Let me also add my welcome to those of the others and urge you to please ask away. To quote an old Army saying: "the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask"
You have my sympathy for living anywhere near the Peoples Republic of Berserkly. Your observation about the Far Left's view of Free Speech is dead on - I have noted that the same thing occurs in other places that are famously "liberal" (such as the People's Republic of Santa Monica, the only place in SoCal I have encountered a negative reaction when in uniform).