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Title: Right-wing terrorist in custody after murder of abortion provider
Source: Fox News
URL Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,523581,00.html
Published: May 31, 2009
Author: Fox News
Post Date: 2009-05-31 19:27:37 by Mekons5
Keywords: None
Views: 740
Comments: 19

WICHITA, Kan. – Dr. George Tiller, one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher.

The gunman fled, but a 51-year-old suspect was arrested some 170 miles away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting, Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said.

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Poster Comment: Local news released the name Scott Roeder as a "person of interest" in the murder. Could this be the same person??? There is no other info on this site but it seems like quite a coincidence if it is someone else. From 1997: July 7, Kansas: Scott Roeder is sentenced to sixteen months in state prison for parole violations following a 1996 conviction for having bomb components in his car trunk. Roeder, a sovereign citizen and tax protester, violated his parole by not filing tax returns or providing his social security number to his employer.

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#1. To: All (#0)

From Operation Rescue's site (oh, and Free Republic's user search function has been disabled...another screen name falls tragically silent.)

# Scott Roeder Says: May 19th, 2007 at 4:34 pm

Bleass everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp. Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn’t seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller.

I never seen so many women since the time they closed the factory down.

Mekons5  posted on  2009-05-31   19:34:42 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

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#2. To: All (#0)

More about Roeder

TOPEKA, Kan. - A man identified by the FBI as a member of the anti-government Freemen group was arrested yesterday after deputies found what they called a bomb-triggering device in his car.

Scott Roeder, 38, of Silver Lake, Kan., was arrested in Topeka and held on charges of criminal use of explosives, driving with a suspended license and failure to carry registration and insurance.

Roeder was stopped because his car didn't have a legitimate license plate. Instead, it had a tag indicating the driver was a "sovereign" citizen and immune from Kansas law.

The same type of tag is sometimes used by Freemen, whose members in Montana are in the fourth week of a standoff with federal agents.

Roeder's name is included on an FBI list of Freemen, said Shawnee County Sheriff Dave Meneley.

In Roeder's trunk, authorities found fuse cord, a pound of gunpowder and two nine-volt batteries, one wired to a switch - the alleged triggering device. Ammunition and a blasting cap also were found in the car.

In Montana, meanwhile, federal agents increased security around the barricaded Freemen compound yesterday. And the FBI field commander refused to see Michigan Militia leader Norman Olson.

Olson said he had come Montana to help the FBI avoid "a field of battle."

The FBI has headquarters in Jordan, Mont., about 30 miles from the Freemen's farmhouse.

I never seen so many women since the time they closed the factory down.

Mekons5  posted on  2009-05-31   19:40:12 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

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#3. To: Mekons5 (#0)

at least it was good that Operation Rescue condemned the killing. Dr. Tiller was a very tenacious person to keep doing these procedures after he'd been attacked & threatened. and he obviously felt it was the right thing to do to continue, otherwise he'd have been intimidated. to kill a man in church doesn't seem very moral, kind of weird to kill a man in church.

Hell hath no fury like a rich person wanting a bailout

Red Jones  posted on  2009-05-31   21:53:47 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

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#4. To: Red Jones (#3)

How would the world feel if a death penalty opponent killed a DA who got someone killed? The pro-life movement is completely hypocritical lying thugs.

The wingnuts are saying pro-choice people LOVE abortion. No one loves abortion. We all hate it. If your daughter would die unless she had an abortion, would you suddenly LOVE abortion? Of course not. But you would want your daughter or wife to LIVE. That is the issue here. He only performed abortions if the woman was in danger of dying or if the child would not live.

Randall Terry, the founder of anti-abortion group Operation Rescue who led protests against George Tiller's clinic in Wichita, Kansas in 1991, issued a statement about today's killing of the abortion doctor.

In his comments, Terry does not grieve for Tiller or denounce the murder but seems more concerned about President Obama's reaction and what it bodes for the pro-life movement.

