From the Biblical America Resistance Front website
URL: http://www.barf.org/archive/operation_rescue_national/orlando-98/print.html
 
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 Operation Rescue National visits Orlando, Florida
May 31 - June 7, 1998

Sunday June 7   Saturday June 6  
Thursday June 4   Wednesday June 3   Tuesday June 2
Monday June 1   Sunday May 31
May 28  May 27  Links and Other References

Sunday, June 7, 1998

BARF Holds Informational Picket at Church

Mike and Sabina, along with 8 other concerned citizens, hold an informational picket to let church members know, along with the community, how Operation Rescue exploited its participants over the past week. BARF Press Release and Press Statement

Gay Day protest fizzles (Orlando Sentinel)

Saturday, June 6, 1998

ORN Attempt to Demonstrate Inside Disney Park Fails

To our knowledge, only 3 Operation Rescue participants successfully made their way into the Magic Kingdom before the Disney theme park closed as it filled to capacity. Once inside, they did nothing of significance. Read Mike Doughney's first person account.

BARF cofounders Mike and Sabina will hold an informational picket and press conference Sunday June 7 at the church which hosted Operation Rescue National in the Orlando area. BARF Press Release

Flip out of jail, ORN set to enter Disney (Orlando Sentinel)

Thursday, June 4, 1998

American Family Association Severs Ties with Operation Rescue National

(BARF press release)
The Biblical America Resistance Front (BARF) has learned that the American Family Association (AFA) Law Center "will not be representing" Operation Rescue National (ORN), and "will be looking to sever that relationship," according to the Center's Bruce Green. AFA had provided literature and signs to ORN for last December's picketing of Disney, and legal support for ORN director Philip "Flip" Benham and other ORN participants.
Wednesday, June 3, 1998

ORN director Flip Benham arrested (Orlando Sentinel report)

``We think it is really sad that they've had to impose these kind of restrictions (on the protesters),'' [clinic owner Dr. James] Pendergraft said. ``But it's the terroristic acts that have created what some would say is a restriction of free-speech rights.''

Tuesday, June 2, 1998

ORN targets courthouse, clinic and bookstore; no arrests (Orlando Sentinel report)

Monday, June 1, 1998

5 arrests at clinic (Orlando Sentinel report)

Sunday, May 31, 1998

Operation Rescue set to disrupt Day Gay (Orlando Sentinel report)

May 28, 1998

Orlando Sentinel Reports on Operation Rescue's Plans to Demonstrate Inside Disney's Magic Kingdom

``It is incumbent on us to move into enemy territory,'' Benham said by phone from Dallas, home base for Operation Rescue. ``We're going to go as families and we're going to make a stand for Jesus. We won't be riding rides.''

According to the Sentinel article, Benham and Operation Rescue claim to have just decided, within the last month, to move their protest inside the park. We were told by Benham last December that he planned at that time to have 300-400 people inside the park.

May 27, 1998

Operation Rescue National and American Family Association Sue Osceola County

In the age-old tradition of seeking to insure that any action done in the name of religion bears no consequences, the American Family Association Law Center has filed a federal lawsuit against Osceola County in an attempt to enjoin the county from enforcing state statutes against the distribution of "social commentary" literature. Their petition, filed on behalf of two Osceola County residents who participated in last December's picketing at Disney and in the Orlando area, requests that the court act by May 29 so that the two plantiffs may join Operation Rescue's anticipated week-long event which begins two days later.

While the webpage announcing this lawsuit is titled "ORN Sues," the lawsuit has actually been filed by counsel at the American Family Association, a clear demonstration of the close relationship between the two groups. Curiously, as of this writing there is still no indication of AFA's substantial and continuing support of Operation Rescue on the AFA web site.

Biblical American Groups And Media Attack Gays Simultaneously

May 2 World
June 8 New American
We've noted that three prominent organizations and a Biblical American magazine, seemingly in preparation for an anticipated national news event related to ORN's expected actions in Orlando, have simultaneously brought their anti-gay agenda to the forefront. As expected, the May letter from Don Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, highlighted Reggie White's comments before the Wisconsin legislature. The same is true of the monthly letter from Gary Bauer and the Family Research Council. While it could be said that both of these letters are merely responses to White's comments, the same isn't true of The New American, the bimonthly magazine published by the John Birch Society. All of the feature articles in the June 8 issue focus on gays - and no mention of White was evident from the New American's web page. Early this month, World magazine attacked the travel industry's efforts to attract gay customers, including a brief mention of Disney.

Gay Day Founder and Organizer Speaks

Doug Swallow, who first conceived of a social gathering at Disney World in 1991, addresses an ongoing discussion on the Internet newsgroup rec.arts.disney.parks.

Links and Other References

Related Web Sites

American Family Association and Operation Rescue

BARF Feature Article

Gay Media

Biblical America

Monitoring Biblical America / the "Religious Right"

Some basic reading on "Christian Reconstructionism"

Return to BARF Archive - Operation Rescue National

Copyright © 1998 BARF

Last updated June 6, 1998

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