Tip: "free speech" means the government can't punish people for their speech. Telling someone they should STFU does not violate their free speech rights.
Except this is someone in the government saying that people should not speak.
If you respected American values and American traditions, that would offend you.
Do you respect those values and traditions? Does what Pence said offend you? Do you think Pence ought not to have said what he said? Even though you're an American, and according to American values and traditions we have free speech here, and Pence has every right to speak his mind same as any other American, in spite of all that, you think he ought not to have said what he said,
because he's a government official?!? Is that seriously what you're arguing here? Did you even read your own link? Or did you just uncritically believe the hysterical headline and the hysterical executive summary made up by the partisan you relied on as a source?
"The American people have a right to their opinions. But these spurious attacks on ICE by our political leaders must stop."
Pence gave, as examples of these supposed “spurious attacks,” calls by some Democrats, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand, to disband the agency, feigning outrage that they are “actually openly advocating for the abolition of ICE.”
Let me draw your attention to the fact that Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and "our political leaders" are
government officials. If Ms. Gray has any evidence to back up her accusation that "On Friday, Mike Pence said Americans have a right to their opinions, and then immediately demanded Americans stop expressing their opinions.", she did not present it in her article.
It appears Pence's position on who it's okay to tell to shut up is exactly the same as yours.
