Difficult though that can be, that's precisely what living in an open, tolerant society is supposed to be all about.

We pride ourselves on being that sort of society, but you wouldn't think so to look at the heavy-handed restrictions being clamped on us these days.

The furore over police powers during World Youth Day (WYD) is a perfect example.

We will soon see whether police exercise powers granted to them specifically for the month of July, including the power to arrest and fine people for "causing annoyance or inconvenience" to any of the 500,000 or so pilgrims expected.

The Pope arrives in NSW on Sunday and WYD - it's not actually a day but a whole week - gets going on Monday.

I am so incensed by the NSW Government's ludicrous attempts to gag its citizens that I feel like protesting myself - against the government, not the Catholic church.

I am a child of the Vietnam age, when hundreds of thousands of us took to the streets to try to convince the stubborn conservatives who governed us to stop sending our young men to die for no worthwhile purpose.

Protesting was seen back in the 1960s and '70s as a fundamental pillar of our democracy. Today half the population seems to regard protesters as weirdos.

We have become supine in the face of governments eager to deprive us of liberties our forefathers fought wars to win.

What government in its right mind would require police to make the highly subjective decision as to what constitutes an annoyance to a pilgrim?

As many have pointed out, the entire Iemma government can expect hefty fines if the rail system is up to its usual annoying antics next week.

The maximum penalty is no slap on the wrist; it's $5500 -five times the amount for exposing yourself in public.

If humour is the best weapon, it didn't take the army of civil libertarians long to march into battle with slogans like "$5500 - a small price to pay for annoying Catholics" and "11 - Thou shalt not annoy".