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

Volume 5, Issue 33 - November 26 2000


Mark Bunker

Mark Bunker posted an update this week to his case for allegedly trespassing in the Scientology org in Chicago. "We had a hearing on a motion to dismiss the case because the cops stole the videotaped evidence. The judge denied that motion and set a court date for next February 5th. We'll have a jury trial at that time. Elliot Abelson came up to me after the hearing and said. 'Doesn't look good. Not a good sign.'" Message-ID: 3a19b095.0@news2.lightlink.com

Clearwater

Jeff Jacobsen reported conditions in downtown Clearwater in the week prior to the annual Lisa McPherson memorial events. "I went to the Sandcastle to take pictures of the shelving Scientology is putting up along their bushes next to the sidewalk. These shelves will be used to place Christmas tries shoulder to shoulder to keep parishioners from seeing any potential picketers. I then took a few pictures of the half-built Winter Wonderland. Then to finish off the roll I went to the Super Power building. As I was taking pictures of several people going into the Super Power building on the south side, a Scientology security guy on a bike came up and asked what I was doing. 'Taking pictures.' Who was I taking pictures for. 'Why, is it illegal?' No. 'Are you a policeman?' No, but I can call them. 'OK, call the cops and tell them I'm taking pictures of your building. Why do you care?' Well we don't get many people taking pictures of our buildings. 'Well that's all I'm doing right?' Right." A Clearwater Scientologist won a 10K run in Tampa this week. From the St. Petersburg Times on November 19th: "Maybe showing up for a race five minutes before the start is not the best strategy, but it worked for Clearwater's Judy Maguire in the Avon Running-Tampa 10-kilometer (6.2 miles) event Saturday at the University of South Florida. Maguire, 42, is a fitness director for the Church of Scientology. She was eligible to win the master's division but ended up overall winner with a time of 36:45. The event also a was fundraiser for the Centre for Women, raising more than $5,600." A former city commissioner has offered to sell two properties in downtown Clearwater to Scientology. Scientology has declined the offer, according to the St. Petersburg Times on November 22nd. "Former city commissioner Fred Thomas, a longtime critic of the Church of Scientology, has offered to sell some of his downtown land to the church, a Scientology official says. But church officials won't be buying, said church spokesman Mike Rinder. Thomas would not confirm that he contacted church representatives. He did say he would consider any interested buyer, including Scientology -- because, he said, 'Downtown belongs to the Scientologists.' "The land in question includes the Clearwater Train Station fast-food restaurant, a Pinch-a-Penny pool store and Freedom Park. 'I'll sell to whoever gives me the money when I sell it,' Thomas said. 'When it comes to selling property in downtown Clearwater, the church is the downtown player, and 10 years from now that's the only player you'll see.' Rinder said the properties are not 'anything that we're interested in.' Rinder said Thomas contacted the church around early November to see if there was any interest in a purchase. "Thomas said it's too difficult to attract shoppers to the city's Scientology-dominated core. He now believes the city should focus on redeveloping other areas like Clearwater Beach. 'Downtown belongs to the Scientologists in my opinion, and it would be a waste of the taxpayers' money to fund any kind of redevelopment,' Thomas, 63, said. 'We're foolish to spend taxpayers' money so the Scientologists can have a better place to live.'" Message-ID: 3a18180a.19430809@news.primenet.com Message-ID: 8vb58r$7oh@netaxs.com Message-ID: 8vgdoc$aeo@netaxs.com

