According to a June 1, 2009, profile of Roeder in The Wichita Eagle, Roeder has connections to extremist anti-government groups and is a long-standing opponent of abortion.

A June 1, 2009, New York Times story quotes Roeder’s ex-wife as saying he was looking for a “scapegoat” to blame for his troubles. “First it was taxes — he stopped paying. Then he turned to the church and got involved in anti-abortion,” she said.

A June 2, 2009, Time magazine story notes that Roeder’s car was “decorated with a red rose — an antiabortion emblem — and a Jesus fish.”

A June 2, 2009, Wichita Eagle profile says that when Roeder turned to religion he became “adamant about his Old Testament beliefs and observed the Sabbath from Friday night through Saturday.”

Andrew Linzey is a lecturer in theology at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England . He has written widely on animals and Christianity, including a series of liturgies for animals.

Calvin DeWitt is a professor at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is concerned with the ethics of farming and uses of the natural environment, including animals. He is co-founder of the International Evangelical Environmental Network.

Regis John Armstrong is a professor of historical theology and spirituality at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. A Capuchin Friar Minor, he is an expert on St. Francis of Assisi.

Unitarian Universalist Animal Ministry promotes animal rights and welfare issues among members of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is based in Burlington, Vt. Mark Causey is president.

Vegetarian Friends is a Quaker organization dedicated to helping Quakers and others keep a vegetarian diet. The group publishes a monthly journal, The Peaceable Table.