The Worth of a Man (Spoilers: less than a fetus)

The death of late-term abortion provider George Tiller at the hands of a pro-life fanatic (who once tried to bomb an abortion clinic prior to the murder) has revealed a particularly nasty streak in some members of the pro-life movement. No, I am talking about the killer himself.  I am talking about the people who refuse to say a bad word about him. First up, a published comment on the part of Randall Terry, founder of the organization Operation Rescue (which protested Tiller at length about 15 years back):

 "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."

The key points are to note that George Tiller was "a mass murderer" only according to the deranged, subjective opinion of people who insist that killing undeveloped fetuses is the moral equivalent of killing fully cognizant human beings, and not the opinion of the law.   In addition, isn't it rather telling that there is not one word expressing actual sympathy for the sentient human being that was killed?  The one with friends, and family, who was doing a job that few have the skills to provide and was doing it perfectly legally?  Whether what he did was deemed "murder" by a group of politically and religiously minded people or not is irrelevant to the objective fact that killing him is murder by the law.  Sadly, it appears that this individual cares more about not being politically inconvenienced by someone who took the "most effective rhetoric" of the "pro-life" movement too literally than about someone actually being killed due to the divisive and irrational political climate they are contributing to wholeheartedly.

And, since that was nice, succinct, and savory, how could you settle for just one?

Here's a good number more wingnut nuggets:

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

A few more added 6:54 PM Pacific Time

• Guy shoots a Dr. to death in Church. Me I'm willing to bet that Jesus was his co-pilot. - jeremyawhitman 
• Tiller the Killer goes to Church and ends up in Hell - mshellisright, Tulsa
• Tiller the Baby Killer is finally dead....God took care of what needed to be done.... - Cynthia Wrench
• The left-wing nutjobs don't understand that Tiller the baby killer was not human. No human kills babies, only monsters. Good riddance - Sami Shamieh, Walnut Creek, CA
• I guess Obama the Messiah can't resurrect Tiller the baby killer. -  Sami Shamieh, Walnut Creek, CA
• The person who shot Tiller the baby killer simply excercised a man's right to choose. - Sami Shamieh, Walnut Creek, CA
• the killing of tiller the baby killer was JUSTICE, not murder. - eqbt
• Glad someone offed Tiller. Baby Killer. - Kat, Kansas

The most common perspective seems to be one of feeling that this was justified, because Tiller was a "baby killer".  Interestingly, the term "baby killer" may be more accurate than when pro-lifers generally use it to describe abortionists, because Tiller had a clinic in which he performed late-term abortions (after the 21st week, near or into the third trimester).  The counter-point to that issue is the fact that he usually only performed these procedures when it was medically necessary.

That's right.  Tiller the baby killer killed babies that were most likely going to die on their own or who would result in serious medical/psychiatric complications for the mother.  It is only by prioritizing these fetuses' lives over both their mothers' and Tiller's life that you can even begin to suggest that something approximating justice was served.  In this case, we could even grant the pro-lifers their baseless assumption that killing a fetus with not even a semblance of cognition is equivalent to murder of a full functioning human being who is biologically independent and it would not even be relevant to this case.  Odd for something pertinent to abortion to have the major point of disagreement between the political sides (that a fetus counts as fully human) be completely irrelevant, but there ya go.

And this is what brings me, once again, to a dissection.  Hat tip to Pharyngula, leading me to an article by Gingi Edmonds: (Warning:  this going to be long, and you may not want to look directly at the quoted passages, lest your eyes be burnt out of your skull from exposure to the criminal levels of inherent evil contained within).

Tiller was one of only three nationwide abortionists that make a living injecting digoxin into the beating hearts of small infants from the 21st week of pregnancy to birth.  This man put Kansas on the map as the "abortion state" with his entrepreneurial spirit in capitalizing on abortion services

Well, so far so good....she isn't lying!  Even though she is stating it in clearly biased language...who can really blame her?

In addition to being a hit man for hire, Tiller also offered funerary services to mothers that paid him to off their kids.  While most clinics in the nation are content to just rape and scrape, Tiller took his practice leaps and bounds beyond the norm and peddled abortion packages that included photographing, footprinting, handprinting, baptism, cremation, and arrangement for autopsy.

"Hit man for hire"?  Is there really any other kind? 

How is "rape" at all anyway analogous to anything that is occuring in this voluntary procedure?

Why does she continue the great pro-lifer tradition of talking about abortion as if it was some frivolous/hateful decision on the part of the mothers that needs to be mocked?  So many questions...

