Freedom of speech is great, unless you choose to exercise it.

Freedom of speech is a great right. But be careful before you exercise it.

Juan Williams is the latest journalist/commentator to learn that harsh lesson. National Public Radio fired Juan for a comment he made on Fox to Bill O'Reilly. Juan stated that he gets "nervous" or "worried" when he gets on a plane and sees another passenger in Muslim garb. That was it. Goodbye Juan. After ten years on National Public Radio, Juan Williams is fired within a couple of days of making his comment.

Juan is only the latest casualty to suffer the loss of a job for something he or she said. A few weeks ago Rick Sanchez of CNN got fired for calling Jon Stewart a bigot and suggesting that people like Jon, i.e. Jewish people, control the media. Sanchez, who apparently had been a target of Stewart's The Daily Show made the comments in a lively interview on talk radio.

Then there was Helen Thomas. Helen got fired by Hearst News for telling a reporter in a sort of impromptu sidewalk interview that Jews should go back to countries from where they came, including Eastern European countries, where millions had been killed in the Holocaust.

And before Helen Thomas there was employee Shirley Sherrod. She got summarily fired from the Department of Agriculture for comments she had made earlier which some thought were racist (against whites). When the true meaning of her statements were made clear, Shirley was offered her job back.

No-one has a "right" to keep their jobs and subject to actions for wrongful dismissal or human rights violations, employers should be able to fire who they want. But should all of the above have been fired for what they said?

Let me start with the easiest case first - Shirley Sherrod. I think everyone agrees that her firing by the Obama administration was rash, precipitous and uncalled for. No-one defended it - neither on the left nor the right.

The other cases are less clear. Helen Thomas' comments were hateful and ignorant, and I for one was happy to see her go. Had she been kept on at Hearst, I think she would have been very ineffective as a White House press correspondent, with no credibility. She would not have done her employer any good. At the age of 90, she was probably well past her "best before" date anyway and there were few if any defenders as far I am aware.

Rick Sanchez's comments were flippant and ill considered, but probably not fireable speech. After all, Jon Stewart makes his living by insulting others and in my view is fair game. Sanchez's comments about Jews controlling the media, which were sort of obscure, were stupid because Jews don't control the media. And what is wrong with controlling the media anyway, even if we did?

Juan Williams' firing was inexcusable. He is a well regarded civil rights advocate, has made it crystal clear on Fox News that he is totally opposed to racial profiling and scapegoating, and no-one, I mean no-one, can doubt his bona fides. That he feels "nervous" or "worried" when he is on a plane with someone in "Muslim garb" seems very weird to me, but hey, if that's how he feels, that's how he feels. One cannot isolate however that one sentence from Juan Williams' clear beliefs in civil rights and equality which he frequently espouses. If he was a bigot, he would not have lasted on politically correct NPR for ten years.

NPR made a huge mistake. It is time for fellow journalists on NPR and on other networks to stand up for Juan. It would be great if other NPR reporters refused to work for NPR until Juan Williams is offered his job back. I hope that happens, but doubt that it will.