There are always new reports about Muslims using IEDs to terrorize and kill Americans in Iraq, but now we could have a case of Christian terrorists using IEDs to terrorize and try to kill Americans in Texas — at an abortion clinic, to be specific. Law enforcement is treating the matter seriously, which is good, but I wonder if those who regularly complain about Muslim extremism and terrorism will treat this incident in a similar manner, or if they will start making excuses that they never accept on behalf of Muslims.

The device, discovered Wednesday, prompted an evacuation of the surrounding south Austin neighborhood and a brief shut down of Interstate 35. A team of local and federal police agencies, working under the Joint Terrorism Task Force, is investigating the incident.

“The device that we examined was in fact an explosive device. It was also configured in such a way as to cause serious bodily injury or death,’’ said Assistant Chief David Carter of the Austin Police Department. “I want to stress that it was a dangerous device.’’

The device, left in what authorities compared to a duffle bag, was found in the parking lot of the Austin Women’s Health Center, which provides abortion services. The city bomb squad remotely destroyed the device with a robot, officials said.

Source: Star-Telegram

This is just about the extent of reporting that has been done on the story. Had an unmarked bomb been found outside a government building, every news organization would be doing wall-to-wall coverage of the suspected Al Qaeda terrorists. Granted, there's probably not much more information than what has been released, so on just about any other topic the amount currently being reported would seem reasonable. That wouldn't stop our Liberal Media if Muslim terrorists were the issue, though. They would have bloviating pundits giving their malformed opinions every ten minutes, just to keep up ratings.

Let Christian terrorists try to initiate an attack in the pursuit of their quest to exercise dominion and religious fascism over America, though, and no one cares. They can't even be bothered to yawn because Christian attacks on women, abortion, science, critics, and so forth just aren't "news." If such events were publicized, people might start to develop a negative impression of Christianity and we just can't have that, can we?

Fox News originally reported that, according to a federal source, the attempted bombing was "not a big deal." That wording has since been changed to remove the quote. Now they report:

The device, found in a duffle bag Wednesday, "was configured in such a way to cause serious bodily injury or death," said David Carter, assistant chief of the Austin Police Department.

The bomb, which was found in the parking lot of the Austin Women's Health Center, comes on the heels of last week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling which banned a controversial type of abortion and was viewed as an anti-abortion victory. ...

In the last 30 years, abortion clinics have been bombed 41 times according to law enforcement statistics compiled by the National Abortion Federation. Many of the crimes directed at abortion providers, including 93 attempted bombings and arson, were committed during times that abortion issues were prominent in the news, Saporta said.

"Last week we put out an update to our members ... we reminded them that when abortion is featured prominently in the news we often see an increase in violence aimed at clinics and encouraged them to take increased security precautions," [Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation] said.

Here we have an actual case of a bomb planted on American soil — not a bomb plot, but an actual bomb. If conservative evangelical Christians are consistent, shouldn't they treat this the same as they would have theoretical bombing plots treated? Shouldn't they call for the government to infiltrate and spy on pro-life churches, just as they have supported the infiltration and spying on mosques? Shoudln't they favor the arrest and detention of suspects as "enemy combatants"? Shouldn't they support the use of "alternative" interrogation techniques — including torture — in order to learn the identities of all invovled? How many conservative evangelicals will volunteer for water boarding in name of the War on Terror?

Or do you suppose that conservative evangelical Christians who support such measures against Muslims suspected of terrorist ties only support them in cases where Muslims are involved and never in cases where Christians may be involved? These same conservative Christians set themselves up as arbiters of law and morality in America, condemning all who don't toe the line when it comes to believing in and obeying their god. At the same time, though, they support the use of illegal and immoral tactics to promote their religion or defend America.

In fact, some conservative, evangelical Christians openly support terrorist violence. Wiley Drake, currently the second vice-president of the Southern Baptist Convention, signed a declaration supporting James Kopp, the Christian terrorist who assassinated a New York doctor for performing abortions:

The declaration signed by Wiley Drake, elected last June as second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, appears on the Army of God Web site. The National Abortion Federation describes the Army of God as an "underground network of domestic terrorists who believe that the use of violence is appropriate and acceptable as a means to end abortion."

The Army of God Web site describes Paul Hill, a Presbyterian minister executed in 2003 for the 1994 killing of a doctor and bodyguard outside an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Fla., as "an American hero." ...A note on the declaration of support for Kopp suggests: "I would advise, if you contemplate ever taking action against babykilling abortionists or their houses of murder, e.g. abortion mills; you DO NOT SIGN THIS, NOR MAKE YOURSELF OR YOUR PLANS KNOW IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER TO ANYONE AT ANY TIME."

The declaration bearing his name says: "We, the signers of this declaration, proclaim that we support and stand for righteousness in the defense of the unborn.... We will stand with our brother Jim Kopp. We will support him for his love of unborn children." It ends with a reference to "those who have made the ultimate sacrifice" in defending unborn children.

Source: Ethics Daily

Although this particular terrorist act was obviously aimed at abortion, it's a problem that should be recognized as affecting us all — or at least all of us who oppose the agenda of Christian Nationalists. Once any group falls into the mindset that it's appropriate to pursue a political agenda through violence and murder, it's difficult to expect them to cease such activity at the boundaries of just a single issue. This is, in fact, why it's wrong to think that violence is little more than a short-cut to the same goals that might otherwise be pursued through nonviolent, political means. The use of violence isn't just a different method, but in reality can change the nature of the destination as well.