you need to think about the words ..*

Paradoxymoronism at it's best, matey

I'm just messing with my head ..

This is a tough one to comment on, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway, what the hell, I've got 30 min. till the game starts.  
 
Let's turn the tables.  
 
Ultra Religious rally:  
 
Go out and save some poor soul.  
(OK, I can live with that, don't agree, but your right to say it.)  
 
Go out door to door and preach to the unsuspecting.  
(Don't like it, intruding on my time, though after awhile you learn not to answer the door, but still not polite to thumb your nose through the window.)  
 
Go block traffic, jeer at funerals or scream at Gay's entering or leaving a bar.  
(No, now you're inciting someone to go be a "dick".)  
 
Go kill every atheist you can find.  
(That's it, shut it down and it they don't, mace 'em.)  
 
I'll defend the first two, not the rest.  
 
So, now some halfwit knucklehead(s) takes it upon himself/themselves to do 3 or 4.  
(Should that be reason to ban all religious rallies?.... I think not.)
 
So yea, let's defend their right to speak out to a point whether we agree or not.  
For if we don't, the next step is to throw you in prison for just writing a post like this to begin with.  
 
My two cents worth, though I wouldn't give me squat for it.  
 
Side note:  2nd time I've seen "Bollocks" used by a English poet this week.  
Kind of growing on me. Eloquent speak for "Bullshit".

like I said, I'm not sure what I think,  
but thanks  ..

Voltaire would be smiling Paul...life is a rendezvous of question marks said Nietzsche...thinking poem man.
Cheers...Harry

Voltaire would certainly allow me to say it, without the least encouragement, I dare say ..     :)

Harumph! or Pfffffft! hell I don't know the right sound effect to use - I do no where I stand - the problem comes when you stifle free speech it gets driven underground and usually becomes more extreme as a result - forbidden is such a great recruiting tool - Personally I want to know who the lunatics are - where they are and what there saying - anyhoo I haven't killed anyone recently :-)

Big Like - making us think -  that can never be bad :-)

and should we thus not consider    
the consequences of our words ..  
you may well be right, but I think freedom of thought  
means that consequences can at least be    
considered ..

I kinda agree - one should always 'consider' potential consequences I do it all the time but we also have to consider the consequences of preventing speech we don't like :-)

Words and deeds are sometimes not so much apart, I'm afraid. I hope that accepting words will always be a little different from accepting resulting deeds.

Your poem is infernally good.

it's just a point of view, and not necessarily mine, or rather, not necessarily mine all the time, since I frequently change my mind, but thanks, Chi, "infernally good" is a great response .. !    :)

I got the message and I'm far from thinking you might offer inappropriate messages. It is a tricky poem and I "classified" it as INFERNALLY good since the outcome of what you might have had in your brilliant mind could be dangerous at least.