Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 5, Issue 36
12/24/2000
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

#####

> CCHR

Scientology put out a call this week for members of CCHR to flood the U.S.
Senate with emails, urging defeat of the Family Opportunity Act.

"This bill opens the door to a huge increase in the numbers of children
who could be falsely labeled 'mentally ill'. Send a single SHORT email,
in your own words, to the email list of US Senators below urging them not
to pass SB 2247 - The Family Opportunity Act. Call your Senator
(www.senate.gov) and Senator Trent Lott (202-224-6253) and leave a message
with the receptionist that you are opposed to SB 2247 - The Family
Opportunity Act.

"You send your email to all the Senators at one time if you can copy and
paste the entire list of email addresses below onto the Bcc line of your
email.

"The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) is trying to push
legislation through Congress before the legislative session ends. This
bill would allow additional funding to cover mental health 'treatments' of
anyone under the age of 21 to be covered by government insurance - in this
case Medicaid. It allows families who have physically or mentally
disabled children and dependents under the age of 21, who normally make
too much money to qualify for government Medicaid insurance an option to
purchase this coverage on a sliding scale fee, dependent on their income
for these children. Currently this insurance is only available for those
whose incomes are at or below the poverty level; for example a family of
four whose yearly income is $17,050, qualifies for Medicaid. The bill
increases this 600 percent; i.e., a family of four will be able to buy
Medicaid coverage if they earn under $102,000 a year.

"This opens the door to a huge increase in the numbers of children who
could be labeled 'mentally ill. In Section 3 of the bill a special point
is made of ensuring that inpatient psychiatric hospitalization for anyone
under 21 is part of the package. This sounds innocent enough until you
realize how profitable psychiatric inpatient hospitalization is to the
mental health industry.

"Nowhere does the bill point out the following vital information - that
children who are committed to psychiatric hospitals under this legislation
will very likely become lifelong patients who need continual
hospitalizations. Even more alarming is the fact that those who would
label a child 'mentally disabled' and therefore make them eligible for
coverage, are the very same people who will be paid to 'treat' that
'mental disability.'"

CCHR has published a new booklet on Psychiatry.

"The Citizens Commission on Human Rights has a new booklet out,
Psychiatry: a Human rights Abuse and Global Failure. Along with the new
booklet is a letter from Public Affairs Executive, June Parks, who extends
an invitation to send her comments on the booklet."

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#####

> Clearwater

From the letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on December
19th:

"Out-of-town protesters tried to harass the parishioners and staff members
of the Church of Scientology. These protesters are not the kind of people
we need in downtown Clearwater. As a downtown business owner, I am working
alongside other merchants to make downtown a place where people can shop
and bring their families. I have seen the work that the church has done
to beautify its property and to make the downtown safer. On the other
hand, these picketers are not doing anything to bring a sense of community
to Clearwater. Instead they bring their lies and hate propaganda to try
and tear down what we all have built up. -- Dino Zompanakis, Clearwater"

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#####

> Germany

The Associated Press reported on December 14th that a court in Kassel,
Germany ruled against Scientology in a case involving au-pairs.

"Members of the Scientology Organization, which describes itself as a
church, are not permitted to be employed in every case as au-pair
employment referrers. The eleventh senate of the Federal Welfare Court in
Kassel decided on Thursday that the necessary permit from the federal
labor agency for au-pair employment referrers had to be considered on a
case-by-case basis as to how far the referring agent was associated with
the organization and whether that could constitute violation of employment
security agreements.

"The complainant is a 44-year-old woman from Bad Kreuznach who referred
au-pairs from Estonia to German families and who had received a three-year
permit from the federal labor agency in December 1994. The agency learned
from press reports of the complainant's membership in Scientology and
revoked her referral permit."

Reuters reported on December 19th that the highest German court overturned
a lower court ruling in a case involving Jehovah's Witnesses, which may
have implications for Scientology.

"Germany's highest court on Tuesday overturned a previous ruling denying
official status to the Jehovah's Witnesses and ordered a new study of
their bid to be a recognised religious body. The Federal Constitutional
Court quashed a 1997 ruling that the Christian sect, founded in the U.S.,
should be refused the status of a public body because it forbade its
members from taking part in political elections. 'A religious group
should be judged not by its beliefs but by its behaviour,' said Judge
Winfried Hassemer, explaining his ruling.

