Operation Rescue admits Dr. Tiller's death lost them money (UPDATED)

File this one under “I told you so”. Operation Rescue, based out of Wichita, sent out a fundraising letter last night that, hiding among several lies, said that Dr. Tiller’s death, coupled with the economy, has brought their “financial support to nearly a halt”.

(Additional update at the end)

But they can’t stop now! Oh, no. They’re launching “the most ambitious and most significant project” evar. But this project isn’t their “Keep it Closed” campaign aimed at Dr. Carhart and the women of Kansas and Nebraska, among other places. Because this special project is happening in the next 30 days, and they can’t tell us about it yet. It’s based on their “unique” ability to close clinics. And it isn’t with blockades (which, under the FACE Act, is a federal crime).

Mike Hendricks at PrimeBuzz posted the letter, but not the list of clinics they’ve “closed”.

I would hope everyone reading this post is well aware Operation Rescue lies. Not just exaggerates or spins the truth. They flat out lie. And then they erase parts of their website to cover it up. Take, for example, their favorite story: buying a Wichita abortion clinic and evicting them. Back when Central Women’s Services, on Central by Hillside in Wichita, decided to close, OR posted on their website that they didn’t know the buyer (if you want the link, let me know; I’m not driving traffic to their site!). But they later claimed they were the buyers, that they kicked out the tenants who couldn’t pay rent, and the place was a mess. This is completely untrue. In fact, when the clinic prepared to close its doors for many reasons, none of them because they couldn’t pay rent, the business was sold to Dr. Tiller just as the clinic on Market and Pine many years before. And Operation Rescue doesn’t own the building. It was bought by a third person, Allison White, daughter of Jeff White, one of ORW’s former leaders before Troy Newman moved to Wichita. To this day, the Sedgwick County Register of Deeds does not show Operation Rescue or Newman as owners of the building.

The reality is they didn’t close down this clinic. They had nothing to do with it. They just seized upon an opportunity and spun it in every which way possible. The old sign for the clinic remains, with a big red “CLOSED” apparently stamped on it.

In the summer of 2006 when the clinic shut down, the Wichita Eagle ran a story on it. Basically, it was just Operation Rescue’s press release with a quote from Phillip Brownlee out of Kansas City. As soon as I read it, I called a friend who worked at the clinic to find out what happened. The Wichita Eagle never bothered to correct the story. They made some motions that looked like correction.

So whenever Operation Rescue claims to have closed a clinic, I wonder what the real story is. Because they certainly don’t have it. Their history of constitutional harassment (can’t be described as “peaceful” or “non-violent”) and harassment through the legal system places an additional undue burden on abortion providers. Every day, clinic employees are stalked to their homes, places they shop, and to church; they are harassed, assaulted, and abused each day at work; their patients are scared not because of the procedure but because of the “sidewalk counselors” who scream “mommy!,” hold graphic signs, and shout obscenities at them; and only a small sliver of pro-choice people actually bother to real support providers, employees, and patients.

It’s another opportunity for Operation Rescue to dance on Dr. Tiller’s grave. In June at their “prayer vigil” (read: funeral for fetuses, prayer against women), Operation Rescue posted a picture of Troy Newman giving two thumbs up. The title of the photo is “Peaceful Service” in the gallery “A Time for Healing”. This was after Kansas NOW successfully held them off for most of the day and before two of us returned and they all ran off.

I would say “disgusting” to their invoking of Dr. Tiller’s death in a fundraising plea, but disgusting is what they do.

UPDATE: Troy Newman told the AP he hasn’t been paid in two months. It looks nice that he’s being so kind to OR and not calling the Department of Labor on them, but that’s a clear violation of the law. Assuming, of course, he’s paid more than bi-monthly.

The article also says Kansans for Life hasn’t noticed a problem. I’m sure their desperation isn’t as real as they purport it to be, but I can’t imagine having their phone number in the car of an accused assassin helps line their pockets any.