Political violence is here and it is here to stay. No force on Earth will put that genie back in the bottle.
This place has cachet. Less than it did, but it still has some. Many is the time I'd write an editorial, and Rush's show later that day was about the topic I wrote, in the same tone I wrote it.
Two or three times I've been contacted directly by either a national or state-level politician who thanked me for my idea. Case in point: Giuliani, when attacked as linked to the mob. I wrote, "THIS IS PERFECT. Now Guiliani can claim the victim flag. He's Italian, and it is a STEROTYPE to link him to the Mob!!!"
One hour later, an aide to Guiliani sent me a freepmail. Would not admit directly to being an aide, but said she had an "IN" to his campaign.
90 minutes later, Giuliani was decrying the horrible stereotyping of Italians, and demanding an apology from his New-York-City-Mayors-election opponent.
This forum is powerful, and one man can make a difference.