Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 5, Issue 40
1/21/2001
by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2001

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

#####

> ECT

Atlantic Monthly published an article on electroconvulsive therapy and
efforts by Scientology and others to ban the procedure.

"Today ECT has strengthened its position in the profession. Many
psychiatrists, whether or not they actively administer the treatment, have
come to appreciate its ability to ameliorate a range of mental illnesses,
from depression to some forms of schizophrenia and catatonia. A 1993
commentary in The New England Journal of Medicine stated,
'Electroconvulsive therapy is more firmly established than ever as an
important method of treating certain severe forms of depression.' The
first phase of a National Institute of Mental Health-supported study, to
be published this spring, found that ECT produced a greater than 95
percent remission rate in psychotically depressed patients - vastly higher
than the rate for any drug on the market.

"Activists continue to push for prohibitive legislation. In 1997 a bill
that would effectively have made administering ECT a criminal act,
punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and/or up to six months in jail, was
narrowly defeated in Texas. ECT has virtually disappeared from state-run
psychiatric facilities, owing in large part to government regulation. To
be treated, patients must almost always gain access to a private or
academic hospital.

"There was a moment at the 1985 NIH conference, Peter Breggin recalls,
when patients who had had positive experiences with ECT were asked to step
up to the lectern and tell about their illness and recovery. Afterward
one of them pressed a note into his hand, thanking him for speaking out
about the side effects of ECT. 'This was one of the pro-ECT people,'
Breggin told me when we spoke recently. 'They were up there to tell people
that ECT works, and here this person was thanking me for providing a
dissenting opinion.'

"'Mental illness,' he says, 'is a metaphor. It's not reality. When
patients come into my office and say that they're depressed, I don't give
them medication. I ask questions: What is their life like? What is their
story? Where are they from? How did they get depressed? Why do they call
it depression? Depression isn't caused by some mythical biochemical
imbalance. It's another word for hopelessness.' This is a philosophy that
Breggin absorbed from his training under Thomas Szasz, one of the
forerunners of the 'anti-psychiatry' movement. Breggin is scorned by
mainstream psychiatrists for his links to Szasz and for his contemptuous
attitude toward physiological psychiatry. 'Lots of fields have splinter
groups,' Harold Sackeim says. 'Increasingly the dominant perspective in
psychiatry is a biochemical one. There are people who, on ideological
grounds, feel that this shouldn't be the case. They think psychotherapy
should be the first line of treatment.' But, he says, this opinion isn't
necessarily benign. 'Breggin will argue that a cup of tea, chicken soup,
and a lot of hugging will get a psychotically depressed patient well. And
he'll kill a lot of patients that way. That's why he doesn't have hospital
privileges.'

"If practitioners of ECT tolerate 'survivor' groups and disdain dissenting
psychiatrists, they actively loathe the Citizens Commission on Human
Rights. The inside of the pamphlet I have is an indication of why. A quick
sampling of chapter headings: 'Perpetuating Cruelty,' 'Therapy or
Torture?,' 'The Nazi Heritage', 'Apartheid and ECT,' 'ECT Promotes Breast
Cancer,' 'Shock From Birth to Grave.' Bolts of electricity in vivid neon
colors provide visual unity here, emanating from the heads of pregnant
women, fetuses, piglets. CCHR does not believe in subtlety. The
commission maintains offices in forty states and chapters in thirty other
countries. It has used its branches in part to lobby for legislation
against ECT. In 1974 it worked to get the California legislature to
prohibit ECT for patients under the age of twelve. It has several times
been instrumental in introducing legislation in Texas to ban ECT
altogether. Although the legislation has failed, Texas is now, owing in
large part to CCHR's efforts, the state in which it is the most difficult
to get the treatment. Recently CCHR supported a bill in the Italian region
of Piedmont which succeeded in banning ECT for children, the elderly, and,
in most cases, pregnant women. That CCHR has effectively and perhaps
permanently damaged the public image of ECT is one of the few things about
which the commission and psychiatrists agree.

"CCHR was founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology, which by now has a
fashionable Hollywood aura. Through Dianetics, Scientologists hope to
create a utopia 'without insanity, without criminals and without war,
where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where
man is free to rise to greater heights.' In CCHR's view, one of the
greatest threats to this vision is abuses inherent in psychiatry, which
damages the mind instead of soothing the soul. 'For more than 115 years,
psychiatrists have treated man as an animal,' CCHR's Web site states.
'They have assaulted, sexually abused, irreversibly damaged, drugged or
killed, all under the guise of 'mental healing.'

