Free speech has always been a red herring, as the US (in its more religious days) had laws against heresy, lewdness, and anything that didn't reflect the purita

Free speech has always been a red herring, as the US (in its more religious days) had laws against heresy, lewdness, and anything that didn't reflect the puritanical values of the time. Pornography is a great example, but it's not just about sex - in the 1990s, there was a push to amend the Constitution to ban burning the flag. Like all things, the pros and cons have to be balanced. Speech impacts people, whether turning them into modern Nazis or perverted fornicators.