Freedom: We get to act on it

Not that professional wrestlers are ever confused with, you know, Somerset Maugham or anything, but I'd be a happier guy if we all adhered to the advice The Rock used to give:

"Know your role and shut your mouth."

The latest example: Tim Thomas, the goalie for the Bruins, opted to skip the team's celebration at the White House on Monday, during which President Obama recognized last season's Stanley Cup championship. Thomas pointed to political reasons, writing on his Facebook page, "I believe the federal government has grown out of control, threatening the rights, liberties, and property of the people.''

I'd suggest that the overwhelming majority of Johns, Jacobs, Jingleheimers and Schmidts who choose to use their disposable income watching Thomas play at the TD Garden are far more interested in his ability to stop little black projectiles than espousing his political views. Athletes are what they do.

Thomas might have also thought about team harmony over such grandstanding. Why risk alientating your guys over something that doesn't pertain to hockey? Besides, it's a visit to one of the nation's hallowed grounds to be honored by the president. Not coal mining.

But here's where all the social commentators who have emerged in the last 48 hours burying Thomas have swung and missed. Essentially, they've clamored that just because Thomas has the right to do something doesn't mean it's the best idea.

In some cases, that's true.

But here? Thomas is exercising the rights afforded by this country, the rights people have died for and are dying for. Hello? Is this thing on?

Frankly, I'd rather Thomas, whose favorite position on the ice must be right wing, stay away than risk making a mockery of the event by getting close enough to Obama to share his drivel.

This just in: Our country's foundation is freedom. It's amazing how czarist some of us get when people dare to act on the freedoms they're afforded. Thomas expressed his opinion. He gets to do that. Once again: I'd rather he stuck to "kick save and a beauty" and saved his arias for closed doors. But to hammer the guy for exercising his right?

If Thomas needs to apologize to his teammates, that's between Thomas and his teammates. Meantime, let's put a lid on the moral outrage. That guy Voltaire, who's not a defenseman for the Canadiens, had it right 250 years ago when he said, "I may disagree with what you have say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it."

Isn't that what we do here?

So how come it's not really OK with so many of you?

Much of the prattle, of course, has been political. And like most political blather, it misses the point by the size of Wyoming. Thomas has drawn cheers from the Tea Party persuasion today for standing up for his beliefs. Methinks that if we had a conservative president and Thomas stayed away expressing a liberal viewpoint, the same people cheering him today would be throwing snowballs at him.

That's because Thomas' views aren't as significant as his choice to express them. Remember the line from the end of "Law & Order" once when Arthur Branch said, "democracy is the worst form of government. Except for all the others."

This is why I cringe whenever politics and athletics collide. We use sports to escape. We need them to escape. But even those of us who immerse ourselves in games too much remember enough from history class to understand that Tim Thomas was exercising his freedom to skip the White House.

Selfish? Yes. Misguided? Perhaps. But as long as people die in the name of freedom, let's try to remember we get to act on it. Sure beats the alternative.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.