"George Tiller was a mass-murderer. We grieve for him that he did not have time to properly prepare his soul to face God. I am more concerned that the Obama Administration will use Tiller's killing to intimidate pro-lifers into surrendering our most effective rhetoric and actions. Abortion is still murder. And we still must call abortion by its proper name; murder.

Those men and women who slaughter the unborn are murderers according to the Law of God. We must continue to expose them in our communities and peacefully protest them at their offices and homes, and yes, even their churches."

Terry did not return calls for comment.

Other anti-abortion groups condemned Tiller's murder in strong terms, reports the Catholic News Agency.

Troy Newman, President of the Kansas-based Operation Rescue said in a statement that his organization "has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning. We pray for Mr. Tiller's family that they will find comfort and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ"...

Shaun Kenney, executive director of American Life League, explained that leaders within the pro-life movement "often discuss justice in connection with our mission to end the tragedy of abortion. Today, Dr. George Tiller's life ended in an act defying those principles."

I never seen so many women since the time they closed the factory down.

Mekons5  posted on  2009-06-01   0:38:19 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

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#5. To: All (#4)

These creatures, including the Catholic nuts, the shitheads in the Republican party, the freaks on Fox, are murderers. They killed this guy. Bill O'Reilly should be in jail tonight for this. He called the guy Tiller the Killer.

It is time to take these animals off the air. They are getting people killed.

Notice I did not say KILL O'REILLY. Unlike him.

I never seen so many women since the time they closed the factory down.

Mekons5  posted on  2009-06-01   0:46:06 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

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#6. To: Mekons5 (#5)

Bill O'Reilly should be in jail tonight for this. He called the guy Tiller the Killer

that O'Reilly guy is a real jerk.

Hell hath no fury like a rich person wanting a bailout

Red Jones  posted on  2009-06-01   2:10:43 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

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#7. To: All (#0)

The FRetards are sweating. This will end the argument about abortion, IMO. The kooks are saying stupid stuff like "all those who love abortion are going to nuke us." Name one person, just one person, in the whole wide world, who loves abortion. Name one. Just one.

These nazis are through.

WICHITA - With one bullet, a gunman ended the life and the controversial career of abortion doctor George Tiller, killing him as he stood in the foyer of his church Sunday.

Monday, a 51-year-old Johnson County man could be charged with murder and aggravated assault in the shooting of Tiller, who had been shot before by an anti-abortion foe.

The crime has drawn condemnation and outrage from the president and stirred strong emotions across the nation.

Tiller, 67, was shot once just after 10 a.m. Sunday as he stood in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran Church, 7601 E. 13th St., where he was serving as an usher. The gunman threatened to shoot two men who tried to apprehend him.

Wichita police said that the suspect was arrested without incident on I-35 in Johnson County about three hours after the shooting, following a statewide broadcast describing the suspect and his car.

Although Wichita police would not name the suspect, the Johnson County Sheriff's Office identified him as Scott P. Roeder, according to the Associated Press.

Wichita police said it appeared the suspect had acted alone but that they are investigating whether he had any connection to anti-abortion groups.

Police on Sunday said they expected the man to be charged with murder and two counts of aggravated battery.

In a news conference at Wichita City Hall, Deputy Chief Tom Stolz said police will "investigate this suspect to the Nth degree, his history, his family, his associates, and we're just in the beginning stages of that."

Tiller had long been a focal point of protests by abortion opponents because his clinic, Women's Health Care Services at 5107 E. Kellogg, is one of a few in the country where late-term abortions are performed.

He was shot and wounded in both arms at his clinic in 1993.

Sunday's shooting stoked emotional debate on the Internet between supporters of abortion rights and abortion opponents.

Without elaborating, Stolz said investigators will look into the Internet comments because the discussion could bear on public safety.

Tiller's family issued a statement through Wichita lawyers Dan Monnat and Lee Thompson:

"Today we mourn the loss of our husband, father and grandfather. Today's event is an unspeakable tragedy for all of us and for George's friends and patients.

"This is particularly heart wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."

A timeline

Police and other sources described what happened in the church.

For the 10 a.m. service, Tiller was serving as an usher, one of six ushers listed in the church bulletin. He was handing out bulletins to people going into the sanctuary minutes before being shot.

