Clearwater
The Clearwater Gazette & Beach News published an article on July 6th on the upcoming vote on downtown development. "Recently, and because of reported statements that the final development agreement might allow the Church of Scientology to somehow acquire certain 'rights' from the master developer, developer George de Guardiola has reportedly agreed to allow agreement language in the final contract to prohibit such transfer of 'rights' to the downtown Clearwater Church group. "Will the developer's recent statement help to support the vote on July 11th? 'I think so,' stated a downtown supporter. 'This might help clear the air about some people saying the developer could sell the deal to the Church of Scientology. That is simply not true.'" Message-ID: gerbmsc229325fj139249748377qc70un4@4ax.com
Tom Cruise
Cinema magazine published an interview with Scientology celebrity Tom Cruise on July 1st. "Q. It could be read recently in the U.S. press that you wanted to leave the Scientology Church. Can you comment on that? "Look, people make mistakes. If you read the counter-presentations in certain magazines, you'll see what I mean. "Q. What advantages do you see in your membership in Scientology which is controversial in the media? "I know that sometimes the media plays havoc, especially outside the USA. No belief is free from the hate of intolerant people who, luckily, only make up a minority of people. Actually, my religion has already helped me much - in private life and in work. Nevertheless, I hope that people judge me based on my films, regardless of which church I belong to." Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1000705164504.127A-100000@darkstar.zippy
Denmark
Mike Gormez reported on a documentary shown on Danish television this week. "Bid and Jesse both spoke of their experiences. i.e. Jesse told of the babies who never get out of bed and Bid (Birgitta Dagnell) told that she would have liked it - in retrospect - if she could have given her daughter a different non-Scn upbringing. The program had some shots of 'Happy Valley' (with the pole) though it didn't tell the story of it, further we saw the sickening sec checking of a kid. "Star of the show was however Tanya Neujahr. She was the 17-year old SO girl who escaped from St. Hill with help of the police and Caberta. Her English is very good, and she told that her father regards her as dead because she quit the SO." Message-ID: 396581fb.10105724@news.a2000.nl http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/4497/berlin1997/index.html http://members.tripod.com/German_Scn_News/gsnidx_t.htm
Flag
Virginia McClaughry reported news from Clearwater, where members are being given unusual instructions. "The church is calling up Scientologists and ORDERING them to install the net nanny on their computer. The shore story is 'to prevent them from being exposed to upper level materials'. This is not going over well with the public at large, and they are not as stupid as the Church hopes. Terms like 'nazi germany' and others are being bandied about." "Flag is recalling all their L's public, and making them repay for the L's, as well as doing an 'eligibility' program. One public, came in, paid for the L's and Eligibility (after being recalled), started the eligibility program, and was declared an illegal pc." "The public who was declared an illegal pc was also kicked off the base!" The flag public courserooms are quite empty, with the supervisors quite desperate to get students in, but the public isn't cooperating. Sandcastle has posted a full time Medical Officer, which is old news, but people here might not know that it is now REQUIRED that all public give an extremely invasive, detailed, family medical history, as one of the first steps on the routing form." Message-ID: 8k3c7m$10q2@drn.newsguy.com Message-ID: 8k3cme$11la@drn.newsguy.com Message-ID: 8k42oa$1v3k@drn.newsguy.com
France
