Volcano
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on May 9th that Scientology has disavowed responsibility for a burnt Dianetics ad in Sydney, Australia. "It's probably the ugliest thing in central Sydney and even a fire did little to improve it. The 33-metre wide, 10-metre high volcano advertising screen stuck on the front of the Metro Theatre on George Street has been in its burnt state now for nine months and still hasn't been repaired or, better still, pulled down. "The screen spent most of its time spruiking the Dianetics book by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, so The Church of Scientology Inc seemed a good place to start asking questions. 'It has nothing to do with us,' said Scientology's Linda Fitzpatrick. 'This is one of the big misconceptions. It was set up by an independent company which sold some of the screen time to the publisher of books by L. Ron. Hubbard. I thought the Metro was going to pull it down.' "'It has nothing to do with us,' said Claude Neon's general manager Ray Humphrey. 'We don't own it in any respect. We were the manufacturer for a third party [Woodbridge Associates Pty Ltd] but they took ownership in about 1998 and we walked away with empty pockets.' So what about Woodbridge? It seems Woodbridge has nothing to do with it either since The Australian Securities and Investments Commission lists it as being 'under external administration and/or controller appointed'. "As long ago as November 1996, Lord Mayor Frank Sartor offered to pull the volcano down. So is the Sartor offer still open? Spokesman Graham Cassidy told Spike the latest negotiations had confirmed it would come down in August-September 'at the expense of Edgley's which holds the master lease on the site with the City of Sydney'." Message-ID: 3afa1acf.4e67a@nancy.pacific.net.au
Beck
The Scientology affiliation of musician Beck continues to bring questions. From the Philadelphia Inquirer on May 8th: "Two members of Beck's band have reportedly walked away from the group, complaining that the alterno singer's ties with Scientology are too much for them to take. The musicians said Beck was drawn to the controversial religion by his father, David Campbell, who has been a Scientologist for a decade, and the band's bass player Justin Meldal-Johnson. Hey, if John Travolta and Tom Cruise take the gig, they can rename the show Scientolopalooza!" From the New York Post on May 7th: 7.5.2001 "Although he still publicly denies he is a Scientologist, Beck's closeness to the church has cost him a few band members. Two band members, Joey Waronker and Smokey Hormel, quit just before his summer tour, because friends say, 'They were alienated after Beck became a Scientologist.' Beck was drawn into the religion by his father, David Campbell - a Scientologist for the past 10 years - and his bass player, Justin Meldal-Johnson." Message-ID: 9d95m6$8rv@netaxs.com Message-ID: 7s4gft03kb587746904a558afmsepdf8t9@4ax.com
Faith-Based Groups
The Associated Press reported on May 6th that lawmakers are still debating the funding of religious charities. "Sending taxpayer dollars to the neighborhood church or synagogue sounds like a great idea to many Americans. But what about government money for the Nation of Islam, Scientologists, Hare Krishnas or Wiccans? The question is asked repeatedly in the debate over President Bush's plan to open federal programs to religious groups. Both sides agree there can be only one answer: Yes, all religions are eligible to apply for government contracts because to bar certain faiths from competing would amount to an unconstitutional government establishment of religion. "The Rev. Pat Robertson caused a stir when he expressed concern about giving money to groups like the Church of Scientology, Hare Krishnas and the Unification Church. A recent poll found that seven in 10 Americans believe 'charitable religious organizations' should be eligible for government funds. But support dropped when people were asked about non-mainstream religions. Asked if Muslim mosques or Buddhist temples should be eligible for money, only 38 percent said yes. For the Nation of Islam, it was 29 percent; for the Church of Scientology, 26 percent. "These objections are enough to convince Marvin Olasky, an early Bush adviser on the matter, to drop the idea of government money for religious groups. Instead, he would like to give Americans tax credits for contributing to the charities of their choice." Message-ID: 9d616c$mkk@netaxs.com
CCHR
The St. Petersburg Times reported on May 9th that a Scientology-backed bill in Florida to require parental permission to dispense non-prescription drugs to school children has failed. "After years of reworking, a bill sponsored by state Rep. Larry Crow, R-Palm Harbor, at the behest of an anti-psychiatry group established by the Church of Scientology has once again fallen short of becoming law. The bill would have required schools to get parents' written permission to give non-prescription medicine to school children and would have allowed parents to opt their children out of some medical treatments. The bill never got a House-wide vote. "The bill has been championed by the Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, which approached Crow seven years ago and urged him to take up its cause against psychoactive drugs such as Ritalin. The international organization, established and run by Scientologists, denounces the 'labeling' of youth as mentally ill and warns that the over-prescription of psychoactive drugs does more harm than good. "Crow has said he doesn't agree with much of Scientology's philosophy and does not oppose psychiatry. But he said he was convinced psychoactive drugs are over-prescribed. In 1999, he penned a bill that would have required a detailed parental consent form for children taking psychoactive drugs at school. The bill died a quick death after strong opposition from drug companies, school boards, teachers, psychiatrists and psychologists. "Rosa Sollecito, Florida executive director for the Commission on Human Rights, traveled to Tallahassee to make a final push. 'We were hopeful to the end,' said the group's Florida president, David Figueroa. 'There was no opposition." Message-ID: 9db8ra$neo@netaxs.com
