I'm no fan of Bart Stupak (D-MI), but there's no way any Representative should be threatened the way he was. These are messages left on his voice mail, left by supposed Christians and supporters of "life".
"Congressman Stupak, you baby-killing mother f***er... I hope you bleed out your a**, got cancer and die, you mother f***er," one man says in a message to Stupak.
"There are millions of people across the country who wish you ill," a woman says in a voicemail, "and all of those thoughts that are projected on you will materialize into something that's not very good for you."
CBS News also obtained copies of faxes sent to Stupak, which include racial epithets used in reference to President Obama and show pictures of nooses with Stupak's name.
I think Stupak's injection of the abortion issue into the debate was a low-life thing to do. I support his primary challenger, Connie Saltonstall. Still, listen to the dripping hatred in these people's voices, the implied threat of their words. There is no place for this in our politics, even against those who play games with wedge issues and bow to Catholic bishops.
The thing is, in this country we elect people. We get to vote every couple of years or so. Violence is for dictatorships, not democracies. Like it or not, they're not going to turn the US into Teabagistan, no matter how hard they wish it, or how nasty they get.
