Civil Rights for Beliefs

When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was created, there was hope the act would usher in greater opportunity for minorities in education, employment, housing, and voting. Where the constitutional rights given for all citizens had failed to motivate some who chose to discriminate against them, the Civil Rights Act would go beyond the constitutional amendments to guarantee rights and government support for those who had traditionally suffered discrimination at the hands of others. Categories of protected classes were created and more added as time passed.

However, a loss of constitutional rights is occurring right now at an alarming pace. The original raceless, genderless, ethnicity-less rights etched into the foundation of the nation are ranking in second and third place after the rights granted by the Civil Rights Act. Where, in times past, those of differing opinions and ideologies retained cemented friendships and debated political opinions among themselves, the current environment prevents amicable disagreements. The threat of loss of employment hangs over the head of anyone that dares utter a word in contradiction to the current narrative that permeates schools, government, and the media.

“This nation will not be fully free until all of its citizens are free.” – John F. Kennedy

Not only are so-called non-minorities losing merited job opportunities, other non-race/gender/ethnic designated rights are being stomped upon by an agenda that seeks to usurp duly elected government and civil liberties to gain control. The right to hold or express an unpopular opinion or belief, the very foundation of our rights, is being swept away by the furor of a crowd of social media onlookers, replacing the Roman coliseums of old. Those who express unpopular opinion are thrown into the lion’s den of social media gnashing. The ultimate outcome? A loss of livelihood and a scarlet letter of shame.

Equal Rights for All in the Workplace

As Michael Schwartz so eloquently notes in the New York Post, an epidemic of workplace discrimination is sweeping the United States. Race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and age are not the only attributes that need further legal protections. Workplace discrimination is occurring as those who express unpopular opinions suffer the loss of jobs as employers bend to the wishes of the roaring crowd. It’s high time that every citizen regains their right to believe and speak without the threat of job loss or widespread online or other bullying by the general population and opposition groups. An additional protected class must be added to the Civil Rights Act, thus preventing unjust job loss and bullying in the workplace or online for consitutionally protected rights. If not, the race downhill toward total thought and speech suppression will win the first place prize.