RADICAL RIGHT Tiller's Killers The issues of abortion and domestic extremism have been thrust back into the national spotlight with the brutal murder of Dr. George Tiller. The Kansas doctor had "long been the most prominent target of anti-abortion activists in this country due to the fact that he was one of the few physicians in the country willing to perform 'late-term' abortions." On May 31, a 51-year old man named Scott Roeder allegedly shot Tiller "as he stood in the foyer of his church." Tiller had already survived being shot in both arms by another radical in 1993. In 1986, his clinic was bombed, and in 1991, it was blockaded. Tiller had to be protected by federal marshals and his clinic was fortified by bulletproof glass and security guards. Unfortunately, Tiller is far from the only victim of extremist violence. There have been "more than 6,100 acts of violence against abortion providers in the United States and Canada since 1977," and four doctors have been killed. Many of the anti-choice groups that have spent years fomenting hatred against Tiller rushed out condemnations of Roeder's actions. But as Mike Hendricks of the Kansas City Star wrote, "His accomplices know they have blood on their hands, which might explain why they were quick to issue statements...expressing disapproval of Tiller's murder."
WOMEN'S LAST RESORT: First of all, it's important to understand that the abortions Tiller provided were legal. In fact, his murder came just two months after he was found not guilty of performing illegal late-term abortions. But his right-wing critics portrayed him as a killer, eager to "execute" babies. "Dr. George Tiller destroys fetuses for just about any reason, right up until the birth date," said Fox News host Bill O'Reilly. Last night, O'Reilly criticized the practice of late-term abortions -- which usually occur in the third trimester, at 24 weeks -- saying that women could choose the procedure if they simply had a "headache." Will Saletan of Slate has claimed that "there are cases where there's no real medical situation other than some teenager in denial." Women, however, do not choose this procedure willy-nilly. Just one percent of all abortions in the United States occur after 21 weeks, and very few doctors provide this service. Additionally, most states have strict restrictions on when a woman is allowed to undergo the procedure. As Jessica Arons, Director of the Center for American Progress's Women's Health and Rights Program, has stated, "Although his [Tiller's] chosen profession of providing mid- and late-term abortions was one some found distasteful, he remained committed to his calling to serve women in their greatest hour of need." Indeed, testimonials from Tiller's patients have shown that he was often a woman's last -- and only -- resort when she had to make the excruciating decision to terminate a pregnancy for reasons such as her health or congenital defects.
HATEFUL EXTREMISM: Many anti-choice groups quickly denounced Roeder's actions. The group 40 Days of Life said that it was "shocked and dismayed" and Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue, issued a statement saying, "We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act." But as Hendricks wrote, Operation Rescue couldn't have been "shocked" by Tiller's death. After all, it was that group that coined the name "Tiller the Killer" and "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." In fact, veteran anti-abortion activist Randall Terry -- who founded Operation Rescue -- issued a statement calling Tiller a "mass murderer," adding that he was an "evil man" whose "hands were covered with blood." Roeder, in fact, had been an active member of the Operation Rescue community and used the group as a platform for his vigilantism. (Authorities found a Post-It note with the group's phone number in his car after the shooting.) In May 2007, Operation Rescue organized a "77-hour round the clock prayer vigil" in Wichita, KS, Tiller's hometown. On May 19, Roeder commented on an online forum for the event, chillingly urging Operation Rescue members to take the fight inside Tiller's church. On Sept. 3, 2007, Roeder stepped up his rhetoric on another Operation Rescue site, writing, "Tiller is the concentration camp 'Mengele' of our day and needs to be stopped before he and those who protect him bring judgement [sic] upon our nation." Newman later issued another statement stressing that "Scott Roeder has never been a member, contributor, or volunteer with Operation Rescue."
O'REILLY'S 'FACTS': One of the most prominent media voices attacking Tiller has been O'Reilly. According to Salon, O'Reilly first discussed Tiller on Feb. 25, 2005, and followed it up with 28 more episodes that mentioned the doctor. In the past four years, O'Reilly has frequently described the doctor as "Tiller the Baby Killer" and "a moral equivalent to NAMBLA and al-Qaida." "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," said O'Reilly on one of his shows. On Monday, O'Reilly made his first public comments on Tiller's murder. Although he briefly said that "Americans should condemn the murder of Dr. George Tiller," O'Reilly then segued into more attacks on Tiller. He also used the opportunity to attack his critics, saying they were trying to "exploit" the incident to attack Fox News. "No backpedaling here. ... Unlike you, I report honestly," said O'Reilly. "Every single thing we said about Tiller was true, and my analysis was based on those facts." Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz criticized O'Reilly for his segment, saying that he was "surprised that, along with his reminder that Tiller had been called a baby killer, O'Reilly didn't issue a ringing denunciation of the shooting and anyone who thought it was justified. The occasion, in my view, called for it; he chose a different approach." 
