Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 6, Issue 15
7/29/2001
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
http://avantgo.com/channels/_add_channel.pl?cha_id=2900

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

#####

> Clearwater

Judge Thomas E. Penick this week issued a permanent injunction to replace
the temporary injunctions against Scientology and protesters in
Clearwater.

"The Defendants have frequently picketed, protested, and demonstrated at
the Plaintiffs facilities in Pinellas County, and Clearwater, in
particular. Both sides have and continue to expend vast numbers of hours
videotaping and 'spying' on each other. Such acts have heightened the
tensions and frictions between the parties. During these picketing events,
physical confrontations have erupted between the parties. When violence
breaks out, the Clearwater Police have had to expend many work hours and
taxpayers' dollars to return peace and tranquility to the community. The
frequency of the involvement of the Clearwater Police has constantly
grown.

"Throughout the history of the conflicts and confrontations between the
parties, all taxpayers of Clearwater, Pinellas County and the State of
Florida have had to expend vast sums of money to compensate numerous
governmental agencies of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches
of government to administrate, enforce, maintain, prosecute, defend, and
promulgate laws to nurture harmony and safety between these parties, and
ultimately, the public as a whole. This financial hemorrhaging must be
stopped. All branches of government need to move on and devote more time
to other matters of public interest rather than to the antics of these
parties.

"The Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State
of Florida provide for free speech; however, the right of free speech must
be exercised so as not to jeopardize societal interest in safety,
tranquility and peace. Generally, a court of equity lacks jurisdiction to
enjoin the commission of crimes but where patterns of harassment are
detrimental to the public safety, injunctive relief may be utilized.

"Inasmuch as both the Petitioner and the Respondent have engaged in and
continue to engage in the dangerous and threatening practice of seeing how
close one another can get to each other while protesting, picketing, and
demonstrating each other, have blocked or inhibited the free flow of foot
traffic on the public sidewalks, have blocked the flow of traffic on the
public roadways, have inhibited the egress and ingress of the parties from
their respective buildings, and have physically touched or attacked each
other, it is imperative that all parties must be mutually restrained.

"A permanent injunction is entered against the defendants, Robert S.
Minton, Jr., Lisa McPherson Trust, Inc,, Jesse Prince, Grady Ward, Stacy
Brooks, Jeff Jacobsen, Patricia Greenway, Peter Alexander, Mark Bunker and
Tory Bezazian, their members, officers, agents, servants, employees and
those persons and entities in actual concert or participation with them
who receive actual notice of this injunction, enjoining them from
picketing, protesting, and/or demonstrating in the areas designated in
BLUE (the 'prohibited zones') on the diagrams of certain properties owned
and/or operated by the Church, and from engaging in any of the
aforementioned activities within ten feet of any entrance or exit actually
used frequently on a daily basis to all Church property.

"The defendants are permanently enjoined from coming within ten feet of
any member of the Church; from blocking the path of any member or any
motor vehicle of the Church; and from physically or by any other means
inhibiting any Church member, any member of the general public, or any
motor vehicle, from entering or leaving any Church properties.

"The defendants are permanently enjoined from making any loud and raucous
noise such as, but not limited to yelling, shouting, whistling or singing
(whether by natural or amplified voice), or by the employment of any
mechanical device such as a horn, whistle, or other noisemaker that
creates a loud and raucous noise that can be heard inside any of the
Church properties.

"The defendants are permanently enjoined from committing any acts of
harassment or violence against any member of the Church, including,
without limitation, any UNSOLICITED physical, verbal or written contact
with any Church staff or parishioner. Videotaping from a distance of more
than 10 feet shall not be considered harassment.

"A permanent injunction is entered against the Church and its officers,
agents, employees and those persons and entities in actual concert or
participation with it who receive actual notice of this injunction
enjoining them from picketing, protesting, and/or demonstrating in the
areas designated in BLUE on the diagram of the Lisa McPherson Trust, Inc.
property.

"The Church and its officers, agents, servants, employees and those
persons and entities in actual concert or participation with it who
receive actual notice of this injunction are permanently enjoined from
coming within ten feet of any defendant; from blocking the path of any
defendant or any motor vehicle of any defendant; and from physically or by
any other means inhibiting any defendant, any member of the general
public, or any motor vehicle from entering or leaving any properties owned
and/or operated by defendants.

