The American Taliban

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The American Taliban

Dr. George Tiller, one of America's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher.

Terrorism, plain and simple. The American Taliban.

Think I'm kidding? Look at this here. And then this.

In fact, tons of stuff too vile to link to.

As Kansas City columnist Mike Hendricks points out, Tiller's assassins were many.

They include every one who has ever called Tiller's late term abortion clinic a murder mill.

Who ever called Tiller "Tiller the Killer."

The groups who spent decades fomenting hate toward a man who simply believed that he was serving a purpose by being one of the few doctors in the country performing late-term abortions.

Hate. Not heated opposition. Not strong disagreement.

But blind hatred.

The kind of hate that would prompt some maniac to take a gun into a church and shoot a man to death in front of friends and family.

His accomplices know they have blood on their hands, which might explain why they were quick to issue statements today expressing disapproval of Tiller's murder.

Among them, the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue.

"Operation Rescue denounces the killing of abortionist Tiller," read the headline of a new release posted on that group's website.

Those words drip with hypocrisy.

On Operation Rescue's website, which seems to have crashed, there's a section called ''Tiller Watch.'' See this grab from Google:

But the anti-Tiller campaign went much further than that -- although you can be sure people are furiously cleaning up after themselves on the web right now.

Like these guys:

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly was one of the worst offenders. Read this while you can.

O'Reilly laid out the details in his Talking Points Memo, on November 3rd (2006)

"In the state of Kansas, there is a doctor, George Tiller, who will execute babies for $5,000 if the mother is depressed. And there are rapists impregnating 10-year-olds who are being protected by abortion clinics. It doesn't get worse than that. This is the absolute shame of America."

This YouTube is from March this year:

The health of the mother, the one who has to seek a late-term abortion because her well-being is in danger, is never considered by the American Taliban.

''Pro-life'' indeed.

I wonder what Sarah Palin has to say about this.

Incidentally, there has been an arrest.

UPPITY WOMAN DATE: Just sick.

"George Tiller was a mass-murderer. We grieve for him that he did not have time to properly prepare his soul to face God. I am more concerned that the Obama Administration will use Tiller's killing to intimidate pro-lifers into surrendering our most effective rhetoric and actions. Abortion is still murder. And we still must call abortion by its proper name; murder.

Those men and women who slaughter the unborn are murderers according to the Law of God. We must continue to expose them in our communities and peacefully protest them at their offices and homes, and yes, even their churches."

--Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue

SICKER DATE: Twitter has exploded over this story. Here's a round-up of what conservatives are tweeting.

Punch "UPDATE... Doctor George Tiller was aborted today in his 204th trimester - aren't paybacks a bitch"
Samantha Pelch "oh HAPPY DAY! Tiller the baby killer is DEAD!"
readnwatchchris, Creedmor. NC "George Tiller the baby killer was shot dead this morning. God bless the gunmen who hopefully won't be caught."
Brad S "was George Tiller the baby killers brain scrambled the way he scrambled full term fetuses.. one can only hope"
James Fiddler "Infamous baby killer George Tiller gunned down at (irony) church. Why do I not feel sorry for him? Have fun at Judgment Day."
Brad M. Negulescu Cleveland. "tiller the baby killer shot dead...wow. is it insensitive of me to say what goes around comes around?"
Amy Strong "George Tiller the Baby Killer shot dead. May he rot in Hell."
Shirl Ledeux "Tiller Baby Killer was shot and killed this morning Justice has been served."
Dianne McDowell "Thinking about "Tiller the baby killer" He now knows the wages of sin is death."
Dennis, A People Vip Company, "May Tiller rot in Hell , infanticide is the murder of babies, he WAS a provider of death like Hitler, Bundy the list goes on...."
mikedanben Sparta, NJ (41.005501,-74.672) "Burn in hell George Tiller"
Laurie D. Bailey Olive Branch, MS"No need to pray for George Tiller. We know he went straight to hell!!!!!"
Jay Emess, Souther, NJ "Good ridence to Tiller - babies will not be murdered because he is now gone. Wonder how he likes hell!"
Matthew Kamar "Karma is a beautiful thing. Cheers to the hero who sent George Tiller where he belongs... straight to hell."
Sarah Gulick, Wtichita, Ks "omg!george tiller abortion dr. was killed n his church parkn lot! hell yea!"

