Dr. George Tiller, whose Kansas women's clinic was the epicenter of the state's battles over abortion for nearly two decades, was shot and killed at his church Sunday morning, his family said. Tiller, 67, was one of the few U.S. physicians who still performed late-term abortions. He survived a 1993 shooting outside his Wichita clinic
What you don't see anywhere in this report is the real word for this sort of reprehensible action: terrorism.
I'm not making a political statement by saying that. I'm not even making a moral one. I'm just using the english language. This is the definition of the word:
ter⋅ror⋅ism [ter-uh-riz-uhm] –noun 1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes. 2. the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization. 3. a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government.
While I might not be making a political statement about the act by calling it what it plainly is, I will make such a statement about the coverage; by not calling this murder out for what it is, outlets like CNN have opted to make their own political statements by omission, rather than play the role of neutral observer that supposedly characterizes the fourth estate.
Yup. The “liberal media” strikes again.
…monitoring the activities of Operation Rescue?
Lots of comments over at Political Animal (Steve Benin), and a few commenters mentioned making donations to Planned Parenthood in Dr. Tiller’s memory as the decent response (or, to quote one: “the best middle finger I could give”).
Not a bad idea. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England‘s web page has a “Donate” button in the top right corner. There’s also NARAL, which has a lengthy statement on the assassination of Dr. Tiller here. There’s a “Support Us” tab in the middle top of the page just under the banner.
The Vermont Democratic Party, btw, has a platform plank that unequivocally affirms the party’s support for a woman’s right to choose whether to continue her pregnancy.
NanuqFC
In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. ~ Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
The guy who killed this doctor is PRO-LIFE.
It’s time to give a demonstration lesson to the wingnuts on the right. The feds should step in, charge the killer with terrorism, investigate everyone around him in any group he’s associated with, freezing all their assets and throwing in jail anyone who complains to the press…perhaps at that point both sides will agree that it’s not a good idea for the administration (any administration, not just the one that happens to be in charge) to have that kind of unbridled power.
Obama could claim, “Under the laws passed by my predecessor and the Republican congress, I have no choice as president but to charge him with terrorism and apply the homeland security practices that come with that designation.” It would be so much fun to watch the Sunday news shows as the Republicans scream about that.
Crack-downs on domestic groups traditionally have worked very well. Both in breaking the mafia in the 50s and in driving the KKK underground, calling these groups out as a danger to the republic and letting them know that it’s all out war made many “members” rethink going to meetings and getting themselves all worked up into a mob. Murder is not an option in a political disagreement. Those who encourage or approve this should be given the KKK treatment for a few years. Using our brand new terrorism laws would be a nice way to accomplish it and make the point I raised above.
All of which does nothing for the doctor or his family, except perhaps give them the slight benefit of knowing that the probability of a repeat is much smaller.
or Domestic Christianist Terrorism?
Credit to Sully, he may be a blind pig, but he sure finds his share of truffles.
The issue is not whether this is terrorism because by every objective and subjective measure it is. There is no rational debate. The only issue is whether we assign an adjective to this particular act of terrorism. “Christianist Terrorism” or “Right Wing Terrorism” or “Domestic Terrorism” etc. As long as the media uses the term “Islamic terrorism,” I do not know how it can justify NOT using the term “Christianist terrorism.”
Personally, I think both terms are arbitrary, which is why I do not use the term “Islamic terrorism” myself. It does not accurately reflect the terrorism that has occurred in my lifetime. Terrorism is frequently religiously inspired, but to say one act of terrorism is “Chrisianist” and another is “Islamic” really misses the point. Religions, like terrorists, are fungible and both will proliferate and unabashedly manipulate the other where civil society is weak and fear has greater currency than tolerance.
Ammunition sales have skyrocketed lead by second amendment types, the French nuclear firm spied on Greenpeace, and an abortion doctor is slain … Progressives and liberals have been playing defense too long….
(Suspect arrested in Arkansas recruiting center shooting, CNN, 06/01/09)
Arabic sounding name shoots and kills or wounds military equals terrorist. Anti-women’s rights radical shoots and kills doctor equals plain jane criminal.
It’s all in a name.