Free Expression and Derek Fenton: Not in New Jersey

New Jersey, home of the mafia and now home of creeping sharia.  Derek Fenton is a victim and the NJTransit the new dhimmi.

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Free Expression and Derek Fenton

The spectre of creeping sharia, which virtually all the MSM and a good number of Americans refuse to acknowledge has reared its ugly head again, this time in New Jersey.  The New Jersey Transit Authority has decided that not insulting Muslims is more important than supporting the first amendment to the constitution. 

   The firing of Derek Fenton because he exercised his right to free speech, on his own time but in a way which was seen as offensive by Muslims and his employer is frightening and should concern all of us..  This is, unfortunately all too common as Islamic doctrine vis-à-vis sharia creates an atmosphere of fear, profound enough where ordinarily rational people act in an irrational way.

   11 years of service down the drain for Derek Fenton, all because he set fire to the Qur'an.  11 years of dedication to the state of New Jersey and the district he lived in reduced to insignificance when he decided, as any American can, to protest a volatile issue: the ground zero mosque. 

   It may indeed be odious, his burning of a book revered by hundreds of millions but that is his right: to be odious.  He has the absolute right to do what he did as it is not illegal in America to burn a book.  The American flag can be set afire as a means of protest, that right has been upheld by the Supreme Court.  Is it insulting, disrespectful and just plain dumb to do?  Yes but there is nothing which stops one from being dumb. 

   When questioned about his flaming Qur'an and why he set the blaze, he replied "This is America" and as a loyal American he was "exercising his right to protest".  His protest and burning took place at 51Park Place, the site of the proposed mosque/community center.  No doubt this choice also contributed to his exposure in the press and the attention of his employer.  Nevertheless his actions, although legal got him a free trip by the police out of the area and into the station where he was questioned and released. 

   Think about that for a minute, I’ll wait.  He wasn't given a ticket for illegal burning, although he could have been.  He wasn't shoo'ed away with the admonishment to not do that again.  No, he was taken away by police and questioned because he was assumed to be in danger.  He was "ushered" out of the area and out of sight of those protesters who were supporters of the mosque/community center.  Mr. Fenton was perceived as a threat to order, a person who was stirring the Islamic pot by his Qur'an burning and therefore deserving of police "protection" so as not to inflame the crowd.

   There is something fundamentally wrong when law enforcement looks at the potential perpetrators of violence as the victims and the one expressing his right to free speech as an aggressor.  Mr Fenton, by taking action to express a particular point of view, has the absolute right to do so, and be protected when he does.  That means doing everything possible to ensure his free speech is allowed and any attempts to shut the speech disallowed. 

   Mr Fenton’s employer, New Jersey Transit, or NJTransit as they are more commonly known is a company which believes in all those warm and fuzzy catch-phrases: tolerance, diversity, multiculturalism, inclusion, those words which make it seem the company is so much more than a collection of cubicles.  Yet in its rainbow-stained wisdom NJTransit decides that "Mr. Fenton's public actions violated New Jersey Transit's code of ethics...(therefore)NJ Transit conclude(s) that Mr. Fenton violated his trust as a state employee and therefore [he] was dismissed." 

   It would appear that NJTransit prohibits the expression of free speech that offends.  His violation of the code of ethics and trust as a state employee came as a result of his exercising his free speech rights, rights which even NJTransit cannot ignore.

   Not everyone agrees with NJT's decision.  Mr. Fenton’s neighbor, Jacqui Marquez said "Good for him for burning the Koran...everybody's entitled to their opinion ... by firing him, they're sending a message that there's no freedom of speech. They're completely wrong for doing this....".  As simple as that, she puts it in a nutshell easily understood. 

   Chris Dunn of the New York Civil Liberties Union sees a very serious problem if Mr. Fenton did the burning on his own time.  Well, I would hope so as I would not want to think my tax dollars are not only going to those "supervisors" which always seem to outnumber real workers 3to1 but to those state workers who use those dollars to burn a Qur'an. If he did do this on his time NJTransit may have violated his free speech rights, says the NYCLU.  Further investigation will reveal if that is true, and what action Mr. Fenton may have against NJTRansit.

   NJTransit should, instead of castigating Mr. Fenton for his possible insulting behavior be supporting his right to protest and speak his mind.  The company has every right to tell him his actions were stupid and not what they would support but the duty to uphold the constitution should be the number one priority.

   Imagine if we here in Oregon and the NW were no longer able to protest about our trees, or our rivers, our mountains and lakes, our air and our leaders.  Imagine if every time you wanted to put free speech ahead of political correctness someone was offended enough to get you fired.  If we do not stand and protect freedom of expression, no matter how distressing it may be we will surly lose it.  Derek Fenton did, just ask him.