Cisco
The Register reported on May 11th that network hardware manufacturer Cisco has used training methods based on the work of L. Ron Hubbard. "A senior Cisco official has lent her name to an article which praises training methods based on the teachings of Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard. In a publication called Government Technology Cisco's training manager for Worldwide Manufacturing, Peg Maddocks, enthusiastically backs Hubbardist training methods. "Maddocks is fulsome in her praise of the '100 per cent Proficiency Training' program she received from Californian firm Effective Training Solutions. The article makes clear this Web-based self-learning package is 'based on research conducted by best-selling American author L. Ron Hubbard in the 1960s and published as a lecture series covering 'study technology''. "The article was published in 1998, but raises a number of questions: what is 100 per cent Proficiency Training and how is it related to the principles of Scientology? We tried to contact Cisco's Maddocks who's now Cisco's manager of Internet Learning Solutions - without success. We also tried to speak to Effective Training Solutions, which is run by Scientologist Ingrid Gudenas, to ask whether it still did work for Cisco." Message-ID: 9diatj$76k@netaxs.com
Clearwater
Mark Bunker spoke out at a recent town meeting about a new downtown development plan for Clearwater. "I attended the first of four meetings in Clearwater about the new downtown development proposal. There were about sixty people in attendance. More than half of them were city officials from the mayor to city council members to people from various development offices. Also in attendance were Scientologists Pat Jones and Mary Story and a handful of public Scientologists, leaving perhaps a dozen or so unbiased civilians. "I kept pondering as I watched the presentation. Where would people park? Last year, they had discussed specific places where parking would be added. This year they didn't. I told them that I worked downtown and the parking structure next to our building has a waiting list for people to buy monthly passes. As long as I had the handheld wireless mic in my possession I followed up with another parking question. I asked if the city was going ahead with their proposed partnership with Scientology in constructing a parking structure next to the Super Power building? "I added that I was troubled by the quote Bill Horne gave to the St. Pete Times where he said the joint venture was a good idea and 'it's time to forget the past.' 'To forget the past is never a good idea,' I said. 'Especially when it comes to Scientology. But let's not talk about the past. Let's talk about the present. Right now, Scientology's president, Heber Jentzsch, is a fugitive from justice in Spain. France this past week passed a landmark law on 'Mental Manipulation' largely to help the victims of Scientology, and in Germany, Scientology is still considered a dangerous paramilitary organization.' "One man behind me shouted 'German laws have nothing to do with Clearwater. Take the mic away from him!' Bill Horne leapt to his feet and went over to the man conducting the presentation and put his arm around the man's shoulder. 'Let me give you a hug. This is not about politics. We can't get anywhere fighting with one another. We all have to work together to make this work,' Horne said. "After the meeting I went up to Bill Horne and shook his hand and told him I was largely in favor of the plan but they needed to seriously consider issues like parking and traffic. He said that quote was taken out of context 'as newspaper reporters do.' He then said that they can't worry about what happened 30 years ago." Message-ID: 3af7561d@news2.lightlink.com
France
Cult apologist website Censur reported on May 3rd that the French Senate has approved a law against mental manipulation by cults. "Although a couple of Senators have voiced objections, the text has received some further amendments making him even stricter. It is now enough that a cult has been found guilty once (as opposed to 'repeatedly', as per the previous text) of a serious crime in order for it to be banned. The amendments also provide for heavier jail terms and fines, and for the possibility of placing a cult under the authority of a trustee. The possibility for the cities to forbid cultic activity within a 200-meter radius from a public building has disappeared. The government stated that by eliminating a specific crime of mind control, the Senate has taken into account the objections formulated by several quarters." Message-ID: 3af82023@news2.lightlink.com
Human Rights
Le Monde Diplomatique published an article on May 11th on the relationship between the U.S. and Europe on the issue of cults and Scientology. "In 1996, France passed a series of laws for stronger protection of psychically dependent people. The administration under Minister President Lionel Jospin set up an Interministerial Mission to Combat Cult Presence (MILS) under the leadership of Alain Vivien. In Germany a number of measures were taken, mainly against the Scientology Organization. In connection with a report of the Federal-States work group on Scientology, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution explicitly warned the federal government and the people about this cult. Bavaria even decided on a 15-point list of measures which included monitoring contact with Scientology by civil service applicants. In view of these stepped-up procedures in Europe, all observers of the scene reckoned on a counter-offensive from the cult-multi[national]s, who in France alone possess an estimated fortune of several hundred