Cry Me A River

I am opposed to the death penalty, but I will reserve my doubts and opposition for a more sympathetic character than this homicidal madman:

Nine years after he calmly shot and killed an abortion doctor and his volunteer escort outside a Pensacola clinic, Paul Jennings Hill died by lethal injection here today as his supporters declared him a martyr and warned that his actions might be replicated.

Mr. Hill, a former Presbyterian minister, is the first killer of an abortion provider to be executed in the United States. He had not tried to prevent his death, which took place at Florida State Prison, just after 6 p.m. as lightning jagged across a nearly black sky. But abortion rights advocates fear what Mr. Hill’s followers have hinted for months: that his death will cause a new wave of violence against abortion clinics, many of which have operated in relative peace over the last few years.

Paul Jennings Hill was a homegrown domestic terrorist, and he will not be missed. And before you argue with me about whether he was a terrorist or not, remember what he and his followers advocated- the bombing and wholesale slaughter of people doing nothing more than living their lives in accordance with the laws of the land- all in the name of Mr. Hill’s religion.

Sound familiar? It should, because while Julian Bond is fond of making Taliban references when speaking about President Bush and Republicans, Paul Hill and his creepy gang of religious thugs and holy miscreants were the closest damn thing we had to a homegrown Taliban. This group of spiritual gangsters was the real deal, and Hill was their Mullah, urging them on their own fetishized jihad. Say hello to Carlos the Jackal and Abu Abbas, Mr. Hill.