While our brave servicewomen and men are fighting terrorists abroad, it seems hardly a month goes by without a home-grown terrorist here in America going into a school, a factory or church and shooting innocent people. After the shootings, community leaders say maybe the massacres could have been prevented if only someone had recognized the signs that the shooters were mentally disturbed.
Well, we have a situation going on right now and nobody seems to be taking notice. Several months ago, Scott Roeder walked into a church and shot and killed Dr. George Tiller in cold blood. During his trial, Roeder boasted that the killing was justified because Dr. Tiller had performed abortions. Thankfully, the jury did not agree and convicted Roeder of first-degree murder because we are a nation of laws and not of vigilantes.
A few days later The Augusta Chronicle reported that the Rev. Donald Spitz runs the Army of God Web site, which supports violence against abortion providers. Spitz calls Roeder a hero. Spitz also was a spiritual advisor to Paul Hill, who was executed in 2003 for the murder of an abortion provider and his associate. Spitz was quoted as saying, "Times change and people are not as passive as they have been. They are more assertive."
Spitz seems to have a long-running reputation for encouraging violence, and law enforcement should arrest him immediately because his words are just as harmful as someone who yells "Fire!" in a crowded theater when there is no fire and many people are trampled to death.
There are a lot of nut cases in our society who only need a spark of encouragement to move from hate speech to acts of violence against those they disagree with. I hope that legal action will be taken against Spitz before another tragedy occurs.
The Rev. Paul L. Cook
Augusta
You're right, Rev. Paul. Killing baby killers is just as wrong as killing babies. Neither should be promoted by anyone, and yet, our government supports the lack of respect for life by saying killing unborn babies is not only good, but should be supported by EVERY taxpayer. Is it any wonder some other entity supports making baby killing personally expensive? Do supporters of either side of this issue need to continue to support killing?
Paul, I don't think anyone would disagree with your rant condeming violence against innocent people. We're certainly with you on that one. However, I'm confused. Don't you think it somewhat hypocritical that you condemn violence against the innocent, but say nothing against the millions of innocent lives destroyed by abortion? Sure, murder of an abortion provider is a terrible wrong. But so is the taking of an innocent human life just weeks before it "officially" is born. Roeder was no hero, but neither was Tiller. Both are sad, tragic cases where human life was ended far too prematurely. As a clergyman, you know that man cannot play God. No one has the right to destroy an innocent human life, whether born or unborn. Until all human life is granted the dignity it deserves, our society will never be what it should be. The greatness of our nation continues to be lessened by our lack of respect for the right to life -- which is one of those inalienable rights upon which our nation was founded. It is tragic that neither Roeder nor Tiller ever took those words to heart.
Only God can judge and "vengeance is mine," sayeth the Lord. I agree that no one should ever kill another human being, but I also think our compulsory tax dollars should not be used to fund abortions.
Abortion as a political tactic is a Republican's notion of what an idea must be. If every American male past child-bearing years would just shut up, abortion would still be the burden on the conscience of one individual woman. The law recognizes this reality and provides a remedy that no one contends is a solution, much less absolution. Such issues as abortion and flag-burning have busied giddy minds long enough. It's time we gave skill and cunning a chance. Iignorance, superstition and tax cuts appear to have had little effect on hunger, homelessness and medical care.
Dixonman - FYI- Currently, the 1976 Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions through Medicaid except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's health is in peril. So states that want to offer abortion coverage have to pay for it themselves. Similar restrictions on public funding for abortions applies to federal health care coverage extended to active and retired military and federal employees.
The people who started this spirit of death must be the ones to stop it. Those killing the unborn started it and they are the ones that can stop it.
OMG not again this am,,, AC U just like to stir the bunnies...
Ok, let me help you. A woman's right to choose will be upheld and no nut job, extremists, vigilanty, ect... will take it away. Find another cause, because this dog is dead!! Volunteer somewhere, read books to seniors, serve soup to the homeless, something that fills this obvious void in your lives. As a woman I support a woman's right to choose, and so do millions of others like me (and men too).
howcanwe know, you said it perfectly! Kapa. when the right of one infringes on the right of another that is WRONG! Morality, decency, and the right to live is not up for vote. One day you will see how wrong you were and you will weep over your decisions as you are held responsible for the murders you have condoned. When Christ comes back and he sets up his earthly reign for a 1000 years there will be no voting. He will rule supreme!
Not one word for the murder of the unborn, Rev. Cook? It as if you are afraid that mentioning that abortion is murder would undermine your article.
