The PETA of the Right
As some of you know, George Tiller, a late-term abortion provider in Kansas, was murdered yesterday in his church.
Now, on abortion itself, my own feelings can be seen on my website.
That said, the murder of a business man simply for providing a legal service that you disagree with is absolutely reprehensible, and defending the murderer is just as disgusting.
This morning, Jenny Hodges, National Director of Pro-Life Unity and Campaign Manager for Ray McBerry’s Georgia First (though I acknowledge these videos were her own personal opinions, I give her titles more to identify her to those who may not otherwise know her), posted two videos to Facebook and Youtube.
In the first, the caption is ‘Killer Tiller is dead. Praise the Lord’ and Jenny states “When I found out he died, my first thought was ‘WOW! He’s finally burning in Hell.’” and “I’m thrilled he’s dead”.
The second was directed squarely at me after I commented under the first one that “seriously, crap like this is what gives the pro-life movement a bad name.”
In the second video, Jenny claims ‘abortion is a violent, violent act’. Well, so is murdering a man in his church. She also exclaims ‘Praise God he’s gone!’, referring to Tiller.
Note: The second video has since been removed. Whether by Jenny herself or by Youtube after complaints, I do not know. It is still visible on her Facebook page as I write this at 6:30p though.
Quite honestly, I cannot condemn George Tiller’s murderer in strong enough terms.
No matter HOW much you disagree with a person or their actions, murder is NEVER the answer. PERIOD.
Jenny Hodges tries to claim that she is pro-liberty – yet she wants government to dictate one of the most private of decisions. She also defends the murder of legal businessmen she disagrees with.
Sane people know that defending the murderer of an businessman providing a legal service only hurts your own cause further.
That many in the pro-life movement have come to Jenny’s defense or made similar statements to hers themselves only proves how insane these people are.
They are the PETA of the right.
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June 1st, 2009 at 8:13 pm
While I can accept someone being pro-liberty and have a pro-life stance on abortion (I think it’s a murky area all in all), I have to agree with you about the approach many in the pro-life movement in regards to this. I read earlier today where one person equated this with killing in wartime, that it’s OK since it’ll save many more lives.
As a veteran who prepared to shed blood for this nation, I find that logic repugnant. It disgusts me that someone would dare equate what this person did to what troops in harms way do in time of war. This was cold blooded murder, make no mistake. The doctor made his living performing a legal service that I personally find morally wrong. However, it is legal and I will fight to help it remain so. The killer did nothing more than terminate a life.
Was George Tiller a killer? Honestly, that not for mere mortals like me to say. That is for God himself to decide, and I will not presume to know the mind of God. However, I will say that I see little doubt about how the killer stands in God’s eyes.
Pro-lifer folks who want the law changed, I can deal with. Those who protest abortion clinics, I can deal with. Those who kill for that cause? Never. Terrorism is terrorism, and I just can’t give a damn about why it’s committed. I can’t, and I won’t.
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:24 am
Jeff,
I think you’re painting with a very broad brush here. To say that the entire pro-life movement is just like PETA because of Jenny Hodges and a few others on Facebook is a giant leap.
Every major pro-life group condemned the murder and many, many others did as well. Here’s what I posted.
http://www.buzzbrockway.com/?p=907
June 4th, 2009 at 4:32 am
I’ll grant that painting the entire pro-life movement to look like Jenny Hodges may have been inaccurate.
That said, at the time I posted this, every single pro-life response I had seen basically said “we’re glad Tiller is dead”, and very few acknowledged his murder as wrong – and even fewer condemned his murder.
In the past couple of days, yes, I HAVE in fact seen some pro-life organizations stepping up to condemn the murder, and I applaud them for it.
Still, much like every group has its crazies that the saner members of the organization must try to keep in check, those in the pro-life camp who, like Jenny, were saying they were “thrilled” that a man had been murdered in cold blood paint the movement themselves, and I stand behind my characterization of at least those elements.
June 4th, 2009 at 5:20 am
In all fairness, I had seen some pro-life elements condemn the attack pretty quickly. Of course, I read it that you were simply referring to those who were thrilled with Tiller’s murder as being the PETA of the right. Oops
June 4th, 2009 at 5:34 am
That is exactly what I was trying to do. Admittedly, I tend not to pay much attention to national news these days – I’ve got WAY too much happening covering GA, and even inside the State there is much that happens that I don’t get a chance to talk about. Jenny’s response to the killings was the first I saw, and when many people began to come to her defense I drew some conclusions that evidently were not accurate about the entire movement.
That said, while many have said that the man should not have been murdered, not as many have condemned the murderer’s action as the heinous atrocity it was.
June 4th, 2009 at 5:53 am
Unfortunately, I can’t call it a heinous atrocity either. It was a murder. Ultimately, it’s no different than the guy in New York who was killed in a mugging or the child in South Central LA who was killed in gang crossfire. To someone, they’re all heinous atrocities, but ultimately they’re just murders. They’re horrible in that someone was deprived of their life and their family was deprive of their loved ones, but nothing more.
To me, a heinous atrocity is something where the victim was made to suffer first. Matthew Shepherd’s murder is a great example of what I categorize as an atrocity. Being tied to a fence and stoned to death is a heinous atrocity, of that few can disagree (oddly enough, those that disagree tend to also see Tiller’s murder as a good thing too). I’d also use the term to categorize mass shootings like Columbine or Virginia Tech, based on the sheer volume of victims.
Of course, it could be semantics, but it’s something to keep in mind. I vehemently condemn Tiller’s murder, just as you do, but I see it in a different light. So I wouldn’t be to hard on the pro-life folks who see this as a murder just as I do. It’s a horrible crime, to be sure, but it is just as horrible as any other murder…which is bad enough.
June 4th, 2009 at 5:59 am
What makes it a ‘heinous atrocity’ to me is the location. Had he been murdered outside of his office, I would still be vehemently condemning it, as NO person has the right to take the life of another.
But places of worship are supposed to be places of refuge, and in general they have been recognized as such for thousands of years. To murder someone, particularly someone you have a moral disagreement with, in such a place of worship/refuge makes this murder just as vile as any you mentioned, at least in my mind.
June 4th, 2009 at 6:32 am
Well, I’m not sure I agree with you, but I’ll concede that it’s a matter of perspective. My point was that I wouldn’t get to worked up about people not viewing it as a “heinous atrocity” since I’m pro-choice and don’t see it quite that way either. I’d just cut them a little slack on that one is all
December 9th, 2009 at 6:08 am
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