We are terrorizing our neighbors over politics
Stealing and vandalizing yard signs. Like this.
Screaming at people until they leave restaurants. Like this.
Surrounding and chasing people down the street. Like this.
Physically attacking people. Like this. And this. And this. And... well... it's been going on for a while.
Mailing bombs (real OR fake). Like this.
The attempted assassination of dozens of Congressmen.
These are different only in degree - not distinction.
They are all ways to intimidate political opponents from participating in the debate.
The aim is to silence rather than persuade.
But political debate is the way we govern ourselves in a free society.
Without politics, we are governed by violence.
This is literally the purpose of politics. To avoid violence.
Attacking people in order to force political changes is terrorism.
Attacking people based on their political views is terrorism.
Attacking people to intimidate them into withdrawing from the public square is terrorism.
So, yes.. the bombs and suspicious packages sent to former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama, CNN's New York headquarters, and leftwing billionaire George Soros... are all terrorism.
It was also terrorism when a leftist attempted to murder Republican congressmen on a softball field 16 months ago. Rep. Steve Scalise was one of those victims, and he denounced the mailings today on Twitter:
These attempted attacks that have been made are beyond criminal, they are acts of pure terror. Violence and terror have no place in our politics or anywhere else in our society.
I have experienced first-hand the effects of political violence, and am committed to using my voice to speak out against it wherever I can.
Those responsible for these evil acts of terror must be hunted down and brought to justice, and I have great confidence that our law enforcement officers will succeed in that mission. As a nation, we must agree that this is a dangerous path and it cannot become the new normal.
This escalation of violence is what conservatives, Republicans, and a handful of liberals have been warning against. Some of us have been doing it for years. (Yes, even during the GOP primary.)
But for too many people, they only see the transgressions of their opponents - never their own team.
Case in point:
Perry Woods is a campaign guy for one of the candidates for North Carolina Supreme Court.
He predicts that the media coverage is going to be lopsided in favor of the Republicans.
He is dismissive of the recent assaults on Republican lawmakers - framing the GOP reaction as some kind of hysterical over-reaction.
But also... notice who "liked" his tweet:
That's the Democratic Party logo.
So, who is it?
Yes, that's the Chairman of the NC Democratic Party - Wayne Goodwin.
To be clear, this is delusional.
These two men believe that the media is going to quickly abandon bombs (and suspicious packages) being sent to Democratic former Presidents in order to focus on snowflake Republicans being yelled at in a diner.
Conservatives find this assertion hilarious.
But what's embedded in Woods' assertion is a dismissal of the mobs that have been accosting Republicans.
And by doing so, he's excusing them - much as Democrats, liberals, and members of the national media (but I repeat myself) have been doing for the past two years.
He sees the Democrats only as the victims. Never the villains.
Of course, Republicans see the escalating violence - from aggressive, screaming mobs to the attempted murder of congressmen - but ignore the blase way President Trump jokes about using violence against his opponents.
To Woods and his fellow leftists, all of this is Trump's fault, naturally.
Because in the Great American Culture War, we ignore the transgressions of our own, while remaining hyper-vigilant for any slight by our opponents.