You fill in the blanks. And many are, with varying answers. Here’s Bill Donohue’s take:
“The Catholic League unequivocally condemns the killing of serial killer, Dr. George Tiller.”
Okay…Donohue goes on to condemn what he sees as the “politicization” of the killing by liberals, including those linking to the medley video of Bill O’Reilly labeling “Tiller the Baby Killer” as a hit man who charges $5,000 to execute a baby. The usual back-and-forth, I guess. Bill concludes with this, however:
“Perhaps the ultimate politicization is the decision by U.S. Attorney Eric Holder ordering federal marshals to protect ‘other appropriate people and facilities around the nation’.”
Huh?
Meanwhile at PoliticsDaily, Melinda Henneberger, a pro-life Catholic, has one answer from Tiller’s lawyer, Dan Monnat:
“It’s really, really tragic,” Monnat said in a phone interview. “Despite the fact that his clinic had been bombed and despite the fact that he’d been shot before, and put on trial…he was always willing to get back up the next morning and serve his patients, who were his first concern. He’d had patients move in with him and his wife until they could deliver. You can’t imagine a more dedicated professional, and his view — Why did he persist? — was, “If I’m not there to do it, who else will do it?” There was only one other clinic in the country doing this; all the rest have been scared away by protesters and terrorists.”
Yet he was never really afraid, Monnat said — or never showed it, anyway. “I never detected fear in him,” he said. “He knew what he was doing was morally right, and right under the Constitution.” He drove a custom-made bullet-proof SUV, had an elaborate security system at his clinic, security around the clock and usually, a bodyguard at his side. His family never expressed fear either, his lawyer said. “He had a wife of 45 years who’s always supported him, and three daughters and a son who were behind him 100 percent.” Now that the worst has happened, Monnat said, his family’s greatest hope is this: “They don’t want this to be politicized.” Kind of amazing that after suffering this kind of loss, they still think that’s a possibility.
In Witchita, Monnat said, “the whole town is grieving for a man who stood up for what he knew was right and who stood up for women. He was the 100-percent real deal, committed to rights that are not very popular with a lot of people.”
posted June 1, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Committed to rights that are not popular with a lot of people???
Evidently his killer also had some strong commitments. In neither case does the intensity of their commitment justify the actions they took to carry it out.
posted June 2, 2009 at 8:26 am
ron chandonia,
Dr. Tiller’s activities were legal. It has nothing to do with the intensity of commitment. It has to do with legal rights. Dr. Tiller was engaging in legal behavior.
Dr. Tiller was condemned by Bill Donohue who also condemned those who presented the evidence of the horrible behavior of the Roman Catholic Church toward children in their care in Ireland. I cannot understand why anyone, particularly a Catholic, would ever want to hear what Mr. Donohue has to say. Do you really want an apologist for rape and other forms of child abuse to be the one speaking on your behalf? Do you really want a liar who falsely accuses Tiller of murder to be your spokesman?
posted June 2, 2009 at 12:35 pm
George Tiller has aready faced God with the Book of Life open to his actions and deeds. Would you like to have been in his shoes? Heaven or Hill? God is the ultimate Judge as He told us in the Bible, ‘Revenge is mine.’
posted June 2, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I am a Catholic.
I do not support Abortion.
I do however,support the laws of our country.
This DR.,as horrible as it sounds to some of us,was obeying our laws.
The man who murdered him IS the murderer.
That Donahue guy is,in my opinion a black eye on the face of most Catholic people.
He has the right to say what he wants,just as the rest of us as Catholics have the right to turn the set off when we see him.
The same goes double for Bill Oriely and his no spin zone.
Those two do not speak for me or what my God has shown me.
I pray the family of Dr, Tiller gets some peace,knowing not all people who call themselves christians are trying to take God’s seat in the judgement business.
God Bless
posted June 2, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Tiller, a man who brought violent end to life for thousands of humans died the way he lived: violently.
