Nascent Tiller sequel aborted

The obvious part of this post this post is that an anti-abortion zealot was preparing to murder a medical professional, that he had a gun to do so, and that the only reason he got caught before making the attempt was some premature firing in his hotel. The DA will have to prove intent to get him on the charges of attempted murder and intimidation, but the concealed weapon charge and illegal discharge of a firearm are trivial to enforce.

This blog is about the reaction of the Wisconsin state senate: they are changing the law to remove the easy-to-prove charges. Those voting with the majority have now officially taken a pro-murder stance (as long as the intended victim is "one of them"). I have no doubt that if the next stray bullet from a concealed weapon kills a child who just happened to stay at the wrong hotel, they will be quick to point out that this is a tragedy and that we shouldn't assign blame. But they are wrong. This is the mistake that will lead to that tragedy. This is what they deserve to be blamed for.

In Wisconsin that vote only took three people to pass, which underscores the dangers of allowing demagogues into power when power is so concentrated. Politics is life-or-death serious.