Randall Terry

Just because every time Randall Terry steps in front of the camera and opens his mouth he manages to embarrass himself and undermine the very movement he claims to represent doesn't mean that he's not going to continue to do everything he can to try and capitalize on the murder of George Tiller:

Press conference 1 PM, Thursday, to announce details how Pro-life groups can derail Sotomayor, and root out hypocrisy in pro-life ranks.

Also: Emergency Pro-life leadership training to be held in DC, June 12-14, with Randall Terry, Dr. Alan Keyes, Norma McCorvey, and Fr. Norman Weslin. Pro-abortion activists threaten to disrupt meeting.

Press conference will cover:

1) How Mr. Tiller's death can propel the pro-life movement forward based upon lessons from Nat Turner's slave rebellion, and how abolitionists responded;

2) Plans of pro-life groups to seize moment to defeat Sotomayor, and expose hypocrisy within the GOP; names of 4 key Senate Targets to be released.

3) The role certain Catholic Bishops must play to insure Sotomayor's defeat;

4) Upcoming pro-life training: Pro-abortion activists threaten to disrupt.

Location: National Press Club, 14th and F Street, Washington DC

Time: 12:30 to 1:00 P.M., Chicken Wings and Guinness will be served (for members of the press only). (Please RSVP at 904-687-9804 by Wednesday morning.)

Press conference to begin at 1:00 P.M.

Members of press will be provided concise yet comprehensive research on the above topics. Upcoming plans and details of June 12-14 seminar will be laid out.

Randall Terry States:

"Tiller's death will either set the pro-life movement back twenty years, or propel us to victory more speedily. The outcome depends on our courage over the next 3-6 months.

"If we follow the example of the abolitionists, we will prevail; if we run like French Soldiers, we will be imprisoned in irrelevance.

"Our upcoming seminar is designed to raise up stout hearted, peaceful pro-life warriors, who do not fear, but follow this maxim: "...urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present. I am in earnest -- I will not equivocate -- I will not excuse -- I will not retreat a single inch -- AND I WILL BE HEARD."

At least Terry has a sense of humor about himself in offering to provide the Guinness and wings ... but that's about all he has left, because his credibility as an anti-choice leader at this point is utterly nonexistent. Which is why I am actually a little surprised that Keyes and McCorvey are so willing to toss away what little remains of their credibility by agreeing to participate in this training seminar with him.

As head of the Women's Health Care Services clinic in Wichita, Kansas, George Tiller has long been the most prominent target of anti-abortion activists in this country due to the fact that he was one of the few physicians in the country willing to perform "late-term" abortions. 

His clinic was regularly targeted by anti-abortion activists and, recently, his "ties" to Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius became a right-wing talking point in opposing her nomination to become Secretary of Health and Human Services.

This morning, Tiller was assassinated while attending church:

Late-term abortion doctor George Tiller, a prominent advocate for abortion rights wounded by a protester more than a decade ago, was shot and killed Sunday at a church in Wichita where he was serving as an usher and his wife was in the choir, his attorney said.

Tiller was shot during morning services at Reformation Lutheran Church, attorney Dan Monnat said. Police said a manhunt was under way for the shooter, who fled in a car registered to a Kansas City suburb nearly 200 miles away.

As one would expect, those who had long targeted and demonized Tiller were quick to issue statements - with Randall Terry essentially blaming Tiller for his own murder:

Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue states, "George Tiller was a mass-murderer. We grieve for him that he did not have time to properly prepare his soul to face God. I am more concerned that the Obama Administration will use Tiller's killing to intimidate pro-lifers into surrendering our most effective rhetoric and actions. Abortion is still murder. And we still must call abortion by its proper name; murder.

"Those men and women who slaughter the unborn are murderers according to the Law of God. We must continue to expose them in our communities and peacefully protest them at their offices and homes, and yes, even their churches."

Frank Pavone of Priests for Life also offered his own statement in which he sought to deflect blame from anti-abortion militants by saying that, for all we know, he might have been murdered by a "political enemy" or someone traumatized by abortion: 

"I am saddened to hear of the killing of George Tiller this morning. At this point, we do not know the motives of this act, or who is behind it, whether an angry post-abortive man or woman, or a misguided activist, or an enemy within the abortion industry, or a political enemy frustrated with the way Tiller has escaped prosecution. We should not jump to conclusions or rush to judgment.

