My husband, Rand Paul, and our family have suffered intimidation and threats

[spanone]

(CNN)An open letter to Senator Cory Booker:

It's nine o'clock at night, and as I watch out the window, a sheriff's car slowly drives past my home. I am grateful that they have offered to do extra patrols, as someone just posted our home address, and Rand's cell number, on the internet -- all part of a broader effort to intimidate and threaten Republican members of Congress and their families. I now keep a loaded gun by my bed. Our security systems have had to be expanded. I have never felt this way in my life.

In the last 18 months, our family has experienced violence and threats of violence at a horrifying level. I will never forget the morning of the shooting at the congressional baseball practice, the pure relief and gratitude that flooded me when I realized that Rand was okay.

He was not okay last November, when a violent and unstable man attacked him from behind while he was working in our yard, breaking six ribs and leaving him with lung damage and multiple bouts of pneumonia. Kentucky's secretary of state, Alison Lundergan Grimes, recently joked about it in a speech. MSNBC commentator Kasie Hunt laughingly said on air that Rand's assault was one of her "favorite stories." Cher, Bette Midler, and others have lauded his attacker on Twitter. I hope that these women never have to watch someone they love struggle to move or even breathe for months on end.

Earlier this week, Rand was besieged in the airport by activists "getting up in his face," as you, Senator Booker, encouraged them to do a few months ago. Preventing someone from moving forward, thrusting your middle finger in their face, screaming vitriol -- is this the way to express concern or enact change? Or does it only incite unstable people to violence, making them feel that assaulting a person is somehow politically justifiable?

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/03/opinions/rand-paul-suffer-intimidation-and-threats-kelley-paul/index.html

[Initech]

1. Womp womp.

Fuck off, traitors.

[spanone]

2. unreal, eh?

the only middle fingers i've seen lately are at trump rallies

[Initech]

6. Rand was no doubt complicit in the Russian scandal.

Shit, his dad is all over Russian state TV. So I will repeat what I said in the previous post.

[dembotoz]

3. Amen I say amen

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

10. Seriously!!

[WhiteTara]

32. big womp womp

Damn those victims wanting justice and not a monster.

[Initech]

39. I follow that up with:

[WhiteTara]

42. lol! Okay you got me!

Good follow up.

[Stallion]

4. "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

I've always wanted to take that quote back from the evil side

[Turbineguy]

5. Perhaps this will help:

Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.

Ayn Rand

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Did she ask nasty Lindsey Graham why he essentially put on a hissy fit on TV

against someone who had been attacked?

Maybe look at the log in thine own eye and take care of your own house?

[LandOfHopeAndDreams]

8. FAKE NEWS!! nt

[BeckyDem]

9. I wish no harm to anyone and do not vote for people who do. So why

the fuck does Rand Paul support Trump?


Donald Trump: 'I could shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voter

[torius]

11. Reconsider your marriage

But not for that reason...

[YessirAtsaFact]

12. How many death threats did Obama receive?

How often do Democrats urge their followers to be violent at rallies?

Trump does pretty much every time. He urged his followers to attack hecklers.

If Rand Paul is really being harassed to this degree, perhaps it's time for us to rethink our methods, but this isn't happening in a vacuum.

The threats and intimidation from the right are much more common. Dr. Ford had to practically go into hiding prior to her senate testimony due to the threats.

How these people can talk about civility with a straight face is just one more example of how shameless the whole republicant party is.

[irisblue]

13. If she asks Rand to resign& he does, her problem is over.

You're Welcome Mrs Paul

[Solly Mack]

14. It's all fun and games until the chickens come home to roost.

Pretending the attack by the neighbor was anything more than a neighbor dispute turned violent makes her a liar. By her framing of the incident she is trying to make it sound as if some unknown assailant attacked him out of the blue.

[BeckyDem]

17. +1

[spanone]

18. A neighbor of Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was sentenced Friday to 30 days in prison after pleading

here's the story. has nothing to do with politics

A neighbor of Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was sentenced Friday to 30 days in prison after pleading guilty to felony assault for tackling the

lawmaker last year, a spokesman for federal prosecutors said. The attack was fueled by irritation over a pile of debris.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/us/politics/rand-paul-attack.html

[Solly Mack]

21. Yep. But she's trying to make it into something else. She's a liar.

[WhiteTara]

43. It follows that he would be filthy to the point of

a neighbor becoming so irate they would punch him after he probably said womp womp you clean it up.