His murderer was no more justified in killing Tiller than Tiller was in murdering babies. I see them both as portraits of violence, extremism, mental illness, and evil.
Both sides will seize this event and try to spin it their way. There should be no spin, only prayers for Roeder and Tiller, two men whose common ground was a belief that their murderous behavior was justifiable. It wasn’t.
posted June 3, 2009 at 12:07 am
One thing that apparently is overlooked by those condemning Dr. Tiller’s clinical practices is that Mr. Roeder killed someone in a place of worship. I suppose that’s justifiable as well, then? I can harass you at home, work, and wherever you may go because I don’t agree with something you do or practice, eventually walking into your church and assassinate you, kill you in place most would consider sacred – and it would justifiable – how? It’s all about intimidation, all about terrorizing the individual being stalked.
Revenge is mine – saith the Lord = Old Testament G*d; we don’t worship an Old Testament G*d. With the sacrifice of Christ, we are a new people. I would imagine Dr. Tiller receives no better or worse than the likes of Randall Terry, Bill Donahue or Frank Pavone and all the other selective pro-lifers. The thing is, it’s G*d doing the judging not you or me or some personified god.
posted June 4, 2009 at 11:35 am
Gerard,
You can repeat the lie that Tiller ‘murdered’ babies til the cows come home, but that will never make it true. The law doesn’t see it that way.
You may well see his actions as “violence, extremism, mental illness, and evil”, but I highly suspect that each and every single one of his patients would vehemently disagree.
I will pray you be healed of your hatred and your habit of constantly bearing false witness.
posted June 4, 2009 at 1:05 pm
I don’t care what the “law” says. Abortion is murder. The “law” of the land is wrong. I am in no way attempting to justify the actions of Scott Roeder, whose act was murderous in and of itself. But abortion, according to the Law of God our Heavenly Father, is WRONG. So don’t stand behind our own federal “law” and play semantics and tell me what I can and cannot call abortion. It’s murder. Plain and simple. It’s murder. No matter what the “law” says.
posted June 4, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Oh, and as for “every single one of his patients would vehemently disagree” … what I’d like to ask you is, if they were allowed to live … if they *had* a voice … what would every single one of those babies say? Would *they* vehemently disagree too?
I doubt it.
And before you accuse me of having hatred in my soul, let me say there is no hatred here … not for the doctors who perform abortions … or for the people who call themselves Pro-Choice. Only for the act itself. And an unbelievable grief for the loss of so much beauty this world could have known had it only given itself the chance … so many beautiful lives.
posted June 5, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Your Name,
Charles pretty much said it all. I would add that I have no hatred of even people like Tiller. However, killing half of your patients is pretty appalling stuff. If you don’t see late term babies as humans being killed, then before you pray for my healing I say, “Physician heal thyself”
posted June 6, 2009 at 12:32 am
I have not as yet heard any of the people applauding Dr Tiller’s murder address the issue that the legal basis on which such procedures rests is that the pregnancies are flawed …. that the ‘babies’ which are aborted are not going to have viable lives, the mothers are threatened in some way should be pregnancies continue, or for some other reason it is medically determined that the procedure is acceptable. In other circumstances/countries/times the mother would probably die, thus leaving her other children mohterless, or she woudl be condmened to a life of suffering herself, if gravely injured by the birth. This is observable on other countries every day. Or a badly disabled baby would be born that has a short “life” of suffering and is a burden to its family, however much they try to support it.
As usual with human dilemmas, there is no one easy answer to the one which has led to abortions being made legal in the way they are. Work through the electoral and legislative processes to change the law, if you don’t like it. But how does it enhance the “pro-life” cause to take one?
posted June 8, 2009 at 11:30 am
Your Name,
” But how does it enhance the “pro-life” cause to take one?”
It doesn’t. Quite the opposite.
“An eye for an eye making the whole world blind” as Gandhi put it.