Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Condemnation for Tiller's Murderer, What of a Soldier's?

I have already opined on Tiller's hate-filled murderer, but what of another hate-filled murderer? The circumstances are quite similar: Both murders acted out of religious conviction, seeking to destroy members of an institution they believed to be murderous itself, acted unexpectedly and in plain sight, and likely had multiple targets in mind. (Background reading here.) Yet one (Tiller) receives an outpouring of media sympathy and castigation for persons who hold similar beliefs, while the other hardly makes a blip.

Both events warrant our attention, and both should galvanize decent, thinking people together in denouncing extremist murders (and their aiders and abettors) in our midst.

I am, of course, referring to the murder of one of our soldiers, Private William Long, and the maiming of another, Private Quinton Ezeagwula, by Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad. I could, and would, go on, but the painful discrepancy between media coverage has already been well expounded on:
  • Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic: "Why the shyness? Why not tell people what is actually happening in the world?"
  • Michelle Malkin: "When a right-wing Christian vigilante kills, millions of fingers pull the trigger. When a left-wing Muslim vigilante kills, he kills alone."
  • DrewM at Ace of Spades: "If only there had been an abortion clinic on [Muhammad's] list, then maybe the press and Obama would be interested."
Worst of all (and already mentioned by Malkin) is the complete lack of a response by the Obama Administration, who where quick to respond to Dr. Tiller's murder.

President Obama: Your silence is deafening.

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