From the AP, we learn more about domestic terrorist Scott Roeder, his family and his acquaintances, including more statements from figures we have already heard from:

Some anti-abortion activists said they were familiar with Roeder. Regina Dinwiddie, a protester in the Kansas City area, said she had picketed a Planned Parenthood clinic with Roeder. She said she was "glad" about Tiller's death.

Dinwiddie, you may recall, was one who witnessed Roeder threatening a doctor in 1996 but did nothing, earning a hug from Roeder. She is less than heartbroken now, it seems.

And here's another comment from Dave Leach, who met Roeder when Leach was visiting with Shelley Shannon, who was convicted of shooting Dr. Tiller in both arms in 1993:

Dave Leach, publisher of the magazine Prayer and Action News, said he met Roeder about 15 years ago. A decade ago, Roeder subscribed to the quarterly magazine, which is published in Iowa and has said "justifiable homicide" against abortion providers can be supported, Leach said. "Scott is not my hero in that sense; he has not inspired me to shoot an abortionist," Leach said in an e-mail. "But definitely, he will be the hero to thousands of babies who will not be slain because Scott sacrificed everything for them."

So we know Leach will not be shooting abortionists himself -- but he considers Roeder "a hero to thousands of babies", and says that "Scott sacrificed" for them. What a guy.

As reported earlier, when he was arrested after the murder, Roeder was found with the name and phone number of Operation Rescue's Cheryl Sullenger on the dashboard of his car. Sullenger is herself a felon convicted of conspiring to bomb an abortion clinic in 1988: she is a "Senior Policy Advisor" at Operation Rescue (leading to the obvious question of what such a person is doing in such a role with a group that has made a very, very vocal point in the last 24 hours of claiming to deplore such violence.)



Already, the most virulent of anti-abortion forces are asserting the killer was a lone nut, and one that should not reflect on them; that depends, however, on your definition of "lone". Right now there are still plenty of questions, and few answers, but the tightness of the most violent elements of the anti-abortion movement surrounding Dr. Tiller certainly seems noteworthy.

Consider the connections we already are aware of. We know that Dr. Tiller's previous shooter, Dr. Tiller's future murderer, and a man who actively endorsed the notion that murdering doctors like George Tiller would be God's will all had previously met and communicated with each other. We know that Roeder, previously arrested for possession of bomb materials, had not "recently" talked to Sullenger, herself convicted for conspiring to bomb a California clinic -- but that caveat, "recently", seems to confirm that they did talk to each other. We know Roeder had frequent visitors to his home for apparent "religious gatherings"; he was far from isolated.

It seems that Roeder fairly swam in a sea of anti-abortion ex-felons and their supporters, all of whom are even now making unconvincing condemnations of his acts at best, and openly cheering the assassination at worst. The extent to which violent figures within the movement know each other and interact seems worthy of substantive investigation. Perhaps it will prevent the next murder, one which no doubt will also be called an "isolated act."