Reactions to the health care reform bill have been varied and passionate; some believe that this the bill is a step in the right direction, while others believe that it will lead to the dissolution of the principles America was founded on. Tempers are flaring on both sides, and Democratic politicians have recently been the subject to acts of vandalism in response to the bill's approval.

Offices throughout America have been targeted by opponents of the bill. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is one of the many victims of these acts, whose office in Tucson, AZ was attacked by vandals hours after he voted in favor of the bill. The front door and a window were smashed apparently in response to his actions. Lyndsey Stauble, the executive director of the Sedgwick County Democratic Party in Wichita, KS also spoke about the attacks on her offices. “There’s glass everywhere, a brick took out the whole floor-to-ceiling window and put a gouge in my desk”, she said, noting that the brick had some anti-Obama rhetoric” written on it. Offices in Rochester, NY and Niagara Falls, NY have been the target of brick-related incidents as well; over the weekend, bricks crashed through the windows of both offices, one with a note that said, “Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice” — a quote from Barry Goldwater’s 1964 acceptance speech as the Republican presidential candidate.

The source of the attacks can be traced back to Mike Vanderboegh of Pinson, Alabama, a former leader of the Alabama Constitutional Militia who put out a call for modern “Sons of Liberty” to break the windows of Democratic Party offices. “We can break their windows,” he said. “Break them NOW. And if we do a proper job, if we break the windows of hundreds, thousands, of Democrat party headquarters across this country, we might just wake up enough of them to make defending ourselves at the muzzle of a rifle unnecessary.”

Tea Party members have also responded to the call for action. Virginia Rep. Tom Perriello's brother's address was posted online by Tea Party activists so members could (incorrectly) "drop by" and "express their thanks" for Perriello’s vote in favor of health care reform. Evidently, they did: a gas line to propane tank of the brother's home was severed, causing local and federal authorities to look into the matter. Nigel Coleman, one of the Tea Party members who posted the address online, was "shocked" and "almost speechless" at the actions of the activists. "I obviously condemn these actions," he said. "I would hope that people aren’t thinking about doing anything crazy. We just wanted people to get close to the congressman and have their voices heard. Violence is not going to answer anything. I’m a little shocked and amazed." Yet Coleman also stated that the involvement of the brother and his family of four children was merely “collateral damage”, a statement with chillingly violent intent.

Democrats find the incidents troubling. Tyler Longpine, a spokesman for the Democratic Party of Kansas is particularly concerned. “It’s kind of an alarming context,” he said. “We haven’t had any trouble here, but we’re fortunate enough to be on the seventh floor of an office building in Topeka.”

These incidents are a chilling reminder of the volatile political atmosphere in America right now, one where extremists are becoming larger in number and much more destructive. Will they eventually go too far? Leonard Zeskind, author of the 2009 book “Blood and Politics”, says yes. “Passage of health care reform will elicit a variety of responses from its opponents... we can expect militia types like Vanderboegh to become even more far-fetched and violent,” he said in response to the recent acts of vandalism. Only time will tell if his predictions end up coming to fruition. With a disapproval rate of 49%, it's certain that the health care bill is only going to face more opposition from here on out.