Perhaps we need to have reasonable, common-sense restrictions on the First Amendment. Back when the First Amendment was written, we didn't have radio, television, the 24/7 news cycle, social media, email, fax machines, et cetera. We had quill pens and manually-operated printing presses.
If the latest reports are to be believed, 13 foreign nationals engaged in s***-posting managed to change the outcome of the 2016 US Presidential election. We Must Do Something. For the Children!
So, in the interest of protecting our children, I offer these reasonable, basic, common-sense free speech safety laws:
1. Reporters must be licensed by the federal government to demonstrate that they can write safely.
2. Felony conviction, or conviction of a domestic violence misdemeanor, is grounds for permanent revocation of the right to free speech.
3. There shall be a ten-day waiting period, with a background check on the author, before anything that might be controversial can be published. The government shall have the authority to block said publication for any reason.
4. High-speed printing presses, modems/routers capable of greater than 2400 baud throughput, radio/television broadcast facilities of greater than 25 watts ERP, twitter accounts with more than 10 followers, and the like shall be subject to strict federal licensure for ownership and a $4,000 tax stamp shall be required for transfer of any such device or facility between licensees.
5. In the event of new inventions in media appear, their legality and classification under federal law shall be the province of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, and Speech (BATFES), which shall have the final authority for all such determinations.
6. "Free speech-free" zones shall be established in and around all government buildings and places of education--for the safety of the public, of course.
Local jurisdictions may establish further limits, such as limiting the number of books/periodicals that one may purchase per month, limiting the number of pages in books/periodicals, a complete ban on use of email, et cetera.
--Author unknown