why are people bringing assault rifles to obama health care rallies?

[Landslide Lyndon]

As I wrote a couple of days ago, considering the history of political assasinations and overall violence by right-wing extremists, whoever talks about people just exercising their second amendment rights is either dangerously naive or dangerously cavalier.

[Landslide Lyndon]

You think the police and Secret Service are going to let a dude get in sight of Obama with an AR-15 on his back?  Somebody is naive here and it ain't people talking about exercising their second amendment rights.  I think it's the people hiding weapons we should be worried about, not proudly strapped to their thigh or across their back.  Not so oddly, the police and Secret Service agree with me.

So, what you are saying is that the presence of police and secret service is proof that these people aren't dangerous?
I'm sorry but I can't follow your logic.

And since when are death threats and calls for insurrection considered acceptable political behavior?

And by the way, I remember that they have already apprehended a man who tried to enter one of these town halls with a concealed weapon.   

[Landslide Lyndon]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

They aren't, have any of the gun carriers made death threats and calls for insurrection?  If they have, they should be investigated...just like anybody that makes a threat towards a sitting (or former) President.

(I'll concede "watering the tree of liberty" can sound a bit scary when the guy is carrying...but that doesn't mean he's about to start popping caps in asses anymore than a guy hanging Bush the Lesser in effigy is about to start stringing up Republicans)

Well, there were much more explicit threats than that. A guy was holding a sign saying "Death to Obama, Michelle and their stupid kids".
Alan Keyes said the other day at one of those gatherings that it is the patriotic duty of Americans to stop Obama, "by any means necessary".
How do you think a nutjob would interpret a statement like that?

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Good, then they were doing their job.  I hope the guy is treated appropriately.


What do you think should be done to these people? (not the guy sneaking in with a gun, just the guys standing in approved protest zones)

I think that they should detain these guys for a little chat and background check, just in case there is a Tim McVeigh in the making among them.