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Dahlkemper Turns Over To Authorities 'Threatening' Letter Charging She Will 'Never Sleep Through Night'
Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA)
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Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper says she has received "threatening communication" she believes is tied to her vote in support of health care reform.
Dahlkemper released a statement to reporters today detailing multiple "emails, letters, faxes and phone calls that are threatening or menacing in nature as a result of my vote in favor of health care reform." She said her office hasn't been able to trace the senders of the messages and noted that while some are from Western Pennsylvania, she does not believe the majority of the messages are from her constituents.
The pro-life Democrat -- who agreed to support the legislation after Rep. Bart Stupak and leadership forged a compromise on an executive order handling abortion language with the White House -- said she has told authorities about a "threatening letter" sent to her Armstrong, Pa. district office on Tuesday.
Despite the multiple communications, that letter is the only one to merit a look, she said. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that a portion of the note read "You will never sleep through the night again."
From Dahlkemper's statement:
It is a great honor to represent the 3rd District of Pennsylvania in Congress. To do my job well, it is essential that I hear directly from my constituents, and I encourage them to reach out to me and my office to voice their opinions on the issues that matter most to them. It is unfortunate that a small but vocal group of people are using insults to convey their opinions and alarming that anyone would make threats against me or my family.Debate, discussion and dissention are essential to the democratic process. A healthy debate needs strong voices on both sides of the issue. However, threats and insults have no place in our public discourse and I urge my constituents and the American people to reject these tactics that are unworthy of our democracy.
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counter coulter
March 25, 2010 3:25 PM
And the Tea Party Brown-shirts march merrily along. All with the tacit consent of the Republican leadership.
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shooter242
March 25, 2010 3:26 PM
That's it? That's all? Republicans would love it if that was the worst threat they've ever gotten.
What a wuss.
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Humanity_Critic
March 25, 2010 3:37 PM in reply to shooter242
Some Democratic lawmaker could be beheaded and you would clumsily claim, "That's it? That's all? No big deal, republicans have their heads removed all the time!" Yeah, you are a steaming pile of shit, and your attempts to brush off legitimate threats are pretty weak.
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SFCWallace
March 25, 2010 3:56 PM in reply to Humanity_Critic
No, I think beheading is definately crossing the line...
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Humanity_Critic
March 25, 2010 4:03 PM in reply to SFCWallace
Maybe you do..
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JNagarya
March 26, 2010 2:42 AM in reply to Humanity_Critic
SFCWallace thinks it as much a joke as does his far-right lunatic fringe fellow travellers.
And that is typical of that fringe's anti-Americanism.
Hitler also hated, demonized, and marked for extermination Liberals.
So Wallace and his fellow travellers should check their ideological pedigree.
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Dorn76
March 25, 2010 3:41 PM in reply to shooter242
Hey, blankshooter, imagine if it had been your daughter or your wife that received that letter.
Of course, as a bitter, lonely old guy, you probably can't imagine that. OK, imagine if someone sent that letter to your Holy of Holies, Sarah Palin?!?!
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SFCWallace
March 25, 2010 3:59 PM in reply to Dorn76
I'm sure Mrs. Palin has gotten a lot worse than "You'll never sleep through the night again..."
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mcrose68
March 25, 2010 6:32 PM in reply to SFCWallace
Like what?
The right-wing victim mentality ensures they think the are being threatend. But since the right-wing cries like little babies about everything that doesn't go exactly as they hope, I'm pretty certain we would have heard about any actually threat.
Is there some victimization you've been hiding from us?
Some threats that you know about, but don't want to share?
Please tell us all about it, I never tire of hearing what victims right-wingers are.
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JNagarya
March 26, 2010 2:45 AM in reply to SFCWallace
And you base your certainty on what besides fantasy asserted as unevidenced speculation?
Tossing in imaginary hypotheticals as means to avoid actual threats is irrational, irresponsible, and pre-junior high school.
It is teabagger.