Lots more where that came from.

MORE: Some excellent posts worth reading.

First, BastardLogic:

NOW do all the pearl-clutching conservative bloggers get why that fauxtroversial DHS report on far-right activity was so goddamn pertinent?! As GallingGalla just said on Twitter, “forced-birthers are TERRORISTS on US soil.” This latest killing of a health care provider, martyred for daring to provide women with a vital medical service (in the same week that, here in Canada, the Ontario Provincial Police decided to let another anti-choice assassin evade accountability), only reinforces that all-too-clear fact.

Second: Dammit Janet!

Pity the poor abortion criminalizers for they cannot rejoice out loud.

Shed a tear for their plight; Bill Donohue and Jill Stanek stewing in their venom, silenced because their noisy jubilation could attract unwanted FBI attention.

Consider their dilemma: for years they've directed murderous hatred towards health care practitioners who provide abortion and now they're not able to claim the glory.

So sad for the members of the Vulture Culture who want to embrace the man who shot Dr George Tiller dead in the lobby of his church.

Life is unfair, they cannot trumpet that this is a MASSIVE victory for their side, lest they be charged as co-conspirators in this public assassination.

Hoobooy. I bet these right-wing groups' tech types are busy this afternoon HTMLing their little hearts out.

[via Broadsides]

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terror

women

When Jim D. Adkisson walked into the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church with 76 rounds and a shot-gun, he killed 2 people and was charged with murder. His motive was "he hated the liberal movement" and was upset with "liberals in general as well as gays." He should have been charged with terrorism.

Today George Tiller, a Wichita doctor, was killed INSIDE the lobby of his Wichita church. Reformation Lutheran Church became a crime scene; fundamentalist terrorism.

The right wing media hacks make targets of the left. The fundamentalist reverends blather their intolerance of other Americans. Their marriages are in jeopardy if the GLBT community can walk down an aisle. Their children are going to be molested if you have to rent to a same sex couple. Fear...fear...fear the queer.

Bill O'Reilly's hit piece on Dr. Tiller is a training tape for Christian Fundamentalist Terrorists. Never did he ask the woman interviewed how she, as a 13 year old, got pregnant, who was the father, or where her parents were when she underwent an abortion at Dr. Tiller's clinic. I'm sure O'Reilly's drivel will insist on personal accountability for the murderer. I'm sure he won't be in line for any "accountability" for calling the doctor "Tiller the baby-killer" or his clinic a "death mill."

Are anti-choice groups celebrating today? An abortion doctor is dead so women won't have unwanted pregnancies!

[Via Huffington Post] . . read more

Silenced

3 jun | Silenced depicts the grim reality for those who work and volunteer -- at abortion clinics. Made by an anonymous filmmaker, Silence was first screened at the Womens Medical Fund Spring Reception on May 21, 2009. The event honored abortion clinic escorts in Southeastern Pennsylvania. . . read more

AIG Triumphs Over Stiff Competition to Become the Worst Corporation Ever

20 apr | Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington — Civilian workers who suffered devastating injuries while supporting the U.S. war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan have come home to a grinding battle for basic medical care, artificial limbs, psychological counseling and other services. . . read more

Seven Years of Guantánamo

14 jan | Seven Years of Guantánamo . . read more

Friday Feminist Fuck You: Disrespectful Anti-choicers

23 jun | Operation Rescue, an organisation with ties to the murderer of Dr George Tiller is planning on holding a prayer vigil at the site of Tillers former clinic. . . read more

Are Republicans inciting health care riots?

7 aug | Rough tactics, violence and threats are being employed by town hall meeting agitators - Often showing their ignorance of legaslative prosses. . . read more

ALL THE HOGWASH - from Elena Dumas

12 jun | Now we have in Leon Panetta, Obama's CIA Director, a continuity of the spilling of the Bush hog-wash, with his request to Federal magistrates, and his appeal to the public, through the media mouthpieces, that Bush era documents on taped CIA interrogations should be kept sealed because their release would endanger national security.