George Tiller personally killed more babies than America lost soldiers in Vietnam.  Although he specialized in killing handicapped children, most of his tiny victims were late term, fully-formed, healthy, and viable outside the womb.  He performed an average of roughly seven post-viable abortions per week and has admitted on tape to aborting babies a day before the mother's due date. 

As mentioned in an article I previously linked to (here it is again), the idea that these "children" were viable is quite a distortion, because all his cases either involved non-viable fetuses or significant threats to the mother's well-being.  So, under that condition, it probably doesn't matter if he aborted an infant a day before it was due to be born, because it was either not viable, "handicapped" (i.e. with sufficiently severe birth effects) enough to not make it very long after being born, or could very well have brought harm to the mother had the due date been reached. 

Despite his radical dealings in abortion extremism for over 35 years, Tiller has been met with physical violence only three times in his career of mass baby slaughter.  His clinic was bombed in 1985.  On August 19, 1993 he was shot in both arms outside of his Wichita clinic.  And on May 31, 2009 Tiller was shot to death as he served as an usher during church services.

You see?  He was only attacked by anti-abortion fanatics three times.  He should've considered himself lucky!  This makes me feel much better.

Murder is murder, and it is something that we pro-lifers inherently deplore.  But I can't help but note - and my history is rusty so pardon me here - I'm trying to remember, did anyone mourn Lee Harvey Oswald when Jack Ruby gunned him down?  Or better yet, did anyone mourn the deaths of Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer, or any other mass murderer for that matter?  Even according to the harebrained pro-choice life-at-viability reckoning, Tiller was indisputably a mass murderer who was executed in a fashion far more humane than the tens of thousands of children that he mutilated and left to die in cuddle session bassinets.

"Murder is murder, but just give me a second while I try to justify this murder".  Lee Harvey Oswald did have the right to a fair trial, did have family, and Jack Ruby was punished for killing him.  Jeffrey Dahmer is still loved by his father, whom he lived with during the murders, and both parents publically stated that they still loved him, despite the murders.  I know less about Bundy, but, then again, he was executed, not killed by a random person who felt they were justified in doing so because their victim was themselves a killer.  And I sincerely doubt that shooting someone to death is more humane than whatever procedure Tiller used.  In other words, [citation needed].

I mean, think about it.  Someone just shot a Nazi guard manning the gas chamber at Aushwitz.  I should feel bad about this?  George Tiller the Baby Killer's acts are every bit as vile as the Nazi war criminals who were hunted down, tried, and sentenced after they participated in the "legal" murder of the Jews that fell into their hands.

Ah yes, the abortion=The Holocaust bit.  Just a natural conclusion to draw from the abortion=murder presupposition, with a little emotional blackmail on top by pulling a Godwin.  In other words, this is just a reiteration of the last paragraph. Murderers "deserve" to be murdered, therefore "murderers" deserve to be murdered (note the scare quotes please).  

The lone wacko who gunned Tiller down was not associated with any single pro-life organization or group.  He was working solo and his acts rest on his head alone.  So why, exactly, are pro-lifers doing back flips to appease the abortion mongering moonbats that seek to elevate Tiller to martyrdom and sainthood?

Here's the brief version for why "pro-lifers" need to at least try to pretend to have human decency and care about this: because the extreme rhetoric on your side of the aisle is the kind of crap that justifies this.  Just read your post up to this point.  The entire time is spent trying to both 1. characterize Tiller as a "mass-murderer" and 2. suggest that killing people due to being a mass-murderer is fully justified.  In other words, you are arguing that the person who did this, by the logic of the pro-life movement, is completely justified!  And that's why you need to start doing "back flips" right now: because you will completely lose all credibility if anyone with the slightest bit of sense realizes that those slightly to right of moderate in the "pro-life" movement fully support the actions of the killer!

Instead of scrambling to feverishly denounce the pro-life community ("Anyone who thinks Tiller's death is in any way a positive thing is not a true pro-lifer"... huh?) we should be looking at a very serious fact:  If every single pro-lifer who is currently falling all over themselves to publicly mourn the "loss" of this abortionist displayed just a fraction of that outrage over just ONE of the children Tiller murdered on a regular nine to five, Baby Killer Tiller would have been put out of business long ago and he would not be dead today. 

And if the "pro-lifers" didn't spent so much time freaking the fuck out over the well-being of non-viable third trimester fetuses and the brainless first trimester fetuses that we so merrily massacre and rather started caring about the post-birth children in our country, and throughout the world, who are suffering and dying, then they would resemble people with a semblance of sanity.  But, alas, this is not the case.  And, yes, those who think that Tiller's death was justified are "pro-life" rather than pro-life.  But, frankly, the scare quote version is the only kind we are used to encountering anyway.

