Who ever told you that the left is non-violent?

When I was a kid, one of the things that turned me toward conservatism was the fact that the "pacifists" were burning flags, destroying property, burning people in effigy and constantly clashing with police. So I knew they were lying about the tea partiers or at least projecting. It's only when they're losing the argument that they start complaining about the "vitriol" in the other side's rhetoric.