Scott Roeder's Remarkably Familiar Defense

Scott Roeder, the man who murdered Dr. George Tiller, says he has no regrets, though he believes that he didn't necessarily receive a fair trial because he wasn't allowed to raise the issue of abortion in his defense:

The convicted killer of a Kansas abortion provider has little sympathy for the family of his victim, comparing them to the relatives of a hit man in a recording posted online.

In his first public comments since his trial for the murder of Dr. George Tiller, Scott Roeder also criticized those who sought to keep the issue of abortion out of the proceedings altogether, saying it was like asserting that the trial for abolitionist John Brown was not about slavery.

"My beliefs were that the lives of unborn children were being taken by abortion," Roeder said in the video posted on YouTube Monday. "How you can keep that out of the trial is beyond me, because that was the one entire motive for the action that was taken."

His 10-minute conversation with abortion opponent Dave Leach is the first in a series recorded last week that will be posted online with Roeder's blessing, Leach told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

...

"The fact that George Tiller was involved in the practice that he was, similar to that of a hit man, if you could have sympathy for a hit man's family that is the sympathy I would have," Roeder said. "But every day, George Tiller did not have any sympathy for his victims" ... Roeder maintained he did not regret his actions. "I didn't have any regrets except for maybe the fact that if the law had done what it was supposed to do, and stop Mr. Tiller, he would not have had to come to this conclusion," Roeder said. "The lives of the babies were still being taken, and there had to be action taken to save them."

You can hear the interview here, but I just wanted to point out how remarkably similar his statements are to those made by Randall Terry, all the way down to the comparisons to John Brown:

The following is a statement by Randall Terry:

"We are not coming to condone or condemn Scott Roeder's actions. That decision will soon rest with the jury. However, there are those who want to pretend this trial has nothing to do with child-killing by abortion; that is a farce. It's like saying that the trials of Nat Turner and John Brown had nothing to do with slavery.

"We will be present to be a voice for the babies who perished at George Tiller's hand, and to raise a series of 'academic questions' such as the following:

"Was John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry completely right, completely wrong, or a mix of both? Was Brown a hero or a villain?

"Was Nat Turner's slave rebellion completely just, completely unjust, or a mixture of both? Was Turner a hero or a villain?

"George Tiller murdered 60,000 babies by his own hand. Scott Roeder knew this. How can Mr. Roeder receive a fair trial if this data is kept from the jury? Will the jury be allowed to hear evidence -- such as the grizzly means by which these babies were slain and disposed of -- evidence that would clearly effect Mr. Roeder's state of mind?

PFAW

Anti-Choice Groups Slams Randall Terry

Earlier this week, the Center For Bio-Ethical Reform issued a press release condemning Randall Terry's reaction to the conviction of Scott Roeder for murdering Dr. George Tiller and for Terry's support for the use of violence against abortion providers.

Terry immediately responded with a press release of his own making his standard claims that he does not support violence, but sees it as inevitable so long as abortion remains legal. 

Gregg Cunningham of the Center For Bio-Ethical Reform then responded with another press release in which he dared Terry to "sue us" if he thinks he's been maligned and proceeds to smack down Terry's attention-seeking histrionics while calling out his self-serving claims about opposing the use of violence. 

I'm posting a large chunk of the CBR release because it's a thing of beauty:

You chide me for not "picking up the phone" to "check the facts" before condemning your attempt to minimize the murder of George Tiller but what facts would have rebutted published newspaper photos of you displaying signs which argued that Scott Roeder's motives in killing George Tiller made his crime less than murder?

When you tell The New York Times (January 28, 2010, "Doctor's Killer Puts Abortion on the Stand") that you are not "condemning Mr. Roeder's actions," you are expressing support for violence against abortionists.

When you tell The Wichita Eagle (January 30, 2010, "Reactions to the Scott Roeder verdict from both sides of abortion debate") that "If we condemn him [Roeder] too severely it undermines the premise of everything we stand for," you are expressing support for violence against abortionists.