At 10:03, Tiller was one of six to 12 people in the foyer, outside the sanctuary. His wife, Jeanne, was at the church.

A man armed with a handgun shot Tiller once, according to the preliminary investigation. Three to four people saw the shooting.

Two men confronted the suspect and exchanged words with him, but police would not say what was said.

"They were both threatened, and the gun was pointed at them," Stolz said.

That is why the suspect could face the aggravated assault charges, Stolz said.

Within minutes, paramedics arrived and pronounced Tiller dead at the scene.

Officers arrived and immediately started interviewing witnesses.

Police obtained the suspect's description and vehicle description -- a powder-blue 1993 Ford Taurus -- from witnesses at the church and broadcast it and the tag number to law enforcement agencies throughout the state. The car was registered to Scott Roeder of Merriam, in Johnson County.

Police also obtained a photo of the suspect, who had a prior conviction for criminal use of explosives, which was overturned on appeal, according to court records.

Officers began checking motels and other places for the suspect.

Before the shooting, the church was packed, said Shirley King, one of the parishioners. New members were joining. A baptism was on the agenda.

When King heard a "pop" sound, she thought it was special effects from the percussionist. Some people glanced toward the rear of the church, curious.

Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was sitting with the choir downstairs, King said. An usher came, and motioned for Jeanne Tiller to come with him.

"The rest of us were listening to the prelude, but then came the piercing screams of a woman who obviously had witnessed a horrible sight," King wrote in an e-mail.

"A few people immediately jumped up, but quickly one of our church leaders said, 'Everyone please be seated. Please remain calm. We have had an incident and we are taking care of it. Remain in your seat.' "

Adam Watkins, 20, who said he has attended the church his entire life, said he was sitting in the middle of the congregation when he heard the "pop."

"We just thought a child had come in with a balloon and it... had gone up and hit the ceiling and popped," Watkins said.

Once they learned of the shooting, Watkins said:

"We were just really shocked. We were kind of dumbfounded. We couldn't really believe it had happened."

The suspect's car was spotted shortly before 2 p.m. just south of Gardner by two Johnson County sheriff's deputies -- Andy Lento and Tyson Kilbey. The Sheriff's Office had suspected that the man would be coming back on I-35 to his home, and Kilbey and Lento waited for him.

As the car went north, Lento and Kilbey followed and were joined by three other sheriff's patrol cars.

Lt. Mike Pfannenstiel of the Sheriff's Office said officers pulled the car over just south of the main Gardner exit and got out with guns drawn. The man got out of his car with his hands up.

"We took him down without incident," Pfannenstiel said, adding that the man appeared to be driving the speed limit and made no attempt to elude the deputies.

At the 4 p.m. news conference, Stolz said authorities were bringing the suspect to Wichita.

He said that police expect to present the case to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office today.

At 7 p.m., a private vigil service was held at Reformation. Tiller's wife, his children and grandchildren attended. Two police officers stood in the back of the sanctuary.

The Rev. Lowell Michelson, senior pastor of Reformation Lutheran Church, said that part of the message of the vigil focused on the message that "love is stronger than hate."

That was clear, he said, in the congregation's response to one another.

"I think the way that folks gathered around Jeanne tonight in large numbers speaks volumes not only about the support and encouragement we get from Jesus Christ," he said, "but also the way the Holy Spirit works."

Reaction to shooting

President Obama released a statement on the shooting.

"I am shocked and outraged by the murder of Dr. George Tiller as he attended church services this morning. However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence."

Mickey Cohlmia, a member of the neighboring St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral, said: "It is absolutely disheartening.... I think it shows where our world is today.... There is no safe place."

The anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, in a statement on its Web site, said:

"We are shocked at (Sunday) morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down. Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning. We pray for Mr. Tiller's family that they will find comfort and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ."

Former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, who conducted an investigation into Tiller, said in a statement he was "stunned by this lawless and violent act which must be condemned and should be met with the full force of law. We join in lifting prayer that God's grace and presence rest with Dr. Tiller's family and friends."

