Nancy Mancias, one of the two women who threw confetti and glitter on former Governor Tim Pawlenty at a book signing in San Francisco said about her action, "It's nonviolent and it looks great. It's just disarming. How can you be mad at anybody who throws glitter?"

Really? I think I can understand why Tim Pawlenty, or Newt Gingrich or Michele Bachmann might be a little bit irked by being "glitter bombed." It irks me. I hate being in a position of having to defend people whose beliefs and politics are so radically different from mine, but this glitter campaign – which seems to be gaining momentum – is wrong. Throwing something, no matter how innocuous it may seem, at someone, no matter who that person might be, is not "disarming." It's startling and, I can imagine, it might also be a bit frightening. The first three victims of this wave of political theater are all high-profile leaders in this country and, as such, are potential targets for something much more serious than what these activists are doing. We have no idea what, if any, threats have been made against them. This "nonviolent" action might look great to critics of these Republican presidential candidates, but it might feel quite different being on the receiving end, especially if there are legitimate reasons why the candidates need to be concerned for their safety. "Glitter bombing" public official also sets a terrible precedent. How is the other side going to respond now that one side is throwing glitter? What will be the nonviolent weapon of choice for conservative activists? How are we going to feel when it's Senator Amy Klobuchar being "disarmed" by some action equally as discomfiting as glitter bombing? As a form of "activism" these activities are counter-productive. No supporter of Bachmann, Gingrich or Pawlenty is going to look at them, covered in glitter, and change their opinions of them. If anything, this kind of attempt at public humiliation of politicians will only serve to further engage their base. It reinforces the very perceptions that need to change if we are to see progress on the issues that have motivated the glitter activists in the first place. The decline of any sense of decorum in the political arena is part of the problem. Think what you will of Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann, but they still are a former Governor, a former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and a current member of the U.S. House. We may, to the very core of our being, disagree with their policies; but by virtue of the offices they hold, or have held, they deserve better than having glitter thrown at them. No matter how "great" someone might think it looks.