Political Death Threats Mount

When someone threatens life of the President of the United States, the Secret Service reaction is usually swift and severe -- casually joke about taking a potshot at the President in front of them and you'll wind up in jail quicker than you can say go. When members of Congress are threatened, by contrast, the response typically is not nearly as intense. Threats can languish on a clogged voicemail inbox of any number of staffers disbursed across many offices in different parts of the country. Capitol police must work backwards to reconstruct caller ID records, usually in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local authorities. And the offenders often turn out to be simply irritated voters, angry over this bill or that congressional resolution; a rap on the knuckles has often been considered sufficient punishment.

That is, until recently. This year's divisive debate over and ultimate passage of health care reform seems to have brought out much more serious threats, and a more serious response from law enforcement...

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