Who is Randall Terry?

[ck4829]

Christian activist Randall Terry has reappeared in the news in recent days as the spokesman for the parents of Terri Schiavo. Terry, founder of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue and the Society for Truth and Justice, appeared on Fox News at least four times in the past four days -- on the March 18 edition of Hannity & Colmes, and during live coverage of the Schiavo case on March 20 and March 21. But Terry has a controversial past that was not fully disclosed in any of his Fox News appearances or on the March 19 edition of National Public Radio's Weekend Edition, which aired a brief clip from Terry. In all but one of those instances, Terry was identified only as the Schindler family spokesman.

...

Additional evidence suggests that actions by Terry and Operation Rescue may have provoked violence at abortion clinics. As the New York Times reported on July 20, 2001, "One of his most avid followers in Binghamton was James E. Kopp, now charged in the 1998 murder of a doctor who performed abortions in Buffalo ." Kopp was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

...

Terry's words and personal life have also stirred controversy. As the Fort Wayne (Indiana) News Sentinel reported on August 16, 1993, at an anti-abortion rally in Fort Wayne, Terry said "Our goal is a Christian nation. ... We have a biblical duty, we are called by God to conquer this country. We don't want equal time. We don't want pluralism. ... Theocracy means God rules. I've got a hot flash. God rules." In that same speech, Terry also stated that "If a Christian voted for Clinton, he sinned against God. It's that simple." According to a March 18, 2004, press release, Terry declared on his radio program that "Islam dictates followers use killing and terror to convert Western infidels." As The Washington Post reported on February 12, 2000, in his 1995 book The Judgment of God Terry wrote that "homosexuals and lesbians are no longer content to secretly live in sin, but now want to glorify their perversions." In a May 25, 2004, interview about his gay son with The Advocate, Terry stated that homosexuality is a "sexual addiction" that shouldn't be rewarded with "special civil rights."

According to the February 12, 2000, Washington Post report, Terry was censured by his church, the Landmark Church of Binghamton, New York, for a "pattern of repeated and sinful relationships and conversations with both single and married women." Terry denies the accusation.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200503220001

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. He's a man that proves the right-wingers are fronting a lost cause.

He's damaged goods.

[blondeatlast]

2. There's wnough dirt on him to fill a landfill.

I believe he is a board member of the Heritage Foundation, for one.

[in_cog_ni_to]

3. That man is NUTS*CRAZY*PSYCHOTIC*LOCO*MENTALLY ILL*INSANE*

:crazy:

[H2O Man]

4. Randall Terry

was a used car salesman who lived near Harpursville, outside of Binghamton in Broome County. He is an intensely driven man, who used a somewhat charismatic presentation to rise to a position of leadership among the radical fringes of christianity in the 1980s.

Terry is a dangerous figure, and the fact that he is trying to use this Schiavo case to resurrect his faded career in the "right to life" movement is cause for concern. I believe that people can have very different views on cases on the general issue of extending life versus the right to die, and that rational discussion and debate of the issue can be a healthy, beneficial thing for our country.

However, as the debate leaves the rational forum, and becomes lost in emotions, finger-pointing, and insults, the negative potential arises. And we see it in Randall Terry. That said, I think that we need to make a conscious effort to avoid feeding the beast with negative energy. Good people can have a variety of views on topics like this, and the American system as defined by the US Constitution allows for rational debate and sound decisions within the court system. I am concerned that the far-right is taking advantage of the emotional turmoil in order to stir the pot and attack the judicial branch of the federal government. It is our duty to reduce the emotional storm, and appeal to rational thought.

[mcscajun]

5. Randall Terry in a nutshell

He's the founder of "Operation Rescue", an anti-abortion group given to terrorist acts. He's been quoted as saying that homosexuality is a 'sexual addiction'; he opposes same-sex marriage. His group once picketed Barnes & Noble for selling art books containing pictures of nude children, claiming they were 'child pornography'.

Here's his 'best' quote: 'I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you. I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good... Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a Biblical duty, we are called by God, to conquer this country. We don't want equal time. We don't want pluralism.'

He's been described as a "Christian Nazi", and a 'psychotic blowhard'. All in all, he's a self-righteous busybody, with a self-promoting agenda.

[murielm99]

7. He is no longer the head of Operation Rescue.

I think they realized that all his scandals were making them look even more ridiculous than they are already. Last summer Rolling Stone interviewed the new guy who heads the organization. He is just as crazy, but younger, and with less baggage.

Randall Terry divorced his wife and married his much younger assistant. His ex-wife had to take him to court because he was not paying enough to support her and their children.

He also has a daughter who was thrown out of the home for getting pregnant twice while unmarried.

I saw him at the March for Women's Lives. There were motorcycle cops on both sides of him. He was holding up a big sign that said, "Praise God -- Bernie Kopp Popped Another Abortion Doc."

The man is slime.

[H2O Man]

10. He "left" O.R. so that

the organization would not be legally responsible for damages that he caused, if opponents filed civil law suits against him. I believe that while he resided in Harpursville, he studied issues involving money in terms of avoiding taxes, etc.

[megatherium]

6. His anti-gay activities are especially sad considering he has a gay son.

[Stop_the_War]

8. Islam does not dictate anybody to convert anybody else

It is in the words of the prophet mohammed "there is no compulsion in religion".

Now the Christians on the other hand have used killing and terror to convert people, anywhere east or west.

[ck4829]

9. Very few Christians are like that

I'm a Muslim with a Christian family. I don't see acts of evil in the majority of any religion.