A woman was bicycling near Pres. Trump’s golf course in New Jersey happened upon the President’s motorcade. She could have swerved to avoid the traffic. But, realizing this was the President’s motorcade, she rode along and flipped off the President. She expressed her views. She engaged in the great American past-time, public protest, if a bit profane. She was then fired from her marketing position at Akima LLC. The employer explained that it is company policy to fire persons who post profane pictures on Facebook. See CNN news report. The picture went viral on social media. Nothing indicates she posted the picture herself. But, Juli Briskman seems to have expected she would likely be fired.

But, wait, isn’t she protected by the First Amendment? No, persons employed in the private sector do not have First Amendment rights. The First Amendment applies to actions taken by state and local governments. Private employers can indeed squash our free speech. But, you get the impression she felt it was worth it.