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Show Opinions Who killed George Tiller? •b Monday • June 22, 2009 A3 Opinions writer Many from within the anti-abortion movement, such as the National Right to Life Committee, Operation Rescue, Kansans for Life and various Jewish groups have condemned Scott Roeder, the alleged murderer of the doctor George Tiller. Others from within the anti-abortion movement have commended Roeder on right-wing blogs and threads; the Army of God, a violent anti-abortion group, has the following posted on their website: "The lives of innocent babies scheduled to be murdered by George Tiller are spared by the action of American Hero Scott Roeder. George Tiller the Babykiller reaped what he sowed and is now in eternal hell." Some, like Pres. Obama, have expressed shock and anger while others, like Bill O'Reilly, have insinuated that Tiller got what he deserved. There has been talk throughout the country that conservative media has been fostering an environment for violent Christian fundamentalist terrorism for years. g Tiller was one of the last late-term abortion doctors in this country. More than 66,000 women undergo an abortion between 13 and 20 weeks of gestation in the U.S. every year due to miscarriages, developmental Courtesy of Steve Rhodes Participants at a vigil for George Tiller show support for the continued freedom of choice, in the face of his loss. complications and dangers years; some from the left to the woman's own health. have used Tiller's murder There are few physicians as an example of how the who know how to perform GOP is controlled by miliisafe abortions so late in the " tant "Cliristianrsts^nduhat pregnancy and Tiller's mur- the Republicansuvill tear the der Jjasjeft a grerat demand U.S. apart with their violent fear. Similarly, there are a for more doctors who can. There has been talk few paranoid conservatives throughout the country that who have theorized that the conservative media has murder was a leftist plot to been fostering an environ- solidify the political control ment for violent Christian of the Democrats and that his fundamentalist terrorism for murder empowers Obama. This is something I've heard before: in the wake of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, liberals throughout: thff^2fe6istod;^rrnilar reactions to discovering that Oswald was not a right-wing extremist but was a radical leftist who advocated Communism, and may have therefore attempted to cast Oswald as part of a largescale right-wing conspiracy. Roeper is a white suprema- cist who believes that women are only meant for breeding and those who seek out. abortions are "race traitors." He do'esn^«identify;*wifrreither the left or the right - and ultimately ^ x S k l t } i A X ^ i s . inconsequential because it doesn't change what he did. It has been said of John F. Kennedy that the only thing he was fanatical about was his opposition towards fanatics. Ultimately, in this time of tragedy, we shouldn't be asking ourselves "Who has the blood on their hands?" or "Did George Tiller get wh"ffCTh& deserved?" or «|en "What could we have done tg pigyent,.this?" It's toojate for these questions. 1 think instead we should be asking ourselves, "Is it ever conducive to social progress to protect human life by attacking it?" Not everyone is cheering DAVE SELF NEWLIN Opinions editor Photo Illustration by Trent Bates/UVU Review How will Pres. Holland's views affect his administration? Many who have met Dr. Holland, even those wary of his appointment, have been surprised and amazed by his ability to win people over and give an aura of confidence and ability. Every press release by UVU makes sure to mention his great potential both as a leader and in doing good for the university. This does not allay my own concerns, however. His abilities as a leader and potential abilities as an administrator are not an argument against those who have concerns about Holland's being the son of a currently sit- ting member of the Quorum of the Twelve, who also happens to be a former president of BYU, or about his radically conservative political views. As a matter of fact, those who wish to see UVU taken in a different direction would obviously do well to pick someone not only with connections to institutions they wish to see reflected or represented at this university, they would be very smart — or were very smart — to pick a charismatic and charming person who can bring people aboard his agenda with relative ease. In other words, his abilities should only make those concerned more so. Being good at running a university does not negate his cozy relationship with both the Church and BYU, nor does it change any political, moral or administrative perspectives that he necessarily brings to the job - he comes from another university and a tradition which are not known for their commitment to academic freedom or for moderate political views. In fact, Mr. Holland was, until his appointment, a board member for the National Organization for Marriage, a group whose sole purpose is to prevent gay marriage legislation from passing; which is to say that See HOLLAND • A4 s Holland UVU's Obama? ANDYSHERWIN Opinions writer Dr. Matthew Holland, UVU's newly-appointed president, has been praised for his charisma, the dedication of his life to the field of education and for his willingness to work with even his most critical opponents in order to accomplish uni- versal goals and benefit as many as possible. He has also been criticized for having relatively little experience in administration, having ties to a controversial church with unpopular political views and for being an appointment strictly rooted in pandering to the demographic that he personally represents. While these criticisms (or praises, for that matter) are not necessarily inaccurate, and although they should be taken incredibly seriously as UVU stands on a precipice of selfdiscovery as its identity is still being forged, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by a sense of sociopolitical deja vu. How did this all feel so familiar? What about this process, these claims made by equally strong-worded supporters and detractors, rang so familiar? It wasn't anything on the local level; the Michael Moore debacle, the elevation to an accredited university, the alternative commencement farce or any similar big deal. I couldn't place a finger on it. The origins of this controversy continued to elude me until recently, when I was within earshot of someone watching the insultingly ignorant Glenn Beck criticize (surprise!) Pres. Obama's legislation, and I finally figured it out: Pres. Holland is Pres. Obama. • I don't mean in a cool Batman/Bruce Wayne kind of way, although it's almost as interesting. For example, Obama's ties to his long-time pastor, Jeremiah Wright, or as I like to call him, "The Gift That Keeps On Giving." Wright came under heavy fire after some of his more ludicrous beliefs on race relations ~ includ- See OBAMA • A4 |