"The Church and its officers, agents, servants, employees and those
persons and entities in actual concert or participation with it who
receive actual notice of this injunction are permanently enjoined from
making any loud and raucous noise such as, but not limited to, yelling,
shouting, whistling or singing (whether by natural or amplified voice), or
by the employment of any mechanical device such as a horn, whistle or
other noisemaker that creates a loud and raucous noise that can be heard
inside the Lisa McPherson Trust, Inc. property. A 'loud and raucous noise'
is any sound which because of its volume level, duration, and character,
annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, health, peace or
safety of reasonable persons of ordinary sensibilities.

"The Church and its officers, agents, servants employees and those persons
and entities in actual concert or participation with it who receive actual
notice of this injunction are permanently enjoined from committing any
acts of harassment or violence against any of the defendants, including,
without limitation, any UNSOLICITED physical, verbal or written contact
with any defendant. Videotaping from a distance of more than 10 feet shall
not be considered harassment.

"Before a Party engages in any acts of Picketing, protesting, and/or
demonstrating in designated ORANGE areas within the City of Clearwater
against the other party, the Party intending to picket, protest, and/or
demonstrate will contact the Clearwater Police Department at least one
hour in advance of the demonstration event and inform the Clearwater
Police Department of their/its intentions."

From the St. Petersburg Times on July 28th

"Like a principal separating two schoolyard rivals, a Pinellas County
judge on Friday ordered the Church of Scientology and its critics to back
off. No more yelling and whistling and carrying on. No more waving signs
in the faces of church members as they get off a bus to grab a bite to
eat. Stop the spying. And if you want to picket each other, give
Clearwater police a one-hour heads-up.

"While the order seeks to end harassment on both sides, it specifically
targets several trust activities. For example, if trust members want to
demonstrate in downtown Clearwater, they'll need to be quiet about it. The
order prohibits either side from yelling, shouting, whistling or singing,
or blowing a horn whistle or other noisemaker that creates a 'loud and
raucous noise' that would disturb 'reasonable persons of ordinary
sensibilities.'

"The order also expands the previously established no-picketing zone to
prohibit the trust from waving signs across from the Watterson Street curb
where Scientology members often get off buses to enter a Scientology
cafeteria. The cafeteria is also about a block from the headquarters of
the Lisa McPherson Trust.

"Stacy Brooks, president of the Lisa McPherson Trust said 'I think the
idea that there's a need to keep the peace is a concept manufactured by
Scientology,' she said. 'What Scientology is trying to do is whittle away
our civil rights in Clearwater.'"

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#####

> Denmark

Andreas Heldal-Lund reported that Scientology's Narconon program is
running an ad campaign on bus shelters.

"Narconon is having an add campaign in Denmark these day. They have big
posters in bus sheds saying: '250,000 saved from drug addiction' No more
details on the poster of course."

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#####

> Keith Henson

The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported on July 26th that Keith Henson has
been sentenced in California for interfering with a religion.

"Keith Henson, who has been in Canada since May, was convicted of
interfering with religion for protesting at the Church of Scientology's
Golden Era Productions in Gilman Hot Springs. Henson's protesting
intimidated Golden Era employees, who said they were afraid of him, and
kept them from entering their church.

"Riverside County Superior Court Judge Robert Wallerstein gave Henson, a
59-year-old Palo Alto resident, the option of serving 180 days in jail and
three years of probation instead of the one-year sentence. Henson, who is
awaiting a hearing in Canada on his status as a political refugee,
communicated with the judge via e-mail. He said he would not accept the
sentence because he thinks it is too harsh for his actions. 'I think it
will eventually be overturned,' Henson said of the conviction. 'The
charges against me are absurd.'

"Henson said he was just exercising free speech by protesting. He believes
his human rights have been violated by what he calls a harsh sentence, he
said. While he waits for his political-refugee application to wend its
way through the Canadian immigration courts, Henson is staying with a
fellow Scientology protester near Toronto. He said he has no plans to
leave Canada in the near future, but he does miss his family and friends."

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#####

> David Minkoff

The Tampa Tribune reported on July 25th that David Minkoff, the doctor who
was involved in the care Lisa McPherson received at the Fort Harrison
hotel until her death, faces disciplinary action by the medical board.

"Nearly six years after the death of a Church of Scientology member, a
doctor involved in the case faces a one-year license suspension and
$10,000 fine. Administrative Judge William F. Quattlebaum ruled in May
that although Clearwater physician David Minkoff was not responsible for
the death of Lisa McPherson, he illegally prescribed Valium and chloral
hydrate to her at the behest of other church members. Minkoff was also a
member of the church.