When you issue a press release (January 25, 2010) in which you say it is "a farce" to "pretend that this trial has nothing to do with child-killing by abortion," you are suggesting that Mr. Roeder's murder of George Tiller was justified by George Tiller's abortion practice and you are expressing support for violence against abortionists. (www.christiannewswire.com/news/7566412845.html).

When you issue a press release (January 27, 2010) in which you quote scripture which says in reference to George Tiller's murder, "For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning" and that "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous" and that "the Lord our God will bring other destructions upon them" and add "their innocent blood cries to God ... for vengeance," you are expressing support for violence against abortionists. (www.christiannewswire.com/news/8209412876.html).

When you hold a press conference (www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqGwuOwdZ7U) during which you say testimony by former Attorney General Phil Kline could have "validated" Scott Roeder's motivation and "brought a level of credibility to Scott's frame of mind," you are expressing support for violence against abortionists.

When you argue at a press conference (www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqGwuOwdZ7U) that Scott Roeder, who bought a handgun, practiced with it, studied George Tiller's daily habits and visited his church three times before finding him there and blowing his brains out, should have been charged with "voluntary manslaughter," you are expressing support for violence against abortionists.

When you argue that Scott Roeder's motivation for killing George Tiller entitles him to a slap-on-the-wrist sentence of less than five years in prison (the minimum sentence for voluntary manslaughter under Kansas law) you are trivializing premeditated murder and expressing support for violence against abortionists.

Against this background, your press conference claim that "I don't even agree with what Scott Roeder did" is absurd. It is the sort of self-serving fig leaf which thoughtful listeners will rightly reject. You are either being intentionally deceptive or wildly negligent.

You have every right to bring discredit upon yourself and the organization you represent. But when your self-promotional excesses discredit the entire pro-life movement with reckless theatrics, it would be irresponsible for the rest of us to signal indifference, or worse, agreement, by our collective silence.

When you attempt to rationalize, justify, or minimize violence against abortionists, you don't speak for those of us who condemn anarchy without equivocation. Be assured that when you jeopardize the fragile progress we have all worked so hard to achieve, we will anathematize and isolate you.

PFAW

Terry Heads To Kansas to Justify Tiller's Murder

I have to admit that I am having some trouble understanding just what Randall Terry's position is regarding acts of violence against reproductive health providers.  When Dr. George Tiller was killed last year, Terry immediately weighed in, calling Tiller a "mass-murderer" who "reaped what he sowed" while simultaneously claiming that he did not advocate or support such acts of violence.

But now that the trial of Scott Roeder is underway, Terry seems to have concluded that that actions taken were entirely justified:

After three days of a relatively quiet trial, Randall Terry and three of his supporters showed up with signs in front of the courthouse this morning, as prosecutors prepared to wrap up their case for murder against Scott Roeder.

Signs reading “Tiller killed 60,000 children, Roeder’s reason, The Babies” and “Give Roeder a fair trial” greeted people arriving to the Sedgwick County Courthouse this morning.

Apparently, Terry and company believe that it was Tiller who "drove Scott Roeder to such extremity" and that his actions were not only justified, but inevitable

"Precious unborn babies -- like the 60,000 slain by Mr. Tiller -- have their tortured bodies thrown into dumpsters where rats and dogs devour their bodies and blood; others are strewn in landfills to decay while vermin and maggots claim their earthly remains; others are flushed into sewers where their innocent blood flows to... the devil knows where.

"Their innocent blood cries to God -- as did the blood of slaves -- for vengeance. Will God ignore this deafening cry? Will we pretend their blood has no place in this trial? This trial is the place where the rule of law and the "law of blood" meet.

"This jury has the right and duty to hear what drove Scott Roeder to such extremity. For the rule of law to prevail in court, Mr. Roeder must be able to tell the jury why he killed George Tiller. Otherwise, this trial is a farce, and both the rule of law and the law of blood are thrown aside. And as our nation's history proves, such contempt for law and blood has horrific consequences."

