“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” These are the words of French writer and historian, Voltaire, who was an inspiration to many of America’s founding fathers.

The above quote seemed appropriate in the wake of another wave of campus demonstrations, this time by a peaceful Christian group that held signs and passed out literature a few weeks ago.

The hostility shown to the group was quite surprising. There was a lack of respect some people exhibited toward the right of free speech and that this is ethically wrong.

There was plenty of shouting, slandering, and arguing in the short time I observed the group.

This is not to say that the freedom of speech leaves no room for disagreement and debate. What was really missing was the ability or willingness of some to extend the privilege of courteous recognition of the right of others to speak freely.

James Broman, a member of the Christian group, told me that members try to bring their message to Cerritos at least once per year, and have generally not had much trouble in doing so.

He said they are not trying to recruit or convert anyone, and merely want to tune people in to Christianity. They don’t visit campuses to debate with people or to stir up trouble, but to simply share the truth.

That’s just it: We all believe we know the truth.

If you’re Muslim, the Koran is likely your truth. If you’re Jewish, the Torah may be your truth. If you’re an atheist, perhaps you regard Bertrand Russell’s works as truth.

All of these so-called truths, however, represent different ways of seeing and responding to the world. If anything is true, it’s that there are over 6.6 billion people on earth, and every one of us views things differently.

The framers of our Constitution were well aware of this fact, and decided to preserve everyone’s right to be unique and to believe different things by adopting the very first amendment to The Constitution.

This First Amendment guarantees every U.S. citizen’s rights to freedom of religion, the press, assembly, the ability to petition the government for a redress of grievances and, perhaps most importantly, to freely speak.

How lucky we are to live in a country where you are free to express your opinion till the cows come home, no matter how obviously wrong or imbecilic the things you choose to say may seem.

In fact, this article would not be possible without the First Amendment protections of my rights to both speak freely and utilize the press.

Consider also the fact that, without these rights, none of us would have the opportunity to receive a liberal education at any college or university in the United States. The First Amendment protects our right to not only speak our own minds, but to listen to and contemplate the speech of others and learn from it.

We should all be celebrating the fact that the fundamental rights to free speech, assembly, a free press, and association are still relatively alive and well.

Groups with widely differing opinions make their presence known at Cerritos all the time.

From the LaRouche Democrats, who famously spread an article with a picture of President Obama sporting a Hitler-esque mustache that became so pervasive it was even addressed by the student government last spring, to the Green Peace representatives who collect signatures to help “save” the planet.

It’s all protected speech under the First Amendment, and for that, we should all be thankful to our ancestors who fought and died to preserve, protect and defend these rights for us, their posterity.

We should all remember the importance of this right to the foundation of our country. George Washington, one of America’s most legendary founding fathers, suggested that we do so, saying, “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”

Let’s all ensure this fundamental right is preserved for us, and for the generations after us, so that they, too, may learn freely, write freely and speak freely.