quoted as saying “I love Fidel Castro” to which Guillen later chalked that up to a bad translation from his native Spanish language to English. Whatever his reasons, he’s going to face his consequences, including a team-imposed 5 game suspension along with a public apology issued on Tuesday.

Wait a minute, consequences? We have freedom of speech in this country, right? The First Amendment says so right there in black and white! Shouldn’t we just be able to say whatever we want? Let’s revisit what it says: Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech. The First Amendment was followed perfectly here. Guillen broke no law with his comments, and is in no legal trouble whatsoever. People don’t realize that the freedom of speech doesn’t come with the freedom of consequence.

If I walked into my workplace and started calling people names and spreading rumors about coworkers, I would be in trouble there at work, up to and maybe even including being fired. Despite the fact that I broke no laws, I still have some sort of consequences for my actions when I’m a jerk to people.

It’s so tough for me to hear people constantly say “we have freedom of speech in this country, I can say what I want.” You’re right, you can say what you want, and you won’t be arrested for it. However, it won’t mean you won’t be ridiculed by someone, or won’t get fired from your job when you’re an idiot. Please think before you speak, people, even though we do have “freedom of speech.”