Hog-wash!

Mr. Panetta, I have to say, your words these days have the same insincere ring to them as they did when they were uttered by Bush, or his Poppy, or his puppeteer, Señor Cheney. Then they actually sounded more like the words of a sinner doing everything he can to hide his sins from the light of truth. A cover-up. Yes. He fed the public, we the people, words to cover up his crimes and keep, we the people, paralyzed by fear so we could not judge the severity of his crimes.

Through the use of fear, Bush wanted to hide the link between himself, his crimes, and we the people.

Yes. We the people.

But you, Mr. Panetta, having seen the proof of those crimes, are setting yourself up as the ultimate arbiter, the one judge who continues to conceal the proof of Bush¹s sins.

Your excuse that bringing the evidence of Bush¹s crimes to light will imperil national security because it will show the enemy what we know about him, simply just reeks of hog-wash.

Do you not think that the enemy already knows what we know about him?

Of course they do, and of course you know that.

Twisted logic there Mr. Panetta; the kind of twisted logic that makes me think of Poppy¹s covert CIA hands manipulating you. Pushing you to make the statement uttered by you, June 9th. A statement which also carries with it a tinge of the kind of arrogance and fear the Bush/Cheney ticket spread around for eight years to every confine of this country. In my mind, it is Poppy who is the ultimate fear mongerer, however; and I can almost hear the low, nasal complaining, almost desperate cry of Poppy Bush urging you, perhaps even by some sort of threat, to conceal the horrors, the tarnish that his son laid upon this country. They, the Bushes who want to be elevated (and have already elevated themselves) to the stature of bronze statue heroes wherever those are placed to honor the great, or the tilted great Š or Š. in some cases thieves, dictators and misguided souls who pulled the wool over an entire people¹s eyes.

And you, like Eric Holder, who, I once thought of as integral but has now become a major disappointment, have no qualms but to go along with the Bushes game of stash and hide, or dungeons and dragons, or when there is no excuse, fear is the only excuse.

Truth always surfaces, even if it takes years.

[via Op Ed News] . . read more

The Strife Aquatic

5 nov | Jon Stewart explains how torture such as waterboarding sounds so much more fun than simulated drowning. . . read more

Grief and solidarity on the road to Gaza

13 jun | Grief and solidarity on the road to Gaza . . read more

Have America's Anti-Terror Policies Made It Safer?

12 sep | Professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh, vice president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, and author of Success Without Victory, Jules Lobel has written and litigated extensively in the area of war and emergency power. He argues that the Bush administration's detention and deportation of terror suspects has not made the U.S. safer from terrorism.

The irony is that sacrificing fundamental commitments to the rule of law ("disappearing" suspects into secret CIA prison and "waterboarding" them to compel them to talk; asserting unchecked executive power to violate criminal laws and spy on Americans without warrants; holding suspects indefinitely in Guantanamo's law-free zone; attacking Iraq against the will of the U.N. Security Council and most of the world) have not made America safer, but in fact more vulnerable to future terrorist attacks. . . read more

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State Elections Show an Interesting State of Affairs- by Birgit Lang

With two States waiting weeks for election results, the political culture of Australia seems decidedly messy and confused.

In Tasmania, a large vocal minority of Greens will have the balance of power in a hung parliament, there will be infighting and bickering until the Liberal Opposition claims a minor majority and thrusts forward its impotent Premier into the melee.

In South Australia, Rann will win, but his bravado and virility will be curbed as his ability to nonchalantly wave around his policy penis becomes hampered.

What all this seems to show is that Labor is slipping, the Greens and the environment movement are gaining a lot of traction and Australia is divided.

Hopefully not to the point where Red and Blue States form which look at each other with systemic suspicion, but it does seem that these divides are becoming increasingly irreconcilable.

Bet Labor wishes they could turn back the clock two years when they controlled every government at State and Federal level and do things a bit differently.

