OWOSSO, Mich. (AP) — A 63-year-old anti-abortion activist who was shot and killed outside a Michigan high school had been arrested in the past for protesting.
James Pouillon (PULL-yun) was arrested in 1994 after protesting on the steps of Owosso’s city hall instead of his usual spot on the sidewalk. He sued, claiming violations of his constitutional free speech, religion and assembly rights.
A 2000 federal appeals court ruling said Pouillon often was the target of verbal abuse along with “assorted missiles” while standing in front of City Hall. The court said he once was almost run down by a motorist who swerved onto the sidewalk and drove at him.
A car dealership also sued Pouillon in the 1990s for picketing and shouting slogans at customers.
This story which is running a numerous news sites really angers me. This is unbelievable their focus on the victim being arrested in the past for defending the innocents. Yes the victims previous arrest record forced the murderer to shoot him multiple times. Guns don’t kill people, people being arrested for pro-life activities does.
Even worse this was the headline they ran with which they did not even check for accuracy. “Abortion activist was arrested for protest” Abortion activist?
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Does this mean we get to blame George Tiller for getting himself shot as well?
They will never Call this a hate Crime even though the perp admits that it is!!
No mention of the fact that he was INNOCENT of violating the laws in the aforementioned arrest?
“Pouillon was involved in a pro-life free speech case several years ago after he was arrested for standing on city hall steps.
Pouillon won the case after an appeals court judge said city hall was a public place and Pouillon was within his First Amendment right to protest abortion there.”
(via http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/20852524/detail.html)
Talk about shoddy and biased reporting.
Actually, I think the misleading headline may be a blessing: because it says “abortion activist”, no doubt some lefties will read it because they think its going to be about their secular sacrament. If even one pro-abort reads it and is converted due to the injustice described, then the devil loses. We can only hope!
Offering prayers for James and his family.
Many disturbing elements here:
1) Although James was killed in the line of duty, we still don’t know WHY he was killed. The murderer has already confessed to having killed a business owner that same day. So far no connection has been made between the business owner and pro-life.
2)We are to love our enemies and bless those who hate and insult us. Instead, we have a tendency to ignore the reality of our enemies (and the reality of deeds that should be called wicked), thereby justifying our “love” for them.) In that, there is no merit–only a mind game.
3)The murder of Tiller and the murder of James are similar in that they were murdered–but the differences shouldn’t be ignored. One huge difference is that “death to pro-lifers” HAS been a common wish verbalized by abortion advocates, and not just those considered to be insane. Any active pro-lifer can witness to numerous times he or she has been verbally assaulted. “God wants you dead”, “Jesus hates you”, “You should have been aborted”, “The world will be better when you’re dead”—these are sentiments commonly expressed towards people who are praying outside abortion clinics holding positive signs to support life. The physical and verbal threats against those courageous enough to exhibit signs exposing the horror of abortion are too numerous to record on any given abortion day.
4)Given the difference in circumstances, the abortion advocates are certain to respond differently. After all, many of them are guilty of having wished us dead. In contrast, the pro-life movement as a rule required by faith and the pro-life philosophy, wishes life AND eternal life for all. The tragedy of James’ death should compel abortion advocates to search their souls. Let’s pray that it does, and that it doesn’t discourage defenders of the unborn from their mission.
5)Having said all that, and while keeping our own local “James” fervently in prayer, I can attest to a curious situation on the sidewalk of our PP. While there is no balance of charity, ie, it is not uncommon for an abortion escort to push or sneer at a pro-lifer whereas life advocates either bless or ignore their regular opposition, there is at core a bond of mutual intention for the other’s ultimate good. (If a regular pro-lifer does not show, for instance, concern for that person’s health is whispered, and vice-versa.) Which is to say, I do not believe, or choose not to believe, that abortion providers and workers sincerely wish pro-lifers dead. They are mostly zealous about the abortion “service” they provide, and have successfully convinced themselves that they are engaged in good work. Therefore, we plead with God for their conversion. We will jump for joy when they turn around to run toward the right goal–we weep when they persist in their error.
Let us not forget, when comparing the cases of Dr. Tiller and James Pouillon, that they have both received the judgement from our Lord based on the lives they led. It doesn’t matter how unfair or unbalanced the media is in treating these men when we remember that they are being treated justly now.
As far as “hate crimes” go, they are just a reflection of the sad reality that if you scratch deeply the surface of a “pro-choice liberal,” you quickly unsurface a deep well of hate and anger. Thus, “hate-crimes” are a classic case of scapegoating. It allows a lot of people to avoid self-introspection.
thus, in playing the “hate” card game, you’ll never see the hand reveal the truth about the hate: left-wing liberals are the worst offenders of hate-crimes. That would unearth an important denial. Ergo….pro-lifers will be the only ones smeared as haters in the media, subtly or otherwise…
and, of course, deserving of death.