Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 6, Issue 4
5/13/2001
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 Yahoo. Email weekinreview-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or
see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/weekinreview. PDA channel available at
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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

#####

> 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@...>

#####

> 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."

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#####

> 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@...>

#####

> 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@...>

#####

> 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@...>

#####

> 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@...>

#####

> 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@...>

#####

> 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."

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#####

> 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."

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#####

> 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@...>
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#####

> 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."

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#####

> 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."

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#####

> 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."

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> 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."

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#####

> 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.'"

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> 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."

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> 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."

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-end-