Terry likes to claim that he will neither "condone or condemn Scott Roeder's actions" ... but it's becoming quite clear that what he will do is defend and justify them. 

PFAW

Terry Bringing His "Academic Questions" to Kansas

Randall Terry and his activists announce that they are heading to Kansas today for the Scott Roeder trial and want to make it clear that while they are not calling Roeder a hero for allegedly killing Dr. George Tiller, they ... well ... still consider Roeder to be something of a hero:

"We are not coming to condone or condemn Scott Roeder's actions. That decision will soon rest with the jury. However, there are those who want to pretend this trial has nothing to do with child-killing by abortion; that is a farce. It's like saying that the trials of Nat Turner and John Brown had nothing to do with slavery.

"We will be present to be a voice for the babies who perished at George Tiller's hand, and to raise a series of 'academic questions' such as the following:

"Was John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry completely right, completely wrong, or a mix of both? Was Brown a hero or a villain?

"Was Nat Turner's slave rebellion completely just, completely unjust, or a mixture of both? Was Turner a hero or a villain?

"George Tiller murdered 60,000 babies by his own hand. Scott Roeder knew this. How can Mr. Roeder receive a fair trial if this data is kept from the jury? Will the jury be allowed to hear evidence -- such as the grizzly means by which these babies were slain and disposed of -- evidence that would clearly effect Mr. Roeder's state of mind?

...

"If George Tiller had murdered 60,000 Jews, would the judge exclude all Jews from the jury, or insist that only anti-Semites could be jurors?"

PFAW
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Not Everybody Giddy Over Brown

Randall Terry says Scott Brown's victory is akin to getting Stalin to help you defeat the Nazis and calls for his defeat as soon as possible: 

The problem is that Scott Brown supports Roe vs. Wade. In other words, he supports the brutal murder of children in the womb for any reason; he defends the barbaric practice of those babies being decapitated, or chemically burned to death, and then casting their mangled bodies into sewers and landfills for graves.

Simply put: He is not a friend of the babies; he is their enemy.

Granted, he is against federal funding of child killing; and his vote may help kill the health care bill. In that light, I quote Winston Churchill: "If the devil himself invaded Germany, I would at least give him an honorable mention in the House of Commons."

However, following the reality Churchill faced, remember: If you ask Stalin and the Red Army to help you defeat the Nazis, you will still have to face the Red Army one day -- not as your ally -- but as your enemy.

...

We can be glad that "Ted Kennedy's seat" might cause the death of Ted Kennedy's so called health care legislation. But we must not deceive ourselves or our supporters about Scott Brown, and his true position on child killing.

We need to replace Scott Brown as soon as we can with a true defender of babies' lives, not a phony who supports their murder.

PFAW
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Terry Kicks Off Anti-Communion Tour

Randall Terry converted to Catholicism a few years ago and that apparently gives him the clout to set off on yet another nationwide tour, this time aimed at getting Bishops to deny Communion to any Catholic member of Congress who doesn't share his right-wing views:

Beginning Wednesday, December 9, Insurrecta Nex team members will travel to 13 Cathedrals in 9 states to hold vigils and press conferences. The tour will finish at the Boston Cathedral, the seat of Cardinal O'Malley, the site of decades of scandal with the Kennedy and the Kerry families.

They will ask Catholic Bishops: "Your Excellency, if any Catholic US Senator from your state, or member of the United States House of Representatives from your diocese votes to fund the murder of children by abortion in any 'health care reform' bill, will they be denied Communion?"

Randall Terry, founder of Insurrecta Nex, States: "Child-killing in 'Healthcare' may be the biggest battle for Catholic Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy in US history. It is certainly the fiercest battle for Babies Lives since Roe versus Wade.

"Will Catholic Bishops truly defend babies -- not with mere lip service, but with true valor -- and hold pro-death Catholic Congressmen accountable? Or will they turn a deaf ear to the cries of innocent blood, the pleas of the faithful, and the canons of the Catholic Church that obligate them to withhold communion from Catholic politicians who promote the murder of babies by abortion?"

