Can you imagine how much greater the scandal would have been if Bill Ayers was actually a Facebook friend of Obama's? That would have been considered hard proof of a relationship, and a sign of the degree of intimacy and access they granted each other. Of course, they weren’t Facebook friends because, indeed, that wasn’t kind of relationship they had. But it was exactly the sort of tie those making the accusation against Obama were hoping for. It’s telling who we Facebook friend, but it can be a real statement for political leaders.

When PBS asked me to debate Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, I did a little research on him. I discovered his Facebook page and with it proof of his insincerity. Newman has been in the news more than most anti-abortion leaders these days because his organization has been ensnared in the murder of Dr. Tiller. Seven years ago, the group moved its headquarters to Wichita—to focus exclusively on protesting Tiller, his employees and his patients. In the days and weeks before the murder, the alleged assassin, Scott Roeder, was in regular touch with Newman’s second in command at Operation Rescue (who herself spent nearly two years in jail for conspiring to bomb and abortion clinic). A post-it note with her name and phone number was stuck to the dashboard of the Roeder’s get-away car.

After the shooting, Operation Rescue was one of the first organizations out with a statement, condemning and distancing itself from the act. The statement, released within a couple of hours after the murder, read,

“We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning… Operation Rescue has diligently and successfully worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see to it that abortionists around the nation are brought to justice. Without due process, there can be no justice.”

Newman has continued to make strong statements against violence. Most recently, in our PBS online debate, Newman claimed the murder of Dr. Tiller, “was not justice, but vigilantism, which must be abhorred by a society that embraces the rule of law over anarchy.”

But, it appears that those in favor of these abhorrent acts are not disqualified as Facebook friends of Newman’s. He may want to distance himself and his organization from violence against providers, but he doesn’t want to go as far as stopping socially networking with individuals who endorse it. Of the twenty people that Wikipedia lists as associated with the Army of God, described as “an extremist anti-abortion organization that sanctions the use of force to combat abortion in the United States,” Newman is Facebook friends with three. (Keep in mind, of the other 17 listed, three are currently in jail for killing abortion providers, and one is incarcerated for attempted murder.)

Dan Holman is one such friend. Holman told CNN he ‘cheered” when he learned of the murder of Dr. Tiller. Holman, of Missionaries to the Pre-born, has long supported violence against abortion providers. He wrote on the website Army of God, “Those who object to the use of force to protect pre-born children do no truly believe in their humanity and worth!” he continued,

“To condemn the use of force to protect unborn children is a tacit admission that their lives are not worth defending. It is to say that that some have more of a Right to Life than others. It is a frank admission that pre-born children are somehow sub-human. If they truly believe the life of the unborn is worth less than the life of the abortionist than why defend the babies at all?”

About Paul Hill, who murdered abortion provider Dr. Dr. John Bayard Britton and James H. Barrett, a volunteer clinic escort. Holman wrote,

“Most of us are not as courageous as Paul Hill. There are no Christian suicide bombers blowing up abortion clinics. We need to confess and acknowledge our lack of love toward God and the pre-born. It is wrong to vilify the courageous acts of Paul Hill to put our own weakness and cowardice in a better light.”

Another Facebook friend Newman shares status updates with is Neal Horsley. The Guardian UK interviewed Horsley after the murder of Dr. Tiller. Horsley states,

“The thing about Tiller's assassination that was really appropriate is that they killed him in church. While he was there collecting the money, counting the money, his blood poured in to those thick carpets in that church. That was a fitting send off."

Matthew Trewhella, the third of Newman’s pro-violence-against-providers Facebook friends, is a signatory of the infamous 1993 letter supporting the murders of abortion providers and calling for all charges be dropped against Michael Griffin, the assassin of Dr. David Gunn. The letter read,

"We, the undersigned, declare the justice of taking all godly action necessary to defend innocent human life including the use of force. We proclaim that whatever force is legitimate to defend the life of a born child is legitimate to defend the life of an unborn child. We assert that if Michael Griffin did in fact kill David Gunn, his use of lethal force was justifiable provided it was carried out for the purpose of defending the lives of unborn children. Therefore, he ought to be acquitted of the charges against him."

Newman, if he wishes to be taken seriously as an anti-abortion leader who is opposed to violence, should, as a first step, break all ties with the small band of anti-abortion figures who encourage violence. You don’t need a PR genius to tell you that. As I suggest to him in the debate, “You, more than anyone, are poised to help prevent future acts of violence by alienating and condemning these forces or by helping to try to rehabilitate these extremists. Otherwise, all the anti-violence talk is simply meaningless.”

My PBS online debate with Troy Newman is here. They ask you to vote on who won. Please take a look.