Threats Of Violence Surge, Potentially Updending American Democracy.

January 10, 2024 Glen Turpening

American Democracy is under attack by those who dislike free election outcome and that is having grave consequence. (Washington Post)

Bomb threats last week caused evacuations at state capitol buildings across the country. Federal authorities arrested and charged a man with threatening to kill a congressman and his children, while other members of Congress dealt with swatting incidents. The Maine secretary of state and the Colorado Supreme Court, both of which recently deemed Donald Trump ineligible to run for the presidency because he engaged in an insurrection, received a surge of threats after being castigated by Trump in speeches and social media posts. Police responded to an alleged swatting attempt Sunday night at the home of Tanya S. Chutkan, the federal judge overseeing Trump’s election subversion case in D.C., according to a person familiar with the matter and a Chutkan family member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the incident is being investigated. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday called the wave of threats against government workers and public servants a “deeply disturbing spike.”

By Sarah Ellison, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Patrick Marley, 'Washington Post'

The threat of violence is becoming to great for American democracy to continue functioning normally. People have their entire identities tied up in the political candidates and if their candidate loses they lose part of their own sense of self. Some people, particularly those in fragile emotional states, cannot effectively process this information. The rise of violence and threats of violence keeps many qualified candidates from even running for fear of being targeted so something must change very soon for the good of the nation.