A doctor’s killing

Re “Don’t exploit a tragedy,” Editorial, June 2

You cannot demonize a man for decades, intimidate his patients and staff, harass him at his workplace, home and church and then claim to be shocked when one of your followers acts on your threats and commits murder.

We Americans do not need to travel abroad to experience Taliban-style religious intolerance, violence and assassination. The so-called religious right issued a fatwa against Dr. George Tiller, and now that it has been carried out, its members have his blood on their hands.

Joel Jaffe

Beverly Hills

What a disappointing editorial.

Telling Americans not to look at the extreme language that was one of the factors in Tiller’s murder is like telling people not to look for the causes of the crash of Air France Flight 447.

An aviation consultant, quoted in your article about the Air France tragedy, says accidents for large air transport aircraft may involve about five concurrent failures.

Surely this murder is not just a tragedy but an event with multiple causes, one of which is the violent language that empowered a fringe lunatic to think he was saving lives by committing murder.

Anne Eggebroten

Santa Monica

::

Your description of Scott Roeder is not only misleading but incorrect; by killing Tiller, he has become a religious terrorist, not an “antiabortion activist.”

Stan Helfand

Agoura Hills

::

The Times states it is “unfair to ask antiabortion activists to muffle their message.”

Now that by itself is “unfair” and ridiculous. The word “murderer” was often used to describe Tiller.

This label -- murderer -- denotes complicity in a criminal act that results in a death. Yet Tiller committed no crime. Falsely claiming someone is a murderer is not only irresponsible, it indirectly contributed to Tiller’s assassination.

The Times has lost its moral compass; it seeks a centrist position where there should be only outrage.

Instead, The Times claims to protect moderate anti- abortion groups. There is no real need for a defense there, as moderates are not blamed.

Instead, there are a few people who used rhetoric that fired up an unstable person to commit the crime that he claims to abhor, and a few others who will deify this assassin. These are the ones who are complicit.

Norwood Price

Burbank

::

As an antiabortion Catholic, I believe the “army of God” that condoned the murder of Tiller is no better than radical Muslim groups that condone the jihad murders of innocents in the name of Allah.

Blasphemy exists in either case.

Manuel E. Nunes

Garden Grove

::

Although it is indeed very tragic that a husband, father and grandfather was murdered for performing what is a legal medical procedure, some perspective is in order.

Since Roe vs. Wade, so many children have been killed through abortion, and Tiller was responsible for many of those.

No matter how you feel about choice, surely anyone can see that this is also pretty tragic.

Mimi Sheean

La Crescenta

::

For “Dr. Tiller, the baby killer,” substitute “Juan, the job stealer.”

Post Juan’s photograph on a website with his co-workers. Include his address for work, home and the church where he worships with his family. State on the website and repeatedly on network TV that Juan is here illegally, taking a job and public services from deserving Americans, that the government refuses to act, and that any patriot removing Juan from the United States would be a hero. Then watch what happens.

The Times says it stands firmly for the rule of law, but it needs to go further -- and call on pro-life organizations and commentators to do the same.

And perhaps in the Internet age we need a new law that limits some of the “violent speech” targeting specific individuals that is now protected.

Its legality would ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, not a single individual with a gun.

Jane P. Smith

Costa Mesa