U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (3rd L) listens during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol January 4, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Rep. Ilhan Omar Asks Judge to 'Show Compassion' for Hateful Man Who Threatened to Put Bullet in Her Head
"Who are we as a nation if we respond to threats of political retribution with retribution ourselves?"
After a man accused of threatening her life pled guilty to the crime in a U.S. District Court, Rep. Ilhan Omar on Tuesday released publicly a letter she wrote asking the federal judge presiding over the case to "show compassion" in his sentencing.
Patrick W. Carlineo Jr., a 55-year-old man from upstate New York, pled guilty on Monday on gun charges and for threatening to murder Omar in phone calls he made to her congressional office in March of this year. But in her letter to Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr., Omar said that while the charges were quite serious she did not think that an overly punitive sentence was the answer.
"The answer to hate is not more hate; it is compassion," Omar wrote.
"Who are we as a nation," her letter asks, "if we respond to threats of political retribution with retribution ourselves?"
The Minnesota Democrat posted the letter in its entirety on social media:
The formal complaint against Carlineo Jr. charged that he cited Omar being a Muslim before calling her a "terrorist" and threatening to "put a bullet in her [expletive] skull" when he called her office.
In her letter, Omar argues that punishing Carlineo "with a lengthy prison sentence or a burdensome financial fine would not rehabilitate him" or repair the harm he caused. Likely, Omar said, such a sentence "would only increase his anger and resentment."
Omar has been a vocal critic of mass incarceration during her first term in Congress, calling the system which locks up more than two million people "a scourge on this country."
In her letter, Omar said the U.S. must address the "systemic alienation" that victimizes people who often go on to commit acts of violence "through community reintegration and social services."
Carlineo's crime, Omar pointed out, is just a single example of the hate speech and political violence which "are an increasing feature in our public sphere."
"We will not defeat it with anger and exclusion," Omar wrote. "We will defeat it with compassion."
The congresswoman's letter garnered applause from progressives and critics of the U.S. prison system including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
After a man accused of threatening her life pled guilty to the crime in a U.S. District Court, Rep. Ilhan Omar on Tuesday released publicly a letter she wrote asking the federal judge presiding over the case to "show compassion" in his sentencing.
Patrick W. Carlineo Jr., a 55-year-old man from upstate New York, pled guilty on Monday on gun charges and for threatening to murder Omar in phone calls he made to her congressional office in March of this year. But in her letter to Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr., Omar said that while the charges were quite serious she did not think that an overly punitive sentence was the answer.
"The answer to hate is not more hate; it is compassion," Omar wrote.
"Who are we as a nation," her letter asks, "if we respond to threats of political retribution with retribution ourselves?"
The Minnesota Democrat posted the letter in its entirety on social media:
The formal complaint against Carlineo Jr. charged that he cited Omar being a Muslim before calling her a "terrorist" and threatening to "put a bullet in her [expletive] skull" when he called her office.
In her letter, Omar argues that punishing Carlineo "with a lengthy prison sentence or a burdensome financial fine would not rehabilitate him" or repair the harm he caused. Likely, Omar said, such a sentence "would only increase his anger and resentment."
Omar has been a vocal critic of mass incarceration during her first term in Congress, calling the system which locks up more than two million people "a scourge on this country."
In her letter, Omar said the U.S. must address the "systemic alienation" that victimizes people who often go on to commit acts of violence "through community reintegration and social services."
Carlineo's crime, Omar pointed out, is just a single example of the hate speech and political violence which "are an increasing feature in our public sphere."
"We will not defeat it with anger and exclusion," Omar wrote. "We will defeat it with compassion."
The congresswoman's letter garnered applause from progressives and critics of the U.S. prison system including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
After a man accused of threatening her life pled guilty to the crime in a U.S. District Court, Rep. Ilhan Omar on Tuesday released publicly a letter she wrote asking the federal judge presiding over the case to "show compassion" in his sentencing.
Patrick W. Carlineo Jr., a 55-year-old man from upstate New York, pled guilty on Monday on gun charges and for threatening to murder Omar in phone calls he made to her congressional office in March of this year. But in her letter to Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr., Omar said that while the charges were quite serious she did not think that an overly punitive sentence was the answer.
"The answer to hate is not more hate; it is compassion," Omar wrote.
"Who are we as a nation," her letter asks, "if we respond to threats of political retribution with retribution ourselves?"
The Minnesota Democrat posted the letter in its entirety on social media:
The formal complaint against Carlineo Jr. charged that he cited Omar being a Muslim before calling her a "terrorist" and threatening to "put a bullet in her [expletive] skull" when he called her office.
In her letter, Omar argues that punishing Carlineo "with a lengthy prison sentence or a burdensome financial fine would not rehabilitate him" or repair the harm he caused. Likely, Omar said, such a sentence "would only increase his anger and resentment."
Omar has been a vocal critic of mass incarceration during her first term in Congress, calling the system which locks up more than two million people "a scourge on this country."
In her letter, Omar said the U.S. must address the "systemic alienation" that victimizes people who often go on to commit acts of violence "through community reintegration and social services."
Carlineo's crime, Omar pointed out, is just a single example of the hate speech and political violence which "are an increasing feature in our public sphere."
"We will not defeat it with anger and exclusion," Omar wrote. "We will defeat it with compassion."
The congresswoman's letter garnered applause from progressives and critics of the U.S. prison system including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).