Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 5, Issue 33
11/26/2000
by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2000

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 ONElist. Email
weekinreview-subscribe@onelist.com or see http://www.onelist.com
Week in Review is archived at:
http://www.xenu.net/archive/WIR/
http://wpxx02.toxi.uni-wuerzburg.de/~krasel/CoS/ars-summary.html
http://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> 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@...>

#####

> 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@...>
Message-ID: <8vb58r$7oh@...>
Message-ID: <8vgdoc$aeo@...>

#####

> 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@...>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.1001125105411.134A-100000@...>

#####

> 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@...>

#####

> 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@...>

#####

> 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@...>

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