Clinic bomb update

Two pounds of nails in a pipe bomb... nice.

Apr 27, 2007 9:30 pm US/Central
Police Arrest Suspect In Women's Clinic Case

(CBS 42) AUSTIN A man police say left a pipe bomb outside an South Austin women's clinic is in federal custody.

Austin police and the FBI arrested Paul Ross Evans, 27, on several federal charges, including using weapons of mass destruction.

FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents are at his home in North Austin still investigating.

Police say Evans built and placed a pipe bomb outside the Austin Women's Health Clinic, which performs abortions, two days ago.

“What people know as a pipe bomb, what we call an improvised explosive device, was contained in a soft side case,” Austin Assistant Police Chief David Carter said. “There were two pounds of nails, a propane cylinder and it had something like a rocket motor to ignite the device."

Court documents say Evans bought the materials for the bomb at a Wal-Mart on Ben White Blvd.

The arrest affidavit says Evans also bought electrical tape and a timer at the store Tuesday.

Although the bomb never went off, police say it had the potential for serious injury or death.

CBS 42 talked by phone to the head of the National Abortion Federation.

The organization warned clinics to be on the lookout for danger, after the Supreme Court upheld the ban on late term abortions.

The president says the danger may continue after Friday's arrest.

"We know that when abortion is featured prominently in the news there is an increase risk of providers in clinics being targeted for violence," Vicki Saporta with the National Abortion Federation.

Police wouldn't say why Evans may have done this or if he was connected to any other bomb making incidents.

He faces several charges, including using a weapon of mass destruction, which could mean life in prison without parole if he is convicted.

The women's clinic had no comment about the arrest.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Ironic, isn't it?

"Pro-lifers" strike in Austin:

Apr 26, 2007 5:31 pm US/Central
Device At Women's Clinic Was Potentially Deadly

Julie Simon
Reporting

(CBS 42) AUSTIN A suspicious package found in the parking lot of an
Austin women's clinic Wednesday was an explosive device, the FBI and
Austin Police Department said Thursday.

The device was found around 2 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of the
Brookside Women's Medical Center at I-35 and Woodland (map).
Investigators say it was contained in what looked like a carry on
piece of luggage.

A bomb squad robot moved the package from the clinic parking lot to a
secure location. Once it was detonated, an explosive powder was
discovered.

"We did a field test to determine if it actually was an explosive and
that test came back positive," Austin Police Assistant Chief David
Carter said.

For fear of jeopardizing the investigation, authorities refused to
comment on what exactly the explosive device looked like. But they did
say it was configured in such a way, had it gone off, it would have
done serious bodily harm.

The fact that it was left at a women's clinic which, among other
things, performs abortions is not lost on police.

"We connect the dots," Carter said. "We are looking to find out who
did this and for what reason."

Carter went on to say he and the rest of his investigative team are
alerting other clinics around town about any potential risks.

The CEO of Planned Parenthood Ken Lambrecht says he just held a bomb
drill at his site earlier this week.

He's appalled by news of this explosive device.

"In a city like Austin where it is so safe, it is a sad day when this
kind of package and this kind of violence is evident in our
community," Lambrecht said.

Brookside Women's Medical Center issued the following statement Thursday:

"We are committed to the health and well-being of our patients. Our
office will continue to provide the same outstanding health care we've
been providing for the last 30 years."

There is a security camera here in the parking lot. Authorities hope
what's on the tape will help them in trying to figure out who is
responsible.

The Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating because the
investigation involves an explosive device.

Abortion violence in the United States has claimed seven lives. Among
them were doctors, an off duty security guard, and clinic receptionists.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

My thoughts on Cho Seung-Hui

Horrified though I am at what he did, I find myself unable to hate him or even to hold him accountable for his actions, because he was obviously quite severely mentally ill. While nothing can possibly justify his brutal mass murdering spree, the fact is that he was psychotic and should have been committed to a mental institution before he reached the breaking point. I understand how difficult it is to help the mentally ill -- especially, as is usually the case, when they do not think they need help and do not want to be helped. Legally, the system’s hands are tied. However, in Cho’s case, he was absolutely failed by the system, as he had been hospitalized, evaluated, diagnosed to be a danger to himself, and yet released and simply told to seek outpatient treatment. He clearly was not going to do so, and since he had been deemed a danger to himself, he could have been involuntarily committed, as I understand the law.

Ordinarily, I don’t like to play Monday morning quarterback, but in this case, the warning bells had been chiming for at least a couple of years, and it is both tragic and frustrating that nothing substantial was done about them. There is a fair chance that this tragedy could have been prevented, and that makes me both angry and sad.

Furthermore, there are certain factors which clearly contributed to Cho’s psychotic meltdown and which infuriate and frustrate me because I can empathize to a degree with what he went through. I read in the news today how Cho was tormented in school when he was younger, due to the fact that he was different -- he didn’t speak the language, he was shy, his family was poor, and so he was mocked, ostracized, and bullied by his classmates in junior high. As someone who was also mocked, ostracized, and bullied in school for many years, my heart breaks for him. I was also “different” -- I wore glasses from first grade until I finally got contact lenses when I was fifteen. My family was not well off financially, and the clothes I wore were cheap, often hand-me-downs, ugly, and way, way out of style. I lost my two front teeth in an accident at the age of four, and so I had a huge gap in the front of my mouth until my adult teeth came in when I was eight. I was painfully shy, and to top it all off, I was an excellent student and so was also teased for being a “geek” and a “school-girl” (which was supposed to be an insult directed at smart kids). I had no friends in school, I was teased mercilessly, and on more than one occasion, I was physically beaten up by school bullies.

So, in short, I understand how painful it is to be the school outcast. Children are mean -- meaner and more thoughtless than most adults. Certainly, not everyone who is harassed and ill-treated by classmates as a child grows up to be a psychotic mass-murderer. Fortunately, Cho is in a tiny minority as far as that goes. However, I wish that children could be made to understand the effects their actions have on those they abuse. Even those who go on to move past such negative childhood experiences never really get over the pain they were caused. Low self-esteem and fear of rejection can last a lifetime. Cho was beaten down at a young age, for things that were not his fault, by people who were simply looking for a reason to be cruel, and he never got past it. The fact that he was prone to mental illness meant that it had a terrible, devastating result.

My heart aches for Cho’s victims, those who survived the attack but will be forever scarred, and those whose loved ones were brutally taken from them. It also aches for Cho, however. While I cannot relate to his psychosis or his actions, I do understand his pain.

The Lilith Fund 4th Annual Reproductive Equity Awards

That's where I spent my evening (with Cheryl, above). It was the first pro-choice event I've attended, and it was very inspiring. The Lilith Fund is an incredible organization, and I'm seriously considering volunteering as a hotline case manager for them.

I was really struck by the speeches about this evening's honoree, Dr. Lester Minto, who travels throughout the state of Texas providing abortions for low-income women. One of his daughters gave a speech and talked about what it was like to grow up as the daughter of an abortion provider in South Texas -- the constant taunts at school, being ostracized by both fellow students and teachers, having protesters outside her home, etc. It made me cry right there at the dinner. She also mentioned how her father often has to travel with a police escort. Dr. Minto is an amazing man, and absolutely deserving of the award he received this evening.

Stolen from Wino's blog

And we got the same score!




Your Score Summary

Overall, you scored as follows:

97% scored higher (more stupid),
1% scored the same, and
2% scored lower (less stupid).

You are 2% stupid. This means...

You are our next Einstein. Wow! Keep up the great thinking.