The Catholic Church and Biscuits: How to Avoid a Priest's Finger- by Sean Maguire

At a recent lecture given by long time subversive artists Gilbert and George, there was a fantastic point made which highlighted the absurdity of institutionalised religion and the anomalous status it's given in today's society.

They said something along the lines of....

"Imagine if a biscuit company was able to sell itself the way the church does. The biscuit company would probably be able to do a lot better if it was able to offer eternal life (in addition to biscuits) as a reward for your money"

Now the idea also works in reverse.

Imagine if there was a company that didn't pay tax, had little or no oversight from the state legal system, was found to be fingering children- had tried to hide it- their leader and the leader's brother were both implicated and they still refused to open themselves up to public scrutiny.

You probably wouldn't buy their biscuits would you.

NTEU Strike at UNSW Today

As mentioned on HPD last Saturday, there will be a strike at UNSW today by the NTEU.

The strike is centred around expired Enterprise Agreements that the Management are refusing to re-sign leading to negotiations having stalled.

Unfortunately, the power of this strike seems limited.

Around campus most students are either: going to come to class because their lecturers said they were coming, treating it as a holiday, or completely ignorant of why the NTEU is striking.

The problem is high-lighted when we consider that for most people a strike seems like an inconveniance.

A not all together unpredictable state of affairs, but one that shows the gulf that has grown between students and staff and the work that may need to be done to bridge it.

Jesus Christ! Blasphemy in Ireland- by Sean Maguire

At the beginning of the year it was reported around the world that Ireland had introduced laws against blasphemy- a seemingly bizarre reversal of the times as the country moved to becoming a more pluralistic society.

Yesterday it was announced that a referendum will be held on the laws, with the hope from securalists and the divisive group Athiest Ireland, that they'll be rescinded.

Don't hold your breath.

It wasn't too long ago that Ireland voted down the Lisbon Treaty because of fears of a loss of sovereignty on social issues- primarily regarding laws on marriage and abortion.

So on this St Patrick's Day let's say thanks to the man who brought catholocism to Ireland (and got rid of the snakes) and hope that one day the Irish will be able to say fuck you to the pope in peace.

Keating breaches the Abbott-Proof-Fence- by Sean Maguire

For even the most casual watcher of Australian politics the last few months have been depressing.

Tony Abbott, the self-styled ideological love-child of Bronwyn Bishop and John Howard has been playing some pretty petty party politics; stone-walling any Labor policy, regardless of its merits.

So step up Paul Keating, the ideological love-child of a brick wall and Jack Lang.

He has launched a vicious and burning attack on Abbott calling him an "intellectual nobody [with] no policy ambition", and the "poor man's John Howard".

Hard to disagree with, and hard to see how Abbott will slip out of the shadow of the anodyne if he doesn't start voting with Australia's, and not his interests in mind.

A culture of hate- by Simon Moore

In the last few days I have been researching a political organisation known as the nationalist alternative. From their ideologies it is not hard to jump from ultra conservative white-only party to radical neo-nazi party. I realised that many opposed to such racist groups are looking into a violent mirror. The nationalist alternative was attacked aggressively at an anti internet censorship rally in South Australia, a video on slackbastard depicted multicultural groups stomping the white only protestors heads, the lyrics to a song by Skarharrper called "nazi scum" has the lyrics "we gotta beat em in the street, there's a time to fight and that time has come, we're comin for ya nazi scum". How does one defend minorities by violently attacking one?

HPD Salutes: "When We Were Kings"

Today we salute "When We Were Kings", the 1996 film that depicts the "Rumble in Jungle"- the infamous 1974 fight between George Foreman and Muhamad Ali.

With hypnotic chants of "Ali Bomaye", scenes of Foreman smacking dents into boxing bags, and the epic mental and physical strength of each boxer, this is a film that shows the real golden age of boxing.

So here is our salute to a vicious, viceral and sometimes beautiful sport and two men that stunned the world with their athleticism, bravery and spirit.

