The Head Stomp is the Enduring Symbol of the Right

by Oly Mike

in this election. At least for me.

I disagree with Mary Shaw at OpEdNews that Ms. Valle was a defenseless female. I am not going to buy into the sexism of aggression and defense. I looked at the video at RedState.com and it's clear on that video (if it is authentic and I think it is) that Ms. Valle shoved her sign in the window at Rand Paul as his vehicle arrived. I applaud Red State for being unequivocal about the head stomp being wrong, but the fact remains that the right wing crazies have been willing, if not anxious to escalate from 1st amendments rights to gather and engage in free speech to physical confrontations with the left. An unwanted touch is an assault/battery under the law. It's one thing to be jostled in a large, tight crowd, it is another thing to be tackled, held to the ground and be struck or stomped in the maneuver.

I hope we will see local police and prosecutors bring the full force of the law to bear on thugs who engage in assault and battery under the adrenalin rush of their political fears and excitement.

Here is what Mary Shaw had to say:

The Party of Thugs

On October 25, a defenseless female MoveOn.org volunteer was assaulted outside the site of a Kentucky Senatorial debate. While engaged in street theater trying to get Rand Paul's attention, Lauren Valle was pushed to the ground by some of Paul's supporters, and then one of them stomped on her head. She ended up with a concussion.

A month earlier, on September 23, a male Sharron Angle supporter pushed a female Harry Reid supporter and then punched her female friend in the face at a Nevada Senatorial debate.

I do not see these as two isolated incidents. I see them as two very disturbing symptoms of a new culture of hatred and violence on the far right.

We saw it brewing last March, when Tea Partiers greeted members of the Congressional Black Caucus by hurling the N-word at them. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver was spat on in the incident. Then they shouted "faggot" at openly gay Rep. Barney Frank.

It's ugly. Unring that bell.