In fact, prior to 1919, the First Amendment had an entirely different interpretation. SCOTUS had never ruled in favor of a "free speech" case. Up until then, any written or spoken criticism of government officials or policies was punishable by law. Anarchists and anti-war demonstrators were routinely jailed for their contrarian views... and SCOTUS backed those incarcerations up. Why? Because the court opined that words can be used as weapons and therefore can do as much damage as a gun or a bomb.

By this measure, a century ago, the brand of incendiary speech so often spewed with no consequence by such mindless blowhards as Marjorie Taylor Green, Louie Gommert, Paul Gosar, Lauren Bobert, Steve Bannon, etc. could have got them all locked up in the slammer. And, any American who uttered or displayed a "You go, Brandon" would also be subject to arrest and prosecution.

I am a staunch supporter of First Amendment rights. But, I am also hyper aware of the enormous power of words. And, these days, words are being used as kindling to burn democracy to the ground. For instances... "March down to the Capitol and fight like hell!" and, "Maybe it's time for Second Amendment solutions." These are truly dangerous times.