The group of protesters at The Minuteman Project speech April 19 amazes me, along with its response to what police did.

First, the protesters who tried to shut down Chris Simcox's speech are hypocrites. The group is claiming that its First Amendment rights were being violated when police made them leave or arrested them. Ironically, the protesters were trying to violate Mr. Simcox's First Amendment rights by being rude and disorderly, and preventing him from speaking. I am sure they would have done anything to prevent the speech from occurring. Instead of listening to the speech and then having an intellectual discussion about the subject, they would rather it not be heard at all.

I wonder how the protesters would feel if their speaker wasn't able to speak because the Young Americans for Freedom and MSU College Republicans were being rude and disrespectful.

Secondly, now they want the immediate removal of MSU's chapter of YAF and the MSU College Republicans. Just because they don't like what they stand for, they want them shut down. They must want all people in this country to think and act like them.

I feel the border needs to be secure and that everyone entering the country should be documented. There are other opinions on the subject, and I am willing to hear them and discuss them so we can move forward. It seems that the protesters of the Minutemen are not up to that challenge, so they will continue to try to disrupt speeches and suppress the First Amendment rights of others — as long as we don't touch theirs.

Steve Rusnock
2001 MSU graduate