Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 2
4/13/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

Alt.religion.scientology Week in Review summarizes the most significant
postings from the Usenet group Alt.religion.scientology for the preceding
week for the benefit of those who can't follow the group as closely as
they'd like. Out of thousands of postings, I attempt to include news of
significant events, new affidavits, court rulings, new contributors,
whatever. I hope you find it useful. Like many readers of a.r.s, I have a
kill file. So please take into consideration that I may not have seen some
of the most significant postings.

The articles in A.r.s Week in Review are brief summaries of articles
posted to the newsgroup. They include message IDs for the original
articles, and many have a URL to get more information. You may be able to
find the original article, depending on how long your site stores articles
in the newsgroup before expiring them.

Free A.r.s Week in Review subscriptions are available. Subscriptions are
also available on Yahoo. Email weekinreview-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or
see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/weekinreview. PDA channel available at
http://avantgo.com/channels/_add_channel.pl?cha_id=2900

Week in Review is archived at:
http://www.xenu.net/archive/WIR/
http://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

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> CCHR

The Boston Globe reported on April 11th that Scientology's Citizen's
Commission on Human Rights planned to protest a hospital where a patient
who committed a murder/suicide was treated with Zoloft.

"An antipsychiatry 'watchdog group' said that Colleen Mitchell's
psychiatric medication had spurred her to shoot Dr. Brian McGovern and
then turn the gun on herself. Members of the Citizens Commission on Human
Rights, which is affiliated with the Church of Scientology, planned a
protest at the hospital today against the use of antidepressants such as
Zoloft, which Mitchell had apparently been taking.

"A Harvard Medical School psychiatrist said yesterday that it is
'preposterous' to assign blame for a crime to an antidepressant like
Zoloft. The drugs increase buildup of a naturally occurring chemical,
seratonin, around nerve endings in the brain. Although 'edgy' people may
sometimes see an exaggeration of that quality, he said, the effects are
transient.

"But a Utah activist who has testified as an expert witness against drug
manufacturers said a high level of seratonin in the brain can cause people
to 'act out their nightmares,' leading them to commit violent crimes. Ann
Blake Tracy, director of the International Coalition for Drug Awareness,
said she had become increasingly suspicious of SSRI antidepressants as she
watched more and more friends in Utah begin taking them, 'doing violent
things completely out of character for them.'"

Message-ID: <xpAla.19000$gU.832372@...>

#####

> Tom Cruise

The New Zealand Herald reported on April 9th that Scientology celebrity
Tom Cruise has donated money to Scientology's Drug Free Ambassadors
program.

"Hollywood film star Tom Cruise has donated $1500 to an Auckland youth
drug programme sponsored by the Church of Scientology. Cruise sent the
cheque and a letter after hearing about the work of the Drug-Free
Ambassadors group, which encourages young people to adopt a drug-free
lifestyle.

"Mo McLeary, manager for the group, which has been running for three
years, said it was thrilled with the donation. Mr. McLeary had written to
the actor hoping it might receive a photo for publicity use. Instead
Cruise sent the Union Bank of California cheque through the Bank of New
Zealand. The money will be used to reprint 10,000 copies of an anti-drug
booklet, Truth About Joints, and contribute to a booklet on Ecstasy."

Message-ID: <c7Mka.18817$gU.826856@...>

#####

> Nicole Kidman

Teenhollywood.com reported on April 10th that Nicole Kidman has backed
away from her involvement in Scientology.

"Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman has distanced herself from
Scientology - her former husband Tom Cruise's religion. But according to
John Travolta's wife Kelly Preston - who is a committed Scientologist like
her husband - Kidman used to love the controversial creed.

"Kelly says, 'Actually when I knew Nicole she seemed to think there was
nothing better than Scientology. She was, like, 'This is the greatest
thing ever.'

"But Kelly notes that since Cruise and Kidman's 2001 split, Nicole has not
kept their friendship. She adds, 'Well, I haven't seen her for a long,
long time. I see Tom, but not her as much.'"

Message-ID: <cnAla.18999$gU.832372@...>

#####

> Narconon

Letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on April 13th responded
to an article last week about a new Narconon facility in Clearwater,
Florida.