Germany

The German government this week answered questions put to id by the CDU/CSU party concerning Scientology. Highlights from the response: "The federal government denied what in its opinion was an 'imputation' contained in a Minor Inquiry from the CDU/CSU, that the Families Ministry played down the risks caused by the Scientology organization. On the contrary, as the federal government went on to say in its answer, their assessment of the Scientology organization had been presented in detail in the booklet, 'Die Scientology Organisation - Gefahren, Ziele und Praktiken' ['The Scientology Organization - Risks, Goals and Practices']. Specifically the objectionable and conflict-prone practices of a group disguised as a religious denomination had been worked out. "The establishment of a 'Scientology Commissioner' as requested by the Union for the coordination of research and containment of the SO system would be superfluous according to the government, because that function is already being fulfilled by the Interministerial Work Group on Scientology." "The federal administration has, at all levels, repeatedly expressed the German position on the Scientology organization to the American government and to the American Congress. The assertions by the Scientology organization to the American administration, to the Congress and to the American public about alleged persecution against religious minorities in Germany have been refuted or contradicted by facts accordingly. The federal administration is also taking a determined position on the Scientology organization at the international level. "According to current findings, the full-time staff in Scientology establishments work, as a rule, between 60 and 70 hours a week over six days at minimum wage. So far the use of children for Scientology's purposes in unheard of in Germany. Neither does the Scientology organization maintain any recognized schools in Germany under its own name. It is known, however, that the Scientology organization operates a school in Denmark whose children include those of German Scientologists. Determining violations of the law and the investigation of criminal acts with the associated documentation falls under the jurisdiction of the states who, in case they deem it necessary, could agree on establishing a documentation center in a state. So far the federal government has obtained no information about criminally relevant behavior by the Scientology organization. "In the future, the federal government intends to prevent the award of public contracts for consultation or training services which contain an internal connection to the Scientology teachings to these sort of corporations (WISE corporations), by requiring the corporation bidding for consultation or training service sign a statement that the people fulfilling the contract will not use, teach or otherwise disseminate the 'technology of L. Ron Hubbard' (security clause). Should the signing of the security clause/statement in connection with the offer be refused, the bidder can be excluded from the contract. "The Federal Office of Security in Information Technology was requested to establish contact with Diskeeper's distribution company to research the possibility of Diskeeper containing malicious routines and clear up any suspicions of manipulation. The federal government operates on the assumption that security risks associated with Diskeeper are rather improbably, but could not be ruled out altogether. Investigations by computer experts (including in the BSI) have so far yielded no indices of risk (e.g., unpredictable data transmission)." Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1001125105505.134B-100000@darkstar.zippy Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1001125105411.134A-100000@darkstar.zippy

The Profit

Patricia Greenway reported that Scientology's attempt to get attorney's fees awarded after the Totally Fun Company failed to get an injunction to stop the harassment of its crew. "During shooting of the film The Profit in Tampa, Florida, our film crew was exposed to the wacky, invasive, offensive cult tactics of the Scn front group, the Foundation for Religious Tolerance. The FARTs kept showing up at our soundstage and our locations handing out their smarmy DA flyers accusing the Director, Peter Alexander and myself (Producer) of being everything from KKK to Neo-Nazi's. We called the police on more than a few occasions. The police sent them off to a reasonable distance and warned them repeatedly. Our crew endured private investigators filming them, their cars and their tag numbers. "The final straw was when Mary DeMoss took it upon herself to follow a couple of our single female crew members to their homes. She asked them about the film and was told they were under strict non-disclosure agreements. She asked for information about 'human rights violations' and whether we had mistreated them. We filed a request for injunction against Mary deMoss We were denied our request for injunction. "Our hearing was this morning in front of the same judge. Moxon said that we had filed a frivolous suit based on our need to deprive the FARTs of their first amendment right to inform the crew about the evil SP's they were working for. Today the judge ruled after listening to Moxon's lies: motion denied." Message-ID: 20001120225324.06918.00000735@ng-mj1.aol.com

Super Power

The benefits of donating to the new Super Power building were posted to a.r.s this week. "1,000 dollar donations FLAG SUPPORTER Special recognition certificate. Super Power T-Shirt. "5,000 dollar donation FLAG ALUMNI Super Power T-Shirt. Special flag alumni jacket. 35,000 dollar donation CORNERSTONE CLUB MEMBER 40% reduction on the requested donation for Super Power auditing. Special validation Pin. Exclusive membership to the role played in putting the new flag building. "100,000 dollar donation KEY CONTRIBUTOR 50% reduction on the requested donation for set-up auditing for super power and the super power rundowns in the FSO. Super Power Ring. "250,000 dollar donation FOUNDING MEMBER Priority service on the super power rundowns once released in the FSO. Special framed recognition certificate. Special recognition pin. "$1,000,000 dollar donation LEGION OF HONOR First in line for Super Power auditing when released in the FSO. Special recognition awards for this category only." Message-ID: TNHS5.17402$xd3.1214138@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net

John Travolta

Hollywood.com this week voted Battlefield Earth the worst movie of the year. "Nothing this year has banded the Hollywood.com staff closer together than the John Travolta sci-fi fiasco. Unanimously panned and despised, the half vanity project, half homage to Church of Scientology father L. Ron Hubbard has inspired much critical ass whipping -- from the mildly amusing 'deeply dumb' to the historically significant 'one of the worst movies ever made.' But perhaps what's more important is that the film, which cost $73 million to make, grossed only $21.5 million, which means that if we're lucky, there probably won't be a sequel in our lifetime. Or would it?" Message-ID: p7ct1t88i24qr5pp3i3rufh1vav7c99c9b@newszilla.xs4all.nl


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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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