A typical commie ploy is to seem to loosen up so that dissenters will show their heads and be eliminated, like Castro's recent thing. That meeting to allow employees to "express their anger" may have been of that nature. Now the angry ones are finding greased skids. Loyalty is top priority for the left.
Well, we could have BOTH things going on. I am certain that some people kept quiet in that meeting, although they are quite angry.
Firing the vocal people will only get those left even MORE angry.
You are quite correct that this is a tactic used by the left. Unfortunately for Howell Raines, there isn't a prison in which he can incarcerate dissenters.