Flip Benham's disavowal of Clayton Lee Waagner is disingenuous at best. Waagner has been in constant touch with various anti-abortion extremists through the Army of God - several of whom were front and center in Wichita this past July at the Operation Save America ingathering of fanatics and true believers to 'celebrate' the tenth anniversary of their siege of Wichita in '91.
Most prominent among the OSA fellow travellers was Jonathan O'Toole, self-styled "hit man" and would-be reporter for Neal Horsley's Christiangallery web site. Regina Dinwiddy, the lovely hostess of several AOG parties was also present. David Lackey from Birminham, AL has been investigated by the Grand Jury there for his ties to Eric Rudolph, AOG poster boy. Fr. Norm Weslin of the Lambs of Christ once kept constant company with the other AOG hero, James Kopp now languishing in a French prison awaiting extradition for murdering abortion provider Barnett Slepian in 1998.
Others tied to AOG through sympathetic support for "offing" prochoice people included Paul deParrie from Oregon whose jaunty beret marked several notable OSA events; James Foreman who signed the first "Defensive Action" statement was spotted in the crowd; Bob Behn who gave aid and comfort to Osama Bin Laden's attack - as did many rightwingers - with his web post blaming abortion providers; Eva Edl from Missionaries to the Unborn where the web site defends AOG suspect Kopp and other extremists; the list goes on and on and on.
Flip cannot any longer distance himself from AOG, from assassins, from defensive action, from terrorism since he welcome and embraced all of these 'faithful followers' into his Wichita bosom. After an incident where a street-preaching zealot targeted a prochoice minister and a prochoice clinic defender with threats and physical harassment, OSA's second in command, Rusty Thomas, told prochoice people that OSA wouldn't tolerate extremists in their midst. Well, yes they do. Openly and enthusiastically. If not - why were the extremists all there all week? And with so many AOG sympathizers standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Flip, Rusty, and all their minions, just how gullible does he think we all are that Flip now disavows Clayton Waagner? Doesn't wash, Flip. Best you get a new line.