Published May 27, 2009 06:05 pm - I received an e-mail forwarded to me a week or so ago from a wussy individual who wouldn’t identify himself, slamming Conneaut City Manager Robert Schaumleffel Jr. over the manager’s demands that a Website operator take down information dealing with the city.
Fascism, socialism two sides of political spectrum ROBERT LEBZELTER column for May 31, 2009
Star Beacon
I received an e-mail forwarded to me a week or so ago from a wussy individual who wouldn’t identify himself, slamming Conneaut City Manager Robert Schaumleffel Jr. over the manager’s demands that a Website operator take down information dealing with the city.
Now I don’t mind him criticizing Schaumleffel. We have First Amendment rights in this country. The operator, Katie Schwartz, can publish anything she wants, as long as it isn’t libelous. Even then, when it deals with public officials, she is given some leeway.
Publishing public information on her own Web site is perfectly legal and acceptable and the manager’s letter has resulted in huge repercussions and national attention.
Here is a bit of the letter from the unknown person to Schaumleffel:
“I must assume you are a Democrat.
“If you think you are anything else, might I suggest you join all the other fascists by switching to the Democratic party.
“Clearly you were too stupid or lazy to pay attention during HS (high school, I presume.)
“Or perhaps you are a hard-core leftist who thinks free speech should be only for those who agree with you.
“Either way, just know it is you and your ilk who are destroying our nation. It is not just the fat cats in D.C., it is all you arrogant megalomaniacs who curtail our freedoms for your convenience.”
The term “fascist” was also used freely at the tea party several weeks ago, held by people who are unhappy we no longer have a waterboarding-loving, lawyer-shooting vice president.
People freely used the term “fascist” when describing the Obama White House. They mixed in the term with “socialism,” too.
Folks, “fascist” is a term dealing with the far right. Barack Obama is more to the liberal bent. The far left can better be described as a socialist, or maybe Communist.
So this letter writer, who again didn’t have the guts to include his name, more accurately should have stated, “I must assume you are a Republican.
“If you think you are anything else, might I suggest you join all the other fascists by switching to the Republican party.”
Now please, I do not think Republicans are necessarily fascists. It would be the same as Democrats being socialists. But I would appreciate it if people are going to call different political parties names, they at least use the correct ones.