"Narconon, a Scientology drug treatment program, wants taxpayers' dollars
by having the local court system order people into the program at a cost
of $7,500 per client. The article states that insurance is not accepted at
Narconon. What insurance company would pay $7,500 per client for a
religious-based treatment program 'incorporating the same concepts and
principles one encounters in introductory Scientology courses at a church
mission'?

"Cheryl Alderman, the director of this Scientology program, is a
Scientologist herself who invested $100,000 of her own money to make a
profit. According to the story, 'Drug treatment became a priority for
Alderman, she said, after an immediate family member failed to get help
from several treatment programs.' That vast knowledge of chemical
dependency, plus a 'staff of five that includes a certified addiction
specialist and a registered nurse' equals no validation of the knowledge,
skills and abilities needed for competent treatment performance.

"As a former director/counselor in chemical dependency treatment programs
at a state prison for the Florida Department of Corrections, my salary was
$28,000 per year, with a minimum of 50 inmates on my case load at all
times. For $7,500 I could treat 50 inmates continuously for three months
and give myself a $500 bonus. Now taxpayers are to pay $7,500 per client
as a recruitment tool for Scientology. - Michael J. Kelly, Dunedin

"Scientology intends to open its drug treatment program called Narconon.
In no way should our schools, courts or community be involved with this
program. The methods that Narconon uses are very antipsychiatric because
that is the cult way. Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard was
antipsychiatry for obvious reasons. The $1,200 detoxification program
called the 'purification rundown' is unproven and may be harmful - and
$1,200 for a sauna, vitamins, treadmill and cooking oil? This often is the
first step in the cult's high-priced teachings. According to the Food and
Drug Administration, the only things the procedure removes from the body
are salt and water.

"According to the Oklahoma Board of Mental Health, Narconon's program is
not safe. There are no scientific, independent, well-controlled studies
that document its safety. Yet according to Hubbard, the purification
rundown can cure, among other things, radiation sickness! Narconon only
appears to have decent results for two reasons. One, it doesn't take
addicts that would require professionals to treat them, and two, the
patients are declared cured by unqualified members of the cult.

"The bottom line is, you can't give taxpayer dollars to what is
essentially a cult recruiting tool. You have to understand the cult's only
goal is to sell expensive programs and expand. It doesn't do anything
unless it benefits the cult. - David Rodman, Dunedin"

Message-ID: <Oecma.19021$gU.837200@...>

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> Protest Summary

Dave Bird, John Ritson and Jens Tingleff reported a protest on April 12th
in Manchester, England.

"I found Damian, John, Neil, and Steve CT. Jens and Andy joined us later
at the demo, and a veteran of the old Manchester demos passed by who will
probably join us next time in Manchester. The clams had found out we were
coming, presumably through the city council, and sent police a notice of
their own 'say no to drugs' event on the same day. Again because of city
council hassles, we didn't bring the sound system; but John and I were in
good voice, alternating and occasionally overlapping on various slogans.
John had also prepared a quick 'Nar-CON-on, bogus drug rehab' leaflet
based on http://www.narconon-exposed.org"

"One new recruit was 'ashtray man.' He had obviously been through the
early training, such as the part that teaches how to avoid being diverted
from the point. This works very well in the controlled conditions of a
Scientology classroom, and may have limited use in the real world. When
this results in an adult Scientologist standing in the street and chanting
'You can only destroy things' for an hour, it does not improve the public
image of the cult. It also does not help if you are up against a person
with a considerably louder voice and a much larger repertoire. We told him
we were destroying Scientology and after a while we managed to get him to
change to 'You can only try to destroy things.'

"Another new recruit got himself tangled up in the 'You're distorting what
Scientology is all about' trap - which opened him up to a rapid
re-education course from experts. Being forewarned, they had put out an
all-points alert, and had the children of Scientology members washing the
pavements. It took these people with their expensive 'superior abilities'
two hours to work out that it might inconvenience us or cause a
confrontation if they tried to wash the pavement we were standing on
(actually it didn't and we simply moved a few feet away)."