"German restrictions on the California-based Church of Scientology - whose
members are barred from government jobs in some regions - have been
criticised by U.S. celebrities and business leaders who are members of the
church. German authorities say that Scientology masquerades as a religion
but exploits its members to raise money."

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#####

> Gerry Armstrong

Marin News reported on December 21st that a judge has refused
Scientology's request to hold Gerry Armstrong in contempt for speaking out
against Scientology.

"Church attorneys filed a contempt motion against Gerald Armstrong, a
former Scientology archivist, for persistently violating a judge's order
in 1995 to stop criticizing the church and discussing his experiences as
an employee there. As evidence, church attorneys submitted a sheaf of
messages Armstrong had posted in Internet discussion groups between March
1998 and July of this year. The messages, most of which were posted on
the alt.religion.scientology newsgroup, include bilious exchanges between
church members and Armstrong - who refers to his former employer as the
'Church of $cientology.'

"But Judge Vernon Smith yesterday rejected the church's motion for a
contempt citation, saying the judge who issued the original order, Gary
Thomas, is long retired, and the church had failed to explain why Smith
himself should issue a contempt order. 'The court has overwhelming
evidence to hold him in contempt,' protested Andrew Wilson, the church's
Sausalito-based attorney. 'I'm not convinced of that,' Smith said. But he
continued the matter until next Wednesday, giving church attorneys a
chance to file more briefs in support of their argument.

"Armstrong, who now lives in Chilliwack, British Columbia, was not present
at the hearing. But reached by telephone yesterday, he described Smith's
action as 'really cool.' 'I'm really glad that a judge has taken note of
the fact that Scientology is not what they're representing it to be,' said
Armstrong, 54. 'This is an extraordinary time in my history.' Armstong,
during an interview yesterday, did not deny writing the Internet messages.
If anything, he said, the church understated his output. 'My count was
2,289,' he said.

"Armstrong also insists the 1986 agreement does not trump his First
Amendment rights. 'I settled my lawsuit against them for 12 and half
years of lies and deceit and abuse,' he said. 'I did not settle with them
to become a punching bag of the Church of Scientology.'"

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#####

> Choir Event

The Los Angeles Times reported on December 21st that a Scientology choir
participated in a choir festival.

"The 41st annual Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration takes place in the
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, from 3 to 9 p.m. Among the 39 performing groups
appearing are the International Children's Choir, Long Beach Ballet Arts
Center, Vox Femina, Church of Scientology Choir, Marla Bingham
Contemporary Ballet and the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles."

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#####

> Largo

The St. Petersburg Times reported on December 20th and 21st that a new
Scientology mission is being established in Largo, Florida, near to the
Clearwater headquarters.

"A prominent Scientologist is leading an effort to buy an 86-year-old
church in downtown Largo, where she plans to open a Scientology mission, a
development that has raised concerns among some city officials. The newly
incorporated Church of Scientology Mission of Largo Inc. is paying
$389,000 for the church at 160 Sixth St. SW and the house behind it at 520
Cleveland Ave.

"The mission is the venture of Kathy Feshbach, 51, of Belleair, who said
she is working with two partners. She has been a Scientologist for 18
years and her family is a major contributor to the Church of Scientology
and its related organizations. The mission's purpose will be to meet the
needs of new Scientologists. Feshbach said it will be staffed with five
to 10 people and will have a bookstore. Classes, spiritual counseling and
training will be offered, she said.

"The mission signed a contract with church owner Abundant Life Ministries
of Largo on Nov. 30, and a closing date has been set for the end of
January. Feshbach said she and her partners are planning some interior
renovations to the 7,600-square-foot building, but will preserve the
character of the church, built in 1914 as the First Baptist Church of
Largo. 'We love the fact that it's a church,' Feshbach said. 'That's why I
wanted to buy it. I definitely want to keep it a religious spot.'

"Feshbach has scheduled a meeting in January with Largo Mayor Bob Jackson,
who said that the mission's presence in Largo may scare off some who might
be interested in operating a business downtown. He added, however, that he
didn't foresee any problems. 'This is America,' Jackson said Tuesday
afternoon. 'We can't discriminate based on personal preferences. We are a
nation of laws and if people are law-abiding, then they deserve a chance
of happiness.' But other commissioners were less welcoming. Commissioner
Mary Laurance said she has been unimpressed with Scientology's presence in
downtown Clearwater. 'There are some things you can skip and dance around.
This is not one of them,' Laurance said. 'I just want to be very clear:
I'm very against having them in downtown Largo.' Commissioner Harriet
Crozier said while she was not clear on the details, when she heard about
the mission, 'I got an upset stomach.' 'To think Scientology or some form
of it might be encroaching in the community doesn't sit well with me,' she
said."

