“Mommy, mommy, he started it! Chuckie started it!”

The facts are pretty clear. I’ve heard the various words screamed, the various texts (or tweets or whatever) sent, and even the opinions of a half-dozen different pundits.

So Senator Chuck Schumer yelled threats at two of the Nazgul in front of the SCOTUS building. He sounded nearly hysterical, actually. And he even (sorta) quoted the Bible (that bit about whirlwinds).

And Nazgul-in-chief John Roberts took offense at what (and no doubt how) it was said. So he sent a text jumping on Schumer.

And since Schumer is part of the minority party of the Conscript Parents (the Senate), the Mitch McConnell had to chime in, Especially since the crack regarding those two justices he threatened had to do with their stand against “reproductive freedom.” And McConnell was not kind or supportive of dear Mr. Schumer. No, indeed.

After that, it’s just spiraled up and out. Along with all the Republican types, the talk shows, both on radio and on-line, all seem to be coming down hard (and nasty) on poor Chuck.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am no fan of Charles Schumer, and never have been. For many reasons, all political. But methinks everyone doth protest far too much.

“You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You will not know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions,” the lawmaker said, mentioning both Kavenaugh and Gorsuch (Trump appointees) by name as he haranged the crowd of pro-babykilling protesters.

This to me does not read or sound like an actual threat of physical violence. (Nor do I believe Shumer’s explanation, by the way.) But it is certainly NOT a civil or polite thing to say. And it definitely comes across as an angry tirade.

Which means that Schumer is pretty much behaving like most of his fellow prominent Democrats these days. Even when they are yelling at, condemning, and demeaning their own Democratic competition. As in the rapidly-condensing nomination fight.

And he is behaving quite a bit like many (probably most) Republicans in high places as well. All these GOP types – and their talking heads – are doing the same thing as they are attacking Schumer (and others) for. And have done so for years.

Now, I assume that much of this rancor and loud and lurid attacks on each other is strictly for public consumption. That in reality, out of sight of the public, the press, the radicals in their respective parties, and gossips, that they are congenial to one another, polite, and even friendly. I doubt that most of them go home at night plotting how they are going to stick it to their political enemies. Indeed, it would not surprise me to find out that their public behavior is as much acting as any professional wrestling match. And so, as fake.

But it is still their public position. It is a constant barrage from both sides of vicious and far-from-petty attacks and accusations. That X wants other people to get sick and die. That Y wants to wipe out all life on earth. That Z wants to reduce everyone to chains of slavery. And so forth.

Vicious, bitter, and dangerous enemies, barely able to keep their murderous tendencies under control.

THAT is how they come across in the growing un-civil society which we suffer with today. THAT is how the media (of any type) portrays them. And how their true believers, the extremists on all corners of the political diamond (yes, even some libertarians) perceive it.

And that leads, in my opinion, to the further degradation of civil society and more fracturing of our culture and institutions. And even to more anger, acting out, and violence. Admittedly, it is usually the extremists – the Antifa and the barking mad troublemakers. But it rubs off on others. Consider the director of a museum in Sweetwater, Texas, who lost her temper on Super Tuesday and said she wished all the Republicans were dead. In a post on-line.

We can argue about WHY people are doing this. We can blame the way the media covers all this. We can blame the increasing stakes that the political process tosses onto the gaming table. We can blame the fear that people have of one another and of those who do not agree with them – especially politically. (The way people in the past reacted about religion or skin color, in fact.)

To me, as a lover of liberty, part of the solution is to reduce the stakes. To get the media to stop ramping up people’s anger and fears. Ditto for the politicians themselves. (How? Voting with our dollars, and refusing to play the politician’s game, for two.) To get rid of as much government as we can as fast as we can.

But for now? A pox on both their houses.