Driving to work this morning, I heard two unrelated news reports, but could not help but draw a connection between the two stories, and what the connection might say about dark hearts; more importantly, the effective influence on them from one culture to another. What insights do we derive about the respective core characters of two killers, given their deeds, their motivation, and their post-murderous behavior? One, we have Mr. Scott Roeder, whose conviction on the abortion issue led him to passionately kill Dr. George Tiller, and who has since admitted he killed Dr. Tiller, making it clear that he has no remorse, and who stands by his conviction that led him to his actions. Two, we have Dr. Nidal Hassan, whose conviction led him to passionately kill Fort Hood Soldiers/civilians, yet who has since "lawyered up", in hopes of avoiding responsibility, if not at least being found less culpable than he knows he is, and ultimately, at least publicly, abandoning the conviction that led to his actions. On the one hand we have a lone murderer, who, although having been fully aware and believing that killing is wrong, has justified the end result of his actions in his own mind, and is willing to face the consequences of his actions. On the other hand we have a single murderer, who, having been fully aware and believing that killing is wrong, is now not willing to acknowledge the act, thus the justification he arrived upon before he pulled the triggers, and therefore, is clearly unwilling to face the consequences of his actions. For Dr. Hassan to have been so convicted of his beliefs that he was willing to bring them to the societal storefront, but then run from the consequences of the actions he took on behalf of those beliefs, makes him the character of less fiber - the ultimate coward. While Mr. Roeder's actions prior to and during the killing of Dr. Tiller do not make him a character of honorable fiber, his actions afterwards may. Both men will answer to an entity more powerful than the justice system of a single country, on earth, in this solar system, in this galaxy. In the meantime, let’s recognize the fiber of our character, and let’s find the conviction to see it through both the darkness and the light.