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.
It might not be created by the government, but within our Constitution only the government is limited by the First.
If people can’t abridge speech then book companies have to publish everybody, newspapers can’t fire anybody, non-disclosure agreements can’t exist, and Democrats can put Obama signs in your front yard leaving you with no recourse.
You can look at it as you signing it away, but the effect is the same. Your employer can set the speech rules for you, that’s the effect. Reversing the active verb doesn’t change the situation.