• First off, our congratulations to Jeremy and his beloved while, in business news, he notes that Exodus International has finally given up the charade that there are "30+ sexual orientations."
• To say that Steve Benen is not impressed by Govs. Rick Perry and Mark Sanford and their Tea Party II (Electric Boogaloo) efforts would be a bit of an understatement.
• Speaking of Sanford, Jed Lewison notes that he is now coming under attack from fellow Republicans for refusing to spend stimulus money on rebuilding the state's crumbling schools.
• Pam points out that Virginia Republican Bob Goodlatte has quietly signed on to a measure in Congress that would require presidential candidates to verify their eligibility to be President.
• Media Matters has video of Randall Terry saying Notre Dame's decision to invite Obama "would be like inviting Pilate to speak after he ordered Jesus to be crucified."

Despite the fact that most Catholics haven't even heard about the University of Notre Dame's decision to invite President Barack Obama to speak at its commencement (and, of those who have heard about it, a majority support it)  Alan Keyes and Randall Terry have spent the last few weeks camped out there, protesting, and loving every ego-stroking minute of it.

Both have already been arrested and have generally being making spectacles of themselves, with Keyes declaring yesterday that Obama's speech "is as great a crisis for the Catholic church as the crisis that occurred some years back with the abuse."

Never one to be outdone, Terry piped in today with his own hyperbole:

In South Bend, former Operation Rescue leader Terry has set up shop, scheduling rounds of protests. Followers stand at the university gates, holding up signs with photos of aborted fetuses. Last week, Republican gadfly Keyes was among 22 protesters arrested on trespassing charges.

"We want this to be a political mud pit for Obama," Terry said. "Our mission is to tar him with the blood of the babies so he can never shake it between now and 2012."

And now Keyes, Terry, and others are portraying themselves as martyrs as they seek to go over Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins' head and demanding a meeting with his superiors in the Holy Cross order demanding a meeting regarding Jenkins' "abuse of authority" for having them arrested in violation of God's law:

"We are writing to seek redress of grievances we have suffered at the hands of a member of your order by abuse of his authority as President of the University of Notre Dame."

...

1) He has scandalized us and other members of the community of the faithful by his role in the decision taken by the University of Notre Dame, in defiance of the explicit direction of Church leaders, to extend a scandalous commencement speaking invitation and honorary degree to Barack Obama, who has become the focus of abortion evil in the world today;

2) To cover this scandalous decision, he ordered the University Police to prevent us from fulfilling our obligation, under God's law and the Church's teaching, to witness to truth so that young souls affected by his scandalous action would not be lost through obstinate commitment to the sins it encourages;

To address these grievances, we respectfully request that you:

1) Immediately grant us a hearing so that we may formally detail the moral and material harm we have suffered at the hands of a member of your order;

2) Request and require that Father Jenkins, and any others of your order who may be involved with him in this matter, appear at the said hearing to respond to our charges against him;

3) Render judgment and immediate relief from the harm done to us, and others of the community of the faithful acting as we do, including but not limited to the immediate, public and complete withdrawal of all charges brought against us by the University before the civil authorities and the immediate cessation of all acts that persecute individuals witnessing to truth in accordance with divine law and the teachings and direction of the Church.

One of the rare pleasures of watching the Religious Right incessantly criticize everyone who doesn't share their views and regularly accuse everyone else of insulting God is when they stop aiming those attacks at Democrats and liberals for one moment to and start attacking each other.

And that seems to be what is happening between Randall Terry and Bill Donohue over the proper response to President Obama's speech at Notre Dame.

Terry, who re-located to South Bend last month from where he is leading protests and efforts to get Obama's speech canceled, was outraged when Bishop John D'Arcy called on Catholics not to protest the school or the speech:

I urge all Catholics and others of good will to stay away from unseemly and unhelpful demonstrations against our nation’s President or Notre Dame or Father John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.

The Notre Dame community is well-equipped to supervise and support discussions and prayer within their own campus.

I had a positive meeting this week with Father Jenkins, and I expect further dialogue will continue. These are days of prayer and hope when we should turn to the Risen Christ for light and wisdom.

Let us all work towards a peaceful graduation experience for the Class of 2009 at our beloved Notre Dame.

Of course, Terry was not going to take that lying down so he wrote an op-ed lecturing D'Arcy on Catholic teachings and accusing him of selling out both the unborn and Jesus Christ:

Peter boldly swore that he would not deny Christ; D’Arcy boldly declared he would not deny the value of innocent lives for the sake of prestige. But now D’Arcy wavers before Pilate (don’t protest Obama), confirms Judas (don’t protest Jenkins), and abandons Christ in the babies (don’t show pictures of dead babies, don’t cry out against their murder).

In his printed statements urging us to forgo demonstrations, he does not even mention the babies dying at Obama’s command. Let us pray that even as Peter met the eyes of the suffering Christ – and Peter’s heart was broken as he wept bitter tears – that Bishop D’Arcy meets the eyes of the babies condemned to a brutal death by the man he now suggests we do not protest.

