Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
That's what Tiller's murderer is saying:
Scott Roeder called The Associated Press on Sunday from the Sedgwick County jail where he's being held on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the death of Dr. George Tiller.Tiller was killed last Sunday while serving as an usher at the Lutheran church he attended in Wichita.
Roeder told the AP he know of "similar events planned around the country" as long as abortion is legal.
He would not elaborate.
Gee, do you think that if Bush was in office this guy would be waterboarded to get that important information out of him? I mean, this is far closer to the "ticking time bomb" scenario than anything involving Abu Zubaydah or Khalid Sheikh Muhammed, both of whom were tortured months after their arrest when it is highly unlikely that they could have any information about current plans for terrorist attacks.
But Roeder claims to have information about imminent attacks planned right now and it's early enough after his arrest that he could actually have information that could prevent them. So if they were consistent, they would apply torture to Roeder to find out what he knows. Of course, they would not be consistent in this case.
Nor will you hear the right wing, which so clamors for torture of Muslim extremists, calling for torture here. And that speaks volumes in and of itself.
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He's incarcerated for murder. He makes public statements implying knowledge of conspiracies to commit further murders. His defence lawyer is going to love him.
Posted by: Herod the Freemason | June 8, 2009 9:33 AM
That's because torture only works on them thar foreigner types who wears funny hats and stuff.
Posted by: 386sx | June 8, 2009 9:34 AM
I've been searching the newswire articles on this guy for the word "terrorist" or its cognates. So far nothing. Does the word not apply when Christians do the killing?
Posted by: DaveL | June 8, 2009 9:40 AM
Isn't the sort of thing that Roeder did on Sunday the reason that islamic terrorists are held incommunicando? I mean, didn't some defense lawyer get indicted for smuggling out coded messages from one of the first TT bombers? Said messages were characterized as being filled with code for other "Agents of Islamic Doom", so that they would know when and where to carry out other acts of terrarism.
OTOH, Mr. Roeder is a KKKristian MerKKKin so it's A-OK for him to pick up the phone and call whoever he wants to call.
Posted by: democommie | June 8, 2009 9:47 AM
While I like Ed's tying this killer's cryptic warnings to Bush's policy to torture; my first reaction to this story was the guy was trying to build a case he's insane - in part by fabricating a conspiracy that doesn't exist beyond his own claims and actions. Such a claim builds on his past record of having some mental problems.
I think the media does have an obligation to ask all torture apologists who have access to the media whether they promote our use of torture in interrogating Roeder.
Posted by: Michael Heath | June 8, 2009 9:48 AM
DaveL, they have to be white too.
Posted by: Laurel | June 8, 2009 9:50 AM
Michael,I almost agree with you, but reading the above report I think I'm a little more open to the possibility that Roeder is in fact insane.
One way or the other he'll be locked up for a long time, and to be honest I'd prefer to see his actions seen to be those of a deranged lunatic than those of a hero/martyr of the far right.
Posted by: Paul Browne | June 8, 2009 10:10 AM
I'm with Michael Heath on this one: ask the talking heads that supported torture (including the Cheneys) if they support torturing Roeder. I doubt they will, probably by denigrating the person's possible danger to society at large (i.e., he was a lone actor; there's no larger conspiracy; etc.).
If they came out in support of torture, I wouldn't respect their stance on torture, but I would respect their integrity to stick to their (twisted and sick) principles.
Posted by: Umlud | June 8, 2009 10:13 AM
The "What if Obama were like Bush?" scenario.
He could have him tortured giving false confessions to acts that he could then claim to stop. The details of course would be classified so we would have to take their word for it. Then he could run on the "No pro-choice deaths except that one" for his second term. And we could all feel safer.
