Security stepped up at abortion clinics in US after killing of Dr George Tiller
Sunday, June 7, 2009
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The US ordered increased security for abortion doctors and clinics todayas details emerged of close links between the man held for the murder of one of the country's most prominent abortion ?doctors and rightwing militias with strong anti-government views.
The killing of Dr George Tiller at his ?Kansas church on Sunday, and the arrest of 51 year-old Scott Roeder as he fled the scene, has added fresh impetus to the abortion debate shortly before congressional hearings begin for Sonia Sotomayor, Barack Obama's nominee to the supreme court, at which she is certain to be pressed for her views on the issue.
In Washington the attorney general, Eric Holder, ordered the US marshals service to step up protection of abortion doctors and their clinics, many of which have routine protection after years of being ?targeted by extremists and mainstream anti-abortion groups. Nine abortion ?doctors, clinic workers and others have been murdered in recent years. Tiller was wearing a bulletproof jacket when he was shot in the head, and frequently travelled with bodyguards after he was wounded in an earlier assassination attempt.
Obama denounced the killing. ?"However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," he said.
But some prominent anti-abortion activists came close to justifying it. ?Randall Terry, founder of the largest anti-abortion group, Operation Rescue, issued a statement that fell short of condemning the murder and tried to shift attention to the political fight by warning that Obama would now use it to pressure organisations which describe themselves as "pro-life".
"George Tiller was a mass murderer.We grieve for him that he did not have time to properly prepare his soul to face God," he said."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."
Dave Leach, editor of an anti-abortion newsletter, Prayer and Action News, to which Roeder occasionally contributed told the New York Times he had once met the alleged killer. "To call this a crime is too simplistic," Leach said. "There is Christian scripture that would support this."
Roeder's family said in a statement they were "shocked, horrified and filled with sadness at the death of Dr Tiller". "We know Scott as a kind and loving son, brother and father who suffered from mental illness at various times in his life," the family said. "However, none of us ever saw Scott as a person capable of or willing to take another person's life."
Others painted a picture of a more extreme man. Roeder has been identified as the likely poster of questions about Tiller on Operation Rescue's website. Among other things, a man with his name suggested going to Tiller's church to confront him and other members of the congregation over his work.
"Blaess (sic) everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp," he wrote. "Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there?"
In 1996, Roeder was convicted over the discovery of explosives and bomb-making equipment, along with a military rifle, gas mask and ammunition, in his car and sentenced to two years in prison. But his conviction was overturned on appeal on the grounds that the police had illegally searched his car.
The FBI identified Roeder as a member of the anti-government Freemen group, which described itself as made up of Christian patriots, whose leaders were sentenced to prison terms after a three month armed stand-off with law enforcement forces in Montana 13 years ago.
The Kansas City Star newspaper quoted a man identified as commander of the Kansas Unorganized Citizens Militia in the mid-1990s, Morris Wilson, as saying he knew Roeder at the time. "I'd say he's a good ol' boy, except he was just so fanatic about abortion," Wilson said. "He was always talking about how awful abortion was." Operation Rescue denounced the killing as "vigilantism" and cowardly.
It said it instead wanted to see Tiller "brought to justice" for what it regards as the murder of the unborn.
guardian.co.uk ? Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Security stepped up at abortion clinics in US after killing of Dr George Tiller
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Security stepped up at abortion clinics in US after killing of Dr George Tiller
[Source: Television News]
Security stepped up at abortion clinics in US after killing of Dr George Tiller
[Source: China News]
posted by 77767 @ 11:52 PM,
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Obama's Arab audience: Tough, gaining
PrintEmailPDF by Mark Silva
President Barack Obama will face a tough audience when he delivers his long-promised address to the Muslim world on Thursday from Cairo University.
In some of the Arab nations and territory in the region, most notably his host country of Egypt, public views about the "job performance of the leadership of the United States'' have improved remarkably from one president to the next - from the view that Arabs held of former President George W. Bush's leadership last summer, to the views they voiced of Obama's leadership in March.
Yet even in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the two nations where Obama will begin his journey this week, a positive view of U.S. leadership is still shared by about one in four of those surveyed: Up from 12 percent last summer to 29 percent in Saudi Arabia, according to survey results released today by the Gallup Poll on the eve of the president's trip, and up from just 6 percent to 25 percent in Egypt.
"These upsurges, which ranged from 11 percentage points in Syria to 23 points in Tunisia, may reflect positive reception to Obama and his administration's public outreach to the Muslim world,'' Gallup reports today. "Obama will deliver his message Thursday with an arguably stronger basis of support than his predecessor ever had in many Arab countries. Nonetheless, approval remains low and underscores the work that remains as Obama seeks to pave a new, more positive way forward.''
In nearly all of the 11 nations and territories where the public was surveyed, public opinion of the U.S. leadership has improved from last year - up 23 percent in Tunisia, from 14 to 37, up 22 points in Algergia from 25 to 47, up 14 points in Qatar, from 8 to 22 percent, up 13 in Kuwait, from 20 ro 33, up 11 in Syria, from 4 to 15 percentage point approval.
In two palaces, however, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, the view of U.S. leadership is no brighter today than it was last summer: 22 percent approval registered in Lebanon, down from 25 points last summer, 7 percent in the Palestinian territories, down from 13 points in June.
Obama's Arab audience: Tough, gaining
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Obama's Arab audience: Tough, gaining
[Source: Abc 7 News]
Obama's Arab audience: Tough, gaining
[Source: Cbs News]
posted by 77767 @ 7:36 PM,
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Obama On LGBT Pride Month
PrintEmailPDF A presidential proclamation marking Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.
Available in full after the jump.
