Liberal Discourse Consists of Cursing and Name Calling by Robert Socha

The Huffington Post quoted me (1). The quote came from a published reply in the Hillsdale Daily News(2) to a call for my resignation from Hillsdale City Council. “Welcome to the big leagues,” said a friend and mentor when I asked for advice on how to respond to the emails and posts received in the aftermath that attack my character. My first inclination is to ignore and delete them, which I did a few times. After a few such deletions, I decided to keep them as a reminder of the battle of ideas waged in our great nation. One side, the left, with the assistance of traditional media and big tech, advocates abandoning original principles laid out in our founding charters and embrace subservience to a ruling class. They smear and demean their political opponents through character assassination and twisted truth while ignoring the very things they accuse of happening within their ranks.

Here are a couple of examples:

Apparently, from somewhere near Eagle, Idaho, Tom Clark sent me the following, “F**” you, traitor piece of f*****g foreign s***.”

Possibly, from somewhere near Easton, Pennsylvania, Earl H. Johnstone sent me this appeal, “Hey you treasonous f***, it’s not cancel culture, IT’S HOLDING PIECES OF S***, SUCH AS YOURSELF, ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR TREASONOUS ACTIONS!”

There were many other communications on social media and in additional emails that echoed those sentiments above. Not one had a glimpse of anything but conjecture and character assassination. They engaged in the very thing, trying to cancel me, against which they argued. The worst offenders chose to berate family members unaffiliated with anything that happened in D.C. on that day, except their relations to me. It was ugly and uncalled for intimidation, which I summarily destroyed and publicly responded to in a council meeting (3).

I do not have the time nor inclination to respond to each individual attack, so I thought it best to post my response to their vitriolic hatred below. Enjoy:

Thank you for taking the time to reach out and voice your opinion.

Your command of the English language and affirmation of freedom of speech has inspired me to continue this march toward true Liberty. Typically, decent people will refrain from using vulgar and offensive language as an act of self-control. Still, I don’t expect you to adhere to principled behavior as it is apparent that the end justifies the means.

Your understanding of the Right to petition our government for a redress of grievances lacks introspection. This misunderstanding compels me to continue advancing the ideals of Liberty and Justice for all. These ideals are rooted in the Judeo-Christian Scripture and culminate in the United States Constitution. It would serve you well to acquaint yourself with those documents as I have since I learned of our Nation’s magnificent heritage.

You are confused that speaking against our government and its decisions is sedition. If you believed in this type of seditious behavior, almost every Democratic lawmaker, Antifa, and BLM agent would be guilty, whom, of course, you would hold accountable. In fact, arguments from as early as 1798(4) debate that laws against sedition violate the constitutional protections of Freedom of Speech.

You incorrectly believe that an insurrection occurred on January 6, 2021. By definition, an insurrection is an armed takeover of the government. I do not remember an armed populace in Washington, and, as you know, I was there. Every person gathered in D.C. on that day in support of requesting Congress not certify the election results until a thorough, trustworthy investigation takes place was unarmed. The violent people who broke into the Capitol are known as Antifa, as the affidavit(5) for the arrest of John Sullivan reads. Yes, protesters followed them into the building, a terrible misjudgment, but the protesters were not the violent ones, nor were they destructive.  In fact there is ample video evidence (6) to the contrary.

The only murder on that day during the uproarious behavior, not riotous, was of Ashli Babbit, God rest her soul. The other men, God rest their souls, died of natural causes. The day’s events may have exacerbated their symptoms, but they did not die at the protestors’ hands, including the unfortunate demise of Capital Police officers who prematurely died.

Hundreds of thousands of people descended on our Nation’s Capital that day. Castigating them all, including me, for the actions of a couple hundred is dishonest and divisive. To call the events riotous, insurrection, sedition, etc. is a gross exaggeration, especially in light of the “mostly peaceful” protests that were a blight on our nation since George Floyd’s killing.

A record 75 million Americans voted for the incumbent’s reelection. Most of these people have legitimate qualms requiring thorough investigation. It is past time to return to civil discourse and true republicanism where the People’s votes are free of chicanery and elected servants put Liberty and Justice for all Americans at the forefront of their legislation, embracing the People’s ability to self-determination.

1. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/57-gop-officials-at-capitol-insurrection_n_6026e5e2c5b6f88289fb90a6
2. https://www.hillsdale.net/story/news/politics/county/2021/01/14/socha-stuchell-respond-to-letter-demanding-resignations-over-capitol-unrest/115294510/
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-9UvmLF4yc
4. https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1700s/The-Sedition-Act-of-1798/
5. https://www.justice.gov/opa/page/file/1354781/download
6. https://twitter.com/emmbeliever/status/1347007733619372035?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1347007733619372035%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftownhall.com%2Ftipsheet%2Fbronsonstocking%2F2021%2F01%2F07%2Fvideo-shows-trump-supporters-attempting-to-stop-people-from-breaking-into-the-capitol-n2582785