Basler Zeitung reported on June 24th on the new French law against mental manipulation by cults. "'Mental manipulation' of sect victims will be added as a misdemeanor in the criminal code. The National Assembly has long been involved with the fight against sects which do business with gullible innocents under the cloak of religious freedom, which infiltrate institutions and, especially, influence weak citizens with occasionally morbid ideas. The delegates have already produced a list of sects which would have to be categorized as a threat to society. "Since 1996 the justice department has initiated 280 court proceedings, most of them based on complaints by former sect members, a hundred of them were dropped without a trial, convictions resulted in only 48 cases - mostly for deception, fraud or illegal practice of medicine. The government also has the opinion that, in view of the often very tightly organized and well-financed sects, preventive information alone is not sufficient. But their legislative proposal has now been strengthened so much by the representatives in many respects, that the proposal has little chance of getting the vote even in the conservative Senate. "The government would like to get the opinion of the consultative Human Rights Commission in the debate before the Senate. The law also says that organizations revealed to be sects will not be permitted to open branches in the direct vicinity of schools, retirement homes and hospitals. A spokeswoman for the Scientologists, who see themselves, probably not completely by accident, as being targeted by the anti-sect law, stated, 'If this law is passed, then democracy in France is over.'" Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1000705164812.127E-100000@darkstar.zippy
Freezone
Scientology was unsuccessful in obtaining the Internet domain scientologie.org this week. "The application of the RTC lawyers to transfer the domain 'scientologie.org' to the RTC was rejected by the World Intellectual Property Organization. In 1995 the Free Zone Assoc. purchased the rights to the book of the german philosopher Dr. A. Nordenholz, Scientologie - Wissenschaft von der Beschaffenheit und Tauglichkeit des Wissens (Scientology, Science of the Constitution and Usefulness of Knowledge). In December 1995 the domain name 'scientologie.org' was registered. It was online until middle of 1996 when the RTC objected against our use of it. The Network Information Centerthen put the domain on status hold. "On 5th of Mai 2000 the RTC Lawyers filed a complaint at WIPO and 'requests that the Administrative Panel appointed in this administrative proceeding issue a decision that the domain name 'scientologie.org' be transferred to RTC.' On the 3rd of July the complaint was denied." Message-ID: 39620F70.8DD66B40@freezone.de
Gold Base
The Riverside County sheriff has determined that the death of Stacey Myer at Scientology's Gold Base was accidental. "Stacey Myer, 20, died June 25 when she slipped as she climbed into the vault at the Church of Scientology complex near San Jacinto. 'She was someplace she should not have been,' said Lt. Darryl Birney. 'We have investigated this thoroughly, looked at the evidence, and concluded that it was an accident.' Birney said it appears Myer slipped or lost her balance and fell from a ladder leading into the vault, then grabbed a wire as she fell. Myer died instantly when she touched a 7,200-volt wire connecting two transformers in the 10-foot-by-10-foot vault, authorities said. "Ken Hoden, manager of Golden Era Studios, had previously speculated that Myer may have gone into the vault to find out why a squirrel had died inside weeks before. Investigators received numerous calls, mostly from critics of Scientology, who suggested Myer's death was not an accident, Birney said." Message-ID: 8k4iso$4ea@netaxs.com
Lisa McPherson
The autopsy photos of Lisa McPherson continue to be sealed due to legal appeals by Scientology. From the St. Petersburg Times on July 6th: "A Pinellas judge ruled Wednesday that autopsy photos of Scientologist Lisa McPherson should be made public, but the photos remained under seal after the Church of Scientology quickly asked for a delay. The church has argued that releasing the autopsy photos could prevent a fair trial in Hillsborough County, where it is fighting a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by McPherson's estate. The church says it fears the photos will be published by newspapers and by its critics on the Internet, thus inflaming potential jurors. "Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Crockett Farnell wrote that the church 'has not shown the likelihood of irreparable harm' if the photos are released. 'Even if the photographs are published extensively,' he added, 'that does not mean that the Hillsborough County court cannot seat an unbiased jury.' Courts are equipped to handle such matters, he wrote." From the St. Petersburg Times on July 7th: "The Church of Scientology has again blocked the release of autopsy photos of Scientologist Lisa McPherson. In a motion filed Thursday, the church asked Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Crockett Farnell to reconsider two previous rulings this week in which he cleared the photos for public release. The motion prompted the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to delay the release for the second time this week. It was the third time Scientology has successfully kept the records secret since June 12, when prosecutors dropped two criminal charges against the church in McPherson's death. "The church says Farnell has not heard enough evidence to make a decision and suggested an 'alternative remedy' such as allowing the public to view the photos without reproducing them for general distribution." Message-ID: %1_85.74$Hh4.33797@news3.voicenet.com Message-ID: 8k4ekc$4ea@netaxs.com