"CCHR was co-founded by Thomas Szasz, and its members take pains to
emphasize this fact. Their connection to 'the Church,' as they call it, is
spoken of less frequently. CCHR is separately incorporated, and although
virtually every CCHR member worldwide also happens to be a member of the
Church of Scientology, this is by choice, the organization says, not by
compulsion. Rather than promote Scientology, CCHR seeks to lay out the
evidence of psychiatry's misdeeds through the use of statistics,
anecdotes, journal articles, news accounts, and hospital records.

"Whatever damage CCHR may have done to ECT, the organization has
unquestionably improved the gathering of statistics regarding the
treatment. The results, however, have not been advantageous to CCHR's
cause. Several years ago CCHR lobbied successfully for compulsory
reporting of ECT cases in Texas. William Reid, a clinical professor of
psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center, in San
Antonio, and three other authors recently published in the Journal of
Clinical Psychiatry all of the center's available data from September of
1993 to April of 1995. The article reported that 97.5 percent of all
admissions were wholly voluntary; that the percentage of patients
exhibiting 'severe' symptoms was reduced from 70.7 prior to ECT to 2.4
afterward; that the percentage of patients with 'moderate,' 'severe,' or
'extreme' memory dysfunction decreased after ECT; and that no bone
fractures, heart attacks, or deaths occurred during treatment. Of the
2,583 patients described by the data, eight died within two weeks of their
last treatment, but only two of these deaths may have been related in any
way to ECT.

"Psychiatrists assume that anti-ECT activists represent a fringe viewpoint
on mental illness, whereas the evidence suggests that the anti-ECT outlook
is actually close to the public's. In 1999 the Office of the Surgeon
General released its first ever report on mental health. The report cited
estimates that two thirds of all cases of mental illness in this country
go unreported. One of the main reasons the report gave for this is a
widespread disbelief in the biological origin of psychiatric disorders.

"More important than questioning why anti-ECT lobbyists persist is asking
what psychiatrists might do to counter the criticism. The answer from some
is that they are already doing all they need to do. ECT use seems to be on
the rise, even if slowly, and psychiatry's professional organizations are
continually refining treatment guidelines. Greater advocacy efforts seem
not to be on anyone's agenda, perhaps for fear of luring ECT's detractors
into even louder denunciations."

Message-ID: <94a2ee$1rd@...>

#####

> Battlefield Earth

"Yokes" posted an email this week, urging Scientologists to raise the
rating of the film Battlefield Earth on movie web sites.

"DO NOT PASS ON EXCEPT TO TRUSTED FRIENDS. SPs have stuffed IMDb's ballot
box. BE got 16X the number of votes of any other movies with its ranking!
16X is not random public opinion at work! SPs' low rankings of BE have put
BE on IMDb's 'Bottom 100' movies of all time. Please go to IMDB, register,
and vote BE a high ranking! Using the drop-down arrow, please vote BE an
8, 9 or 10 if that's what you think is fair.

"Pass this on o-n-l-y to those you personally know and trust. NOT to a
broad list unless you have recently qualled it. Another Internet poll is
being electronically stuffed against Battlefield Earth this minute by the
enemy camp. Clearly, they have slipped past the site's security. Let's
get BE out of 'First Place' as 'Worst Genre Flick of the Year.' Blair
Witch Project-2 is the closest contender. Vote for BWP-2, and get BE out
of first place. Very best, Jon von Guntenoutreach@..."

Message-ID: <3a699fac.666396@...>

#####

> PSTA

The rule against non-commercial ads on Pinellas County imposed to stop
protests against Scientology is being challenged in court by a local
Christian group, according to the St. Petersburg Times on January 12th.

"Last year, Focus on the Family wanted to place ads in Pinellas County bus
shelters promoting an upcoming seminar about 'addressing, understanding
and preventing homosexuality in youth.' The advertisements were rejected.
The Colorado-based Christian group thinks that decision was a violation of
free speech rights and filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to force the
Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority to accept the ads. Focus on the Family
is not seeking money, but wants a judge to tell the PSTA to allow it to
place similar ads for a seminar this summer.

