Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 38
12/29/2002 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2002

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

Note: This issue contains articles from the past two weeks.

#####

> Bangladesh

The Daily Star reported on December 23rd that a representative from
Narconon participated in a seminar on drug abuse in Bangladesh.

"Drug trafficking is accelerating at an alarming pace in the country,
noted the speakers at a seminar yesterday in the city. The seminar on drug
abuse prevention and rehabilitation was organised by the Centre for
Sustainable Development and Research (CSDR).

"The speakers focused on various ways of addressing the drug abusing
problem and stressed the need for proper treatment and rehabilitation of
the addicted population. Medicinal drugs or pain killers can have a long
term damaging effect on the addict, both mentally and physically, noted
Clark R. N. Carr, president, Narconon International. He stressed on pain
free drug withdrawal process utilising specific nutrition and other
assists. The seminar was chaired by Prof. Samir K Saha, advisor, CSDR.
Khondoker Mahbubuddin Ahmed, member of parliament, spoke as the chief
guest in the occasion."

Message-ID: <u92e0vcsn5a6trc0013thkqc47cci2u8u1@...>

#####

> Buffalo Org

The Buffalo News reported on December 22nd that Scientology has found a
new location for the Buffalo org. The old building is to be demolished to
make room for a parking ramp.

"A historic building in the 800 block of Main Street, which began its life
as a religious gathering place, is about to become the new home of
Buffalo's Church of Scientology. The Scientologists will move into the
former Buffalo Catholic Institute building, at 836 Main St. on the
southwest corner of Main and Virginia streets, early next year when they
move from their current location at 47 W. Huron St.

"Built in 1893, the three-story structure, with two mezzanine levels, is
one of a handful of Beaux Arts-style buildings in Buffalo. The
ivory-colored exterior of the stone and brick building features intricate
medallion brackets, copper projecting cornices, egg and dart moldings, and
highly decorative friezes. Its eye-catching features also include a row of
two-story arched windows that grace its Main Street facade.

"The decision to purchase the turn-of-the-century building ends a more
than yearlong saga involving the church's current home on West Huron. The
city had been trying to gain control of the site for expansion of its Owen
P. Augspurger Parking Ramp, a pursuit that led to heated Common Council
debate, packed public hearings and even a federal court suit by the church
to prevent the city from acquiring the property through eminent domain.

"Earlier this month the city and church came to an agreement under which
the city will pay $740,000 for the West Huron site, a figure that will
cover the appraised value of the four-story building and relocation costs.
The church declined to reveal the purchase price of its new home, but real
estate sources put it at around $400,000."

Message-ID: <q9ZN9.692$gU.499318@...>

#####

> Flag Land Base

Source Magazine reported some of the news from Flag Land Base in
Clearwater, Florida.

"Clearwater Volunteer Ministers take responsibility for their community. -
Judy Fagerman, Volunteer Minister I/C for Clearwater and Sandra Deigner,
Deputy I/C, have been delivering LRH tech flat out since they set up a
booth at local outdoor market. 'Last Sunday, we gave stress tests and many
nerve assists,' said Judy. 'During one of them, the person blew a somatic
he'd had for eight months.' That man went right to the Clearwater Mission
to find out more.

"Judy and Sandra are also disseminating over the radio. After one recent
show where they covered LRH Assist Tech, and the cause of suppression, a
woman who had been listening in her care drove straight over to the
station. She's now on The Bridge. The VM's are involved in many other
activities including hatting local groups on LRH Assist Tech, such as the
local Boy Scout troop.

"The Community Learning Center in Clearwater, run by Scientologist Sharon
Hillestad, has joined forces with one of its best pupils in the adult
literacy program, former cruiserweight boxing champion Tyrone Booze.
Utilizing Tyrone's talents as a boxer - and his winning stance as last
year's recipient of the Tampa Bay Reads Adult Student of the Year award -
he and Sharon started the Smart Fighter Program. There, black youth can
get off the streets and go to daily boxing lessons - with the added punch
that they also learn how to read and write. This program is already so
effective that Tyrone was recently honored as the Tutor of the Year for
the Tampa Bay region."

Message-ID: <LEBVKYCQ37615.8468518518@...>

#####

> New Zealand

The New Zealand Press Association reported on December 27th that
Scientology will be recognized as a tax-exempt charity in New Zealand.

"The Church of Scientology will not pay any more income tax after the
Inland Revenue Department declared it a charity, the church said today.
The IRD said the church was a charitable organization dedicated to the
advancement of religion and its income would be tax exempt. The New
Zealand branch of the church, started in the United States by science
fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, was founded in Auckland in 1955."

Message-ID: <797f716c.0212262045.3e74e530@...>

#####

> Leipzig Human Rights Award

The European-American Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Religious
Freedom in the USA announced this week that the winner of its annual award
will be Andreas Heldal-Lund, creator of the Operation Clambake web site.

"The European-American Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Religious
Freedom in the USA (EACC) is pleased to announce Andreas Heldal-Lund of
Stavanger, Norway as the recipient of the 2003 Leipzig Human Rights Award.
The award will be presented on May 17 in the Old Stock Market in Leipzig,
the city known as the birth place of the East German civil rights
movement.

"Mr. Heldal-Lund is the fourth recipient of the Leipzig Award, which has
been given each year to individuals who have made outstanding
contributions to the achieving of the human rights reforms that the EEAC
seeks in US-operated totalitarian cults. Mr. Heldal-Lund is an Information
Technology professional and free speech proponent who created and
maintains the most famous Internet site in the world Operation Clambake
http://www.xenu.net/ --that exposes and opposes the fraud and human rights
violations of the US-based Scientology organization.

"Scientology has attacked Mr. Heldal-Lund and his Internet Service
Providers with lawyer threat letters and a black propaganda campaign, and
caused a succession of ISPs to terminate his service. In February this
year, bowing to pressure from Scientology lawyers employing the US law
called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the widely used
Internet search engine Google removed links to Operation Clambake from its
directory. But Mr. Heldal-Lund held his ground, contending that
Scientology withholds important information about its teachings that he
was making available, and that people perhaps would not join the cult if
the full information was accessible. Free speech advocates around the
world rushed to his defense, mounted an Internet and print media campaign,
and forced Google to put Clambake back into its search engine."

Message-ID: <3E0CE02E.1030601@...>

#####

> Russia

Gerry Armstrong reported on a recent trip to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where
he participated in a conference on cults and Scientology.

"We'd been invited to Ekaterinburg by Archbishop Vincent of the
Ekatrinburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church to participate in a
three-day conference on dangerous cults sponsored by the Church, with the
blessing of Alexey II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, and by the
Government of the Urals Federal District.

"There were a few over three hundred attendees at the conference, which
took place in an auditorium of the Urals Academy of State Service, and
perhaps thirty people presented papers on various sociological,
psychological or theological topics relating to cults. I gave a talk in
three parts on Scientology, which was translated into Russian as I spoke
by Professor Alexander Dvorkin.

"A number of TV and print media personnel attended, and at the end of the
first morning session we had a press conference in a separate meeting room
in the Academy with several TV stations participating.  In the afternoon,
a group of twelve of us, including both bishops, had a very positive
meeting with the Presidential Plenipotentiary in the Urals Federal
District Pyotr Latyshev. I had the opportunity to tell him about my
personal experiences and knowledge of Scientology. He seemed genuinely
interested in the cult's intelligence structure and activities, which is
quite understandable because he was, I believe, a general in the Russian
army before being appointed as President Putin's Representative in the
Urals.

"After giving one part of my conference talk, a young woman, who was not
part of the program, walked onto the stage, up to the podium and began to
mouth some promo for Scientology. She was ushered away from the podium and
out into the hallway, where I spoke to her and proposed that we have a
debate, which she accepted. The young woman, who gave her first name as
Maria, but whose family name I didn't get, said that she is an employee of
the cult in Ekaterinburg, and has been a Scientologist for five years. As
it turned out, she really didn't want to debate Scientology, but wanted
only to give her commercial for the cult. Nevertheless, I had the
opportunity to tell her some of my experiences and ask her some questions
to attempt to get her to discuss wogs' concerns about Scientology.

"Over the next two days of the conference, in addition to presenting the
second and third parts of my paper, I participated in a flurry of media
engagements. We had a second press conference in the Ekaterinburg Media
Center building, with nine television channels (or at least cameras)
present and several newspaper representatives. Right after the press
conference I gave two additional interviews to TV journalists. At a
separate TV station, I did an interview for a half-hour show, which will
also include talks with Professor Dvorkin and Novosibirsk Archpriest
Alexander Novopashin.  And I did a talk-format show, with Professor
Dvorkin participating and translating, which will be televised around
Christmas.

"I accepted Maria's invitation and visiting the Ekaterinburg Scientology
office, along with local priests Father Vladimir and Father Nikita,
Professor Dvorkin, Pastor Thomas Gandow, and two television station crews.
I didn't go inside the cult's office, because the large Scientologist
blocking the entrance wouldn't specifically invite me in, but all the
others entered and engaged the Scientologists in dueling videocams, and
even some precious dialogue. The Scientologists were apparently giving
visitors to their center black PR documents on their designated enemies,
including Professor Dvorkin and me, and it was reported that they sent to
Ekaterinburg officials an accompanying letter similar to their 2001 black
PR letter to Nizhny-Novgorod officials.

"At one point, the large Scientologist grabbed Dvorkin in a sort of
Russian bear hug, and someone else called the police. Two officers arrived
and took a number of statements. During our hour or so visit, I engaged
the Scientologist man-handler in a discussion about Hubbard's lies and
Scientology's unworkability, had similar conversations with a number of
people who arrived to do courses or something, and gave interviews to the
two TV crews. That evening, our twenty-first anniversary visit to
Scientology was top news on both channels.

