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The Latest Violent Response to Health Care Vote

They’re starting to come too fast to post them individually anymore, but here is another:

Federal and local authorities are investigating a severed gas line at the home of U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello’s brother, discovered the day after Tea Party activists posted the address online so opponents could “drop by” and “express their thanks” for Perriello’s vote in favor of health care reform.

The gas line connected a propane tank to a gas grill on the home’s screened-in porch, according to sources in Tom Perriello’s office.

The incident is being viewed as an attempted threat to a member of congress, sources said.



33 Responses to “The Latest Violent Response to Health Care Vote”

  1. oaechief says:

    The problem is, is that these folks are serious. We're not going to hear, after some one is maimed or killed,”I didn't mean for that to happen. I just wanted to scare her (or him).”

    These folks believe the tripe that Limbaugh and Beck are feeding them.

  2. JSpencer says:

    I think these fools must somehow imagine themselves to be modern day revolutionaries (I doubt many of them are even familiar with the phrase civil disobedience) when in fact they are nothing more than the products of dumbing down – which includes the tripe feeding mentioned by chief.

  3. “I didn't mean to blow up whole neighborhoods, honest! I just wanted to voice my concerns about ZOMG socialism taking over our once-proud gas stations!”

  4. tidbits says:

    Aren't these the same people who are screaming that the Obama administration isn't doing enough to prevent terrorism.

    Maybe Dick Cheney has a suggestion on how to stop this. Is rendition an option?

  5. roro80 says:

    Good think we've got Palin out there telling everyone to “Reload” and distributing maps with crosshairs over certain districts. That sort of eliminationist rhetoric is *exactly* what we need.

  6. shannonlee says:

    I think it is time for me to edit my post on the Palin thread….

  7. elrod says:

    There's room in Gitmo for these terrorists, right?

  8. SteveCan says:

    I thought they were listening to crazy Ed Schultz

  9. SteveK says:

    shannonlee, I gave you a “like” on this comment before I reread you comment on the Palin thread as you actually have edited it I could give you two more.

  10. SteveK says:

    OFF TOPIC – Tell me it isn't so and that the tacky audio ad screaming: “CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE WON” snuck in and just hasn't yet been picked up by our fleet footed Deputy Managing Editor, dr. e.

  11. kritt11 says:

    This time its not just the wacko wingnut pundits who are leading the charge. Sarah Palin has put bullseyes on Democrats that she wants out – and has used a lot of angry rhetoric.

  12. ordinarysparrow says:

    These people have lost so much more than their desired outcome for health-care. They have lost their humanity.

  13. DdW says:

    One Republican Representative shouts out at the President of the United States, “You lie!” during a joint session of Congress and he becomes an instant hero (among Republicans) and contributions skyrocket.

    Another Republican Representative shouts out to a Democratic Representative on the floor of the House, “Baby Killer,” and he becomes an instant hero (among Republicans) and contributions skyrocket,

    My question is, “Why?”

  14. archangel says:

    Dear Steve, thanks and we dont have control over those audio ads. I wish we did.

    dr.e

  15. ordinarysparrow says:

    Hi Dorian. . .i too often ask these kind of questions. so often want to find one thread that will unravel the complexity of why people chose hate and meanness? Why people do chose this kind of non-productive division? Why would do they display behavior they would readily condemn any school child for displaying? Have not found many satisfying answers.

    Could it's root be fear? 911/ with modern technology our earth is spinning so darn fast / use of fear for social manipulation to gain power, votes, or profit?????

    “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”

    ” Fear breeds upon itself because it is a hermaphrodite capable of endless reproduction. Fear is a contagious disease, spreading from its first victim to others in the vicinity until it is powerful enough to take charge of a group, in which event it becomes panic. Fear is the afterbirth of reason and calculation. It takes time to recuperate from fear.” ERNEST K. GANN, Fate is the Hunter

    ” Fear sells. Fear makes money. The countless companies and consultants in the business of protecting the fearful from whatever they may fear know it only too well. The more fear, the better the sales.” DANIEL GARDNER, The Science of Fear

    “Social control is best managed through fear.” MICHAEL CRICHTON, State of Fear

    Fear begins and ends with the desire to be secure; inward and outward security, with the desire to be certain, to have permanency. The continuity of permanence is sought in every direction, in virtue, in relationship, in action, in experience, in knowledge, in outward and inward things. To find security and be secure is the everlasting cry. It is this insistent demand that breeds fear.” JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI, On Fear
    “A mind that is afraid withers away; it cannot function properly”. JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI, On Fear

    “The boundaries between fear and other emotions are not clear-cut. How does fear differ from dread, consternation or surprise? Anger, disgust, hatred and horror all contain elements of fear. Jealousy may be understood as fear of losing one's partner; guilt may be fear of God's punishment; shame may be fear of humiliation. I history of fear would be rendered meaningless if all negative emotional states were classified as 'really' being fear states.” JOANNA BOURKE, Fear: A Cultural History

  16. Leonidas says:

    There are nutjobs out there thats for sure, death threat against elected officials of both parties have been going on for a long time and should be taken seriously and investigated.

    It was kinda predicted though. although inadvertantly.

    “My administration, is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.”
    -Barack Obama

  17. shannonlee says:

    my original comment was a knee jerk reaction I later regretted :)

  18. DdW says:

    OS:

    Although in my “examples question,” perhaps hate might have been a contributing factor, I do agree with you about what you say about fear.

