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Scott Roeder and Operation Rescue: the American al Qaeda
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When I was in college in the late 1960's I considered myself a Liberal. I had grown up watching Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement. The youth minister of my church, Rev James Reeb was killed marching across the Edmund Pettis Bridge with Dr. King, Congressman John Lewis and others. Despite being Southern and White I believed with my whole being in the justness of Dr. Kings cause. I believed in what liberalism stood for, expanding the rights of all people.
In the early 1970's in response to the ongoing Viet Nam War the radicalism of groups like The Weather Underground that Bill Ayers and others were part of caused me to rethink my core beliefs. I found it hard then to find either Justice or justification for killing others and blowing up buildings in the name of peace. It is no less hard to find either justice or justification for killing in the name of Right to Life.
Joseph Scheidler one of Operation Rescue's leaders has repeatedly vowed to stop abortion by any means necessary. He has proclaimed a year of pain and fear for anyone seeking or providing reproductive services. After a spate of bomb plots and clinic attacks he emblazoned a motel sign with, " Welcome pro-Life Activists- Have a blast and gave out name tags with firecrackers attached to them
Randall Terry one of the founders of Operation Rescue once prayed for the doctor of a Colorado clinic to be executed. Three years later he repeated that threat on radio and two days after the broadcast the physician who replaced Dr. Gunn, who had been assassinated, was also found dead.
Carol Mason, author of Killing for Life The Apocalyptic Narrative of Pro-Life politics as quoted by Chip Berlet in his June 3, 2009 article Abortion, Apocalypse, and killing for Life states," The late 20th century rise of anti-abortion violence grew out of a sense that America was severing it ties with God and all things good. To pro-lifers, abortion was a sign of national inhumanity and increasing anti-Christ barbarism.
Chip Berlet in his article identifies," Two factors central to this movement. One is that many of the members of this movement believe in a vast conspiracy to destroy the country and defame God led by Liberal Secular Humanists. The other factor is the role of an aggressive apocalyptic belief in the coming of The End Times. This combination has generated violence and murder throughout history."
There is also the convergence with The Right Wing Militia movement. This is where some of the most violent members of this movement came from. Apparently Scott Roeder, Eric Robert Rudolph and John C. Salvi III all are part of this evolution.
The FBI definition of terrorism is, " The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof in furtherance of political or social objectives."
The philosophical ideas behind al Qaeda are not that far removed from those of Operation Rescue. Because of the failure to follow Sharia ( strict Islamic Religious law ) society is crumbling. Like Operation Rescue, they believe they are chosen by God to restore devout religious codes to regulate politics, economics, banking, business, family and social issues.
The goals of al Qaeda are as follows:
establish the rule of God on earth
Attaining martyrdom in the cause of God
Purification of Islam.
With just a few minor alterations these goals could be those of Operation Rescue.
The media seems intent on pretending that people like the accused murderer of Dr. Tiller, Scott Roeder are just a few deranged bad apples who acted alone. Many of those like Bill O' Reilly and Sean Hannity. Randall Terry and others want to keep pretending that their violent rhetoric plays no role in these tragic events. In fact if Mr Roeder is the killer, Operation Rescue members enabled him to stalk Dr. Tiller during his recent trial of which he was found innocent of the charge.
Cheryl Sulleberger, the second in command of the Kansas Operation Rescue, helped Roeder track Dr. Tiller and she spent 2 years in jail for a plot to bomb a clinic in San Diego herself. For twenty years Operation Rescue waged a Guerrilla war against Dr. Tiller aided and abetted by many in the Kansas Republican Party.
For all those who innocently or otherwise want to believe words don't matter and that they have no power, it is words that incite the fundamentalist jihads of both groups. It is words that coerce people into joining their idea of Gods Army. It is words that convince the gullible, the weak or the devoutly faithful that murder of political opponents is God's work.
If words have no power why is it illegal to shout fire in a crowded movie theatre?
If words had no power why have some tried so hard to ban some books, or prevent the curious from accessing certain ideas?
If words couldn't get us to do things would we have ads for products or political candidates or political ideas.?
In point of fact we all know that words do matter. It is illegal to shout fire in a crowded movie theatre to avoid a panic. It should be illegal to pray for someone's death or call for someones murder. It is also time we stopped making excuses for terrorists.
