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thedrifter
11-03-05, 02:54 PM
OMNI member fakes flier, trashes troops
By: Pamela Acosta, Staff Writer
Issue date: 11/3/05 Section: News

A local peace organization denounced fliers carrying its name that contained profane language defaming the troops in Iraq, according to a press release sent out Tuesday.

An angry person, frustrated with the war, altered a flier originally written by OMNI member Chris de la Cruz, Dick Bennett, president of the OMNI Center, said in the release.

Bill Porton, another member, was responsible for the changes. He kept the original content of the flier, "he simply altered the message," Bennett said.

OMNI Center for Peace Justice and Ecology representatives said they disagree with the war, but were respectful to the troops and their families in their original flier.

"We're critics of the government, the soldiers have been ordered to do this," said Bennett. "We hope that family members and friends of young people killed, injured, or still in Iraq, realize that even though we disagree with this war, we wish only the best for these soldiers," said Bennett in the release.?

Bennett said the fliers were disrespectful and did not reflect the opinion of the center.

The original OMNI flier promoting anti-war protests said, "Support the Troops, Bring them Home Now," but Porter altered the flier to read, "Condemn the Rulers' Hired Murderers."

The original flier included pictures of local soldiers killed in Iraq, but Porton changed the title above the pictures to read "local dumb****s killed in current aggressions."

Porton said he changed the fliers because the original was "morally disgusting." According to Porton, soldiers were hired hit-men and were "the rulers' troops," not ours.

"[It's] not something we should support, [it's] something we should condemn." He explained his alterations as "in your face protests that will shock people and hopefully make them think."

The fliers were placed on people's car windshields at the Fayetteville Public Library on Monday, said Bennett. According to the release, a member of OMNI reported the alteration to Bennett.

She said she thought it was a flier from the center at first, but when she read the profane language, she realized it couldn't have been OMNI, according to the release.

Bennett said he has received four letters reporting the fliers. Three of them knew OMNI was not responsible, and one of them, Bennett said, jumped to the conclusion that the center was responsible.

"It was long, harsh, and hurtful," he said. Reports from other locations have not been filed, Bennett said.

In the press release, Bennett asked people to throw away the fliers if they were found. He asked the community to support the troops and ask legislators to bring them home "as soon as possible."

Bennett said they notified the prosecuting attorney. Porton said he was going to be kicked out of the organization, and he would not be able to use the OMNI name for any more propaganda, but he still intends to protest.

The OMNI center is an organization that works as a coalition to create a world free of war, with liberty and justice where "every person's potential may be fulfilled," according to their website.

Ellie
:mad:

www.omnicenter.org/