Robert Dear = John Brown?

Robert Dear = John Brown? November 30, 2015

What if it turns out that Robert Dear was, in fact, motivated by the Planned Parenthood hidden-camera videos?  What if he was, in fact, of sound mind, and his goal was, in fact, to punish Planned Parenthood as an organization, and the women at this location, for their crimes?  To make every woman coming to Planned Parenthood for services just a little more afraid?  To harm them financially, as they retrofit clinics for greater security?

That’d make him a John Brown figure.

Remember him from history class?

Old John Brown’s body lies moldering in the grave,

While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save;

But tho he lost his life while struggling for the slave,

His soul is marching on.

(via Wikipedia)

His story is this (also from Wikipedia): an abolitionist in the pre-Civil War years, he promoted armed opposition to slavery, and then decided to take matters into his own hands, aiming to start a slave revolt with a (failed) raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry in 1859.

Was he hero or villian?

And how would you have responded to anti-abolitionists who said that this man’s actions are the fault of the abolitionist movement, and they should just STFU as a result, to avoid anyone else doing the same?

(UPDATE:  I meant for this to be a discussion-starter.  To be clear — and state what I hope should be obvious — I do not believe that violence in the pro-life cause is ever justified.  But I think the example of John Brown should cause us to think, in part because he was perceived of as heroic at the time, or at least, afterwards, during the Civil War.  That being said, I don’t know more, personally, about the abolitionist movement at the time and how he connects with them, or not.)


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