Thanks to a tip over at Roger Ailes in comments, I picked out Joseph Scheidler from the Renew America site and at the Leader. He’s holding “Keyes for Senate From Illinois” sign.
Who is Joseph Scheidler? Good pals with Operatoin Rescue’s Randall Terry. These aren’t anti-abortion activists, these are violent men.
For example, in Delaware, Joseph Scheidler and three other large men illegally entered a clinic, trapping the clinic administrator inside. The men put the phones on hold ? effectively cutting her off from the outside world ? and told her they were there to “case the place.” This was shortly after several clinics had been bombed. In another incident, Scheidler went to Pensacola and met with John Burt and Joan Andrews. Together, they discussed and planned an event to take place at the Ladies Center. The next day, while Scheidler was outside doing “P.R.” (he did not want to get arrested), Burt, Andrews and two others burst into the clinic, shoved the administrator to the floor and slammed an escort up against a wall. Then they went upstairs to wreck equipment. Still more evidence of force and violence came as the jury heard from a doctor who had been stalked, her house surrounded, and her life threatened. She was also physically assaulted by Monica Miller and Matt Trewhella. The jury also heard evidence of scores of blockades, which deprived people of access to the clinics, and where people were assaulted for daring to try to enter. One woman, who was going to see her doctor for postoperative surgery (surgery that in no way was related to abortion and that had been done to try and save her reproductive organs), was hit over the head with a picketer’s sign. And the jury heard more.
This guy was outside the meeting to choose Keyes as a supporter. Good people may disagree over abortion, but this kind of violence is out of line. I’d suggest the news media get Keyes on record as to his feelings about such actions. Keyes is a joke that is in many ways funny, but in other ways quite frightening.