Posted by: Freeman74 | June 8, 2009 10:35 AM
Posted by: Pieter B | June 8, 2009 11:27 AM
I have to seriously question Roeder's motive(s) in disclosing such a warning. If the warning is sincere, why would he bother to share it? He's part of a broad contingent hell-bent on dismantling reproductive choice and freedom of religion and lifestyle (and that's whether or not he's found to be insane). Why betray his co-conspirators to the enemy? I'm unsure as to his level of intelligence and overall sanity, but it's possible that he's throwing out red herrings or intentionally revving up a culture of paranoia that he and his fellow far-righters have set into motion. That, or he's spitting in the faces of the authorities and singing "nyah nyah!"
Posted by: Sadie Morrison | June 8, 2009 11:39 AM
This provides the perfect opportunity to prove the link between Osama and the Iranian nuclear program. At six waterboard sessions per day, I imagine we could get a confession within a month or two.
I'm not sure what the plan is after we bring democracy to Iran, though.
Posted by: kehrsam | June 8, 2009 12:14 PM
democommie @ # 4: ... didn't some defense lawyer get indicted for smuggling out coded messages from one of the first TT bombers?
This sounds like the Lynne Stewart case, as blatant an example of Bush-Cheney regime legal malfeasance as you could ask for.
The government's motives in that absurd prosecution were clearly to discourage lawyers from representing accused terrorists, to smear "leftists" with the terrorism label, to erode Constitutional defenses such as habeas corpus, and to contribute to the atmosphere of paranoia in which their other crimes flourished. The evidence for her having "smuggling out coded messages" was ridiculous in the extreme.
Stewart was given a 28-month sentence in October 2006, but is out on bail pending her appeal.
Posted by: Pierce R. Butler | June 8, 2009 12:16 PM
Kehrsam - Oh that's an easy question!
Once Iran is has a democratically elected leader, we ship all the anti-choice types to Iran (no abortions there, no sirree Bob!); then over-throw the leader because he looks like he might nationalise the Iranian oil supply, and install a brutal, unpopular dictator.
Hell, it worked in the 50's didn't it? - ;\ DJ
Posted by: DingoJack | June 8, 2009 12:22 PM
Pierce R. Butler:
Thanks. I agree.
Dingojack:
No can do. President Obama said tht overthrowing Mossadegh was a mistake (not in so many words, but in so many words, if yunowudimean). So, since the NSA and CIA would never act against our stated national interests--not gonna happen.
Posted by: democommie | June 8, 2009 12:37 PM
kehrsam:
If you're thinking about what ridiculous confessions he can make, why not go whole hog and skip directly to the logical paradox. Get him to confess under torture that the torture does not produce accurate intelligence.
Posted by: eric | June 8, 2009 12:40 PM
I'm glad someone pointed this out, already, but we only waterboard brown people.
Frankly, I think the guy is full of crap trying to get attention, inspire fear and work a plea bargain by cooperating once they offer him something.
If there are attacks against pro-choice doctors, though, and this guy is found as a conspirator, I hope that there is a serious discussion about what "pro-life" actually means.
Posted by: JStein | June 8, 2009 12:43 PM
DaveL said:
The problem is that "terrorism" has become almost entirely pejorative independent of what the word really means, so that when somebody is a Terrorist for Jesus it's downright un-American to call them terrorists.
FWIW, from Wikipedia,
Posted by: BaldApe | June 8, 2009 12:53 PM
Damn eric, that's a brilliant idea.
And I have to agree with Michael and others here. This guy is so obsessed over abortion that he commited murder. What are the chances that he doesn't think that there is some "silent majority" that supports him and will follow his example?
Pretty much none.
Posted by: Coriolis | June 8, 2009 12:59 PM
Sadie, because he's a terrorist. He is, plain and simple, trying to make abortion unobtainable through his words and actions. It doesn't matter whether there are people out there ready to do what he did or not. His goal (and theirs if these specific examples exist) is to scare people.
Posted by: Stephanie Z | June 8, 2009 1:09 PM
I don't think it's anything more than an attempt to use his 15 minutes to maximize the terror impact of his attack. From his current position he can't actually hurt any doctors. So it's really the only option he has for continuing his fight.
