Anti-Abortion Advocates Use Of Race Is Out Of Bounds

I realize that abortion is a hot-button issue (one that could hardly get much hotter) that stirs a lot of emotion inside a lot of people.

While I do believe people are entitled to their own points of view, as far as the issue is concerned, I find it appalling that some extremists are using race as a way of promoting their anti-abortion agenda.

I saw this bullshit on the Web site toomanyabortions.com:

Abortion is not a me issue. It’s not a you issue. It’s not a personal issue, nor is it just a woman’s issue. It is a human issue. And today, with over 40% of all black pregnancies ending in induced abortion, it is a human crisis. The ‘Endangered Species’ campaign highlights the disproportionate impact of abortion on the black community. The Radiance Foundation has decried abortion’s impact on our entire society, regardless of race, but this particular campaign attempts to dig deeper and focus on abortion in an historical context with real present-day ramifications. This isn’t black versus white, or a me versus you. It’s the truth versus the lie. The truth is that abortion kills an innocent human life.

The end of this excerpt makes the comment that "this isn't black versus white," but clearly the whole campaign is about race and using race as a way to draw blacks to the anti-abortion side of the issue. This is completely foul and wrong. Trying to use the politics of fear and race, as a way to drum up support for an anti-abortion campaign, is disgraceful.

Crooks And Liars Documents Some Of The Biggest Critics of The DHS Report On Right-Wing Extremism

Nice job by Crooks and Liars compiling some of the angry reaction from Republicans as the Department of Homeland Security report on the growing danger of right-wing extremism was released.

Crooks and Liars:
http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/cls-collection-right-wingers-denouncing

Media Matters Documents Some Of Bill O’Reilly’s Hateful, Dangerous Words About The Murdered Dr. George Tiller

Assassinated Dr. George Tiller’s blood may indeed be on the hands of conservative commentators like Bill O’Reilly of Fox News.

Media Matters for America has been out in front of this issue reminding O’Reilly and others of how his words were so dangerous.

Here are some of O’Reilly’s words (prior to the vicious assassination of Dr. Tiller by what appears to be a right-wing anti-abortion extremist).

• “In the state of Kansas, there is a doctor, George Tiller, who will execute babies for $5,000.”
• “For $5,000, ‘Tiller the Baby Killer’ – as some call him – will perform a late-term abortion for just about any reason.”
• “Tiller has killed thousands, thousands of late-term fetuses without explanation.”
• “No question, Dr. Tiller has blood on his hands.”
• ” ‘Tiller the Baby Killer’ out in Kansas, acquitted, acquitted today of murdering babies.”
• “This guy will kill your baby for $5,000, any reason. Any reason.”
• “If we allow Dr. George Tiller and his acolytes to continue, we can no longer pass judgment on any behavior by anybody.”
• “If we allow this, America will no longer be a noble nation.”

Hateful words can inspire unstable people to commit violent acts. What O’Reilly did and said, over and over again, went beyond just being an anti-abortion person who opposed Dr. Tiller’s work.

Read between the lines of those comments to see the hate and anger.

I am not saying O’Reilly wanted Dr. Tiller murdered. I am not saying that at all. But, look at O’Reilly’s actions since the murder of Dr. Tiller. He hardly seems bothered by the fact that the man, who performed legal medical procedures for women, was murdered in cold blood by what appears to be an act of domestic terrorism. In fact, O’Reilly has spent even more time aggressively bashing the assassinated Dr. Tiller (albeit with far-less volatile language).

Bill O’Reilly is continuing to bash a dead man.

Why is he continuing to bash Dr. George Tiller?

Is he trying to shake himself off the hook of responsibility, or is he motivated by something else?

Media Matters:
http://mediamatters.org/columns/200906090004

Rememebr When Janet Napolitano Was Criticized For Homeland Security Report On Right-Wing Extremism

It was not all that long ago that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was being strongly criticized by right-wing politicians and pundits.

Here is a sample from the Washington Post:

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano responded yesterday to widespread criticism of a leaked domestic intelligence report warning local law enforcement agencies to be on guard for right-wing extremist groups seeking new recruits amid the nation’s economic troubles.

“Let me be very clear: we monitor the risks of violent extremism taking root here in the United States,” Napolitano said in a written statement issued by her department. “We don’t have the luxury of focusing our efforts on one group; we must protect the country from terrorism whether foreign or homegrown, and regardless of the ideology that motivates its violence.”

With the heinous assassination of Dr. George Tiller (a doctor who provided abortions), maybe there was a lot more merit to the report (not that it did not have some flaws) than people wanted to believe at the time.

Extremism (to this extent) is wrong … whether it comes from the left or the right.

Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/15/AR2009041503390.html

Field Negro:
http://field-negro.blogspot.com/2009/06/domestic-terrorist-and-people-who.html