From George Tiller shot to death at Wichita church - Kansas City Star:

George Tiller, the Wichita doctor who became a national lightning rod in the debate over abortion, was shot to death this morning as he walked into church services.

Tiller was shot just after 10 a.m. at Reformation Lutheran Church at 7601 E. 13th, where he was a member of the congregation. An anonymous police source confirmed Tiller was the victim.

Dr. Tiller was known for his unwavering commitment to providing the reproductive health care women needed to exercise their right to choose what was best for them even if they were carrying a fetus 5 months or more into its development and regardless of presumed viability since his commitment was always first to the woman. Even after having had his clinic bomb and having survived being shot twice.

There are no words.

I have not have had to go through the gruesome decision of terminating a pregnancy at such a late-stage but I do have people dear to my heart who have. Christofascist terrorists who think they have the right to murder in the name of god because women don't know what they're doing should be shown no mercy on a court of law. None whatsoever.

More about Dr. Tiller's murder:
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National Journal did a rapid-response poll of left and right-wing bloggers about the GOPs strategy against Sotomayor. Here's my response to the question, "Would it be politically smart for Republicans to try to block the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor?"

"Absolutely not. The GOP has been smeared by the bigotry of its fringe groups -- it's why they can't make a dent among minority and young voters. They mess this one up and they'll carry it as a cross into 2010, 2012, even 2016. Latinos are the biggest minority group in the U.S. and we will become even bigger in the next few years. The GOP is doomed if they dare to use Sotomayor's ethnicity and gender to derail her nomination." Liza Sabater, CultureKitchen
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From Guest Voices: Impeach the Pope - On Faith by Robert S. McElvaine:

After insulting Muslims by declaring in 2006 that Muhammad had brought "things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached," after reiterating (through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) in 2008 that the subject of the ordination of women is not even open for discussion and declaring that anyone involved with the ordination of women will be automatically excommunicated, after lifting in January of this year the excommunication of Holocaust-denier Richard Williamson, now Benedict XVI opens a visit to Africa by telling the people of a continent decimated by AIDS that the distribution of condoms "increases the problem" of the spread of AIDS.

I am a Catholic and the idea that such a man is God's spokesperson on earth is absurd to me.

There are, of course, no provisions in the hierarchical institution set up, not by Jesus but by men who hijacked his name and in many cases perverted his teachings, for impeaching a pope and removing him from office. But there ought to be.

This rant is so good, I would consider going back to the Catholic Church if Robert S. McElvaine does a coup d'Eglise on Pope Rat*.
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For feminists and progressives it's really easy to criticize Sarah Palin. She has a horrid record of defending reproductive rights for women. She sees nothing wrong with abusing her power as governor of Alaska. She has a record of taking gifts and expensive favors from lobbyists and political allies.

What's worse : It's no secret she was not chosen for her knowledge of national domestic or foreign policy and politics. The woman was not vetted properly because she was not crowned the GOPs beauty queen for her knowledge or experience. She was chosen for being a good looking Christian Nationalist that would "turn on" the theocratic faction of the GOPs "base". And it doesn't hurt she actively sold herself to the neo-con hacks desperate to slap some lipstick on the ever ugly Republican Party pig.

Yet all those negatives were pushed aside by the GOP operatives, Bill Krystol included, who sold Sarah Palin as a viable Vice-President to John McCain. All those hacks squabbled over Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, and McCain's own pick Joe Lieberman. They wouldn't have any of them.

After a less than 2 hour meeting, McCain and his campaign and party hacks chose her. No drama involved just a cold and calculated political decision. They had more experienced and better qualified women to go after the "Hillary Vote", yet they made her their political beauty queen as the last "Hail Mary" pass they had up their sleeve.

And it worked --at least for a little. McCain's announcement right after the DNC Convention and Obama's speech took all the thunder away from him. The media went ga-ga and so did the 70% of forlorn Republicans who didn't vote for McCain during the primaries he none the less won.

Then Katie Couric happened. Strike One : The woman was a disaster.
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The LA Times reports that La Palin is being embargoed by the McCain campaign on account of the republicanos not believing it is in their best interest to have her speaking to the press.  In other words, they're afraid she's going to make a mistake as Todd Harris says in the video above; because she is not ready to give her opinion on anything a Vice-President could conceivably be involved as co-pilot of the President of the United States.

This is supposedly the woman who will be a heartbeat away from the presidency and who could most possibly succeed in office the 72 year-old John McCain. This is not just another GOP and John McCain strategic blunder. It is down right scary anybody would think this woman is ready to be POTUS.
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