No one who has witnessed one of the misnamed, Astroturf “tea parties” over the last year can be surprised at the death threats and attacks we are seeing on the offices of Democratic lawmakers who voted for the historic health insurance reform bill last week.
Hell, you just needed to see how they disrupted the townhall meetings on health insurance reform last summer to see what was coming.
I said way back in April of last year that the anti-government rhetoric going on now is eerily similar to what I saw in the mid-1990s with the Michigan Militia that only died down with the indictment of Timothy McVeigh for the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995, and like the cockroaches they are, the rightwing extremists dove for cover like somebody turned out the lights when McVeigh’s association with the Militia came out. Now, some of these same people are back, and they have been joined by other extremist groups, fired up by Republican leaders. Those so-called GOP leaders that have not tried to fire them up for political gain, have been silent on speaking out against it and condemning it.
A propane gas line at the Virginia home of the brother of Rep. Thomas Perriello, D-VA, was cut; whose address was targeted by teabagger group angry at the congressman’s vote for the health insurance bill, the address was mistaken for the Congressman’s home. An envelope containing white powder and a threatening letter was delivered to the office of Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York, who has been an outspoken proponent of health care insurance reform efforts.
Here in Michigan where eight of Michigan’s 15 members of Congress voted for the historic bill, some have been the object of threats and intimidation. According to the AP, the Michigan State Police have increased patrols around the home of U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, who has received obscene and threatening phone calls and faxes.
Now, Reps. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, and Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, are the targets of repeated threats. State Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, spoke out about the threats and intimidation on the Senate floor on Thursday.
“And now there are reports of death threats, cutting gas lines, delivering a coffin to the front yard of one lawmaker, and even threats to kill the children of Democratic lawmakers who supported the bill,” she said. “I think we can all agree; Gosh, I hope we can all agree that this has gotten way out of hand, as the rhetoric and rancor is turning into violent action.”
She was especially upset over the silence of so-called Republican leaders who ginned up the rhetoric, and then denied they had.
“In my view, perhaps the worst offense is that people in leadership positions are silent, and astonishingly, in some cases, it appears that they are actually encouraging this horrifying behavior,” Whitmer said. “None of us should take lightly this dangerous trend. We, as leaders, as legislators should condemn behavior like this—Democrats and Republicans alike. If we don’t quell this now, it will surely foment, and as a society, we will all pay as the election tensions rise.”
She plans on introducing a resolution condemning the behavior as soon as the Legislature comes back from it’s two-week Easter break. It will be interesting to see who supports it, if the Senate Republicans even allow a vote in it.
“Please join me in condemning this activity,” she said. “I have a resolution condemning that behavior, and I hope you will consider adding your name to it. “
12 comments:
You've directed your blame, arrows and bullets in the wrong direction.
While it's true that this was first brought out by Bart Stupak, it's been going on all along. This latest round is about the government takeover of health care.
Forget that members of Congress say they constantly get these threats even before the health care debacle. Bart Stupak brought it up in an interview the Thursday before the vote saying on CNN that his wife has had to unplug the home phone and he had to disconnect the voicemail at his office.
However, on Thursday before the vote when he mentioned it on CNN, he was a no vote. So the Anti Life crowd (socialist Democrats) were the ones threatening him, his wife and his property.
I think it's funny that you mention that the propane gas line was cut at the brother of a Representative. The propane gas line that was supposedly cut was to his grill, not to his house. It's even more weird that he said he smelled it in his house when he got home. I don't know of anyone that keeps their propane grill in their homes.
You claim that the Republican leadership didn't denounce the supposed threats. You're wrong or lying as usual. John Boehner did come out on Monday and condemn them.
This really ramped up after Pelosi and her minions in the House marched through the Tea Party crowd on Saturday. Three Representatives claimed that something happened. One said he was spit on, another claimed a racial epithet and another claimed a homosexual epithet. Yet, there is no proof of any of this happening. Not one video. Not a single recording of any of this. In fact, the video they do have is of one guy cupping his hands to shout at the socialist Democrats as they walked by and no spit emerging from his direction.
All appearances are that the socialist Democrats, Steny Hoyer, and others made this up.
In Mark Schauers case, I just heard the news and they said it wasn't a threat. Just someone that called and told him he didn't like the health care bill and the guy wasn't even from Schauers district.
Once again, you're making things up, leaving things out and generally lying about the entire thing. You failed to mention that the coffin was part of a prayer vigil and that the coffin represented the people that would die because of the government takeover of health care. You failed to mention that Eric Cantors office was shot. You also failed to mention all of the Bush/Cheney offices shot up during his eight years, the cheers that went up from the liberal left when the Iraqi threw a shoe at him, not to mention the lack of comment by the left and the liberal media when the movie was created about the assassination of President George Bush.
Once again you're caught in half truths, lies and ignoring that this stuff has been going on for years from the left. I guess, according to you, this would make the liberals the Timothy McVeigh wannabe's.