[KCDebbie]

15. I think this may actually start to happen more often

and I fear that this gives Trumpers the opportunity to do something really horrible to one these Republican politicians or their family members and leave "clues" that point to Dem supporters!

Actually, the Trumpers don't even have to leave false "clues" - Trump may just go to one of his rallies and say, "Democrats/liberals did this! Round them up with the immigrants to stop them from hurting more conservatives!!!" And the silliest of his supporters will go hunting for bear (that would be us)!

[dalton99a]

16. Cry me a fucking river, traitor

[Dan]

19. I can only say, sadly,

he has my thoughts and prayers...

[roamer65]

20. Rand Paul is a Russian stooge.

I don’t give a shit about him or his family.

Womp womp.

[JDC]

22. Thoughts and prayers

[struggle4progress]

23. "When a nutcase with a gun shoots down a bunch of your classmates,

we Republicans call you a crisis actor. And then when we get into violent brawls with our neighbors, we blame you!"

[milestogo]

24. Are you sure its not just neighbors your husband has pissed off?

[bluestarone]

25. Very fucking easy answer here

Take husband and family to RUSSIA and LIVE HAPPY EVER AFTER (PS> we'll be very happy too)

[gibraltar72]

26. Tissue?

[Raven123]

27. Now that's rich.

Rand Paul endorses a guy for president, who screams vitriol to enact change, and incites violence as politically acceptable, and his wife has the audacity to complain. You can’t have it both ways.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

28. Womp womp

Remember this?

[eleny]

29. She conflated the attack on Rand Paul by their neighbor with left wing activism. A lie.

It was over an argument about how Rand Paul kept his yard and how he antagonized that neighbor.

As for his response to having voters get in his face? Snowflake! The shoe is now on the other foot. I still recall all those tea party town hall loudmouths threatening Dem members of Congress. And I remember how Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head at her Safeway town hall.

So, Mrs. Paul, stuff it.

[Coventina]

30. Boo FUCKING Hoo!

[OhioBlue]

31. I wish she would ask herself and her husband

"What can we do to be the change we wish to see"?

Also, I highly doubt that their address is a secret that is only held by Senators.

[SoCalDem]

33. Well....He IS a piece of shit

and people tend to not like those types of people..

maybe you should have married a better person

[ellie]

34. He should resign. He is a disgrace

I want to edit this to say:

Let's do a little good old fashioned victim blaming that of which the repukes are so fond: What did Rand do to provoke this attack Kelley? What was he wearing? What precautions did he take to avoid the attack? If only he would have not been outside at that time. He really should examine his actions and reflect on how he could have prevented this attack.

[WillowTree]

35. This thread makes me sick to my stomach.

Yes, absolutely. Let's celebrate violence. That makes us SO much better than those we oppose.

I shudder at this.

[JI7]

40. who is celebrating Violence ? people are calling out the BS . trying to make the neighbor attack

into something political when it had nothing to do with politics .

if she has such a problem with violence why does her husband support Trump ? why does he support Putin ?

[oasis]

36. You're breakin' my heart kiddo.

[ProudLib72]

37. OMG This is terrible! I'll get right on that...

just as soon as I finish painting my dog.

[Leith]

38. Welcome to Our World

Liberals can't let many rethugs know about our political beliefs without risking their violent belligerence. All women have methods to avoid all sorts of attacks on their person. Most minorities can't even step outside without checking for danger first - often from officers who took oaths to protect people and uphold the law. The so-called president calls out targets by name publicly for the crowd's derision.

I was caught up in the Target Christmas hack a few years ago. Others have had their identities stolen and money disappear from their accounts. Everyone who has a telephone has been getting scam calls several times a day.

This is life as too many of us know it. Gosh, what a shame that you are getting a small taste of it. Poor delicate lil snowflake.

[area51]

41. "Or does it only incite unstable people to violence, ..."

Well, you tell me; what's your excuse for your husband not upbraiding Trump for inciting violence.

[NewJeffCT]

44. Didn't teabaggers do this to Democrats in 2009, 2010 and beyond?

only, they'd often show up with guns