Nigeria
The Nigerian senate this week said that a debt buy-back program in which Scientology critic Bob Minton participated was a good deal for Nigeria. From Nigeria Today on July 3rd: "A committee of Nigeria's upper legislative chamber has backed the strategy of debt buy back schemes in reducing the country's huge external debt. The committee stated that the debt buy back scheme undertaken between 1988 and 1993 was beneficial to Nigeria because the country was able to reduce its debt by $5 billion. London based former footballer, John Fashanu alleged financial impropriety in the 1988-93 scheme. His accusing fingers were pointed at retired American investment banker Bob Minton, whose firm handled the 1988-93 scheme. Responding to Fashanu's allegations at a public forum which the United Kingdom resident, failed to attend, Minton said Fashanu was being used by the Scientology organisation in the United States with which he had a three-year battle over the group's alleged human rights violations and murder of certain persons which he was trying to expose. "'If people had plundered Nigeria, they should be brought to book, but such a campaign would lose its focus if the main motivation is vendetta. The Fashanu Report was a document conceived out of vendetta. As far as I am concerned Fashanu is being economical with the truth. He should focus on those who stole Nigeria's money and not people like me who are being maligned for a completely different reason' Minton told a public forum in Howard University, Washington D.C. last month. Privately, Fashanu has denied allegations that he had offered to sell his unsubstantiated findings to the federal government to the tune of 500 million naira. He has also failed to refute the allegations in public." From The Guardian on July 2nd: "About five billion dollars may have been slashed off Nigeria's debt by a 1988 debt buy-back deal going by the findings of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts which investigated such past transactions. The committee which was until recently led by Senator Idris Abubakar concluded in its yet to be debated report that contrary to speculations, the debt buy back deal believed to have been fraudulently executed was somewhat beneficial to the country. "The committee's findings which runs against the recent campaign of looting by former football star, John Fashanu, draws largely from submissions of the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Nigeria and other principal witnesses to conclude that one 'Greenland Company', role in the business was transparent. "While Fashanu insists that his discovery was borne out of patriotism, one of those linked with the transaction, Mr. Bob Minton has accused him (Fashanu) of working for the Scientologists, a controversial United States group, in the bid to run him down. Minton stressed that he has consistently taken on the group's disputed objectives to the level where they would work on any thing to either distract him or discredit his person." The former leader of Nigeria also criticized Fashanu. From Nigeria Today on July 4th: "Nigeria's former dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida says John Fashanu's allegations against him are nothing but 'fairy tales.' Babangida dismissed claims made by former footballer, Fashanu, who accused a retired American investment banker, Bob Minton, of helping the dictator to siphon public funds. He said he was surprised that Fashanu missed the opportunity provided by public forum organised by Professor Bolaji Aluko's Nigerian Democratic Movement in the United States to prove his case." From Nigeriaworld on July 4th: "'The revelations surprised me. I am surprised, because I didn't know,' Babangida told a group of Newswatch editors in an interview published in the current edition of the newsmagazine. Babangida chided John Fashanu, the Nigerian-London based footballer who accused the American, Bob Minton, of helping Babangida to siphon public funds, for missing the opportunity provided by a conference organised by Nigerians in the United States to prove his case." Message-ID: r291ms8s9ele3nb9388fk840s4s7el9ate@4ax.com Message-ID: q1r3msoisrusi4ls9hsa5386rf7ags4qmk@4ax.com Message-ID: 8k4k67$ji2@netaxs.com Message-ID: 8k4kko$ji2@netaxs.com