Warren Hern, a Colorado physician and close friend of Tiller's -- who described himself now as "the only doctor in the world" who performs very late-term abortions -- said Tiller's death was predictable.

"I think it's the inevitable consequence of more than 35 years of constant anti-abortion terrorism, harassment and violence," he said.

When Obama was elected last fall, Hern predicted that anti-abortion violence would increase, he said. Because Obama supports legalized abortion, Hern said, its foes "have lost ground.... They want the doctors dead, and they invite people to assassinate us. No wonder that this happens.

"I am next on the list."

Ongoing threats

Tiller and his clinic have faced continuous threats and legal action.

A Wichita jury ruled in March that he was not guilty of illegal abortion on 19 criminal charges he faced for allegedly violating a state law requiring an "independent" second physician's concurring opinion before performing late-term abortions.

Immediately following the ruling in this criminal case, the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts made public a similar complaint against Tiller that was originally filed in December 2008.

Protesters blockaded Tiller's clinic during Operation Rescue's "Summer of Mercy" protests during the summer of 1991, and Tiller was shot by Rachelle Shannon at his clinic in 1993. Tiller was wounded in both arms. Shannon remains in prison.

The clinic was bombed in June 1986 and was severely vandalized in May. His lawyer said wires to security cameras and outdoor lights were cut and that the vandals also cut through the roof and plugged the buildings' downspouts. Rain poured through the roof and caused thousands of dollars of damage in the clinic. Tiller reportedly asked the FBI to investigate the incident.

I never seen so many women since the time they closed the factory down.

Mekons5  posted on  2009-06-01   3:35:21 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

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#8. To: All (#7)

O'Reilly is going to have a very, very bad week. And Kline too. And Glenn Beck.

May 31, 2009 | When his show airs tomorrow, Bill O'Reilly will most certainly decry the death of Kansas doctor George Tiller, who was killed Sunday while attending church services with his wife. Tiller, O'Reilly will say, was a man who was guilty of barbaric acts, but a civilized society does not resort to lawless murder, even against its worst members. And O'Reilly, we can assume, will genuinely mean this.

But there's no other person who bears as much responsibility for the characterization of Tiller as a savage on the loose, killing babies willy-nilly thanks to the collusion of would-be sophisticated cultural elites, a bought-and-paid-for governor and scofflaw secular journalists. Tiller's name first appeared on "The Factor" on Feb. 25, 2005. Since then, O'Reilly and his guest hosts have brought up the doctor on 28 more episodes, including as recently as April 27 of this year. Almost invariably, Tiller is described as "Tiller the Baby Killer."

Tiller, O'Reilly likes to say, "destroys fetuses for just about any reason right up until the birth date for $5,000." He's guilty of "Nazi stuff," said O'Reilly on June 8, 2005; a moral equivalent to NAMBLA and al-Qaida, he suggested on March 15, 2006. "This is the kind of stuff happened in Mao's China, Hitler's Germany, Stalin's Soviet Union," said O'Reilly on Nov. 9, 2006.

O'Reilly has also frequently linked Tiller to his longtime obsession, child molestation and rape. Because a young teenager who received an abortion from Tiller could, by definition, have been a victim of statutory rape, O'Reilly frequently suggested that the clinic was covering up for child rapists (rather than teenage boyfriends) by refusing to release records on the abortions performed.

When Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, an O'Reilly favorite who faced harsh criticism for seeking Tiller's records, was facing electoral defeat by challenger Paul Morrison, O'Reilly said, "Now we don't endorse candidates here, but obviously, that would be a colossal mistake. Society must afford some protection for viable babies and children who are raped." (Morrison ultimately unseated Kline.)

This is where O'Reilly's campaign against George Tiller becomes dangerous. While he never advocated anything violent or illegal, the Fox bully repeatedly portrayed the doctor as a murderer on the loose, allowed to do whatever he wanted by corrupt and decadent authorities. "Also, it looks like Dr. Tiller, who some call Tiller the Baby Killer, is spending a large amount of money in order to get Mr. Morrison elected. That opens up all kinds of questions," said O'Reilly on Nov. 6, 2006, in one of many suggestions that Tiller was improperly influencing the election.