million franks. "On January 27, 1997 the administration in Washington solemnly condemned Germany's measures against the Scientology organization. Several days later the U.S. State Department published its 'Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor' (BDHRL) annual report on the world human rights situation. In it Germany was vigorously attacked and put on the list of countries which abused human rights, right behind China. The report was timed so as to support the Scientology Organization's publicity campaign, which included organizing demonstrations in various countries, putting protest advertisements into the international press and calling upon the EU Human Rights Commission. In order to 'calm tempers,' the U.S. State Department issued a statement in March 1997 which said, 'We did criticize the Germans, but we do not support the Scientology campaign against Germany.' This statement was the least that could have been expected from the U.S. administration. "The annual report, published September 9, 1999 by the U.S. Office for International Religious Freedom, attacked the European countries more vehemently than ever before. On December 8, Hubert Vedrine, the French Foreign Minister, wrote to his American colleague Madeleine Albright, 'The act of your government baselessly making an issue out of the methods of operation of French government agencies while high officials of your and my administrations have dialogue in process throws a shadow on the very promising outcome of those discussions.' The last U.S. State Department report, published March 2 of this year, indeed took into account the French laws of 1901 and 1905, silently clearing away their past mistakes, but again made accusations as caustic as any before. "The influence of the Moon cult has also grown remarkably. Since just recently Democrat Hillary Clinton's sneering comments have been permitted to appear weekly in the conservative and widely-distributed Washington Times, which belongs to the Moon cult. To all appearances the Moon cult and the Scientology Organization have been making arrangements together for a long time. Their joint operation in eastern Europe is documented by an exchange of letters between the managements of the Moon cult and the Scientology Organization. This partnership has also more or less officially included other cults, and Moon and Scientology have also found support for some time in the fundamentalist Protestants in the USA. For instance several ultra-conservative senators and the U.S. State Department have warmly received a number of Moon greats as well as guru Sri Chinmoy of a cult by the same name. "What the cults intend to gain in this battle is obvious. If they succeed in getting their foot inside the door of European education, when they gain the right to operate their own schools, as they have in the United States, without any state control, then they will have assured themselves of a stable and comprehensive base of recruitment. These institutions would then be directly involved in the coining of the culture and the psychology of the individual." Message-ID: 3affa89b.2828679@newszilla.xs4all.nl
Freewinds
A promotion for an event on Scientology's ship, the Freewinds, was posted to a.r.s this week. "THE FREEWINDS TECH OF ETHICS CONVENTION! 7-14 June, 2001. "Gain a full conceptual understanding of and ability to apply ethics tech with 100 percent proficiency to standard results through this week-long series of seminars delivered only aboard the Freewinds. "Learn to spot trouble sources a mile away and how to rapidly and smoothly curtail the havoc these individuals can wreak on your business as well as your personal lines. Learn all about the vampire personality, exactly what it is, how they affect lives and businesses, how to know him or her and exactly what to do once you have spotted one. Gain OT Hatting data that will prove invaluable in your ability to help and apply ethics to others in your life and in your business. Learn what it is that you're doing which puts you in the effort band and how to handle this and expand like never before. "Avail yourself of the all-inclusive Freewinds Convention Package and pay only $2,150." Message-ID: 2dea7c4eeb2edd79f9fda17939a23309@anon.xg.nu
Germany
Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on May 5th on the Scientology festival in Munich, Germany. "The opening spectacle with Hollywood actress Anne Archer and a small opening demonstration over Sonnenstrasse cause a little stir on Friday in the Glockenbach quarter. The focus of the traveling show which is touring all through Europe this year is supposed to be the fight against drugs according to Scientology concepts. One look at the oversized exhibits on the walls showed, however, that the focus was mainly on the activities of the 'Church of Scientology International' and the life if its founder L. Ron Hubbard. It was said that 12,000 visitors visited the show in Stuttgart. Scientology Munich, which says it has about 6,000 members, wants to surpass this number. "About 150 of them went to the opening yesterday. To the sound of the 'Jive Aces', which were accompanying the campaign through Europe, they danced on Reichenbachplatz and gave an enthusiastic welcome to actress Anne Archer. "During the ceremony a small group of protesters formed on the other side of the street, including singer Petra Perle. Her little picket sign said, 'Caution, chic in-sect!' Sparking much more attention was her acoustic protest: Perle joined in with each frenetic storm of applause by bleating like a sheep. She said she did that because 'I don't want them in my quarter, nobody here wants them.'" From Sueddeutsche Zeitung on May 11th: "A cheerful scene on Reichenbach Square in front of No. 1 Buttermelcher Street: three gentlemen dressed in suits give out roses to the ladies and blue balloons to the children. They cheerfully wish the passersby a a wonderful day. The young mother, stopped with her child's wagon and having words with a carefully groomed lady in a dark outfit, does not give the impression that she is in an affable mood. 