Meanwhile, Obama administration actions undermined its words about free expression. The White House contacted Google, which does millions of dollars in business with the federal government, and asked it to reconsider whether “Innocence of Muslims” might have violated YouTube’s terms of use. Exercising highly selective prosecutorial discretion, the government rounded up the video’s alleged producer for an “entirely voluntary” session with his federal probation officer.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took it upon himself to call the Rev. Terry Jones, the Islamophobic preacher in Florida, to warn him that U.S. troops would be in danger if he didn’t cease his support for the offensive video.

Think about that: The commander of the world’s most powerful military machine contacted an American civilian and suggested that his exercise of a constitutional right — and not enemy forces — was putting U.S. lives at risk. But it’s not surprising, given that Dempsey’s former staff lawyer argued in a recent op-ed that “Innocence of Muslims” is not constitutionally protected speech.