Violence Is Never the Answer

It's being reported that Democrats are reporting "threats of violence" against some of their members from Americans who are (rightly) angered and appalled at their pro-ObamaCare votes

.

This, obviously, should go without saying, but violence is not the answer. First -- and most important -- it's just wrong. For those who are (again, rightly) outraged, the answer is to throw the bums out of office and do what it takes, through the system, to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with a system that responds to the needs of American families, rather than the dictates of government bureaucrats.

It will do nothing to advance the cause of liberty for anyone to resort to violence. In fact, it will hurt the cause. As they demonstrated through their generalized charges of racism and homophobia based on a few disgusting comments by a few unhinged jerks last weekend (after parading provocatively through protestors, no doubt in hopes of eliciting an ugly incident), Democrats are going to be looking for a way to discredit and marginalize all opposition to ObamaCare. Don't help them do it by behaving stupidly.

And remember what your mother taught you (or, at least, what mine taught me): You can't come out right doing wrong. Ultimately, lawless behavior will only hurt the very principles we are trying to advance; it does nothing but echo the careless contempt for our democratic republic that the Democrats manifested with their jamdown of ObamaCare.

Update, 11:17 EDT: I have been reading your comments, readers, with great interest. And yes, of course, the Revolutionary War was necessary. ;) But surely even the most outraged of us would concede that we are not at that point or anything approaching it, as it remains possible for us to obtain redress for our grievances at the ballot box.

I reiterate that there is no justification for violence, or threats of it, in this circumstance. But even as they rightly denounce threats and violence, Democrats should also realize that -- when the Congress acts with utter contempt for public opinion, and engages in unsavory conduct like trading votes for favors and ugly arm-twisting -- it smells like lawlessness. And, all too often, lawlessness begets lawlessness, sad to say -- which is just one more reason why it was a poor idea for the Democrats to pull out all the stops and "rewrite the rules" all in order to pass this highly unpopular bill.