Policy and Ethics

In our text, the authors discuss what it means to dissent as a citizen, and also dissenting in office.  We all have 1st Amendment rights to speech, among other things.  However, this is a tricky subject when considering these rights and our roles as public employees.  This dropbox is meant to provide us with some general and practical guidelines for these issues.
In the book, you will need to pay close attention to pages 54 – 57.  Also, the case, “A Sign of the Times” will be helpful to read and consider while answering these questions.  
1.  First of all, what are we talking about when we say conscientious “dissent?”
2.  How might conscientious dissent be a bit different from civil disobedience?  (This is important to understand for this question.  I really want us to think about “conscientious dissent” for this question – not so much about “civil disobedience.”  
3.  Under what circumstances might it be OK for a public employee to conscientiously dissent? 
    a.  Even if the public employee dissents in an “acceptable” way, can there still be practical ramifications for the employee?  Explain why.
4.  Under what circumstances is not OK for a public employee to conscientiously dissent?
5.  What options might a public manager have when faced with a choice between legal compliance and a violation of a personal, ethical belief?
Again, I don’t have a minimum word count for this.  This concept and understanding the fine line of these topics is the main thing.  Just answer the questions completely.  I want to be able to clearly see that you understand these concepts.