Hate Speech Kills

UPDATED: The Washington Post is reporting that Scott Roeder, identified Sunday as the possible shooter in the murder of George Tiller, has a history of supporting lethal violence to stop abortions. Here are a few highlights from the Post story:

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Scott Roeder, identified Sunday as a possible suspect in the slaying of prominent Kansas late-term abortion provider George R. Tiller, is known in anti-abortion circles as a man who believes that killing an abortion doctor is justifiable.

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Two abortion opponents who had previously encountered Roeder, 51, said the Merriam, Kan., resident expressed support for their view that lethal force is not a criminal offense if it protects the lives of unborn children.

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This morning George Tiller, the operator of a clinic in Wichita, Kansas, was shot to death in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran Church (pictured at left and a member parish of the ELCA) this morning where he was serving as an usher handing out bulletins. The killer has been captured and it will be interesting to see whether the shooter is a Christianist extremist as many suspect. As Andrew Sullivan has noted, Tiller has been targeted by Christian extremists before and also targeted by a segment on Bill O'Reilly's the O'Reilly Factor. Andrew rightly notes that Tiller's murder would appear to be "the culmination of a campaign of domestic terrorism against him.

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Hate speech DOES have real consequences and the sooner the media stops refusing to expose just how much like the Taliban the Christianist extremists are in this country, the sooner violence against gays, the murder of abortion providers, etc., will cease. There is NOTHING Christian about these people except their use of the name Christian. While President Obama has decried the killing, when is he going to stop cuddling up to Christianist hate merchants and start condemning their religious poison? Here are highlights from the Wichita Eagle:

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A suspect in this morning's fatal shooting of abortion doctor George Tiller is in custody and on his way back to Wichita, Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said at a news conference late this afternoon. The 51-year-old male suspect was arrested without incident on Interstate 35 in Johnson County about three hours after the shooting, Stolz said.

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Tiller, 67, was shot once just after 10 a.m. in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran Church at 7601 E. 13th St., where he was a member of the congregation. Stolz said Tiller was shot in the foyer of the church. There were three or four eyewitnesses, he said. Six to 12 people were in the foyer at the time of the shooting.

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

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A portion of the statement released by nutcase Randall Terry of Operation Rescue reads as follows:

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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.

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For a sampling of more of the delusional reactions of the unhinged far right, check Andrew's blog here. This people are down right scary. I'd also note that many of them view the ELCA as not being Christian because it doesn't vehemently condemn gays and adopt the lunatic fringe views of the extreme evangelicals.