It is in times like these when we must look to one of the greatest champions of democracy, Cicero, and remember his opinions on how to preserve our democracy from those who seek only to empower themselves.
Cicero, ever an advocate for neutrality, spent his life fighting for peace and against corruption. He had always opposed violence in the senate, but had no qualms about the use of violence in defense of democracy. During the catiline conspiracy, Cicero, as elected leader of the senate, instantly crushed the opposition upon learning of their conspiracy to seize power. Further, Cicero was a strong supporter of Caesar's assassination. The only complaint Cicero had when learning of the murder, was that they hadn't gone far enough. In his view, the death of Caesar was good, but flawed in that no one had killed Antony, no one had killed Octavian. His only complaint was that the assassins hadn't also wiped out Caesar's allies and supporters. “The Ides of March was a fine deed, but half done.” -Cicero
I am not calling for political violence, but when the enemy engages in it, let's not make the mistake of liberalism. Let's not forget the difference between political violence in defense of, and in opposition to democracy. Don't take the high road to the camps. Without democracy, we will never make progress.