ABC notes Bill O’Reilly’s crusade against ‘Tiller the Baby Killer’
Published: June 1, 2009
Updated 8 months ago
The murder of Dr. George Tiller of Wichita, KS by an anti-abortion extremist has focused attention on more mainstream critics of Tiller’s role as one of only a few US practitioners of late-term abortions.
According to ABC News, “Recent controversy over his work made him the focal point of many debates on cable, often referring to him as ‘Tiller the Baby Killer.’”
ABC illustrated this with a brief November 6, 2006 clip of Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly claiming on his program, “We have incontrovertible evidence that this man is executing babies about to be born, in late term, because the woman is depressed.” (The full segment can be seen at NewsHounds.)
According to Salon’s Gabriel Winant, however, O’Reilly has gone after Tiller on 29 separate occasions between 2005 and this year, not only calling him a “baby killer” for his late-term abortions but also attacking him for not reporting the boyfriends of pregnant teenagers as rapists.
A few days following the clip shown by ABC, O’Reilly charged that “George Tiller is operating a late-term abortion mill that will destroy a viable baby up until birthing for a mental health exception, which much of the time is an episode of simple depression experienced by the mother. … There should be thousands of people demonstrating outside Tiller’s abortion clinic.”
In June 2007, O’Reilly sent his stalker producer Porter Barry out to confront Tiller with charges that “they call you Tiller the baby Killer.” At first, Tiller mildly responded, “Nice day, isn’t it?” but he finally had to resort to calling 911 and reporting, “I’m being accosted by the people from O’Reilly.”
O’Reilly concluded that segment by urging that “if the state of Kansas doesn’t stop this man, then anybody who prevents that from happening has blood on their hands as the governor does right now, Governor Sebelius.”
Three days later, O’Reilly went after then-Governor Kathleen Selelius again, saying, “No question Dr. Tiller has blood on his hands. But now so does Governor Sebelius. She is not fit to serve. Nor is any Kansas politician who supports Tiller’s business of destruction. I wouldn’t want to be these people if there is a Judgment Day.”
Despite what O’Reilly had described as “incontrovertible evidence,” Tiller was acquitted this March of charges that in 2003 he had performed 19 illegal late-term abortions. Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition had predicted that the trial would “energize” anti-abortion activists, but at the time there were only peaceful protests outside the courthouse.
This video is from ABC’s Good Morning America, broadcast June 1, 2009.
Download video via RawReplay.com
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The answer to all the problems confronting America’s fringe right-wing extremists is to kill anyone who disagrees with them. A couple of them tried to kill Obama before the election. Then they started killing people in upstate New York. Now they have killed a physician they don’t like. Who will be next? Me? You?
This murder was commited with the intent to intimidate other doctors, out of fear for their own and their families lives. This fact makes it an act of terrorism, much more so than the ELF acts that resulted in terrorist charges and prosecutions recently. OReilly targeted this doctor from the influential position of his TV show, knowing full well the possibility that he could be killed as a result. There’s no way he could convince a jury that he had no idea one of his audience would actually kill anyone he targets. If you add two and two, OReilly encouraged an act of terrorism, plain and simple.
Our country does not have a history of prosecuting high-visibility instigators of violence, perhaps we should start with this case.
The MSM may mention the BO campaign, but I’m betting they squelch the “terrorist” line and go with the “he deserved it” angle.
Well I hope the anti abortion movement is ready for a martyr. They’ve just made one!
If he has Tiller’s blood on his hands, then to an even greater extent, every American has the blood of hundreds of thousands innocent Afghanis and Iraqis on their hands. What do you expect from a nation of delusional wing nuts though, I know I’m not expecting much.
Your analogy fails when exposed to oxygen & light. They are both difficult realities, but the effort in Afghanistan is combatting terrorism and the act in Kansas was terrorism. One is not so successful because the chief terrorist decided to shift his emphasis to an illegitimate and illegal milieu, the other was highly successful because the chief terrorist is now out of office.
Excuse me, but Afghanistan is NOT about terrorism. The Taliban offered to arrest OBL if we gave any evidence he was involved, but, as none has ever been produced, we simply invaded, as we had planned to do months before 9/11. It is about pipelines from the Caspian oil and gas basin. Would you people please wake up and realize the “chess game” that’s being played out w/your kids and money.