...

This I know for certain: D’Arcy has stepped far beyond his canonical authority by urging the faithful to abandon the babies – and thereby abandon Christ – and to honor Obama and Jenkins with our silent cooperation. We do not deny D’Arcy’s right to question certain tactics, but he has gone far beyond that. He has asked us to commit the sins of omission and silence. Respectfully, we will not.

And then, of course, Bill Donohue just had to weigh in to blast Terry's "arrogance on stilts" and challenge his right to criticize D'Arcy since he's only been Catholic for a few years:

Terry just became a Catholic in 2005 and now he is an authority on canon law. Worse, he accuses Bishop D’Arcy, who is strongly pro-life, of abandoning babies and Christ.

The problem with pro-life zealots is that they expect everyone to line up single file and do exactly what they want. Thus do they play to the worst stereotype floated by the pro-abortion camp. Terry needs to take a deep breath and get off his high horse.

Like I said, we see the Right flinging around accusations of zealotry, hypocrisy, and the abandonment of Christ just about every day ... but its a rare treat when they aim them at one another for a change.

On yesterday's "Talk of the Nation," Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry joined the ACLJ's Jay Sekulow and Father Thomas Reese of Georgetown University to discuss the state of the anti-choice movement, during which Terry lamented that they should have outlawed abortion by this point and proclaimed that the movement as a whole is in disarray and thus called on activists to start "ratcheting up our rhetoric":

MR TERRY: The political reality is that at many levels the pro-life movement is imploding. And this recent election shows just how far we have been set back. And what my mission is over the next four or eight or 10 or 12 years is to assess how and why we have failed, because we should've made child-killing illegal by now. Why are we in this mess that we are in? What have we done that is not working? What have we failed to do that we should be doing? And then to implement those strategies at a cultural and political level, so that we can achieve our goal, which is that you cannot kill a human being from the moment of conception until birth in any of the 50 states, period.

CONAN: You just call it imploding. What do see as a signs of that implosion?

Mr. TERRY: The fact that 55 percent of Catholics voted for Obama; 42 percent of those who claim to be born again voted for Obama. That people - whereas child-killing used to be a non-negotiable with many voters - there were people that said, I am pro-life; I believe in a child's right to be alive, but yet I'm going to cast a vote for the most ardent supporter of child-killing that has even won the White House. This shows some kind of a massive disconnect and, in my opinion, a failure in pro-life leaders and in Catholic bishops, the Evangelical superstars, both at the pastoral level, and on the TV, radio and ministry level.

...

Mr. TERRY: [I]f abortion is murder, then what we need to be doing as the pro-life movement - in addition to any incremental steps that we can make such as the ultrasound legislation, requiring women to see an ultrasound of their baby before they have it killed - what we need to do is we need to have an urgency both in our rhetoric and our actions that is equal to the crime. The very fact that we could sit and discuss in calm tones how we could work with the enemy, you know, shows such a callousness of our conscience. We have lived alongside this evil for so long that we have lost our sense of horror.

If someone was going to be killed on the other side of the glass here, we only have two appropriate reactions. One is to scream our lungs out, and the other is physical intervention. So, where the pro-life movement is failing and where the line of answer that father gave and what we do agree is we want to end child-killing. But where the line of reason falls is that the pro-life movement has failed to meet this holocaust with actions and rhetoric that are equal to the crime. So, what we need to be doing over the next four years is ratcheting up our rhetoric, is becoming like the movement to end child labor or the movement for women's voting rights or the movement to end segregation.

 Terry was also asked about his views regarding Rick Warren's invitation deliver the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration and said he could only applaud him if he took the opportunity to plead God's forgiveness "for the blood of nearly 50 million children that is crying from the ground for vengeance":

Mr. TERRY: If I was asked to pray, I would pray. So, the issue is not, should he pray? The issue is, what does he say? Pastor Rick's judgments are pouring in fast and furious against him from both sides. But the reality is, if he stood up there and said, God, I ask you to bless this administration, but I also ask you to forgive us for the blood of nearly 50 million children that is crying from the ground for vengeance, and I ask you to change the heart of this country and help us, God, to work together to end the killing of the innocent, and then, he went on and prayed for other things as well. But if he prayed something of real substance, like John the Baptist talking to Herod or other great saints that spoke to political leaders, then I would applaud him.

When Randall Terry, founder of the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, recently sued Troy Newman over the use of the name, he certainly opened up a can of worms.

