Unusually free

Today, I learned that Officer Brian David Sicknick was younger than me when he passed away last month. The Wikipedia page for him indicates he was, apparently, an “outspoken supporter of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election.”

It's not his politics that surprise me. I'm sure there are many Capitol Police officers on both sides. It's the outspoken part I find unusual. I would have thought that the Capitol Police were either non-partisan, or expected to keep their politics to themselves. That he did not, I think is a good thing.

I think there are many jobs where people are not allowed by their employers to speak or give politically or theologically, and I think that is to all of our loss. While I realize employers may not want to be implicated one way or another, and establish across-the-board rules accordingly, I think these rules often go to far. Shutting down the conversation helps no one. We're all still people, our beliefs matter, and the search for truth is important.

I'm glad Officer Sicknick had that kind of freedom, and I hope that others have the same.