The Salon of Forbidden Thought

The Salon of Forbidden Ideas is a place where the free-thinkers go to express their unsanctioned opinions and explore what they aren't meant to know... At twilight, they slip through the shadows of the alley 'twixt Far-Left and Right, wearing black masks and cloaks of red satin, bearing lanterns of unfiltered light. The door to the salon is fastened with various fashions of locks--- each one with a key and engraving of the name of a theory or hoax. For the one with the keys to unlock them there awaits a most pleasant reception: A tea in an elegant parlor with others so-freed from deception. Over salvers of tea cakes and lokum, and samovars piping with steam, they indulge in uncensored discussions (like the cats who have gotten the cream). The portaits of Nietzsche and Darwin, and of Freud and Marcuse and Marx, gaze down with intense indignation as the fireplace feasts on their works. Engraved on the mantle is FREEDOM, and the roar of the flames, "Liberation!", and the parlor is bright with the fireglow from the canon of indoctrination. Outside, in the mist and the darkness, the justice wolves prowl on patrol--- sniffing fiercely for dissident skeptics in their bloodthirsty lust for control. The tea in the parlor continues--- as the wolves run the alleys in vain--- til the night-shadow fades into sunrise and the guests don their masks once again. Do you know the way to the Salon? Do you have the keys to its door? Simply follow the compass of Conscience, and the pull of your heart to know more. The alley is narrow and lonely; you might lose your family or friends, your religion or good reputation before you arrive at its end... But if you are yearning for freedom, and the knowledge of truth is your goal, there's an ear for your voice at the Salon, and refreshment and peace for your soul.