Collateral Damages

Democrats in Washington passed sweeping healthcare reform this week and the President signed it into law, leaving lots of tiny little details still to be worked out. Leaving hope for the Republicans to still block it, there's plenty of room for political maneuverings and all kinds of grandstanding to keep fighting.

And they've ramped up the rhetoric, the inflammatory language, the incitement to violence in an already overly violent society. Threats of gun violence on posters is so yesterday, now they've stepped it up to voice mail messages warning of sniper attacks. Bricks have been thrown, and a gas line cut at the home of a family member of an elected official, and they called it "collateral damage".

Collateral damage ... that's what the military refers to innocent bystanders who stand too close to the target.



And just look at all those targets. Are you standing too close to any of them?

Don't stand next to Nancy Pelosi, she's been put on the "firing line" by the RNC Chairman himself. Sounds like an American fatwah. Or just maybe an old-fashioned Chicago Contract. Is that what they mean by their Contract With America? Is it just another one of their code words?

And let's not forget the call to eradicate the evil cancer that surrounds us ... the Liberals! (don't stand too close to me, now!) Sure Glenn Beck has been poisoning the airwaves with his calls for violence, fear-mongering the Faux News way, and nobody will hold him responsible for the deaths that have occurred in his wake.

What about the Republican representatives in Congress that stood out on a balcony and waved "Kill the Bill" signs at angry supporters? Will they accept responsibility for the angry mob's actions? Even after they fanned the flames?

Threats and intimidation are just business as usual for the right-wing extremists. From the lynchings and cross burnings, bombing women's health clinics and murdering doctors, it's all business as usual.

And now elected officials and their families are the targets. For standing up for their constituents they now have to seek out security experts to protect themselves. Or back down. Now is that democracy in action?

They say they are afraid. They are afraid of government taking over our lives. They are afraid of "socialism" without even knowing what socialism is. They are afraid of our President, the one elected by a majority of the voters.

Well, I'm afraid of them.