[publius911]

If he worked for me, I’d fire him. When you ask to have a letter to the editor printed with your employer’s name, you are effectively stating that your opinion reflects your employer’s opinion.

Only if you are of the delusional, pro-sodomy persuasion

That is an irrational stretch.
If I send a letter to the editor, giving my position and place of work expressing concern about a safety issue as an engineer, no one should ever assume that I was speaking for anyone else, unless I explicitly so claim.
Your inclination to act the victim, and your delusion as universal arbiter notwithstanding..

[Alberta's Child]

That is an irrational stretch. If I send a letter to the editor, giving my position and place of work expressing concern about a safety issue as an engineer, no one should ever assume that I was speaking for anyone else, unless I explicitly so claim.

No, it's not an irrational stretch. The example you cited is a case where your job and employer are directly relevant to establishing your credibility on that issue. A better example would be if you send a letter to the letter, giving your position and place of work as an engineer, on an issue like the Federal tax code that has no relationship to your job, your employer or your expertise. In this case, listing your job title and your employer serves no purpose other than to drag your employer into a matter that they may have no interest in getting involved with.

[rikkir]

If I send a letter to the editor, giving my position and place of work expressing concern about a safety issue as an engineer,

That’s fine. You have every right to do that.
I also have the right to fire you.
Other than Unions, employment is an agreement between the employee, and employer. If you violate my rules, I can and will fire you. You can go on every channel and in every newspaper. After you’re fired I’m not imprisoning or torturing you, you have the right to seek employment elsewhere. In no way am I restricting your right to speak.