Protest Summary
Keith Henson continued his near-daily protests at Gold Base near hemet, California. "I did another picket for an hour or so this morning ending at ten or ten thirty. I had walked less than 100 yds from my car which was parked beyond the east overpass when I looked back to wave at traffic and saw two guys walking toward me. Eliot Richardson, the guy who choked me in LA two years ago, and another heavy set dude who really didn't want his photo taken. They threatened me, got in my face and started bull baiting me (child molester etc.) What they were after was to bash themselves on my sign or get me to bash them and fall down like Howd. I wasn't having any of it, so I jumped into the roadway. They spent the next ten minutes trying to bull bait as they chased me back and forth in the roadway while I flagged down about 20 cars and asked them to call the cops. Every time I would talk to someone in a car, they would quit bothering me so they could tell the driver I was a mad bomber or child molester or both. "Officer Labaron was the first to respond. They gave the officer a shore story about trying to 'interview' me (spitting in my face from 6 inches!). He informed them that it was not safe to distract someone who was walking along the side of a busy highway and that they should figure out a better place to do interviews. The Sheriff officer showed up later and got flyers. We talked about Stacey Myer, chain lockers, shore stories, and what to put in a search engine." "I was not early enough to follow the buses back to the two clam apartments, but all four went by my picket signs within a ten minute period close to 7 am. I followed one of them over to the apartments on Kirby and found one at the Fruitvale Apartment as well. The first one tried to shake me off, and stopped for a while at a gas station to call. The Fruitvale apartments have a security guy playing hide and seek in the bushes with a radio." "On the way out, I saw a Highway Patrol officer with a stopped car. So I turned around, stopped, parked and talked to Officer Mushaney. The officers who looked at the tape concluded I was trying to get away from Edwin Richardson and the other thug. Parked at the west end next to where Ashlee was killed, got out my sign and started walking to the east. Sure enough, here comes Edwin and thug 2. So I got on 911 and reported as they were walking down the road to me. Edwin took a bad step in some wet sand on the south side of the road and went down hard. "Thug 2 crossed over behind me and Edwin got in front. He stopped, forcing me to either go in to the street or further onto scn property, while thug 2 was talking into a radio or cell phone about how I had stepped on precious scn property. But with it obvious I was talking to 911, they kept back about 6 feet. Ken Hoden came by and warned me to stay off private property, but he knows that I have the right to walk on their property if required for safety. Incidentally, except for the west underpass, they seem to have given up trying to keep gold base staff inside." "After playing a little with the buses, I got out there about 7 am, parked on the west end next to where Ashlee was killed. Thug 2 and the older guy came trudging down from the main gate. Thug 2 came up close and started right in bull baiting. I called 911, and he split back to the guard house, and Edwin took his place. After Thug 2 went into hiding, I canceled the 911 call." "Barb" and David Rice also protested Gold Base this week. "I hopped out of the car and approached Keith while David parked. Both of Keith's escorts promptly left to get orders. They were soon back, trudging along heavily behind us with camcorders. We picked up a couple of picket signs from Keith and started the day's work. On our first pass, Keith pointed out several rather large pine trees in wooden pots that have been placed over the underground tunnel. There isn't enough soil there to plant them, due to the tunnel, so they've wrapped the bases with plastic sheeting. Those trees are heavy! I hope the tunnel is reinforced to support this weight after watering. "At one point, we separated from Keith by about 100 yards. Our handlers muttered to each other, and also separated; Keith got one, and we got the other. He was