THREAT LEVEL

The Republic reports today on recent threats against two lawmakers, but those who take public positions on controversial issues know that angry and threatening emails or letters are not unusual.
In a democratic republic such as ours, we have appropriate outlets for our concerns. First and foremost, we have the ability as citizens to change our elected officials if we disagree with them. There is simply no place for violence or threats of violence because of policy disagreements.
The nuts who resort to threats exist on both sides of the political divide. And both sides must be quick to condemn threats.
As a strong proponent of the need to secure the border and stop illegal immigration, I want to make sure that those who threaten lawmakers for being “soft” on the border understand they are doing nothing but harming their own cause.