A Kansas abortion opponent accused of sending a threatening letter to a Wichita doctor claims in court documents that her message was "divinely inspired" and protected by the freedoms of speech and religion.
Angel Dillard's latest assertion was included in a flurry of recent defense filings in federal court. The Valley Center woman is being sued by the U.S. Justice Department under a law aimed at protecting access to abortion services.
The government's lawsuit claims Dillard, of Valley Center, threatened Dr. Mila Means when she wrote her a letter last year saying that thousands of people from across the United States were looking into the doctor's background.
"They will know your habits and routines. They know where you shop, who your friends are, what you drive, where you live," the letter said. "You will be checking under your car everyday — because maybe today is the day someone places an explosive under it."
The lawsuit, filed by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, seeks a court order that keeps Dillard from contacting Means or coming within 250 feet of Means, her home, car or business. It also seeks damages of $5,000 to Means and a civil penalty of $15,000.
Dillard responded with a lawsuit saying the government's suit violates her freedom of speech and religion. Government lawyers have criticized her arguments and asked the court to dismiss her counterclaim. Her attorney asked the court Friday allow her to amend her lawsuit to address "any pleading defects" and support its allegations.
"Angel Dillard believed she was inspired by God to send a letter to Dr. Means in an attempt to convince her not to pursue her plan to abort babies in Wichita," attorney Donald McKinney said. "Angel Dillard wrote the letter quickly, in a matter of minutes, and believed that her message was divinely inspired."
Dillard also claims the government's lawsuit and related publicity caused tension among her religious associates, resulting in her losing ministry positions at her church and a local jail. She says officials at the Sedgwick County Detention Center revoked her jail ministry privileges as a result of the lawsuit and the related government investigation of her activities at the jail.
Meanwhile, both sides are seeking more documents after settlement talks failed in April. Dillard has subpoenaed portions of records of abortions Means performed and documents related to her efforts to lease a building and obtain funding to open an abortion clinic.
The government has subpoenaed records pertaining to Dillard's jailhouse visits.
No abortions have been performed openly in Wichita since Dr. George Tiller, one of the nation's few late-term abortion providers, was fatally shot in May 2009 by anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder as the physician served as an usher at his Wichita church.
Means has testified her fears were heightened after reading a news story by The Associated Press that quoted Dillard saying in a July 2009 interview that she had developed a friendship with Roeder while he was in jail awaiting trial.
"With one move, (Roeder) was able ... to accomplish what we had not been able to do," Dillard told AP at the time. "So he followed his convictions, and I admire that."
Source
Angel Dillard's latest assertion was included in a flurry of recent defense filings in federal court. The Valley Center woman is being sued by the U.S. Justice Department under a law aimed at protecting access to abortion services.
The government's lawsuit claims Dillard, of Valley Center, threatened Dr. Mila Means when she wrote her a letter last year saying that thousands of people from across the United States were looking into the doctor's background.
"They will know your habits and routines. They know where you shop, who your friends are, what you drive, where you live," the letter said. "You will be checking under your car everyday — because maybe today is the day someone places an explosive under it."
The lawsuit, filed by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, seeks a court order that keeps Dillard from contacting Means or coming within 250 feet of Means, her home, car or business. It also seeks damages of $5,000 to Means and a civil penalty of $15,000.
Dillard responded with a lawsuit saying the government's suit violates her freedom of speech and religion. Government lawyers have criticized her arguments and asked the court to dismiss her counterclaim. Her attorney asked the court Friday allow her to amend her lawsuit to address "any pleading defects" and support its allegations.
"Angel Dillard believed she was inspired by God to send a letter to Dr. Means in an attempt to convince her not to pursue her plan to abort babies in Wichita," attorney Donald McKinney said. "Angel Dillard wrote the letter quickly, in a matter of minutes, and believed that her message was divinely inspired."
Dillard also claims the government's lawsuit and related publicity caused tension among her religious associates, resulting in her losing ministry positions at her church and a local jail. She says officials at the Sedgwick County Detention Center revoked her jail ministry privileges as a result of the lawsuit and the related government investigation of her activities at the jail.
Meanwhile, both sides are seeking more documents after settlement talks failed in April. Dillard has subpoenaed portions of records of abortions Means performed and documents related to her efforts to lease a building and obtain funding to open an abortion clinic.
The government has subpoenaed records pertaining to Dillard's jailhouse visits.
No abortions have been performed openly in Wichita since Dr. George Tiller, one of the nation's few late-term abortion providers, was fatally shot in May 2009 by anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder as the physician served as an usher at his Wichita church.