"The Florida Board of Medicine is scheduled to meet in Tallahassee on Aug.
3 to consider the recommended punishment. Board spokesman Bill Parizek
said Tuesday that the board's final decision is usually similar to a
judge's recommendation.

"McPherson was alleged to have been confined by the church and denied
adequate medical treatment. Criminal charges against the church were
dropped last year after the autopsy reports were revised to reflect that
the cause of death was 'accidental.' Although admitting no guilt, Minkoff
reached a $100,000 settlement in 1997 in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by
McPherson's estate."

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#####

> Protest Summary

"Zeratul" reported a protest at the Toronto org this week.

"Keith, Kaeli, and Zeratul picketed the Toronto org from 3 to 4 pm today.
It was an uneventful picket. Keith stayed over a hundred feet away on the
other side of Young St. handing out about a lots of flyers and talking to
a number of citizens who had a uniformly bad opinion of Hubbard's cult.
Zeratul with a picket sign and Kaeli handing out flyers got up close. The
blackout curtains noticed last Saturday were gone today. Late in the
picket a cult videographer trained a video camera on the sight of people
talking to Keith and taking flyers."

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#####

> Reed Slatkin

The Los Angeles Times reported on July 26th that Scientologist Reed
Slatkin is missing over a half a billion dollars of investors' money.

"Fallen money manager Reed E. Slatkin owes investors and other creditors
$576 million but apparently has assets of less than $45 million, according
to a report filed by a court-appointed trustee in Santa Barbara this week.
The first official accounting of Slatkin's finances is probably incomplete
because the unregistered money manager cooperated only intermittently in
identifying his assets and debts, trustee R. Todd Neilson, a forensic
accountant, said in the report.

"Bankruptcy officials believe Slatkin managed money on behalf of as many
as 850 investors, including Hollywood celebrities, Internet executives and
socialites from around the country. According to the trustee's reports,
Slatkin's assets include more than $12 million in loans made to some of
his investors and associates, including $835,200 to fellow EarthLink
co-founder Kevin O'Donnell, $1 million to investor Anthony Podell and $1.1
million to Santa Barbara resident Denise Del Bianco.

"In the three months before he filed for bankruptcy, Slatkin paid out more
than $26 million to investors, creditors and vendors - including $3
million to his own relatives, according to the report. Slatkin also
donated more than $200,000 to various Scientology causes in the year
before his bankruptcy. He also gave $257,000 to Santa Barbara charities,
including $224,000 to the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, which raises
funds for a local entertainment venue.

From the Santa Barbara News-Press on July 27th:

"This lopsided profile appears to confirm creditors' fears that they are
likely to recover only a fraction of any money entrusted to Mr. Slatkin.
The eight-year Hope Ranch resident is the subject of a federal
investigation for allegedly defrauding up to 850 investors through his
unregistered investment advisory business. The trustee's conclusion that
Mr. Slatkin is apparently nearly half a billion dollars short -- and that
he paid $3.4 million this year to relatives prior to filing for bankruptcy
protection in May -- will not endear him to a crowd of creditors due at a
Santa Barbara hotel's conference room on Monday for a special case update.
Mr. Slatkin is scheduled to face his creditors for the first time at that
meeting.

"Lawyers for Mr. Slatkin on Thursday issued a statement that the $500
million figure in the report includes claims by investors who made more
than they invested with Mr. Slatkin, but believe they are owed still more
money. The statement said some of these investors might actually be
required to return some or all of their profits to Mr. Slatkin's
bankruptcy estate for distribution to investors who did not do so well.

"Mr. Slatkin paid $26,233,340 this year to investors, creditors and
vendors such as the phone company before filing for bankruptcy protection
in May, the report states. That included paying $3,403,278 to six
relatives, the trustee's report said. The payments ranged from $50,000 to
his wife, Mary Jo Slatkin, to $76,836 to his son, Justin Slatkin. He also
paid $1,808,768 to Sally Sovernisky, $853,575 to Irving Rubin, $600,000 to
Ron Schmier and $14,199 to Joanne Berger. The report identified these
people as relatives, but gave no further details. Mr. Slatkin this year
also paid $78,263 to Jean Janu, his bookkeeper in New Mexico.

"He also donated $68,975 to the Church of Scientology this year, records
show. Mr. Slatkin and his wife are ordained ministers in the church. When
he began his investment club in 1987, Mr. Slatkin collected money from
fellow members of the Church of Scientology with promises of high profits
- some did realize high returns - and over the years added other
investors."

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-end-