"Pastor Gandow and I also gave a talk to a class of sixty university
theology students, and then had a question and answer period with them. A
number of them had also attended the conference at the Academy of State
Service, so already knew us to some extent, and if time had allowed would
have kept us talking for hours.

"Our final work day in the Urals, we traveled to Asbest, at the invitation
of the Orthodox Church Parish, to give a talk in the city's Cultural
Center to about one hundred fifty people.  A number of the attendees,
which included at least two local government representatives, also asked
excellent questions, and clearly grasped the danger of certain cults. One
of the representatives expressed the observation that the people in his
country had for seventy years been suppressed by a cult which became the
government."

Message-ID: <ajc40vofb3vn98uo4vck2m819iaki669aa@...>

#####

> UK

The Sunday Mirror reported on December 22nd that the British Home
Secretary will propose laws that distinguish Scientology and other cults
from mainstream religions.

"Brainwashing cults which prey on vulnerable youngsters are to be targeted
in a Government crackdown. Home Secretary David Blunkett is drawing up
laws that will create a new legal definition of cults distinguishing them
from mainstream religions. Mr. Blunkett says the law needs to protect
young people who are being exploited financially and sexually.

"Groups deemed to be cults will be unable to apply for charitable status,
which allows them tax perks, and they will face close financial
monitoring. Any signs that recruits are being exploited for their cash
will result in prosecutions. Laws may also be made that relate to
detaining people through psychological manipulation. Organisations that
may be affected include the US-based Church of Scientology and the
Moonies."

Message-ID: <qyiN9.578$gU.493798@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 39
1/5/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Las Vegas

Las Vegas Weekly visited the Scientology Celebrity Center in Las Vegas and
published a report on the visit on December 26th.

"Distinguishing features: Heard of Tom Cruise? Kirstie Alley? John
Travolta? They and others pay good money for the freedom and direction
this church gives them. Scientology's basic tenet is that man is good, but
is marred by sin, which reduces awareness and power.

"The place: Storefront with big back room with couches, a table and chairs
and a videocassette player with lots of instructional tapes you can buy.
Service was held in a rectangular room, about 8 feet by 15 feet, with 15
chairs and a framed picture of beloved church founder, science-fiction
writer L. Ron Hubbard.

"My experience: 'OK, then,' the leader says to his congregation of four.
'Now, I'm going to ask you a question: Where is your chair?'

"We look around, some people visibly grab the chair so the speaker sees
the recognition of the seat.

"'Great, great! Where is the floor?'

"Several stomp the floor.

"'Terrrrrific! So, where are you?'

"Puzzled looks. 'Here,' someone finally says.

"'Faaaaantastic! OK, then. So, where are you?'

"A brave soul puzzles over the question, wants to impress Leader and
utters, 'In Las Vegas.'

"'Great, great!' Leader says. Long pause. 'So, where are you?'

"'In a storefront in Las Vegas.'

"Leader later tells us that instead of trying to figure out why he kept
asking these questions for the better part of an hour, we should have
simply kept answering in order to get the experience of thinking less
egocentrically. (It's called 'processing.') I was just trying to keep my
cool, certain that the entire sermon was an attempt to drive us to
homicidal frustration, then use Scientology to save our souls. Ninety
minutes after I arrived, I leave, slightly dazed.

"Rating: 1 (out of five)"

Message-ID: <80ee9418.0301011142.62b01356@...>

#####

> Cincinnati

The Kentucky Herald-Leader reported on December 30th that Scientologists
attended the destruction of Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium.

"Thirty-seven seconds after the first boom, the place where Johnny Bench
and-Pete Rose once played, the former home of the Bengals, the site of
several huge rock concerts and an annual rhythm and blues gathering, had
been reduced to 135,000 tons of rubble.

"There were people handing out flyers selling stadium seats (four for
$349, singles for $199), and trying to draw people in to the Church of
Scientology."

Message-ID: <80ee9418.0212300836.6f0bed74@...>

#####

> New Year's Eve

"Cerridwen" reported on Scientology's annual New Year's Eve event in Los
Angeles.

"Every year the New Years Event is held at the Shrine Auditorium in LA.
The event is always held a few days before the New Year so that the videos
can then be edited and sent to the outer orgs to be shown on New Years
Eve.

"The event started as always with DM making his way to Center Stage from
Stage Left. As always there was tons of applause and DM had to keep giving
Acks to the audience to get them to stop.  There was a video recapping the
2002 accomplishments narrated by Jeff Pomerantz.  DM tells us that the
'Wake Up Call' that occurred as a result of 911 was not just for
Scientologists but also for the whole world and that some people got it
and others didn't. As an example of how screwed up things are, DM tells us
that the reason George W. Bush wants to go to war with Iraq is that Saddam
is 'the guy who went after my Daddy.'

"DM goes on to say that we are living in a time in which we are
experiencing a 'morality crisis' and cited Enron and other scandals of
corporate American. I noticed he failed to mention the Reed Slatkin/Tony
Hitchman Ponzi scheme but then I really didn't think he would bring it up.
What he did mention was the Roman Catholic Church and the pedophile stuff.
DM 'invalidating' the RCC is definitely out Way To Happiness. DM tells us
that 'we' are the future because we do not lack certainty.

"Then he gave some stats on religious groups websites. Now he didn't say
if these stats were weekly, monthly or whatever. 168,000 hits to Jewish
sites, 633,000 hits to ALL Christian sites combined and 1.2 hits to all of
'our' Scientology sites combined. So this means that Scientology gets more
hits than all Jewish and Christian sites combined.

"The WIS Exhibition went to 33 cities around the world.  It seems that in
Zurich, the C of S has had difficulty in the past getting permits to hand
out leaflets in public places and the C of S was in some litigation there
for several years. Due to the WIS Exhibition, someone spoke with some
official who got on the cans and found Scientology to be extremely
interesting and told them they could have whatever permits they wanted.
In Munich, they met with VIPs and got allies for CCHR to work against the
psychs in Germany. In Madrid, they managed to get study tech into a
Catholic school that was having difficulty of some kind.  In Milan, they
briefed the President of the City council on Narconon after which the
President said that the City wanted to form a partnership with any
effective group and the C of S was certainly an effective group. In
Toronto, some official from the Jamaican Community received auditing and a
Sikh leader in that city is opening up a Narconon Center in Peterborough.
In total there were 200,000 that went through the WIS Exhibition and
50,000 got an intro Service.

"DM says we now have a total of 15,000 VM's and in Hungary, the only
people allowed in to handle the big Flood they had in the summer was the
military, the Red Cross and the VM's. DM even read a statement from a
letter sent by the Vice General of Civil Defense in Hungary who said
'thank you to the Church of Scientology for saving us from the flood.'

"The VM's had a big win in Johannesburg. It seems this past summer there
was some big international conference and things were very tense. At one
point a cop shot an employee of the hotel where all the international
representatives were staying and the tension really got bad. So the VM's
arrived and went into action and started passing out the Way to Happiness
and Cal Mag to calm everyone's nerves! According to DM it worked so well
that the Dir of Police Services contacted the Church after and the Church
is now delivering some kind of VM workshop thingie to police stations in
Johannesburg.

"Next up is Karen Hollander. The Way to Happiness has some campaign going
on with the LAPD. After passing out the WTH booklets in one neighborhood
there was a 30% reduction in crime.  It seems that the LAPD was so happy
and pleased that during a parade, their motorcycle cops stopped in front
of the LRH Exhibit in Hollywood and saluted LRH. In Bali there are a bunch
of people working in the Ministry of Justice who are running the Way to
Happiness/Criminon Program in 350 prisons in Indonesia. This program is
now in 28 countries and 1800 prisons worldwide.

"Then we get a description of the drug scene in Australia and a history of
Narconon there. It started with relatives of addicts treating them in
their homes. Later 2 public Scientologists provided Narconon with a
center. But the big news was that then Narconon got from the government
full charity status and 14 acres of land with 6 buildings on it making it
the biggest drug rehab center in Australia.

"A video is shown of a woman who went to Rwanda and she goes to see the
Mayor of Kigali. In her first contact with the Mayor she gives him a Book
I session and the Mayor goes exterior and decides that he must get Dn and
Scientology in his area. So he gets a bunch of other mayors and city admin
people on the bandwagon. Three years later how many people in his part of
Rwanda are now using Dn and Scientology? 60,000 according to Mark.

"Guillaume Lesevre told us that The President of Rwanda was contacted
about Scientology and he was sold on it and introduced his entire cabinet
to Scientology. This contact happened about 3 years ago and now, three
years later there are 3000 groups in 30 different cities making up 400,000
Scientologists in Central Africa. ED Int said that in 2000 there were 1.5
million Well Done Auditing Hours. In 2001 there were 2.2 million and in
2002 there were a total of 3.8 million WDAH worldwide. There were over 120
OT 7 comps in 2002.

"DM said that in 2003 they were going to put more money into the org
buildings than they had in the past 10 years combined. Also there was
going to be a tech release that would speed up progress on the Bridge.
He wrapped up with a plea that everyone should put their shoulder to the
wheel to get LRH's tech to the planet. 'For God Sakes, help us bring it to
all of man.'

"The last part of the event was a tape play of some LRH doom and gloom
about how easily the planet could be wiped out by massive weapons and how
much it depends on Scientologists for its salvation.  At the end of that,
everybody jumped up to applaud but the Hip Hip Hooray wasn't very
enthusiastic. The event ended in sort of a Rush and then we had Doug E.
Fresh to entertain us."

