Operation Rescue of Wichita, KS, fresh off a summer when George Tiller was assassinated by an anti-abortion terrorist in that city, is having trouble raising money. I can almost hear the tears falling in the letter Operation Rescue President Troy Newman sent to supporters, which can be found here at Mike Hendricks’ column in the Kansas City Star. A more thorough news piece about Operation Rescue’s financial woes is here at NPR:

The group’s president, Troy Newman, blamed the economic downturn for its money woes in a desperate plea e-mailed Monday night to donors. But the Wichita-based organization has also been under attack from both fringe anti-abortion militants and abortion rights supporters since the May 31 shooting death of Dr. George Tiller.

“We’re now so broke (as the saying goes), we can’t even pay attention,” Newman wrote.

Newman told The Associated Press in an interview after the mailing that the group has only four paid employees left, compared to nine a year ago. The group typically has an annual budget of $600,000, but donations this year have been down 30 to 40 percent. Newman, who earns $60,000 annually, said he hasn’t been paid in two months.

“You put a need in front of people and say, ‘Here is where we are at,’” Newman said. “I have always seen people respond faithfully.”

Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Mo., faces charges of murder and aggravated assault in the slaying of Tiller as the Wichita abortion provider ushered at a Sunday morning church service.

Tiller’s killing has also been a public relations nightmare for the group — despite its public condemnation of the slaying — since the name and phone number of the group’s senior policy adviser was found in Roeder’s car when he was arrested. A television crew zoomed in on the scrawled note inside the car in images that made their way to the Internet.

“You see, this summer has been brutal for Operation Rescue,” Newman wrote. “Not only did George Tiller’s death throw everybody in the pro-life movement for a loop (and especially us), but the economic crisis our nation is suffering has brought our financial support to nearly a halt.”

Newman told AP that the decline in the group’s donations actually began last year, and he insisted there was no correlation between the drop and Tiller’s shooting.

I don’t buy what Newman is trying to sell. Scott Roeder, the anti-abortion terrorist who assassinated Dr. Tiller, was connected to convicted domestic terrorist Cheryl Sullenger, who worked at Operation Rescue at the time. According to their web site, Sullenger still works for Operation Rescue and makes speeches for them. Sullenger’s bio on the Operation Rescue web site still fails to mention her conviction for terroristic acts. Given that Scott Roeder was caught with Sullenger’s phone number in his vehicle, it is beyond me why Operation Rescue has not been charged as an accessory in the terrorist murder of Dr. Tiller. But perhaps there is justice in their financial troubles. Who knows, maybe the free market works, and people simply don’t wish to invest their hard-earned money in a terrorist operation.

No word as yet on whether Newman and Operation Rescue will be reaching out to Osama bin Laden for funding.