IMMIGRATION -- ACTIVISTS AND LABOR ORGANIZATIONS LAUNCH NATIONAL IMMIGRATION REFORM CAMPAIGN: The Reform Immigration For America campaign today will launch a nationwide effort to bring "together individuals and grassroots organizations with the mission to build support for workable comprehensive immigration reform." The campaign is being led by various labor, policy, and activist groups such as the AFL-CIO, the Services Employees International Union, the NAACP, the Center for American Progress, the National Immigration Forum, and the National Council of La Raza. Leaders from these groups will announce the campaign today at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Indeed, momentum is growing for the government to address this issue. A new poll has found that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) support comprehensive reform. But when given specific details of what that reform entails -- including securing the border, cracking down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants, requiring immigrants to register for status, pay back taxes, and learn English -- 86 percent offered their support. Moreover, the poll respondents perceived "an economic and fiscal benefit to immigration reform and want Congress to address the economy and immigration reform simultaneously." At the same time, Politico reported last month that President Obama will be inviting members of Congress to the White House in the coming weeks to "highlight immigration reform." "The meeting will be an opportunity to launch a policy conversation that we hope will be able to start a debate that will take place in Congress later in the year," an administration official said. | 
Vice President Cheney personally oversaw at least four secret briefings with senior members of Congress in 2005 in an effort to forcefully defend the Bush administration's torture program. The briefings "came at some of the most critical moments for the program, as congressional oversight committees were threatening to investigate or even terminate the techniques." Former U.S. attorney Chris Christie won New Jersey's Republican gubernatorial primary yesterday, beating back conservative Steve Lonegan with 55 percent of the vote. Christie will go on to face Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in the general election. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor has been criticized as an "anti-gun radical" for a ruling that concluded that "the Second Amendment does not prevent state and local governments from restricting arms ownership." Yesterday, however, "a panel of conservative luminaries on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit reached the same conclusion." Meeting with Senate Democrats yesterday, President Obama "affirmed his support for the creation of a government-sponsored health insurance plan," which he said would "help control health costs." Obama also said "that he is willing to consider taxing employer-sponsored health benefits to help pay for a broad expansion of coverage," despite campaign rhetoric criticizing such a move. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has "offered a bill that would allow American citizens and legal immigrants to seek residency in the United States for their same-sex partners, just as spouses now petition for foreign-born husbands and wives." Leahy said the bill -- the Uniting American Families Act -- "should be part of any broad immigration legislation that Congress considers." Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of the war in Afghanistan, said yesterday that "violence and combat deaths will intensify as more U.S. troops surge into Taliban-held areas," but added that his new strategy would put safeguarding Afghan civilians ahead of "killing insurgents." "A military investigation has concluded that American personnel made significant errors in carrying out some of the airstrikes in western Afghanistan on May 4 that killed dozens of Afghan civilians." A senior American military official "said the civilian death toll would probably have been reduced if American air crews and forces on the ground had followed strict rules devised to prevent civilian casualties." Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said yesterday that the nation must do more for the mental health of American soldiers, warning that statistics show "there are going to be more [troop] suicides this year than last." Mullen said that "the military lacks the number of mental health professionals necessary to help returning or soon-to-deploy troops deal with the high stress of war." And finally: Center for American Progress speechwriter Grant Ginder released his debut novel, This Is How It Starts. "Adultery, booze, gossip, name-dropping -- it's all just part of the game," Roll Call writes of the book. |
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"[Unions] cripple the system that makes a company work."
-- MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski, 6/03/09
VERSUS
"[GE] made more than $18 billion in 2008. ... All that despite (or, perhaps, because of) the fact that 13 different unions represent GE workers. Oh, and GE owns NBC-Universal, which owns MSNBC, which pays Joe Scarborough [and Mika Brzezinski] a handsome salary."
-- Media Matters's Jamison Foser, 6/03/09 | |
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