"PSTA faced a similar controversy in 1999 when ads for the Church of
Scientology were pulled from buses because of concerns over their content.
The authority eventually adopted a policy that non-commercial ads would
not be allowed on buses."

Message-ID: <946okp$r46@...>

#####

> Six-Gun Caballero

The Los Angeles Times reported on January 19th that a fictional book by L.
Ron Hubbard will be offered over the internet.

"One Glendale-based online company wants to change the way we look at
books with their very first Internet offering, 'Six-Gun Caballero,'
written by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Started in 1998,
Storyteller Online Inc. aims to combine the spoken word with illustrations
and running text to create what the company calls 'old-time storytelling
with a high-tech twist.' 'We picked a pulp because it's short and we liked
this author,' public relations director and Scientologist Derek De Vette
said. 'It's a bummer to see all these great authors released in a poor
format.'

"'Because of the sound, people can walk away,' vice president and
Scientologist Andrea Kluge said. 'They are not glued to the computer.'
Written in 1938, 'Six-Gun Caballero' was one of 60 western pulps Hubbard
penned before his foray into science fiction."

Message-ID: <94c9ib$jmm$1@...>

#####

> Denmark

Catarina Pamnell provided a summary of a January 14th article in
Jyllands-Posten on the RPF in Denmark. A television program on DR1 also
addressed the RPF.

"The interior government of Hamburg, Germany, criticizes the Danish
government and police for allowing Scientology to unchecked run a
'totalitarian re-education camp' in the middle of Copenhagen. Ursula
Caberta of the Hamburg government says people are being held against their
will, and put under physical and psychological pressure, and that it's a
sign of misguided tolerance if Denmark does not act against these human
rights violations.

"The CoS says there are presently 10-15 people taking part of the RPF
program in Copenhagen, but that it is completely voluntary, an offer
extended only to members of the elite Sea Organization. Religious
historian Michael Rothstein of Copenhagen university says it's important
to carry on a dialogue with the CoS members, to ascertain why they are
going through the RPF program. He says it could be an expression of deep
religious commitment, but could also be due to pressure, and that in case
anyone feels violated society should step in.

"Danish police say they cannot interfere, unless there is a formal
complaint filed. Some persons did make complaints in the 1980s, among them
former member Birgitta Harrington. But the investigation has been closed,
due to lack of evidence.

"The CoS has given Jyllands-Posten access to the newest set of rules of
conduct for those going through the RPF program. Among the restrictions
are: no contact with people outside the program; not leaving the CoS
premises without permission; no car driving; no television; carrying a
black armband; no walking, running only; no contact whatsoever with their
families. Previously, RPF members could see their spouses or children once
a week under certain conditions, but now all contact is forbidden for the
duration of the RPF program The average duration of the RPF is said to be
one to two years, although Jyllands-Posten has knowledge of a Swedish
member who was recently kicked out of the organization after five years on
the program.

"A former Sea Org member, Susanne Elleby, is interviewed. She went onto
the RPF in 1989, in an attempt to leave Scientology, and spent 14 months
on the program. Her experience was that it was a world of strict control,
censorship and mental breakdown. Unlike most ex-members, she succeeded in
getting her personal documents out of the organization, and could thus
show the journalist examples of the programs she was put through, the
success stories she was expected to write after completing a step on the
program, and the many ethics reports made by her fellow RPF members, for
example accusing her of throwing left-over food into the wrong bucket,
stealing a cigarette, forgetting to take a vitamin pill, getting up too
late in the morning, demonstrating a bad mood, or even spending too much
time in the bathroom.

"A present-day member of the Sea Org, Franz Stoeckl, who spent about one
and a half year on the RPF in Copenhagen in July of 1998 to December of
1999 tells of his satisfaction with the program. He claims it's the best
thing that ever happened to him. Franz especially appreciates that he was
allowed to do the 'False Purpose Rundown' auditing. After completing the
program, he feels he is doing better at work and gets along better with
people, and also has a better relationship with his wife. He doesn't feel
that it was a big sacrifice to not see the wife for 18 months - as a Sea
Org member, he is accustomed to separation when his job demands it.

