Extreme, overheated rhetoric can have dangerous consequences.

[and-justice-for-all]

-- Email received from PFAW.org

By now, you may have heard or read that last Sunday, Dr. George Tiller, a physician who has been targeted for years for his willingness to provide abortion procedures often in the most difficult circumstances, was assassinated in his church in Kansas.

Freedom of speech is one of our most cherished constitutional values and rights -- and should always be protected. But just because speech might be constitutionally protected does not make it right or decent.

There can be little doubt that the irresponsible, inflammatory, dehumanizing and violent speech of some around the abortion debate -- much of it targeted at Dr. Tiller himself -- contributed to this tragedy. The reaction to the assassination by some of these same people has been pretty shocking.

Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry said Tiller "reaped what he sowed."

Ann Coulter basically equated a woman's decision to have an abortion with a would-be assassin's decision to kill an abortion doctor.

And Wiley Drake, a former vice president of Southern Baptist Convention who last year was Alan Keyes' running mate, called Tiller's death "an answer to prayer." Drake then unabashedly told FOX broadcaster Alan Colmes on his radio show that he prays for the death of President Obama!

Dr. Tiller's death is a sad reminder that stoking the flames of hate has serious ramifications, yet the Radical Right is seemingly doing everything it can to continue the extreme demonization of its opponents, even suggesting violence with the use of images.

In the wake of Tiller's death, a Religious Right group calling itself Answers in Genesis has a billboard up in Texas and a TV ad comparing Atheism to murder. And the FOX Nation web site actually featured side-by-side articles with images that appear to have firearms aimed at the heads of progressive leaders who also happen to be African American. The absolute best that can be said of this is that FOX Nation is guilty of sloppy and irresponsible negligence.

It's incredibly important that we all stay vigilant in exposing the fear mongering and hate that drive people inclined towards violence to take action. PFAW's RightWingWatch.org blog is one such place for activists like you to stay informed. Please visit the blog often, sign up for regular "Best of the Blog" updates and help spread the word about this resource.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Extreme, overheated rhetoric can kill your children.

Find out how, on New at Eleven.