Time to Bring in the FBI

The assassination of George Tiller, which considering history always looked like the work of more than just the trigger man, is looking more an more like it may have involved more than a few folks -- folks with a history of violence against physicians lawfully providing reproductive treatments, including abortion.

Roeder apparently kept track of the state prosecution against Tiller through a senior member of Operation Rescue, the anti-abortion organization.

At the time of Roeder’s arrest Sunday afternoon along Interstate 35 in Johnson County, a television station captured the vehicle on video. There on the dashboard was a note that read “Cheryl” and “Op Rescue” with a phone number.

Cheryl Sullenger, senior policy adviser for Operation Rescue out of Wichita, said Tuesday that she has spoken to Roeder in the past, but she said he would initiate the contact. She said she hasn’t had any recent contact with him.

Sullenger served about two years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to bomb an abortion clinic in California in 1988. She has since renounced violent action.

She said Roeder’s interest was in court hearings involving Tiller.

“He would call and say, ‘When does court start? When’s the next hearing?’ ” Sullenger said. “I was polite enough to give him the information. I had no reason not to. Who knew? Who knew, you know what I mean?”

The District Attorney's office who brought the original charges against Tiller, which they promptly and thoroughly lost, did so because of political pressure from Operation Rescue.

The chances that this same District Attorney's office is going to fully investigate the circumstances and the way in which Roeder came to murder Tiller in a full and reliable manner is, well, not very high.

It is, of course, possible that Roeder had no assistance in assassinating Tiller, but considering the events and the connection he had with Operation Rescue and those who had taken felonious actions in the past, it needs to be investigated in a wider manner than I believe the current Kansas prosecutors will handle it.