Over the years there have been multiple opportunities to peacefully and legally hold George Tiller accountable to his actions, thus shielding him from acts of extremism.  An example would be his trial that took place in March of 2009.  Being charged with 19 misdemeanors he got off scott-free through corrupt political ties and professional dishonesty.  Again, had justice been served in that courtroom, Tiller would be alive today and serving a sentence behind bars.

So, in other words, the court rules in favor of Tiller, proving that he is working within the confines of the law, but, because the result wasn't in favor of your delusions, you think that it was just another tally against him?  Rather than vindicating him, it was obviously a "corrupt" ruling and, once again, killing him is justified?  You know, I originally intended to blog crazy, inane things.  I am glad I gave up on that early, because I clearly can't compete with this!

Is the pro-life position one of violence?  Of course not.  It is because we are so peaceful that lone acts of extremism immediately garner national attention.  In the course of a 36 year genocide, only five abortionists have been killed.  According to government statistics from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, for every abortionists killed, over thirty clergy members have been murdered.  Where are the candlelight vigils and 24/7 news coverage for these victims of political violence?

If the pro-life position isn't one of violence, then you must have really missed the boat in spending every paragraph before this point coming up with rationalizations in favor of a violent crime.  And, please look at the side of pro-choice supporters, and compare the acts of terrorism and murder (you know, the actual kind prohibited by law) between the sides.  Peaceful my ass.  I have no idea about the clergy members, but I sincerely doubt that they would killed for "political" reasons, let alone all of them for the same political reasons.  And I also doubt that they have a comparable populations (i.e. abortionists are most likely more rare than "clergy" in a general sense of the word).  So, yeah.

According to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, every day more than 80 Americans die from gun violence - many of these being senseless death with the victims innocent of any wrong-doing.  And here we have a man who made a living peddling death, who reaped what he had been sowing for over 36 years at $5,000+ a pop. Does this honestly surprise anyone?

Yay!  America has an abysmally large number of murders via gun usage, and Tiller deserved it.  Ergo, stop talking about it everybody!   Since this particular "gun violence" was politically motivated, rather than a standard random act of violence, and was directed at a guy who has been incredibly demonized by the "pro-life" crowd, I am going to have to say, yes, this is relevant news.  But, sadly, I am not surprised by it.

Pro-lifers need to stop hyperventilating over the pro-aborts who are having aneurisms synthesizing mock outrage at Tiller's demise.  We need, now more than ever, to keep things in proper perspective. 

I assure you, pro-birther, that the outrage is genuine.  And when did you ever, in your life, come across a proper perspective, in which to be in a position to "keep things in" one?

 I know this is a huge loss for Tiller's family and they need our prayer and support.  I'm sure they are grieving bitterly, and it is heartbreaking to think of the pain that they must be feeling.  It is ultimately tragic that Tiller did not have an opportunity to properly prepare his soul to face his Maker.  Unless some miracle happened, he left this life with his hands drenched with innocent blood.

Hopefully there is more support than prayer.  Unless you just want to feel self-important, in which case, pray away!  Also, the last two sentences sound almost identical to Randall Terry's up top.  Maybe they shared notes?

While it is imperative that we extend love and grace to the family of Tiller, we still cannot afford to lose sight of the fact that George Tiller was a mass murderer of the worst kind who made a living off of killing babies and harming women.  Unless you are radically against capital punishment, those who view abortion as murder agree that the penalty for the crime of mass child slaughter is death.  And although the method and means of his execution is deplorable, the ultimate outcome is not. 

PRO-LIFE!!1!!!

(Also, "radically" against capital punishment?  What?)

The man chose his fate the moment he dismembered his first infant.  I'm not embarrassed to say what the punishment for the crime is anymore than I'membarrassed to admit that child killing is a crime.

You should be dreadfully embarrassed to say both.  You should be embarrassed to say that the punishment for mass murder is death because it depends on your jurisdiction.  There are laws, and due process involved in this, ya know, and not everywhere allows the death penalty.  You should be embarrassed to say that child killing is a crime because 1. regular abortion is not "child" killing and 2. it completely ignores the fact that, in this case, the "child killing" was done to the already dead/those who would harm the mother/those that would likely die out of the womb anyway.  And you should be incredibly embarrassed, having said both of those, because Tiller was already in court and deemed innocent of crime and unworthy of punishment!  And you've already acknowledged that you are aware of that!  So, quite frankly: fuck you.

Did I want him to be gunned down in church - even a hypocritical, Molech-worshiping fraud of a church like the one he was attending while shot?  No.  I would have much preferred him being tried and convicted in a court of law that is consistent with medical science and personhood as defined in our Constitution.  We can prevent the atrocious acts of violence against abortionists by holding them accountable to their actions.  

