Michael Bray
\n8 September, 2003<\/p>\n
The execution of our brother, Paul Hill on the third of September was not met with silence from the heavens.\u00a0 There was a response in the atmosphere.\u00a0 The gathered, dark clouds in the minutes before the execution were featured in the pictures of several newspapers the following day.\u00a0\u00a0 On the front page of the Charlotte Observer,<\/em> the famed inspiration of the activist movement or the eighties, Joan Andrews Bell, was shown praying along with one of her several adopted, crippled children.\u00a0 She was among various luminaries of the anti-abortion movement.\u00a0 Two original Operation Rescue leaders included Jeff White and Susan (Odom) Peters.\u00a0 Missionaries to the Pre-born founder, Matt Trewhella was present along with a few other missionaries, including Drew Heiss, who played taps when the execution was scheduled at 6 p.m.\u00a0 Kinsmen in the use of force included abortuary bombers and conspirators: Marjorie Reed, Joshua Graff, John Brockhoeft, and Michael Bray.\u00a0 Fr. David Trosh, the Roman Catholic priest of Mobile who has long been de-activated by his bishop for his public support of Michael Griffin and Paul Hill, plus Kansas City pastor David Keane along with Trewhella and Bray were the only clergymen present.\u00a0 The group of some sixty people were penned together by cordoned rope and separated from a smaller group of general anti-death penalty folks who stand indiscriminately against the execution of the wicked including Ted Bundy, who had been put to death in 1989 in the same room Paul Hill was to die in.\u00a0 The third pen held just two knaves (one Rubin Chavez being the mouthier of the two) who opposed the murder of children but supported the murder of Paul Hill.<\/p>\n That this was no ordinary execution was testified to not only by extraordinary police security (bomb searching devices, dogs, ID checks, pictures of individuals used by police to guide them in extra), but by the weather.\u00a0\u00a0 Newspapers \ue83ano peddlers of divination, they\ue83a acknowledged the apparent auspiciousness of the event.\u00a0 The Miami Herald <\/em>reported under the bold sub-title, \u201c<\/strong>Heavens Darkened\u201d the following: \u201cA massive thunderclap rattled the sky just as Hill was scheduled to die at 6 p.m., and a howl went up from the crowd, hailing the weather as a sign from above. \u2018When they crucified Jesus, the heavens darkened,\u2019 said Neal Horsley, a Carrolton, Ga., activist.\u201d And the Independent Florida Alligator<\/em> said, \u201cOminous Dark clouds and loud clashes of lighting bolted across the sky just minutes after Hill was pronounced dead at 6:08 p.m.\u00a0 The New York Times<\/em> also recognized the portentous display.\u00a0 The thunder preceding the execution by minutes was acknowledged by Sterling Ivey, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Corrections.\u00a0 The Times<\/em> reports that, \u201cMr. Hill\u2019s final statement was preceded by claps of thunder that were audible in the death chamber, Mr. Ivey said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the field across the highway, some of Mr. Hill\u2019s supporters knelt and shouted, \u2018Speak Your wrath, Lord!\u2019 as inky clouds surrounded the prison and thunder boomed.\u00a0 At 6 o\u2019clock sharp, the group released yellow balloons into the sky and a few men sobbed.\u00a0 The rain started then, and did not let up for hours.\u201d<\/p>\n Don Spitz, Paul Hill\u2019s official \u201cspiritual adviser\u201d who visited Paul for four hours that day and then witnessed the his last breathing moments, said that the lights flickered as the thunder sounded leading him to wonder for a moment whether the designs of the executioners would be postponed.\u00a0 More importantly, Don reported to me the next day as we waited in the airport that Paul was strong, calm, and resolved to the end.<\/p>\n He died for the love of the truth and the defenseless.\u00a0 But in the radio, T.V. and newspaper interviews that I gave in the days surrounding the execution, the questions reporters repeated pertained to their worry over the possibility of increased use of force to either stop abortion or retaliate against abortionists or authorities responsible for this execution.<\/p>\n As to vengeance, the Lord will repay.\u00a0\u00a0 In the case of our Lord\u2019s execution, Eusebius, the Father of Church History, reports that Pilate, wearied with misfortune, committed suicide.\u00a0 (Perhaps Paul\u2019s abusers will perform the same service.) The One who rewards each one for according to his deeds will deal with those\u00a0 responsible: Judge Frank Bell; former Governor Chiles; jurors; and the prosecutor, former Assistant State\u2019s Attorney James Murray.<\/p>\n As for defensive action, I have told reporters that I expect that Paul\u2019s execution will bring new inspiration to those who love mercy and justice.\u00a0 (Indeed, on the third day after the execution some fires were started inside an abortuary in Indianapolis.)\u00a0 I told them that I expected that others might be inspired to increased activity in all areas of service \ue83a from letter writing and preaching to crisis pregnancy counseling to the termination of abortionists.\u00a0 When asked more pointedly whether I would engage in the use of force, I have replied, \u201cNot at this time.\u00a0 I have no plans.\u201d<\/p>\n On one interview I elaborated.\u00a0\u00a0 When asked repeatedly by a local Maryland reporter what I personally would do, I opted for a less cagey reply.\u00a0 I noted that while I was not as deep a lover of others, as was Paul Hill, I had no plans at this time to save the babies of other parents who were delivering their children to the butcher.\u00a0 But I could guarantee that I would look after my own.\u00a0 \u201cI have nine daughters.\u00a0 And should any of them fall into some delusion and determine to kill a grandchild of mine, it would not happen.\u201d\u00a0 I guaranteed her that I would defend my own.<\/p>\n Defensive Action Promise Keepers<\/p>\n What Americans lack, to be sure, is a focus on the family. \u00a0Or as a bumper sticker in Colorado Springs urges, Americans need to \u201cFocus on Your Own Damn Family.\u201d\u00a0 Indeed, men need to protect their families.\u00a0 How is it that they permit their wives or girl friends or children to slaughter their own?\u00a0 American families need fathers who are resolved to protect their own children.\u00a0 Such promise keepers would do much to curtail the blood shed.<\/p>\n Let us pray for Promise Keepers and other fine Christian ministries: that they prosper, elaborate and grow in their focus on the family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Michael Bray 8 September, 2003 The execution of our brother, Paul Hill on the third of September was not met with silence from the heavens.\u00a0 There was a response in the atmosphere.\u00a0 The gathered, dark clouds in the minutes before the execution were featured in the pictures of several newspapers the following day.\u00a0\u00a0 On the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelbray.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelbray.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelbray.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelbray.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelbray.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=341"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/michaelbray.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":343,"href":"http:\/\/michaelbray.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341\/revisions\/343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelbray.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelbray.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelbray.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}