By Matts Wilcoxen, YAF Chapter Chairman at Principia Upper School

On Facebook, they call themselves the “Anti-(Conservative) Crusaders”, the “Americans against Fox News and (Conservative) Lies”, “the 99%”, even “People Against Glenn Beck, the Tea Party, and Hate Speech”. They set up tents in public places, defecate on police cars, and denounce the “1%”. They scream obscenities and threaten the “fascists” who dare disagree with them. You guessed it, they’re progressive student activists.

At my school, these students have begun to regularly vandalize a YAF display featuring Ronald Reagan and free market ideas. Whether they are defacing a Reagan poster, stealing signs, ripping apart flags, or stapling their propaganda over Margaret Thatcher quotes, the message is the same: in a “progressive” society there is no room for dissenting ideas.

The actions of these self-proclaimed champions of tolerance, equality, and respect prove again and again just how intolerant they truly are. Apparently, the Left’s perceived love of free speech and tolerance is extended only to other leftists. All others are labeled bigots, fascists, and idiots.  The question must be begged, who are the true bigots?

On my campus, there is a distinct and visible difference between liberal and conservative student activists: no one has, and no one will, vandalize liberal posters, personally attack leftist activists, or decry opposing beliefs as “hate speech.”

The reason for this difference? Conservatives on my campus, and on every campus, hold an authentic respect for the rights of others to express their opinions. Conservatives have proven, through their actions, that they are the true ‘drum majors’ of free speech and tolerance.

In the end, it has been, and continues to be, the conservative activists who have proven loyal to the principle of tolerance that allows for the free, open, and fearless discourse that maintains our nation. On our campus, it is the YAF members who remain the staunchest defenders of free speech and respectful dialogue.

Conservative activists have a responsibility to remain steadfast in their defense of free speech, let the Left’s charade of tolerance be destroyed by its own hypocrisy. Through our actions, we continue to prove that we are the ones truly protecting the rights of all students, not the Left.

Mattson Wilcoxen is the chairman of the Young Americans for Freedom chapter at Principia Upper School. To start a YAF chapter at your school or college, fill out this form: *Apply for YAF Chapter*