    We saw that when we were taken into the Iraq war and we are seeing it so well again with the health care debate. A “side car” of this general fear truck barrelling down our nation's political highway is what I just posted: the fear the opponents of health care reform have been trying to instill among our veterans. Shameful!

    Thank,

    Dorian

  19. DLS says:

    Some rabid behavior on the Right stokes much more on the Left, again. Business as usual…

  20. roro80 says:

    How so, DLS? Are you actually trying to say that getting upset over death threats is much worse than (or even comparable to) actually making death threats, cutting gas lines, etc? How, prey tell, is the “some rabid behavior” “stoking” “much more” on the left?

    Or is it that the right gets to throw a fit over politics while the left doesn't even get to be fearful when people's lives are being threatened?

  21. DLS says:

    Uh-oh…the chemical bonds are breaking…

    “Are you actually trying to say”

    I'm saying clearly what I'm saying, Roro.  This, like other issues, is being hyped by the Left.

    (At least this issue doesn't involve Sarah Palin, which would mean another 10+ threads on it)

  22. roro80 says:

    Ok, just so we're clear, then, please tell me if I'm correctly assessing your point of view on this issue.

    According to you, given two groups of people:
    1) those who are so super pissed off and unhinged over a recently-passed bill that they are making death threats and sabatoging gas lines at homes of their political enemies
    2) Those who think it's quite disconcerting and scary that people are threatening to kill public figures and actually taking steps to do so

    You're saying that 1 is not over-reacting and 2 is over-reacting. Is that correctly stated? Is that a fair assessment of what you're trying to argue?

    This might just be me, but I think your sense of perspective is entirely malfunctioning, possibly beyond repair. Or else you're just shilling for the right who can do no wrong, and hate the left, which isn't even allowed to be afraid when their lives are threatened or else they're “hyping” an issue.

  23. DLS says:

    “I think your sense of perspective is entirely malfunctioning, possibly beyond repair.  Or else you're just shilling for the right who can do no wrong, and hate the left, which isn't even allowed to be afraid when their lives are threatened or else they're “hyping” an issue.”

    Never mind that I was first to post about the racial epithets before the multiple threads began.

    You are incorrect.  I just hope this incendence of hype (and hypocrisy, given how the Left has been toward Bush and before him, Reagan) ends soon. [sigh]

  24. roro80 says:

    Sorry, the death threats and home sabatoge against Republican congress people during the Bush or Reagan years after a major piece of legislation passed seem to have slipped my mind. Perhaps you could remind me when that happened? Silly me.

    And I'm still waiting for an answer on how anyone is over-reacting. Perhaps it's the talking about it, the saying “hey, that's bad, someone could get hurt, this is not an ok way of venting political frustration”? I mean, crap, we're practically jumping out of trees here. Or, you know, not. [Sigh] away, buddy.

  25. ordinarysparrow says:

    Thanks Dorian i am still contemplating if hatred is a mask for the underlying fear?

    DLS. . . The Republicans need leadership. . . it has been awhile since the GOP has known where it wants to go. . . .of course they cannot find their way. The ones they have allowed to be their herders have socially engineered, “No”, “No”, “No”. Opposition is not leadership. . . . These “followers” in total contraction and contradiction to democracy and decency. . . .

    May all of us keep enough focus and good heartedness to flow beyond these kinds of emotional contractions and social manipulations. If not they will take us to the level where we are all throwing sludge at one another. Why give 'leaders' power and profit gains to make us individually or nationally less?

    The Republicans need new leadership. . .

  26. roro80 says:

    “You are incorrect.”

    So, my assessment of what you're saying is incorrect? Or something else is incorrect? If you think what you're saying is “clear”, yeah, not so much.

  27. DLS says:

    ” I mean, crap, we're practically jumping out of trees here.”

    No, just overreacting as usual in the media and on-line, including on this Web site.

  28. DLS says:

    Read Elrod's thread, if you can, Roro.

  29. DLS says:

    Agree competely. The GOP and US conservatism needs new leadership and more: self-definition. They need to present themselves as an attractive, positive choice to voters. (That's hard given an entitlement culture.) Their “purity list” (“we support … by opposing…”) offered us voters nothing.

    For an example of leadership and a model, they can look to Heritage, which at least knows what it wants and any of us who visits their Web site or reads their publications knows what they want.

    http://www.heritage.org/

  30. EEllis says:

    I'm sorry but can we change “cut gas lines” to “tampered with a propane grill”. I know the first is so much more dramatic but really…………..

  31. roro80 says:

    How very odd that in the entire process of getting a masters in combustion engineering and working in a fire safety lab, my professors totally failed to mention that propane becomes totally not dangerous or flammable at all when connected to mundane household appliances. Now, since you're obviously an expert on this — how does such a transformation from substance-that-can-raize-a-home-in-an-hour propane to totally-safe-not-gonna-hurt-nobody propane actually happen? Is there dependence on the brand of grill?

  32. EEllis says:

    Backyard Grills are now household appliances?

    Look cutting the lines can indeed cause danger, if it happened at all, but it is about as unsure way to cause damage as I can think of. It's outside so the gas will not collect, the propane must need to be turned on or the tanks would go empty quickly leaving it unable to do anything. So you must turn on the propane and not be able to smell it, have little to no air movement and wait till enough gas accumulates to cause a problem before attempting to light it. Hazard most definitely but not the house exploding event that the words “cut gas lines” evokes. It's playing it up just like the Repub congressman did about the bullet thru his window. It is just not accurate.

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