Kapa, it's really simple. I could not be more pro-choice. I have no business telling a woman if or when to have sex, nor with whom. That's her choice. But once that baby is conceived, then I want to extend that same choice to that human life -- the choice to live. Why are you so anti-choice and anti-life? It's not extremist or crazy to allow another human being the right to make their own choice, don't you think? How could a decent, intelligent, moral human being demand the right to control the life of their own body, yet turn around and demand the "right" to deny that same choice for another human life? That's not logic. It's blatant hypocrisy. Your only argument is that abortion must be OK because millions of people support it. Well, majority opinion has supported such causes as slavery and genocide -- does that majority opinion make these things right? If you look at statistics, the MAJORITY of Americans do not support abortion as a means of birth control. So, your view cannot be supported either by common opinion or common sense. If you can present a valid reason why you demand the right to terminate an innocent human life, I'd love to hear that attempted justification.
I think the writers point was this Spitz character is just like the radical clerics who pervert the words of the Koran to recruit the ignorant and simple-minded to strap on a bomb and blow someone up. I want you to do it because I am too important to Allah (God) to throw my life away, but you are dispensible.
If two of his disciples are behind bars, don't you think it is a safe bet that this line of reasoning is the main theme of his sermons?
Could we all just shut up? If you are pro abortion, you've gotten your way. If you aren't, vote for politicians of a like mind and ardently push for repeal. It's nothing to scream about. Folks who commit murder will get their just reward.
It is murder plain and simple; it might be legal murder but man decided that and in their heart all pro-death folks know it is murder. Why would anyone ever put any trust in anyone who thought killing un-born babies is okay. To think that way has to be some sort of mental illness. Many of the folks that think killing babies is fine have a fit if any animal is harmed. Pro-death folks are only changed from the inside out by having a relationship with the creator of all life then they will understand why life is precious.
To quote Homer Simpson, "Wotta load!" Analogy is always imprecise and suspect; this is totally off the train. Cook cites ONE whack job who advocates violence against abortionists and characterizes it as a terroist movement, while there are hundreds of tax supported centers for killing babies throughout our nation and thousands throughout the world also supported by our tax dollars. He equates the murder --and no one in the pro-life movement is claiming it to be otherwise-- of two individuals with the equivalent of a holocaust per year of innocent lives. Wow.
As the law currently stands in the US, women have exclusive right to decide whether to abort or not. Men have no say at all, legally, in that decision. However, if she chooses to give birth, he is on the hook for 18 years of child support. And this is fair because...
I think the "REVEREND " cook falls into the category he speaks of in his last paragraph.
Many prolife organizations say abortion is murder, but when Scott Roeder acted like innocent children were really being murdered virtually everyone criticizes him for stopping a serial killer from taking the life of more babies. Rev. Don Spitz truly cares about unborn children and knows abortion is wrong. People may vote "not guilty" on jurys and if I were on Roeder's jury he would not be convicted of murder. When the law blesses the murder of babies it is not worthy of respect.
Wonderful ... abortionist blame all anti-abortion folks based on what one group did. Did you noticed this fellow confessed and was convicted. While you will find several churchs in the Augusta area that are anti-abortion ... did any of them support this killer? It is because of this lack of support for violence from the over whelming majority of Christians that seporate us from the religion of peace.
Dashiel, I must applaud your consistency. You have never been anything other than one-dimensional in your assessment of people who disagree with your position.
For an obviously smart guy, I continue to find your comments disappointingly shallow.
Murder is wrong. Nobody, including the man that murdered the abortion-provider, has the right to murder other people. There is no justification for cold-blooded murder. The law needs to be changed so that certain Doctors can no longer murder people in cold blood before they are born.
Sorry, Fiat, for not taking cartoon figures seriously enough. Maybe I should write my core principles on my palm the way real intellectuals do.
I hadn't taken you for obtuse, Luxy. Does Sarah Palin ring a bell? Does the Hunchback of Notre Dame? The reference was to the queen of grifters. Don't pretend you didn't know all about that! Republicans are so tedious.
I'm not a republican, Dashed, although I am conservative. And not hearing about Sarah Palin using her hand as a notepad doesn't exactly make me obtuse. It might mean that I'm too busy having a life to keep up with worthless news items from arrogant news sources who find it easier to mock people like Palin than handle the realities of the devastating mess handed to us, our kids and grandkids by liberal avarice and stupidity.
I'll tell you what is tedious-- and odious: the arrogance and superficiality of those such as yourself who have decided that people like Sarah Palin are the real problem. Talk about brain-numbing denial.
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