The American Taliban

Yeah, one more reason not to have anti-choicers the monopoly on the term ''pro-life.''

WICHITA, Kansas -- Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas doctor whose clinic received national attention for performing late-term abortions, was shot to death as he entered his Wichita church on Sunday.

"Members of the congregation who were inside the sanctuary at the time of the shooting were being kept inside the church by police," the Wichita Eagle reported, "and those arriving were being ushered into the parking lot."

Terrorism, plain and simple. The American Taliban.

Think I'm kidding? Look at this here. And then this.

In fact, tons of stuff too vile to link to.

As Kansas City columnist Mike Hendricks points out, Tiller's assassins were many.

They include every one who has ever called Tiller's late term abortion clinic a murder mill.

Who ever called Tiller "Tiller the Killer."

The groups who spent decades fomenting hate toward a man who simply believed that he was serving a purpose by being one of the few doctors in the country performing late-term abortions.

Hate. Not heated opposition. Not strong disagreement.

But blind hatred.

The kind of hate that would prompt some maniac to take a  gun into a church and shoot a man to death in front of friends and family.

His accomplices know they have blood on their hands, which might explain why they were quick to issue statements today expressing disapproval of Tiller's murder.

Among them, the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue.

"Operation Rescue denounces the killing of abortionist Tiller," read the headline of a new release posted on that group's website.

 Those words drip with hypocrisy.

On Operation Rescue's website, which seems to have crashed, there's a section called ''Tiller Watch.'' See this grab from Google:

But the anti-Tiller campaign went much further than that -- although you can be sure people are furiously cleaning up after themselves on the web right now.

Like these guys:

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly was one of the worst offenders. Read this while you can.

O'Reilly laid out the details in his Talking Points Memo, on November 3rd (2006)

"In the state of Kansas, there is a doctor, George Tiller, who will execute babies for $5,000 if the mother is depressed. And there are rapists impregnating 10-year-olds who are being protected by abortion clinics. It doesn't get worse than that. This is the absolute shame of America."

This YouTube is from March this year:

The health of the mother, the one who has to seek a late-term abortion because her well-being is in danger, is never considered by the American Taliban.

''Pro-life'' indeed.

I wonder what Sarah Palin has to say about this.

Incidentally, there has been an arrest.

UPPITY WOMAN DATE: Just sick.

"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."

--Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue

SICKER DATE: Twitter has exploded over this story. Here's a round-up of what conservatives are tweeting.

• Punch "UPDATE... Doctor George Tiller was aborted today in his 204th trimester - aren't paybacks a bitch"
• Samantha Pelch "oh HAPPY DAY! Tiller the baby killer is DEAD!"
• readnwatchchris, Creedmor. NC "George Tiller the baby killer was shot dead this morning. God bless the gunmen who hopefully won't be caught."
• Brad S "was George Tiller the baby killers brain scrambled the way he scrambled full term fetuses.. one can only hope"
• James Fiddler "Infamous baby killer George Tiller gunned down at (irony) church. Why do I not feel sorry for him? Have fun at Judgment Day."
• Brad M. Negulescu Cleveland. "tiller the baby killer shot dead...wow. is it insensitive of me to say what goes around comes around?"
• Amy Strong "George Tiller the Baby Killer shot dead. May he rot in Hell."
• Shirl Ledeux "Tiller Baby Killer was shot and killed this morning Justice has been served."
• Dianne McDowell "Thinking about "Tiller the baby killer" He now knows the wages of sin is death."
• Dennis, A People Vip Company, "May Tiller rot in Hell , infanticide is the murder of babies, he WAS a provider of death like Hitler, Bundy the list goes on...."
• mikedanben Sparta, NJ (41.005501,-74.672) "Burn in hell George Tiller"
• Laurie D. Bailey Olive Branch, MS"No need to pray for George Tiller. We know he went straight to hell!!!!!"
• Jay Emess, Souther, NJ "Good ridence to Tiller - babies will not be murdered because he is now gone. Wonder how he likes hell!"
• Matthew Kamar "Karma is a beautiful thing. Cheers to the hero who sent George Tiller where he belongs... straight to hell."
• Sarah Gulick, Wtichita, Ks "omg!george tiller abortion dr. was killed n his church parkn lot! hell yea!"

Lots more where that came from.

MORE: Some excellent posts worth reading.