Actually I think you would call Tiller’s death. Murder.
Not terrorism.
And as much as I personally dis-like Bill O’Reilly, you can’t blame him. You might be able to try to sue him.
People have choice. They have the choice to become a murdering psychopath or not.
Bill O’Reilly is simply part of a dangerous cult.
The Cult is Called Corporate Media.
http://www.neopagan.net/ABCDEF.html
Actually you would call it terrorism -look up the definition -and NOT from the American Heritage Dictionary.
You don’t have to have brown skin to be a terrorist.
ter⋅ror⋅ism
–noun
1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.
By definition it’s terrorism. O’Reilly is arguably guilty of promoting terrorism, a crime in many countries. He would be in custody now.
I’m not saying we should limit speech… he can say what he wants, but he should own up to the consequences for inciting violence.
If I were Tiller’s wife, I would sue O’Reilly, Murdock, and (of course) Randall Terry for inciting this murder.
fox news and rush limbaugh
are walking an extremely dangerous
line between freedom of speech,
and encouraging the assasination of barack obama.
the same thing happened with jfk.
a climate of hate was created.
all of the hate speech
garners traction with
nothing to lose “dead enders”
right-wingers (see: racists in the republican party).
fox and rush
need to check their language
and vitriole.
if the unthinkable, unspeakable happens,
the country in its entirety will track them
down (rush, o’reilley, hannity)
and kill them like the dogs that they are.
heads on sticks, paraded through the streets.
p.s. no place will be safe for you. anywhere on earth.
.
Agreed. Someone needs to take one of these pukes (Limbaugh, Hannity, O’Reilly, et. al) that run the sewer otherwise known as AM radio and the Fox Propaganda Network, and make a swift example of them. I’m not sure why each and every one of them is still alive other than that this Country lacks the intestinal fortitude to eliminate the vermin from its ranks.
These people are not untouchable. Their large mouths eclipse their small stature. Mindless, subhuman neo-cons are the only types who worship this garbage and allow these people to do their thinking for them. The rest of us are perfectly capable of neutralizing these America-hating bastards.
Be prepared to have to do exactly that in the not-so-distant future.
Exit…Stage Left . . .
~
W/o “implicating” anyone, a simple fact; if you use incendiary, over-the-top language on a poorly-educated group of potentially violent authoritarians eventually someone is going to commit murder. How many times have you seen this play out?
Ask?
No need to ask: this piece of shit directly influenced Tiller’s murder.
One longs for the day when it’s O’Leilly’s obituary we’re reading.
He’s responsible for several of these terrorist acts - so far. Soon he’ll go too far he’s narcissitic so he’s sure that he’s innoculated against justice he takes one more step further each time out.
SOON! O’Rielly will be in the bag.
If the people of Kansas are going to murder their doctors, then the people of Knasas don’t deserve Doctors. Doctors save yourselves, run. Get out of Kansas before the wingnuts come to your Church and shoot you in the Lords house on the Sabbath (Oh Kansas is going to hell for that.) Other states and countries will welcome you. If you stay in Kansas you might as well put a target on your back. Kansas hates doctors!!
tanj, that is some bigoted thing to say. not everyone in kansas wants to murder doctors. have you even been there? jesus.
Relax -it was tongue in cheek
who do you think arrested the perp? kansas cops. give me a break.
Um… what happened to the story about rioting Israelis assaulting innocent palestinians? It was here this morning. Now it’s gone in less than an hour, while there are insignificant stories several days old still showing. What gives? AIPAC control?
I suggest that O’Reilly, FOX News and the show’s sponsors, share responsibility for any contributory culpability he has for influencing the man that murdered Dr.Tiller.
I don’t watch his show so I don’t know who the sponsors are but viewers should ask themselves if they really need the sponsors’ products in light of the current situation. If anyone has a list of his sponsors please post it here so people can be aware of who they are.
This is without a doubt an act of terrorism, but the mainstream media have been assigned their rightwing talking points, which consists of 2 words:
“isolated incident.”
Watch for it.
Especially when this act knocked out 30% of the doctors who perform “late term abortions”. It’s also somehow not significant that third trimester abortions account for only about 1% of the abortions each year.