'I don't want you stopping the children to talk to them and pushing balloons on them! I knew this was going to happen.' The woman thus addressed, it turns out to be Sabine Weber, the Vice President of Scientology Church Germany, is completely understanding, 'I'll see to it that it does not happen again,' she promises. "The business people on Reichenbach Square are not amused over the commotion which is going on outside their front doors. They initiated a counter-demonstration with the district committee which will occur today at 2 p.m. on Reichenbach Square. Herta Rauch, who has been here with her alteration and tailor shop for 27 years, gave everyone a flyer to let them know when the counter-demonstration started. Johanna Wallner-Wiener of the 'Cafe Wiener' on Reichenbach Square told about the experience she had with Scientology. 'We were photographed by them through the window,' she says. Josef Sattler, business manager and proprietor of the 'Deutsche Eiche' restaurant on Reichenbach Street, would not have made such a big deal of it. 'Things are blowing out of proportion and turning into a big PR stunt for Scientology!'" Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1010506204104.178A-100000@darkstar.zippy Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1010511194027.122A-100000@darkstar.zippy
Lawrence Wollersheim
Judge Robert Hess issued an order on May 4th in the case of Lawrence Wollersheim, who is fighting to collect a judgment against Scientology even after the organization bankrupted a key corporation to stop him from collecting. While no decision has yet been reached, here are some highlights of the order: "The Court is persuaded that, at that time, whether as a continuation of the 'fair game' policy previously practiced against plaintiff, or as a necessary adjunct to strategies being employed in connection with other matters, the details of the true relationships of persons and individuals under the Scientology umbrella would not have been disclosed to plaintiff. Various Individuals and entities associated with Scientology engaged in a calculated program of deception as to these subjects for their own purposes. "Scientology entities-including not only CSC, but also RTC and CSI, almost continuously were maintaining one or more separate suits against Wollersheim. This separate litigation has been characterized not only by the use of deep pockets to pursue virtually every possible appeal, but also-until the Colorado case-by its almost unbroken lack of success on the merits. Under these circumstances, the Court concludes that the necessary diversion of Wollersheim's attention, resources and effort caused by these countersuits constitute valid and persuasive reasons for such delay as has actually occurred. "Respondents contend that plaintiff's alter ego analysis will necessarily involve a constitutionally prohibited intrusion by the Court into the doctrine, internal administration and governance of Scientology's ecclesiastical hierarchy. Plaintiff's motion argues that Sea Org members, including Mr. Miscavige, while having no formal corporate positions in the pertinent organizations, and while not exercising ecclesiastical functions by virtue of a specific hierarchical position, have in fact controlled and directed the activities of CSC, CSI and/or RTC as it relates to the litigation involving plaintiff. Plaintiff apparently further argues that the conduct of the litigation involving him is a secular function, rather than a religious function. Plaintiff urges that, under all the circumstances, adherence to the fiction of separateness would sanction a fraud or injustice. "These arguments, if proven, suggests that the corporate formalities have been disregarded and that there was at pertinent times an effective unity of control and direction, which might support the imposition of alter ago liability. This particular issue is susceptible to examination and analysis using neutral legal principles, without impermissibly involving the court in issues of religious practice or belief, faith, doctrine, or ecclesiastical administration. The First Amendment offers no bar to a properly structured evaluation of this question." Message-ID: 9lvgft0u0l2itss4rrmj05152pok7g38l8@4ax.com
Caroline Letkeman
An affidavit was posted by Caroline Letkeman, describing her health problems while she was a Scientologist in Los Angeles. "On or about May 12, 1997 I suddenly became acutely ill due to poisoning by way of a contaminated herbal product. For at least a year prior to the onset of my illness, I had been purchasing this herbal cleansing product from Peter Gillam's Health Food Store in Los Angeles, CA. Peter Gillam's Health Food store is located within a block or so of Scientology's Complex on L. Ron Hubbard Way. It is a store that is managed and patronized by Scientologists who live in the vicinity, as well as by those who take Scientology services at the Complex. The contamination occurred in a specific batch of the herbal formula. "During the initial month of my illness, I sought medical attention two times from Dr. Gene Denk at the Shaw Health Center. Dr. Denk is a Scientologist, and was L. Ron Hubbard's personal physician at the time of Hubbard's death. On both office visits, my vital signs were recorded and after being examined by Dr. Denk, he prescribed and administered expensive IV drips of vitamins to assist in recovery from the flu. "For my third and final visit to Shaw Health Center during the initial month of my illness I saw Dr. Megan Shields. After taking my vital signs and examining me, Dr. Shields recommended that I seek immediate emergency room treatment at Oliveview Hospital. She told me that she thought that I had Addison's disease, which I understand to be a very serious and medically incurable adrenal condition. "I also saw Dr. Alf Garbutt on