"On Monday 15th of January, the RPF was debated twice on Danish
television. I was told there was something about it on an early morning
show with Susanne Elleby, someone from the university and a CoS
representative. On the DR1 (major national channel) news at 21.00, a
short overview of the controversy was presented. The OSA PR for Denmark,
Anette Refstrup, was interviewed and said the RPF is intended for the
spiritual advancement of the member. Ursula Caberta on the telephone
voiced the concerns of the German authorities. I made a short comment over
the phone stating my opinion that the RPF creates in the member an
unhealthy dependence on the Scn organization."

From M2 Communications on January 16th:

"The programme is brainwashing, according to Ursula Caberta, the chairman
of a group in Hamburg that investigates Scientology. Caberta has compared
the training programme to the physical and mental stress used to make
people follow the rules in dictatorships and thinks that the Danish
authorities are practising 'misunderstood tolerance' by allowing the
movement to continue.

"The Danish police force has said it will not investigate the movement
unless there is a formal request from Germany through Interpol. The police
reportedly investigated the movement in the mid-1980s but the
investigation was closed due to a lack of evidence. The police should be
involved if the Scientologists have a training camp in Copenhagen,
according to Johannes Lebech, a Danish church minister. The minister also
said that he will follow the issue but has no plans to start an
investigation, as he does not feel that it is his field."

Message-ID: <3a63861b.8409308@...>
Message-ID: <rnewman-1701010913260001@...>

#####

> Germany

Waiblinger Kreiszeitung published an article on January 19th on a
student's experiences with a recruitment effort by the Stuttgart org.

"'Technically gifted 19-year-old Votecher looking for afternoon/evening
part-time job in the field of electronics' read the classified ad in which
the student gave the number to his cell phone. He got a call with an
invitation to Stuttgart. The reception was poor and he did not understand
exactly who was calling. Even as he entered the Dianetics Center in
Stuttgart, it was not yet clear to him what organization he was dealing
with.

"He found the form someone from the personnel gave him to fill out
'relatively inconsequential.' A total of 200 questions, some only slightly
varied, were handed to him. After that was scheduled a half-hour
recruitment video on the Scientology Church. By that time it was clear who
had the job opening, and at that point the student became wary. A woman
from the personnel office asked how he liked the video. 'Loaded with
emotion and empty of information,' answered the student frankly and
openly, he knew about the dubious practices of the organization and that
they put their members under pressure and ripped them off. The woman from
the personnel office was not thrilled with his response. Meanwhile his
personality test was evaluated for him. The result: he was said to have
above-average intelligence, but he was insecure. It was said he didn't
know what he wanted. At that point the female Scientology staff member led
him over to a brainwave device, a sort of lie detector. 'She wanted to
have me try out the device once, but I blocked her off.'

"Nothing came of the office job which was offered. The 19-year-old is
hyperactive and used to take Ritalin, a psycho-pharmaceutical. For that
reason he was refused the job. At least ten other people showed up in the
short time he was there to have their personalities scrutinized. 'And I'm
certain that not all of them got out without becoming members,' he voiced
his concern. For that reason he called up the newspaper to tell his story
and to show what can happen to you if you are looking for a job."

A press release on January 16th announced broader responsibilities for the
German agency headed by Ursula Caberta.

"Today the Senate decided on a change in the responsibility concerning the
child and youth assistance law from the Agency for Schools, Youth and
Vocational Education to the Interior Agency. As a result the Interior
Agency's Scientology Task Force gets an assignment which is part of
educational youth protection. It concerns the dangers which can arise for
children and youth from new religious and ideological communities and
psycho-groups. The Senate transferred the corresponding missions to the
Interior Agency because the AGS is already involved in separating certain
groups from Scientology and other psycho-groups in terms of ideology,
methods of operation and special risks, said Interior Senator Hartmuth
Wrocklage on Tuesday."

Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.1010119075639.114A-100000@...>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.1010120075108.120A-100000@...>

#####

> Gerry Armstrong

The Marin Independent Journal reported on January 18th that a California
court has found Gerry Armstrong in contempt for speaking out against
Scientology.

"Marin Superior Court Judge Vernon Smith ruled that Armstrong, a former
Scientology archivist, violated an earlier settlement agreement that he
stop criticizing the church and discussing the experiences he had within
the organization. Smith also issued an arrest warrant for Armstrong, who
did not attend yesterday's court hearing.

