Benham vs. Newman
Steve Wetzel
MTTU News
January 11, 2007
Five days ago, Operation Save America’s leader Flip Benham, attacked the character and reputation of Troy Newman of Operation Rescue. Sadly, these are two prolife groups that should be working together, but when personal prestige is involved, the cause gets derailed. This character assassination attempt needs to be addressed, and given I know the details, will explain it.
What follows is an except from the OSA posting:
“Yesterday our offices received a phone call in which the caller said he didn’t know that Flip Benham would be stepping down as the Director of Operation Rescue. He was recently informed that Troy Newman was now the leader.
This is patently false. Troy Newman is not now, nor has he ever been, the Director of Operation Rescue. He simply stole the name.”
. . .
“This was possible because of our earlier attempt to establish a difference between the national office and local ministries of Operation Rescue. We took the name Operation Rescue National so that local ministries affiliated with us could name themselves accordingly (such as Operation Rescue Alabama or Operation Rescue West). We did not, however, give up our identity as Operation Rescue.”
Er … not so much! In 1999 or thereabouts, Flip changed the name of his group from Operation Rescue National to Operation Save America. This was a name change that I vigorously objected to – as a lot of blood and sacrifice was paid by prolifers under that banner.
In a personal telephone conversation, Flip explained that the name change was necessary due to the large number of lawsuits filed against the Operation Rescue name – and a name change was the only way out of those lawsuits. Hence, the birth of Operation Save America.
I suggested to Flip that rather then discard the O.R. name, he simply pass the mantle of Operation Rescue to someone else – as it was passed to him from Keith Tucci, as it was passed to Keith from Randall Terry. Flip simply chuckled and said, “Oh no, no, no.”
The ORN website roughly began in December 1998. The OSA website first appeared on November 28, 1999. The ORN (Operation Rescue National) web site began forwarding all the domain traffic from ORN.org to their OSA website in early 2000, until the beginning of 2004 when the ORN.ORG domain name was dropped altogether. It is now a business website.
Troy Newman never stole the Operation Rescue name. It was rather abandoned by Flip Benham, who is now crying foul that someone else took up the mantle that he discarded. Worse, there is a question alluded to that Newman’s ministry is even Christian:
“It is not and never has been the Christian ministry you know as Operation Rescue.”
Why the need to add the word “Christian?” Is there is question to Newman’s Christian faith?
I am calling for Flip Benham to make a public apology to Troy Newman. His attack was made in public, and thus his apology needs to be made in public. He is sadly allowing his desire for personal prestige to supersede his work for unborn children.
Troy Newman is having a prolife event in Wichita to save unborn babies – so what? Why are you seeking to destroy him rather then help him in his prolife effort? We are doing this work for the babies aren’t we???
Well, Flip???