Freedom of Speech and the Left

[rcfox]

There's this thing called the First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an 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.
I bring this up because of two

Comments

[junk_game_junky]

I'm not sure it's the same thing. One is the right to free speech and one is the right to free bake.

If I understand you correctly, the bakery owners shouldn't be allowed to refuse service to gays, but should be allowed to say they refuse service to gays. Is that correct?

Or are you saying that baking is a form of speech? (Not joking here, to me cooking is a form of speech (see Levi-Strauss), but am not sure that commercial baking is speech.)

[rcfox]

"If I understand you correctly, the bakery owners shouldn't be allowed to refuse service to gays, but should be allowed to say they refuse service to gays. Is that correct?"

The main point I was making is that is that the Oregon Labor Commissioner cannot legally prevent the Kleins from talking about this case--there is this thing called the First Amendment that he apparently forgot about. As for the Oregon law and the Kleins' freedom from not serving gays, I have no idea on that.

[junk_game_junky]

I think we are reading it differently. In the statement you quoted, they are prohibited from stating that *service*...

"will be refused, withheld from or denied to, or that any discrimination be made against, any person on account of their sexual orientation."

Notice that it says "will be," not "should be."

What you quoted says nothing about talking about the case.

[gunga_galunga]

They are allowed to talk about the case. They aren't allowed to say they won't serve gays.