Here's where the fun is at:  suggesting that a church is a "fraud" because it is presumably a liberal one (it is a Lutheran church...that's all I know about it on this end).  Classic conservative move, attempting to imply that they have an exclusive claim to "TRUE!" Christianity.  And, although I am sure she would have preferred that he was "tried and convicted", he was tried already and found innocent!  Goddammit, how much does she think the "medical science" that doesn't support her position and the Constitution that doesn't define personhood has changed since then?

The sooner pro-lifers stop giving pro-aborts wiggle room in their perpetual playing of the victim card, the better.  We need to reveal to the nation what this man did for a living and shed even more light on the grisly details of abortion.  Our pointless pacifism and back-peddling in the face of this tragedy is helping turn George Tiller into a hero for the pro-abort crowd.

Yeah, pro-choicers are the ones who play the victim card.  Sure.  And, lol at the idea of exposing "the grisly details of abortion".  It's how they operate: showing disgusting photos of the most developed aborted fetuses they can find.  They are the real life version of a shock site.  They are the goatse of political movements.  That's probably the nicest thing I've been able to say about them thus far, as well!

(Note:  if you don't know what goatse is...please take caution when looking it up.  No need to expose you to horrors beyond the Lovecraftian nightmares and terrifying illogic I deem fit for the blog).

Already, the pro-deathers are making absurd comments such as, "Tiller was truly pro-life, he helped women and was willing to sacrifice his own life for them!"  Well, if pro-aborts can dub Tiller "truly pro-life", then in all fairness I guess it's safe to say that his killer was truly "pro-choice".  He believed in the idea that if a person's existence troubles you, you have the right to kill them.  He also obviously strongly felt that every abortionist should be a wanted abortionist.  Is it not a personal decision?  His ammunition, his choice?  Everybody has an opinion... can't we all just get along?  Find common ground, like Obama asked us to?

I mean, I personally would not shoot an abortionist, but who am I to impose my morality on someone else?  If you are against shooting abortionists, then don't shoot one, right?  Hmm, suddenly pro-choice  rhetoric doesn't sound so warm and fuzzy and virtuous, does it?

Let me repeat the key strawman:  "if a person's existence troubles you, you have the right to kill them".  Did she unintentionally leave out the part where the person is biologically dependent on you, causes strain on your body due to this, will inevitably need to cause you tremendous pain in order to claim independence and could cause permanent damage in the process, the person popped out of nowhere with no known acquitances, and the person has no discernible cognitive function until half-way through the entire process?  I am sure it was just a mistaken omission on her part.

I am glad to hear her scoff at the sound of compromise. It's a sign of a true zealot.

Also:  "If you are against shooting abortionists, then don't shoot one, right?"  How many ways can you restate "abortion=murder" in one article!?

Tiller was killed by a pro-choice act.  Pro-lifers need make no apologies.  Both men are guilty of bloodshed and this tragedy is a sad but all-too-real testament to the biblical truth that those who live by the sword, die by the sword.

Does that mean that we get to kill Tiller's murderer?  Or do we have to break that "Biblical truth" by just giving him life in prison?  

What else do we have here...

Oh look, Bill O'Reilly makes sense for a whole one minute before frantically trying to defend himself.  

Funny to see him so riled up, making many of the same harebrained points that Gingi does. Oh, if you want to see one of the reasons why Bill seems so defensive...here ya go.

2:32 or so, he starts to muse about roughing up Tiller, but restrains himself with the particularly weak (and almost sarcastic sounding) "Can't be vigilantes".  Well, apparently, some among us think otherwise.  

And, last but not least, read this article for a dash of redemption for the pro-lifers (just, don't read the comments....fair warning...).

All I've got to say is that, at the end of the day, it is a good thing we have the rule of law to protect us from the anti-abortion crowd. 

Edit:  This article at Slacktivist describes the issue incredibly well.  Also:  

While attending worship at Reformation Lutheran Church this morning, child-slaughterer George Tiller seems to have been assassinated. Without a doubt the most bloodthirsty and cruel of our nation's baby-murderers, Tiller's name has been infamous among men committed to stopping the bloodshed. He's one of the few willing to take money to murder babies so late in the pregnancy that they would be viable outside the womb.

Operation Rescue publicity hound, Randall Terry, expresses regret at Tiller's assassination. We express regret for the years he was allowed to slaughter babies with the civil authority doing absolutely nothing to stop him. One wonders what Martin Luther, John Calvin, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer would say at the news that he was attending church this morning when he was killed?

May Almighty God keep another man from picking up his traffic in murder.

God, please protect me from your followers....