10/26/09
THE BEGINNING OF ME ACTUALLY PUTTING MY OWN WORDS INTO THIS BLOG
Elated and relieved, yet sad and deflated
1-30-10
9/28/09
In Cold Blog: The Second American Civil War
In Cold Blog: The Second American Civil War
Posted using ShareThis
Posted using ShareThis
By Stephen Singular
I’m from Kansas and am working on a book about slain Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller and his alleged killer, Scott Roeder, of Topeka. Both men have played parts in the new civil war America has been locked in for decades, and Kansas is an appropriate place for this struggle, as it was also a battleground in the first War Between the States. Kansas came into being in 1861 as a “free state” to stop the spread of slavery in neighboring Missouri. Inside the capitol building in Topeka today stands a towering mural of John Brown, depicting the anti-slavery leader carrying a gun in one hand and an open Bible in the other. When Roeder entered the Lutheran church where Tiller was killed last May 31, he was carrying a handgun and a worn Bible.
This new civil war isn’t about anything as tangible as slavery, but a battle between different states of mind and feeling. The core issues are not public policy, like energy or the economy, but focused on intensely private and personal matters. Should women make their own choices about reproduction or should the government dictate that decision? Is America essentially a Christian nation or should it embrace all religions and spiritual practices equally in its schools and public places? Is the acceptance of homosexuality and gay marriage a threat to society or an advance in civilization? Simply put, how much individual freedom should Americans have? The new war is about emotions more than traditional political is sues. Some have called it a fight for the soul of the nation, but others see it in more concrete terms.
“What it all comes down to is power and control,” says Topeka’s Suzanne James, who tracks white supremacist and militia groups on the far right. In years past, she followed the movements of Scott Roeder. “Men feel they’ve lost control of women and, in fact, they have. A group of white, heterosexual males in our society have a feeling of false disenfranchisement and alienation, and they’re encouraged in this feeling twenty-four hours a day by parts of the mainstream media. This group of men shares certain characteristics. They’re overly aggressive, prone to physical violence, and have run-ins with the law. Some have domestic violence backgrounds or problems paying their bills. Some are not that stable to begin with and have mental problems [as a teenager, Roeder was diagnosed as having schizophrenic tendencies].
“By associating with movements that are racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and anti-government, these people can rationalize their feelings by blaming everything on blacks, Jews, women, and the government. They’re angry to begin with, and these movements furnish them with an en dless supply of scapegoats. The more they listen to the rhetoric, the more upset they get and the more they need an escape valve.”
Until the early ‘90s, this unfolding civil war existed mostly on the fringes of America. Cable TV, the Internet, and political talk radio were just starting to break through and alter the cultural landscape, becoming an amplifier for the emotional forces beneath the society. New technology collided with angry feelings and unleashed something large and undefined. Those who were already angry or fearful now felt even more threatened. Whatever, or whoever, was unstable was about to be nurtured in its instability from many different directions. And all these developments, especially the talk show media, overwhelmed the older and slower processes of traditional fact-finding journalism. Major career opportunities emerged for those dealing in heated or even hateful opinions -- not facts.
What mattered in the new media was how deeply one felt or believed something about government or another group of people or a crime or an abortion doctor. Expressing yourself was what counted, regardless of the truth or consequences. When some in the mainstream media began labeling Dr. Tiller “a baby killer,” it wasn’t that long before somebody on the fringes showed up with a gun and Tiller was dead. The first civil war lasted only about four years. The second one has gone on for nearly forty and there’s no end in sight.
Stephen Singular is the author of nineteen books which range in topics from high-profile crimes and social criticisms, to business and sports biographies. He currently resides in Denver, Colorado. You can find out more about this author by visiting his website at stephensingular.com
I’m from Kansas and am working on a book about slain Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller and his alleged killer, Scott Roeder, of Topeka. Both men have played parts in the new civil war America has been locked in for decades, and Kansas is an appropriate place for this struggle, as it was also a battleground in the first War Between the States. Kansas came into being in 1861 as a “free state” to stop the spread of slavery in neighboring Missouri. Inside the capitol building in Topeka today stands a towering mural of John Brown, depicting the anti-slavery leader carrying a gun in one hand and an open Bible in the other. When Roeder entered the Lutheran church where Tiller was killed last May 31, he was carrying a handgun and a worn Bible.
This new civil war isn’t about anything as tangible as slavery, but a battle between different states of mind and feeling. The core issues are not public policy, like energy or the economy, but focused on intensely private and personal matters. Should women make their own choices about reproduction or should the government dictate that decision? Is America essentially a Christian nation or should it embrace all religions and spiritual practices equally in its schools and public places? Is the acceptance of homosexuality and gay marriage a threat to society or an advance in civilization? Simply put, how much individual freedom should Americans have? The new war is about emotions more than traditional political is sues. Some have called it a fight for the soul of the nation, but others see it in more concrete terms.
“What it all comes down to is power and control,” says Topeka’s Suzanne James, who tracks white supremacist and militia groups on the far right. In years past, she followed the movements of Scott Roeder. “Men feel they’ve lost control of women and, in fact, they have. A group of white, heterosexual males in our society have a feeling of false disenfranchisement and alienation, and they’re encouraged in this feeling twenty-four hours a day by parts of the mainstream media. This group of men shares certain characteristics. They’re overly aggressive, prone to physical violence, and have run-ins with the law. Some have domestic violence backgrounds or problems paying their bills. Some are not that stable to begin with and have mental problems [as a teenager, Roeder was diagnosed as having schizophrenic tendencies].
