# Were there instances of violence directed towards the government during the Bush years?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-instances-of-violence-directed-towards-the-government-during-the-bush-years/547254
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 19, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-instances-of-violence-directed-towards-the-government-during-the-bush-years/547254 "2010-07-19T18:47:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-instances-of-violence-directed-towards-the-government-during-the-bush-years/547254/1 "2010-07-19T18:47:45Z")
Let me start by saying
1. If you came to tell me that isolated reports about people mad at the government during the Obama administration doesn’t prove that conservatives/republicans are more violent, I agree. That’s not what I’m suggesting.
2. I realize there isn’t a factual answer to this, but I think there’s a close enough answer to where most of us can agree to an approximate equivalence.
I’m just curious if there were instances of violence directed at the government during the Bush years. I’m talking about instances akin to this [shootout](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/19/BAG71EG92P.DTL) today, flying a plane into the IRS, anti-government [militia groups](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32379254), [killing](http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/19096134/detail.html) [police officers](http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/kane_west_memphis_arkansas_shootings.php), [Pentagon guards](http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/pentagon_shooter_praised_private_property_rights_d.php), etc.
\*\*Note: pointing out violent rhetoric is not what I’m interested in. I’m interested in people who at least appear to have some very profound grievances against the government and acted on them in a violent way. \*\*
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-instances-of-violence-directed-towards-the-government-during-the-bush-years/547254/2 "2010-07-19T19:05:44Z")
Here’s one: a guy in the Republic of Georgia [lobbed a grenade](http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/07/21/bush.grenade/index.html) at Bush while he was giving a speech.
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### Author:  [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-instances-of-violence-directed-towards-the-government-during-the-bush-years/547254/3 "2010-07-19T20:02:06Z")
> [@friedo](#):
>
> Here’s one: a guy in the Republic of Georgia [lobbed a grenade](http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/07/21/bush.grenade/index.html) at Bush while he was giving a speech.
I think the OP is looking for home-grown, domestic acts. Otherwise we could start with the 9-11 attacks which certainly aimed at the US as a whole and the government specifically (plane into the Pentagon and flight 93 which was supposed to target either the White House or the Senate building).
Doesn’t the Secret Service list some basic statistics regarding threats against the lives of the President and other important officials?
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### Author:  [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-instances-of-violence-directed-towards-the-government-during-the-bush-years/547254/4 "2010-07-19T20:11:01Z")
The anthrax mailings shortly after 9/11 are generally believed to be from a domestic source. I suppose that would qualify.
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### Author:  [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-instances-of-violence-directed-towards-the-government-during-the-bush-years/547254/5 "2010-07-19T20:23:41Z")
> [@Valgard](#):
>
> I think the OP is looking for home-grown, domestic acts. Otherwise we could start with the 9-11 attacks which certainly aimed at the US as a whole and the government specifically (plane into the Pentagon and flight 93 which was supposed to target either the White House or the Senate building).
>
> Doesn’t the Secret Service list some basic statistics regarding threats against the lives of the President and other important officials?
Indeed. I should have been clearer.
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### Author:  [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-instances-of-violence-directed-towards-the-government-during-the-bush-years/547254/6 "2010-07-19T20:55:28Z")
> [@friedo](#):
>
> Here’s one: a guy in the Republic of Georgia [lobbed a grenade](http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/07/21/bush.grenade/index.html) at Bush while he was giving a speech.
And here I thought Bush was such a good ol’ boy.
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### Author:  [@godix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godix)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-instances-of-violence-directed-towards-the-government-during-the-bush-years/547254/7 "2010-07-20T19:09:03Z")
Richard Reid, AKA the shoe bomber.