Presenting Rod Keller's
Alt.religion.scientology Week in Review

Volume 8, Issue 3 - April 20 2003



Clearwater

Letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on April 18th reacted to recent articles and letters about Scientology. "The article, City forces halfway houses to shut down, should win the prize for worst writing by two reporters. Was this article about Michael Cournaya and his effort to help recovering addicts? Was it about Richard Weigand, a former executive in the Church of Scientology? What does Weigand's past have to do with his being a property owner in Clearwater? It was data added in to connect Scientology with something not related to Scientology. "It seems your editor missed the point that Weigand offered a solution to the renters (Narconon) and should have printed the statistics of how many people have been helped by Narconon, and therefore would have shown that Narconon has one of the highest rates of drug addiction recovery of any program on this planet. Lack of investigative facts and sloppy reporting show up blatantly. "If the philosophy of L. Ron Hubbard did not work, there would be no issues. Since the data on the human spirit, his mind and body appear to be true and his solutions to improve mankind by improving the human spirit are workable, Scientology has been attacked by those who don't want a better planet. I am proud to be a Scientologist and use this data to help others who need help, no matter their religion or background. If every person of every religion did this, do you really think the planet would be in the shape it is in? - Dan Sigal, Clearwater "Since you insist on printing David Rodman's false and derogatory letters about my religion, then may I ask some questions regarding your often-published hate monger? What scientific and controlled studies has Mr. Rodman done regarding the religion of Scientology? What is his experience, background or expertise that would support his conclusions regarding the religiosity of Scientology? Has Mr. Rodman ever asked any of the 12,000 Scientologists in the Tampa Bay area how Scientology helps them in their lives or why they practice this religion? Has Mr. Rodman visited a church of Scientology and scientifically evaluated the data for himself firsthand? "His unrestrained hypercriticism based on false rumors is typical of someone who refuses to find out for himself. His generalities are sweeping and beg a challenge. He doesn't even realize that the Narconon facility in Clearwater has been open for almost a year and has been licensed. Did he read the fact that Mrs. Cheryl Alderman invested her own funding into opening the facility and that the facility is, in fact, owned and run by her? "Does Mr. Rodman even care that Narconon is in fact getting thousands of people off drugs? There are an estimated 16-million Americans using drugs on a monthly basis, and 6-million meet the clinical criteria for needing help. What is Mr. Rodman doing about the problem? - Doe Hewitt, Holiday" Message-ID: ykSna.19062$gU.847528@news2.voicenet.com

The Way to Happiness

A letters to the editor of the Los Angeles Times on April 15th claimed that a recent fund raiser event was dedicated to providing copies of L. Ron Hubbard's book The Way to Happiness to Israel. "Article in the Glendale News-Press on April 8 announced that Mayor Dave Spence was quite willing to help publicize a $1,000-a-couple 'peace fund-raiser' held on March 29 at a 'home in La Canada Flintridge.' No other names were mentioned, so his was obviously included for its public-relations value. The peace fund-raiser raised $53,000, some of which will be used to distribute a booklet titled "The Way to Happiness" by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in Israel and Palestinian territories. "I know of this booklet, which advocates taking care of your health, following the 10 Commandments and living by the Golden Rule - certainly not a bad thing. I first learned about it when I read a December 1999 article in the LA Times, which noted that during a visit to the Renaissance Academy, Assemblywoman Carol Liu received a copy of 'The Way to Happiness.' Perhaps Spence's affinity to peace groups is a result of his close relationship with Democrats like Liu. "Pat Kerr Sunland" Message-ID: cs1na.19043$gU.842355@news2.voicenet.com

Lisa McPherson

Arnie Lerma reported that Judge Shaeffer has removed herself from the counterclaim by Scientology against the estate of Lisa McPherson and Bob Minton. "On April 8th, Schaeffer recused herself from the counterclaim and referred the matter of whether she should remain on the wrongful death claim to the Chief Judge. Granting Robert Minton's motion to do same. On Wednesday the Chief Judge reassigned both cases to Judge Robert Beach. Judge Beach was the discovery judge, and is intimately familiar with what Scientology is." http://www.lermanet.com/reference/McPherson/schaeffer-040903c.pdf http://www.lermanet.com/reference/McPherson/demers-041603.pdf Message-ID: 3e9ecef6.266970504@news.verizon.net

UK

The London newspaper Trinity Mirror reported on April 17th that marathon runners were attacked with stones and approached by Scientology with offers of nerve assists. "Marathon runners were pelted with stones by a reckless gang of youths, as they ran the Isle of Dogs section of the course. Runners and onlookers were horrified as youths threw projectiles at competitors, just as they were tackling one of toughest parts on the Marathon course. "Controversial religion the Church of Scientology targeted Marathon runners at the Wharf with a 'healing therapy.' The church came to Westferry Road to promote a 'Nerve Assist,' which promises to aid recovery from injury and illness. Volunteer ministers for the church said they had been overwhelmed by interest from runners on Westferry Road who lined up to experience the practice." Message-ID: Ptvna.19057$gU.845353@news2.voicenet.com

Montel Williams

The New York Post published an article critical of television host Montel Williams on April 17th in response to a show in which Scientology celebrities appeared to oppose psychiatric medicine and to promote the detoxification methods used by Scientology. "Was Montel Williams duped into promoting the Church of Scientology on his talk show? Earlier this week, Williams - who is not a Scientologist - devoted a show to 'children abused through the use of prescription psychiatric drugs such as Ritalin, specifically given to alleviate the symptoms of attention-deficit disorder.' But the featured organization on the segment was the 'Citizens Commission on Human Rights.' CCHR, founded by Scientology in 1969, is an anti-psychiatry 'watchdog group' that once described psychiatry as a 'malignant disease' that 'threatens society and ultimately mankind.' "During the show, CCHR president Bruce Wiseman compared 'your friendly neighborhood psychiatrist' to drug lords in Colombia. Appearing with him, Scientology celebrity Juliette Lewis urged the audience to make 'drug manufacturers and psychiatrists accountable.' Williams also introduced cameo clips by church followers Anne Archer and Catherine Bell. "Noted Scientology-watcher Rick Ross writes on cultnews.com, 'At no time did the talk show host explore the wider agenda of the CCHR and/or its antipathy for the entire mental health profession. The word Scientology was never even uttered. Many of the claims made by the CCHR have been labeled 'preposterous' by experts. It seems that Montel has either gone from dumb to dumber, or is so desperate for celebrity appearances to boost his ratings, he will shill almost anything,' Ross wrote. "A rep for Williams said: 'In the 12 years that 'The Montel Williams Show' has been on the air, guests have never been discriminated against based on religious beliefs. We would not discriminate against someone like Mr. Rick Ross. We welcome him to the show to discuss his bias.'" Message-ID: 3ajt9vspgcoegq6c3029pffcltogr8qf6n@4ax.com


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A.r.s. Week in Review is put together by Rod Keller © This collection is organised for WWW by Andreas Heldal-Lund. Only edits done by me is replacing word encapsuled in * or _ with bold and underscore, and made links into HTML.


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