"Quiet warfare" - Interesting article on anti-abortion terrorism

[porkrind]

http://www.thephoenix.com/article_ektid28087.aspx

Since 1977, casualties from this war include seven murders, 17 attempted murders, three kidnappings, 152 assaults, 305 completed or attempted bombings and arsons, 375 invasions, 482 stalking incidents, 380 death threats, 618 bomb threats, 100 acid attacks, and 1,254 acts of vandalism, according to the National Abortion Federation.

...

Had the criminal, David McMenemy, been Arab or Muslim, this would have been headline news for weeks. But since his target was the Edgerton Women’s Health Center, rather than, say, a bank or a police station, media have not called this terrorism — even after three decades of extreme violence by anti-abortion fanatics, mostly fundamentalist Christians who believe they’re fighting a holy war.

[bliss_eternal]

1. Those anti-abortion people are far from quiet...

(but I agree, that the article is interesting). Thanks for posting this. :)

The anti-abortion people don't get that people go to clinics for more than abortions. :eyes: So everyone gets harrassed. This is one of the biggest crimes of the Reagan administration, as far as I'm concerned--that they found a way to make terrorizing women seeking family planning services (birth control, abortion, etc.) legal.

[Erika]

3. Here in Idaho PP offers breast exams, pap smears, etc

One of the few free clinics caring about women, especially poor women. They offer free birth control, Plan B, and family planning services. They do no abortions.

Reagan detested the poor, especially the women.

[bliss_eternal]

7. I've utilized clinics for those services too...

While I was a student and lacked insurance--if I needed care during breaks. The anti-choice people really pissed me off. Some of their signs and banners are ridiculous.

[Triana]

2. al Queda believes they're "fighting a Holy War" too.....

...see the problem? Well, I know you do, porkrind, but the neonutz and their jockstraps don't.

DOH!

Religious extremism that encourages violence to further its cause (however contrived and twisted) is wrong. Wrong. Wrong. No matter who does it. Islamic extremeists or "Christian" ones.

But we have a glaring double-standard about that in the US, don't we?

[BlueIris]

4. Could everyone please K&R this? Please? As a personal favor,

even if you are not horrified? Thanks.

[Phredicles]

5. Recommended - this subject gets nowhere near enough attention;

I was living in Kansas during Operation Rescue's pillage of Wichita. It's appalling how free a hand these holy terrorists are afforded.

[Nobody]

8. Operation Rescue=terrorists

I almost got killed because of them. And the funny thing is, this is why I'm a clinic-escorting activist today.

I was going to a clinic that does blood draws, routine physicals, abortions, and treats many illnesses and injuries. I was getting a blood test for Lyme Disease. I'm female, and at the time of the telling I was in my early twenties. Good old Operation Terrorism Rescue was out in force.

They followed me when I got out of my car, yelled at me not to murder my baby. I stopped, turned around and yelled back: I'm not effing pregnant! The look in his eyes (most of the harassers were male) showed me that he thought I was beneath contempt. That I was just a uterus, not a human being. How dare I not be pregnant!

I went inside, had the blood test and tried to get out of the parking lot. This was on a busy street. I had no sick time so I had to schedule a time after work, meaning the only time I could get in was rush hour. I was trying to turn left on a busy street during rush hour. To turn right would have been easier, but then I'd have to go way out of my way before I'd have an opportunity to turn around.

On one side of the entrance to the parking lot was a van blocking line of sight. On the other side of the entrance was a huge crowd of mostly men with signs and religious tracts. They were yelling slogans at me and trying to shove tracts through my closed window. I could have used Xray vision at that point, but that isn't my superpower.

I had to roll down my window to stick my head out so I could see anything at all. I had a tiny car with a short front end and I was trying to see and inch into the road while all the time these terrorists were in my way, in my line of sight, yelling at me, and there was a lot of cross traffic. Eventually there was a pause in the traffic and I chanced it and turned onto the street. Thanks to that van being where it was, I couldn't see through it to notice the car coming at me. The driver was skilled enough to see me and swerve out of the way.

My car didn't get touched, his car didn't get touched, I was able to turn, but I had to pour on speed to keep from getting hit from the other direction.

These asshats were OK with causing a fatal car crash with an adult woman but would wail and rend their clothing over a non-existent fetus.

I'm a clinic escort, and the sidewalk harassers I deal with aren't even in the same league as the Operation Rescue terrorists.

[BlueIris]

10. Damn straight they're terrorists.

Glad you're still with us, and that your experience motivated you to do your escort work.

[bperci108]

19. Here's what some of your fellow escorts are up to here in KS.

Always good for a laugh or two.

Their profiles of the Fanatical Fundy Freaks are a riot.

You've been warned ==> Swallow before reading.

www.maggotpunks.com

[REP]

6. They Are Terrorists and Should Be Treated As Such

[Usrename]

9. That is viscious.

I thought acid attacks were something that was done overseas like in India. This is truly horrible.

[NMMNG]

11. These people are allowed to keep engaging in their crimes against

both property and, worse yet, people. They are not listed by the FBI and Homeland Security as terrorist groups. However animal rights groups are considered terrorists because they cause businesses to lose money, and in some cases damage property. Money is obviously more important to our government than people.

[Blue Gardener]

12. He is a terrorist

And there are countless others just like him. The local clinic has to keep going back to court to keep one of these nutjobs from harassing the patients and employees. Here is the latest on that case:
http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061130/NEWS01/61130002/1079/NEWS

[Cerridwen]

13. K & R

For those who weren't aware of this insanity.

[Initech]

14. Pro-lifers murdering people. Base-level irony right there.

[bperci108]

20. Bill...is that you?

Wisdom fron he with the well squeegied Third Eye....



:)

[ismnotwasm]

15. K &R

Amazing what those stats look like. Horrifying.

[Greyhound]

16. Thirty years of domestic terrorism, and it has been excused by the

very same dumb-ass, blind, fools that brought us raygunII, 41, and 43. The descendants, no doubt, of the dumb-asses that excused institutionalized racism, rioted against integrating the schools, and killed ERA. The same shits that support the criminalization of poverty, and believe that "welfare queens" actually exist, and think we spend way too much on the "lazy, good-for-nothing," poor, while supporting huge corporate giveaways because "it's good for business".

Who want "government off our backs", but think it's just fine that we lose our inalienable rights to fight a mythical WOT, or support imposing their beliefs and values on everybody else "for their own good".:banghead:
:kick: & R

[kestrel91316]

17. ..

:kick:

[Greyhound]

18. Here's kicking at you, kid. n/t

:kick:

[Lugnut]

21. K&R

If that's not terrorism I don't know what is.

[omega minimo]

22. This is why Democrats should not try to adopt "Pro Life." It's been taken already.

[omega minimo]

23. .