I find your comments deplorable, but I will defend to the death your right to say them. Paraphrasing comments attributed to Voltaire.

The Shredder appears to believe that it is the ultimate determination of what constitutes free speech ("Oops, they did it again!" April 12). You have every right to your opinions, but to ask the administration of Cal Poly to adopt rules restricting free speech is asking them to violate the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Is that what you intended?

How is it free speech if those who exercise it must be held accountable (punished) for doing it? That sounds more like controlled speech, not free. To propose such control and claiming it is free speech seems to be a very convoluted thought process.

The First Amendment prohibits Cal Poly as a government agency from making a law or infringing on the rights of citizens to exercise their constitutional right to free speech. I believe that Cal Poly, as part of the California State University System, receives some funding from the federal government and consequently is an agency of that government.

What you describe as having transpired on the campus or by some students may be determined by some (myself included, to some extent) as unacceptable behavior. Even such behavior is still protected. It appears that the Shredder and many progressives believe that only they are allowed to define free speech to the extent that any opposing points of view are unacceptable (hate speech).

It seems that lately the left calls anyone they disagree with a racist. Doing so has only diluted that term to the extent that it has lost all serious meaning. The Shredder should be cautious in name-calling. Most of us learned before high school that doing so only demeans the person that does it.

Ron Smith

Paso Robles