Christian Fundamentalist Terrorism and Princess Barbie Talibania

As I catch up on the news regarding the Christian Fundamentalist Terrorist* who assassinated George Tiller, I’m floored by the statements of the hate-spewing anti-abortion activists who are shocked – shocked d’ya hear? – about one of their own murdering an abortion provider.

(Christian Broadcasting Network) Randall Terry’s remarks and Scott Roeder’s alleged action against Tiller are not what pro-lifers are really about. Don’t get me wrong. Pro-lifers are frustrated and yes angry about the deaths of millions of these aborted babies.

One thing I will say for Scott Roeder is that he’s one of the few anti-abortion activists who really believes that abortion is the murder of babies. If I knew for a fact that there was a man in my town murdering babies, and the police knew and the people knew and nobody was doing anything to stop it, wouldn’t it be insane for me to allow that to happen day after day? Would you be content holding a sign or signing a petition to stop the bad man from murdering babies in your town?

These anti-abortion creeps are running like cockroaches now that the spotlight has focused on the rage they foment. They want to be able to have it both ways, to say that abortion is the murder of millions of babies, but no, we don’t want anyone to kill the murderer (an especially odd position for the non-Catholic pro-death-penalty anti-abortionist.)

Again, what would you say about a person who allows wholesale baby murder for near forty years, but doesn’t take direct action to stop it? It was inevitable that someone would take a look at the “needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” ethic and decide it is finally time to take action against baby murderers, especially when Christian theology is chock full of martyrs who disobeyed man’s law in order to implement God’s law (and this is the God who sent she bears to massacre 42 children for teasing Elijah about his bald head, so all bets are off regarding what “pro-lifers” are really about.)

Sorry, you can’t call abortion “America’s Holocaust” and then convince me you’re upset that someone assassinated Hitler. Hate speech has consequences.

*Hey, rhetoric that’s good for the Islamic goose is good for the Christian gander. Hmm. Islamic goose, is that even halal?

Sorry, you can't call abortion "America's Holocaust" and then convince me you're upset that someone assassinated Hitler.

Of course, this gives me the perfect opportunity to catch up with my favorite virginal gay-book-banning, Ten-Commandments-displaying, Terri-Schaivo-saving, Olympic-sex-life-policing, Vagina-Monologues-protesting, womb-baby-saving, 32-year-old orange-skinned hottie-for-Christ, Princess Barbie Talibania!  What would be her reaction to the act of domestic terrorism in Wichita?

I stand shoulder to shoulder with the pro-life community in condemning the killing of Dr. George Tiller. Those who resort to violence and vigilantism should be prosecuted and punished under the fullest extent of the law. I extend my thoughts and prayers to the family of Dr. Tiller.

Abortion is being reduced in America because of the loving and caring heart of the pro-life community working through legal means to offer hope and life-affirming options to those facing unexpected pregnancies. The majority of Americans consider themselves pro-life and stand against violence and killing. Caring for others is the cornerstone of the pro-life position.

It is reprehensible for any individual or group to exploit this tragedy in an attempt diminish the pro-life movement.

Would it be as reprehensible for any individual or group to exploit the tragedy of American government-sanctioned torture in an attempt to promote the “pro-life” movement?

President Obama has now taken the first step in having American taxpayers pay for the killing of innocent children through abortion and reinforcing Mr. Obama’s position as “The Abortion President.”

“Sadly, those promises are now in tatters. By promoting taxpayer funded abortions, Mr. Obama will clearly increase the number of abortions across the nation breaking his promise to reduce them. He will also force millions of Americans who embrace social justice and human rights to pay for the killing of innocent children with their tax dollars. [You mean like my tax dollars that bought depleted uranium shells that killed and will continue to kill innocent children in Iraq and Afghanistan?] This would include Catholics and evangelicals.

“We would encourage the President to embrace a culture of life and affirm human rights for all. It is hard to imagine that this President would take such a strong stand against torture while promoting abortion policies that crush social justice and brutalize innocent children.”

It’s like Barbie has just discovered the catchphrase “social justice”.  She cloaks herself in the mantle of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and tries to disguise her anti-women’s choice arguments as feminist arguments.  She’s really one of the more entertaining American Taliban (and that’s not just because she’s the only one I’d want to see naked):

“I think it’s important people understand I am in no way an anarchist,” she says. “I believe in civil, peaceful disobedience and follow the example of Martin Luther King Jr. My heart is to serve in a capacity to make a difference.”

