This is an exceedingly disturbing report from last night’s Rachel Maddow Show on the rising wave of terrorism by Rightwing extremists — now known as the Republican Party — in the wake of the passage of healthcare insurance reform.
I’ve long warned, and stand by the disturbing prediction again today, that someone will end up dead before this is all over. Where, oh, where, are the responsible GOP leaders who ought to be denouncing what’s going on here loudly and clearly?
It’s somewhat remarkable that Maddow never uses the word “terrorism” in this report, despite this meeting the very definition of the word. (Ed note: Please see correction on this point below.)
Since Maddow’s report last night, things have only gotten reportedly worse. In VA, according to Politico, a tea bagger has posted what he thought was the home address of Democratic Rep. Thomas Perriello, inviting others to “drop by” and lend a “personal touch” to their opinions on the freshman Congressman’s vote on health insurance reform. The address, however, turned out to be that of his brother who has a wife and four children under the age of eight.
Officials are now investigating a severed gas line at his brother’s home.
Watch Maddow’s report. This story ought to be the lead of every broadcast media outlet right now (and it certainly would have seen wall-to-wall coverage on Fox “News” had these been Republican offices vandalized by domestic Democratic-leaning terrorists.)
Also, please consider signing on to Velvet Revolution’s StopDomesticTerror.com campaign before it’s too late again. [Disclosure: The BRAD BLOG is a co-founder of VR. Hat-tip: BRAD BLOG reader “PS”.]
CORRECTION 3/26/10: Not sure how I missed it — must have been jotting down a note at the moment she mentioned it — but in fact, Maddow did note that some of these acts sound very much as if they are “close to the legal definition of terrorism in this country.” She did so at appx. the 8:30min mark in the video above. My apologies for the oversight, and my thanks to BRAD BLOG commenter Lora for pointing it out.
More stuff vandalized http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/32329244.html
Actually, she does, about two-thirds of the way through, complete with definition.
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind….
Scary stuff. Orchestrated. Directed. Flames are being fanned. A military coup is not an impossibility in the US of A. It is becoming less and less unlikely the longer the Democrats and friends of the Dems (Y’know, that “enemy of my enemy” thing) keep their heads stuck firmly in the sand.
Perhaps we need to take a harder look at that 2nd amendment and see how we can apply it to ourselves. We might actually NEED to for self-defense for real.
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
The Minnesota events were definitely co-ordinated. The other events inspired by kooks, but perhaps more random. This is out of control.
Why can’t they wait for the slower more messy process of democracy? Maybe because they are thugs and they really don’t believe in it.
Rachael, The anger is not really about Health care. Its been brewing since Obama became President. They are saying, how dear that Man….., I will not use the word they are using behind close doors, get something done in this country. We dont want him to be successful at anything. We want him to fail. It is the color of his skin that has them so angry.
These Gun rights kooks….Seem to miss the obvious point that IF THE GOVERNMENT decided to come against the people; the people’s guns won’t be a defense….the only thing your gun will defend you against is your neighbor; not the government.
Guns are an effective weapon in a civil war against other citizens…but have zero effectiveness against the government, if that government decided to turn on the people…the government could squash an army of rifle wielding citizens without a troop being on the ground…
I think these racist militia types know that…this guns vs government rhetoric is actually coded language for racial/political civil war.
If they can’t beat the libs at the polls…then they’ll shoot ’em dead in the streets…it’s their answer to civil rights legislation back in the 60s. They’ve never gotten over that.
silly Elmer Fudds
I am a bit conflicted about the headline here pointing the finger of blame to the GOP. On the one hand, there is nothing that indicates these are GOP-orchestrated events. On the other hand, I keep thinking of the brownshirt tactics used by the GOP – starring Chief Justice Roberts – when Florida tried to actually count the votes in Election 2000. I suppose as long as the GOP refuses to disassociate themselves with these wackjobs then they seem to be implicitly involved. We can look back to the under-reported and under-investigated break-ins of Dem headquarters during past elections as the pre-cursor to this. It’s times like these that I long for the relatively simple and innocent abuses of Nixon.
In all their amendments, why aren’t Republicans offering amendments to get rid of “death panels” and things they claimed that were in the bill? Because there was no such thing, so they can’t amend the things they lied about? Or are Republicans FOR the death panels, because they’re not offering an amendment to remove them?
Nancy: if the GOP has nothing to do with it, then why do they feel they are the “spokesmen” to offer up comments on behalf of the violence? IE: “We’re against this, BUT….”. Always the “but”. “…BUT, people are angry”. Yeah, because the GOP and rightwing radio are very good at stoking their anger and then saying they had nothing to do with it. Didn’t Boehner say someone was a “Dead man”, and Palin has crosshairs on her website with Dems names in them? And I can go on and on an on…and then they say they have nothing to do with it! Where’s Frank Schaeffer when you need a column by him???
“We’re not saying we’re FOR the violence against Democrats, BUT………….”
If the GOP isn’t sanctioning it outright with terms like Reveolution, Armageddon, and Government Take Over, which we have all heard in the last week by the LEADERSHIP of the Republican party, which are all on video tape, then they’re doing it indirectly. And by that, they are still responsible. The tiger is lose and this group of militia has a voice. Should be a long summer.
The word everyone is looking for is “sedition.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/business/03sec.html?_r=1&sq=agency&st=cse&%2339;s%2004%20rule=&scp=1&adxnnlx=1223130681-aVvxNSDhZFISzS0OHvuweg&pagewanted=all
instead of violence, use your brains and come back with articles like the above.
“Agencys 04 rule Let banks Pile up new debt”
by Stephen Labaton/Nytimes.com
some people forget, who put the country in this big mess..remember this one brad?