House members offered more security after vandalism attacks, death threats, Hoyer says

WashingtonPost ^ | 3/24/10 | Philip Rucker and Ann Gerhart

[Kartographer]

At least 10 Democratic members of Congress have been offered increased security attention in the wake of last weekend's health-care vote, House leaders said Wednesday, after some Democrats received death threats and others' congressional offices and Democratic Party campaign offices were vandalized.

At least 10 Democratic members of Congress have been offered increased security attention in the wake of last weekend's health-care vote, House leaders said Wednesday, after some Democrats received death threats and others' congressional offices and Democratic Party campaign offices were vandalized.

[worst-case scenario]

What exactly is it that I am advocating that “no one” here is in agreement with? I “like the libe so much” just because I don’t want a civil war? Are people ready to grab their guns and start shooting in your neck of the woods, Ohioman?

[Pravious]

“No, you should not be mean to your Democrat neigbors. It is not Christianlike behavior. Besides, it serves no purpose; you can’t win people over to your point of view by alienating them.”

I’m sorry. This “turn the other cheek” stuff is part of the reason we’re in this position to begin with. The very LEAST we can do is shun the people who want to destroy our country and run our lives. Winning them over to our point of view isn’t a viable option. Their ability to reason is obviously somewhat less than your standard rock. There’s no reasoning with them, and no reason to TRY reasoning with them.

[taraytarah]

Did they honestly think they could betray and bankrupt and endanger the American people, and carry on strutting the streets as before? Who really has control here?

[reasonisfaith]

This is a bad sign. It’s got Alinsky written all over it.

Democrats typically lie about their opponents, accusing them of doing what the Democrats in fact plan to do in the near future.

[lgjhn23]

“...The very LEAST we can do is shun the people who want to destroy our country and run our lives. Winning them over to our point of view isn’t a viable option. Their ability to reason is obviously somewhat less than your standard rock. There’s no reasoning with them, and no reason to TRY reasoning with them....”
That’s what we do here. Shun them, ignore em and have no association with them whatsoever. We do not lend, help or give anything to these communist traitors either. We are also very well prepared to defend ourselves if need be.

[ohioman]

The people I know are pissed. Let's wait and see what the courts do. Then, the next course of action will be apparent.

[katiedidit1]

Damn cowards. They should have to pay for their own EXTRA security out of their own pockets. They make enough money. Another burden on the taxpayers to cover the yellow bellied fascists asses.

[katiedidit1]

Yet President Bush flew into Harm’s Way to visit our troops in Iraq. He spent Thanksgiving with them. Now, we have a bunch of yellow bellied whining cowards in congress who should pay for their own security. Sick of extra perks coming out of our tax dollars

[TigersEye]

They should really put themselves in harm’s way and use the same health care system they just set up for us.

[Bigg Red]

I understand your anger, but we need to pick our battles wisely, IMO. If there is a chance that a person can be won over we should try. But, on a personal level, I could not be friends with a progressive.

[Hoodat]

Is this considered opinion of Freepers that the outrage over PPPCA justifies attacks?

Pardon my ignorance, but what is PPPCA? Portuguese Podengo Pequeno Club of America? And please do not attempt to fit us into some little Freeper stereotype. It is upsetting enough when liberals do that with African-Americans, Southerners, Texans, etc. I can state unequivocably that a vast majority of the members of this site are fine upstanding individuals who would give you the shirt off their backs if you were needy.

I don't label all Democrats as racist because of bad apples like George Wallace, Orval Faubus, Sam Ervin, Al Gore, Lester Maddox, Fritz Hollings, William Fullbright, Richard Russell, Jesse Jackson, Emmanuel Cleaver, Robert Byrd, Bull Conner, J.B. Stoner, etc. So please don't try to label Free Republic members as terrorists because of the alleged actions of some unknown person and the posting of some letter on some unnamed website by a person baselessly accused of being a "Tea Party Member" [sic] in a city that isn't even in Periello's district.

On second thought, why don't you get someone like John Lewis to disavow the racist past of his own political party, and give credit where credit is due regarding the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act - Everett Dirksen, Republican.

[PghBaldy]

It’s all lies.

[hal ogen]

Stenny “The Tool” Hoyer is a fool.

[PghBaldy]

Considering the staffers are exempted from healthcare “reform,” I can see why people are upset. I am. There are few times I’ve been madder. They aren’t worth it though. If someone else does something to them, I won’t shed a tear. They have some nerve after what they have done to the country, trying to get sympathy.

[WVNan]

You are talented in finding all these instances. I wish you would gather all of the links and send them to the DNC office. They have short memories. Of course that could be because the media hardly mentioned the incidents.

[worst-case scenario]

My bad, typo: that’s PPACA to which I referred.

[dr_who]

Hoyer is one slick creep.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Well, are the children of a Congressperson fair game, like Louise Slaughter’s? What about the nephews and nieces of a Congressperson?

You thinking I made a threat---you're way out of line. I mentioned children only because the RATs always want to do something for "the children", then turn around and use their innocence to advance their political aims.

THAT WAS MY POINT---THEY ARE USING SUPPOSED THREATS, TO ADVANCE POLITICAL AIMS. Just as they use claims of racism and homophobia to make sure any disagreement is tainted forever.

Be nice to your next door neighbors all you like. I'll speak my mind all I like, it's just disturbing when a supposed conservative jumps the shark on me, wrongfully.

[PaleoBob]

Even if someone “threatened” to kill them, it would pale alongside the formation of 100+ new bureaucracies, many of which are vested with the mission of making sure we are all killed off when the time comes. These so-called “lawmakers” are PLANNING to kill us—that’s far more worthy of investigation than mere threats.

[dr_who]

Not a bad column on the whole thing at Reason.com:

The Breaking Windows Fallacy

Posted on March 24, 2010, 4:43PM | Jesse Walker

There's a lot of hyperbole out there about Mike Vanderboegh, an Alabama militiaman who reacted to the health care bill by urging all patriots to break windows at Democratic Party headquarters around the country -- a suggestion that a handful of brick-throwers seems to have embraced. It's a lousy idea, but it isn't a sign of racism, anti-Semitism, or any of the similar maladies being diagnosed by some of Vanderboegh's critics. I've been aware of Vanderboegh for a while. His chief claim to fame is being one of the more vocal anti-racists in the militia milieu, a guy who went out of his way to antagonize the neo-Nazi types who tried to hitch their wagons to the movement back in the '90s. Comparing his brick campaign to Kristallnacht is ridiculous.

That said, his plan is pretty ridiculous as well. Breaking windows at Democratic offices will do about as much to stop Obamacare as breaking windows at Starbucks did to stop international trade agreements. Scattershot vandalism of private property is the sort of polarizing action that turns the people in the middle against you, not the kind that brings them to your side. As I've written elsewhere, "Nonviolence makes it harder for the government to demonize you [and] easier to attract popular support. Besides, the government has greater firepower; if you use violence, you're fighting on its turf." That applies to violence against property as well.

If you want to "get their attention BEFORE the IRS thug parties descend upon us each in turn" (the words are Vanderboegh's), then here are 198 nonviolent -- not passive, but nonviolent -- ways to get a message across, all drawn from a very smart book about political conflict. The further down the list you go, the more confrontational the methods get. You can put the authorities in the position of enforcing an unpopular law requiring everyone to buy insurance, or you can put them in the position of enforcing a popular law against breaking other people's windows. One approach will earn public sympathy. The other will earn you a reputation as a public nuisance.