If free speech is provocative, should there be limits?

Here's my two cents for what it's worth. You can say whatever you want but, you should be prepared for any consequences that follow. If you are dumb enough to burn a Quran, draw a picture of Muhammad, protest at a Soldiers funeral with signs that say God hates Soldiers, stomp on the American Flag, use racial slurs, say I am going to kill all white cops etc. etc. You should be prepared to defend yourself from an ass whoopin, incarceration, or death.

Almost every fist fight I have ever been in has been started by someone running their pie hole.

There is either freedom of speech or there is not. Once you start putting "socially acceptable norms" around it, it is no longer free. There was a time when folks would not intentionally try to provoke a fight or rile a crowd but those days of polite discourse are long gone.

The left in this country for decades thumbed their nose at conventional wisdom, long standing institutions and did so under the protection of freedom of speech. The speech turned to action with things like piss christ, Mother Mary made from cow dung and many other openly hostile acts. Well, the pendulum has swung the other way and the left ifs no longer comfortable.

The ideas or speech that are uncomfortable are the types that need some protection. If we are going to say now that ideas/speech that are openly hostile deserve whatever they get, then prepare for a bloodbath. If I took a swing at everyone that pissed me off with some stupid remark or statement I would look like a fan on high gear most of the time.

You reap what you sow. We sowed the wind, now we will reap the whirlwind.

The problem with limits is - who sets the limit.

What SGM Olsen said is right on. You have free speech. I have to right to react to that as long as I do not break the law doing so.

As I said in another comment I have the right to ignore and to not help you up should you fall.

If you didn't see the banana peel that is not my problem.