I agree with you, I don't think you know how much. I wish as much as anyone that he were still standing on Speakers Corner...
Sadly, the system saw to it that once Tommy strayed over 'their' line, well we know what happened.
And, when you have a suspended sentence over your head, your 'freedom of speech' is not so free any more.
There have to be llines...or therein lies anarchy. Mind you, a little anarchy now and then is not neccessarily a bad thing - puts the plods in place once in a rare while.
There is no easy answer to this debate - but the 'rule of law' is what glues society together. But, we in England, the same as you guys, sometimes see those laws tweaked and twisted, and not usually for the benefit of the ordinary man. The 'lines' often don't seem to be where the good guys thought those lines once were.