I'm going to assume most of you have already heard of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, considering it has seemed a constant news topic since its foundation.

For those of you who have managed to avoid the issue, however, the Minuteman group is made up of vigilantes intent on "defending" America's borders from a perceived immigrant menace.

This is a group that even makes President Bush — a frequent champion of building a wall along the United States-Mexico border — uncomfortable. It seems Bush has a sliver of sense.

Even if you ignore the obvious danger of having hundreds of random citizens wandering the border with guns, the Minuteman group remains one of radicals dancing around overt racism.

While their mission statement claims the Minutemen are simply protecting the U.S. from "people who wish to take advantage of a free society," and "not because of a bias towards people from another country," issues of race and ethnicity are prominent in the everyday speech of its members.

Shortly after the Minuteman group was founded, it held a rally near Bisbee, Ariz., where members spoke of Mexicans as being diseased and blamed them for "turning (America) into a Third World dumping ground."

As if the language of the Minuteman group wasn't hostile enough, its actions have attracted help from unsavory groups like the National Alliance — a neo-Nazi organization committed to an Aryan America, founded on ideals of white supremacy and an end to the "sickness of multiculturalism."

When their language, actions and friends are taken into consideration, the flowery mission statement of the Minuteman members is exposed as just that — a cheap facade.

In spite of this, MSU's chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, or YAF, has invited Minuteman Co-Founder Chris Simcox to speak on campus April 19.

Simcox's visit to MSU is another example of YAF's inability to participate in a respectful dialogue on campus. The role of a university as a forum of debate is a wonderful thing.

I'm not faulting the members of YAF for wanting to be involved, but rather for their refusal to contribute in any positive way. This is the group that relished the controversy surrounding "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day" and recently was added to the Southern Poverty Law Center's list of American hate groups.

Time and time again, YAF has communicated a message of intimidation and hate, spurring many in the MSU community to wonder if the group should be allowed a voice at all.

This isn't the first time MSU students have questioned whether there are limits to free speech.

When news broke last spring that neo-Nazis were going to rally at the state Capitol, all of East Lansing was abuzz with ideas on how best to confront those who wish to only speak through hate. Some felt that vocal protest was necessary, while others opted to ignore the Nazis, leaving them to simply talk to themselves.

Opinions on how best to respond varied, but one truth was understood by all: The reality of the freedom of speech applies to everyone — even the despicable.

The same truth applies to YAF and Simcox, but that doesn't mean we have to listen.

YAF may abuse their freedom by using it to spout hate and discrimination, but their relevance on campus relies on our willingness to listen. Despite recent attention, YAF remains a small fringe group on the edge of the student organization spectrum.

They can march and shout, but without an audience, YAF will shrivel into obscurity. Bigotry is not attractive, and when Simcox arrives at MSU, I imagine he will find himself speaking to a meager group of YAFers.

That's fine with me; they can yell at each other until they're hoarse.

Of course, if the message of YAF and Simcox disgusts you (an understandable response), then why not show up to B106 Wells Hall next Thursday?

Simcox is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m., and he deserves to hear that hate and discrimination are not welcome at MSU.

You see, that's the beauty of free speech — it goes both ways.