Message-ID: <3RQR0VI737624.954224537@...>

#####

> New Zealand

Religion News Blog reported on January 4th that a Christian group in New
Zealand is protesting the newly granted charity status Scientology has in
New Zealand

"A Christian group is outraged a controversial church has been granted
charity status by Inland Revenue. Cultwatch spokesman Mark Vrankovich
warns people to be wary of Scientology.

"He says closer examination of the religion sheds light on why it took so
long to get charity status. He likens Scientology to a cult, where
followers pay money to advance through the levels of the religion. Mr
Vrankovich says people need to thoroughly research what religious groups
stand for, before joining."

Message-ID: <7ege1vke0u0gent31ftrr2u9e9pbrg3bjt@...>

#####

> Protest Summary

Christopher Wood reported a protest on December 7th at the Toronto
Scientology org.

"Picketers: Me, Keith Henson (up the road), Arel Lucas, Android Cat. David
Palter spotting me early on. Granfalloon walking by to say hi. Leaflets:
Is this Hubbard's Science?/What Judges Say, Arel had some Xenu leaflets,
and whatever Keith had.

"The cult was doing its 'good roads and fair weather' bit - their open
house was on, and the cult's Drug Free Marshals front group had a display
outside. They had a popcorn cart, body routers, and had blocked off a bit
of Saint Mary Street with a stage and some kids stuff at the back. The
inside of the org was an open house.

"I picketed for a while, with David Palter handing out the odd leaflet
behind me.  Arel decided to picket down the sidewalk closest to the org -
which the cult obviously didn't like. She got 'asked' by the off-duty
police officer the cult had hired not to picket on the org side of Saint
Mary - was saying something about how Scientology had a permit, and they
could exercise some modicum of control over who walked there. Arel pointed
out that other people were walking there, and the police officer said yes,
but they didn't have signs. Obviously there's some problem here in
realizing that people with signs have the same rights as people who don't
have signs.

"I noticed that finally there was somebody who had a worse time than
picketers with the wind - the Scientologists with the popcorn and
balloons. Whenever a gust of wind and the generosity of the popcorn server
coincided, invariably a puff or two would leak out. They kept sweeping, so
the sidewalk remained largely clean. The Scientologists with the balloons
were nice enough to attempt to restrain the balloons from blowing against
our signs - not that it always worked, though.

"I heard one of the Drug Free Marshals saying 'cigarettes aren't included
- they're not a drug' to a passerby.  I actually heard one of the Drug
Free Marshals use the term 'body routing,' as he took over leafleting
duties."

Message-Id: <pan.2003.01.02.02.02.54.709103@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 40
1/12/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Cloning

The Glendale News-Press reported on January 10th on the position
Scientology has taken in the controversy over human cloning.

"While some local religious leaders believe human cloning could provide
advancements in health research, others fear the concept allows human
beings to play God.

"For Father Joseph Shea of Holy Family Catholic Church, the sense of
family commitment would be adversely affected if advances in human cloning
were pursued. 'It's taking the family expression of love and reducing it
to a laboratory,' he said. 'As Catholics, we believe the body and soul
will be reunited in the Resurrection. I don't understand why people would
want to clone themselves. The body would not have the same soul, it would
not be the same person.'

"Jean Dale is a minister of Scientology, and spokeswoman for the Glendale
and Los Angeles areas. To members of her faith, how the body is created is
not something of importance. 'We believe that man is a spiritual being
that inhabits his body,' she said. 'It means they never die, and go from
one body to the next. What is important to us is that genetic research,
and any research, is approached responsibly and ethically.'"

Message-ID: <o6AT9.1092$gU.545769@...>

#####

> Tom Cruise

The Associated Press reported on January 10th that Scientology celebrity
Tom Cruise is using the publicity over the shooting of his latest movie to
denounce the use of drugs to tread Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder.

"Hollywood star Tom Cruise advised parents on Saturday to work hard to
help children having problems at school and not immediately put them on
medication. 'Today in America I know they are so quick to put children on
drugs because they are not learning well,' Cruise told reporters before
the start of shooting of his latest movie, 'The Last Samurai,' outside
this North Island city.

"Cruise said he went to 15 different schools as he was growing up and had
a 'very difficult time' with formal learning. He eventually tackled his
learning problems with the help of 'study tools' from the Scientology
religion 'that have helped me to be able to educate myself,' he said."

From Stuff Magazine on January 12th:

"Nothing succeeds like niceness and Tom Cruise's niceness is like golden
rain. Yesterday he poured it over a sweltering black press room in New
Plymouth and everyone bathed in its glow.

"After the Te Huatahi concert party had karangaed and serenaded him he
fumbled a scrap of paper out of his pocket: 'I've got a little help here,'
he said, 'because I don't want to make a mistake. E Nga Iwi O Taranaki,'
he blurted in Californian Maori, 'Tenna Katow, Tenna Katow, Tenna Katow
Katoh.' The Maori party greeted this with a friendly explosion of welcome
but then they had a low key Kiwi charm to match his. Wharehoka Wano, the
Maori speaker who accompanied Cruise and spoke for him, said in Maori 'I'm
already being mistaken for Tom Cruise'. The Maori instantly guffawed; the
Pakeha journalists; and the trio from Hollywood listened to the
interpreter and burst into delayed laughter.

"Perhaps his performance lacked a little in grit. This after all is a
Scientologist and Scientologists believe that in the past billions of
surplus beings from other planets were sent to Earth and slaughtered an
evil alien called Xenu. Is there some dark weirdness beneath that golden
grin? Well, the star explains, Scientology helped him overcome his
dyslexia and his famously broken education (15 schools!)"

Message-ID: <o5WT9.1139$gU.549622@...>
Message-ID: <80ee9418.0301121245.727841f9@...>

#####

> Denmark

The Associated Press reported on January 10th that Scientology has been
fined for making defamatory statements in an edition of Freedom Magazine.

"The Church of Scientology was fined by a Danish court Friday for
publishing defamatory remarks about an east German filmmaker and a Danish
journalist described by the church as having links to the former East
German secret police. Anette Refstrup, the Danish editor-in-chief of the
Frihed, or Freedom, was fined 10,000 kroner (US$1,370) and the church was
ordered by the Copenhagen City Court to pay court fees of 130,000 kroner
(US$17,800).

"In 1999, Frihed published a story that claimed filmmaker Walther
Heynowski worked for East Germany's Stasi and trained Danish journalist
Joergen Pedersen. The article was published after the Church of
Scientology tried to stop Pedersen from making a television show critical
of the church, which is not recognized as a religious organization in
Denmark.

"Heynowski, a German citizen, and Pedersen worked together on the show.
They sued the church for defamation and demanded 250,000 kroner
(US$34,200) apiece. Among those who testified in the trial, which started
in October, was former East German spymaster Markus Wolf, who denied
Heynowski had worked for him."

Message-ID: <80ee9418.0301101203.36cde4dd@...>

#####

> Germany

die Kirche, a Christian newspaper in Berlin and Brandenburg, Germany
reported on January 12th that Gerry Armstrong and Thomas Gandow will
participate in a religious service in Berlin-Charlottenburg.

"He used to work directly with L. Ron Hubbard as a staff member in
Scientology's public affairs and secret service: Gerry Armstrong. He first
came upon the 'findings' of science fiction author Hubbard when he was 22
back in 1969, and was filled with enthusiasm for the promises of the
psycho-guru. In 1981 Gerry Armstrong left Scientology. What happened after
that was nothing especially strange to the former secret agent:
psychoterrorism, attempted attacks upon his person and court proceedings
with trumped-up charges. One result of this was that Armstrong is no
longer allowed to address himself to the topic of Scientology in the USA.

"Even in Berlin, Scientology has attempted to silence the the insider gone
out. So it's no surprise that the church commissioner for issues of sects
and weltanschauung, Rev. Thomas Gandow, sees a continued need for
information work in dealing with the Scientologists. He has referred to
the dangers of the organization many times in lectures for the public and
in job enhancement training for ministers and religious instructors.

"The Focus divine service, where Gerry Armstrong and Rev. Thomas Gandow
will speak, will take place at 11:30 a.m. January 19, 2003 in the
Luisenkirche on Gierkeplatz in Berlin-Charlottenburg."

Message-ID: <3E1ECA95.7010904@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 41
1/19/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Clearwater

The St. Petersburg Times reported on January 13th that Scientology is
building a power plant and parking garage for the new Super Power
building.

"The $4-million plant will match the Mediterranean Revival style of the
massive Flag Building it will service next door. Same colors and stone
accents. Same ornate 'dentals' along the roofline. Same red, terra cotta
roof tiles. It will even have a tower similar to the much taller tower at
the southwest corner of the Flag Building. In April the church plans to
begin construction on a $3-million, three-level parking garage immediately
north of the power plant. The garage, also Mediterranean Revival, will
have spaces for 475 vehicles.

"Called the Flag Central Energy Plant, the facility will help heat and
cool not only the 889-room Flag Building but also an as-yet unbuilt
auditorium and the Fort Harrison Hotel. The 20,000-square-foot power plant
mostly will be a shell that houses a series of chillers and hot water
boilers.  The water will be circulated at about 1,800 gallons per minute
through pipes about a foot-and-a-half wide to the three buildings. It will
reach the Fort Harrison Hotel through pipes in the floor of the pedestrian
bridge being built between the Fort Harrison and the Flag Building."

Flag Land Base News' January edition reported news from the Clearwater
Scientology orgs.

"Five hundred people attended the opening of Clearwater's Winter
Wonderland, an annual gift to Clearwater. Guests at the opening ceremony
included State Senator Mike Fassano, who spoke of the dedicated efforts of
Flag's Scientologists who work together to put on this event every year.
The Church of Scientology Flag Organization Boy Scout Troop also took park
in the opening, along with members of the Clearwater Fir Department.
Thousands have visited Winter Wonderland this holiday season, as it has
become one of the highlights for many Clearwater families.