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toxophilite
March 25, 2010 3:47 PM in reply to shooter242
Maybe you could tell us where your line in the sand falls. Is it when someone actually causes physical harm - and does that harm have to be serious enough to require a night in the hospital (or eternity in a grave)? If you have an angry, out-of-control neighbor whose message ends, "You will never sleep through the night again.", do you take that to mean that he will be playing loud music to keep you up, or he means something more permanent?
Perhaps bricks and other missiles flying through your front window-hope you don't happen to be in the living room - are sufficiently threatening to warrant a complaint? At what point do you feel one can reasonably take exception to threatening letters?
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shooter242
March 25, 2010 7:33 PM in reply to toxophilite
Physical harm? Like that Ken Gladney suffered at the hands of SEIU thugs? Heard about that one? No? I'm not surprised. He's a black conservative.
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JNagarya
March 26, 2010 2:50 AM in reply to shooter242
The law includes prohibitions -- and these are ancient -- from centuries before you learned to hate Liberals for bullshit "reasons" -- against "fighting words" and incitement of violence.
Physical contact isn't necessary to commit the crime of assault.
Let me guess: your ignorance not merely of reason but also of law and its finely reasoned limits is the mental defect you suffer.
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FreeRider
March 25, 2010 3:56 PM in reply to shooter242
David Letterman made a joke about Palin and you mouthbreathers were ready to torch CBS.
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SFCWallace
March 25, 2010 4:09 PM in reply to FreeRider
For the recoed, Letterman made a joke about Palin's daughter getting porked by A-Rod...and I laughed, torchlessly.
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FreeRider
March 25, 2010 4:13 PM in reply to SFCWallace
He was trying to pay her a compliment. Getting boinked by A-Rod is a step up from the loser/drop-out who knocked her up.
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SFCWallace
March 25, 2010 4:16 PM in reply to FreeRider
Unfortunately the only Palin daughter in attendance that day was the 7 year old...that's why some got a little bent out of shape.
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FreeRider
March 25, 2010 4:19 PM in reply to SFCWallace
Bullshit. It was her 14 year-old daughter, Willow, who will probably be knocked-up by next summer. But the joke was about the already knocked-up Bristol who seems pretty good at that hat trick.
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SFCWallace
March 25, 2010 4:27 PM in reply to FreeRider
My bad, it was the 14 year old...that's soooooo much less offensive. I realized what his intent was when he made the joke. That's why I thought it was funny. There was a bunch of false posturing about him joking about A-Rod doinking an under age girl. Kind of like the over the top reaction to the "non-theatning" threats (legitimate threats of beheading not included).
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Humanity_Critic
March 25, 2010 4:30 PM in reply to SFCWallace
Your bad indeed, because it was clear to everyone that Dave was talking about the elder daughter.
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SFCWallace
March 25, 2010 4:31 PM in reply to Humanity_Critic
That's what I said...the fake outrage was that it was about the daughter in attendance...which I also said...
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mcrose68
March 25, 2010 6:44 PM in reply to SFCWallace
Nice. Classic right wing.
Take words, cut them out and paste them back together into a strawman they can attack.
You know the joke was about the Palin who got pregnant - the adult. And it wasn't about rape - it was about hipocrisy. But the truth doesn't portray the right as enough of a victim, so you make up a story that plays you as the victim. Aww, if we just get the right a blanket and a warm glass of milk, will that make it all better?
Right wingers are nothing but a bunch of self-pitying wanna-be victims. Nothing is the fault of a right-winger, it's all the fault of the mean-old world that holding you down. Poor thing.
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JNagarya
March 26, 2010 2:56 AM in reply to SFCWallace
Assault is a crime without physical contact.
Do at least yourself a favor: stop being deliberately stupid.
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SFCWallace
March 25, 2010 4:12 PM in reply to FreeRider
P.S. Do you not breathe through your mouth?
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FreeRider
March 25, 2010 4:20 PM in reply to SFCWallace
Only when I'm trying to blend in so I can infiltrate a Republican convention.
