Today: Dan Rather and a couple of fiery segments on the terror campaign against abortion providers.
Terrorism
Rachel led off with a story on Scott Roeder, accused of murdering Dr. George Tiller in his own church this weekend.
She ran through a list of Roeder’s previous criminal acts, and then welcomed Dr. Warren Hern of the Boulder Abortion Clinic, who was a friend of Dr. Tiller.
Hern says that Tiller’s murder was a political assassination, and I think he’s right.
Hey, Congressional Democrats! Remember those talks we had about how YOU WON? How about strapping on some braces to prop up those jellyspines of yours and stepping up with some actual legislative leadership?
You too, Mr. President. Try showing us your pissed-off face for this one.
Red Alert
Just in case the last segment didn’t thoroughly unsettle you, Rachel moved on to the loathsome fact that Roeder is being lauded in certain circles.
And not just circles of Hell like you’d expect.
Vicki Saporta of the National Abortion Federation joined Rachel to talk about the network of extremists who celebrate the precious gift of life by endorsing murder.
When they lose politically, they resort to violence. I just realized that these are the same kids who pitch a fit and hurl the kickball into the sticker bushes, all grown up and much, much scarier. What kind of security do we need to bring into their lives to get them to handle ideological struggles like adults?
Ms. Information
In similar domestic terrorism news, Abdulhakim Bledsoe pled not guilty to charges of murder and engaging in a terrorist act after he opened fire at a military recruiting center, killing 24-year-old Private William Long and wounding 18-year-old Private Quinton Ezeagwula.
Bledsoe apparently had “political and religious motivations.”
I don’t know about you, but I am really beginning to appreciate the apolitical and unmotivated people in my life. I’m sorry that I was hard on them during election season.
And I don’t know why I’m apologizing to them here, because they can’t possibly be reading this. I’ll see if I can get one of the girls on Charm School to mention it.
As Rachel has previously noted, former Congressman Tom Tancredo (R — Colorado) has accused Judge Sonia Sotomayor of being a racist. And Tancredo should know a racist when he sees one; he hires them!
Marcus Epstein, the executive director of Tancredo’s PAC, is facing sentencing for walking up to an African-American woman, using a racial epithet, and then karate chopping her in the head.
Bay Buchanan’s response was, “Who cares? This is something that happened two years ago…” Wow. Republicans are really soft on past-tense crime. Bay, should we review our prisons? I’m pretty sure some of them might be holding people who committed their crimes in the past.
But the best response is from the University of Virginia, which released a statement that Epstein can stick his law school aspirations right up his tort. Wahoowah, you honorable Cavaliers. I’m proud of you.
Live from the Dark Side
Dick Cheney continues to claim that torture is really a form of “tough love” that inspires detainees to write voluminous color-tabbed dossiers filled with valuable information, beautifully composed in iambic pentameter.
Plus the continued use of enhanced interrogation techniques draws protective unicorns to our borders and may be the only thing keeping Tinkerbell alive.
There are simply scads of classified memos that would prove all of these things beyond a shadow of a doubt. If only we could see them.
The Snuffleupagus Memos, if you will.
Dan Rather of HDNet’s Dan Rather Report joined Rachel for a segment on allegations of continued torture at Guantanamo that is, let’s face it, going to bum you out.
Pawlenty of Speculation
Frequent Maddow guest Governor Tim Pawlenty (R — Minnesota) is retiring but just might possibly be coaxed into running for President if we ask him very nicely.
Chris Hayes of The Nation joined Rachel to point out that, as a hard-core Republican who can get through full sentences without using 17th-century racial slurs or getting the crazy eyes, he might have a shot.
Hayes and Rachel also talked about the fact that this essentially means that the Coleman-Franken Senate race will be decided when the Cockroach People dig up the ashes of our civilization and flip a coin.
Try to get yourself cryogenically frozen, Senator Franken! I’m sure the Cockroach People need you too.
