From the pulpit on Sunday, Father Joe Whalen exhorted his parishioners to avoid the kind of extreme partisanship and hate that appeared to be behind the killing of one of the church's own, Democratic Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman.

Threats and violent acts have become part of the political landscape, still shocking but somehow not so surprising.

Political violence is becoming a more regular issue for the nation’s leaders and society to deal with. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been targeted just over the last few months in