The right of free speech simply means you can't be arrested or imprisoned by the government for expressing your opinions or beliefs. It doesn't guarantee you there will be no consequences for doing so. You can be fired if your employer thinks your opinions don't reflect well on him/her. Phil has the right to say what he said, and A&E has the right to fire him for doing so.
It was very unwise of Robertson to express racial bigotry and homophobia in the media. It was even more unwise of him to treat gay crew members on his show badly. He wasn't hired to stoke controversy and now that he has, he will lose the forum to do so. Already, sponsors and retailers are dumping him. They too are exercising their rights.
You can exercise your right to free speech and you won't be arrested or imprisoned, but if you're going to insult, defame, and denigrate entire groups of people, you will find that free speech can be very costly.
It was very unwise of Robertson to express racial bigotry and homophobia in the media. It was even more unwise of him to treat gay crew members on his show badly. He wasn't hired to stoke controversy and now that he has, he will lose the forum to do so. Already, sponsors and retailers are dumping him. They too are exercising their rights.
You can exercise your right to free speech and you won't be arrested or imprisoned, but if you're going to insult, defame, and denigrate entire groups of people, you will find that free speech can be very costly.