Must have been a bit (or a lot) twisted before tfg - you don't lose your whole set of principles and values just like that. Having the president of the US as the embodiment of selfish, fascist values was just the icing on the cake.

of foxnews and hate radio.

Politically, he was nothing more of less than the perfect foxnews viewer. Virtually everything he said was an echo of foxnews.

Need to see architects indicted.

One would think people are rational and intelligent enough to tell what's bullshit and what isn't

One would think people would be willing to have their beliefs challenged when presented with new and credible information

One would think people would not be so spiteful to make it their sole mission to "own" people that simply disagree with them

Apparently, I overestimate many people.

other countries have various curbs on speech and free expression (for instance laws against Holocaust denial, or inciting racial hatred, etc). Over a decade of living outside the US made me realise that American conceptions of "free speech" are actively harmful to promoting a civil society.

Republicans believe that Republicans should be free to say whatever they want. However, people in favor of free speech don't ban books. People in favor of free speech don't prohibit teachers from speaking on a list of "forbidden" topics. People in favor of free speech don't forbid legislators from using certain words.

Republicans are not advocates of free speech.

repukes are such fucking hypocrites

And that hasn’t changed.

The doctrine of free speech concerns solely the relationship between government and those governed, not between or among private persons or private entities.

To denounce, oppose, and condemn rightwing hate speech, conspiracy theories, misinformation, and lies is not to ‘violate’ the doctrine of free speech.

Republicans/conservatives are enemies of free speech – Florida Republicans are among the more reprehensible examples of that, with measures seeking to violate the First Amendment rights of social media, silence educators concerning gay and transgender Americans, and intimidate private corporations who reject the right’s anti-gay agenda.

Trump actually hasn’t twisted anything up – Republicans/conservatives are just as dishonest now as before Trump, with just as much contempt for facts and the truth; and liberals remain champions of the doctrine of free speech, opposing the right’s authoritarian efforts compel conformity and silence dissent.

And the overlap between other Constitutionally guaranteed rights makes it much more complex.

Eventually it all gets "worked out" with the 2nd Amendment -- the "final arbiter" in any "free speech" argument, eh?