Are anti-governmental poems illegal?

Question

Could you get in any trouble for entering one in a contest?

Answer 1

No it isn't however it may lead you into trouble like if it is published and the goverment sees it as a bad thing then they may keep an extra close eye on you and trap you with tix for speeding or who knows set you up! i mean most of the goverment is okay but if you talking about blowing them um or killing them or overthroughing them becareful and use your own judgement.. if you were the goverment would you be offended? if so then i would op out of that submission.. but by far it shouldn't be illegal... your voicing how YOU as a human feels!
i may put a disclaimer on there saying this is how YOU feel

Answer 2

It depends a bit on what you mean by anti-government. Supposing that you mean something along the lines of "The Government is wrong to send troops to Iraq", rather than "The government should be brutally slaughtered, and [name] is a [verybadword]":

They're not illegal. You have freedom of speech, after all. That means you are allowed to criticize the government - that's the whole point of democracy. :)

You could not get into any legal trouble for entering one in a contest. However, if some of the people who read your poem are very anti-anti-government, they might look at you strangely, or even say something. That would be totally a matter of difference of opinion between you and them, though, it would not be a legal matter, and they couldn't file charges or anything.

Answer 3

The First Amendment to the Constitution gives us freedom of speech, even against the government.

Answer 4

Not sure, but just to be on the safe-side i wouldn't. You really don't want to get in trouble. So try to make one about what you like most or hate most.

Answer 5

As long as you don't advocate violence, they are protected by freedom of speech.