Tiller's excuses for performing late-term abortions, O'Reilly suggested, were frou-frou, New Age, false ailments: The woman might have a headache or anxiety, or have been dumped by her boyfriend. She might be "depressed," scoffed O'Reilly, which he dismissed as "feeling a bit blue and carr[ying] a certified check." There was, he proposed on Jan. 5, 2007, a kind of elite conspiracy of silence on Tiller. "Yes, OK, but we know about the press. But it becomes a much more intense problem when you have a judge, confronted with evidence of criminal wrongdoing, who throws it out on some technicality because he wants to be liked at the country club. Then it's intense."

Tiller, said O'Reilly on Jan. 6 of this year, was a major supporter of then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. "I think it's unfairly characterized as just a grip and grin relationship. He was a pretty big supporter of hers." She had cashed her campaign check from Tiller, "doesn't seem to be real upset about this guy operating a death mill, which is exactly what it is in her state, does she?" he asked on July 14 of last year. "Maybe she'll -- maybe she'll pardon him," he scoffed two months ago. Quantcast

This is where it gets most troubling. O'Reilly's language describing Tiller, and accusing the state and its elites of complicity in his actions, could become extremely vivid. On June 12, 2007, he said, "Yes, I think we all know what this is. And if the state of Kansas doesn't stop this man, then anybody who prevents that from happening has blood on their hands as the governor does right now, Governor Sebelius."

Three days later, he added, "No question Dr. Tiller has blood on his hands. But now so does Governor Sebelius. She is not fit to serve. Nor is any Kansas politician who supports Tiller's business of destruction. I wouldn't want to be these people if there is a Judgment Day. I just -- you know ... Kansas is a great state, but this is a disgrace upon everyone who lives in Kansas. Is it not?"

This characterization of Tiller fits exactly into ancient conservative, paranoid stories: a decadent, permissive and callous elite tolerates moral monstrosities that every common-sense citizen just knows to be awful. Conspiring against our folk wisdom, O'Reilly says, the sophisticates have shielded Tiller from the appropriate, legal consequences for his deeds. It's left to "judgment day" to give him what's coming.

O'Reilly didn't tell anyone to do anything violent, but he did put Tiller in the public eye, and help make him the focus of a movement with a history of violence against exactly these kinds of targets (including Tiller himself, who had already been shot). In those circumstances, flinging around words like "blood on their hands," "pardon," "country club" and "judgment day" was sensationally irresponsible.

I never seen so many women since the time they closed the factory down.

Mekons5  posted on  2009-06-01   4:11:35 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

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#9. To: All (#8)

American right-wing terrorists. Remember the wingnuts going crazy about the report that right-wing terrorism was the major threat going ahead? Well, the FBI was absolutely right. These teabaggers were threatening violence constantly, and the wingnuts said, oh, it's just a few crazies. Waterboard these bastards and nail their terrorist friends.

Murders

In the U.S., violence directed toward abortion providers has killed at least 7 people, including 3 doctors, 2 clinic employees, a security guard, and a clinic escort.[4]

•March 10, 1993: Dr. David Gunn of Pensacola, Florida was fatally shot during a protest.

•June 29, 1994: Dr. John Britton and James Barrett, a clinic escort, were both shot to death outside of another facility in Pensacola.

•December 30, 1994: Two receptionists, Shannon Lowney and Lee Ann Nichols, were killed in two clinic attacks in Brookline, Massachusetts. John Salvi, who prior to his arrest was distributing pamphlets from Human Life International

•January 29, 1998: Robert Sanderson, an off-duty police officer who worked as a security guard at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, was killed when his workplace was bombed.

•October 23, 1998: Dr. Barnett Slepian was shot to death at his home in Amherst, New York.

•May 31, 2009: Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed as he was entering his church in Wichita, KS. [6]

Those Connected to the Terrorist Group, Army Of God; Any of these terrorists sound familiar? These are people that openly admit a connection to this group, the group that still has an online shrine to Paul Hill. Imagine being connected to a group honoring Al Queda and bragging about it.