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SFCWallace
March 25, 2010 4:35 PM in reply to FreeRider
How about when you yawn?
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FreeRider
March 25, 2010 4:45 PM in reply to SFCWallace
Yes. I yawn a lot at those republican meetings so it's all good.
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ohyeathatsright
March 25, 2010 4:24 PM in reply to shooter242
Where's your line?
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JNagarya
March 26, 2010 2:39 AM in reply to shooter242
Threats against her family doubtless includes threats against her children.
It doesn't surprise that you wouldn't think it a big deal to threaten children. You probably get your practice being a scoiopathic asshole by beating up children, knowing that they aren't big enough to give you any serious opposition.
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BTJ46
March 25, 2010 3:41 PM
If similar threats were made to members of a jury or a judge in a judicial proceeding, it seems to me that there would be an immediate investigation for jury tampering and when the parties responsible were identified, they would be arrested.
This is not a free speech issue when it comes to threats to life. It is criminal activity.
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SFCWallace
March 25, 2010 4:10 PM in reply to BTJ46
Bribing a judge or jury would also lead to an investigation...not so much with bill passing.
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JNagarya
March 26, 2010 2:59 AM in reply to SFCWallace
Assault is a crime without physical contact. And it is an ancient crime -- preexisting by at least centuries the "Liberals" you love, like Hitler, to hate.
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lisast
March 25, 2010 4:39 PM
Would it be considered an act of terrorism for these tea party fanatics to be targeting members of Congress with threats such as these? Just wondering.
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calbearinillinois
March 25, 2010 5:35 PM in reply to lisast
The term you are looking for is making "terroristic threats." Long before 9/11 or OKC or anything else, there were statutes against making threats that placed people in terror (think KKK night riders). In modern times, it often comes up when a threat is made to intimidate office holders or discourage law enforcement. The vast majority of such cases that I'm aware of are for things like threatening to kill cops, judges, blow up public buildings, etc. for all sorts of reasons - all the sorts of things that make Columbia and Juarez, Mexico such fun places to be a judge or lawyer. Gang members who don't like their sentences, for example, often screw up, threaten the judge and get some time added. It is also used as a basis to arrest someone a cop feel needs to calm down for a while after getting in their face.
So in a broad sense, it is "terrorism" - but not in the narrow sense of Patriot Act violations that get you a trip to Gitmo, Bagram or other facilities without charges for extended periods of time.
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Campesino
March 25, 2010 6:37 PM
Police investigate threatening call to Rep. Jean Schmidt
Capitol Hill police are investigating the threat made Wednesday night in a call to her district office in Sycamore Township. The caller mentioned he had a 9-mm gun.
"They're trying to track this guy down," said Barry Bennett, chief of staff for the Miami Township Republican. "He appears to be a Cincinnati local."
The caller said Schmidt was a racist for opposing the bill backed President Barack Obama, whose father was African, Bennett said.
"I'm glad the president passed health care," the caller says on a copy of the recording provided to The Enquirer by Bennett. "(Racist) Republicans hate that, don't you?"
The caller also labeled as racists Rep. John Boehner of West Chester and Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, both Republicans.
"Why don't you all just change the party name to racist?" the caller said. "F--- all you racist(s)."
The man added that he wished Schmidt's back had been broken in 2008 when she was hit by a car while jogging in Miami Township.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100325/NEWS0108/3260334/Threatening+call+to+Schmidt+checked+out
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JNagarya
March 26, 2010 3:02 AM in reply to Campesino
That is so crude and predictable script I'll bet it turns out to be a teabagger attempting to smear Democrats.
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Quitty
March 25, 2010 7:18 PM
It's interesting that the "pro-life" democrats are now being targeted. "Pro-life" activists have been using these same terrorist tactics against abortion providers for years.
I'm horrified by what's happening and I don't condone it on any level, but I wonder if reps like Stupak and Dahlkemper see the irony in suddenly being on the receiving end of what so many of their supporters have been dishing out to others for ages.
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