[sperry]

...here's one now. Sorta.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010...use-democrats/

FBI Investigates Possible Threats Directed at House Democrats

FOXNews.com

Federal law enforcement officials are looking into at least two possible threats directed at members of Congress and their families that Democrats suggest are related to their vote for health care reform.

More than 10 lawmakers have complained they've received threats since the run-up to Sunday's House vote on a health insurance overhaul, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Wednesday, and law enforcement officials are taking the allegations seriously.

Federal law enforcement officials are investigating at least two possible threats directed at members of Congress and their families that Democrats suggest are related to their vote for health care reform. Plus the office of Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich. -- who initially opposed the Senate's health bill over concerns about abortion funding but switched to support the plan following assurance from the White House -- has received several threatening messages, recordings of which have been obtained by Fox News.

"The incidents of threats whether in person or through telephones or through other communication devices, have given great concern to members, for the safety of themselves and their families," Hoyer told reporters.

"Clearly our democracy is about participation. Our democracy is about differing and debate, and animated debate and passionate debate -- but it is not about violence," he added. "It is about making sure that everybody in America feels free to express their opinion ... without subjecting themselves their family or others to behavior, and frankly criminal behavior, in some respects, that undermines our democracy."

House Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., said Wednesday the FBI is investigating recent vandalism at her office in Niagara Falls, adding the incident was "a dreadful thing."

"The man doing it said it was because it will prevent civil war," Slaughter said.

According to a report in the Buffalo News, a brick was thrown through a window in Slaughter's office, causing about $350 worth of damage. The report said another window was broken at the Monroe County Democratic headquarters in Rochester, and cited similar incidents elsewhere in the country.

Slaughter said she was not concerned about threats to her other offices because they all have security guards.

But the New York lawmaker said she thought it was part of a pattern.

The FBI is also investigating a separate incident at the home of Virginia Rep. Tom Perriello's brother. Perriello's office confirmed that a line to a propane tank on a gas grill was cut at Bo Periello's Charlottesville home on Tuesday. Tea Party activists had posted the address online thinking it was the congressman's home, telling opponents to drop by and "express their thanks" for his vote.

Perriello said in a written statement that it's "too early to say anything definitive regarding political motivations behind this act," but that political leaders should nevertheless condemn threats of violence, "particularly as threats to other members of Congress and their children escalate."

"Here in America, we settle our political differences at the ballot box," he said.

Mo Myers, a spokesman at the FBI's Richmond field office, said the FBI is working with local authorities. He said no one was hurt in the incident at Perriello's brother's home.

Mike Troxel, the blogger who posted the address online, told Fox News' Alan Colmes that he was encouraging voters to go to Perriello's house.

"I think people should have the right to have access to their, um, public officials," he said.

When asked if children of public officials should be harassed at their house just because they're related, Troxel said, "You know, I think that's a burden that comes with being an elected official."

The voice mails left for Stupak were particularly graphic. In one recording, a man swears at Stupak repeatedly while wishing for him to die.

"Congressman Stupak, you baby-killing mother f---er. ... I hope you bleed out your a--, got cancer and die, you mother f---er," he says.

"You and your family are scum," a man is heard saying in another message.

Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, blamed Republicans for the threats, calling on them to condemn the actions and speak directly to their supporters.

"They must ask their supporters to ratchet down their extreme rhetoric and cease this threatening behavior," he said in a written statement. "People have a right to assemble and speak their minds. But, inciting or enflaming violence against elected officials and their families is over the line and inappropriate."

House Republican Leader John Boehner, in an interview with Fox News, acknowledged that people are "angry" about the health care bill but said "violence and threats are unacceptable."

"It is not the American way. Yes, I know there is anger, but let's take that anger and go out and register people to vote, go volunteer on a political campaign, and let's do it the right way," he said.

The complaints have escalated since Democratic lawmakers said they were accosted over the weekend by protesters on Capitol Hill in the run-up to Sunday's vote.

Several black lawmakers said that as they were walking by protesters Saturday on their way to a procedural vote on Capitol Hill, a group of demonstrators shouted at them and called them the n-word.

"They were just shouting, harassing," Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., said.

In addition, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a black congressman from Missouri, said he was spit on by someone in the crowd who was later detained.

Tea Party protesters, though, dispute those accounts, saying they never heard racially charged language in the crowd. The man detained for allegedly spitting at Cleaver was also let go after, according to Capitol Police, Cleaver was unable to positively identify him.

