Idaho GOP Leader, Tea Party Organizer Arrested For Assault With A Deadly Weapon (a gun)

Idaho GOP Leader, Tea Party Organizer Arrested For Assault With A Deadly Weapon (a gun)
By Logan Murphy Friday Aug 21, 2009 7:00am

The Republican Party has a huge problem on their hands. They are quickly being taken over by the most extreme, paranoid, fringe elements in our society and this case is just another glaring example of the path they are on:

BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho Republican Party leader who helped oust the state GOP chairman in 2008 faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after an altercation escalated while he photographed a home with a delinquent mortgage.

Challis McAffee, 33, the GOP chairman from the Boise suburb of Garden City and one of 231 voting members of the Idaho Republican Central Committee, was in Ada County jail after being accused of pointing a gun at the homeowner.

McAffee, a backer of libertarian-leaning former GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul and an activist in this year's anti-big-government "Tea Party" protests, helped organize Paul backers who aligned at last June's Idaho State Republican Convention in Sandpoint with other foes of then-state GOP Chairman Kirk Sullivan. Sullivan was voted from office in favor of Norm Semanko.

According to police in the Boise suburb of Meridian, resident Robert Lutes called officers just before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to report McAffee had pointed a .357 Magnum handgun at him during a verbal confrontation. McAffee acknowledged he pointed the gun at Lutes, according to the police account.

"I'm unarmed, I'm an old man," Lutes, 51, told The Associated Press on Thursday. "I'm trying to find out why he's taking pictures of my house. I said, 'Knock on my door, let me know what you want.' Then, I think he's reaching for his business card and he pulls out a concealed weapon and I think he's going to blow my head off." Read on...

<SNIP>

http://crooksandliars.com/logan-murphy/idaho-gop-leader-tea-party-organizer

Moran!

but just a few more stories like this and maybe, I mean MAYBE, people will start seeing this whole nut-bag tea bag thing for what it is, a bunch of armed, fringe loonies.

Lutes confronted McAffee, becoming increasingly hostile, Davidson said. When Lutes struck McAffee's Ford Escort with his hand, McAffee brandished the weapon to de-escalate the conflict, Davidson said.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/08/20/business-financials-financial-impact-us-idaho-gop-leader-arrest_6800906.html

Drew his gun to de-escalate the situation?

...I sure up until now Mr. McAffee was a "law abiding citizen"...