PFAW
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Some Things Never Change

Another day, and another warning from Randall Terry that there will be violence if healthcare reform covers abortion:

Nationally known abortion opponent Randall Terry told supporters Tuesday in Granite City that if Congress passes a health care bill that includes federal funding for abortions, it "could trigger violence against people."

Terry is the founder of abortion opposition group Operation Rescue. He spoke outside the Hope Clinic abortion provider in Granite City.

"We fought a war over slavery. We fought a war over a tea tax," Terry said. "What will happen if they take our tax dollars to murder innocent babies?"

And another comparison to the Holocaust from Mike Huckabee:

According to Huckabee, if a culture begins to devalue human life in any way, it becomes harder to draw the line of whose lives are more important. Huckabee said life issues aren’t just issues about abortion. He mentioned end-of-life issues, saying human life needs to be valued “until the moment a life is naturally ended.”

Huckabee drew comparisons to the Holocaust, saying that when Nazis began exterminating Jewish people, “educated scientists, sophisticated and cultured people looked the other way because they thought it didn’t touch them.

“This is why every person must get involved – you have to stand up and speak up or this is what can happen,” he said. “Once a culture begins to devalue human life, it begins to deteriorate.”

PFAW

If You Hold A Protest And Nobody Comes, Does It Still Make News?

As we mentioned yesterday, Randall Terry and crew are back out on tour protesting health care reform.  The first stop of Fort Wayne, IN:

Conservative political and religious activist Randall Terry ran into a wall in Fort Wayne, the first stop of his 13-city, seven-state protest tour to denounce proposed health care reform. No one showed.

A few reporters and photographers, Terry and two passersby were the whole rally.

Normally, when nobody show up to a protest, you're inclined to call it failure ... but since Terry cares more about press than attendance, by that measure this "protest" was a flying success.

PFAW

Religious Right Claims Victory With Stupak Amendment

To say that the Religious Right is overjoyed by the passage of the Stupak Amendment, which makes it "virtually impossible for private insurance companies that participate in the new system to offer abortion coverage to women," would be a massive understatement.

The Right hasn't had much to cheer about lately, but a quick look at the statements released shows that while they are still militantly opposed to healthcare reform, anti-choice activists are downright giddy with this victory, with the Christian Defense Coalition proclaiming that it "pounds a nail in the eventual coffin of 'Roe v. Wade'":

"This historic vote in the United States House of Representatives signals the beginning of the end for 'Roe v. Wade.' President Obama made taxpayer funded abortions a key part of his presidential campaign and it was strongly supported by Speaker Pelosi and House leadership.

"Pro-choice groups spent millions of dollars to have taxpayer funded abortions included in healthcare legislation to no avail.

"It is important to note that taxpayer funded abortions were excluded from the healthcare bill because of the votes of Democrats in the House, not conservative Republicans. This vote shows what recent national polls have demonstrated, and that is -- America is turning away from abortion and embracing human rights and a culture of life.

Randall Terry:

Mr. Terry states: "This is a great first step to victory - a touchdown in the first quarter - but we have a lot of fighting ahead of us. Our rejoicing must be tempered by reality. The Senate Bill must also prohibit any money from going to child-killing; and then we must insure that the conference committee does not include child-killing in the final bill, should it pass both houses. We have many hurdles left.

"Those of us who despise Socialism must now broaden our battle to kill the bill entirely. Our biggest battle is to stop the slaughter of children. The next battle is to keep our children from being saddled with trillions of dollars of debt.

"Many of us would rather die half-starved free men than be well fed slaves on Uncle Sam's plantation."

Susan B. Anthony List:

“Tonight the House of Representatives made a principled and politically sound decision to continue our nation’s longstanding policy of protecting taxpayers’ conscience in the area of abortion funding. We urge the Senate to follow suit. We will remain vigilant, and shift our efforts to the Senate to ensure that these same pro-life protections are added to the Senate bill.

