A little while ago, in the context of the shooting of Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, I mentioned on this blog that within the American political spectrum there are extremists on the right and the left, but the vitriolic, hyperbolic, violent rhetoric we hear today’s political speech mostly comes from the right.
The list below serves as a reminder of actual acts of violence — not just words, but the brandishing of sticks and stones — which have been committed by right-wing extremists in recent years. I still would not suggest that there’s a direct causal link between violent rhetoric and violent action, though.
A Recent History of Violent Right-Wing Extremism
July 27, 2008
Unemployed truck driver Jim David Adkisson opens fire on the congregation of a Unitarian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, killing two people and seriously wounding six.
