Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Satire of abortion protest was lost on church

By Times Staff Writer
Published January 23, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG 

Randall Terry says he just wanted to make a statement that would grab people's attention. So he decided to create a satirical pamphlet that compares politicians who support abortion rights with politicians who support slavery.

The title: "Real Solutions for the 'Negro Problem?' " The argument: Voting for politicians who support abortion rights is equivalent to supporting murderers.

Turns out, a local Catholic Church didn't find the satire amusing. And when two members of Terry's organization returned to pass out pamphlets at the Cathedral Church of St. Jude the Apostle on Sunday, despite being told to leave by church officials, they ended up behind bars on trespassing charges.

On Tuesday, members of Terry's group returned to the sidewalk directly in front of St. Jude's. This time, they were protesting the church's decision to kick them out.

St. Jude's did not respond to a request for comment. But police spokesman Bill Proffitt said that "the church felt that it was too much of a hate message."

ODESSA

Former chief of staff leads children's surgery center

Pasco parents whose children need anything from ear tubes to a tonsillectomy will soon have a new close-to-home option.

Pediatric Surgery Centers, headed by a former chief of staff at All Children's Hospital, is expected to open as early as June.

The $4.3-million, 18,000-square-foot outpatient surgical facility will be off State Road 54, just east of Gunn Highway.

The centers are not affiliated with a hospital or university, but are owned by a group of investors and doctors, including medical director Dr. Glenn Vaughn, who served as chief of staff at All Children's from 2001 to 2003.

[Last modified January 23, 2008, 00:30:40]