a man in his 60s, heavy set, silver hair, wearing no hat in the hot sun. He carried a water bottle and would seek out shade when we stopped. His face was very red, and he did not seem to be doing too well in the heat." "Arrived at 'Gold Base' at 10:28 AM and saw Keith out there. Keith was in the middle of two goons: sort of like a Nabisco Entheta Cookie. Trudge; trudge; trudge down the road we travailed, walking West on the Eastbound side of the road. If the crime syndicate did not send their goons out to harass him, I suspect that a great many motorists would not even notice he is out there. One person with a sign is less attractive than FIVE PICKETERS outside protesting the crime syndicate's abuses. "Trudge; trudge; trudge our travail continued until 12:48PM upon whence we met up with Keith and we demanded a break. The heat was getting to me, and pictures of iced tea danced before my eyes. We split up and headed for our cars. Our shadow dogged us to the last centimeter. We drove to Ida's house for lunch. The crime syndicate had Ida's son and grandson send two e-mails to her. The intent of the e-mail was to convince her to eject Keith from her abode. The propaganda called Keith a 'full-time hater.'" "Act" protested at the Adelaide, Australia org this week. "Picketers: my friend Darren and myself; Banner: '$cientology Despises Free Speech'; The Scientologists were very on-edge at the Adelaide Org. Darren and I could barely approach the Org without some Sea Org member emerging, patrolling around the street and going back inside the Org. Soon enough a handler snuck up behind us, remarked 'that's not a very professional sign. You're breaking the law. I'm going to call the Council.' We crossed the street and began filming the Church. "They made good on their promise to contact the Adelaide City Council. A council officer soon appeared to move me and my friend on, even though we had police permission to be there, and we weren't blocking the pavement or behaving offensively. Needless to say, I'm exchanging words with the Council over the legality of the Council's by-law requiring people to pay for a permit in order to hold protests or gatherings." Hartley Patterson and Dave Bird protested the Birmingham, England org this week. "Jens, Dave Bird and myself were joined by four local SPs for a peaceful picket. I chatted briefly to one handler who promised to send me proof of the Church of Scientology's 8 million members and continuing expansion. It was evidently a good day for canvassing, besides the body routers there was Oxfam, Animal Rights and several others." "Roland's new leaflet has sides three and four on how to get money back and get family out, with contact details for 'Escape', 'Catalyst', and 'Leaving Scientology'. I had a considerable amount of old & new style leaflets. We set up with placards and leaflets around the top of Ethel Street; no amplification, but my voice carried pretty well in a no-traffic area. "We kept it basic down to 'scam operating in this area, don't be fooled by the personality test clipboarders, it's a scam to extract money'. Our leaflets were well received, and quite a few people stopped for a chat. Over time the phones must have been ringing to summon various other body-routers into the Org, as by the time we finished at 1600 the number had just increased to four with their own counter-leaflets." Message-ID: 8jp19q$v88$1@slb2.atl.mindspring.net Message-ID: 8jrv9l$2r1$1@slb3.atl.mindspring.net Message-ID: g1j85.5869$c5.15216@newsfeeds.bigpond.com Message-ID: 8jttj2$gb2$1@slb1.atl.mindspring.net Message-ID: 8jucvg$qjn$1@slb3.atl.mindspring.net Message-ID: 8k12h9$5up$1@slb0.atl.mindspring.net Message-ID: 3964B028.3CC0BCA5@pacbell.net Message-ID: 39653fd3.12372598@nntp.lightlink.com Message-ID: 8k51sb$j44$1@slb6.atl.mindspring.net Message-ID: 3967986F.495C8318@vossnet.co.uk Message-ID: uA0ZlIBUd3Z5EwAN@xemu.demon.co.uk
South Africa:
