Referring to Larry Persily’s opinion piece, “It’s time more Republicans stood up to Trump” (Feb. 9 Sentinel), I am shocked how a Democrat can sound so undemocratic, intolerant, self-righteous and self-contradictory.
While you stress that you do not want to take away Trump’s phone, internet access or deny him his First Amendment rights, you urge Republicans to muzzle him, to “check him into a room at a budget hotel that only has basic cable” as you put it. In other words, you are asking Republicans to do the highly undemocratic deeds for you while you present yourself as the defender of democracy.
Well, I have news for you: There is no such thing as partial or modified democracy. So far, we do not have an Orwellian Ministry of Truth deciding how much democracy is allowed. Democracy should apply to everybody equally, either we have it or we do not. When everybody is forced to agree, it is not democracy but dictatorship.
After having experienced 20 long years of miserable life in socialism under the communist government of Czechoslovakia, I was thrilled when a hole appeared in the Iron Curtain 54 years ago giving me an opportunity to defect and to see what U.S. democracy was all about.
For the first time in my life I could speak freely, nobody was forcing me to follow mandates, the stores were fully stocked, no long lines to buy a single egg, nobody was fighting over the last package of toilet paper, gasoline was cheaper than distilled water, no envy existed because people were nice to each other, etc. (unfortunately some of these do not apply anymore).
I fell in love with American democracy/capitalism and realized it was not perfect but still the best way to go. On the other hand, socialism/communism was a bad/evil system denying citizens their basic human rights under the shroud of equity — everybody had to finish last except those in power.
So I am very allergic to anybody/anything threatening the U.S. democracy and can’t ignore the fact that our democracy is in peril, hanging on a single thread of a filibuster. I respect your opinion as long as you respect mine or Trump’s, and definitely object to anybody being muzzled or forced to inhabit a room with Yukon TV.
The democracy is not just for the most equal among equals, democracy is not yours or mine but ours. You cannot castrate it, cancel, de-platform, censor, etc. those who have a different opinion than those in power.
In my previous life, I saw persecution of people who had a different political opinion. I was arrested by the Czech secret police and accused of being a CIA agent just because I had a Wrangellite for a pen-friend. Inconveniently opinionated people were sent by kangaroo courts to jails, gulags and execution chambers. Fortunately, America is not that far yet, or are we getting every day closer?
Those preaching democracy and tolerance should act accordingly. Otherwise, as the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
Ivan Simonek
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