|
I have much to say about this, considering this happened in the town I grew up in, and the church that Tiller went to and was shot at is about 1/4 mile from my parents house. Not only that, I knew a couple of people (friends of the family) that were in the church. Unfortunately time isn't permitting me to say much today, but I'll talk about this at a later time.
One of the pertinent things I will touch on, however, is I do not believe this should reflect on true Christians, but I do think a bit of reflection of hate radio and commentary is in order:
| quote: | 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.
..... 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?"
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/05/31/tiller/ |
Do I think O'Reilly was directly responsible for this man's actions? No, but this type of bullshit commentary to his sheep does not help in any way.
And yes, this man was a terrorist, period. And his house appeared to be a terrorist cell, period:
| quote: | The man being questioned in connection with the investigation is Scott Roader, 51, of Merriam, Kan. [...]
Neighbors said they've seen a similar car at the house in Merriam. They describe the ongoings at the house as strange. They said it's a revolving door of men coming and staying there and describe what appear to be religious gatherings.
http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-geo...0,1359215.story |
I think this DHS report needs to also be remembered:
| quote: | (U) Revisiting the 1990s
(U//FOUO) Paralleling the current national climate, rightwing extremists during the 1990s exploited a variety of social issues and political themes to increase group visibility and recruit new members. Prominent among these themes were the militia movement’s opposition to gun control efforts, criticism of free trade agreements (particularly those with Mexico), and highlighting perceived government infringement on civil liberties as well as white supremacists’ longstanding exploitation of social issues such as abortion, inter-racial crimes, and same-sex marriage. During the 1990s, these issues contributed to the growth in the number of domestic rightwing terrorist and extremist groups and an increase in violent acts targeting government facilities, law enforcement officers, banks, and infrastructure sectors.
...Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration
http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/rightwing.pdf |
Not to mention the Christian Broadcast Network's response:
http://blogs.cbn.com/thebrodyfile/a...artment-of.aspx
I'll talk more about this later. Oh yeah, one last disclaimer, I do not agree with Tiller's practice of 3rd term abortions. In fact, for some of you who don't already know, I tend to be a fence-sitter regarding the abortion issue. So my feelings on this issue are not built upon being a big pro-choicer or anything regarding that specifically.
___________________
Whence September dusk grows crisper still,
with leaves all crimson conquered,
I yearn to shout,
and dance about,
and stick pickles in my honker...
|
