Wrong, the part about Congress is the important part. Congress can’t abridge free speech, but PEOPLE can. Employers can tell their employees what they can’t say, malls can tells stores and patrons what they can’t say, homeowners can tell guests what they can’t say. This is because all of out relationships with everybody but our government are voluntary. If you don’t like your employer’s communication standards you can get another job, if you don’t like the mall’s rules you can take your business elsewhere, if you don’t like your friend’s household rules you can get better friends. But we don’t have a voluntary relationship with the government, and free speech is one of our primary tools for changing the government.
Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness does not include the violating rental agreements with the mall.
I was only using the quote as an argument that the Right to Free Speech is an independent, pre-existing right. It was not created by government or the Constitution. I could have and maybe should have left the “Congress” part out.
“Congress can’t abridge free speech, but PEOPLE can.”
Please provide some authoritative backup for your statement that “PEOPLE can”.
Consider that if I enter an employment contract or rental contract abridging my Right to Free Speech, the other party to the contract has not abridged my Right to Free Speech, but rather I have done so myself by entering the contract.