The Lingering Effects of Anti-Abortion Terrorism [UPDATED]
Frederick Clarkson printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 06:07:38 PM EST
Back in February, there was a fire at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Asheville, North Carolina.  Investigators said that there was no sign of arson, but the violent, anti-abortion driven Army of God was celebrating anyway.

Army of God spkesman Rev. Don Spitz also wrote that the "Fire at Planned Parenthood abortion mill is deemed not arson, but not everyone is sure."  He then posted a video on God Tube (not to be confused with You Tube) where he also raises the question as to whether the cause was other than arson; and wondered whether Planned Parenthood itself might have been responsible.

The Asheville Citizen Times newspaper reported:  
The fire began in a utility room where the building's heating unit is housed and where a variety of items like paint and ceiling tiles were stored.

Investigators found no evidence that the fire was set or that someone broke into the building, which was closed Sunday.

"No arson, no foul play; this could have happened at any business, anywhere, (it) just by chance happens to be Planned Parenthood," said Jeff Tracz, an investigator with the Asheville-Buncombe Arson Task Force.

What caused the fire remains unclear, but witnesses heard an explosion in the building that could have occurred when an assortment of flammable materials exploded in the utility room, Tracz said.

The Army of God and other such groups have sought to terrorize Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers for decades. The AOG, for example, lists as
Heroes of the Faith, (kind of a terrorist hall of fame), people who have been convicted of, (among other things) bombings, arsons and assasinations of doctors.

Over the past three decades, the National Abortion Federation lists PDF) 7 murders, 17 attempted murders, 41 bombings, 175 arsons, and much, much more.

(MSNBC has a handy state by state clickable chart through 1997.)

For many years, much of society looked the other way as the religious right encouraged a massive crime wave against their fellow Americans. But especially since 9/11, antiabortion violence has come be be correctly seen as domestic terrorism, and it has been greatly reduced. But even today, fires deemed accidental, (as Don Spitz has shown,) are grim reminders of the stress that many clinic staff experience every day as the Army of God and their allies seek to keep the pressure on with not too subtle reminders that they are potential targets of domestic terrorism. Just today there was a bomb scare in Oakland, California. It turned out to be nothing. But it is a perfect example of the lingering effects of the long term campaign of domestic terror for abortion providers, for law enforcement and for many others. This is a campaign towhich most of the religious right turned a blind eye, and others quietly cheered or, as we see in the case of Donald Spitz, tried to blame on the victims of the terror themselves.

Here is a relevant section of the God Tube terms of use:

Prohibited Content:

You agree not to submit or post any User Submission to the Site, or transmit any User Submission through the Site, that (a) is contrary to the evangelization of Jesus Christ and His teachings, or constitutes blasphemy, or is otherwise offensive to our online Christian community, (b) violates any patents, copyrights, trademarks or other intellectual property rights, (c) is illegal, obscene, pornographic, defamatory, or libelous, (d) is abusive, hateful, harassing, or threatening, (e) promotes bigotry, racism, or hatred against any group or individual, (f) is false, misleading or constitutes a misrepresentation, (g) encourages conduct that could be illegal or give rise to civil liability or is otherwise inappropriate, or (h) promotes the exploitation of, or solicits information from, any person under the age of eighteen. You understand and agree that GodTube.com reserves the right to review, edit, block, and delete any of your User Submissions for any reason at any time without notice, including without limitation, if GodTube.com determines in its sole discretion that a User Submission is prohibited as provided above or otherwise violates this Agreement

How do I report inappropriate videos?

If you see a video that you think is inappropriate based on our terms of use, you can report it to us for review by clicking the "Flag as Inappropriate" link under the video.

How does GodTube handle inappropriate content?

Our community understands the terms of use and effectively polices the site for inappropriate content (similar to other open internet communities such as eBay and craigslist). Their vigilance combined with our proprietary technology helps us to enforce our community standards.

Please contact us if you have any questions  

Update [2008-4-2 12:27:5 by Frederick Clarkson]: The proprietors of God Tube have apparently now taken down all of Don Spitz's videos.]




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