“I had always been pro-life because it was taking the life of the baby, but what I realized is that it wasn’t good for the woman – that women deserve better than abortion.”

Swindell, who has never been married or had children, says she does not cast judgment or condemn a woman who has an abortion.

“Because I oppose abortion does not mean that I oppose the woman who has an abortion,” she said.

Hmm, 32-years-old and never married?  And based on her espoused views on the matter, most likely a virgin?  Why, that gives you all the perspective you need on understanding the plight of an 16-year-old girl pregnant by an incestuous rape who’s in need of reproductive medical services to save her life, doesn’t it?  (Weird, you’d think there’d be plenty of non-gay attractive Christian men in the “pro-life” movement for Brandi to date.  Strange plan of God’s to leave barren the woman who cares so much for the womb babies, huh?)

Swindell doesn’t see herself as a right-wing fanatic.

“That’s what I’m trying to get away from,” she says. “But as we’re seeing things ramp up with religious bigotry against Christians and seeing the exploitation of women and children through abortion … looking at all these significant issues around the nation, we have to get involved.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a trustworthy and loyal person. It’s sad that someone would make harsh and vindictive comments about someone they don’t even know. As a society we should strive to rise above that kind of negativity. We should know how to disagree but value each other.”

Like when we disagree about placing The Joy of Gay Sex in a public library, we should rise above saying negative things like “We are deeply disappointed that the Nampa library board seems to care so little for the protection of their children.“ Or if a husband is suffering through the public spectacle of fulfilling his brain-dead wife’s last wishes, we should value him by saying “I really feel that Michael Schiavo is turning his back on his wife.  Men, and specifically husbands, are called to be providers and protectors of the women that are important in their life, and especially their wives. And so we [view] this as the ultimate form of domestic abuse.“ Or if a movie is made about the pioneering sex researcher Dr. Alfred Kinsey, a man Barbie never even knew, we should avoid a harsh and vindictive comment like “Alfred Kinsey is responsible in part for my generation being forced to deal face-to-face with the devastating consequences of sexually transmitted diseases, pornography and abortion.“ We really should value each other, even if we disagree about your perverting the children, abusing your wife, and your promotion of VD and porn to teenagers.

So how would Princess Talibania recommend we rise above negativity in our society?  A look back at an incident at my alma mater, Boise State University (where the BS comes before U), gives some insight.  This was one of those tempests in a teapot where the wingnuts complain that the university is too liberal and the school caved and offered a more “fair and balanced” lineup of speakers for a college lecture series. Brandi Swindell’s take?

This is a fine example of what can happen when the public speaks up. I am encouraged by President Kustra’s swift action. Thank you to everyone who was passionate about this issue of freedom in the market place of ideas! The sky is the limit on the list of potential speakers we will now be seeing at BSU. Ideas for potential speakers include: Laura Ingram, Dr. Alveda King (niece of Martin Luther King, Jr.), Ann Coulter, Glen Beck, and many others.

Yes, a fine example of rising above negativity and valuing each other, by promoting speakers who call presidential candidates “faggots” (Ann Coulter), demanding that the first Muslim representative to the Congress prove he’s not “the enemy” (Glenn Beck), encouraging listeners to jam voter fraud hotlines during election day (Laura Ingram), and insinuating that all gay people are pedophiles (Alveda King).

Brandi Swindell and so many like her want to claim the high road and model themselves after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  She’s even working on something called The Birmingham Letter Project to protest abortion and lobby President Obama to end it as part of his health care reform.  What she’s missing is that Dr. King never singled out Lyndon Johnson as “The Apartheid President” and never singled out the tax breaks for married Klansmen as “paying for the lynching of black men with our tax dollars”.  (That and Dr. King was fighting for the rights of existing people and not to outlaw a medical procedure.)  Ironically, one of her favorite Dr. King quotes comes from the Letter from a Birmingham Jail where Dr. King cites the disobedience of an unjust law and suffering the legal consequences as the highest form of respect for the law.  I imagine it is the kind of justification Christian Fundamentalist Terrorist Scott Roeder would use to validate breaking the law against murdering a man responsible for “the killing of innocent children”.

If you believe laws regarding abortion need to be stricter, fine. If you think Roe v. Wade was a poor decision that needs to be overturned, fine.  If you believe abortion is a terrible thing and you want to do everything you can to counsel women to choose other options, fine.  But if you publicly condemn abortion providers as “baby killers”, you cannot be shocked that one of your followers took drastic steps to end baby killing.