TERROR IN THE HEARTLAND,MURDER IN CHURCH *UPDATE*

I left a message a couple of days ago with Liz from Planned Parenthood. She handles media requests. In light of the shooting in a church in Kansas of a doctor that provided abortions, I was curious as to how people involved with Planned Parenthood in my area were handling things, and if there was an uptick in threats, etc., from people here.

So it's been a couple of days since I contacted her, and she returned my call today.
I asked her how people were holding up and she indicated that support in Washington and Oregon remains strong, and they have in fact beefed up security at clinics, and I was under the impression that security, while always on their mind, was a renewed subject at the water cooler in the offices region-wide.

Liz indicated to me that they take security and threats against clinics and staff very seriously, and she made it clear that law enforcement on every level, Federal, State and Local have been extraordinarily helpful.

I asked Liz if there had been an escalation in threats since the attack last Sunday, unfortunately I failed to ask her if there has been an escalation in threats of violence since Obama's election, but if you read my Blog, Liz, feel free to comment and let me know! Regarding an uptick in threats here, she said aside from the usual protesters they encounter on a daily basis, there has not been a noticeable increase in Washington and Oregon, but she acknowledged that people here are generally more supportive of reproductive rights. She could not tell me if there has been an increase of threats of violence in other areas of the country. Be safe y'all...

I would like to drop this on you, Searchers: overall I do not like abortion. Like most pro-choice people, I do not like abortion. But the right wing and Fundamentalist Christians need to realize the fact that abortion is not going away. The right wing and American Christianity has these abortion blinders on and that is all they can see.

These dumbasses, (largely made up of what I like to call (with total sarcasm) the Great White Right), especially in the Bible racist Belt, vote on this one issue, and like true provincial thinkers focus on this while the schools are crumbling around them, hell, Mrs. Searcher's worthless pappy wasted tax payer money as a state rep for 11 terms, that's 22 years, and the schools in Forrest City, Arkansas at the time were some of the worst in the state.
Jobs are disappearing and Rural America is as broke and poor as ever, but the conservatives (and yes I mean you too, Conservadems, just cause you vote for Mark Pryor or Blanche Lincoln doesn't mean you're not voting Republican) want to vote their religion instead of common sense and decency. Not surprising, religion, especially fundamentalist christianity, evangelical, whatever the hell label you want to put on it, especially in the United States, is about dumbing people down, denying rights, education and health care, and discrimination and intolerance.

It is no wonder I switched sides. Peace, Searchers...

TERROR IN THE HEARTLAND,MURDER IN CHURCH, THIS IS NO TIME TO CUT MENTAL HEALTH FUNDING

I have spent a lot of time in church. I grew up in the Catholic Church, I was confirmed, (John, in case you're wondering,) and after I left the Catholic Church at 15, I started attending again at age 20, but I got into Evangelical religion, specifically the charismatic/pentecostal movement... I became quite passionate about religion, and I began to minister in churches in Northeast Arkansas. I used to attend a church in a little town called Pocahontas, (true story) and I ministered occasionally on Wednesdays, and sometimes on Sunday nights. I also ministered in Walnut Ridge, AR, at Sister Becky's church, I guess that's where I "got my start." We had pieces of plywood covering the holes in the floor of this dilapidated shack owned by another preacher that charged an absolutely outrageous price for this dump, somewhere around $500 a month(extortion!).

So, I was thinking about the times that I have been on the platform, speaking, disseminating the knowledge that I had, the points that I had studied in the scriptures, points that I had spent agonizing hours of prayer and fasting to ensure I was tuned in...

The point is, at no time did I ever think my own life could have been in danger as a result of my personal beliefs. (Believe me, at the end of my preaching run, I was beginning to focus solely on reform in the church I attended and almost no one was interested in that.)

Again, at no time was I ever concerned about some whacko stepping into the church and open firing because of my personal beliefs, my politics, etc...hell I preached on January 15, 1991 the day my precious daughter was born, and the day the U.N. prepared the way for the invasion of Iraq the first time, which began just a few short hours later-shout out to my precious New Year Baby! I also had a key my pastor, Bro. Grey gave me, and I made it a habit to go to the church an hour or so before work to meditate and gather my thoughts for the day.

Which is why I find it so disturbing that this doctor, Dr. George Tiller was gunned down in church, where he served as a deacon, and as I understand it, his wife was in the choir at the time of his murder.

I have been involved with Fundamentalist Christianity for more than 20 years. I can say decisively, that although most will not admit it publicly, most will say this "baby killer" this "murderer" got exactly what he deserved.

This is not the first time a right wing terrorist invaded a church (remember Jim Adkisson, Knoxville TN? My family and I lived in Knoxville, he said he did it to kill liberals) and it will not be the last. We will see a trend. The "Christians" (in truth the "Anti-Christians") have gone nuts, and they celebrate killing in the name of God.

This is what concerns me most about the right wing and the Republican Party: they will kill if necessary, and they will do it in the name of God. Does anyone else see a connection between Islamic extremism and Right Wing, Republican extremism? I know you do.

The right wing and the Republican Party are completely responsible for this man's murder, this act of terror. They kill and hate and murder in the name of God, and they are too fucking lazy to get off their asses and approach the legal practice of abortion legally, and make changes to the law.

Let me reiterate and expand: The right wing, Fundamentalist Christianity, and the Republican Party are absolutely responsible for this man's murder.
It is time for systemic change in the United States.

Peace-