My $.02, for what it's worth, is that politics in general has gotten a lot nastier. Not just the elections, but the way people act on political issues. Growing up, Reagan and O'Neil fought on a lot of issues, but would also have a drink together. There were a lot of cross-party line friends. Doesn't seem that way any longer. Now seems a lot more like you can't be cross-party friends. Can't respectfully disagree. And, from what I see on the net, it gets pretty damn personal, too. Even around here, it's "the Loony Left", and that's polite compared to some things I see on Facebook and other places. And, when it gets nasty and personal, some people will respond. And this is among people towards the middle. Get on the ends of the political spectrum, and it's not only personal. It's not only nasty. For some of them, it's words of war. And I see it on both sides. I'm worried about how ugly it's going to become. And I'm also worried that this incident is the one which removes the taboo from shooting .gov officials, and we end up with others choosing this same type of action.