I wonder why you didn't mention that someone shot into Eric Cantor's office. I wonder why you didn't mention that guy that called the female representative in Ohio and said it's too bad she didn't die in her accident last year. Actually, I don't wonder. The only thing that I really wonder is if it was you that made the calls and aimed the guns.
No, the blame is in the right place, anonymous. It has been going on all along, at least since the Astroturf “tea parties” began a year ago. Actually, it just went underground after OK City terrorist attack, but it’s now almost mainstream.
There is no such thing as the “anti-life” crowd, unless you are referring to Republicans.. And as you know, anonymous, there is no such thing as a socialist Democrat in the country, and that is just a false, fascist Republican talking point. Can you tell me when was the last time a pro-choice person bombed a building or murdered a doctor just for performing a legal medical procedure? That is the anti-choice crowd that committed those terrorist attacks. Plus, there are Democrats that are anti-choice, and Stupak is an example of one. See, we don’t have a purity test like your party.
A propane gas line was cut. No, the Boner did not denounce the violence and anger.
So, Congressmen are not allowed to walk the streets in Washington, D.C.? If they do, then in your world its; OK to call a hero of the Civil Rights movement a “nigger,” and spit on another Congressman?
In your world hoping someone dies young is not a threat?
I have never made things up, and I have never lied. You’re the one you constantly make accusations with nothing to back it up. Did you listen to the filth Stupak had to put up with on the link I provided?
Yes, apparently a shot was fired near Eric Cantors’s office. But, Democrats are not out there inciting violence like Republicans are. Like I said before, I failed to mention “all of the Bush/Cheney offices shot up during his eight years” because it never happened. Again, I didn’t mention the Cantor incident because I didn’t know about it. I just heard it on CBS News last night.
I never take what you tell as truth without checking it out. Yes, it was me that made the calls and aimed the guns. After all, I post anonymously; Oh wait, that’s you that does that.
Not Anonymous man is there anything you won't lie about? As for Eric Cantor I guess you didn't venture outside the right wing blog sphere to discover in the case of Eric Cantor office being shot it was random act and it look like someone shot a bullet straight up in the air and it landed in his office.
Knowing how you guys work if this was an act of someone on the left that weaselly bastard would been on Fox News with his boy Sean Hannity. But since the police probably told Cantor it was probably someone jerking around with a gun not a politically motivated the story lost something.
As for the Bush/Cheney offices being "shot" at I don't believe it for a hot second, for two reasons one you said it so the chances of this story being a lie is 99.9% and two Karl Rove has a knack of doing underhanded things like this i.e. bugging his own office with listening device.
And I love the right trying to blame the people that got called the n-word and the f-word you know not you're right how dare they show up for work who do those Democrat think they are?
As for the conservatives demanding proof of these events happening over the weekend, all I have to say to that is really? Why would civil rights icon like John Lewis lie or why would Barney Franks lie? But I'm sure you surf the right wing blogs and recycle their spin on that one.
The problem here is not you're a liar and a really bad one.. Just stick to the right wing blogs.
Pelosi and her little troup of munchkins didn't use the entrance they normally use. They chose to put themselves in the midst of the protestors to walk in.
A congressman saying they were called names doesn't make it true. Where's the proof? There were thousands of people there, how come not one of them had a video of it? There was a group protesting for immigration that was there. How come they didn't have any video of it?
How come the security cameras posted around the capitol didn't pick it up?
A call saying "I wish you were dead" or "too bad you didn't die in your accident last year" is not a threat. Unless you're threatening your wife when you hand her your christmas wish list each year. Maybe you are threatening her. But most wouldn't call a wish a threat.
Why would they lie? You're kidding right? These clowns lied from start to finish on the health care takeover. They would lie because they want the focus off of them. The polls are still showing that the health care takeover is not wanted by the American people. CBS, Rassmussen, Zogby. All show 55% or higher don't want this bill. The pricks that passed it want to take the focus off that and want to make themselves victims. A typical socialist Democrat ploy. In addition, they are socialist Democrats, which really means that they are chronic liars anyway.
You don't believe that Republican offices were attacked with guns and in other ways? Well, I shouldn't be surprised by that. You can do your own research on that. The list is way too long for me to waste time with a hopeless partisan to give it to you. The only ones that believe you are the ones that don't care about this country and its' future.
Thank God there are more of us than there are of you. Come November, we'll see that the Socialist Democrats will be dropping like flies in the ballot boxes.
You didn't know about Cantors office being shot until last night, yet you posted this at 7:45 this morning and you expect anyone to believe you didn't know about it? Thank you for submitting additional proof of your lies.
Again, lawmakers are allowed to walk the streets, no matter what party they belong to, especially because of the nice weather they had that day.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/20/AR2010032002556.html
So, you’re calling Lewis, Frank, Cleaver and the Capitol Police liars? Perhaps in your world, wishing someone were dead is not considered a threat, but civilized people do.