You’re spot on. It was an act of terrorism.
Murdock is guilty of treason. His fear and war mongering propaganda machine helped bush and cheney use lies in order to get 4,500 of our service people killed and thousands of innocent Iraqis and Afghanis killed. Just like ‘Tokyo Rose’ his loud mouth lying puppets spit insanity on our public airways daily. The way over paid chumps like o’reilly have demonized Americans by calling them terrorists and traders for nothing more than disagreeing with his delusions. He also called for a terrorist attack on San Francisco on air which is clearly treason. Now his delusional rants are helping get law abiding citizens killed. Murdock and the religious right would have been perfect for Hitler’s nazi movement.
Should ‘pro-life’ groups be carefully monitored for inciting hatred and violence?
http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=5413
.
Email O’Loofah and tell him he has blood on his hands:
orielly@foxnews.com
“Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue states, “George Tiller was a mass-murderer. We grieve for him that he did not have time to properly prepare his soul to face God. 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.
“Those men and women who slaughter the unborn are murderers according to the Law of God. We must continue to expose them in our communities and peacefully protest them at their offices and homes, and yes, even their churches.”
And, let’s call Randall Terry and let him know he’s an accessory to murder as well, 904-687-9804
MURDER is bush and cheney lying to bomb and kill thousands of innocent men, women, and children in Iraq.
Abortion is a legal and private procedure, which is none of anyone’s business but the patient and her physician to save a life or whatever situation is necessary.
This is why the founding fathers designed this democracy with separation between church and state.
You can find any passage in the bible and turn it into a reason to control any situation.
If pro-lifers want to live up to their expectations they should adopt children left behind in the system and feel good that you are honest in your heart and let the rest live in peace.
i think its hilarious for raw story to run something about people ‘inciting others’ to violence.
do you people ever read your own comment section? it is hard to go a day without finding some quasi-death threat often against public officials, posted by the various commenters on this site.
The extremists groups when they limited their Violent speech (which is protected) to themselves was OK. However, when it crosses over and becomes their mission to kill or commit acts of violence then the rest of us should condemn it. There should be no caveats regarding the condemnation or side explanations about how somehow this person deserved it.
REMEMBER, THIS DOCTOR WAS NEVER CONVICTED OF ANY CRIME.
Yet this holier than thou freak, influenced by protected hate speech from Randall Terry, Bill O’Reilly and others, past judgement on Dr. Tiller. The Religious right in this country is guilty of massive hypocrisy. What is the saying, “Practice what you preach”. I don’t think Jesus preached murder. Let’s not mince words, this is murder plain and simple to call it anything else is naive.
Also, the idea that this Doctor killed babies because he enjoyed it or because he wanted to make money is beyond the pale. Dr. Tiller terminated these pregnancies because the fetuses would not have survived after birth or had extreme birth defects; i.e. being born without a brain. But, I guess the right doesn’t care about those facts.
Actions louder than inward-directed words…
Call me naïve, but I’d like to see significant numbers of us stop preaching to our own choir, and barrage the FBI and the Justice Department (perhaps even the FCC) to demand that they investigate- and take appropriate prosecutorial actions against anyone who conspired with the killer - as well as any organizational- or media figureheads who helped form- and foment the killer’s ideas to take this murderous action.
I have no illusions that the Kansas prosecutors who put Dr. Tiller on trial earlier this year (and lost) are predisposed to investigate this case with the vigor it justifies.
Nor do I have any illusions that this would produce quick- or sure results (the Rightie talkers will certainly squeal that they are being victimized by the left-leaning administration). But some concrete action must be taken to teach hate-mongers and -merchants that their rants trigger foreseeable behavior in a known sector of their audiences - and that there are consequences for their shouting the equivalent of “fire” in a crowded theater.
I believe it is time for those of us on the left to arm ourselves in self defense. The time for talk is past. If they want war, so be it.
ARREST Bill-o the clown for accessory to murder….and then sue him him for defamation.
All victims of Fixed News slander attacks should sue defamation, and tie their asses up in court.
The perp should get his day in court, receive justice by being convicted and sentenced to death……by firing squad LIVE ON THE OREILLY FACTOR!