27 July 2007
Outdoor Accolades: Michael’s Story, Zumbo’s First Amendment Rights?,
Posted by Darrell under: Blog Posts of Note .
Michaels’ Story
I didn’t know what to expect with this post. As you will see, it is written in cursive by Rex’s 12 year old nephew. It is a look at deer camp through the eyes of a child. This is a touching story and you’ll quickly see that what makes this place so special to Michael is the people he shares it with. Thanks Rex for sharing Michael’s Story with us.
Ward Churchill Fired, Jim Zumbo Fired….Same Reason?
Tom, at Black Bear Blog, put out one of the most thought provoking posts I’ve read in a while. It definitely makes you stop and seperate your emotions from the cold hard facts. I personally don’t think Outdoor Life ’should’ have fired Jim Zumbo for his black rifle comments. However, I completely agree and understand that Outdoor Life had the legal ‘right’ to fire Jim. Tom ends by asking ”Should we have to give up our First Amendment rights under certain circumstances, like while working for a private entity?” That is a great question Tom. I plan on writing a post at some point with my answer.
4 Comments so far...
Tom Remington Says:
27 July 2007 at 5:02 am.
I’ll be anxious to read that article! Part of what prompted me to ask the question is because for decades that same question has been asked pertaining to people who are let’s say on the welfare rolls.
Does someone who is receiving public assistance give up certain rights because of such? Such questions, IMHO, cut right to the heart of our Constitution. It really brings out in each of us our views on socialistic behavior, which of course gets translated into everything else that we do including hunting and fishing.
Shoot me an email when you get that article written.
Phillip Says:
27 July 2007 at 7:34 am.
I didn’t post a reply to this one on Tom’s page, mostly because I was on the run when I read it and didn’t have time. But that last question is a good one, even though I think it should be considered in a different light. So hope you don’t mind me making my comment here.
First of all, the 1st doesn’t keep any private business from setting certain conditions on its employees, even if those conditions appear to restrict an individual’s rights under the Constitution. You can’t scream out cursewords in the office. You can’t wear t-shirts with offensive (offensive as defined by the workplace, not the Supreme Court) slogans, images, or language in the workplace. And your actions must represent the interests of the company, both to your customers and your business partners.
Radio disc jockeys are subject to the rule of their company management (and the FCC to a point), and this rule determines what they can say on the air. Journalists are subject to the rules of their magazines’ or newspapers’ standards and practices. Nowhere is there any guarantee of the right to speak freely, whether it be racial slurs, obscenity, or a perceived slight to either the customer base or the management itself.
Point is, as employees we’re accepting those restrictions as a term of employment… even if they’re not all spelled out. We’re not there to do our employers any favors, that’s why they have to pay us to come to work. If we’re not meeting their requirements, or following their rules, they do AND SHOULD have the right to dump us on our butts in the unemployment line.
It may be oversimplistic to say, but if we don’t want to abide by the standards of an employer, whether it be not allowing firearms in the parking lot or not allowing us to publicly declare an opinion that “offends” the customer base, then we should be looking for work elsewhere. With certain very specific exceptions, the Constitution protects your rights under the government, but NOT in the workplace. The moment the government starts to tell us how we should manage our private businesses (again, with some necessary caveats), then we are no longer free.
At some point, we have to exercise a little self-determination and not rely on the government to protect us from everything. That’s surrendering way too much power to folks who I simply don’t trust with that level of control.
Paul Says:
27 July 2007 at 7:57 am.
I also thought it was one of the most provokative posts I’ve read in a while. Lucky for me I run a tool shop so my employer doesn’t really care what I write or do in my spare time. I have liked like Jim Zumbro ever since I was a kid. He in my opinion is one of the best outdoor writters I know. I enjoy his stories. I have been a subscriber of Outdoor life since 1977. I have only had one other subscription longer and thats Fur Fish and Game. I am sadened Outdoor Life felt they had to fire Jim. They lost a great writter. I’m sure Jim is sorry for expressing his personal beliefs. I don’t think Ward Churchill is sad about loosing his job, I think he is just mad and wants a fight. Well be cool! See ya in the woods! Paul
Darrell Says:
30 July 2007 at 11:47 am.
Tom, I’ll send you an email when I write my article. I really enjoyed your post and It’s been especially fun watching the comments that keep rolling in on that post.
Phillip, I agree wholeheartedly. Thanks for taking the time to post it!
Paul, I, too, miss Jim’s writing. So, we agree on that. I wonder, though, if your employer really doesn’t care what you say or do. For instance, if you told people (custoemers) that your employer took advantage of his customers and did shoddy work - how long do you think he’d keep you around?
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