"When she moved to this city in 1946, Nelle Attaway attended the large,
white church with the stained glass windows at the corner of First Avenue
and Sixth Street SW. So she was disturbed Wednesday morning after reading
that a prominent Scientologist is leading an effort to buy the building to
create a Scientology mission in downtown Largo. 'My blood pressure is
still up,' said Attaway, 77, who lives within walking distance of the
church.

"'Gee whiz, this is the United States of America. I don't know if somebody
should be refused the opportunity to buy a piece of property,' said
Greater Largo Chamber of Commerce president Marc Mansfield, who stressed
he was not speaking for the organization. Several commissioners said they
got telephone calls on the issue from residents Wednesday. Some said they
were concerned about the proposed sale. A couple of people called the
mayor's office saying they think Feshbach has the right to buy the
building, but they wish the city could find a loophole to stop the sale.
One person sent two e-mails to the mayor's office expressing outrage.

"'I know they do a lot of good, but they control people's minds,' said
Vice Mayor Jean Halvorsen. Then there were others, like City Commissioner
Pat Burke. Although Burke agrees that Feshbach has the right to buy the
building, she said she wishes the current owners would sell the property
to someone who can open a business that will encourage people to invest in
downtown. 'I would hope for something that would be a catalyst for
bringing businesses in,' she said."

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#####

> Raul Lopez

The case of Raul Lopez against Scientology for defrauding him of the money
he received in a head injury settlement was the subject of an article in
the Los Angeles New Times.

"Without exception, doctors advised him to adapt to his limitations and
move on with his life. But that was before Lopez, 34, stumbled upon a
Scientology booth at a Ventura County flea market. The Scientologists, he
concluded, had what he wanted. 'They were going to make me whole again,'
he recalls once believing. According to attorneys Dan Leipold and Ford
Greene, Lopez also had something the Scientologists wanted: $1.7 million
that was their client's share of the court settlement stemming from the
accident. As part of a potentially explosive case wending its way toward
trial in Los Angeles superior court Lopez's attorneys contend that the
church and individuals associated with it swindled their brain-damaged
client out of up to $1.3 million.

"'They picked him clean, and we have the documentation to prove it,'
Leipold says. For their part, Scientology lawyers deny that there was any
wrongdoing, portraying Lopez as a willing participant during years of
involvement in the church. Robert Amidon, a Burbank attorney who is among
the legal team representing the church, calls Lopez's claim 'bogus,'
characterizing the case (scheduled for trial next May) as an attack on
religious expression: 'It's as if Lopez [were Catholic and] were to say,
'Please stop all confessionals in the Catholic Church because it hurts my
brain to listen to the priest.'

"What makes the Lopez case different to most, his lawyers contend, is that
not only did Lopez exhibit diminished capacity during years of
surrendering huge sums to the church and its affiliated entities, but that
his Scientology handlers were well aware of his condition after having
obtained copies of his medical and psychiatric records. One psychiatrist
who examined Lopez after he was injured and reexamined him last year found
that he was 'damaged [by the accident] intellectually, damaged
interpersonally, and damaged with regard to his emotionality.' Dr. Leonard
Diamond's report, a copy of which was obtained by New Times, concluded
that the auditing Lopez received from the church provided 'absolutely no
benefit,' adding, 'In fact, the data strongly point to the fact that these
experiences have served to create additional disturbance so that [Lopez]
has reached a point at which he is barely functioning.'

"Much of the money went to pay for months of auditing sessions at Oxnard,
which took place up to six times a week, before he was passed up the
bridge for more advanced auditing at both the church's Celebrity Centre
International in Hollywood and at its sprawling Flag Service Organization
in Clearwater, Florida. He says he passed out during auditing on at least
three occasions and that each time church representatives attributed it to
personal inadequacies that they said only pointed up the need for more
intense auditing. In addition, the lawyers contend that their brain-
impaired client forked over hundreds of thousands of dollars to people
connected with the church for other purposes. 'They isolated him from his
family and took control of every aspect of his life,' says Leipold. 'They
squeezed him until there was nothing left.'