“By associating with movements that are racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and anti-government, these people can rationalize their feelings by blaming everything on blacks, Jews, women, and the government. They’re angry to begin with, and these movements furnish them with an en dless supply of scapegoats. The more they listen to the rhetoric, the more upset they get and the more they need an escape valve.”
Until the early ‘90s, this unfolding civil war existed mostly on the fringes of America. Cable TV, the Internet, and political talk radio were just starting to break through and alter the cultural landscape, becoming an amplifier for the emotional forces beneath the society. New technology collided with angry feelings and unleashed something large and undefined. Those who were already angry or fearful now felt even more threatened. Whatever, or whoever, was unstable was about to be nurtured in its instability from many different directions. And all these developments, especially the talk show media, overwhelmed the older and slower processes of traditional fact-finding journalism. Major career opportunities emerged for those dealing in heated or even hateful opinions -- not facts.
What mattered in the new media was how deeply one felt or believed something about government or another group of people or a crime or an abortion doctor. Expressing yourself was what counted, regardless of the truth or consequences. When some in the mainstream media began labeling Dr. Tiller “a baby killer,” it wasn’t that long before somebody on the fringes showed up with a gun and Tiller was dead. The first civil war lasted only about four years. The second one has gone on for nearly forty and there’s no end in sight.
Stephen Singular is the author of nineteen books which range in topics from high-profile crimes and social criticisms, to business and sports biographies. He currently resides in Denver, Colorado. You can find out more about this author by visiting his website at stephensingular.com
9/23/09
Start date for Roeder trial moved again
Start date for Roeder trial moved again
Comments (0)
BY STAN FINGER
The Wichita Eagle
WICHITA — Less than a week after delaying the trial for the man accused of killing abortion provider George Tiller, court officials have changed the start date again.
Jury selection for the trial of Scott Roeder will begin on Jan. 11, two weeks sooner than the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office announced on Friday.
Tiller was shot to death on the last Sunday in May at Reformation Lutheran Church, where he was serving as an usher.
Roeder, 51, is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault in connection with the shooting.
Before it was initially postponed, the trial was set to begin last Monday.
Georgia Cole, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office, said the latest change was made to ensure enough time had been set aside to complete the trial.
Court officials are allowing for as much as three weeks for the trial, she said.
9/18/09
Roeder trial postponed until January
Roeder trial postponed until January
Posted on Fri, Sep. 18, 2009
BY RON SYLVESTER
The Wichita Eagle
WICHITA — Scott Roeder, the man charged with killing a Wichita abortion doctor, won't go to trial until at least next year, the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office said this morning.
Roeder was scheduled to go on trial Monday, charged with first-degree murder in the May shooting death of George Tiller.
Roeder's new trial date has been set for Jan. 25, 2010.
Tiller was shot to death inside Reformation Lutheran Church, where he was serving as an usher, on the last Sunday in May.
Late-term abortion procedures at Tiller's clinic had made him a longtime target of protests by abortion opponents.
© 2009 Wichita Eagle and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansas.com
9/2/09
Scott Roeder: From the Prosperity Gospel to the Justifiable Homicide Defense
Scott Roeder: From the Prosperity Gospel to the Justifiable Homicide Defense
Published on Right Wing Watch (http://www.rightwingwatch.org)
Scott Roeder: From the Prosperity Gospel to the Justifiable Homicide Defense
By Kyle
Created Sep 2 2009 - 12:52pm
Earlier this week it was reported [1] that Scott Roeder, the man accused of murdering Dr. George Tiller, had hired a prominent anti-abortion attorney and planned to use a "justifiable homicide" defense. The article also reported that Roeder's defense was getting assistance from outside activists:
Dave Leach, an anti-abortion activist in Des Moines, Iowa, who in 1996 reprinted the Army of God manual that lists ways to damage abortion clinics, recently wrote a legal brief for Roeder's case on the "necessity defense." He argued that had the alleged shooter not acted, the killing of hundreds of babies every week would have continued. He sent it to Roeder's public defenders, but they have not responded.
Last night, Alan Colmes had Leach on his program [2] to defend his brief [PDF] [3] and Leach repeatedly asserted that the destruction of clinics and the murder of doctors are entirely justified. Leach insisted that Roeder was being denied a jury trial, which is untrue [4], and tried to keep the discussion narrowly focused on that issue but Colmes was having none of it and pressed him to explain how, if Roeder is found not guilty at this trial, this wouldn't give anti-abortion activists carte blanche to go out and kill abortion providers. In response, Leach asserted that a successful justifiable homicide defense would actually mean that no other abortion provider would ever be killed because activists would be able to shut down their clinics by simply blocking access to them. But Leach also asserted that such a defense would probably only work for Roeder because Tiller's actions were "pretty extreme":
The most interesting aspect of this discussion actually came after the interview with Leach ended when Roeder's ex-wife called into the show [5] and explained how, when they were first married, Roeder was an average guy but eventually became extremely invested in the prosperity gospel movement and began sending large sums of money to evangelist Robert Tilton. After that, Roeder found himself unable to pay his bills and so he stopped paying his taxes and, from there, proceeded to go completely off the deep end:
Source URL: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/scott-roeder-prosperity-gospel-justifiable-homicide-defense
Links:
[1] http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_abortion_shooting
[2] http://www.alan.com/2009/09/01/on-tuesdays-radio-show-83/
[3] http://www.saltshaker.us/AmericanIssues/RoederProposedBrief.pdf
[4] http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=10791237
[5] http://www.alan.com/2009/09/02/lindsey-roeder-wife-of-accused-tiller-killer-scott-calls-the-radio-show/
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