Adkisson News Watch

As previously reported, Adkisson is scheduled to go to sessions court today. I'm not a legal expert, but apparently this is to determine what kind of trial will follow. It's looking like it will hinge on his mental state.

More local papers are printing editorials on the case. The Charleston City Paper has an editorial by Will Moredock entitled "Knoxville shootings are a symptom of our culture." It's pretty good but kind of what one would expect.

. . . when we hand out responsibility for this tragedy, let's not forget Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Pat Robertson. Without the culture of hate they have been brewing over the last 20 years, this could not have happened.

In retrospect, it seems almost inevitable. When I heard that a stranger had opened fire in a Unitarian Universalist church, I knew immediately that it had to be a hate crime.

There are simply too few UU churches for one to be picked at random.

I'm not sure I agree with him entirely; I think that Adkisson might well have focused on something to express his rage even without Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

The Gresham Outlook in Oregon (I believe) has an article entitled "In wake of shooting, is it safe to be liberal?" Despite the provocative title, it is fairly balanced and more of an article than an editorial. It responds to a letter written by the local UU minister, Rev. David Maynard, reacting to the crime.

. . . I’ve never heard of ‘liberals’ taking up arms and shooting random people in public. All too often I’ve heard of unhealthy persons espousing fundamentalist values wreaking just that kind of havoc. Liberals are more likely to teach peace than wielding a gun.

The article though seems inclined to argue with Maynard. It points out that Adkisson made some comments critical of Christianity. And it has the response of Pastor Ray Young.

Liberals, like the Unitarian Universalists, approve and condone the killing of millions of babies in the United States through abortion, and call it ‘choice.’ Liberals approve and encourage sick people to kill themselves, and call it ‘death with dignity,’ and, finally, they reject that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is God and the Messiah.

And there you have it. If you think being pro choice is murdering millions of babies, well, Adkisson barely registers. He killed 2 and wounded 5; what is that compared to millions of babies? Nothing.

Pastor Young seems like his main difference with Adkisson, if there was one, was over tactics, not end goal.