Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.

Joan Karkos disagrees. Karkos refuses to return a book on sexuality to the Lewiston Public Library.

Last Wednesday morning, Karkos was in District Court to defend what she called her "civil disobedience."

Judge Valerie Stanfill did not stand for it, threatening Karkos with jail and a $100 fine following a daylong standoff in the courtroom after Stanfill asked Karkos if she had the book.

According to a Christopher Williams news story in the Lewiston Sun Journal, Karkos answered, "I have it in my possession."

Pressed by the judge, Karkos stuck with her answer.

Finally the judge told Karkos to "return it right now."

"I'm going to hang onto the book, your honor," responded the defendant.

Stanfill cleared the courtroom and informed Karkos that she would sit there until she produced the book.

Give Karkos credit for one thing: she's stubborn. Holding her ground and the book, she outlasted the patience of the judge who returned after lunch to give Karkos until 4 p.m. to return the book or suffer the fine.

The misguided Karkos kept the $21 book, paying the $100 fine for her disobedience. Perhaps she considered this a good deal. Karkos thinks the book is "dangerous."

If you consider words dangerous, perhaps you should stop reading this column right now. The book, "It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health," written by Robie Harris and published in 1993, features (brace yourself, a dangerous word approaches) cartoons of naked people in chapters on sexual topics. It has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood and criticized by conservative groups, translated into 21 languages and sold in 25 countries.

Karkos doesn't even have her finger in the dike on this one. This horse is out of the barn.

Censorship is never right. Yes, there are hateful words that our society continues to try to stifle. But those words need not hurt us if we understand that they simply reflect the ignorance and prejudice of the person saying the words.

I cringe when I hear a parent berating a young child with inappropriate angry words, but I know that the problems of that parent and child go well beyond the words being used. It is usually futile to intervene beyond giving the parent the evil eye.

Please don't misunderstand. I believe strongly that parents ought to censor what their kids read, see and experience. In fact, in today's liberal society, this is essential to maintenance of healthy values and morality.

But Karkos is not parent to the community and this is not her job.

It saddens me to know that so many kids today are exposed to violence and inappropriate material in video games, television shows and, yes, books.

The coarsening of our society is worthy of concern and even action. It is up to us as a community of caring thoughtful people to take that action, together, particularly in defense of our children.

But let's not start by taking library books. As chairman of the Trustees of Mount Vernon's Dr. Shaw Memorial Library, I would be remiss if I did not object to that.

Ignorance is not the answer. I know many of my conservative friends oppose sex education at school. They're wrong. It works, particularly when presented in age-appropriate information by the right teachers.

I am sometimes asked how I can stand the ridicule and criticism that comes with being in the public eye as an advocate for sportsmen. It's just a bunch of words to me and words don't bother me a bit.

Thirty years in the political arena toughened my skin and taught me to let it all slide by, often in amusement. Laughter is always better than tears.

And laughter was my first reaction to the Karkos caper, especially when I learned that the Lewiston Library received eight copies of the book from people who read about her deed. Undoubtedly, the doubtless Karkos has increased circulation of the book.

Upon reflection, I wondered why my conservative brethren get so bothered by words that they resort to censorship and taking books from a library.

We ought to defend all words and condemn censorship, particularly the censorship by one zealot like Karkos who believes she knows better than her community what is acceptable to read.

Words are not dangerous. Zealotry and censorship are dangerous.

Karkos removed the book. Simple as that. She got herself a $100 book and probably increased readership of the book manyfold.

It really is funny, isn't it?

George Smith is executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine. He lives in Mount Vernon and can be reached at george@samcef.org.