Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Can I choose both?

"I'm not asking if the man is going to hell; I'm asking if he's going to jail!" So went one of the favorite admonitions of one of my old law school professors.

The phrase came to mind as I read today of the actions of Operation Rescue’s Senior Policy Adviser, Cheryl Sullenger in helping Scott Roeder track the whereabouts of Dr. George Tiller this spring. Roeder, of course, is the anti-abortion activist who has been arrested for the murder of Dr. Tiller on Sunday as Dr. Tiller handed out bulletins at church.

McClatchy is reporting:

Operation Rescue adviser helped Tiller suspect track doctor's court dates

KANSAS CITY — When Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller stood trial in March on charges he violated state law in providing late-term abortions, the man now accused of killing him made a point of attending the hearings.
* * *
Roeder apparently kept track of the state prosecution against Tiller through a senior member of Operation Rescue, the anti-abortion organization.
* * *
Cheryl Sullenger, senior policy adviser for Operation Rescue out of Wichita, said Tuesday that she has spoken to Roeder in the past, but she said he would initiate the contact. She said she hasn't had any recent contact with him.

Sullenger served about two years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to bomb an abortion clinic in California in 1988. She has since renounced violent action. She said Roeder’s interest was in court hearings involving Tiller.

"He would call and say, 'When does court start? When’s the next hearing?'" Sullenger said. "I was polite enough to give him the information. I had no reason not to. Who knew? Who knew, you know what I mean?"

A woman who spent two years in prison for conspiracy to bomb a clinic, continued to harass Dr. Tiller, his staff, his family, and his patients has the gall to ask "Who knew?"

Spare us.

Update: The Associated Press is reporting:
The Justice Department on Friday launched an investigation into the killing of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller to see whether the accused gunman had accomplices.

The department will investigate possible federal crimes in connection with Dr. Tiller's slaying at his church last Sunday in Wichita.

"The Department of Justice will work tirelessly to determine the full involvement of any and all actors in this horrible crime," said Loretta King, head of the department's civil rights division.

Anyone who played a role in the killing, she said, will be prosecuted "to the full extent of federal law."

I suspect that there are a few Operation Rescue operatives who are going to have a few sleepless nights in the months to come.

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