Back in the golden era of the culture wars, the abortion issue was debated by screaming morons chaining themselves to things, mailing fetuses to presidents, and generally trying to make moral, legal, and ethical questions into hysterical pissing matches. That is when Randall Terry was king.

Now, though, it's much quieter. Pro-choicers have maintained a stable plurality of public support. And anti-choicers discovered that they're much better off fighting abortion by making it completely unavailable instead of illegal. It attracts way less attention! Until some nut goes and shoots a doctor, and some other nut celebrates that shooting with wings and beer.

And also things did not go so well for Randall Terry, for a while!

Terry's personal life got messy, too. In 2000, he divorced his first wife, Cynthia, with whom he'd had a daughter, adopted two more children and taken in a foster child. The following year he married Andrea, a young campaign volunteer. His actions earned him a public reprimand from his longtime minister in Binghamton and condemnation from some in the evangelical community.

Then there were problems with his children. His adopted son Jamiel came out as gay in 2004, and Terry renounced him. (They've since reconciled.) His adopted daughter and his foster daughter got pregnant out of wedlock; the foster daughter converted to Islam.

Yes, that sounds like a weird couple years for him.

But now Randall Terry's living in DC, trying to get a reality show, and training his cult followers to interrupt Al Franken during Supreme Court confirmation hearings. He's back on top!

[Photo: AP]

Still! His wacky speech did attract a bit of attention, mostly from the bloggers and journalists currently documenting the most worrying of the eliminationist rhetoric of the fringes of the far-right. Like the invaluable Dave Wiegel whose Washington Independent reported that Terry is still really, really in to pretending he is John Brown.

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.People For the American Way's Right Wing Watch has clips of the speech, in case you need some excuse to get really mad, this morning. It ended on a really weird note. The murder of George Tiller apparently is "a teaching moment for what child-killing is really all about," according to Terry's closing line (leave 'em laughing!). And then it's time to take everyone out for beer and wings—extra crispy!

We wish we were making any of that up! But we're not! Tomorrow at 1 p.m., in DC, insane anti-abortion activist Randall Terry's "Society For Truth and Justice" will throw a press conference about how to "derail Sotomayor and overturn Roe." The email promises that the conference will compare the murder of George Tiller to Nat Turner's slave rebellion and Terry himself reports that this cold-blooded shooting of an innocent doctor by a psychopath "will propel us to victory more speedily."

Now it can be tough to get positive press coverage if you are a dangerous lunatic who should be in a padded cell. But Terry's got that covered.

Time: 12:30 to 1:00 P.M., Chicken Wings and Guinness will be served (for members of the press only). (Please RSVP at 904-687-9804 by Wednesday morning.)

And that is why there will be like two dozen reporters at this press conference, tomorrow.

Here's the full email.

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From: Studio Staff
Date: Wed, Jun 10, 2009 at 12:17 PM
Subject: Tiller, Sotomayor, Overturn Roe PRESS CONFERENCE Thurs. 1pm
To: [Redacted]

*How Tiller's death and office closing can help propel pro-life movement, derail Sotomayor and overturn Roe. Four Key Senators will be targeted to vote against Sotomayor; Catholic Bishops will play a role to defeat Sotomayor.*

Press conference 1 PM, Thursday, to announce details how Pro-life groups can derail Sotomayor, and root out hypocrisy in pro-life ranks.

Also: Emergency Pro-life leadership training to be held in DC, June 12-14, with Randall Terry, Dr. Alan Keyes, Norma McCorvey, and Father Norman Weslin. Pro-abortion activists threaten to disrupt meeting.

*For immediate release: Dateline: Washington DC Contact: Kathy Veritas, 904-687-9804*

Press conference will cover:

1) How Mr. Tiller's death can propel the pro-life movement forward based upon lessons from Nat Turner's slave rebellion, and how abolitionists responded;

2) Plans of pro-life groups to seize moment to defeat Sotomayor, and expose hypocrisy within the GOP; names of 4 key Senate Targets to be released.

3) The role certain Catholic Bishops must play to insure Sotomayor's defeat;

4) Upcoming pro-life training: Pro-abortion activists threaten to disrupt.

Location: National Press Club, 14th and F Street, Washington DC

Time: 12:30 to 1:00 P.M., Chicken Wings and Guinness will be served (for members of the press only). (Please RSVP at 904-687-9804 by Wednesday morning.)

Press conference to begin at 1:00 P.M.

Members of press will be provided concise yet comprehensive research on the above topics. Upcoming plans and details of June 12-14 seminar will be laid out.

Randall Terry States:

"Tiller's death will either set the pro-life movement back twenty years, or propel us to victory more speedily. The outcome depends on our courage over the next 3-6 months.

"If we follow the example of the abolitionists, we will prevail; if we run like French Soldiers, we will be imprisoned in irrelevance.

"Our upcoming seminar is designed to raise up stout hearted, peaceful pro-life warriors, who do not fear, but follow this maxim: ".urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present. I am in earnest — I will not equivocate — I will not excuse — I will not retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD." (William Lloyd Garrison)

—
Society for Truth and Justice
904-687-9804
P.O. Box 23775
Washington, D.C. 20026

[Photo: AP]

In the first clip, Terry denies his movements culpability in Tiller's murder, then immediately turns around and says he basically got what he deserved—-"Pro-life leaders and the pro-life movement are not responsible for George Tiller's death. George Tiller was a mass-murderer and, horrifically, he reaped what he sowed."

When he was finished with his speech, Terry invited members of the press to join him out for for chicken wings and beer noting—-"I like Guinness for those of you who want to have a beer somewhere. I prefer my chicken wings really hot and a little crispy."

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Now, the obvious joke here is that Randall Terry gives whole new meaning to the term "wingnut." Sorry, we just had to do it.