First, BastardLogic:

NOW do all the pearl-clutching conservative bloggers get why that fauxtroversial DHS report on far-right activity was so goddamn pertinent?! As GallingGalla just said on Twitter, “forced-birthers are TERRORISTS on US soil.” This latest killing of a health care provider, martyred for daring to provide women with a vital medical service (in the same week that, here in Canada, the Ontario Provincial Police decided to let another anti-choice assassin evade accountability), only reinforces that all-too-clear fact.

Second: Dammit Janet!

Pity the poor abortion criminalizers for they cannot rejoice out loud.

Shed a tear for their plight; Bill Donohue and Jill Stanek stewing in their venom, silenced because their noisy jubilation could attract unwanted FBI attention.

Consider their dilemma: for years they've directed murderous hatred towards health care practitioners who provide abortion and now they're not able to claim the glory.

So sad for the members of the Vulture Culture who want to embrace the man who shot Dr George Tiller dead in the lobby of his church.

Life is unfair, they cannot trumpet that this is a MASSIVE victory for their side, lest they be charged as co-conspirators in this public assassination.

Hoobooy. I bet these right-wing groups' tech types are busy this afternoon HTMLing their little hearts out.

Comments

[Big_Willie_Styles]

This article is disingenuous. He provided ILLEGAL abortions because late-term abortions are illegal in Kansas. He got off on a technicality, which many think had something to do with the governor at the time of his arrest.

[Antonia]

I would argue that his charges were a trumped up technicality.

In any case, are you saying that, had he been convicted, he would have been executed?

[Ellen Zucker]

This killing makes me sick. I admit to fearing Dr. Tiller would meet a violent end--he was a lightning rod in an area rife with anti-abortion sentiment. Nonetheless, the irony of Dr. Tiller being assassinated in a House of God by people who flaunt their "Christian" virtues is telling.

I really do think your term "American Taliban" hits the issue on its head. Imo, ultimately, this is not about the "sanctitiy of life," but punishing women for being sexual creatures by enslaving them to forced pregnancy.

And I do share your sentiment that this is indeed terrorism and that the life and health of the woman forced to consider late-term abortion is not of concern to these people.

If women were truly respected as fully human, the question of reproductive rights would be moot--a woman's decision would not be questioned and she would receive far greater social support for the pregnancies she chooses to carry to term or not.

[deBeauxOs]

But, if the organizations who posted loathsome, murderous propaganda on their websites are as innocent as the "preborn" they claim to defend, why are they scrubbing their websites?

[Social Mange]

Why do pro-lifers always sound like complete whack jobs, lacking any crumb of logic or reason?
The scary thing is that these people can buy guns and exercise their supposed orders from God. Or Dog, depending on your point of view and what voices they are hearing in their heads.

[Hugo B. Oakville On]

Thank you for all the analysis and report, amazing coverage. Pointing this kind of spotlight to all angles is the only way to really expose the wackos.

[Porthkevrinek]

I have yet to see the 'American Taliban' blow up girls schools, or suicide bomb churches , maybe that is to come ?? One nut does not make an American Taliban , get real !.

[deBeauxOs]

And you are LYING "Big_Willie_Styles". Late term abortion is not illegal in Kansas.

Get your facts straight - try reading real news article instead of the propaganda at Operation Rescue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_the_US_State_by_State

[littlemisssunshine]

I feel sick. I feel sick that a fellow human being has been shot in cold blood & there are people out there rejoicing. You are right Antonia, the term pro-life is simply not appropriate. The lies they spew, the facts they twist to their own ends (and usually in the name of God, no less) are deplorable.
I have always, and will always, believe in my right to choose.

[MensRightsNow]

"If women were truly respected as fully human, the question of reproductive rights would be moot--a woman's decision would not be questioned and she would receive far greater social support for the pregnancies she chooses to carry to term or not."

That's the problem with your reasoning. It isn't JUST about the woman. Their is a growing life inside her and a man who is 50% of that growing life, outside of her. The life inside can be terminated with no recourse to that life. The "fatherhood" on the outside can be terminated against his choice, or forced against his choice.

The argument is not as simple as "my body, my choice"or "my reproductive rights".

Here's the MRA mantra:

"Consenting to sex, is not the same as consenting to fatherhood." Get used to hearing that.

