Fox 'News' host had long charged KS physician with 'operating a death mill,' 'executing babies,' carrying out 'slaughter'
Update: Wingnut 'FreeRepublic' commenters celebrate Tiller murder...
By Brad Friedman on 5/31/2009, 11:48am PT  

Update 6/1/09: Thanks to Jed Lewison at DailyKosTV for the following short compilation of clips from among 29 segments of O'Reilly's show, in which he persisently demonized Tiller. "As you can see from these video clip samplings of O’Reilly’s holy war," Lewison writes, "you don’t have to actually pull the trigger to help sponsor terrorism:"



A manhunt is underway at this hour for the murderer of Kansas physician GeorgeTiller, who was shot and killed this morning when he entered his church in Wichita. [Update: Suspect now in custody.]

Tiller was better known to Fox "News" viewers as "Tiller the Baby Killer," as he's long been described by Bill O'Reilly, who has spent years targeting Tiller on the most-watched show in cable news. O'Reilly has long demonized him with allegations of performing illegal late-term abortions, characterized as murder by O'Reilly and his guests.

Of course, it's no more O'Reilly's fault when a lunatic takes action to murder someone the Fox host has targeted for years on his popular television show than it was when another lunatic gunned down church-goers in Tennessee last year, claiming in his pre-murder "manifesto" that it was "a symbolic killing," and that he had "wanted to kill...every Democrat in the Senate & House, the 100 people in Bernard Goldberg's book." Goldberg is a regular featured guest on O'Reilly's show, and the author of 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America (And Al Franken is #37).

Jim David Adkisson, the Knoxville, TN, murderer, also advocated the murder of "liberals" in his manifesto, echoing comments frequently made by O'Reilly that "The Major News outlets have become the propaganda arm of the Democrat Party. Liberals are evil, they embrace the tenets of Karl Marx, they're Marxist, socialist, communists."

Those are all merely coincidences, of course. Nobody, other than the murderers themselves, should feel it necessary to take any personal responsibility whatsoever when such events occur.

In March of this year, after Tiller had been acquitted of charges alleging that he'd performed late-term abortions in violation of Kansas state law, O'Reilly continued his series of programs focusing on the Kansas physician, charging him with "operating a death mill" (video here), and alleging that he was "executing babies" (video here).

O'Reilly had previously been highly critical of the state's Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, charging, during his Talking Points commentary in 2007, that she was "allowing [Tiller] to continue the slaughter."

Now, O'Reilly won't have to worry about that anymore.

UPDATE: News Hounds has more links to O'Reilly's smears and attacks on Tiller, and asks: "How many more deaths will occur before Fox News forswears its hate?"

FURTHER UPDATE: A quick read of the far right website FreeRepublic (O'Reilly's base), reveals hundreds of comments on a number of threads, applauding and even celebrating the death of Tiller. We've reposted many of them below. (Hat-tip Charles at Little Green Footballs.)

Note to O'Reilly, who has proven not to understand the difference when he repeatedly highlights a selected anonymous user comment from what he describes as "liberal hate-sites," such as Huffington Post and Daily Kos, while comparing them to the Ku Klux Klan: The following are comments by readers at the site, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of those who run Free Republic. Nor is there any guarantee that such posters are not purposely posting these comments in hopes of reflecting poorly on the site in question. Though, in this case, there are so many of them, most posted by users with a long posting history on the site, that we'll leave it to your judgement as to whether you believe these comments are for real or not...

The following selected comments are only from among the first 50 posted, on this thread started by user "Kansas58", which now includes more than 1000 comments [all comments quoted are posted here in full]:

I do not support this, but I do understand this.

Kansas politics has been corrupted to the core by George Tiller, making him like a mobster above the law.

He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:35:48 AM by Kansas58
...
Is this a false report?

Why would an abortionist go to church?

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:36:38 AM by BenLurkin

Whatever "church" Tiller attends must be worshipping satan.

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:37:54 AM by newfreep
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"Why would an abortionist go to church?"

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:38:29 AM by mass55th
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Public relations.

Social contacts.

This particular "church" was pro-abortion.

There was once a minister in town that would baptize the aborted babies, if the mother made such a request.

Again, ever element of our lives here has been corrupted by George Tiller.

This is what happens when the United States Supreme Court, the legal system, and our elected officials, and even some religious institutions, have all been corrupted to the point that a man can profit so much from killing babies.

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:40:40 AM by Kansas58
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Why is the death of a satanic worshipper tragic?

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:40:44 AM by newfreep
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His sister is a friend of mine. This is tragic.

The real tragedy is the number lives he has taken. Not to mention the women who have had to live with what they have done to their babies.

24 posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:42:31 AM by CheneyChick
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Shooting causes more shooting.

Murder has a tendency to boomerang on the murderer. Today is an example.

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:43:03 AM by buccaneer81
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Up to a few years ago, I would have agreed with your statement, Doug.

However, bush2 failed miserably with his "friendly tone" and I'm beginning to think we MUST bring a gun to a gun fight if we have any chance to win this battle against satan and his minions.

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:46:18 AM by newfreep
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May he rot in hell alongside the mothers who aided him in his "business".

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:47:40 AM by Glenn

And these selected comments are only from among the first 50 posted, from a second thread started by user "UpChuck", which now includes over 200 comments [all comments quoted here are again posted in their entirety]:

Tiller has committed outrage after outrage and not only gotten away with it, he has made a fortune! Sooner or later this had to happen.

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 10:11:32 AM by Anti-Bubba182
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What goes around comes around...

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 10:13:48 AM by tips up
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One less nazi as far as I am concerned.

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 10:15:21 AM by imahawk
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Let's not assume this has anything to do with abortion. Until I hear differently, I'm going with a gay lovers' spat.

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 10:15:28 AM by Sloth
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Hope the guy gets away.

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 10:15:31 AM by Turret Gunner A20
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You are entitled to your opinion.

I'm not weeping for the scumbag himself.I haven't the fainest doubt that he is,at this very moment,rotting in the very special place in hell that he so richly earned.

What I'm saying is that this will hurt the anti-abortion *cause*...and hurt it badly.

If you doubt me...just watch.

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 10:18:25 AM by Gay State Conservative
...
No doubt this ‘man’ is responsible for thousands, maybe tens-of-thousands of needless and wanton deaths. If you think his ‘passing’ is a bad thing in the cause of speaking out and ending the practice of abortion, I don’t know what to tell you. I can only say that I shall not mourn his demise, nor shall I judge others.

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 10:20:42 AM by Gaffer
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Thou Shalt Not Murder.

But, wasn't this just another late term abortion(?)

posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 10:23:58 AM by The Duke

UPDATE 6:30pm PT: Salon's Gabriel Winant offers more evidence and condemnation, of O'Reilly's culpability in all of this madness. He notes O'Reilly's comparison of Tiller to a Nazi, description of him as a "baby killer" and code-worded warnings of facing "Judgement Day". "The Fox bully repeatedly portrayed the doctor as a murderer on the loose," writes Winant, who believes O'Reilly's behavior has been "sensationally irresponsible." Can't say we disagree.

UPDATE 6/1/09 6:20pm PT: O'Reilly tones back "Tiller the Killer" rhetoric on first show back on Fox since assassination. Details now here...

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