“On behalf of the 280,000 members and activists of the Susan B. Anthony List who contacted Congress on this issue, I applaud all those who voted to honor the American legacy of protecting citizens’ conscience from conscription into activity to which most are morally opposed. Congress has sided with the resounding majority of citizens opposed to government funding of abortion. Supporters of government-funded abortion will now have some explaining to do back home, before voters head to the ballot box in 2010.

“If there’s one thing many members of Congress learned from Tuesday’s elections, it’s the danger of being out of step with your constituents. Votes do have consequences, and the recent tensions over health care reform should drive that message home. We will use every tool in our arsenal to ensure the folks back home know the truth about their legislator’s record."

Family Research Council:

"This is a huge pro-life victory for women, their unborn children, and families. We applaud this House vote which prohibits the abortion industry from further profiting from taxpayers by using government funds to pay for the gruesome act of abortion. I congratulate the bipartisan coalition that for months has worked to ensure that abortion is not covered in the bill.

"Since prior to last year's election Family Research Council has been working towards true health care reform that protects life, freedom and families. We supported efforts to ensure the legislation will not be paid for by the lives of future generations. We thank Representatives Bart Stupak (D-MI), Brad Ellsworth (D-IN), Joe Pitts (R-PA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), and Chris Smith (R-NJ) for standing with more than 70% of Americans who morally object to funding abortion with their hard earned dollars.

Operation Rescue:

"Today, the voices of 71% of the American people who oppose taxpayer funded abortions were heard loud and clear. We thank each one who took the time to raise their voices in opposition to the Obama-Pelosi-Carhart effort to force taxpayers to fund the shedding of innocent blood through abortion.

"There is still a long way to go to prevent government subsidized health care from paying for abortions. Now the ball is in the Senate's court, and we pray that the common sense displayed in the House on the matter of abortion funding will also prevail in the Senate.

"We will continue to stand on behalf of the voiceless and oppose any efforts to restore abortion funding in any future version of health care legislation. But for tonight, we celebrate this day's pro-life victory defunding abortion, which will save lives and prevent the immoral and fiscally irresponsible bailout of the abortion cartel."

Concerned Women for America:

"Democrats and Republicans came together to ensure federal funds would not pay for elective abortions. They corrected a terrible provision in the bill that would force Americans to subsidize abortion, an act that kills unborn children and harms women. Pro-life congressmen - Democrat and Republican - worked tirelessly to strip an incentive from the bill that would increase abortions by paying for them with government money," stated Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee.

National Right to Life Committee:

NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson said: "The Obama White House and top congressional Democratic leaders spent months concealing and misrepresenting provisions that would directly fund abortions through a government plan, and subsidize premiums for private abortion plans. Today's bipartisan House vote is a sharp blow to the White House's pro-abortion smuggling operation. But we know that the White House and pro-abortion congressional Democratic leaders will keep trying to enact government funding of abortion, and will keep trying to conceal their true intentions, so there is a long battle ahead."

Americans United for Life:

Americans United for Life Action President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest said, "The passage of this amendment is a victory for the pro-life Americans across this country who have flooded Congress this week with the message that abortion does not belong in health care. The bipartisan effort that led to its passage, under the leadership of Congressmen Bart Stupak and Joe Pitts, is a step toward a future where both political parties defend Life."

American Center for Law and Justice:

The passage of this pro-life Amendment represents the only bright spot in an otherwise troubling government-run health care package put forth by House Speaker Pelosi. The American people understand that health care should not include federal funding for abortion and we’re grateful to Democrat Congressmen Bart Stupak (D-Mich) and Joseph Pitts (R-Penn) for their unrelenting efforts in protecting the unborn.

The 176 Republicans and 64 Democrats who stood together in a bipartisan defense of life deserve our sincere gratitude. For many of these Members, this vote was cast in the face of serious pressure to oppose the amendment. While there is work yet to do on this issue, this vote represents an extremely significant victory for life.

PFAW

Go Inside The Tea Party Rally With Randall Terry

If, as they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words," then this video from Randall Terry showing yesterday's Tea Party rally on The Hill is priceless:

PFAW
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