Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Here's part of the post by Frank Schaeffer at The Huffington Post:
How I (and Other "Pro-Life" Leaders) Contributed to Dr. Tiller's Murder
My late father and I share the blame (with many others) for the murder of Dr. George Tiller the abortion doctor gunned down on Sunday. Until I got out of the religious right (in the mid-1980s) and repented of my former hate-filled rhetoric I was both a leader of the so-called pro-life movement and a part of a Republican Party hate machine masquerading as the moral conscience of America.*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Like many writers of moral/political/religious theories my father and I would have been shocked that someone took us at our word, walked into a Lutheran Church and pulled the trigger on an abortionist. But even if the murderer never read Dad's or my words we helped create the climate that made this murder likely to happen.
In fact that very thing has happened before. In 1994, Dr. John Bayard Britton and one of his volunteer escorts were shot and killed outside an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida. Paul Hill, a former minister, was convicted of the killings and executed in 2003. Paul Hill was an avid follower of my father's.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
When evangelicals on the right call President Obama a socialist, a racist, anti-American, an abortionist, not a real American, and, echoing the former Vice President, someone who is weakening America's defenses and making us less safe, the logical conclusion is violence. If you take these words literally you might pull the trigger to "make America safe" and/or free us from communism or to even protect us from -- what some "Christian" leaders claim -- Obama as the Antichrist.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
The same hate machine I was part of is still attacking all abortionists as "murderers." And today once again the "pro-life" leaders are busy ducking their personal responsibility for people acting on their words. The people who stir up the fringe never take responsibility. But I'd like to say on this day after a man was murdered in cold blood for preforming abortions that I -- and the people I worked with in the religious right, the Republican Party, the pro-life movement and the Roman Catholic Church, all contributed to this killing by our foolish and incendiary words.
I am very sorry.
There is more that goes with what I have posted here.
You can find the rest here.
And now here's Rachel Maddow with Frank Shaeffer:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
11 comments:
Good morning Eddie! Oh for joy....I can finally post on your blog! Hopefully the gremlins are dead.
As for right-wing terrorists and the complicity of Fox News, can they get any more vile than they already are? I keep wondering if somehow the Taliban has morphed into the christian community. I read somewhere that the only difference between the Taliban and American christians is 8,000 miles.
Nancy makes some valid points also (the difference-8000 miles). This entire situation has me so mad, I think blood will begin dripping from my eyes. I have something to say on my blog - and am putting it together as I type. (multi-taksing haha!) Mr. Shaefer's apology and change in ideaology is applaudable.
Nancy - That 8,000 miles is the ONLY difference between the Taliban and the home-grown extremist terrorists we have here, who I like to call the Christo-fascist American Taliban.
Both of these extremist religious organizations want there respective countries ruled by a Theocracy, not a Democracy.
themom - I hear ya! My blood has been boiling for the last three days! I, too, am glad that Frank Shaeffer came out and said what he did. The country needed to hear that, not that everyone listened though.
I look forward to your post.
Nancy I still can't post on your blog! Eddie, extremism is extremism, left-wing, right-wing, muslims etc. The difference is right-wing and taliban are driven by religion. They are one in the same, they both claim to be armies of God. Its frightening and they just don't see themselves as murderers. Their claim is Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly are not elected officials, but do they denounce their hate-filled retoric?? NO, so therefore the country views the repub party as hateful extremists. I guess thats a good thing for us!
I'm looking forward to themom's post, too1
Sue! I've really missed you! I was wondering where you've been. I've been having problems getting on Eddie's site as well. I'm not sure how to solve the problem. Could be neither one of us (you & me) have enough memory or RAM on our computers - or so I've been told. Keep trying girlfriend!
Great post, Grandpa Eddie. There is still hope for those wandering in the desert of the right-wing nuttery... but I think the converted/*saved* are unlikely to experience a mass conversion to reason or tolerance, sadly.
On a completely other tangent; Nancy, I can't post a comment to your blog when I am on my laptop. I noticed that same issue with three other bloggers who have that particular comment box type/function/thingy (as you can tell I am very astute when it comes to technology).
skyewriter - good observation! From one astute student of technology to another, I will change the format of the comment box/thingy to see if that helps. Could be a Blogger issue since several others are experiencing the same thing.
My apologies, Eddie, for going off topic with my problems!
sue - You're right. Extremism is extremism, no matter who it is.
skyewriter - Thanks. Yeah there is still hope, but I don't hold out much for most of the fundamentalists.
Nancy - Don't worry about going off-topic. All that tech talk between two beautiful women kinda.....never mind.
Glad to see I'm not the only one who says "thingy"!! I have heard around blogland that its a blogger issue and internet explorer issue. I updated IE but it didn't help. If the comment box comes up it still won't let me post. I'll stop over and see whats changed!
Beautiful? I like it!
Sue I installed the Firefox thingy :). Maybe that was the problem.
Post a Comment