Hey Bart Stupak, How Does it Feel?

[Kber]

Open Letter to Bart Stupak posted at Ms Magazine

http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/03/29/hey-bart-stupak-how-does-it-feel/#respond

Dear Bart,

Welcome to the club.

I ran an abortion clinic for nine years and have defended clinics across the nation. I’ve worn a bullet-proof vest just to go to work. My car was routinely vandalized. My house was firebombed. I was stalked. I received so many telephone death threats–including one delivered to my kid when I couldn’t come to the phone–that I considered them routine.

And it wasn’t just me who was threatened. My son was shot at. My husband was routinely targeted. My kids grew up never opening or even touching any packages that came in the mail, dealing with harassment at Sunday school and elsewhere, and always watching their backs.

Now, Bart, you and other anti-abortion Democratic members of Congress have joined this club. You are on the receiving end of the thrown rocks, telephoned threats and ominous personal visits from people who, oddly enough, share your anti-abortion sentiments–they’re just mad about your vote for health care reform. So I thought I’d put my schadenfreude aside and offer you some advice.

First off, don’t expect anyone to get punished for their actions against you unless someone gets murdered. Sure, being a member of Congress means that law enforcement paid attention to the threats, and fast. That’s a definite bonus. Thanks to a wonderful woman on the local police force, I had some unofficial protection myself. But it took me years and a Democratic administration to get the federal government to respond. So having Obama in charge of the FBI and not McCain is definitely in your favor.

more at the link above

[eleny]

1. Stupak sure helped stir up the sit storm

And he had to know how crazed his side of the issue has been over the years ever escalating their actions.

I don't want to see anyone hurt. So now he needs to take an active role in quelling the storm he stirred.

[Kber]

2. Best line in the letter is the "p.s."

P.S. I read a recent interview in which you said you suspected groups such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Right to Life and others were actually “just using the life issue to try to bring down health-care reform.” Gee, ya think?

Stupak got rolled.

[Danmel]

3. I wonder if he got any threats from pro-choice people

Or if all the death threats came from "pro-lifers"

[Kber]

4. Threats are along the lines of people shouting "baby killer" and such

Some folks were really hoping he'd torpedo health care reform and are pissed that he voted for it.

[jenmito]

6. He claimed he DID. He was being interviewed by Faux mostly, but also CNN and MSNBC

when he was planning on voting "no," saying he was getting threatening phone calls aimed at him and his family.

[polichick]

5. I'm thinking Dylan: "How does it feeeeeeel?" nt

[Bozita]

7. I'm guessing the OP is gonna end up on DU's homepage

Powerful stuff!

[butterfly77]

8. Kicked&Recommended!

[dccrossman]

9. Kick

Sorry it was after 24 hours and I couldn't recommend.

Good stuff