Again, anonymous, the people spoke loud and clear in the most important poll that they wanted health insurance reform, and the fact is the current system is not sustainable. Once again, anonymous, there is no such thing as a socialist Democrat in this country, and that is just another tired, false fascist Republican talking point.
Like I said about 10 times now, the party in the White House always loses seats in the mid-term, but the people will retrain control of the House and Senate.
I don’t believe Republican offices were attacked by guns because they weren’t. There seems to be some doubt about the source of this shot fired at Cantor’s office.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20001283-503544.html
I’m still waiting for you to prove I lied, anonymous. You never will because I don’t lie.
You may be an ass, but you're at least good for comedy. There have been quite a few on here in the past months that have proven you wrong, proven your lies. You not accepting that they've caught you in lies doesn't make your lie any less a lie.
..."the people will retrain..." You're starting to speak your English like Little Johnny. By the way, as long as we're on the "important" stuff like the English language, in your post you say "people dove for cover". It's "dived". I would think that someone that claims to have been a professional writer would know this. I suspect you and Little Johnny might be the same person. Eitehr way, you're still an ass but fun to watch.
You have never proven a lie on this blog. All we get from you are un-sourced accusations. The people, meaning Democrats, will retain the House and Senate. Are we seriously at the point of pointing out typos? But, it’s a step up from the personal attacks you stoop to when you get beat on the facts. Plus, I don’t know any one named “Little Johnny.”
It’s easy to prove we are not the same people. See, unlike you, anonymous, we put our real names on what we write instead of hiding like you.
Not if you want your to air easy debunk conservative talking points without challenge maybe you feel more at ease over at the Michigan right wing blogs.
What I don't get is that you come to guru's blog and repeat right wing bullshit but you get mad when he debunks you on his blog.
The names you call me doesn't bother me because I know two things one facts are my side and two you gotta make stuff up to justify whatever Beck or Hannity tells you.
As for Eric Cantor we all know if that shooting had been motivated by politics, Cantor would be on Fox and Friends, whatever the midday crap on Fox is called, Neil Cavuto, Glenn Beck, Special Report, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Huckabee. The shooting was random and Cantor tried to use the story to deflect the mess you guys been doing for the past couple of weeks.
As for the polls, let me break this down once and for all.. Thanks to Fox News, the GOP and the right wing media lying for a whole year what's in the bill support for it had gone down, yet when people learns what's actually in the bill support goes up.
But I'm glad you drop the Bush/Cheney campaign office was shot lie..
Yes, I know you like to think you've never been caught in a lie, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see it when your words are read. You also like to think that you've debunked anyone and everyone that disagrees with you just because you disagree with them. You are just too easy to figure out.
I really do get a kick out of you. You're so very predictable. If you say it's going to rain, umbrellas start popping up everywhere.
Thank you for providing me with laughs. It's a great way to start the weekend. Can't wait to see what stupidity you back next week.
The fact is I have never been caught in a lie because I don’t lie. Now, you have made that baseless accusations a few times, anonymous, but like always, all we have to go on is your word, no proof. That’s why I don’t ban people and screen comments like most rightwing blogs I have seen.
I’m still waiting for you to catch me in a lie or debunk one of my posts, anonymous. I’ll be waiting a long time for that. What’s funny is seeing what stuff you will make up, or how quickly you have to stoop to the false, personal attacks when your made up positions are debunked.
RNC rejects joint 'civility' statement
The Republican National Committee has rejected a proposal from its Democratic counterpart to sign a joint “civility” statement, POLITICO has learned.
Various members of the DNC — including Chairman Tim Kaine, Executive Director Jen O’Malley Dillon and Communications Director Brad Woodhouse — contacted their respective RNC counterparts this week in hopes of getting RNC Chairman Michael Steele to co-sign a document with Kaine that, in part, called for “elected officials of both parties to set an example of the civility we want to see in our citizenry.”
“We also call on all Americans to respect differences of opinion, to refrain from inappropriate forms of intimidation, to reject violence and vandalism, and to scale back rhetoric that might reasonably be misinterpreted by those prone to such behavior,” read the proposed joint statement, which came at the end of a week that saw acts of vandalism and threats of violence directed at members of Congress from both parties, but mostly aimed at Democrats who voted yes on the health care bill.
Republicans see the statement as an attempt to force them to either reject the statement — allowing Democrats to say the RNC finds the incidents acceptable — or to sign on to something that the DNC would later wield against them.
The proposed statement was faxed and hand-delivered to the RNC at midmorning Friday. POLITICO learned Friday afternoon that the RNC would not sign the DNC statement.
More: on Politico
Republicans- the party of NO, can't even sign a statement of civility.
Too many syllables for them?
The extreme fringe of the Republican party has finally taken over,for decades the republicans managed to get these rubes to fall in line and vote for anyone they wanted.
But the election of a black man as president and two elections where they lost seats in places they never image losing has put the Republicans at the mercy of these people.
If the Republicans think in the long run pandering to these folks is going to ensure decades long majorities in both houses and the White House again, they got another thing coming.
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