Should Ward Churchill be Fired?

So if you had a business like a fast food resturant and this guy worked very hard but was saying this stuff to your customers or other employees he should be protected by free speech. I own my business and as long as they are on the job I have the right to regulate what they say when they are off the clock that is their business and they can say as they please.

I don't think employees should be fired for personal opinions, as long as those personal opinions do not hurt the business' bottom line. So, in the fast food example, if the guy is running his mouth to customers, it's probably hurting the bottom line. If the guy can't shut up and is distracting co-workers, it is hurting the bottom line.

Also, isn't he considered an employee of the state? CU is a public school, so they can't really dictate what their professors can and can't say.
They can, however, fire him for other reasons. This is from the article that Saden linked:
Churchill, who was found to have plagiarized, falsified and fabricated in his research, was relieved of his duties...

Good point AMD, I read that too.