It’s no secret the federal government — overrun with progressives and their liberty-destroying ideology — aren’t big freedom of speech fans, but the new ways in which these folks are attempting to silence individuals in the work place is beyond egregious.
Apparently, thanks to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, if you happen to be a fan of the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag and wear any sort of clothing featuring the iconic snake, you could find yourself in big trouble.
According to the Washington Post, The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, among its other functions, decides “hostile work environment” harassment claims brought against federal agencies. In doing so, it applies the same legal rules that courts apply to private employers, and that the EEOC follows in deciding whether to sue private employers. The EEOC has already ruled that coworkers’ wearing Confederate flag T-shirts can be punishable harassment (a decision that I think is incorrect); and, unsurprisingly, this is extending to other political speech as well. Here’s an excerpt from Shelton D. [pseudonym] v. Brennan, 2016 WL 3361228, decided by the EEOC two months ago:
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If you don’t know what the “Don’t Tread On Me” Flag stands for, here’s a quick lesson.
The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field depicting a rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Positioned below the rattlesnake are the words “DONT [sic] TREAD ON ME”. The flag is named after American general and statesmanChristopher Gadsden (1724–1805), who designed it in 1775 during the American Revolution. It was used by the Continental Marines as an early motto flag, along with the Moultrie Flag.
Contemporary uses of the Gadsden flag include political movements such as right-wing libertarianism and the American Tea Party, and American soccer supporter groups including Sam’s Army and The American Outlaws since the late 1980s.
Only the timber rattlesnake occurs throughout the area of the original Thirteen Colonies. Its use as a symbol of the American colonies can be traced back to the publications of Benjamin Franklin. In 1751, he made the first reference to the rattlesnake in a satirical commentary published in his Pennsylvania Gazette. It had been the policy of Great Britain to send convicted criminals to the Americas, so Franklin suggested that they thank the British by sending rattlesnakes to England.[1]
Benjamin Franklin’s “Join, or Die” cartoon
In 1754, during the French and Indian War, Franklin published his famous woodcut of a snake cut into eight sections. It represented the colonies, with New England joined together as the head and South Carolina as the tail, following their order along the coast. Under the snake was the message “Join, or Die“. This was the first political cartoon published in an American newspaper.
As the American colonies came to identify more with their own communities and the concept of liberty, rather than as vassals of the British empire, icons that were unique to the Americas became increasingly popular. The rattlesnake, like the bald eagleand American Indian, came to symbolize American ideals and society.[2][not in citation given]
As the American Revolution grew, the snake began to see more use as a symbol of the colonies. In 1774, Paul Revere added Franklin’s iconic cartoon to the nameplate of his paper, the Massachusetts Spy, depicted there as fighting a British dragon.[3] In December 1775, Benjamin Franklin published an essay in the Pennsylvania Journal under the pseudonym American Guesserin which he suggested that the rattlesnake was a good symbol for the American spirit.
So we have ditched the Dixie Flag and now they are going after this? What the heck?!?!