"Reached at his home in British Columbia, Armstrong said he intentionally
stayed away from court for fear he would be thrown in jail. Armstrong said
he also has no intention of curbing his criticism, which most often takes
the form of writings he posts in Internet discussion groups. 'This is
about freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, the
whole gamut. I will fight this to the ends of the Earth.'

"In making their case for a contempt order against Armstrong, attorneys
for the church submitted a sheaf of messages Armstrong had posted on the
Internet between March 1998 and last July. Quiros, the Scientology
spokesman, said 'We'll probably never see a dime from Mr. Armstrong,' he
said. 'And I doubt he'll do any jail time because he will probably never
come back to California.'"

Gerry Armstrong posted his comment on the ruling to a.r.s.

"They are still faced with the same problem they had, only it's bigger.
This little big win may have cost them a million. And nothing happened.
Their need to lie only serves to convince me that I am without the
slightest doubt correct in my studied assessment and judgment that
Scientology's 'contract' is legally unenforceable, that Judge Thomas's
injunction is unlawful, that $cientology has unclean hands throughout this
litigation, and that $cientology and their lawyers know these facts to be
true.

"For my first contempt, which was for sending Judge Whyte my declaration
about being threatened by attorney Andy Wilson after I was served by Grady
Ward in $cientology v. Ward, Judge Thomas sentenced me to 2 days in jail
and fined me $2,000. For my next 13 contempts, which were mainly talking
about my religious experiences to people in Germany, Judge Thomas
sentenced me to 26 days in jail and fined me $2,600, or $200 each. In this
latest effort by $cientology, having me charged with 133 contempts, Judge
Smith has not sentenced me to any jail time nor fined me. The clear
message to me is that by continuing to communicate more and more about my
religious experiences and religious beliefs, and committing more and more
violations of the unlawful Thomas injunction, I have brought the price of
contempt down to zero. And continuing the trend, $cientology will now be
paying me to speak and write. I'm inspired."

Message-ID: <c7ge6tcbkovlv03ea7nm7i475fe02nb6m4@...>

#####

> Keith Henson

Scientology this week tried to place Keith Henson in jail for allegedly
making threats to attack Scientology's Gold Base with cruise missiles.

"His trial was continued to April 15. His Own Recognizance was reinstated,
so no bail was required for him to avoid jail. The judge recused himself
at the request of the DA. This has to do with some personal friendship of
the judge with someone who somehow is involved."

Message-ID: <3a6b35ce.0@...>

#####

> Bob Minton

Bob Minton described Scientology's attempts to compel him to answer
questions in the Keith Henson bankruptcy case.

"Scientology has continued to spout lies that I have been sanctioned for
this and that and have to pay huge fines. This week I was compelled back
into a deposition, that started in November 2000, and answered all the
legitimate question proffered by Kobrin on January 16th in Boston.
Today, Kobrin appeared before the Judge in Boston to argue for sanctions
and fines against me. Kobrin presented her case and the Judge told her
that her motion was denied as sanctions and fines are inappropriate in
this case. Kobrin made the usual Scientology noises to no avail and the
Judge repeated 'motion denied.'

"It is my legitimate right not to answer any question proffered by
Scientology in a deposition because they know no limits. I realize this
may subject me to sanctions and fines. However, I also know that a fair
Judge in a fair hearing will sufficiently narrow the scope of questions
that Scientology can ask so as to put boundaries on Scientology's abuse of
the legal system. So being compelled back into a deposition is not such a
thing to fear if it can protect you from Scientology's sacrament of using
the law for the sake of harassment."

Message-ID: <tfce6tkg4uvcip3r9q503l9fo5p39qj6ap@...>

#####

> NOTS

Birgitta Harrington posted a confession from her husband, Joe Harrington,
that he was responsible for the first posting of the secret NOTS materials
on the Internet.

"I hope my public gift of NOTS, humbly tendered to Mankind and the
emerging Internet on 25 Dec 1994, cost them a bit and afforded the public
an opportunity to get a free glimpse of what the ultimate price a person
sometimes pays for the 'Total Freedom' that LRH seduced many with."

Message-ID: <b6vb6tg7caj8ddivh3ik8pgivv18cbqcv6@...>

#####

> Tom Padgett

Tom Padgett posted an update to his case in Kentucky court this week.

