Someone else was also shot nearby, and a suspect is in custody. This would be just one more shooting in or near a school, except for what Mr. Pouillon was allegedly doing there.
"A man who had long been vocal in his opposition to abortion was shot to death Friday morning while staging an anti-abortion protest outside a Michigan high school, authorities said....The suspect told police that he'd shot someone else, too: Mike Fuoss, 61, who had owned Fuoss Gravel. Mr. Fuoss apparently hadn't been involved in anti-abortion protests.
"...Officials are investigating whether Mr. Pouillon, who had been involved in anti-abortion efforts for decades, was singled out because of those views. Local newspapers reported that he had been carrying photographs of fetuses outside the school shortly before the shooting...."
(NYT)
So the suspect may have shot Mr. Pouillon because he was pro-life, and Mr. Fuoss for some other reason, or maybe the suspect just felt like shooting people that day.
The New York Times did a pretty straightforward job of reporting the shootings and arrest. The closest to blaming the victim or defending the shooter was this paragraph:
"...'There was some displeasure with how open he was,' said Sara Edwards, the chief assistant prosecutor for Shiawassee County. 'He tended to carry big signs with very graphic pictures of fetuses.'..."I think that's more a matter of suggesting a motive, than saying that Mr. Pouillon was to blame for being shot.
(NYT)
The Catholic Church does not teach pacifism. (June 7, 2009) On the other hand, the Church does teach that life is precious - and that do-it-yourself justice or murder for gain is wrong.
So is killing someone because you don't agree with the person.
It's tempting to lash out at people who don't accept your views. Yielding to that temptation can be grimly funny, when passionate peace protesters freak out (April 25, 2008, March 7, 2008, in another blog). But that doesn't make it right.
Whatever the motive for Mr. Pouillon's killing was, it was not a good thing to do. It was wrong. Just as wrong as killing Dr. Tiller, earlier this year.
Pro-life people were called "domestic terrorists and violent racketeers" after Dr. Tiller's killing. I'm quite certain that was an overly-broad generalization.
I'm also quite certain that most if not all proponents of euthanasia and abortion would never consider using a gun to kill someone. And, they wouldn't approve of killing Mr. Pouillon.
Unless, of course, he was sick, or in pain, or unable to live a quality lifestyle. Or if he'd been caught before he was more than nine months past conception.
Related posts:
- "Three Killed in Tel Aviv Gay Youth Club: There's No Excuse"
(August 1, 2009) - "Pro-Life Americans Declared Terrorists: It Can't Happen Here?"
(July 6, 2009) - "About the Just War Doctrine"
(June 7, 2009) - "Dr. George Tiller's Murder Link Page"
(June 2, 2009) - "Pro-Life People - "Domestic Terrorists and Violent Racketeers": Who Knew?"
(June 1, 2009) - "Assumptions, the Great Satan America, Commie Plots, and Right Wing Extremists
part of "U. S. Bombed Mosque: Iran Official - 'When in Doubt, Blame the Americans' " on Another War-on-Terror Blog (May 29, 2009) - "DHS Report Identifying Veterans and Pro-Lifers as Potential Terrorists (Quietly) Withdrawn"
(May 14, 2009) - "Pro-Life? You May be a Dangerous Domestic Terrorist! MIAC Says So"
(March 23, 2009) - "Old Woman Attacked Proposition 8 Demonstrators: Who Knew?"
(November 13, 2008) - "Conservative? Liberal? Democrat? Republican? No, I'm Catholic"
(November 3, 2008) - "Life: It's a Single Issue, and an Important One"
(November 2, 2008) - "Gimme Peace, or I'll Punch Your Kid"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (April 25, 2008) - "Embrace Peace or I'll Kill You! More Violent Peace Lovers"
Another War-on-Terror Blog (March 7, 2008)
- "Anti-Abortion Protester Shot to Death"
U.S.,The New York Times (September 11, 2009)
A tip of the hat to wbdnewton, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this article.
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