OTHERS ARE SAYING IT TOO

George Offerman

I have written several posts concerning the Wichita organization lead by Troy Newman, and have come under fire for it. There have been many allegations made about me and Randall Terry since that time, mainly made by those who are associated with the Wichita organization. It is becoming more apparent that as more information comes out, and more are beginning to see what this organization is all about, it is becoming obvious that the stealing of the moniker Operation Rescue is motivated by fame and money.

Tom O’Toole has written a provocative piece on this issue, and not only addresses what is seen as an opportunist taking the moniker of another man, but also the false allegations to justify taking the name, and by extension, issues of integrity with Mr. Newman.

http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/otoole/100301

In this piece, Mr. O’Toole discusses Mr. Terry’s history in the pro life movement and proposes the question “Is Randall Terry fit for the Pro life movement?” It would seem that as the article progresses on, that Mr. O’Toole comes to the conclusion that most of the charges levied at Mr. Terry, are exaggerated and in some cases, outright lies. Much of what has been alleged by Mr. Terry’s accusers can be dismissed rather easily by anyone taking the time to do an internet search, or talking to those who have Known Mr. Terry for some time, but others are simply personal innuendo’s that have more of the purpose of smearing Mr. Terry‘s reputation, and thus are more difficult to refute.

It appears Mr. O’Toole has no great love for Mr. Newman, and this is obvious by Mr. O’Toole taking a not so subtle shot at Mr. Newman’s “Virtual Protest” in his opening line of the article. Mr. O’Toole unabashedly also calls Mr. Newman and opportunist, and also states Mr. Newman has made patently false allegations against Mr. Terry, while claiming the moral ground of being the new leader of Operation rescue. Mr. O’Toole even goes a step further, and quotes one of his colleagues, Pro life business man Joseph Costello “Why they just didn’t use their own name to fight abortion. The answer is obvious: money. Mr. Terry branded the Operation rescue name, and with it these men are profiting”.

Here we have another pro lifer who has a great deal of credibility calling out the poor behaviors of another so called pro life leader on issues of integrity. If Mr. Newman’s work is so innovative, that it will actually bring about the overturning of Roe and Doe, then why would Mr. Newman need to take the moniker of another man and have to use this to have credibility? I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Costello in that Mr. Newman should stand on his own merits, and call his organization something other than OR. There would be no need to steal Mr. Terry’s identity for credibility, and fundraising matters if Mr. Newman could do this on his own.

The problem here is that Mr. Newman used the Operation Rescue (west) moniker in the beginning of his career, and it was more likely the name association than anything else that garnered Mr. Newman the attention and pro life ‘gigs’ he now has. The organization Mr. Newman operates is nowhere near what Operation Rescue was when Randall Terry was leading. It is obvious by looking at the fruits of both of the organizations, that Mr. Newman is utilizing the name to enhance his credibility rather than he giving credibility to the name.

This is also evidenced in the fact that Mr. Newman finds it necessary to belittle, and in some cases outright lie about Randall Terry. This is very similar to playground behaviors, in which the overmatched child is left with the option of name calling, and threats. If Mr. Newman truly has built an organization of national status, then he should be proud enough to give it a name that reflects HIS efforts, and not that of another.

Mr. Newman takes shots at Mr. Terry, but fails to recognize his own contradictions. Late last year, Mr. Newman sent out a fundraising letter, signed by him, that states he had fears of the organization possibly shutting down for lack of money, and was so broke that “I cannot pay attention”. Within a few weeks, there were press releases sent out stating that this was not the case, and that the MEDIA had ‘misinterpreted’ Mr. Newman’s statements. I don’t know about you, but if I receive a letter from an organization, signed by the president of said organization, I would presume he knows what he is talking about. I would have no interest in donating to an organization in which the president is using ‘double speak’ to accomplish his goals and it appears that is what happened in this case. Mr. Newman used the same tactics on the media and critics as on Mr. Terry, and that begins to reflect the true character of Mr. Newman. It appears he does not see the ‘log’ in his own eyes, but can sure bark up a storm concerning the speck in others.

This, Mr. Newman, is what is causing credibility problems in the Wichita organization. Trashing another’s reputation to uplift your own is very unchristian behavior as well as showing the true poverty of thought and action on the organization’s part. Get out there and actually do something of value, and prove you are the national leader you claim to be. It’s also interesting that others are seeing this behavior as well, and are also calling it what it is: false.