Scary Times

Not one but two men brought guns to President Obama's townhall yesterday. Richard Terry Young was arrested after being found "in possession of an unlicensed loaded gun." He was also carrying a pocketknife. William Kostric was filmed by MSNBC with a loaded gun strapped to his leg, and explained to Chris Matthews that "It is time to water the tree of liberty," referencing the 1787 Thomas Jefferson quote: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." (He then insisted he is "not advocating violence. I'm advocating an informed society, an armed society, a polite society.")

Meanwhile, the same Jefferson quote showed up elsewhere outside the townhall, where a rightwing protester (white man in the white shirt) shouted through a megaphone:

Why are we bankrupting this country for 21 million illegals who should be sent on the first bus, one way, back from wherever they come from. We don't need illegals. Send them home once. Send them home with a bullet in their head the second time. Read what Jefferson said about the Tree of Liberty — it's coming, baby.

Meanwhile, via Gawker: The AP has just released a report "containing some sobering but entirely predictable information: according to ATF sources, militia groups concentrated in the South, Midwest and Northwest are growing rapidly as wild conspiracy theories fuel the spread of paranoia. ... [The report] cites an ATF official named Bart McEntire who says that he believes it's 'only a matter of time' before we see another Timothy McVeigh-like act of domestic terrorism."

Scary times, Shakers. Scary times.