Pro-Life Activist Launches Contest To Burn Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid in Effigy

Randall Terry, the outspoken pro-life activist and a founder of Operation Rescue, has launched the "Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid Burn in Hell Video Contest," encouraging people to burn the House speaker and Senate majority leader in effigy on Halloween and submit a video of the burnings to his Web site to win prizes.

As a part of the contest, Terry posted a sample video on YouTube, as well as instructions for downloading photographs of Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Reid (D-Nev.) with detailed guidance on burning them and entering the contest.

In the sample video, a man, whom Terry would not identify by name, says, "If you support child killing, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will be waiting for you in hell."

Neither Pelosi nor Reid's offices commented on the contest, but last month Pelosi stated her concern that the heated rhetoric around the heath care debate could lead to violence. "I have concerns about some of the language that is being used because I saw this myself in the late ''70s in San Francisco," Pelosi said during a Capitol Hill press conference.

In an interview with Politics Daily, Terry said his goal for the contest is to give Americans a place to vent their anger about health care reform and legal forms of abortion. "Hopefully this will give pause to Reid and Pelosi. I believe they're taking us down a path that will have ominous repercussions."

House and Senate committees passed health care reform bills with language specifically preventing federal funds from being used for abortions, but Terry said, "They're lying."

He predicted that because of the "rage" people are feeling in the country, they might resort to graffiti, violence against buildings or, "and God forbid, I pray this doesn't happen, but I think it's possible that we could see acts of violence against individuals seen as guilty of a murderous agenda." He said that his video contest would help eliminate violence by providing an alternative outlet for expression, and give pro-life activists "something to do that's not inane," referring to recent mass mailings by conservative organizations to members of Congress with tea bags in envelopes.

Troy Newman, now the president of Operation Rescue, reacted with alarm to Terry's contest. "When I saw the video I was at a loss for words," he said. "Randall Terry has gone over the edge to complete lunacy." Newman said that more than 50 percent of the American people identify themselves as pro-life, but Terry's "extreme, fringe activities" hurt the movement's efforts to draw more supporters. "I can't see any good coming out of that."

Newman said Operation Rescue opposes Democrats' plans for health care reform, and he also does not believe the final product will prevent federal funding for abortion. Earlier this month, the group launched IAM71.org to protest any federal funds, including health care reform dollars, from going to abortion.

On Capitol Hill Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer called the contest "unfortunate."

"I don't think appealing to people's anger and, in effect, inciting them to acts which either display or in any way project violent acts is consistent with rational discussion of critical issues," Hoyer said.

Terry said Tuesday he spoke with a lawyer before launching the contest and has not been contacted by law enforcement. "They know who I am," he said.