"At this year IAS Christmas Party, hundreds of Scientologists acknowledged
those who have recently achieved Honor Status for contributions beyond
their lifetime IAS membership. Entertainment included singer Shannon
Roberts, and dancing to the rhythm of the Jive Aces.

"In December hundreds of Scientologists gathered in the Auditorium of The
Fort Harrison to celebrate the 27th Anniversary of The Flag Land Base.
There, the Captain Flag Service Organization, Debbie Cook, presented OT
Honor Roll and Senior OT Honor Roll awards to dedicated Flag public who
are changing conditions around the world through the application of LRH
tech and leading the way to a new civilization."

Message-ID: <LHAU9.1185$gU.560391@...>
Message-ID: <H751DO7I37638.3283101852@...>

#####

> Co-Auditing

An email being sent to Scientologists in Los Angeles promotes a system of
reciprocal "assists," using coupons to keep track of the balance of
payments.

"The LA Org Auditor Association has a real honest to goodness co-audit.
When you join you pay $2 to cover printing costs. You receive 12 and a
half hours worth of 'scrip.' Scrip looks like monopoly money. Each piece
is worth 15 minutes of session time.

"Let's say you need an assist. You may call another member or post an
email to the group email address, stating the nature of what you need and
where you are located. Whoever is available and wants to deliver the
assist will respond to you. Then you make arrangements to meet and get
your assist. You 'pay' the person in scrip. CSing is available when
needed.

"If you use up all your scrip, the only way to get more scrip is to
deliver sessions to others. These sessions can be auditing, word clearing,
ethics handlings, false data stripping, assists, CSing, anything you are
qualified to deliver. Scrip can also be used to have your family audited.
Even OTs have children or need assists sometimes!"

Message-ID: <f01650a8.0301141721.6b4531ed@...>

#####

> Ireland

The Irish Times reported on January 15th and 16th that the case of a
former Scientologist who is suing the org for fraud continues in a Dublin
High Court.

"A woman agreed at the High Court yesterday that she was pursuing a legal
action for damages against the Church of Scientology partly because she
felt it was her Christian duty. She would have taken the case even if she
was a Muslim, Ms. Mary Johnston added. Ms. Johnston is suing the Church of
Scientology mission of Dublin and three of its members - Mr. John Keane,
Mr. Tom Cunningham and Mr. Gerard Ryan. She is seeking damages for alleged
conspiracy, misrepresentation and breach of constitutional rights.

"In continuing cross-examination of Ms. Johnston yesterday, Mr. Michael
Collins SC, for the defendants, suggested to the plaintiff that she
considered it part of her Christian duty to pursue proceedings against the
Church of Scientology. Ms. Johnston replied: 'I suppose I do ultimately.'
She added that she believed in the remit of Christ and, if there was
wrong, to expose it to the light. However, her main reason for taking the
action was because the things perpetrated against her had damaged her."

"A former member of the Church of Scientology claimed in the High Court
yesterday that she had been subjected by the church to hypnosis techniques
without her permission and had been upset by the procedures. Ms. Mary
Johnston said that the procedures involved a countdown and prolonged
staring for hours to induce a trance.

"Yesterday Ms. Johnston agreed with her counsel that she was given no
warning that aspects of mind control would be involved arising from her
participation in the church. Earlier, cross-examined by Mr. Michael
Collins SC, for the church, Ms Johnston denied that she had a close
connection with a trust which attempted to persuade people to leave
Scientology. She said: 'I don't work against Scientology. I simply say
what happened to me. When people come to ask for help, I help them when I
can.' She objected to being described by Mr. Collins as a 'deprogrammer'
and said she was not in a conspiracy with anybody to do anything. Because
of the length of the litigation and the stress involved in the court
action, she said, she hated to see families coming near her.

"The court was told that in May 1994 the plaintiff was persuaded by her
family to leave Scientology. She described this as a major turning point
and 'a fantastic time in her life.' Elaborating on earlier evidence on why
she had not sought medical or psychiatric assistance, Ms. Johnston said
she believed she had been healed through her relationship with God, which
had given her a sense of peace, healing and joy."

Message-ID: <80ee9418.0301150758.270846a6@...>
Message-ID: <80ee9418.0301161523.c592a2d@...>

#####

> Celebrities

The Advertiser reported on January 18th on the competition for Hollywood
celebrities between Scientology, Kabbalah and other groups.

"Madonna, not content with being a pop superstar, believes she has found
the way to unlock the secrets of the universe. The religious path she
advocates is not entirely conventional (devotional iteMs. for sale include
blessed face cream for $215 and red cotton string bracelets, said to bring
good luck, for $50), but she insists that Kabbalah, a mystical offshoot of
Judaism to which she has now turned in her attempt to have a third child,
holds the key to fulfillment. She's not the only celebrity devotee. Jerry
Hall and Mick Jagger turned to it to try to save their marriage, and
Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Roseanne Barr, Barbra Streisand, Elizabeth
Taylor, Courtney Love and Naomi Campbell are all followers and can be
identified by the bands of red thread worn around the wrist.

"Another recent conversion to off-beat religion is heir to the $7 billion
Packer empire James Packer, who reportedly jetted to New Zealand last
weekend to visit high-profile Scientologist Tom Cruise. Mr. Packer
reportedly turned to the religion after the One.Tel financial disaster and
breakup of his marriage to Jodhi. The pair have been friends for two
years, and in the past year Mr. Packer has taken an interest in his mate's
religion.

"While Madonna is trying to convert Hollywood to Kabbalah, Scientology has
become entrenched, winning over dozens of stars. John Travolta is a
long-time member, Kirstie Alley has joined, as have Catherine Bell, Kate
Ceberano, Priscilla Presley, and even the voice of Bart Simpson, just to
name a few. Other fads have struggled to gain a toehold against
Hollywood's more established religions. Demi Moore has linked herself with
New Age guru Deepak Chopra, basketball player and actor Michael Jordan
uses Zen meditation and Harrison Ford does fundraising for the Dalai Lama.

"And there's more. Followers of Transcendental Meditation (TM) founder
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi included ex-Beatle George Harrison, Elizabeth
Taylor, Laura Dern and Calvin Klein. Madonna has a lot of converting to
do."

Message-ID: <SK_V9.1494$gU.581458@...>

#####

> Lisa McPherson

The St. Petersburg Times reported on January 14th that two orders were
announced in the Lisa McPherson case.

"Ending months of speculation, a circuit judge ruled Monday that the
wrongful death lawsuit against the Church of Scientology should continue.
Judge Susan Schaeffer also ruled that Tampa attorney Ken Dandar should
remain the attorney for the estate of Lisa McPherson, which filed the
lawsuit. The rulings came in response to claiMs. by the church that the
lawsuit should be dismissed because of professional misconduct by Dandar.

"In the end, Schaeffer said she had to decide who was lying. Was it Robert
Minton, the millionaire and onetime vocal Scientology critic who gave
Tampa attorney Kenneth Dandar as much as $2-million over a five-year
period to fund the case against the church? Or was it Dandar, who Minton
testified had urged him to lie under oath about the source of funding and
the influence he exercised over the case? 'The answer is Robert Minton,'
Schaeffer concluded. Schaeffer stopped short of endorsing Dandar's claim
that the church found out about Minton's foreign bank account and used
that to extort his testimony.

"In other significant findings, Schaeffer's order stated: There was no
proof to support the estate's earlier allegation that Scientology's
worldwide leader, David Miscavige, decided to let McPherson die. She will
turn over her order to the state attorney to investigate perjury by
Minton. One of the estate's key witnesses, Jesse Prince, has extreme bias
and, in her opinion, lacks credibility. She chastised the church for 'far
too many cases' in which they have tried to disqualify the opposing
attorney.

"In a separate ruling Monday, in a case involving a countersuit by the
church against the estate, Judge W. Douglas Baird filed an order in which
he states that he plans to refer to the Florida Bar allegations that
Dandar inappropriately co-mingled funds Minton gave him. Baird stated that
there appear to have been 'serious violations' of the Florida Rules of
Professional Conduct because some of Minton's funds were deposited into
Dandar's personal accounts or investments."

From Judge Schaeffer's ruling:

"The facts lead to Plaintiffs two alternative theories in two counts of
the complaint: Count I, Wrongful Death, and Count V, Negligent Survival.
This court has denied the motion for summary judgment as to Count II of
the complaint, the Intentional and Reckless Infliction of Emotional
Distress count. There is evidence sufficient to go to the jury that Lisa
McPherson was fed on by insects while she was alive and conscious, and
there may be other allegations in that count of the complaint that the
jury may also be permitted to consider. What the court will not permit to
go to the jury - at least without further proof, is that there were
cockroaches at the Church property where Lisa was being attended, that bit
and fed on her.

"That leaves us with that part of 34 that talks about David Miscavige, the
highest ecclesiastical leader of all of Scientology. Are there any facts
that Mr. Miscavige decided to let Lisa McPherson die? The answer in a word
is 'NO.' There was evidence presented at the Omnibus Hearing, beyond Jesse
Prince's Affidavit and testimony, that Miscavige would or should have
known that Lisa McPherson was at the Church, if she were undergoing an
Introspection Rundown, and that he would or should have been kept
informed.  Regardless of whether Mr. Miscavige knew that Lisa McPherson
was at the Church, undergoing an Introspection Rundown, that is a far cry
from his having 'decided to let Lisa McPherson die' and instructing Mr.
Kartuzinski and Ms. Johnson to carry out his decision.

