John Lewis being arrested during the 1960s. Now a congressmen, Lewis was known for putting himself in the line of fire as a practitioner of non-violent civil disobedience.

I tweeted yesterday about the epithets spewed upon Democratic congressmen, including Atlanta’s John Lewis, by tea party protesters on Capitol Hill yesterday.

Two of my conservative Facebook friends raised the valid question of sourcing: Who actually saw the verbal attacks and attempted intimidation of  members of Congress?

Fair enough. Here are some of the claims and some of the evidence behind them:

• Rep. Andre Carson and Rep. John Lewis both said yesterday that while they walked from the Capitol, they heard members of the mob yell the n-word at them — as in “kill the bill, [n-word]!” According to McClatchy, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who was behind them says, said he heard that as well. So do staffers. The folks who put the following video up claim you can hear the n-word. I couldn’t say for sure, but something close to that word can be heard a couple of times around 11 or 12 seconds in — right after, ahem, the camera passes over the guy with the Confederate bandanna.

• Cleaver also said he was spat upon. Capitol police reportedly detained someone for spitting, but Cleaver said he wasn’t going to press charges and police let the person go.

• A fourth member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Jame Clyburn of S.C., said, “I heard people saying things that I have not heard since March 15, 1960 when I was marching to try and get off the back of the bus.”

• CNN’s Dana Bash said her producer heard the f-word yelled at Barney Frank. Other media organizations reported hearing that, as well tea partiers taunting Frank by using a lisp. Frank says he also heard them call him “homo.” Democratic aides and a writer for Huffington Post corroborated Frank, Talking Points Memo and CNN. (Trivia question: Do you remember what the Republican former House majority leader once referred to Frank as “Barney Fag”? Hint: His lobbying group now bankrolls the tea parties.)

• That same Talking Points Memo reporter says he saw Henry Waxman called “crook” and “liar” firsthand.

• At least one protester’s sign appeared to threaten political assassination. It said: “Warning: ‘If [newly elected Sen. Scott] Brown can’t stop it, Browning can” — with a photo of Browning revolver. It also warned: “Fire line. Do not cross.” Another sign showed President Obama dressed in an SS uniform and others showed him with Hitler mustaches. There are no indications that organizers attempted to tone down the signs or rhetoric during the protests, in fact Republican members of Congress praised the protesters and urged them on.

This was after a few quick searches. So, Mike and Dale, what do you guys think?

And all this begs for another question: When you add in the Obama-as-witch-doctor portraits (complete with bone in nose) at this summer’s tea parties, the n-word sign at at least one tea party protest, the calls by some for Obama to be killed, the Hitler references, the continuing claim that a plan that doesn’t even include a government option is part of a march to socialism, at what point to do conservatives, and for that matter, mainstream Republicans disavow the tactics of the Republicans in Congress? At what point, do you acknowledge that they’re taking the conservative movement down a road that you just really don’t wanna go … or do you want to go down that road?

SIDENOTE: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution didn’t consider the alleged slurring of its hometown congressman and civil rights hero all that newsworthy. The AJC buried an abbreviated wire story on the last page of the Nation section, which barely mentioned Lewis. That story’s linked online from the homepage with the tease: “Debate gets ugly.” Yep. “Debate.” That’s what you call it when people call you “faggot” or worse. A debate. Two totally morally equivalent sides. That’s the AJC. Fair and balanced.

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