•Clayton Waagner •Rev. Michael Bray, considered the "chaplain of the Army of God". •Rev. Donald Spitz, head of Pro-Life Virginia and keeper of the AOG web site. •Shelley Shannon, shot Dr. George Tiller •Neal Horsley head of the Georgia-based Creator's Rights Party. Others loosely affiliated with, or in some support of, the "AOG" include: •Stephen Jordi, convicted of plotting clinic attacks. •John Brockhoeft •Father David Trosch •Dan Holman, Missionaries to the Preborn - Iowa [5] •Barry Kilbane •Bob Lokey •Matthew Trewhella, Missionaries to the Preborn - Wisconsin •Chuck Spingola of Unashamed & Associates, Newark, Ohio •Drew Heiss, Streetpreach.com •Troy Newman, current head of Operation Rescue •Stephen Wetzel (Missionaries to the Unborn) •Bill Whatcott, Canadian anti-abortion crusader

Oh, and remember the hype about Obama palling around with terrorists? Well, looky...looky....

Sean Hannity, Domestic Terrorist Apologist:

Randall Terry, however, has been convicted on a number of occasions as a result of his attempts to interfere with the operation of women’s clinics and the women who access them. His tactics and rhetoric are similar to those used by white supremacist groups. He settled out of court with NOW as a result of damages that his followers inflicted on these clinics. He was recently arrested for violating a no trespassing order issued by the University of Notre Dame as part of his ongoing campaign to make abortion illegal. And during his halcyon days of anti abortion thuggery he was very close to James Kopp who was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a doctor who performed abortions.

So, Lolly, what's the bitching about? Well, I'm bitching because I think for far too long these people have gotten away with defining themselves. It's about time we label them for what they are. Where are the Randall Terry bumper stickers with = Terrorist on them? Where is the phrase 'Domestic Terrorist' when referring to these people? No more Anti-Choice extremist (And by that I mean people who participate in or sympathize with violence against abortion providers and not those who are against it for personal reasons. Simply having a moral objection to abortion does not a terrorist make.)

But for those calling people to 'act' and using violent rhetoric like warning the public that there will be casualties in this war....

TERRORIST!!!

Public policies need to be enacted that will take a closer look at these activists. Within reason, of course, but if an organization has a history of violence but openly condemns it (EYEROLL!!!) then we need to audit them. And by that, I mean put them under a microscope so that if they even THINK about crossing the line they'll face prosecution.

Perhaps a little Wiki-Editing is in order?

The Moderate Voice has varying responses to Dr. Tillers assassination.

My personal favorite terrorist apologist:

Tiller made the case for infanticide by showing graphic photos of unborn babies with abnormalities. He admits on tape to having aborted babies a day before the mother’s due date. One murdered baby in Tiller’s photo collage was a child with three arms. I asked, "Why didn’t the mother carry the baby to term and consider corrective surgery after he was born? A baby with an extra arm isn’t worthy of life?"

Today, Dr. Infanticide was shot and killed while walking into a church. Is "ironic" the right word to describe it?

Who killed Tiller the child killer, cultivator of death?

And just so you know, FYI, if you work at a clinic or are an escort then raise your personal terrorist threat level. Idiots often fall prey to inspiration. Particularly in times of economic turmoil under a pro choice administration when many of them have very little to lose.

On a personal note, I was shaking with rage when this happened. But I wasn't surprised. How can you incite people to participate in a Holy War and them condemn them for fighting in it? How can they continue to be so irresponsible with their use of violent rhetoric? WORDS MATTER.

Terry, Phelps, Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh, the use of language is a powerful thing and violent rhetoric will and can incite those to act. It happens all the time. When you call the president a baby killer, then you are responsible if someone takes it as a call to arms. When you call abortion murder, then don't try to double back and condemn the assassination of a Dr. That's called hypocrisy. You should know all about that.

I never seen so many women since the time they closed the factory down.

