Using Murder As An Excuse To Advance Rightwing Rhetoric

by tristero

The subject: the drive-by murder of a man who spent a great deal of time protesting outside women’s health clinics.

What Operation Rescue said:

Troy Newman, the president of the national anti-abortion group Operation Rescue,* which had condemned Dr. Tiller’s death, said he was saddened by the death Mr. Pouillon, whom he had known for more than 15 years.

“There is very little, if any, common ground between pro-abortion and pro-life people,” Mr. Newman said. “One thing we had in common after Dr. Tiller’s death, there was a unilateral cry against violence.

“Pro-abortion” vs. “Pro-life…” Short, simple, succinct, and appalling. Troy Newman actually used this man’s murder as an excuse to advance the extreme right’s demented rhetoric. Talk about messasge focus!

Now, from “the other side:”

A spokeswoman for the Center for Reproductive Rights, Laura MacCleery, said her group, which supports a woman’s right to abortion, was stunned by the “senseless killings.” But Ms. MacCleery said Friday’s shooting did not seem to her to be tied to the abortion debate since the suspect was also charged in the killing of the second man, Mike Fuoss, 61, the owner of a local gravel company, who did not appear to be involved in the abortion issue.

“This is not something any group on either side of this debate would ever contemplate condoning,” Ms. MacCleery said.

Any questions?

That’s right: Carefully constructed rhetorical bullets from extremists are met over and over again by ad hoc, rhetorically unfocused mush. Pro Abortion vs Pro Life. Death panels. Death tax. Pro-terrorist. On and on and on. And in response? Well, uh, you know, our heart’s in the right place, everyone knows that and that’s all that matters, you know?

Nope.

Like it or not, every statement from groups advocating sane public policies have to be well-crafted and articulate. Like it or not, “public option” will never trump “death panels.” Like it or not, the “clear necessity for healthcare reform” will never trump “socialism,” even if those who’re screaming that the president is trying to wreck America were once members of groups that advocate secession.

Now, many of you surely noticed that I did not openly declare how much I deplore and condemn this man’s murder. Surely rightwing nuts are working themselves into a (well-faked) fit, shocked, shocked I say! to discover that tristero rejoices at that poor soul’s death. So let’s say this very, very slowly:

Since I feel no compunction to sign a loyalty oath, ever, to prove I love my country, I feel even less compunction to take a public morality oath and re-state what is patently obvious to everyone. Everyone, that is, except the far right, who can conjure up thousands of rationalizations why it is perfectly ok for them to lie, torture, or shoot someone. Or use a man’s murder as a rhetorical crutch to advance their agenda. And then demand the rest of us prove our own moral integrity.**

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*An outrageously false description. Describing Operation Rescue without acknowledging their extremism is like quoting Philip Garrido’s opinion of the new soccer uniforms for the girls at the local junior highschol without reminding readers that Garrido kidnapped, repeatedly raped, and held captive an 11 year old girl for 18 years. Operation Rescue is one of the most grotesque, and most extreme, organizations in America. For example, an Operation Rescue staff member’s phone number was found on the dashboard in Scott Roeder’s car – Dr. Tiller’s accused murderer – and the staff member admitted she materially aided Roeder in tracking Dr. Tiller’s movements. The staff member herself was convicted of conspiring to bomb a building.

**I will assume, with good reason, that anyone posting in comments a variation on, “Well, I for one am glad that anti-abortion protestor was killed” is just a cynical rightwing operative paid to plant comments on “leftist” websites in order to create a faux controversy.

[Slightly edited and expanded after original posting.]