"Lopez relates how on several occasions church representatives escorted
him to an Oxnard bank and waited in the car after instructing him to go
inside and withdraw huge sums - ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 at a time
-- in the form of cashier's checks, which he would then hand over to them.
'Some of the money was for loans [to other Scientologists], and some of it
was for what they said I owed,' says Lopez. 'I can't tell you what all it
was for. I know I never got much of the [lent] money back.' Whenever Lopez
needed legal advice, people from the church sent him to a Scientology
lawyer, the lawsuit contends. They arranged for his taxes to be prepared
by a Scientology tax preparer. They even arranged to have his auditor -
the Scientologist in charge of his expensive indoctrination sessions -
move into his Oxnard house with him for 18 months. Church officials
encouraged him to refinance both a three-bedroom home and a condominium
that he had owned 'free and clear,' each time persuading him to use the
proceeds for Scientology-related purposes. 'You're taught that it's your
duty and responsibility to help a fellow Scientologist in need.'

"His retreat from the uncertain world around him is a six-acre spread near
the Ventura County community of Somis. It is the only asset that has
survived from when times were flush. A $488-a-month disability check is
his only ostensible income. 'Raul's been hurt badly,' says his mother. 'I
want [the church] to give him back his money. But more than that, I wish
he could just forget about what they did to him.'"

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#####


> Protest Summary

"Wynot" reported a protest this week in Atlanta.

"The usual gang at ARSCC-ATL were joined today by high ranking LMT
official Jeff Jacobsen. Ethercat, Mad_Kow, and myself arrived at the org
near noon to find Jeff awaiting, videotaping the cult's storefront and the
passing traffic. Mad_Kow had his usual 'Scam' sign, EC carried
'Scientology Lies', and Jeff had his familiar photo of a smiling Lisa
McPherson. I held a sign with 'Scientology Killed Lisa McPherson' on one
side, and 'Dianetics/Scientology, Bait and Switch' on the other.

"People were waving, honking, giving the thumbs-up, and even yelling
thank-you to us. At one point a man in a white Chevy with Kentucky plates
pulled in the driveway, and offered me a $10 bill. I thanked him, but said
we did not need it - we were here to help people keep their money, not
take it from them!

"The culties were once again non-confront - not even any picture takers.
The members who came in and out during our visit studiously ignored us."

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#####

> Salt Lake City

The Deseret News reported on December 23rd that Scientology will host
Santa Claus at an event at the org.

"The Church of Scientology, 1931 S. 1100 East, will host Santa Claus for
Sugar House-area children starting at noon today. Santa will listen to all
the children's wishes, and the public is invited. The Church of
Scientology's sermon at 10 a.m. Sunday at the church will be 'How to Aid
Your Fellow Man.' People of all faiths are welcome."

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#####

> Switzerland

Der Bund reported on December 16th that the Federal Office of Police has
concluded that Scientology should not be the subject of surveillance in
Switzerland.

"Structure and activities of sects and Scientology have hardly changed
since the first investigation in 1998 wrote the BAP in its second status
report. It was said that no activities had been ascertained which would
justify preventive surveillance. In the case of Scientology neither
intelligence activities nor deliberate attempts to infiltrate government
agencies or private corporations were proven. The BAP will re-evaluate the
situation according to developments and remain in contact with foreign
agencies."

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#####

> Totally Fun Company

Peter Alexander reported that Scientology has continued harassing his
company, the Totally Fun Company.

"As some of you may know, I am a Scientology critic (and former OT7
Scientologist) and I have a business called the Totally Fun Company.
Totally Fun Company recently got a call from one of our vendors, who had
just received a phone call from a Scientology agent. The Scientologist
told him that his (fictitious) company had created a 5-7 minute 'video'
for Totally Fun, and that we had stiffed him on the payment. He told our
vendor that 'we were in trouble' financially and wondered if the vendor's
payment had been received late. When the vendor said that he'd been paid
on time, the Scientologist pumped him for more information and then hung
up.

"We assured him, and asked him to look up our very healthy Dun &
Bradstreet rating. After we explained about Scientology, and the cowardly
little lies they tell behind people's backs, he began to understand. But
it took a good deal of talking before he really got the message, for the
sneakiness and viciousness of Scientology's OSA agents is really outside
most people's realities. They just can't believe that anyone would bother
to be that evil, in the strange, cowardly way that L. Ron Hubbard taught
his robots to behave."

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-merry christmas-