Harold's Journal

Editorial Opinion By R. W. Lobsinger

The Newkirk Herald Journal,
2 April 1992

For three years, Narconon has had the opportunity to provide the Mental Health Board - and Oklahomans in general - with substantial facts regarding their operation. What have they told us?

They have told us that Narconon has treated "hundreds of thousands" of drug addicts in the past 24 years. Then they said it was more like 14,000. They "borrowed" the rest of them from the church with which they aren't associated.

They have told us that their cure rate is, well, "over 50%", or maybe "70%" or even an astounding 86%, depending on who's doing the talking. Narconon's drug expert told WJlA-TV awhile back that counseling-type programs were useless.

Then he told us he fully supported Narconon's counseling-type treatment program.

We've heard Narconon say theirs is a totally drug free program. We've been told by their "medical director" that he prescribes withdrawal drugs.

We've heard Narconon's "expert" tell us that he doesn't know if Narconon's program works or not, but he doesn't think it hurts anyone. Yet two Michigan Universities say the method is not suitable for human experimentation.

In Oklahoma, they say their purification rundown is a secular treatment program; In Italy, they say it is a religious ritual, and even got a court to agree with them.

On Chilocco renovations, they say they've spent, lets see... once it was $3 million, then it was $5 million, then it was back down to $2.6 million, then it was...

Narconon believes it is OK for their supporters to send information to the Mental Health Board, but it's not OK for anyone else to send information the same board.

Narconon seems to feel it is OK for their attorney to invite board members to visit them (ex-parte) and hear their side of the story, but it is not OK for me to invite board members (ex parte) to talk with former patients and staff who tell a much different story.

Narconon says it will abide by state laws. Narconon says it doesn't have to abide by state laws...

etc, etc, ad infinitum...

Everyone knows what a spoonerism is: The transposition of syllables that render unintended meanings, such as "The queer old dean" instead of "The dear old queen." It was such a frequent trait of W.A. Spooner that it came to bear his name.

Another quirk of speech is about to gain similar recognition. A narconism is the making of two or more contradictory statements with a straight face, none of which can be believed.