Mary Gay Scanlon: “As political violence rises in our country and abroad, our Nation's leaders should be united in condemning political…”

“As political violence rises in our country and abroad, our Nation's leaders should be united in condemning political violence in all forms, as well as the vile rhetoric that fuels it. From Charlottesville to Pittsburgh to El Paso, we have seen the tragic results when lies spill blood and words echo as gunshots. These attacks ripple through communities stealing innocent lives, traumatizing survivors, and inflicting pain on those left behind. The underlying drivers of domestic violent extremism, antigovernment sentiment, racism, misogyny, and anti-Semitism are constant as threats and attacks move from one community to the next. We all have a moral responsibility to combat this scourge of hateful rhetoric, to ensure that every American can live free from bigoted speech and hate-fueled violence. But the resolution presented by Republicans today continues that pattern of stoking grievances and chaos in our communities rather than helping our communities work together to ensure domestic tranquility. Their resolution is far from a clean condemnation of political violence. By condemning only vandalism and violence against anti- abortion facilities, it gives tacit approval to the far more frequent attacks against abortion clinics and other medical centers disfavored by the radical right. Political violence is never the answer.…”