Hate is not the North Dakota way, and it will not deter me from continuing to use my First Amendment right to express myself. Over the last couple of years, I have written several letters to the editor. My latest one was a critique of Rep. Kelly Armstrong’s views on socialism, which he expressed on Rob Port’s podcast.
On March 11, I received my first hate mail in response to my letter. The hate mail consisted of three printed off articles; one was from Townhall (online conservative webpage), one was from the Minot Daily News (an opinion piece on the environmental impact of activists), and the last was a copy of Rob Port’s response to my letter. The person who mailed me these also wrote all over the margins. They called me a colorful assortment of names, asked me how much I give to charity (since college I have consistently given the same percentage to local charities), told me to move to Cuba, said I was stupid, and claimed that President Obama does certain sexual acts in public restrooms.
At first, I have to admit was a little taken back by this, but then I felt nothing but pity for this person. Whoever did this has nothing better to do with their life then obsess over a letter to the editor. In addition, they must have health issues, as one of the articles was printed off on a patient information leaflet of Simvastatin (Zocor), a medication for high cholesterol. I hope that whoever did this finds the piece in their life that they are clearly lacking, and that there are not facing any serious medical issues.
