On the misuse and disowning of ideologues

An article in the NY Times this morning caught my eye, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/08/us/08wichita.html?_r=1&th&emc=th, as the anti-abortion groups based in Wichita suddenly are without a target now that Dr. George Tiller has been murdered. Troy Newman, the president of Operation Rescue, is quoted as "tearfully" saying, "This idiot [Scott Roeder] did more to damage the pro-life movement than you can imagine." That much, I hope, is true, but Newman's words seem little more to me than a lament for loss of donation income for his political agenda - was he also moved to tears for the Tiller family and the members of Tiller's church? His words also reminded me of a passage from Don DeLio's book "Libra" - a quasi-fictional speculation about Lee Harvey Oswald and systematic plots surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy.

In the book, when Oswald is in the Soviet Union looking to become a Soviet citizen, a KGB agent assigned to debrief and evaluate Oswald is reflecting on how to possibly use Oswald. He recognizes that the problem with Oswald is that Oswald is an ideologue and he knows that ideologues are unpredictable because they are not rational, guided rather by their very strong emotions. So while an ideologue may serve as a very valuable puppet, there is always the chance they will become disillusioned with the puppet master, cut the strings, and take matters into their own hands.

As I look at the picture accompanying the NY Times story, I can easily place Roeder in the photo holding one of those terrible placards and screaming at Dr. Tiller's clients. I wonder how many of these people know Roeder and/or share his ideology that killing an abortion provider is not wrong - an ideology that he openly proclaimed. Did anyone in the anti-abortion movement ever try to talk sense into Roeder, ever report him to authorities as someone who is over the edge and a danger to society? 

I have very strong doubts this was ever the case because Roeder and others like him are people that Troy Newman and his ilk welcome with open arms when they come to line up at the gates every day with their obscene posters and tirades of abuse for anyone who disagrees with their ideology. Newman uses the news coverage generated by these folks to raise financial donations for his political agenda. Consequently, Newman must also keep his puppets stirred up and coming back day after day to generate more press coverage so he can claim to have prevented x number of abortions by disrupting operations at any given clinic. But once one of the puppets cuts the strings, takes matters into their own hands, and kills a doctor or bombs a clinic, suddenly the puppet is an "idiot", no one knows him, and he is portrayed as a solitary crazy man.  In the words of the SNL Church Lady: "How conveeenient." 

Last week I wrote about a sermon from years ago when I hoped that Dr. Tiller would go out of business due to a lack of demand for his services. Today I am hoping that Troy Newman will go out of business for a lack of financial support. 

Resist the fear mongers, embrace freedom, and love life.