The Metro Sunday Times reported on July 2nd that Scientology is trying to buy a school in Johannesburg, South Africa. "The land belonging to Woodmead High School -- one of Johannesburg's most famous and progressive schools -- is at the centre of a fight with the Church of Scientology. Bob Glenister, co-director of Woodmead Holdings, which owns the land on which the now closed Woodmead High School stood, is locked in a legal battle to prevent the Church of Scientology from buying the northern Johannesburg property for R3.4-million because he believes the controversial group is 'morally abhorrent'. "'It's just not acceptable to sell the land to these people. In my opinion they're evil and take advantage of people who are in need of spiritual or psychological help. We believe that every individual has the right to have his opinion heard and a right to practice what he believes in. The Woodmead school always stood for ideas and freedom of expression. But the Scientologists are into mind control. They morally blackmail the people to stay in the institution.' "In court papers, the bank says it prefers to sell the property to the Church of Scientology. But Glenister claims there have been other offers - including one of R4.4 million - which he should be able to accept. 'If we can get more money from elsewhere why on earth should we be forced to accept this offer by the Scientologists?' he said." Message-ID: lj7fms4ab96tjetittnkedjb8h1uuh9lc3@4ax.com
Switzerland
Neue Zuercher Zeitung reported on July 1st that a law used to prohibit the distribution of personality tests in Zurich has been ruled unconstitutional. "The prohibition established in 1972 by the Zurich city council against distribution of advertising material on public land has rightly been declared unconstitutional by the Cantonal Constitutional Court. The city administrative police had prohibited Scientology Church Zurich from distributing the 'Oxford Capacity Analysis' personality test and the 'Why Happiness is no accident' leaflet on city streets. The prohibition was supported by the police board, the city council, the governor's office and the executive offices. The Administrative Court, however, partially acceded to Scientology's complaint, saying that a complete ban on distributing advertising material on city land was not permissible, in light of freedom of trade and commerce. It noted that all of the legal hearings involved in the case refused to review the problem in the light of freedom of religion, because the distribution of the above-mentioned documents is not rated as religious, but as commercial activity." Tages-Anzeiger reported on June 30th that a former Scientologist is suing Scientology for a refund. "For 16 years of his life, A. Meier (name changed) belonged to the Scientology organization. He paid 100,000 franks for courses and books. Last Fall the information technician decided to leave. He says he pre-paid for courses which he did not take. Because that money was not refunded to him, Meier filed charges against Scientology in court. The unusual case in which a former Scientologist risked demanding money from Scientology in court started yesterday in Zurich. "At first Scientology said that it had improperly given him a rebate, on which account Meier could not be paid back. When Meier did not give in, Scientology told him his was expelled until further notice. Finally Meier left the organization. He is suing for his money back. According to Meier's attorney, the 'character of the payments' was not changed in that part of the pre-payments were described in the documents as donations. He said it quite clearly was a contract relationship. "Scientology's legal representative, herself a member of Scientology, demanded that Meier's complaint be dismissed, in addition she said there were outstanding debts in the amount of between 13,000 and 17,000 franks. Instead of saying what it was for, she pulled out a lecture about Scientology. The judge finally interrupted her - presumably not just for reasons of time - and asked the question of whether the parties would not like to try to settle out of court. They agreed to try. They were dismissed by the judge with 'We will be waiting expectantly.'" Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1000705164603.127B-100000@darkstar.zippy Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1000705164642.127C-100000@darkstar.zippy
Exhibition Schedule
A schedule of What is Scientology exhibits was posted to a.r.s this week. "Admission Free. London 3 - 6 July The Selfridge Hotel, off Oxford Street London 7 - 9 July Cumberland Hotel, Marble Arch, W1 London 10 - 12 July The Selfridge Hotel, off Oxford Street Manchester 18 - 23 July Thistle Hotel, Piccadilly Gardens Bournemouth 27 - 29 July The Pavillion, Westover Road Birmingham 1 - 4 August Burlington Hotel, New Street Edinburgh 14 - 18 August Crowne Plaza, Royal Mile Brighton 22 - 27 August Thistle Hotel, Kings Road Plymouth 30 August - 3 Sep Guildhall, City Centre (off Royal Parade) Newcastle 7 - 9 September Posthouse, New Bridge Street Open Daily 10:00am - 9:00pm Call 0800 23 2000 for further information" Message-ID: m166qidoco.fsf@localhost.localdomain
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.
