The news that Dr. George Tiller, who performed abortions as part of his medical practice, was shot as he was attending his church was shocking, but not terribly surprising. Dr. Tiller is the fourth physician since 1993 to be killed by anti-choice terrorists, and was actually shot in both arms over a decade ago by another rabid extremist.
The shooting is also not surprising from the standpoint that right wing hate radio and the wingnut media have been sending out messages to their followers that Obama's going to confiscate their guns (so you better get armed and start the revolution/secession now). Remember how hate radio was agitated about the Department of Homeland Security report a few months ago that warned about right-wing terrorism here in the U.S., and how they juiced up the paranoia among their listeners that the Government was coming after them? This, and the usual far-right social conservative agenda that wingut media serve up as a daily diet.
Finally, it's not surprising that, after being on the losing end of two consecutive elections, the rabid right feels trapped and under siege. And their violence -- whether shooting police in Pittsburgh or a doctor in Wichita -- is being triggered by the not-so-subtle dogwhistles of the wingut media.
UPDATE 1: We noticed this little gem about some lunatic placing an ad in a Pennsylvania newspaper calling for President Obama's assassination.
UPDATE 2: Balloon Juice's John Cole connects the dots on this story. It seems that the shooter is a "sovereign citizen and tax protester" and fits the profile of the Homeland Security right wing terrorist.