A number of former OR activists issued a statement on Newman’s behalf, calling for Terry’s repentance for “unbiblical lifestyle decisions”; “[W]e can no longer remain silent while Mr. Terry continues to fleece unsuspecting pro-life people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars for his personal and selfish gain,” they added. Terry responded with his own list of supporters vouching for his character.

And Flip Benham, who runs Operation Rescue/Operation Save America, put aside his distaste for Terry (“Giving more money to Randall Terry is like giving booze to an alcoholic,” he has said) to attack both Newman and the former OR activists who criticized Terry. “These are the same ones who would not stand with Operation Rescue leadership in the fall of 1993 and call the premeditated shooting (murder) of abortionists, sin,’” wrote Benham, recalling the darkest period of the militant anti-abortion movement.

But while Flip Benham’s Operation Rescue and Troy Newman’s Operation Rescue remain locked in their bitter name dispute, there is at least one thing they can agree on: Barack Obama.

Newman’s OR called for anti-abortion activists to descend upon an Obama appearance at the National Council of La Raza convention in San Diego this past weekend:

“Abortionists are famous for targeting minority communities and those who are most vulnerable. When Obama throws his support behind the abortion industry, he is also tacitly supporting the exploitation of Latinos and African Americans,” said Operation Rescue spokesperson Cheryl Sullenger. “Operation Rescue urges all pro-life supporters in the San Diego area to let their voices be heard in protest of Obama’s extremist abortion policies, and his tacit approval of the abortion industry’s despicable pattern of racial exploitation.”

Meanwhile, Benham’s group is conducting an anti-abortion campaign in Atlanta, which doesn’t seem to have much to do with Obama. But in announcing a church OR plans to picket, the group adds:

According to their bulletin, this is a UCC church which will host the Human Rights Campaign Gospel Concert. The HRC is the largest group advocating gay & lesbian rights and the UCC is the denomination of Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Barak Obama. For the first time in the history of our nation, we have a man running for president who is neither a Christian nor a patriot.

Lest John McCain get too excited about this new source of support, they don’t have a whole lot of nice things to say about him, either. Benham wrote back in October, “[T]here is no way we true evangelical Christians will support Giuliani, McCain, Thompson, or Romney.”

And Randall Terry, who led a small band of protesters against GOP candidate Rudy Giuliani over the winter, recycled the same language (“an enemy inside your camp”) for McCain in an interview with Playboy:

Q: What impact would a John McCain presidency have on the pro-life agenda?

A: If McCain would appoint judges who would overturn Roe, it could be a huge boon. I don’t think we have any assurance that would happen. Justices Anthony Kennedy, David Souter and Sandra Day O’Connor were all appointed by Republican presidents who did not do their homework. If presidents Reagan and Bush Sr. had done what they said they would do, we would already have overturned Roe because we wouldn’t have had Kennedy, Souter and O’Connor. There’s a very strong movement afoot in the conservative wing of the Republican Party to deny McCain the White House. Their attitude is, an enemy outside your camp makes you vigilant and unites you, but an enemy inside your camp makes you dead because he can cut your neck in the night or poison your food by day.

The Los Angeles Times recently reported on the reappearance of a somewhat rusty tactic in the anti-abortion movement’s tool belt: attempts to pass a “Human Life Amendment” to several state constitutions, which would purportedly grant full “personhood” rights beginning at conception. Such an end-run would circumvent a protracted political debate—which they could lose, as they did when South Dakota voters rejected an abortion ban last year—and likely end up in federal court, where activists hope new right-wing Supreme Court justices will take the opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade. But the major national religious-right groups have preferred a more incremental strategy of advancing less-sweeping restrictions and promoting Republican politicians who promise to appoint anti-abortion judges, leaving absolutist activists out in the cold, as the Times notes:

For the most part, the campaigns are run by local activists, with little support or funding from big national antiabortion groups. Similar efforts have failed in the past: Proponents in Michigan could not collect enough signatures to put a personhood measure on the ballot in 2006. The Georgia proposal stalled in the Legislature this year.

Indeed, Clarke Forsythe and Denise Burke of Americans United for Life—a legal group active since the 1970s—published an article in National Review today calling the HLA “a losing move for the pro-life movement.” While AUL is hardly an influential group in this decade, its anti-HLA commentary recalls the anti-abortion movement’s in-fighting in the 1980s and 1990s over militant clinic protests (and the occasional murder of doctors). Although AUL was happy to represent militant activist Joseph Scheidler and his Pro-Life Action League in court, at the same time it pooh-poohed the frenzied “Summer of Mercy” protest in Wichita in 1991. “[I]t is better to show the public that [the abortion provider’s] practices are unlawful than to engage in tactics that attract attention to the unlawfulness of pro-lifers,” cautioned AUL’s president.