Christian Terrorism in Wisconsin: Lang Indicted
Christian Terrorism in Wisconsin: Would-Be Executioner Indicted
Late last month, the United States government
formally indicted Ralph Lang on various charges; attempted terrorism does not seem to be among them.
The
complaint, filed last year, would be very near to funny, except, of course, that it is about such grim issues.
At a Madison, Wisconsin Motel 6 last year, Lang apparently accidentally discharged a handgun while loading it in his room. The round passed through his door and struck the door across the hallway. Lang, apparently worried that he might have hit someone with that round, reported the incident to the front desk.
Police responded, and in that classic fashion, Lang explained that he did not realize there was a round in the chamber.
For the record, while the room across the hall
was rented, it was unoccupied at the time of the accidental discharge.
Now, this is where it gets strange.
According to the complaint:
[2]c. Officer Dyer asked Lang why he had a gun and Lang replied, "to lay out abortionists because they are killing babies". Lang then told Officer Dyer that he was planning on going to the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic on Highway 51 across from MATC on May 26, 2011, when it opened at 8:00 a.m. .... Lang said he was going to find out who the doctor was that was doing the abortions, and shoot him in the head.
d. Lang told officer Dyer that he was in Madison last week, on either Thursday or Friday, because he thought that surgical abortions were performed on those days. He told Officer Dyer that he had the gun with him last week, but was having spiritual struggles and was not 100% in sync with God, so he did not shoot anyone last week. Lang told Officer Dyer that he bought the gun approximately two years ago after being arrested for protesting at an abortion clinic. He said he bought the gun to "help end abortion" ....
.... [3]a. Sergeant Gonzalez entered room 125 to insure that nobody was injured in the room since the shot had been fired from there. Upon entering, in plain view, Sergeant Gonzalez saw a box containing numerous documents, including a map of the United States, with dots in each State and the handwritten words above the border of the United States "some abortion centers". Also on this map were the words "Blessed Virgin Mary says Hell awaits any woman having an abortion. Nurse or doctor who helps will one" (sic). Sergeant Gonzalez reported seeing a significant amount of anti-abortion literature in Room 125 ....
4. [FBI Special Agent Joseph LaVelle has] has also reviewed a Madison Police report prepared by Madison Police Officer Tim Frey on December 21, 2007. That report sets otu that Ralph Lang was arrested at the Planned Parenthood building at 3706 Orin Road ... on December 21, 2007. During that arrest, Lang told Officer Frey that the "bible states that anyone involved in abortion should be executed." Lang further stated that everyone in the building should be executed and that police officers were not fulfilling their jobs by not executing the individuals involved in the abortion clinic ....
... 7. During [a Madison Police interview], Lang stated that he was loading his gun when somehow a bullet went in the chamber and he accidentally pulled the trigger. He said he had purchased the .38 a couple of years ago in the Medford area and had about 35 bullets with him.
8. When asked how long he had been involved, Lang stated "I wish I'd done heaven's will right away." When asked what his intent was for tomorrow (May 26), Lang stated he intended to find out who the abortionist was and to "do what I feel police officers fail to do." He stated, "what was I going to do? Take a gun, drop the abortionist." When asked if he meant he was going to shoot the abortionist and kill them, he stated, "yah, stop them from killing other people and other babies." He agreed that he was going to do that by using the gun he had in his possession. When asked if he intended to go to the clinic and confront them, he stated he was going to confront them with his gun. When asked where he planned on shooting them, he said, "right in the head".
9. Lang stated that if the officers went in his motel room and picked up his bible and other papers, it would explain his thinking. When asked if his plan was to just shoot the doctor, or if it also included the nurses, he stated he wished he "could line them all up in a row, get a machine gun, and mow them all down."
10. At the conclusion of the interview, as they were leaving the interview room, Lang asked Detective Frey "you guys ever go on the internet? Look up 'Rosary for the Unborn'".
Wisconsin is a far more interesting place, it seems, than most folks give it credit for. Two incidents in the space of a year doesn't necessarily make the state a hotbed for Christian terrorism, but recent years have seen a string of spectacularly stupid, politically-related violence across the United States. It's probably best that we don't treat this sort of thing as part of our "war on terror", because Rosary of the Unborn would be classified as a terrorist organization, participation in the anti-abortion movement would be scrutinized as potentially terrorist, and simple identification as a Christian would bring suspicion of terrorist support upon millions of American citizens.
But it
is terrorism.
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Notes:
WSAU. "Lang formally indicted on federal firearm charges in abortion attack case". March 29, 2012. WSAU.com. April 7, 2012. http://wsau.com/news/articles/2012/...eral-firearm-charges-in-abortion-attack-case/
LaVelle, Joseph D. "Complaint for Violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 248". United States of America v. Ralph Lang. May 26, 2011. BloxImages.Chicago2.VIP.TownNews.com. April 7, 2012. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.town...-11e0-87eb-001cc4c002e0/4dded47f20759.pdf.pdf
