NYT quotes fringe wingnut claiming bible justifies Tiller assassination

The New York Times dove deep into the dumpster of right-wing lunacy to find this:

Scott Roeder, 51, of Merriam, Kan., whom authorities have described as a suspect in Sunday’s fatal shooting here of George Tiller, was once a subscriber and occasional contributor to a newsletter, Prayer and Action News, said Dave Leach, an anti-abortion activist from Des Moines who runs the newsletter. Mr. Leach said that he had met Mr. Roeder once, and that Mr. Roeder had described similar views to his own on abortion.

Commenting on Dr. Tiller’s death, Mr. Leach said, “To call this a crime is too simplistic.” He added, “There is Christian scripture that would support this."

There is no Christian scripture to support the murder of George Tiller. If the Times really felt the need to include that quote from Mr. Leach, it had an obligation to ask him to cite the chapter and verse, and then to include them in the story. That way, readers would have had the opportunity to compare and contrast the citation, assuming he could produce one, with citations like this:

Exodus 20:13

13 "You shall not murder."

It is simply not good journalism to cite some nutcase as an authority just because he has an opinion. How does the New York Times not know better?