It's become an everyday occurrence that right-wing fanatics are arrested for making death threats against Democrats. In their sick minds, they are simply doing their patriotic duty and exercising their Second Amendment rights. But threatening to kill Democrats is evidently not enough for these crazies: now they are targeting "moderate" figures in the Republican Party.
In this case, an Illinois man threatened to shoot Susan Collins:
BANGOR, Maine — A federal judge on Thursday linked an Illinois man’s threats against U.S. Sen. Susan Collins to the level of anger laced through the county’s current political discourse.
U.S District Judge John Woodcock sentenced John P. O’Neill, 47, of Arlington Heights, Ill., to five months in prison followed by five months of community confinement for threatening to shoot U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and assault a staff member in her Augusta office during a phone call on Feb. 10, 2009.
O’Neill’s threat "to put a bullet in [Collins’] head" and to "come to Maine and kick [the staffer’s] teeth in" are examples of "the hardening of what passes for political discourse in this country" and the tendency of some "to demonize" people who do not agree with them, the judge said.
What motivated this act of rage? Apparently Susan Collins was bringing disgrace to the GOP by supporting the stimulus package:
O’Neill urged the senator to vote against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the $787 billion stimulus package.
When he learned that Collins supported the bill, O’Neill made the phone call that led to the criminal charge. His demeanor during the call was described in court documents as "loud, profane and belligerent."
O’Neill told the staff member, who is identified in court documents by the initials C.M., that Collins had sold out her country and was a disgrace to the Republican Party. He then stated he was going to come to Maine to shoot Collins and assault the staffer, according to court documents.
The message to Republican politicians is clear: Embrace Tea Party principles or else!