Paul's Passing Thoughts

For the Xenia, Ohio School Board, It Should be a Matter of Trust, Not Free Speech

RE: Two educators placed on administrative leave pending investigation.

    Public servants like doctors, nurses, police officers, teachers, and judges, only qualify as such if they can be trusted. What does that mean? It means they can be trusted to apply their skills to the best of their abilities, and equally. For a judge, it’s equal application of the law. Obviously, anyone who cannot be trusted with evidence is not, and should not be, a policeman. When we go to see a healthcare professional for medical treatment, we certainly hope they don’t think we are suffering because of “karma.”  And lastly, teachers should respect the right of a child to have equal and quality education. Doctors, nurses, police officers, teachers, and judges, who cannot be trusted, are pseudo professionals.

    Hence, public statements by those who hold professional credentials are not merely a free speech issue; a public statement may self-expose someone as a pseudo professional. For example, if a doctor or a nurse thinks people of a certain political bent deserve to die, they can’t be trusted by everyone. That’s the definition of a public servant: they can be trusted by everyone. Legally, we say that “justice is blind,” because Lady Justice is blindfolded while holding a set of scales. This is also true for all public servants; they treat everyone the same because they can’t see anyone that would cause them to misapply their profession because of bias.

    But what about the ability to separate opinions from the execution of a profession? That depends on the statement. If the statement is a mere opinion, people are likely to believe the opinion can be separated from professionalism. However, if the statement includes malice, and even genocidal thoughts, that is a different matter and is contraindicated for public service. There is a difference between disagreeing with a dead person and celebrating their death because of the opinion.

    I will conclude by applying the nursing profession as an illustration. Aside from the fact that my wife was put in grave danger by two nurses at a hospital because they incorrectly assumed she is anti-vax, I will tell you as a practicing nurse that it is ill-advised to go anywhere for medical treatment while wearing political apparel. How did we get here? Why do so many nurses allow their opinions to distort nurse judgement based on what some people “deserve” or don’t deserve? The answer follows: to a significant degree, growing up, they were taught by so-called professionals that think their opinions should be the final word, even upon pain of death.  

    Nobody has ever lost their job for being anti-2^nd Amendment. And no auto mechanic is going to lose their job because they stated publicly that Charlie Kirk deserved to die, because they work on cars, not people. Judges, policemen, medical professionals, and teachers work on people, and like all Americans, they are free to publicly expose the fact that they are unqualified to do so. Again, that is also free speech, but public servants must have everyone’s trust. That is the very definition of a public servant.

Paul M. Dohse,

ADN, LPN