Means has testified her fears were heightened after reading a news story by The Associated Press that quoted Dillard saying in a July 2009 interview that she had developed a friendship with Roeder while he was in jail awaiting trial.
"With one move, (Roeder) was able ... to accomplish what we had not been able to do," Dillard told AP at the time. "So he followed his convictions, and I admire that."
Source
So your letter threatening someone who does a job you don't like is FREEEEDUUUUMMMMMZ.
But if I say you're a fucking asshole who needs to stop listening to your hateful, bigoted toolbox sky fairy and try to be a real human being, I'm PERSECUTING you.
I REALLY don't think you understand why the fuck you assholes think you're so fucking special and above the law, and I REALLY don't think you understand how "freedom of speech" and "freedom of religion" work.
Yeah . . . good luck with that.
#2 - Yes, by all means, follow your convictions. I remember reading about how Jesus told his followers to kill their enemies and to attack them before they could attack you. Oh, wait...
So all you can do is just say 'okaaay' and ignore them if can, it's the ones you can't which do me in and unfortunately, fuck things up for everyone.
apparently spelling fucking matters.
Edited at 2012-06-07 03:18 am (UTC)
*Is embarrassed that I had to read your statement three times before the penny dropped!*
"They will know your habits and routines. They know where you shop, who your friends are, what you drive, where you live," the letter said.
Yeah, that's not cool, and definitely meant as a threat.
"You will be checking under your car everyday — because maybe today is the day someone places an explosive under it."
THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE!?!
No. God did not tell you tel threaten to place a bomb under someone's car.
Dillard also claims the government's lawsuit and related publicity caused tension among her religious associates, resulting in her losing ministry positions at her church and a local jail
Good!
The fucking gall of this woman to complain that her life is being negatively affected by this when she's making efforts to put someone else's in danger.
She says officials at the Sedgwick County Detention Center revoked her jail ministry privileges as a result of the lawsuit and the related government investigation of her activities at the jail.
I'd say it was because they don't want someone who thinks threatening stalking and violence is totes okay if you have REASONS working in a jail and possibly reinforcing that view in those she counsels, actually. Especially considering her open admiration for Roeder.
Dillard has subpoenaed portions of records of abortions Means performed
WHY? RELEVANCE, PLEASE.
"With one move, (Roeder) was able ... to accomplish what we had not been able to do," Dillard told AP at the time. "So he followed his convictions, and I admire that."
Chilling, tbqh.
BAHAHAHA YES. I love this term.
That's because you belong on the other side of the bars, you horrible, horrible human being.
Riiiight.
Oh for the love of- I didn't even see this line when I went skimming through this article.
Stuff like this is why I'm now becoming more wary anytime a person mentions how good a Christian they are.
But more, let us stomp on this religion to. Violating your faith? Your faith is demanding you terrorise someone. That faith should be violated. In fact, I'll be first in line to oppress a faith that thinks this bullshit is ok
Sorry, Ma'am, your ass is not God.
And her lawyer's argument is bullshit. She wrote that letter in a matter of minutes, but managed to avoid making any credible threat (according to Judge Marten, who refused to grant an injunction against Dillard) because she said "they" instead of "we" or "I". Sorry, but she's one of Roeder's groupies, as well as being one of the local forced-birth wingnuts; she would have written that letter as "we" unless she was advised specifically not to.
According to the source, Dillard is now injured because she had her jail ministry privileges revoked. Wah, wah, wah.
WHO THE FUCK WRITES THAT TO SOMEBODY?!
Sure, this is very pro-life, right there. Let's kill a fully-grown woman who is giving dignity and respect to hundreds of woman to save a bunch of eggs.
Freedom of speech does NOT mean you can go around threatening people! Freedom of religion does not give you the right to threaten to put a bomb under someone's car, holy shit.
She says officials at the Sedgwick County Detention Center revoked her jail ministry privileges as a result of the lawsuit and the related government investigation of her activities at the jail.
Good. This tends to happen when you start threatening to kill people.
Portions of records of abortions she's performed? Are you stupid? Those are protected medical records!
Terrorists should be in *jail*, and this woman is a terrorist.
Also am confused about what she wants the records for. Whether you like it or not, abortion is legal. And even if it wasn't, it has no relevance on her making death threats.
And how is that "pro-life?"
Those people are not "pro-life." They are ANTI-ABORTION. They are not against war, they are not against capital punishment, they are not against murdering doctors. Pro-life, my ass.