It's also a pretty good indicator that he acted alone. If he really was part of a larger conspiracy they'd be taking the opportunity to declare themselves. A tape would show up at every major news station and Fox. Then you'd see on TV a silhouetted figure and hear a modulated voice saying, "We are the Fetus Liberation Front. We will continue killing people until America respects life as much as we do." That would be infinitely more effective at spreading terror. Or it would be if they were more careful in their phrasing than I was.
Posted by: Abby Normal | June 8, 2009 1:19 PM
Abby Normal:
So that's why we never found Nicole Simpson's real killer.
Posted by: democommie | June 8, 2009 1:27 PM
Set Irony Meters on maximum and prepare to repeal boarders!
"We are the Fetus Liberation Front. We will continue to INDISCRIMINATELY kill TOTALLY INNOCENT people until America respects the unalienable rights of INNOCENT lives as much as we do." - Abby Normal (re-jigged)
There, fixed it for you. :) - DJ
Posted by: DingoJack | June 8, 2009 1:30 PM
Correction:
Those cursed legislative boarders should damn-well be withdrawn and rescinded! - :( DJ
(I think I was aiming to repel boarders there! Oops.)
Posted by: DingoJack | June 8, 2009 1:36 PM
I think it might actually be more useful to get him to confess something like, George Bush called him in the middle of the night a few years ago and confessed to the Zodiac murders. That way, we'll be forcing Bush's defenders to make our point for us, that torture is useless, which would be even more delicious.
Posted by: Infophile | June 8, 2009 2:27 PM
infophile - Now THAT is brilliant!
How about having Roeder confess that George the Least rang and confessed that HE was the mastermind behind the 911 attacks; and that they were designed to boost his sagging Presidential approval ratings? Let's see the smeg-heads get outta THAT. - DJ
[ However those proponents of torture are so used to compartmentalising to avoid cogitative dissonance I doubt they'd even raise a sweat dismissing it. :( ]
Posted by: DingoJack | June 8, 2009 2:49 PM
Maybe he's shooting for the "I was just following orders." defense.
It's worked so well for everyone else lately, it's gotta be worth a shot.
Posted by: JThompson | June 8, 2009 3:00 PM
Please don't take this as any sort of defense of Scott Roeder, 'cause it's not. But I just can't agree with these characterizations of him as an "indiscriminate" killer. He's not - he carefully chose a target that he thought was guilty of the greatest crimes and killed no one else. I'll agree it's terrorism because it's almost certainly intended to have a psychological effect on everyone who supported Tiller, but it's still not as indiscriminate as, say, the Oklahoma City bombing.
Posted by: Scott Hanley | June 8, 2009 3:16 PM
Ironically the only person to use the word "indiscriminate" was DingoJack, who seems to be trying to make a pro-life argument through sarcasm.
Posted by: eric | June 8, 2009 4:19 PM
Long time reader, first time attention whore, but you all can be like the cool kids and join my facebook page calling for Roeder to be waterboarded- http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?sid=87f88ae9b57fc507da929366b0f7eb08&gid=88799409271&ref=search
Posted by: Matt | June 8, 2009 7:13 PM
Eric & Scott 'the funny one' Hanley -
You really don't do irony or sarcasm (or even reading comprehension) do you?
Since when, oh wise ones, has Scott Roeder been a member of an organisation called 'the Fetus Liberation Front'? When did I (or Abby) claim that he did?
Re-read Abby Normal (#21) & DingoJack (#23). carefully this time. - DJ
Posted by: DingoJack | June 8, 2009 11:00 PM
It is a psychological weakness of the human mind and a flaw in the character of the faithful. It makes life easier for those who can not handle the realities of our world. To believe in a religion, you must first lose faith in yourself. To believe in yourself never requires it.
Posted by: tim gallien | June 9, 2009 2:47 AM
Yahoo News is reporting that Tiller's clinic in Kansas is going to close permanently. So in this respect, Scott Roeder should be proud - he's proven how a thug with a gun can truly change the world, and that when applied properly terrorism and anarchy work.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090609/ap_on_re_us/us_abortion_shooting
Posted by: CHV | June 9, 2009 2:19 PM