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4 mar

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Why has homepage started running so many nameless 100 word eds? Names are good for intellectual continuity, honesty and non-hypocrisy. - Terry McGee

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Re: Bale de Rua

We thought the Bale de Rua was aweful. Choreography was terrible - set design, music and costumes were lacklustre. The dancers however were very athletic and graceful. - Jules

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Re: In Praise of Mediocrity

I just wonder who decides if what ever you chose to do in life, is mediocre or not. Sounds like with standards like yours, this article with its poor structure and soap box appeal may also be considered by many as, in-fact, mediocre. - Khedra

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Re: The Assassins of Langley

Yes, Mr. Neville. Odious, heinous assassins sold body and soul to Luciferian entities who pull the strings (the last of them, I want to believe) from the shadows. Philip Aggeee and John Stockwell portrayed them quite well. They are NOT heroes, nor are the gangbangers of East Los Angeles who spray grafitti in Iraq, where they most certainly train for urban warfare on our streets. Good riddance to them all!

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Re: Hairy Legs: A Study of Female Art, Feminism and Femininity

Looking forward to more of her articles. Hope she does plenty of Art Theory at SCA. Barbara Kruger and Judy Chicago are certainly powerful artists and it would be interesting to see what they are doing now.

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A hero's welcome for the famous Iraqi shoe thrower

Terrorist! Please do your research first before writing such dangerous things, we was insulting Bush by throwing the shoe as he was disgraced with him, not trying to topple the largest super power in the world by throwing a shoe. I cant believe you have put those words up. Ashamed

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Re: How to Report the News

Having worked as a TV news reporter I found Charlie's piece very amusing - some of us have long believed reporting like this is a rubbish way to do things! But even if a journalist wants to tell stories in a more authentic and engaging way, the constraints of the so-called "house style" in many news organisations make it difficult to achieve. What's needed is a massive culture shift and a complete re-think of what we understand quality broadcast news reporting is. And guess what? That's exactly what's happening, though you'd never believe it from what we're still mostly seeing on TV. Anyway, the new digital technologies, and shake up of "old school/old mainstream" journalism means new platforms and styles of "news" storytelling can now emerge. Let's hope fresh and appropriate ways of funding appear too, so we can kill off this dreadful formulaic reporting and delivery, and clear the way for more natural and interesting ways to treat stories and content.

Much love, Ian Aspin.
www.twitter.com/ianaspin

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Re: Pushing 60 With Pot

You're pushing 60, well I'm pushing 70 and still having to scrounge around for my pot. It's tragic that when I first came to Australia it was $30 an ounce, and now I have to pay nearly $350 - Peter

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Re: Textbook publishers dream of the tablet

Why can't this just be a program for PC and Windows? Why do they have to make us buy more hardware that's just going to disappoint? - Tyler J. Wilson

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Re: Killing Indian Students: Australia's Favourite New Sport!- by Sean Maguire

How about the indian guy who slashed his wife's throat, is still australia to blame for?..may be , for accenpting them to move over!I am an immigrant myself but I love this country, there is no perfect place on Earth but australia is one of the best! - Michael

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Re: Killing Indian Students: Australia's Favourite New Sport!- by Sean Maguire

This entire fiasco is an incredible over reaction. Australia is an easy target. Why? because we are honest, transperant and we talk about our failings. Is there aggression and iolence in Australia? Sure, like any country. But we face it head on and we work to eliminate it. What about the stories of the 100’s of thousands of Indian workers who are treated as slaves in the middle east and nobody says anything? What about the fact that India still has entrenched pedophilia in terms of child brides? What about the crushing poverty embraced by more than 60% of the Indian people while this nation runs around building nuclear warheads? A storm in a teacup, an over reaction, and a diversion from some the really bad issues facing India. What is really happening here is that students are being unnecessarily frightened. meaning they will miss out on what could be the opportunity of their lifetime. - Daryl

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Re: Killing Indian Students: Australia's Favourite New Sport!- by Sean Maguire

I couldn't agree with Sean Maguire's article more on the recent Indian attacks. For all those who like the pretend the attacks are merely based on coincidence, try to imagine how we would react if the boot were on the other foot and an uncharacteristic number of Australia's had been murdered in India. Would you push for a travel ban? Would you be scared for your children in a seemingly hostile environment so many miles away? - Kara Jensen-Mackinnon

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