Sen. Patty Murray of Washington found that her life was in danger shortly after she supported President Barack Obama's recent health care legislation.

Charles Alan Wilson was arrested by FBI agents and made a court appearance this week, after being charged with making threatening phone calls to the Senator.

Prosecutors allege that Wilson left several voice mails, with threatening messages and profanity, on Murray's phone between March 22nd and April 4th. Wilson is charged with one count of threatening a federal official.

Murray's office had reported threatening calls for several months, but mentioned that the calls became worse and more threatening as the health care bill was coming to a vote. Murray is one of many senators and members of Congress who've been threatened as a result of Obama's legislation on health care reform. FBI spokesman Bill Carter believes that Wilson is the first person in the country to be arrested for this particular offense as it relates to the health care bill.

The messages from Murray were left from a blocked phone number. Agents were able to trace the call to Wilson's home in Selah, near Yakima. To confirm that Wilson was the caller, agents called him pretending to be members of a group working to repeal the health care legislation, according to statements made by the agents. When agents got in touch with Wilson, he said that he had repeatedly called Murray as well as Washington's other Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell. He then stated that, "I do pack, and I will not blink when I'm confronted. ... It's not a threat, it's a guarantee."

"There's a target on your back now," said one message on March 22nd. "It only takes one piece of lead. Kill the [expletive] senator! ... Now that you've passed your health care bill, let the violence begin."

In other messages, the caller also said, "I hope somebody puts a [expletive] bullet between your [expletive] eyes," and "I do believe that every one of you [expletive] socialist democratic progressive [expletive] need to be taken out."

And, he said, "I want to [expletive] kill you."

Rarely in our nation's history has a president been confronted with the number of threats being managed by President Barack Obama. According to the book "In the President's Secret Service," President Obama receives roughly 30 death threats per day, 400 percent higher than the number received by President Bush. While we have reason to feel comfortable with the outstanding work of the Secret Service, there is also reason to be concerned. The attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981, while being nearly 30 years ago, still serves as a reminder that our highest leaders might be more vulnerable than we think. This is worrisome for sure.

The volatile political climate we've been witnessing cannot be disconnected to the race of our president. With change comes some degree of discomfort, and as the tectonic plates of American politics are shifting, we are experiencing dramatic social earthquakes. By the end of President Obama's first term in office, our nation will have learned a great deal about itself. That is for certain.


Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book, "Black American Money." To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.