Obama On LGBT Pride Month
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Obama On LGBT Pride Month
[Source: News]
Obama On LGBT Pride Month
[Source: Cbs News]
Obama On LGBT Pride Month
[Source: News Station]
posted by 77767 @ 5:20 PM,
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Quote of the Day
PrintEmailPDF "I am Rahm Emanuel, so people say that a lot."
-- White House chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, quoted by the Reliable Source, to a woman who asked him if anyone ever tells him he looks like Rahm Emanuel.
Quote of the Day
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Quote of the Day
[Source: Community News]
Quote of the Day
[Source: Channel 6 News]
Quote of the Day
[Source: Sunday News]
posted by 77767 @ 5:01 PM,
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Dean: Bypass Bipartisanship On Health Care
PrintEmailPDF My full post out of the first day of the America's Future Now! conference in DC is below. But I wanted to highlight Howard Dean's strong push for a public option, which I wrapped into the story:
During a lunchtime press conference, Howard Dean, recent past chair of the DNC and a doctor, said that it's more important to have a public plan than a bipartisan plan. "Bipartisan," he said, "is not an end in and of itself."
He said that Republicans haven't helped Obama with the stimulus package nor do they seem poised to offer an assist with approving his nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the nation's highest court.
"If they're in there to shill for the insurance companies, I think we should do it with 51 votes," Dean said, suggesting that it be accomplished via budget reconciliation.
Dean added: "The American people voted for real change. They knew exactly what he was proposing when he was on the campaign trail."
(JENNIFER SKALKA)
Dean: Bypass Bipartisanship On Health Care
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Dean: Bypass Bipartisanship On Health Care
[Source: Weather News]
Dean: Bypass Bipartisanship On Health Care
[Source: Wb News]
Dean: Bypass Bipartisanship On Health Care
[Source: Television News]
posted by 77767 @ 4:08 PM,
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What's Good for GM isn't What's Good For America
PrintEmailPDF So. Alea iacta est, as Julius Caesar might have said, if there had been a major Roman chariot manufacturer in putative need of nationalization. The nation's largest automaker, our most iconic firm, is bankrupt, GM and Citigroup exit the Dow in favor of Travelers and Cisco.
The first obvious thing to say is that the only alternative the US government probably had to this massively expensive reorganization was probably liquidation. I take seriously the claims that there was no DIP financing available for the automakers.
However. The reason there was no DIP financing available is, at least in part, that there's no obvious upside here. The government is acting as if GM's main problem is that it stubbornly refused to enter the lucrative market for small, fuel-efficient cars. But the market for small, fuel efficient cars is not lucrative--they're the cars with the thinnest margins. And no one's making it up on volume, either: at the height of last year's oil spike, when barrels of Brent Crude were being quoted in first-born sons, small cars soared to . . . 20% of the American market. Yes, there was a glut of SUVs, but that's because American companies were making a lot of SUVs. Foreign companies make money on small cars because they develop them for lucrative home markets before modifying them for American production.
GM's main problem is not that the market is unreasonably unwilling to finance a potentially profitable company. Nor that it can't produce an awesome small car that shockingly few people want to buy. (Believe me, as the owner of a tiny, ultra-efficient car, I would that there were higher demand for my rapidly depreciating asset). GM's main problems are
1) A terrible, bloated cost structure
2) A terrible, bloated bureaucracy
3) A bunch of meh car lines
Which of these is the government going to solve? That terrible, bloated cost structure supports a bloated union whose jobs are the entire rationale for the government intervention. Leaning on the parts suppliers just risks UAW jobs further down the supply chain. Maybe we can take it out of the budget for copy paper and pencils.
Forgive me if I am skeptical that the government is going to show GM how to streamline its bureaucracy. Nor do governments historically have a good record as cutting-edge auto designers.
All the government can give GM is money. Our money. Perhaps we should change the name to American Leyland.
What's Good for GM isn't What's Good For America
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
What's Good for GM isn't What's Good For America
[Source: News Herald]
What's Good for GM isn't What's Good For America
[Source: Mexico News]
posted by 77767 @ 3:19 PM,
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Ratings: I'm a Celebrity, Jon & Kate, SVU Finale and More
PrintEmailPDF 
I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!" style="margin:0 5px 5px" />
Some recent ratings highlights:?
? Monday's two-hour premiere of NBC's I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! averaged 6.35 million viewers, edging out The Bachelorette (6.34 mil) in both total audience and the demos. I'm a Celebrity then dropped 14 percent (to 5.5 mil) on Tuesday.
? Among finales,?Medium wrapped up its NBC run with an audience of ...
Other Links From TVGuide.com
- According to Jim
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
- Medium
- I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
- Maneater
Ratings: I'm a Celebrity, Jon & Kate, SVU Finale and More
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Ratings: I'm a Celebrity, Jon & Kate, SVU Finale and More
[Source: News 2]
Ratings: I'm a Celebrity, Jon & Kate, SVU Finale and More
[Source: News 2]
posted by 77767 @ 12:57 PM,
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House Republicans Weigh Attack on Pelosi
PrintEmailPDF "House Republicans, hoping to put Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) back on defense, are weighing whether to take another run at a resolution calling for an investigation into her allegations that the CIA lied to Congress about its use of enhanced interrogation techniques," reports Roll Call.
House Republicans Weigh Attack on Pelosi
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
House Republicans Weigh Attack on Pelosi
[Source: Mexico News]
House Republicans Weigh Attack on Pelosi
[Source: China News]
posted by 77767 @ 11:23 AM,
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Some Conservatives Have A Heart!
PrintEmailPDF Some Conservatives Have A Heart!
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Some Conservatives Have A Heart!
[Source: World News]
Some Conservatives Have A Heart!
[Source: News Article]
posted by 77767 @ 11:22 AM,
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