That said, murdering abortion doctors is sick and counterproductive and not supported in any way by this MRA. I also support a woman's right to choose in cases of incest, rape or the health of the mother...as do most reasonable people (not the anti-abortion zealots.)

As for the 80% of all abortions by perfectly responsible and healthy 20-39 year old women. Your body, my wallet, my life, my choice...you are on your own if you believe in real equality.

http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/health43-eng.htm

[MensRightsNow]

...oh by the way, I thought the abortion debate was over?

[Dan Graham]

I'm not surprised in the least that some nutcase killed him -- he was doing some pretty disgraceful things (and I say that as a pro-choicer, but only for the first tri-mester). This whole thing will be exploited by both sides, and I doubt at the end of it all, any of us will be better off.

[Paul]

four words.

THOU. SHALT. NOT. KILL.

If anyone claims to believe in their scripture at all how can they possibly support these kind of acts? If they believe that their god is all-powerful and that it metes out reward and punishment in the afterlife how dare they take judgement into their own hands? If they believe that this god is indeed omnipotent and that everything that happens is "all part of God's plan" (surely the most despicable, weak minded, responsibility- and thought-abrogating phrase in existence) then abortionists are as much a part of it as pastors (but then so are rapists, TV game shows, infant mortality and flesh eating bacteria; but that takes us to my previous parenthesis).

[Not Much Into Killing]

Casting all those who are Pro-Life or Anti-Choice as "American Taliban" smells of the fallacies of "Argument by Outrage" and "Guilt by Association", as though anyone with a direly opposed opinion of Tiller deserves guilt.

You want to influence the view that all right-wingers are suspected terrorists? Did you tally the number of terrorist bombings here compared to the number of bombings by Muslim Jihadis? Do U.S. Christians insist women should be nothing but unthinking slaves at home? Do they marry off their own teenage daughters?

Did you really need to sensationalize your article by trying to link the Pro-Life movement to the Taliban? I think the fact that a man was murdered at church by a vigilante was disturbing enough. His unfortunate job, whatever our opinions may be of that, became an unjust excuse for a vigilante to take his life. The crime speaks for itself.

[Pen]

@ Paul
"Hate. Not heated opposition. Not strong disagreement.
But blind hatred."
Pro-life, Taliban, Christian, Muslim. Same thing.
Religious intolerance, 7th century ideology.
Bull.

[Felicity Hangnail]

Anyone who has witnessed a late-term abortion will identify this act as nothing short of murder. While I don't believe that his "vendetta" killing was right (it cetainly is "unlawfull"), I have no sympathy for Tiller the abortionist.

[Jason]

Short quiz:

Are you a Christian?

____Yes ____No

If you checked yes, are you a Shiite or a Sunni?

____Shiite ____Sunni

We are now as bad as the people we fight. God help us all.

[Mary Sunshine]

*Now* can we call the "pro-lifers" anti-abortionists?

[Antonia]

No Mary Sunshine, and you know why? because pro-choicers are not pro-abortionists. None of us force march women to get abortions. We would rather avoid them entirely, with proper sex education and access to contraception. But notice how the forced birthers tend to be for abstinence only education and are against many forms of contraception.

[...pat.]

MRN: Maybe the MRA should adopt a new slogan: "I am responsible for my own reliable birth control if I do not want to have children. " You choice: vasectomy, intra vas device (IVDs), condom + spermicide, non-penetrational sex, abstinence...

[littlemisssunshine]

@Mary Sunshine
Antonia is right, the language we use is very important. Which is why anti-choice is a much more apt phrase. Being pro-choice does not make me a "baby-killer", it means I support freedom of choice for the decisions women must sometimes make. I would much rather the choice be adoption (my husband is adopted), or better yet access to contraceptives and the education that goes along with that. Some women feel that abortion is their only choice and I support them in that decision. If the freedom to choose is removed... hmmm, A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood comes to mind. A very scary place for women to be!

[The Stygian and his Shemitish Dogs]

"But notice how the forced birthers ..... are against many forms of contraception."

I'm not.

I used to contemplate writing something starting "Sir, As a fan of the Reverend Ian Paisley I am horrifed by the way the Catholic Church has hijacked the prolife debate ...."

Ages ago I remember suggesting to a prominent prolife activist that the Catholic Church could quietly drop its opposition to contraception in exchange for Planned Parenthood ceasing to push abortion .....