Posted on 03/25/2010 4:39:52 PM PDT by presidio9
Republicans took to the House floor Thursday to plead with those who oppose the Democratic health care overhaul to refrain from violence and threats.
Opposition to the health care bill that President Barack Obama signed into law Wednesday is "no excuse for bigotry, threats or acts of vandalism and I condemn such things in the strongest possible terms," said Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, the House's third-ranked Republican.
"Some of our colleagues have received threatening phone calls. A brick has been thrown, a window has been smashed. This is not the right way to respond," added Rep. Joseph Pitts, R-Pa., a leading anti-abortion lawmaker.
The remarks came a day after House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Democratic lawmakers were worried about their own safety and their families because of a rash of threats that followed the House vote Sunday sending the landmark health care legislation to the president.
While not directly criticizing Republicans, Hoyer warned against lawmakers against encouraging protesters into acts that might cross the line into threatening behavior.
"The bottom line is, we need to be very careful in public life that our rhetoric doesn't incite to violent acts," the Maryland Democrat said Thursday on a network morning news show. He said dealing with difficult issues in a civil and peaceful manner is "at the core of our democracy."
The FBI is working with lawmakers subjected to menacing obscenity-laced phone messages. In some instances, bricks were hurled through congressional offices, including Rep. Louise Slaughter's district headquarters in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
At least four Democratic offices in New York, Arizona and Kansas were struck and at least 10 members of Congress have reported some sort of threats, congressional leaders have said. No arrests had been made as of late Wednesday, but the FBI is still investigating.
Hoyer had said Wednesday that lawmakers who felt at risk were to get attention "from the proper authorities." He declined to say whether any were receiving extra security. Normally only those in leadership positions have personal security guards.
Slaughter, a Democrat, is chairwoman of an influential House committee. She said someone had left her a voice mail that used the word "snipers."
Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said "it's an effort to kind of hijack the debate by coercive elements. I'm glad the Republican leadership colleagues denounce it. But they were very late to do that."
Hoyer on Thursday did not single out any member of Congress or political party as having made statements that could encourage such acts. But he did say he thought some of the rhetoric "has been far beyond legitimate debate."
"In our democracy," he said, "we resolve things, not through violence, not at the point of a gun. If we don't do that, we will devolve into a society that we're not going to like."
"It is unacceptable in America," said Sen. John McCain. The Arizona Republican said angry citizens should channel their rage into voter registration for the next election and efforts to repeal the health care law.
House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio said in a statement that while many Americans are angry over the bill's passage, "violence and threats are unacceptable."
Some of the anger spilled over in a flood of threat-filled phone and fax messages to the office of Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich. Stupak vowed to oppose the health care package unless given greater assurance that it would not allow federal funding of elective abortions. He voted in favor after the administration agreed.
Stupak's office released some of the messages, declining further comment.
"I hope you bleed ... (get) cancer and die," one male caller told the congressman between curses.
A fax with the title "Defecating on Stupak" carried a picture of a gallows with "Bart (SS) Stupak" on it and a noose attached. It was captioned, "All Baby Killers come to unseemly ends Either by the hand of man or by the hand of God."
The vandalism and threats surprised a researcher at a think tank that monitors extremist groups.
"I think it is astounding that we are seeing this wave of vigilantism," said Mark Potok of the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center.
Hoyer said earlier that people have yelled that Democratic lawmakers should be put on firing lines and posters have appeared with the faces of lawmakers in the cross hairs of a target.
While not directly criticizing Republicans directly, he said "any show of appreciation for such actions encourages such action."
Gun imagery was used in a posting on the Facebook page of Sarah Palin urging people to organize against 20 House Democrats who voted for the health care bill and whose districts went for the John McCain-Palin ticket two years ago. Palin's post featured a U.S. map with circles and cross hairs over the 20 districts.
McCain defended Palin Thursday, saying it was commonplace practice and "part of the lexicon" to refer to "targeted" congressional districts.
In Virginia, someone cut a propane line leading to a grill at the Charlottesville home of U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello's brother after the address was posted online by activists angry about the health care overhaul. Perriello also said a threatening letter was sent to his brother's house. The FBI and local authorities were investigating.
Tea party activists had posted the brother's address online thinking it was the congressman's home. The post urged opponents to drop by and "express their thanks" for the Democrat's vote in favor of the sweeping health care reform.
Nigel Coleman, chairman of the Danville Tea Party, said he re-posted the comment that originated on another conservative blog, including the address, Monday on his Facebook page. The posts were taken down after the mistake was discovered.
"We've never been associated with any violence or any vandalism," he said. "We're definitely sorry that we posted the incorrect address."
That’s all well and good. Now, what do we do to get the Democrats to stop cramming legislation up people’s kiesters?
I’m sure there will be more bricks to come.
If they thought folks would just take this lying down, they were way wrong.
Republicans/conservative personalities have been getting death threats all along, why the sudden plead for civility?
Remember the several "hate crimes" recently that were instigated by a member of the supposedly targeted group?
Won health care, got the tea party labeled as crazy, all republicans, conservatives and right thinking people are evil, and Sarah Palin is a terrorist.
They had a pretty good week and made advances in Nov. I’m sure. Spreading fear and hate has always worked well for the left.
Violence is unacceptable but the continued destruction of our nation is not.
I love how they edited what Cantor and Pence actually said.
They both slammed the Dems for inciting and fanning the flames... Not to mention, they forgot to disclose that several of the Dems were targeted for voting AGAINST the bill.
The GOP and the DNC can kiss my arse....Americans do not need them to tell us how to behave.
The Congress reap what they have sown.
This is all BS. The GOP should avoid falling into the Dems lie.
I have never been somebody who would consider voting for Sarah Palin for president, but I think that the Discovery Channel reality show is going to win her a lot of fans. It's a brilliant move, because it will undo all the work the left has done in the last two years to make her look unhinged. Curious people may not come away willing to vote for her, but I'm sure she'll come across as a completely normal person, or else she wouldn't have signed on to do it. Plus, she has the cover of saying she only agreed to do a reality show to promote her state.
You got it. This is all Alinsky bullshit and it works, especially with a willing press.
How about the Head A-hole telling the GOP to go for it? This clown is the real uniter isn’t he?
http://biggovernment.com/ktaylor/2010/02/15/cnn-huffington-post-urge-violence-against-republicans/
Those big bad Repubicans wanting to do violence...Oh wait, those are Democrats... Oh My
Americans don’t like communism. Get used to that.
The media, acting in concert with the democrat party, are trying to change the conversations in this country. We aren’t falling for their tactics anymore. Average America is still talking about jobs, economy, and how we can’t wait to give them their pink slips in November!
Right. And none of this is possibly being done by the pro-single payers or the pro-govt funded abortion folks. Must just be those darn Tea Partiers!
It's time to RELOAD and TARGET the commies!
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