"As to the first issue - the Minton money, and whether it was a loan, or a
donation to the Estate.  If the monies received by either the Estate or
Dandar from Minton are irrelevant to the wrongful death case, as
determined by the Second District, there can be no perjury or subornation
of perjury regarding Dandar or Minton's testimony about their ownership or
purpose. That is so because perjury involves something 'material' to a
case.

"As to the second issue, where the $500,000 came from, whether it was from
Mr. Minton or someone else, it is absolutely irrelevant to any issue in
the wrongful death case. The further issue as to whether Mr. Dandar knew
it came from Mr. Minton, and told him to lie about it and not tell the
Church about this particular $500,000 check, is similarly irrelevant, and
thus immaterial to any issues in the wrongful death case.

"Was there an agreement between the Estate and Bob Minton, or between the
Estate and the Lisa McPherson Trust, Inc. that the 'bulk,' or 'substantial
amount,' of the proceeds obtained from the wrongful death case would be
given to him, an anti-cult organization controlled by him, or to the LMT?
In a word, the answer is 'NO.' This court has read every deposition of
Robert Minton, Stacy Brooks, Dell Liebreich, the sisters and brother of
Fannie McPherson, who, along with Dell Liebreich are the potential
beneficiaries of any money received by the Estate from this case. What a
witness says on one page of a deposition, in response to a question by a
lawyer, may be completely different a few pages later.  There was no
agreement between the Estate and anyone else Whether or not they had an
agreement among themselves is doubtful, but irrelevant.

"This court has now determined that Mr. Dandar has not committed perjury,
nor has he suborned perjury. He has not violated this and other court's
discovery orders such that would disqualify Plaintiffs chosen counsel from
finishing this case that he started when the first complaint was filed in
1997 - 5 years ago. He did not permit Minton to 'control' or 'interfere'
with this case such that the Code was violated. He did not file a 'sham'
pleading."

From a Howard Troxler column in the St. Petersburg Times on January 15th:

"Our own local version of the O.J. Simpson case - meaning that it is
undignified, nearly out of control and taking way too long - is the civil
lawsuit pending against the Church of Scientology by the estate of Lisa
McPherson. Was Scientology legally at fault? Or was McPherson's death
simply a terribly unfortunate outcome for which the church should not be
blamed? This is why we have juries. Unfortunately, there is not much
immediate prospect of a jury hearing the case, even though we just passed
the seventh anniversary of McPherson's death. Instead, the two sides are
spending their energy accusing each other of lying, both in and out of
court.

"The sideshows of the past year have been well-publicized. Bolstered by
the conversion of its former critic and bankroller of the lawsuit, Robert
Minton, who has now recanted, Scientology has taken the counteroffensive.
Susan Schaeffer, the third judge to hear the case, spent 35 days last year
hearing the church's allegations. The church said either the Tampa
attorney representing McPherson's estate, Ken Dandar, should be removed,
or the case dismissed.

"But just this week, Schaeffer ruled that Minton's allegations against his
old lawyer Dandar are not credible. The trial - which is scheduled to
start next Tuesday - will go on. Scientology almost certainly will appeal,
which will delay the trial again.

"I asked why the church doesn't just agree to get the trial over with.
Given the medical examiner's revised conclusions, and Minton's change of
heart, doesn't the church think it can win? 'Absolutely, of course we can
win,' Shaw replied. But he immediately turned back to the subject of
Dandar, saying that the case is tangled up with various fees and judgments
that Dandar and the McPherson estate owe to the church organization.

"Dandar, for his part, called the church's attacks on him irrelevant to
the central issue. 'They've spent more on trying to get me than the
trial,' he told me, adding: 'The jury is going to decide why Lisa
McPherson died.' There have been more than 200 depositions taken in this
case, thousands of pages of record generated, at least seven or eight
scheduled trial dates and three judges. The parties are locked in a bitter
enmity that has superseded the underlying issue. Dandar said he thinks the
church is trying to wear him down, to see how long he can last. How long
is that, I asked? 'As long as I have breath.'"

The lawsuit is now delayed because Scientology has appealed the ruling
that Ken Dandar should not be disqualified. From the St. Petersburg Times
on January 18th:

"Schaeffer granted the delay so the church could appeal her earlier ruling
that Ken Dandar should not be disqualified as attorney for the estate of
Lisa McPherson, the church member who died in 1995 after 17 days in the
care of Scientologists in Clearwater. The church claiMs. Dandar ought to
be removed because of professional misconduct, including alleged perjury.
In a 67-page order released Monday, Schaeffer disagreed.

"Both sides say their efforts to follow Schaeffer's orders to try to
settle the case have now reached an impasse. But in interviews this week,
both camps shed light on how close they came to settling the bitterly
contested lawsuit. Marty Rathbun, a top church official, said a deal was
reached in a marathon mediation session the day before Thanksgiving, but
Dandar reneged. 'Everything was agreed on,' Rathbun said. 'It was settled
lock, stock and barrel.' Dandar backed out, Rathbun said, because he
personally is motivated to continue the fight. Dandar faces countersuits
by the church accusing him of abusing the legal process. He also has a
stake in the ongoing legal entanglements surrounding more than $2-million
that millionaire and one-time Scientology critic Robert Minton gave Dandar
to help fund the case.

"Dandar scoffs at that and contends that no deal was ever reached. Money
wasn't the hangup in the negotiation, he said. Instead, it was other
demands made by the church, which he refused to discuss. He branded
Rathbun's account as an attempt to drive a wedge between him and the
estate's representative, McPherson's aunt, Dell Liebreich of Texas. Dandar
said he now just wants to bring the case to trial and 'expose the truth
about what they did to Lisa McPherson'.

"Longtime Clearwater attorney Denis deVlaming, who has represented
Scientology's harshest critics, said he would be shocked if the lawsuit
ever came before a jury. 'I thought the church would either get it knocked
out, or they would wear Dandar out, or at the very end they'd settle,'
deVlaming said. 'I don't think the church wants what Dandar is going to do
in that courtroom. I think they desperately want to be legitimized. I
think they desperately want to be accepted in the community.'

"Dandar has said the estate is seeking about what one would expect from an
average nursing home abuse case involving a death. That's about
$5-million, deVlaming said. 'I'm surprised with the wealth of the church
they haven't come up with it,' he said.

"Rathbun and Dandar refused to discuss how much the church offered. Dandar
noted, though, that in two recent cases involving deaths of nursing home
patients resulting from bed sores, juries awarded $15-million and
$150-million. 'It's somewhere in between,' Dandar said of what the
McPherson estate seeks."

Message-ID: <PQTU9.1198$gU.564521@...>
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#####

> Narconon

The Battle Creek Enquirer reported on January 16th that Scientology is
ready to open a new Narconon facility in Michigan this month.

"A drug and alcohol rehabilitation center is set to open at the end of
January in Pennfield Township. All of the remodeling at the Narconon Stone
Hawk Rehabilitation Center, 216 St. Mary's Lake Road, has been completed
and the center's first 20 patients should begin their stay Jan. 31, said
Kate Wickstrom, executive director of the rehabilitation clinic.

"Despite early probleMs. getting a land-use zoning variance for the former
Neuro-Rehabilitation Center and a few unexpected construction delays,
seeing the finished product is worth all of the time and money Wickstrom
and her husband, Per, put into it, she said. The renovation cost about
$500,000. Nearly every inch of the 58,000-square-foot building has been
renovated in one way or another, including the dorm areas for patients,
the dining room and an activities room. The basement is being completely
updated to house saunas and showers.

"The Stone Hawk center will follow a strict regiment of classes, eating
habits and the use of saunas as laid out by author L. Ron Hubbard in his
book 'Clear Body, Clear Mind.' It will be one of about a dozen Narconon
centers in the United States. Once the center is running at its peak,
Wickstrom said she expects to be able to have about 100 patients in the
facility at a time."

Message-ID: <8fUV9.1470$gU.579897@...>

#####

> Australia

The Daily Telegraph reported on January 14th that Scientology celebrity
Tom Cruise has met with new recruit and billionaire James Packer.

"Media tycoon James Packer flew into the New Zealand town of Taranaki for
a weekend with his Hollywood pal and spiritual mentor, Tom Cruise. Cruise
is Hollywood's highest-paid actor. Mr. Packer is head of PBL and heir to
$7 billion. What has brought the two close in the past year has been
religion. Cruise, a highly-ranked 'Operating Thetan' within the Church of
Scientology, is believed to have introduced Mr. Packer to the teachings of
Ron Hubbard in the painful turmoil following the collapse of OneTel and
split from wife Jodhi in June."

From the New Zealand Herald on January 13th:

"He was seen leaving by helicopter in the direction of the Oakura mansion
Cruise is renting during filming of the Japanese period epic The Last
Samurai. Airport staff and a private pilot confirmed that Mr. Packer had
arrived. Cruise is believed to have introduced Mr. Packer to the Church of
Scientology in the past year. Mr. Packer was seen clambering back on to
the Australian-registered Falcon 200 yesterday, apparently bound for
Sydney. Mr. Packer is one of several rich and famous people expected to
visit Cruise during his time working in New Zealand."

Message-ID: <UMAU9.1186$gU.560391@...>
Message-ID: <lOAU9.1187$gU.560391@...>

#####

> Reed Slatkin

The Los Angeles Times reported on January 18th that a bankruptcy judge has
ruled that Scientology minister Reed Slatkin's Ponzi scheme was a fraud
from the beginning. This opens up possible recovery of money from early
investors, including several Scientologists, who received more than they
invested.

"A bankruptcy judge in Santa Barbara ruled that Slatkin's written
agreement last year to plead guilty to fraud, conspiracy and money
laundering establishes clearly that his investment empire was a scam from
its beginning in 1986. That will make it easier to reclaim what the
bankruptcy trustee contends were 'bogus profits,' funds paid to some
investors at the expense of others to disguise 15 years of deception.

