John B. Fisher: The cost of freedom

During the past few days, I listened to others expressing their outrage about Colin Kaepernick and his refusal to stand during our national anthem. But I also like to take the extra time to listen to the voices of others as try to decide what I think.

It seems to me that Edwin R. Murrow once formulated a perfect response: “If we confuse dissent with disloyalty – if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox – if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the ... confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”

It seems odd that an answer provided over 50 years ago remains appropriate today. But thinking about it, perhaps it’s not all that odd. After all the hard-fought lessons of freedom remain applicable as long as we worship altar of freedom. And that is why I defend Kaepernick in his constitutional right to express his free speech.

I may or may not agree with him. That matters little. But I stand ready to defend his right to speak freely. That seems far more important than my insignificant opinion.

This story was originally published September 10, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "John B. Fisher: The cost of freedom."