Giffords’ office vandalized

by David Safier

At 2:40 am, Giffords' Tucson office was vandalized.

At 2:40 a.m., just a few hours after staff left the building after the late-night vote, the alarm system went off, said spokesman C.J. Karamargin. The panel to the front door and the glass panel alongside it were smashed out. The perpetrator likely had to hop the gated fence to get access to the door, since it’s not viewable from the parking lot.

Karamargin said it was unclear if the glass had been shot out with a kind of pellet gun, if it had been kicked or smashed with an object. The door has been covered with plywood.

I refuse to pretend it could be a coincidence this happened hours after the health care vote. It's no coincidence.

C.J. Karamargin said the office received no direct threats during the week, only an escalation of the anti-Giffords, anti-health care rhetoric.

While the calls into the office in the past week were “more nasty and rude” and laced with profanity than the office had ever received before, Karamargin said, they did not reach the level of threat that prompted any police involvement.

This is the mindset of these folks. Vandalism. Hurling racial epithets at black and Hispanic legislators and homophobic epithets at a gay legislator. Shouting "Kill the Bill" from the House galleries, then being cheered as heroes by Republican Reps as the shouters are being escorted out by the police. A Texas Republican Rep shouting "Baby Killer!" at Stupak as he speaks about voting against a bill killing amendment.

Is each of these an isolated incident? That's how the Rs disingenuously portray each event, but they know better. The Republican Party is doing everything it can to move its base to a level of anger and hatred just short of open bigotry and violence. If a few people step over the line, that's just fine. You can't crush the Democrats without breaking a few windows eggs.