Wiwille does the unthinkable

In the wake of the senseless murder of Dr George Tiller many have attempted to lay blame for the actions of the mentally ill shooter who took his life. Like any horrific event that may cause the public to live in fear of their fellow humans some try to pass extremists off as a splinter group while others cower at the idea that their neighbor may do them and their loved ones bodily harm.

Given the circumstances of Tiller's death, which makes it all the more horrifying that it happened in a church, one can't wrap their head around what was going on through the mind of the killer. One shouldn't bother. The shooter is clearly a sick individual who obviously cared nothing about the sanctity of life no matter how much he would claim his actions proved otherwise.

Now the pundits are starting to lay blame for the killer's actions at the feet of those they most disdain, their colleagues and peers. Olberman has put a lot of the blame on O'Reilly, a man who criticized Tiller for his partial birth abortion procedures as well as his alleged law breaking, for creating the climate that influenced the shooter take action.

A television channel is somehow responsible for the mentally ill. I'll do something no one ever thought was possible. I will defend O'Reilly. Yes I've disliked the man for a long time, but to try and silence debate on the actions of some deranged lunatic is sad. I doubt anyone who makes public their loathing of Dick Cheney would or should take blame if someone caused him harm. Should the rhetoric be toned down? Maybe, but I'm hard pressed to find where he or anyone on Fox News was engaging in a conspiracy for Tiller's death. I dislike Fox as much as a lot of news viewers, but it's in no way responsible for the tragic slaying of Dr Tiller.

"Americans will respect your beliefs if you just keep them private." - Bill O'Reilly