several occasions during the initial month of illness, prior to being hospitalized. Dr. Garbutt is a chiropractor and nutritional counselor. He is also a Scientologist. Dr. Garbutt had me bring in all my supplements in order to adjust my supplement intake to help with my illness. Dr. Garbutt tested my supplements and provided me with a list of supplements he tested to be beneficial for my current condition. He provided me with a written list of recommended supplements that I should continue to take. The list included the exact product that was later found to be causing the illness. "I went to the emergency room at Oliveview Hospital on the same afternoon that I saw Dr. Shields at the Shaw Health Center. The emergency room tests revealed that I had a lethal level of digitalis in my system. Digitalis is a strong heart medicine, made from an herb called foxglove. Approximately six months following this hospitalization, I learned that the digitalis in my system came from the herbal product that I had been taking, and that the herbal product was heavily contaminated with foxglove. "At one point some Scientologists visited me in ICU. One Scientologist lived in the same house where I resided. Another Scientologist was the daughter of my closest friend. I asked them to close the curtains around me, and I confided to them about my fear over the hospital staff. What I told my visitors appeared to alarm them greatly over my mental state. One of my visitors jumped up on my bed and shook me, screaming that I needed to decide to live and 'get into present time.' I had not given her any indication that I was trying to die-my communication was simply that I was afraid of the hospital staff and that I thought they were putting drugs in my food. "My FSM, who was also an insurance adjuster and knew how to evaluate insurance claims, knew that the case would eventually result in a settlement. There had been a little discussion here and there about using this future settlement as collateral for a loan, to pay for immediate Flag auditing. However, I made it very clear that I was not going to participate in any such scheme. As we talked, I began to cry. At this point, he convinced me to give him my credit card to go to the Ship for some individualized services called an 'OT Debug.' In normal circumstances, if a person asks for a refund from Scientology, they are never again allowed to have Scientology services. The reg assured me that if the Case Supervisor at the Ship did not give me security clearance, my cards would be re-credited. On that basis I agreed to pay for the 'OT Debug.' "Shortly before I was to go to the Ship, I called the reg and he told me that the Ship case supervisor denied my security clearance. He told me that I would be required to pay for a security check, and he suggested that rather than re-credit my card, that I simply transfer that money to AOLA (Advanced Organization of Los Angeles) and start paying for a much more expensive security check. I flatly refused and demanded that he immediately re-credit my card. About five minutes after I hung up, I received a call from a reg at AOLA, at which time he tried to convince me to pay for a security check at AOLA. I refused to transfer any money, and I continued to insist that the Ship reg re-credit my card as he had promised. He finally told me he had done so. When I got my next credit card statement, I saw that there was an outstanding charge that I had neither approved nor been aware of at any time prior to that. It was a charge of $264.00. I called the Ship reg and he explained to me that this was something he charged on my card as a prepayment for accommodations while on the Ship. The reg explained that the accommodations money was not put into the same holding fund, and that it could not be refunded. I was outraged and I told him that he needed to re-credit it anyway, as I had not authorized this charge. "While in the course of trying to resolve this credit card crime, I broke Scientology's 'critical blackout' rule, and began to look at critical information about Scientology on the Internet. I learned of Dr. Denk's involvement at the time of L. Ron Hubbard's death and that the circumstances surrounding Hubbard's death were very suspicious. I concluded that if I were to speak out about my experience with Shaw Health Center and Dr. Denk, Scientology might retaliate in effort to shield Dr. Denk from public inquiry. "I anonymously submitted a critical essay that won a prize and was posted on the Internet. Scientology's Office of Special Affairs spent about six weeks trying to identify the author of that essay, and when they did, they did not contact me. They simply publicly announced my identity on the Internet and furnished my daughter with slanderous and libelous information about me." Message-ID: dFUJ6.25358$mu1.4698207@typhoon.we.rr.com
Protest Summary
Bruce Pettycrew protested this week in Mesa, Arizona on may 6th. "Kathy and I picketed the Mesa site from 11:45 to 12:15 today, overlapping the end of the sunday service. There were 11 cars in the lot. As the service ended and the parishioners came out, an estimate of about 15 people. One of the people who came out was a young woman who come over to talk to us and brought a notebook. She said that she was a religions major and was doing a paper. She asked us why we were picketing, so we covered the usual horror stories about the cult and gave her leaflets on Xenu and Lisa M. She was very glad to get this extra material for her research. "An older couple came out later and the woman asked us if we 'were into drugs and psychiatry'. The look of malice on her face was classic." Rich Ahrens and "Raptavio" reported a protest this week in Minneapolis. "Saturday was a windy, grey and drizzly day, but we did two and a quarter hours at the MSP org. Handed out nearly 200 Xenu leaflets to interested passersby. It was surprising how much support the public offered, and how many already knew about the