"They had roped in a lot of people. Seemed like the usual mix of staffers
/ Sea Ogres / public / kids. Some of the locals tried to gently persuade
us that we had it all wrong and attempted standard discouragement and
diversion tactics. I do wonder if it struck them as odd that we had
specific answers to their generic criticisms of our activities. They all
much preferred to try to divert me ('Why are you protesting here today?')
to looking at my web-site.

"There must have been one camera for every two clams. I don't know how to
distinguish their behaviour - taking turns at shouting right in your face
and video recording - from that of a group which has decided to
manufacture an incident. I'm glad to report that not even tens of minutes
of having 'you can only destroy things' shouted at our stalwart protesters
had any effect other than slight exasperation."

Message-ID: <IxfAZiAEhGm+Ewyy@...>
Message-ID: <YDZc60xgBYm+EwTj@...>
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#####

> Spam

"Android Cat" reported that a staffer for Scientology's Association for
Better Living and Education submitted an apology for having sent spam
emails in an attempt to increase newsletter readership.

"I apologize for this inconvenience. I have actually reviewed the SPAM
California laws and have actually made my emails to fit the law. My
intention regarding this emails is not to spam others or bother or annoy
others.

"I work in ABLE International, a non-profit organization dedicated to
improving conditions for our children ad our communities through the
promotion and expansion of charitable programs using social betterment
technologies developed by L. Ron Hubbard. ABLE's purpose is to reverse the
social decay that threatens our societies by resolving the worst problems
that plague man today - drugs, crime, illiteracy ad immorality. This is
done by supporting and promoting the programs of four organizations
dedicated to social betterment - Narconon International, Criminon
International, Applied Scholastics International and The Way to Happiness
Foundation International.

"I usually get one list every week which is supposed to be targeted and
opt-in. And whoever signs up to receive our newsletter gets put on our own
list. Again, I apologize for this, and will stop sending these emails if
need be.

"Best Regards,
Pedro Cue
Director of Promotion"

Message-ID: <ASxla.4984$1b1.362820@...>

#####

> Tampa

The Tampa Tribune reported on April 10th that some neighbors of the new
org in Tampa, Florida are unhappy about the new location.

"Susan Tennyson said workers have made construction noise during the night
and traffic has increased in the neighborhood. 'I'm not happy they are
here,' said Tennyson, who lives adjacent to the church. 'I think they
bring down the value of our homes because they have a cult type of stigma.
I moved here because it's a family neighborhood, and that has been taken
away.'

"Last year, the Church of Scientology of Tampa purchased the Andres Diaz
Building, a 1908 former cigar factory, for $1.2 million. The church has
improved the interior of the four-story building and has landscaped the
property. Inside the brick building, there are administrative offices,
counseling and course work rooms, a film room, a chapel, a library, a
bookstore and an L. Ron Hubbard room. Hubbard, who founded the Church of
Scientology, died in 1986.

"The church is trying to be good neighbors and work with the community,
said Ana Tirabassi, spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology of Tampa.
Members have visited many homes in the area to introduce themselves and
had invited residents to the grand opening in March, Tirabassi said.

"City Councilwoman Mary Alvarez went to the grand opening and said she was
impressed. Alvarez doesn't pay much attention to the talk that the church
may purchase more property in West Tampa, as it did in downtown
Clearwater. 'They went into a neighborhood that is predominantly Hispanic
and Catholic,' Alvarez said. 'If they try to reach out into the community
for conversion, they are probably going to face a rough time.'

"Along with purchasing the building, the church acquired an adjacent
parking lot. It is considering purchasing more property in West Tampa to
make room for their community outreach programs, Tirabassi said, including
drug awareness programs, cleanup projects and literacy classes.

"Earl Haugabook, president of the West Tampa Chamber of Commerce, said he
is concerned if the church plans to grow in West Tampa. 'They could easily
buy a whole bunch of property,' Haugabook said. 'We want a diversified
community with businesses who are going to come in and offer jobs and keep
the West Tampa mystique. We don't want West Tampa known as the Scientology
capital.'"

Message-ID: <Rgela.18991$gU.829926@...>

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