Conspiracy to commit terrorism

America suffered a terrorist attack on Sunday. One man, the target of the terrorist assassination, was killed.

Oh, don't expect my colleagues to report it that way, because that ain't gonna happen. In fact they're gonna go along with cops.

At this time we feel this is an act of an isolated individual.

And that, my friends, is -- say it with me -- bullshit.

Wichita police also think they "the right person arrested" for the assassination of George Tiller, a Kansas doctor who provided abortions -- and, more crucial to this story -- late term abortions. Not late term "oh my god I really don't want to have a baby" abortions, mind you, but late term "this baby is going to be born with a serious defect and continuing the pregnancy putsthe mother's life at risk" abortions.

Since police think that Scott Roeder is the right person, let's just assume that he is. After all, they caught him in the car identified by witnesses at Tiller's church where he was killed.

Oh, I didn't mention that the motherfucker went to the man's church and killed him there, where he was serving as an usher? What does that say about the killer?

So police caught Scott Roeder in the car witnesses identified. The car with the license plate number witnesses provided investigators. So, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and dispense with Mr. Roeder's constitutional right to presumption of innocence and go all Nancy Grace on him.

He's guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.

And so is Bill O'Reilly.

Yeah, that Bill O'Reilly. Are there any others?

George Tiller was a special target for O'Reilly, who regularly called him Tiller the Baby Killer, and last mentioned the doctor on his show, the most-watched news show on cable television, on April 27. Gabriel Winant at Salon:

[T]he Fox bully repeatedly portrayed the doctor as a murderer on the loose, allowed to do whatever he wanted by corrupt and decadent authorities. . . O'Reilly's language describing Tiller, and accusing the state and its elites of complicity in his actions, could become extremely vivid. . . "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?

But let's not blame all of this on Bill O'Reilly. He'd love that anyway. Then he can sit on his high horse, toss his hands in the air and claim his innocence because he's just a guy with a microphone.

Exactly.

But let's look beyond that. Roeder is supposedly a member of Operation Rescue, the anti-abortion outfit founded by Randall Terry and now run by Troy Newman, who found he had a hard time getting past all the private security guards and the armored car and the gated community that his ilk forced on Tiller. So instead, he targeted Tiller's employees, doing things like sending anonymous postcards to their neighbors with photographs of mangled fetuses, telling them their neighbor -- by name -- "participates in killing babies like these."

Newman issued a statement, of course, condemning the shooting and saying he hoped that the act of a deranged individual didn't cast a pall on the "peaceful" actions of Operation Rescue.

Yes. Peaceful.

And what of Randal Terry? He condemned the shooting too.

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.

Did I mention that Operation Rescue is based in Kansas and that George Tiller was their Public Enemy No. 1? Must be a lot of celebrating going on at the office today. Guess they'll have to pick another target now and move their HQ.

Oh, and let's add former Kansas Attorney General Phil Kline, the anti-abortion activist who used his state office to harass Tiller legally. Kline lost in court.

Scott Roeder. He served two months of a 16 month sentence in prison after being caught with explosives in his car. And a military rifle, a gas mask, mask canisters, rifle and pistol ammunition and a sheath knife. He posted his feelings on Operation Rescue's Web site and others. He has been associated with the anti-government Freemen movement. His ex-wife said part of the reason for their divorce 12 years ago was his "radical views."

Radical views. That's what they are. Out there. Crazy. But right in line with the Republican Party. Why, just the other day the Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, told CNN he was too busy to tell his fellow partiers to stop calling Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor a racist, even though he disagreed with the tactic, because he was just too busy.

Look. I've got a big job to do dealing with 40 Senate Republicans and trying to advance the nation's agenda, and better things to do than be the speech police over people who have their views about a very important appointment.

Guess he hasn't really had time to tell folks to stop inciting violence either. Like Sunday's violence. Like the violence in Tennessee a year ago where another "isolated incident" saw James David Atkisson kill two people at a Unitarian Universalist Church because he didn't like liberals. Or loner Eric Robert Rudolph, who targeted family planning clinics, gay bars and the Olympics for his fury (Rev. Spitz, can you find me over here?) Or Timothy McVeigh, for that matter.

And then they wonder why the Department of Homeland Security would dare to issue a report on extremist right wing violence. I suspect the right wingers were really upset about that report because they knew that they, in fact, are the extremists and worried the rest of us might catch on.

They shouldn't be concerned. You and I, we already know. And my colleagues will treat this incident just like they've treated all the others so nobody else will make the connection.

But that's a connection we all need to make. The anger these folks harbor is just below the surface and breaking through. They lack the ability to handle such a strong force sanely. They believe they are justified in whatever they do. They have been poked and prodded repeatedly by their leaders, some of whom do their poking and prodding by turning away and ignoring the most egregious of the pokes and prods.

The "deranged individuals" who carry out these terrorist acts don't just snap one day. They've been pushed to this logical outcome for years.

Expect more of it.


And do your best to counter it. Tell the truth. Tell my colleagues to tell the truth. It's the only way we can break a millennia long habit of resorting to violence when we don't get our way. Those who resort to violence believe they have no other choice. But they do.

It's called acceptance. Hard concept, I know, for those who have no doubts in their righteousness.

For George Tiller and his family, it's too late. But there's still time for others. Make sure it's not too late for them.


AWOP Political Contributing Editor

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Peace Y'all