cult. "After a half hour or so they got it together enough for 'Helen' to come out and photograph us. Another unnamed woman also came out to shoot photos later. The most interesting interaction, though, was when one of them assaulted Raptavio! This short dweeb walked up within a couple feet, said 'Here's something you should read - you guys need to get jobs,' and then threw a rolled-up employment newspaper in Rap's face with a loud thwack. He then ran into the org. We called the police after Rap was unable to do a citizen's arrest. An officer showed up and went into the org with Rap to identify the culprit. He IDed everyone involved and wrote up an assault report. "We arrived at the Org, located on Nicollet Avenue between 10th and 11th streets in downtown Minneapolis, at 12:55 pm. Rich carried the picket sign, marked 'SCIENTOLOGY KILLS' In memory of Lisa McPherson, Stacey Meyer, and others' on one side, and 'SCIENTOLOGY LIES' with the famous judge's quote about Scientology's and LRH's bizarre combination of paranoia and schizophrenia written on it. This latter quote proved to cause many a passerby to stop and read. The fliers that I was handing out were the standard Xenu flier available on www.xenu.net, containing that site's web address. "Up comes the little bald guy in the yellow sweatshirt. 'Here, I got something for you guys. Get a job!' he sniveled, as he threw a rolled-up newspaper at me from about ten feet away. Taken by surprise, the rag bounced off my nose. 'Excuse me, Sir, hold it. You're under arrest,' I said, trying to effect a citizen's arrest. I dialed the police. I informed them that I wished to report an assault outside the Scientology org, and they said they'd send one over. "The officer listens to my story, and takes a description of the suspect before walking into the org. A few moments later he comes out again and invites me in to 'identify the suspect'. I saw Sir Pasty sitting at a table with a few other people. It seemed to be some kind of seminar, and indeed I heard the word used describing the situation. I indicated Sir Pasty to the officer, who then approached the man, asking for his identification. Helen was up close to me, and I said, 'I'm sorry, we just wanted to picket peacefully, but one of your parishioners chose to assault me.' Both Helen and the lady who took the flier earlier denied to the police officer that they had seen Sir Pasty before that day. I had to chuckle. 'They'll deny knowing you now, that's how the game is played.' Helen starts telling me, 'No, no.' and raises her hand up as if she's going to try covering my mouth, but that would have been the height of foolhardy with a policeman standing next to me. "Well, the officer took down my and Rich's identification and promised to send the incident to the city prosecutor's. He gave me a card with a case number. After that we resolved to stay long enough to hand out the rest of the fliers - which we did. We stayed until about 3:25, and handed out every last one. At about 3:00 Sir Pasty hurried out of the Org, and I waved after him and said 'See you in court!'" "Barb" protested in downtown Hemet, California on May 6th. "We decided to stake out a busy intersection in downtown Hemet. Hundreds of people drove by and read my sign, 'Scientology, the 'church' with a Body Count-www.xenu.net.' One guy stopped, told me he was a cab driver who picked up a couple at Gold who wanted to leave. His cab was chased. He also gave someone a ride out to Happy Valley and got inside the gate, but wasn't allowed to linger once he discharged his passenger. I gave him a Xenu flier that had an insert provided by Keith, 'Scientology Hurts People.'" Keith Henson protested in Hemet, Los Angeles and Palo Alto. "I picketed at the court and gave out another thick stack of flyers. Most of the people who didn't take them said they knew and had an extremely bad opinion of Scientology. "Off to Big Blue. I reached BB about 11:30. I made one pass down LRH way which had about 4-5 people in view, including a security guard on a bicycle. Toward the south end of LRH way, two guys saw me coming and turned around. The security guard seemed willing to talk, so I asked him if he knew about Reed Slatkin. I filled him in that news reports said Slatkin - a Scientologist - had taken about a hundred scientologists for $250 million in a Ponzi scheme. The guard then made the oddest response, that they were proud of Slatkin. "I drove over to Hollywood between the OSA building on Hollywood and Ivar and FOLO several blocks to the west. I walked north to Hollywood, and west to FOLA. I gave away a remarkable number of flyers. The demand was so high that I just offered them without comment. People took them, and as usual several wanted to talk. I pointed them to the web site URLs on the flyers. By the time I reached FOLA I had gone through most of the flyers I had with me. FOLA got a few minutes of picket on the corner. I could see a staffer desperately talking into a phone or radio. "I crossed Hollywood and walked back to the OSA building on the north side. When I reached Ivar, I crossed back to the south side of Hollywood and put in a few minutes picketing in the shade across from OSA. There was a cop in uniform standing in the door of the OSA building, so I guess they are copying the practice in Clearwater of hiring cops. I picketed the front of the Celeb Center, my fourth org of the day. It was 12:45. I gave CC about a 10 minute picket on the west side. Someone is shooting a movie in the CC. There was a security person out watching a generator parked near the west entrance. He was being worked over by a female scn who was making a try at getting him in with a WIS or some similar sort of glossy. I stopped and let him read both sides of my sign, 'Scientology: cult of blackmail, bribery and fraud' and the other side, 'Scientology, Church’ with a body count.' He nodded. I yelled, 'Don't let them suck you in, it is worse than dope.' She gave up." "Last night I