Cleaver's office said the congressman chose not to press charges.

First off, my take on the whole healthcare system in general: ideally, it would all be totally deregulated, totally open market. Unfortunately, we don't live in an ideal world, and there are tons of people that get left out in our existing attempt at "free market" services. In that light, I think we as a successful society owe it to the people of the nation to provide for universal health care, in line with the other services like the military, police, rescue, etc services we provide to all.

That said... the above article is despicable. Now I understand that people feel like the Democrats are "pulling a fast one" by pushing forward and passing legislation that the Republicans don't support. But that's the nature of our (crappy) two party system. Right now the Democrats are in power, and this is the boon they get because the majority of the nation elected them.

But no level of sore-loserism can justify threatening lawmakers who are simply trying to make the country better as they see it. Do people really believe that the healthcare bill is a ploy to take over america from the inside? Really? There's far more evidence that stuff like the DMCA, or Gitmo, or the Patriot Act, or the DOHS have drastically reduced our freedom far more than the silly slippery slope that people run down when they suggest that gov't run healthcare is a precursor to Nazi-style concentration camps and totalitarianism socialism. Maybe the Democrats are right, or maybe they're wrong about whether or not universal healthcare will be good for the nation... but certainly it's not some nefarious takeover of the gov't to make us into socialists... and certainly it doesn't warrant threats to members of Congress.

And while I'm ranting about all things political... I have to mention the Tea Party folks. They've got it both right, and horribly wrong. They're right about protesting our gov't getting larger and out of control. They're right about not wanting to pay more and more taxes to a gov't that can't seem to budget themselves out of a paper bag. But they're so far off the mark with who they're protesting against it's borderline comical. It's not the Democrats in power that are the real problem, if anything they're the party the Tea Party guys should be supporting! Sure the Democrats lean towards social programs and are more willing to spend money and regulate the economy. But it's really the big corporations that lobby both parties, but have traditionally held the Republicans close in hand, that are the real problem behind our issues with the nation's policy and laws getting so divorced from what the general public wants.

Our country was founded on the believe that gov't should be "for the people and by the people". Then somewhere along the lines, corporate entities were validated as having the same rights as individuals. The problem is that corporations have far more leverage in terms of money and power than an individual. So by allowing them the same access to lobby the lawmakers as individuals, corporations end up having nearly unchecked sway in the laws that are passed. And even that wouldn't be all that bad except for this: individuals and corporations are both held responsible to the law of the land, but individuals also hold themselves responsible to their own personal moral code, while corporations hold themselves responsible to their shareholders. Anytime you have an entity that's morally responsible to profit... greed is there lurking in the shadows.

So what happens is that we've got corporations that are morally responsible to make money any way legal... which eventually includes spending money to lobby for laws that help them profit as long as the lobbying cost is less than the cost of doing business under existing or proposed laws. Now the laws that we're all accountable to are phrased in a manner to allow big businesses to profit regardless of the side effects felt by the individuals. We're no longer a gov't by the people for the people, we're a gov't by the corporations for the corporations. Most individuals are left struggling to get by without the support of the gov't that should be there to ensure they have their right to pursue health and happiness. We end up tied to our jobs, tied to our debt, tied to playing the roll of a consumer over the roll of a person. I don't care what political spectrum you subscribe to, you have to see the injustice of people having to chose between dying and losing their life savings because our gov't wants to protect the ability of insurance and pharmaceutical companies to make a profit. IMO that's blatantly contrary to what our nation was founded upon... "we the people".

So I applaud the Tea Party movement... I just think they should turn on the hand that feeds them if they'd really like to address the source of the problem they say they're fighting. If you want your individual rights upheld, if you want the option to chose for yourself, if you want your vote to count more than the dollars Exxon piles your Congressperson with, if you want big government to be thinned down... it's not the Democrat's healthcare plan, or a lean towards socialism, or tax raises you should be trying to stop... it's the campaign and lobby money quietly coming from the few megacorporations that are really deciding our nation's policies and laws. If our individual rights trump that of corporations, then we will once again have the power to elect folks that will do what's right for us, regardless of whether you're for or against stuff like universal healthcare.

/mega-rant off... now, did anyone bother to read enough of this to fight with me? (seriously though, I'd love to hear a well thought out contrary argument)