"Slatkin's scheme took in more than $550 million during the 15 years it
operated. Pilmer said the bogus profits totaled more than $180 million,
with the top 75 investors coming out ahead by $151 million. Trustee R.
Todd Neilson isn't seeking the return of any principal but wants to
reclaim the profits and distribute them to the investors who lost money,
Pilmer said.

"The investors who came out ahead contended that they also had been taken
in by Slatkin and argued that his investments were profitable, at least
early on. It will be many months before losing investors are likely to see
any funds, Pilmer said. Among other things, the court must determine
whether Slatkin was acting as a stockbroker under the narrow definition of
bankruptcy law. If he was, attorneys said, only payments from the last
year of the fraud, instead of the last seven years, must be repaid.

"U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robin Riblet said her ruling is valid only if
Slatkin doesn't try to retract his plea agreement and is sentenced as
anticipated. Sentencing is scheduled for April 21. Slatkin faces up to 15
years in prison.

"Another defendant in the suits seeking repayment is John Coale, an
anti-tobacco litigator who is the husband of CNN legal commentator Greta
Van Susteren. The suit seeks $939,000 from Coale, who said he was
finalizing an agreement to repay the funds over time, adding that others
were working on similar settlements. However, Coale questioned the wisdom
of the judge's ruling Friday, saying it relies on the word of Slatkin."

Message-ID: <5e0371c5.0301181028.315287af@...>

#####

> Anti-War

The Portland Tribune reported on January 17th that Scientology has joined
an anti-war coalition, which protests the possible war between the U.S.
and Iraq.

"'We don't agree on everything, but we are all opposed to a pre-emptive
attack, which is what this war will be,' said Frank Fromherz, head of the
Catholic Archdiocese of Portland's Office of Justice and Peace. 'Everyone
agrees that this is a terribly misguided policy.' The archdiocese is one
of many mainstream religious organizations that are working on the larger
march. So is Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, a statewide association of
17 Christian denominations, including Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian,
Protestant, Lutheran and Orthodox bodies.

"The coalition also includes such fringe religious organizations as the
Church of Scientology and the Magic Activism Cluster, which describes
itself as a network of witches working to reclaim the lost traditions of
witchcraft.

"Participants see it as one of the last chances to express their
opposition to a war that could begin within the next few weeks. Thousands
of troops recently have been dispatched to the Persian Gulf as part of the
military buildup, including 230 U.S. Marine Corps reservists based in
Portland who will head out within the next week or so."

Message-ID: <wz_V9.1493$gU.581413@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 42
1/27/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Clearwater

The letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on January 21st
contained a letter comparing the activities of Scientology and the
Presbyterian church next door.

"I could not help but notice the contrast in happenings on the corners of
Pierce Street and S. Fort Harrison Avenue in Clearwater on Saturday night.
On one side there were red carpets and stretch limos, thousands of
twinkling lights, beautiful flowers and potted palms, brilliant spotlights
illuminating a tall building and a street blocked off for valet parking.
On the other corner, at Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church, a group of
dedicated men and women fixed and served a hot meal and provided warm
overnight shelter for more than 150 homeless people on a very cold night.
- Anne C. Epling, Clearwater"

Source Magazine reported news from the Clearwater Scientology orgs.

"The Fort Harrison's Crystal Ballroom was the setting for the Fourth
Annual Flag Mecca Groundbreaking Anniversary.  The evening began with a
spectacular banquet, followed by entertainment for Sherwood Ball and his
band.  Sherwood, known by Scientologists the world over as the lead
vocalist on the musical adaptation of L. Ron Hubbard's Hymn of Asia was a
huge hit with the crowd - particularly since he ended his performance with
two songs he had co written and produced for Super Power. The first was
entitled 'Three Hundred and Sixty Degrees' all about the 57 perceptics;
the second was entitled 'Break the Chain' about one of the Super Power
Rundowns, the Ethics and Justice Repair List."

Message-ID: <2AgX9.1609$gU.594976@...>
Message-ID: <58SJY49437640.6473148148@...>

#####

> Germany

BZ-Berlin reported on January 20th that Thomas Gandow and Gerry Armstrong
have come under Scientology surveillance in Germany.

"He is regarded as one of Scientology's most fearsome opponents - Thomas
Gandow, sect commissioner of the Berlin Evangelical Church, gave his
sermon to the Luisen congregation yesterday under police protection.
Having been followed and photographed on his way to church, Gandow was
concerned that the church service would be interrupted.

"As Gandow and former Scientologist Gerald Armstrong were on their way to
the Luisen Church, they were followed and photographed by a person unknown
to them. While under pursuit, he notified the police, who pulled over the
following vehicle at the Michendorf roadside stop to ask for personal
identification. According to Gandow, it was Mirko O., an active member of
the Scientology Organization.  At that point the Luisen congregation was
to receive police protection for church services. Several members of
Scientology were among the congregation. Rev. Gandow recognized one of
them as a leading member; it was a woman writing down statements made by
the clergyman and sect victim Gerald Armstrong."

From Der Tagesspiegel on January 25th:

"The Scientology Church has admitted to having put Thomas Gandow, sect
commissioner of the Berlin-Brandenburg Evangelical Church, under
surveillance. One of its members was said to have been working for an
attorney to investigate the American ex-Scientologist, Gerald Armstrong,
who was wanted in court. There have been various orders issued on
Armstrong in US courts, said Sabine Weber of Scientology Germany.  It was
also intended to take legal action against him here in Germany to prohibit
him from claiming that the Scientology was out to get him.

"Last Sunday Gandow and Armstrong were tailed by at least two cars, said
Gandow, to a church service in the Luisen Church in Charlottenburg. His
vehicle was closely approached by one of them on the way from Brandenburg
to Berlin. The driver swerved erratically while photographing Gandow and
Armstrong.  The situation got tense enough to where he finally called the
highway patrol at Brandenburg for assistance. The police gave him a
cautionary fine for unregulated use of a cell phone from a vehicle. The
police escorted Gandow's vehicle to the city limits, where he received
protection from Berlin police.

"They also placed the Luisen Church under guard during the church service
while Armstrong talked about his experiences with Scientology. Gandow says
he observed a second vehicle on the autobahn with at least three occupants
who were following and photographing the same time the first was. The
clergyman is certain that those men also had something to do with
Scientology."

Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.1030121082917.126A-100000@...>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.1030125095114.139B-100000@...>

#####

> Ireland

The Irish Times reported on January 22nd that Dr. Stephen Kent is
scheduled to testify in the case of a woman who is suing the Dublin
Scientology org for her treatment while she was a member.

"Mr. Michael Collins SC, for the church, objected to the hearing of
evidence from a Canadian professor of sociology on the grounds that
admitting such evidence could lead to the 11-day case, taken by a woman
against his client, continuing until the end of February.

"Ms Mary Johnston, a former member of the church, is seeking damages for
alleged conspiracy, misrepresentation and breach of constitutional rights
against the Church of Scientology Mission of Dublin and three of its
members, Mr. John Keane, Mr. Tom Cunningham and Mr. Gerard Ryan.

"After almost two hours of legal argument, Mr. Justice Peart decided he
would hear evidence from Prof. Stephen Alan Kent. Responding to Mr.
Justice Peart on whether he was obliged to accept that Scientology was a
religion, Mr. Collins said the church believed every human being had a
soul and an immortal existence. The court was told there were 2,000
churches in 110 countries.

"In evidence, Prof. Kent said he had studied new religions and cults and
had written extensively on the subject. He had interviewed about 50 former
Scientologists. He described the structure and organisation of scientology
as very complicated with 'international management' at the top. Asked by
Mr. Michael Cush SC, for Ms Johnston, if there was a general body of
complaints about the church's dianetics auditing policy, Prof. Kent said
there was and he was also aware of individual testimony about its harmful
effects."

Message-ID: <GRyX9.1625$gU.598119@...>

#####

> Jeff Jacobsen

Scientology critic Jeff Jacobsen reported this week that Scientology
operatives have contacted his father in an attempt to intimidate him into
silence.

"Here's the message, which was anonymous and no listed phone number.

"'Harlan, I'm a friend of yours. There's an investigation starting, and
you're going to be involved in it. Due to your son Jeff, the trouble he is
starting for a whole lot of people. You might want to talk to him. Listen,
the thing has started already, so talk to Jeff. He's in a lot of trouble.'

"Meanwhile, someone has gotten a list of my father's employees and is
calling them saying they are my father's CPA, or that they're doing a
project for his business, then asking personal and financial questions
about my father and his business."

Message-ID: <cdku2vg0r6t584rds7kg6vors29cs0755e@...>

#####

> Lisa McPherson

The Tampa Tribune reported on January 21st that Bob Minton has requested
that the judge in the Lisa McPherson case be disqualified.

"Pasco-Pinellas Circuit Judge Susan Schaeffer blames multimillionaire
Robert Minton for the breakdown of settlement negotiations in the case and
has concluded Minton is a criminal because he invoked his constitutional
right not to answer questions in court, a motion filed late Friday states.

"The judge has put the counterclaim on hold until the original lawsuit is
settled. A trial scheduled to begin today was postponed indefinitely while
the church appeals an order issued by Schaeffer on Jan. 12. In the order,
Schaeffer denied the church's bid to have Ken Dandar removed as the
estate's attorney. That bid was based on testimony from Minton, who said
Dandar told him to lie under oath about $2 million Minton purportedly gave
Dandar to fund the lawsuit. Schaeffer concluded it was Minton who was
lying about Dandar and said he did so to cover up Minton's own tax
evasion.