Mekons5  posted on  2009-06-01   4:27:19 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

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#10. To: Mekons5 (#0)

this mentality goes along with the warmongering mindset of many evangelicals

President Obama is committed to creating the most open and accessible administration in American history. To send questions, comments or concerns to the President, please use the form here: www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Robin  posted on  2009-06-01   9:53:46 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

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#11. To: Mekons5 (#0) (Edited)

Bill O'Reilly's 'Tiller the Baby Killer' Gunned Down in Wichita Church

Blogged by Brad Friedman on 5/31/2009 11:48AM  

President Obama is committed to creating the most open and accessible administration in American history. To send questions, comments or concerns to the President, please use the form here: www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Robin  posted on  2009-06-01   9:54:45 ET  (1 image) Reply   Trace   Private Reply  

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#12. To: All (#11)

Bill O'Reilly has Dr. George Tiller's blood on his well-stained hands

By David Neiwert Monday Jun 01, 2009 6:45am

The media and conservatives are going to be falling all over themselves today to claim that Sunday's murder of Dr. George Tiller was an "isolated incident."

Nevermind, of course, that the killer -- one Scott Roeder -- was formerly a Freemen who was arrested in the 1990s for possessing bomb parts. Nevermind that he was someone who had been filling his head with far-right propaganda for decades.

And nevermind that Dr. Tiller was made into a national cause celebre, accused of "executing babies" by none other than Bill O'Reilly and the crew of far-right transmitters at Fox News.

No connection there, folks! Move along, move along.

Three years ago, O'Reilly and his ambush-crew specialist, Jesse Watters, went hard after Tiller, accusing him of wantonly murdering babies because he performs late-term abortions:

Bill summarized in a heartfelt Talking Points Memo on Friday, November 10th: "If we as a society allow an undefined mental health exception in late-term abortions, then babies can be killed for almost any reason... This is the kind of stuff that happened in Mao's China and Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union... If we allow this, America will no longer be a noble nation... If we allow Dr. George Tiller and his acolytes to continue, we can no longer pass judgment on any behavior by anybody."

Including, evidently, murderous extremists. And, as you can see in the video above (from 2006), O'Reilly similarly accused anyone who refused to buy into his accusation of coddling killers:

I don’t care what you think. We have incontrovertible evidence that this man is executing babies about to be born because the woman is depressed…if you don’t believe me, I don’t care…You are OK with Dr. Tiller executing babies about to be born because the mother says she’s depressed.

O'Reilly later attacked Kathleen Sebelius for her refusal to prosecute Tiller. And he kept it up. As recently as this spring he again spent a segment excoriating Tiller as a murderer.

Ellen at Newshounds ran through the file in March:

O’Reilly claimed, on his show (11/6/06), that he had medical records which showed that Dr. Tiller was “executing babies.” Without any basis, O’Reilly claimed that Tiller and another abortion provider were breaking a law and stated “George Tiller, “will execute babies for $5,000 if the mother is depressed.” (Comment: This goes beyond just “hurting” people as it was defamation based on Bill O’Reilly conjecture. Wonder what attorney Wendy Murphy thought about that!). On November 10th, O’Reilly made this incendiary statement, “If we allow Dr. George Tiller and his acolytes to continue, we can no longer pass judgment on any behavior by anybody. What Tiller is doing is that bad.” On 12/13/07 he interviewed a woman who claimed to have been deeply traumatized by a late term abortion at Tiller’s clinic. Bill then made his crusader call, in January 06, when he urged a massive protest at Tiller’s clinic; "There should be thousands of people protesting outside Tiller’s abortion clinic in Wichita," (Comment: Isn’t this nice. Bill urging rabid anti abortion protestors to scream at women, going into and inside Tiller’s clinic, who have made a very difficult decision. But then, Bill, like his Operation Rescue pals, is all about punishing those evil women who are “killing” their babies) Operation Rescue picked this up and put out the call. (Operation Rescue, who carry O’Reilly’s articles in their newspaper, has had numerous criminal charges against them) In February, Bill sent out his stalker, Porter Barry, to stalk Tiller who immediately called 9-11. Operation Rescue reported that “O’Reilly’s staff used the Tiller Report II, produced by Operation Rescue, to learn more about the infamous late term abortionist.” (Comment: Talk about partisan journalism – using anti abortion information from a rabid anti abortion group to support a nationally televised attack on Tiller by a rabid anti abortion “journalist” on a “fair and balanced” network.”) It should be noted that because of the type of incendiary rhetoric, articulated by O’Reilly, Dr. Tiller has required police protection from homicidal “pro-lifers.”

