The subject of political violence has jumped to the forefront of the news cycle. As most people know, a significant number of “devices” were mailed to Democrats and others this week. On Friday one Cesar Sayoc of Florida was arrested and charged in connection with these crimes.
Sayoc is charged in five indictments. These include threatening a former president. [Full Indictment Here] He faces up to a maximum of 48 years in prison according to the DOJ.
The indictment is curious for what it doesn’t say. While FBI director Wray went out of his way to state that “these were not hoax devices,” these were apparently NOT explosive devices. This distinction is apparently lost on CNN who is still referring to them as bombs. If they had been bombs, then Sayoc would be facing charges on each of the devices that could bring a life sentence.
Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy noted, if these devices were “functionally explosive,” they would fall under the category “weapons of mass destruction.” Apparently they were not. So just what was in these devices? To say that this whole incident is bizarre would be an understatement.
Regardless of what the devices contained, it is clear that an unstable individual was trying to intimidate, threaten and otherwise create an atmosphere of fear. Perhaps his intent was to silence people with whom he disagreed. Whatever his intents, as PDJT said Friday night, the legal system needs to address this at this point. There is no place in our system of politics for violence, for threats, for intimidation, for suppression of speech.
This leads to an obvious question. Over the last few years have we seen any other incidents where individuals or groups have attempted to intimidate or silence people whom they did not agree with?
The most obvious place to start is the recent Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Republican Senators were accosted wherever they went and threatened. They were hounded in elevators, airports and the halls of Congress. Death threats against these Senators and their families rose to heights never seen before. During the hearings staffers for Senator Collins were threatened with rape if the Senator voted to confirm Justice Kavanaugh.
Was this an isolated situation brought on solely by the hearings? Clearly not. Antifa, the militant wing of the Democratic Party, has been rampaging across the country for the last two years attacking anyone and everyone who stands up for the ideals of our Founding Fathers.
DO NOT LOOK AWAY. During the Boston Free Speech Rally an elderly woman was attacked for holding an American flag. In early 2017 a scheduled speaking event by Milo Yiannopoulos was cancelled when violent protests led by Antifa caused over $100, 000 in damages on the campus of UC-Berkeley. Sections of downtown Portland, Oregon have become dangerous to those who do not agree with or submit to the antics of Antifa and BLM.
Of course, there are the physical attacks that have taken place against politicians. Senator Rand Paul was attacked in his own yard and had six ribs broken because of his political views. A significant number of the Republican caucus were attacked on a ball field by a Bernie Sanders supporter. Rep. Steve Scalise nearly died and still battles physical problems today.
The number of these incidents against prominent people with conservative viewpoints over the last year and a half is literally approaching 1000. Where were the Democratic elites when all of this was going on? Who among them was calling for the full weight of our justice system against these people as PDJT did on Friday night?
All we heard from the Dems was crickets. By acting in this manner, they gave tacit approval to these tactics. This is the modern Democratic Party.