"Minton's new motion also attacks Schaeffer for issuing her order on a
Sunday, which Minton contends is against Florida law and renders the order
void. And because the order is void, the judge 'may be liable for
substantial damages to Minton' for defamation, the motion states."

From the text of the court filing:

"Robert Minton moves for the disqualification of Judge Susan F. Schaeffer
for prejudice and in support thereof would show that Minton fears that he
will not receive a fair trial or hearing because of specifically described
prejudice or bias of Judge Schaeffer.

"In November 2002 after the close of the evidence in the Omnibus Hearing,
Judge Schaeffer determined that the case should be mediated and scheduled
a series of separate meetings with counsel for each of the parties in the
case in order to assist in the mediation of the case. Though not a party
to the main case, Minton was ordered to participate.  Judge At this
conference, Judge Schaeffer also strongly suggested that in order to
assist in settling the case that Minton waive his claim against the Estate
or Mr. Dandar for over $2,000,000 in loans made to the Estate or Mr.
Dandar. Mediation took place on November 27, 2002. Minton attended with
counsel and fully participated. A tentative settlement was concluded. For
reasons outside of the control of Minton, the mediation/settlement
thereafter broke down and the settlement tentatively agreed to among the
parties was not consummated.

"Minton has a well-founded belief that he is being punished for the
settlement not concluding or has become the 'fall guy' for the settlement
not concluding; i.e., that this Order was in retaliation for the
settlement falling through. As such, Minton has a well-founded belief that
Judge Schaeffer is biased or prejudiced against him.

"Minton believes that Judge Schaeffer has improperly pre-judged him based
on his permissible exercise of Fifth Amendment privileges and that in
further proceedings Judge Schaeffer will continue to believe Minton is a
criminal based solely on the exercise of his constitutional rights. Minton
believes that since Judge Schaeffer has already determined in her mind
that he has committed various criminal offenses she cannot objectively and
fairly sit as a judge in any further proceedings involving him."

Message-ID: <HHgX9.1611$gU.595600@...>
Message-ID: <e2886804.0301241258.676807a3@...>

#####

> Lisa Marie Presley

Fox News reported on January 22nd that Lisa Marie Presley will release an
album based in part on Scientology's opposition to psychiatry.

"At least one song will preach the Scientology cause that tries to stop
parents from giving their children drugs like Ritalin to treat Attention
Deficit Disorder. Scientology wages a constant war against psychiatry in
general, hoping to attract alienated young people before they can be
treated by doctors.

"Presley's official web site is linked to a charity called the Citizens
Commission on Human Rights, which promotes the teachings of L. Ron
Hubbard. Its main chapter, in Los Angeles, has a substantial war chest to
fight against psychiatry. Fellow Scientologists Kirstie Alley and Juliette
Lewis are featured in pictures with Presley at rallies protesting against
psychiatry.

"Both Lisa Marie and her mother, Priscilla, are longtime members of
Scientology, which requires hefty annual donations from its members. One
wonders how much of Elvis Presley's estate has gone to Scientology and
whether his millions of fans have any idea where their money has gone.
Scientology seems to be in direct conflict with Elvis Presley's own
personal credo, which was 'Shake, rattle and roll' with a barbiturate
twist."

Message-ID: <oMJX9.1646$gU.600676@...>

#####

> Tom Cruise

The Sunday Star-Times reported on January 19th that Scientology celebrity
Tom Cruise is campaigning against the use of Ritalin by children.

"The so-called 'kiddy-speed' has harsh and high-profile critics, alarmed
at the sharp rise in Ritalin use.  Film star Tom Cruise, in Taranaki to
film The Last Samurai, spoke out last week, claiming the drug was
'lethal'. The outburst is likely to stem from his Scientology Church's
opposition to drugs being used to treat mental illness. Confirms Church of
Scientology New Zealand spokesman Mike Ferriss: 'We view Ritalin as a from
of social control.' Other critics accuse parents of using the drug as a
quick fix.

"In New Zealand, Ritalin is now prescribed to about 8000 children - 1.6%
of the child population. But Werry says several more thousand children
would benefit from it.  Paediatric Society president Nick Baker says
Ritalin is being grossly overprescribed in parts of the US and Britain,
but not here. 'Many parents I deal with are upset about the latest bad
publicity. But the thought of depriving a child who has the chance of
benefiting from Ritalin seems harsh.  'It turns people's lives around.
Children are made safe and families no longer live with unbearable
stress.'"

Message-ID: <lidr2v8cf98ncks5km5chtgf4ao0kqhb99@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 43
2/3/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Hulda Clark

Consumer Health Digest reported on January 28th that the U.S Federal Trade
Commission has brought charges of false advertisement against a
Scientologist and a non-profit organization headed by Hulda Clark.

"The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has charged the Dr. Clark Association,
Behandlungzentrum GMbH (a Swiss company), and Scientologist David Amrein,
a Swiss citizen who is the sole officer and director of both, with falsely
advertising devices and herbal products related to the theories of Hulda
Clark. The complaint, filed in an Ohio federal court, alleges that the
defendants made unsubstantiated representations that the Super-Zapper
Deluxe device is effective to kill bacteria, viruses, and parasites in the
human body, and is effective against chronic infections, cancer, and AIDS,
is effective to cure diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's,
endometriosis, asthma, and many other diseases.

"Hulda Clark is an unlicensed naturopath who obtained her 'degree' from a
nonaccredited correspondence school. She has written several books and
operates a clinic in Mexico where she offers treatment for cancer and
other serious diseases. In 2001, the FTC obtained a consent agreement with
another company selling Clark-recommended products."

Message-ID: <3E385D36.4060107@...>

#####

> Germany

A Scientology press release on January 30th claims that nine churches of
Scientology have been recognized in Germany as a tax exempt organization.

"The Federal Finance Office, Germany's equivalent of the IRS, this week
issued ruling letters to the Church of Scientology International, granting
full tax exemption on license payments it receives from nine Churches of
Scientology in Germany.  The decision by the Federal Finance Office means
that for the first time the Los Angeles-based mother church of Scientology
is officially recognized as tax-exempt in Germany. CSI has now received
exemptions for license fees due from all German churches: Munich, Hamburg,
Stuttgart, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Eppendorf, and the Church of
Scientology Celebrity Centres in Munich and Dusseldorf. Each exemption is
valid until the end of 2005 and three are retroactive to 1994.

"The Federal Finance Office's decision to grant CSI exemption follows a
precedent-setting decision in October 2002 by the German Federal Tax Court
in Cologne. The Court ruled that Scientology Missions International and
the International Hubbard Ecclesiastical League of Pastors qualify for
exemption under a 1989 income tax treaty between the United States and
Germany. Following the ruling in October, the Federal Finance Office
informed Scientology representatives that the German government would not
appeal and that the decision clearly applied to CSI as well."

Message-ID: <20030131155955.10142.00000074@...>

#####

> Ireland

The Irish Times reported in articles on January 25th, 30th and 31st on the
progress of a case of a Dublin woman who is suing Scientology for
misrepresentation and violation of constitutional rights.

"A woman former member of the Church of Scientology had her free will
compromised because of dependency, intrusion and pressure, a Canadian
professor who claiMs. to be an expert on the practices of the church told
the High Court yesterday. Prof. Stephen Alan Kent said he was concerned
about the nature of dependency which grew from the process of dianetics
which, he said, would focus on negative events in a person's life. He said
Ms. Mary Johnston had developed a dependency relationship because, it
seemed, a member of the church, Mr. Tom Cunningham, had used these
techniques, and she was under constant pressure to join Scientology."

"A woman told the High Court yesterday that she had become aware of a
change in her sister at about the time the latter became associated with
the Church of Scientology. Ms. Margaret O'Kelly, from Edenderry, said she
had always been very close to her sister, Ms. Mary Johnston, but became
aware of a change in her, through 'a lot of little things,' in the early
1990s. Ms. Johnston was involved at that time in dianetics with Mr. Tom
Cunningham, a member of the church's mission in Dublin. Up to then, her
children loved to see Ms. Johnston coming to visit, but over a period of
time they would say: 'Oh no, not Auntie Mary.' She felt that her children
did not want Ms. Johnston around.

"Ms. O'Kelly said that her sister had talked a lot about dianetics and had
said that it involved auditing. Her sister had talked a lot about
dianetics and wanted to use it to do away with Ms. O'Kelly's 10-year-old
daughter's grumpiness. Ms. O'Kelly said she felt this was an imposition
and she was worried about it. Ms. O'Kelly said that Ms. Johnston had acted
totally out of character. She would insist that she was right and
Scientology would always be brought into it.

"In August 1993, her husband's cousin had died suddenly and, despite the
fact that Ms. Johnston was close to him, she was apathetic about what had
happened. Ms. O'Kelly said she was appalled that her sister did not go to
the funeral but rather talked about reincarnation. She showed no empathy
with anybody and this was 'totally out of character.'"

"While she was with the Church of Scientology, Ms. Mary Johnston was 'like
somebody playing a role in a pantomine', the High Court was told
yesterday. Mr. Paul O'Kelly, brother-in-law of Ms. Johnston, said he found
Ms. Johnston was dealing with him in a planned and structured way and
there was no genuine effort to engage.

"Yesterday, Ms. Margaret O'Kelly, sister of Ms. Johnston and wife of Paul
O'Kelly, said she and other members of her family made efforts in early
1994 to get her sister to meet them to view material, newspaper cuttings
and videos about Scientology. Before she invited her sister to the
meeting, members of the family needed time to research Scientology and to
gather as much information as they could, Ms O'Kelly said. They contacted
Ms. Johnston and arranged to meet in Edenderry on May 2nd, 1994.
Initially, Ms. Johnston wanted to know why and rang every day for two
weeks to find out the name of a book they had about Scientology and where
they had got the information.

