Jesus wept

Just when we think the vileness that people will commit in the name of God can't get any worse, we get this:

George L. Wilson of Children Need Heroes and Drew Heiss of Street Preach are planning to honor Paul Hill in a series of events called "Paul Hill Days" in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 26th - 29th -- "to honor him as God's man and our hero."

On July 29, 1994 Paul Hill, who sought to set a good example for Christian theocratic revolutionaries, assassinated abortion provider Dr. John Britton and James Barrett one of his escorts, and seriously wounding another, June Barrett, outside an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida.

It should be noted that George L. Wilson, the proprietor of Children Needs Heroes, recognizes two other heroes he believes America's children should learn about: Shelly Shannon, who was convicted of the attempted assassination of Dr. George Tiller of Wichita, Kansas, among other serious crimes, including a series of arsons; and of course, James Kopp, who was convicted in the sniper assassination of Dr. Barnett Slepian in Amherst, New York. Kopp is also the chief suspect in several other shootings.

All three are recognized as Heroes of the Faith by the Army of God, members of which are likely to be on hand for the festivities.

On September 3, 2003, Paul Hill was executed by the state of Florida for two counts of murder. Murder was not really the correct charge. Although Hill planned to stop Dr. Britton from performing abortions by killing him, Hill had much larger goal in mind. Like all anti-abortion assassins, Hill hoped to intimidate other abortion providers through an act of unpredictable violence. This is the very definition of terrorism.

By the same token, the "Paul Hill Days" stunt has a larger purpose than just to "honor" Hill or educate children about a "hero." The event also sends a message to abortion providers everywhere that there are still those who believe in terror lurking in the crowds and they could be next. The highlight of the "Paul Hill Days" stunt is a reenactment of the assassination. It is the exact parallel to sending a noose to a black civil rights leader or a bullet and picture of his child to an Iraqi Sunni living in a Shi'ite town. If this stunt is a success, think of some of the other celebrations we might be subjected to: Southern Nationalists holding John Wilkes Booth Days complete with reenactments of his most famous moment in a theater, Timothy McVeigh Days with a reenactment of the last moments of the Murrah daycare center, and, of course, Mohamed Atta Days with what horrors I'll leave you to imagine.

At times like this, I hope the fundamentalists are right about hell so people like this can spend eternity there. There are no words strong enough to express my disgust.

Update 1: In my original rush to post this, I misspelled Timothy McVeigh's name. That has been corrected.

Update 2: Steve Reynolds of The All Spin Zone asks the important question"

Which Republican Presidential Candidate Will Condemn “Paul Hill Days?” Someone should ask every one of those candidates. They’ve all come out against abortion, even Rudy Giuliani, though sometimes it is hard to understand his stance.