went with Arel and we put in 20 minutes at the Palo Alto Org. A guy was nearly asleep in the window and when he looked up and saw a picket sign he jumped like he had been stuck with a pin. Per the standard response, all they did was take photos of us. I gave out all the flyers I had and we talked to 3 guys who walked by. One of them had a friend who had been in for 7 years and another friend who is still in. The one who is still in is broke all the time in spite of a high paying job." Boudewijn van Ingen reported a protest in Amsterdam this week. "While Gerry was assembling his wonderful portable multi-language picket sign, the other SP's arrived. We managed to drum up seven people, who all arrived punctually at 16:00 hours. And the Org did not close their door. It was my first look at the new Org. It is situated a bit better than the old one, though on the same street. The glass door was open, and behind it there is a sort of counter, like in a hotel. An elderly gentleman was on post there. Beyond him, at the end of the hall there was a small table, where three people sat when I looked first. "Spreading folders is easy, in this new location. Of course in these parts, you have to state clearly and loudly that you're AGAINST Scientology. Otherwise people will turn their heads and walk on past you in a hurry, disgusted with the word 'Scientology' alone. "I noticed a Scientologist with a fire-hose in the doorway of the Org. And I noticed that most of the SP's had moved away from the entrance of the Org. The pavement there was all wet. As it turned out, the Scientologists had made an attempt to 'clean-up' their sidewalk. They had no brooms and no soap." Bodo Staron reported a protest in Munich on May 12th. "There were two pickets today because of a 'Narconon' show in Munich. The people that live there are really pissed about the cults show, so they picket at least once a day or so. The Scientologists used some tactic get people in the show: Free tickets, roses with 'Scientology' pieces of paper on them. The Scientologists run the street back and forth, also with balloons. There were five policemen watching, two from the special unit taking care of Scientology. The 'Jive Aces' played, I think they have more time now. Since every club in Munich knows about the Scientology connection no one is willing to book them. "The lady on my left side said 'The young man near you is starring at us.' I leaned over and said 'Hello' in a normal way. He came closer and said 'Do you have a problem?' I answered 'No I don't have a problem.' This went on for about three or four times, the guy coming closer every time. I asked then 'Are you a Scientologist?' in a normal voice, and the guy slapped me in the face two times. As a reflex I slapped him back, he didn't expected it I think and was perplex for a short time. Sabine Weber (OSA Germany) came later and asked again about the incident, I explained also about the wrong behaviour of the young man, and I think she was a little bit surprised that I was kind to her." John Ritson reported a protest this week in Brighton, England. "Over a dozen UK suppressives managed to congregate outside the Brighton 'org' and were reinforced by the one and only Gerry Armstrong. The Scientologists were conspicuous by their 'non-confront.' One Sea-Orger appeared, took a few pictures and disappeared again. The 'org' is on the third floor. We used our boom-box and the usual chant about Scientology being a barmy UFO cult. We handed out lots of leaflets. May is the time for the annual Brighton Festival, so the proceedings were enlivened by stilt-walkers, road-punters and people pretending to be genetically modified pigs and chickens. We entered into the spirit of things by handing out helium balloons marked 'Xemu Loves You.' Somebody tied two of them to the Scientologists' 'Now Hiring' sign." Message-ID: yajJ6.81678$181.13084348@news1.rdc1.az.home.com Message-ID: 3AF61389.A50EF032@visi.com Message-ID: 3AF61CDE.C9045EAB@home.com Message-ID: 3af6e0b0.18786124@news2.lightlink.com Message-ID: 33shft8ka9p42flqu17mn4embbbq72bnln@4ax.com Message-ID: 3b00ff2f.119158102@news.xs4all.nl Message-ID: 757oftg5oo57b0pdog57u0mcrfvugqhja1@4ax.com Message-ID: 3afc92fe.13105975@news.xs4all.nl Message-ID: MPG.1567cd8c9bc72232989877@news.t-online.de Message-ID: kVJBRJBf5b$6Ew9f@jritson.demon.co.uk
Poland
Agence France Presse reported on May 7th that a report has been issued on the dangers of cults in Poland. "The Polish Committee of Defense against Sects (OKOS) worked on its report during five years, using expertises on the Parliament and ministry for the Polish Interior, those of the European Parliament, as well as testimonies of victims, specified with the press the president of OKOS, Mr. Ryszard Nowak. Heading 'the children in the sects,' the report affirms that certain religious communities attract new followers by using the procedure of adoption. The children are exploited there as a free labour and even constrained to the prostitution, according to OKOS. "The Committee warns against fourteen sects, several of them international, like that of the 'Christians,' active in Warsaw, Wroclaw and Gdansk, which would be delivered 'to the abduction of children.' On this list are also the Church of Scientology, qualified by the report as 'religious Mafia,' and that of the 'Supreme Truth,' which would subject the children to a washing of the brain and a Draconian discipline." Message-ID: 3afbf67e.15891645@newszilla.xs4all.nl
The Profit