"The issues on appeal were the exact amounts of child support arrearage
alleged to be owed, and the awarding of attorney fees and costs. In an
order dismissing the appeal, Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled that the
trial court failed to include finality language in the civil court order
of January 19, 1999, therefore being 'interlocutory' and not an appealable
ruling. The Court of Appeals noted that an evidentiary hearing required
for discovery and disclosure, never took place.

"The Court of Appeals did note the confusion of whether or not the
Appellant was represented by the Law Firm of Mobley & Lloyd since they
motioned the court to withdraw because of their client's pauper status.

"All issues are remanded back to the same lower court for more litigation
before the same judge."

Message-ID: <15094-3A683B62-1@...>

#####

> Super Power

"Zorrosblade" posted a promotional letter this week, describing the new
super power rundown to be given when the new building in Clearwater is
completed.

"We have not only fully completed the foundation of the New Building this
year, but have just completed the cement structure of all 7 floors. The
project is moving right on target to open this new structure in the not
too distant future. The rapid construction of our New Mecca means a great
deal to the freedom of all mankind, as it brings us the hope of a Cleared
Planet with the release of Super Power.

"LRH made it very clear that Super Power will handle the sick, the dying
and the dead society. With the ethics repair list we will clean up the
degradation and suppression that is holding back mankind's freedom. By
restoring justice, we will have a 3rd dynamic like this planet has never
seen before. And by rehabilitating the fifty-seven perceptions of a being,
Scientologists will be operating at a level of awareness that surpasses
anything to date.

"Therefore, again I am asking you to make a generous contribution of $100,
$250 or more."

Message-ID: <REPOST-Lzy96.717$tD2.69461@...>

#####

> Zenon Panoussis

Karin Spaink reported on the first two days of a appeals hearing in which
Scientology is accused of copyright violation for posting the secret NOTS
levels on the Internet.

"The court hopes that he will simply plead guilty on many counts, so that
deliberations about those acts can be dismissed. And Zenon is quite
willing to do so: he has never denied having webbed parts of the OTs nor
denies having posted the NOTs, but Scientology accuses him of much more.
That he will fight. He is even prepared to settle or to admit guilt on
all counts as long as he gets this particular one: a declaration that the
OTs and NOTs are legally published.

"The case against him was already well on its way when Zenon filed a new,
even thicker stack of NOTs with the court. Scientology immediately claimed
copyright to those as well and demanded secrecy. They even had a notary
public compare this thick stack to the original, unmasked NOTs, and upon
doing a random comparison, she established that this thick stack contained
nothing but pure, unadulterated NOTs. But they weren't original NOTs. Of
this stack of two hundred alleged NOTs, only eight were authentic; the
rest had been mangled. To mangle them, you do this: you take a paragraph
from a text, use it as a 'seed' and input it to a program, and the output
is a full page of mixed-up phrases, illogical sentences and weird grammar
- but full of faintly familiar phrases. They are nonsensical, gibberish
texts, Zenon explained to the court, and the fact that Scientology claims
copyright on these texts proves that one should take their claims with not
a grain but a pound of salt.

"'Take a look at page so-and-so of my appeal brief,' Zenon says. The court
nods, they know this text. It is part of the ruling of the pervious court
in Scientology versus Panoussis. 'Please read the text carefully,' Zenon
asks, and is silent. This text doesn't make any sense, it has no head nor
tail. It's plainly gibberish. 'This text is the result of a real
paragraph of the ruling having been mangled in the same way as the NOTs
that I filed and to which Scientology claims copyright,' Zenon explains.
'I wanted to prove that Scientology claims copyright to any text that
contains a few of their phrases, so I mangled a paragraph of the previous
court's ruling in order to demonstrate the scope of that claim."

"Magnusson continues about the damages that RTC suffered and the legal
costs that Zenon has burdened them with. Zenon objects to the closed doors
that we will soon have. Last time, only three words were uttered that RTC
actually considers to be confidential. (those three words were 'body
thetan' and 'cluster'.) 'What I want to say is five lines only, nothing
more. These five lines is what I want to read.' Magnusson answers that
these lines can only be uttered behind closed doors: secrecy has to be
maintained. Zenon sits down again, exasperated. It is only a description
and an argument, not a quote.

"And here are these five lines, verbatim from Zenon's notes: 'The
teachings are dangerous. The OTs and NOTs establish that sickness should
be treated with auditing. This is also applied on children that do not
have their own free will to abstain from medical care but are actually
deprived of it instead (Lisa McPherson)'.

