Let's call it what it is: domestic terrorism

So Scott Roeder finally got his sentencing hearing yesterday. The only thing that disappointed me about the hearing was that he won’t be served the same sentence he dished out to Dr. George Tiller. As much as I oppose the death penalty, I think I’d be willing to pull the switch on Roeder, who’s just about the most despicable waste of humanity going. Then again, I want to be careful not to allow myself to slide to the same level of hatred and self-righteousness that Roeder and his fellow subhumans occupy. I call them “subhuman” because Roeder and his ilk have clearly separated themselves from good and decent human beings wiling to endure differences of opinions without resorting to violence. If you honestly believe that your belief system is so morally superior and God-ordained that you have the right- nay, the MORAL OBLIGATION- to kill those who don’t believe as you do, well, from where I sit, you’ve just forfeited your right to membership in the human race.

Scoot Roeder will not be getting the death penalty he deserves. In a way, this is probably a good thing, because letting him live will deprive murderous anti-choice zealots of another martyr. As much as I’d love to see Roeder fry, and as much as I’d love to be the one doing the frying, we live by the rule of law in this country. The rule of law is designed to protect us from the emotional, reactionary excesses of people like me who would happily exact vengeance. Roeder deserves to be but to death, but it’s a good thing that the rule of law protects him from the judgment of people like me. He will have the rest of his natural life to ponder his zealotry and murderous intolerance…not that he’ll be changing his mind any time soon. Domestic terrorists like Roeder see themselves as victims, and I can’t imagine that he’ll be experiencing a jailhouse conversion any time soon.

The real problem is that Roeder is symptomatic of a bigger problem. While Roe v. Wade may be the settled law of the land (at least until the Roberts Supreme Court has an excuse to overturn it), a woman’s right to control her own reproductive functions is slowly being chipped away. What zealots like Roeder can’t win in our courts, they’re winning through the barrel of a gun. Violence, or the mere threat of it, is gradually reducing the number of doctors willing to perform abortions. Eventually, the “Christians” will get what they want, primarily because our government lacks the will to protect the right of women to control their own bodies as guaranteed by Roe v. Wade.

Sentencing Scott Roeder to life in prison represents a victory in this battle, but the zealots will like win the war. Whether it takes one, five, or 20 years, the zealots are in it for the long haul. That’s why they’re called zealots. One day, we’re going to wake up and (to paraphrase Adolf Hitler) realize that the silly notion that women should have control over their bodies is a thing of the past. Right may be on our side, but history is on the side of the zealots. Roe v. Wade can’t, and won’t, trump reality that domestic terrorism works.