In May of 2007, O’Reilly interviewed Kansas State Rep. Ben Hodge and went after the woman who will be our next Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius (then governor of Kansas): “I didn't see any outcry by the people of Kansas for this governor basically saying, hey Tiller you kill as many fetuses as you want for whatever reason you want. That's what the governor is saying” (No, Bill, that’s not what the governor said; but your misrepresentation probably got a lot of fellow pro-lifers “locked and loaded.”.) As noted by News Hounds, O’Reilly used “flaming” language to describe Tiller such as “killer, murder, murderer, barbarian, barabaric procedure, disgrace.” In June, O’Reilly recommended activism.” He said that “if the state of Kansas doesn't stop this man, then anybody who prevents that from happening has blood on their hands as the governor does right now, Governor Sebelius. All Americans, no matter if you're pro-choice, pro-life, whatever, should be getting in touch with Governor Sebelius' office and saying enough, because this is just a disgrace.”

O'Reilly no doubt will vociferously deny that he's to blame for Tiller's murder -- just as he similarly denied any culpability for the murders committed by Jim David Adkisson last summer when he walked into that Unitarian church in Knoxville and began blasting away. That was another "isolated incident" -- even though authorities later found O'Reilly's books in Adkisson's home, and his anti-liberal manifesto read like it was ripped straight from one of O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memos."

Indeed, O'Reilly was so incensed at being connected to those murders that he sent out ambush crews to attack a couple of Newsday journalists who in fact pointed out the connection.

No doubt he'll be in a full-on ragefest today, attacking anyone who points out how he helped inspire this killing. Someone should just call the Waaaaaaaaahmbulance now and get it over with. But no matter how much he rages and shouts and spits and sends out ambush crews, the public is starting to get the picture about just how grotesquely irresponsible a media figure O'Reilly really is.

This is one of the major themes of my book, The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right: That violent and hateful rhetoric has a real effect on its listeners -- essentially giving them permission to act out violently.

No one wants to take away O'Reilly free-speech rights. But members of the media in particular have an important burden to also use their speech responsibly. And Bill O'Reilly is one of the most irresponsible talkers in the mainstream media.

As I explained previously:

No one here has said anything about silencing their voices -- we just want them to face up to the consequences of their irresponsible rhetoric. It's called culpability: They obviously are not criminally culpable, nor likely even civilly culpable. But they are morally and ethically culpable.

... We strongly believe that there's a clear, common-sense connection between the paranoiac fearmongering that has passed for right-wing rhetoric since well before Obama's election (and has become acute since) and violence like that in Pittsburgh, or in Knoxville: horrifying tragedies, in which the sources of the criminal's unambiguous motives are that very same hysterical fearmongering -- whether it's about the evil socialists, stinking immigrants, or conspiring gun-grabbers who've taken over the country since Election Day.

... The point is not to silence the people saying these things, but to point out how grotesquely irresponsible they are -- in the hopes that they will cease doing so, and start acting responsibly. It's their choice to use irresponsible rhetoric. It's not just our choice but our duty, as responsible citizens, to stand up and speak out about it.

And make no mistake: Rhetoric that whips up irrational fears among the public, that demonizes and dehumanizes and scapegoats -- that's irresponsible rhetoric. And we are calling the American Right on it.

... And what we know from experience about volatile, unstable actors like [Scott Roeder] is that they can be readily induced into violent action by hateful rhetoric that demonizes and dehumanizes other people. And thanks to human nature and those same freedoms, we will certainly always have fearmongering demagogues among us. But the purveyors of such profoundly irresponsible rhetoric need to be called on it -- especially when they hold the nation's media megaphones.