Isn’t it time to ask whether some people are going totally bonkers as their passions — and politically-based hatreds — are aroused by America’s iincreasingly mega partisan and mega ideological wars? The latest exhibit suggesting the answer is yes is this piece of disturbing video flashing across the Internet and cable news of a Rand Paul supporter literally stomping on the head of a MoveOn.Org protester outside a debate.
Rand Paul has condemned the violent act on Fox News and pointed to passions on both sides (but so far no reports have surfaced of a Rand Paul supporter getting his or her head stomped). The Huffington Post has some details including updates. Here’s the background:
A spokesman for the Lexington Police Department, Lt. Edward Hart, tells The Huffington Post that as off 12:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time they have not yet identified the man captured on video stomping the head of the MoveOn volunteer. Hart said that the department would be reviewing news footage of the incident and that they “are hoping someone can identify who the person is.” Until then, he said, it is a “pending investigation.”
Hart additionally offered some details from the police report filed from the incident. There were, he said, roughly 300 protestors outside the debate and only a handful of officers. “We were not anticipating any issues,” he acknowledged.
“The victim, apparently, was trying to run up and approach Dr. Paul with a sign reading ‘RepubliCorp: Employee of the Month,'” he added. “She worked for MoveOn.org — was a contract employee sent to the debate with MoveOn.org for the purpose of getting a picture with Dr. Paul with the sign.”
Valle had been sent from Pennsylvania for the purposes of appearing outside the Paul event, according to Hart. “She had been attending multiple rallies with the same purpose. She stated that she was wearing a wig and as she was running up to Rand Paul she was either tripped on purpose or pushed to the ground.” Following the incident Valle “complained of injury to the temple area.”
Hart relayed that a fourth-degree assault report had been filed with the policy department — as is customary when the result “is a minor injury.” Once the suspect is identified it will be up to Valle “to file for warrant or the summons to bring that person into court.”
According to the HP, Valle intends to file charges. The person doing the head stomping is clearly seen on the video.
Here’s the beginning of CNN’s report:
An employee with the liberal group MoveOn.org was stomped by a man wearing a “Rand Paul for Senate” T-shirt outside a televised debate in Lexington, Kentucky, Monday night, police said.
The incident took place before the debate between Republican Paul and Democrat Jack Conway.
In the video from CNN affiliate WDRB, several men wearing Rand Paul shirts or stickers are seen ripping a blonde wig off the head of Lauren Valle and pushing her to the ground. One of the men stomps on her shoulder with his foot, which then lands on the side of her head.
People were shouting “Get the cops. Get the police out here,” during the incident.
And the police:
“We don’t know the suspect. We’re in the process of trying to review the video tapes,” said Lexington police Lt. Edward Hart. “Where this took place, there were no police officers.”
All of the people who accosted Valle in the video are subject to charges, Hart said.
With increasingly poisionous political rhetoric and now violence, you have to wonder where American politics is now heading — and the answer is: you don’t wanna go there…
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.