French newspaper Le Figaro published an article on the new film The Profit, produced by former Scientologist Peter Alexander. "The picture is a fiction showing the life of 'L. Conrad Powers,' founder of a cult. 'It shows how this man came, through satanism study, to create the Church of Scientific Spiritualism, explains the film director. He explains as well the effects of hypnosis allowing the mind control of members to the one and only aim of profit. "Peter Alexander says he entered the Scientology church because his second wife asked him. 'I was on top of the hierarchy. In twenty years, I've spent there more than one million dollars,' he said. Until 1998, the date where he decided to cut his links with the system. 'I had understood that the money given was used only to sue those who wanted to disclose the truth.' Peter Alexander may no longer see his children. 'Every contact with me has been formally forbidden to them.' "The director says the Church of Scientology has done everything to inhibit the 'The Profit' shooting. 'It accuses that we have made a hate and propaganda film. During all the shooting, it followed the production's members till their homes so as to obtain, through intimidation and under threats, some information about 'The Profit.' 'The story is just beginning, says Peter Alexander. Nobody could better count the secrets of a cult. We know we'll be sued for the remaining of our lives. But 'The Profit' can save the life of someone. Even if our life has been destroyed, it shall have been useful.'" Message-ID: 9djp80$1iph$1@news4.isdnet.net
Reed Slatkin
The Los Angeles Times reported on May 11th that the fraud case against Scientologist Reed Slatkin has reached $600 million. "Slatkin took in hundreds of millions of dollars from a nationwide network of investors, which included Internet moguls, fellow Scientologists, venture capitalists, Santa Barbara socialites and Hollywood producers. Slatkin has less than $21 million in various brokerage accounts, most of it invested in EarthLink stock, Pachulski said. About $100 million in investors' funds was funneled by Slatkin into limited partnerships and real estate deals, but attorneys said they don't know how much those investments are worth now. "U.S. Trustee Brian Fittipaldi said no one is sure how much money was invested with Slatkin, but claims could range as high as $600 million. Some attorneys say they believe the amounts could be higher. 'It's a very serious, staggering amount of money that's at stake,' said Richard Wynne, an attorney for the creditors' committee of investors. 'And I don't believe personally we're going to find [the money] stashed overseas.' "Some investors, in fact, got out more money than they put in, Slatkin's attorneys said. The attorneys have identified one group of investors who received $120 million more than they invested. Another group of investors contributed $240 million more than they got out, the attorneys said." The Los Angeles Times reported on May 12th that the FBI and IRS raided Slatkin's offices and froze his accounts. "Federal regulators pounced on EarthLink co-founder Reed E. Slatkin on Friday, raiding his offices and persuading a federal judge to freeze his bank and brokerage accounts to prevent Slatkin from hiding investors' money or destroying documents. The actions turn what had been a civil matter - with investors accusing Slatkin of running a 16-year Ponzi scheme - into a criminal investigation. "At 8 a.m., agents from the FBI and Internal Revenue Service began hauling boxes of documents from the converted garage of Slatkin's former home in the Santa Barbara suburb of Goleta, which since the early 1990s has housed his stock-trading and money management businesses. Regulators also took documents from the Santa Fe, N.M., office of Slatkin's bookkeeper. "At the same time, the Securities and Exchange Commission asked a U.S. district judge for the Central District of California to freeze Slatkin's assets, claiming that he had been operating a fraudulent investment scheme since 1986. The request was granted. The SEC complaint alleges that Slatkin, 52, lied to investigators, concealed investor accounts and set up partnerships and businesses that would allow him to transfer assets secretly. "The SEC complaint claims that Slatkin accepted a total of at least $320 million from more than 500 investors across the country, including Internet moguls, Hollywood executives, Santa Barbara socialites and fellow members of the Church of Scientology, of which Slatkin is an ordained minister. The SEC filing also included Hollywood names among Slatkin's investors, including husband-and-wife actors Giovanni Ribisi and Mariah O'Brien-Ribisi. Giovanni Ribisi played a conflicted broker in the investment-scam movie 'Boiler Room.' Also on the list are Art Linson, who produced the 1998 remake of 'Great Expectations,' and actor Jeffrey Tambor, who played the mayor of Whoville in 'Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.' Attorney John Coale, a noted tobacco lawsuit litigator, also was an investor, according to the SEC document." Message-ID: 9dg80d0185d@drn.newsguy.com Message-ID: 9djosh$hkb@netaxs.com
Spain
El Mundo reported on April 29th that the trial of Scientologists in Madrid has been postponed until June 6th. "The Section Fourth of the Provincial Hearing of Madrid decided yesterday to postpone until the 6th of June the beginning of the judgment of the Church of Scientology. The court has acceded to the request of delay formulated by the parties, and to which the Fiscal Ministry was not against, with the purpose of regularizing situations with property before beginning the arguments. "The Office of the public prosecutor of Madrid asks for in this case a sentence of 56 years of prison for reverend Heber Jentzsch, the world-wide leader of the Church of Scientology, and a total of 36 years of jail for other 16 followers. The trial, that was begun by a court of Madrid more ago than 16 years, and whose beginning has been suspended several times, will have almost 150 witnesses. "The public ministry considers the defendant responsible for crimes of illicit association, against the public property, of violation of privacy, of injuries against the public health, of threats, of usurpation of functions, simulation of crime, labor crimes, false denunciation and illegal halting." Message-ID: 3af8748a.31230442@news.zoomnet.net
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.