"McShane's deposition starts. 'NOTs is not a course, it is spiritual
counseling, delivered in blocks of time. Twelve and a half hour is one
block. There is a fixed donation for such a block. Within NOTs, that is
7000 USD per block. We don't think that is expensive, but you have to
understand that Scientology is a relatively new religion and it costs
money to pay our church operations.'

"Magnusson brings McShane the binder that contain impressive colour
snapshots of RTC's security system. Zenon protests, whether anything has
been secured is irrelevant in this context and, besides, he is not
disputing the current security measures. The court allows the evidence
anyway and McShane flips through the binder, explaining as he goes along.

'In 1983, 3 ex-members of the church disguised themselves as high church
officials. They traveled from England to Denmark, where they wouldn't be
recognised, and via a trick - they switched the material - they got the
NOTs. Since then the NOTs have surfaced every now and then, and every time
we sue, the material has been enjoined.

"'What is the damage that Zenon has incurred upon Scientology?'

"'Extensive damage. First of all, we have had a loss of revenue through
people who have seen the material that Zenon Panoussis made available;
they won't become church members, mainly because they saw this material
without the proper preparation. Secondly, the amount of effort we had to
put into protecting the copies around here. Scientologists gave up their
jobs, their family life, made great personal sacrifices to do so, just to
prevent people who were not eligible from seeing the material. There were
loopholes in the law that Zenon Panoussis took advantage of. It took us
three years to solve this. It took us over three years to solve this. Lots
of money and personal sacrifice went into this. Thirdly, the money
involved in this litigation. This is one of the most complex cases I have
come across. Zenon Panoussis has taken advantage of the system. It took
tremendous expertise to counter him.'

"At this point, Zenon puts his hand on his chest and nods to McShane,
making a virtual bow. He takes this accusation to be a compliment.

"McShane shows a part of OT2. 'See, this is what we consider to be a
work.' He points at a page containing ten or twelve lines. Zenon, who is
also standing there, recognises a part and interrupts. 'This part is in
the Fishman Affidavit, but while here you have a list of items and then a
short description under each, in my Fishman Affidavit I only have the
headings.' That can hardly even be seen as a quote, let alone as an
infringement.' 'But you must understand that these words have a very
special meaning for us,' McShane objects. 'And the one-page work that you
showed us earlier? Can I see that again?' Zenon leafs through OT2 and
finds the ten-liner. McShane cringes, a Suppressive is touching the OTs,
and he can't prevent it. Zenon takes the Fishman Affidavit, puts it next
to this work from OT2 and shows the court that the Fishman version
contains only half of these twelve lines.

"McShane continues about the special meanings that words have. He points
at a list and reads it aloud: 'Love' and then proceeds to sing-song the
rest; he finds it difficult to pronounce them under these circumstances,
within this company. They really are sacred to him. 'All the nuances of
these words must be understood, and it is terribly important that they are
understood properly. You can imagine how difficult it is to make an
adequate translation.' The Chair suddenly looks up from the OTs that he is
viewing, and asks McShane, with a certain surprise in his voice: 'Are
there any translations made of the OTs and NOTs?' 'Yes,' McShane answers
proudly. He doesn't know that he is digging his own grave. Twenty-five
thousand readers, translations, all this suffices to establish legal
publication, and thus the right for individuals to have copies for private
use and the right to quote them in public.

"McShane points at a Rastafarian NOT. 'You see, they just wrote the words
funnily, and while I agree that the texts have been mangled: what can be
processed can be reverted and unprocessed.' The court looks and compares.
Actually, as they find out, words have been exchanged as well: all
instances of 'thetan' have been changed into 'watermelon' and all
instances of 'body thetan' into 'watchammecallit'. 'There are no instances
of the word 'watermelon' in the original?' the Chair asks McShane, to be
sure what it is that he is seeing. No, McShane replies, that word was not
used by Hubbard. 'I admit that the order of the words has been changed,
and that the text has been reworked,' says McShane, 'but you must
understand that these texts still contain our confidential words.' He is
actually implying that they have copyright on words.

"McShane states that 'paraphrasing is infringement'. Zenon asks him to
repeat himself. McShane amends: 'Paraphrasing could be an infringement.'
Under his belief system, I understand him: since they claim ownership to
certain words, any text that contains these words is indeed infringing -
according to them."

-end-