"Ms. O'Kelly said she and her mother arranged to meet Ms. Johnston at 2
p.m. but she did not turn up until 6 p.m. Ms. Johnston never apologised
for being late. They wanted her to make up her own mind when she saw the
information they had. Ms. O'Kelly said her sister was not relaxed and was
very tense, with a continuous grin on her face. She was under stress. She
refused to read any of the material they had. By 8 p.m., their mother was
getting upset because Ms. Johnston could not bring herself to read the
material.

"Ms. O'Kelly said she had asked her mother to leave and she did. After
that, Ms. O'Kelly said, she herself broke down and told Ms. Johnston they
loved her and did not want her to disconnect from the family. Ms Johnston
then said she would read the material. They talked about family matters
and the tension was gone. The next morning, Ms. Johnston said there was a
lot of questions to which she wanted answers. Ms. O'Kelly said her sister
told her she was very frightened. Ms Johnston had said there were things
that Ms. O'Kelly did not know about her but which the Scientologists knew
and that she was afraid they might reveal them."

Message-ID: <80ee9418.0301270526.7090c92d@...>
Message-ID: <gbfj3vgip6r2i6svnmbp96vujntcta792h@...>
Message-ID: <80ee9418.0301311607.2cdc3bdc@...>

#####

> Protest Summary

John Ritson reported a protest on February 1st at the London Scientology
org.

"Approximately ten suppressives had sunny albeit cold weather to picket
the Tottenham Court Road 'org.' The 'org' was as downstat as usual. No
students, only the regulars on the Foundation shift (apart from one
newcomer in a light brown leather jacket, who just stood around chewing
gum as if his life depended on it - we never actually saw him chew and
walk at the same time). After the obligatory telephone call to get their
orders, and the obligatory visit from the police, who made it clear to
them that we were perfectly entitled to picket them, we spent a couple of
hours leafleting and enturbulating.

"Even the normal receptionist only turned up and took photographs after an
hour. Before that they had been handing out Issue One of a news sheet
about education (basically a puff piece for their private Greenfields
School near Saint Hill - notorious for the 'death classes' and the
'withhold-pulling' sessions). After an hour they just went inside and hid.

"We remained outside, and had lots of support from the passers-by, as long
as we made it clear that we were AGAINST Scientology. After a couple of
hours we ran out of leaflets and retreated to a warm pub."

Message-ID: <kOjBLFEZvBP+EwN4@...>

#####

> Lisa Marie Presley

Salon.com reported on January 30th that Lisa Marie Presley's new album is
filled with references to Scientology.

"Lisa Marie Presley's forthcoming album sure sounds more and more like one
you're gonna wanna rush right out and buy, especially if you happen to be,
say, Tom Cruise, John Travolta or one of Hollywood's other ardent
Scientologists. Elvis' little girl tells Launch.com that the title track
of her CD, 'To Whom It May Concern,' is an anthem dedicated to spreading
the word of one L. Ron Hubbard, of whom she is a follower.

"'This is me. This record is me. Every song is me. You're going to see who
I really am and not what the tabloids say or whatever anyone has to say
about me,' Presley told the music Web site. And while she's on her musical
soapbox, the estranged Mrs. Cage also plans to take a moment to sing loud
and proud about one of her favorite causes:  the dangers of overmedicating
children."

Message-ID: <l0c_9.1988$gU.622587@...>

#####

> Christopher Reeve

MSNBC reported on January 27th that portions of a new book by Christopher
Reeve describe his experiences in Scientology.

"The 'Superman' star once dabbled in Scientology, but Reeve doesn't give
it a rave review in his memoir, 'Nothing Is Impossible.' Reeve describes
how he took courses and underwent numerous, expensive 'auditing' sessions
during which he was quizzed about his life, including his drug use
history, while hooked up to an 'e-meter' machine designed to get to the
truth.

"But Reeve says he 'grew skeptical' of the whole process and told an
outrageous lie - which wasn't caught by the auditor or the e-meter. 'The
fact that I got away with a blatant fabrication completely devalued my
belief in the process,' Reeve wrote. He felt similar disillusionment with
various alternative religions and cults he encountered in Hollywood."

Message-ID: <80ee9418.0301270529.1c59f7d6@...>

#####

> In Memoriam

The St. Petersburg Times reported that Scientologist Daniel Wagner passed
away on January 24th.

"WAGNER, DANIEL H., 45, of Clearwater, died Friday at Morton Plant
Hospital, Clearwater. He came here in 1995 from his native California. He
was a self-employed computer consultant. He was a member of the Church of
Scientology, Clearwater and was a Marine Corps veteran."

Message-ID: <RWE8226I37647.8779513889@...>

#####

> Russia

Interfax reported on January 27th that a group that supports Russian
President Vladimir Putin have held rallies against Scientology in St.
Petersburg.

"Members of the Moving Together organization have started an indefinite
rally in protest of the Church of Scientology on Vosstaniye Square in
downtown St. Petersburg. Vasily Yakemenko, the movement's leader, told
Interfax on Monday that 'the organization's activists have been living in
a tent at the entrance to the sect's headquarters for the past five days.
A huge sign indicates the sect's location to city authorities and
passers-by. Several tens of thousands of citizens have already signed a
request to close the sect that will be sent to St. Petersburg Governor
Vladimir Yakovlev,' Yakemenko said.

"He specified that the sect's victiMs. already include hundreds of St.
Petersburg residents. That is why the city's public has given such strong
support to the rally. 'We believe that this sect is a Satanic cult and
poses a criminal threat. We hope that the city's authorities will take all
the necessary steps to close the sect,' he said, stressing that his
organization intends to continue its protest until the sect has been fully
removed."

Message-ID: <80ee9418.0301270734.1d7504a6@...>

#####

> Volunteer Clean-up

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on January 20th that Scientologists
participated in a clean-up weekend to fix up apartment buildings in
Kinloch, Missouri.

"Volunteer workers spent Saturday and Sunday sprucing up the old Dunbar
Gardens apartment complex in Kinloch. Hours after Casetta Rosborough had
started cleaning the long-abandoned apartment, she said in a cheery voice,
'This is beginning to look like a home.' Rosborough and about 135 other
volunteer workers spent Saturday and Sunday fixing up the old Dunbar
Gardens apartment complex in Kinloch.

"Kinloch acquired them from the Kinloch Housing Authority in October 2002.
Faith Beyond Walls, an organization based in St. Louis, is helping to get
the apartments ready for occupancy this spring or summer, at fair-market
rental rates. 'This apartment was pretty rough when we got here,' said
Rosborough, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in
Hazelwood, one of the many groups that make up Faith Beyond Walls. 'You
should have seen the bathroom. I didn't want to touch it.'

"Tom LoGrasso scrubbed black mildew that had collected along the wall of
one apartment. The pungent smell from the cleaning solution didn't seem to
bother him. And scrubbing hard made the mildew disappear. LoGrasso came as
part of a contingent from the Scientology Church of Missouri, in
University City. 'We believe that you can do something positive and make a
difference,' he said. 'The apartment really isn't so bad. This is the
worst spot. There must have been a waterbed here.'"

Message-ID: <M7u_9.2183$gU.624524@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 44
2/9/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> CCHR

The Sun Herald newspaper from Mississippi reported on February 6th on
research into the writing of prescriptions for Ritalin.

"A study released Monday brings to a boil again the simmering debate about
the use of stimulants to treat youngsters with Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder. A Missouri-based company that manages pharmacy
benefits raises concerns about disparity among states in the writing of
prescriptions for Ritalin and similar drugs. States in the South write the
highest percentage of prescriptions for these drugs, 6.5 percent in
Louisiana being the highest.

"Dr. Donald H. Lagrone, a pediatrician with practices in Biloxi and Ocean
Springs, has treated countless children with ADHD, and he believes that
drug therapy is not only appropriate in these cases but is the best course
of action, provided the diagnosis is valid and the drugs are used
appropriately and accurately. '(Ritalin) is the medication that has the
largest body of scientific evidence behind its use,' Lagrone said. 'It's
been shown to be effective and safe.'

"Other sources argue with Lagrone's perspective, including the Citizens
Commission on Human Rights. Lisa Marie Presley is a CCHR supporter and
supports the contention that physicians, psychiatrists and school systeMs.
in many states are drugging, and in some cases, causing the deaths of
children believed to be ADHD afflicted. At the CCHR site, Web searchers
will find such articles as 'Psychiatry Committing Fraud - Betraying
Society,' 'Psychiatry Betraying & Drugging Children - Harming Lives.'
Another icon at the CCHR site takes visitors to articles by the architect
of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard. In a nutshell, these concerned citizens
address the 'increasing probleMs.  faced by many parents today, (of) being
coerced by school personnel to drug their children, and never being warned
about the documented risks of the drugs prescribed to 'treat' them.'

"The CCHR refers to but provides no specifics about treatments other than
drug therapies, and Lagrone said it is possible to treat ADHD by managing
a child's environment. 'Affluent families might be able to put their
children in some other educational venue, but it would take substantial
environmental intervention to treat without drugs,' he said."

A Scientology press release on February 4th promoted a celebrity award
ceremony for those who oppose the companies who manufacture psychiatric
drugs.

"Actors Priscilla Presley, Juliette Lewis, Leah Remini, Anne Archer, and
Eduardo Palomo are among celebrities paying tribute to parents who battle
against the child psychiatric drug industry. The celebrities will join
politicians, parents rights groups and doctors at the Beverly Hilton
Hotel, on Saturday, Feb. 15, for the annual human rights awards
celebration of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International.

"Ms. Presley is presenting CCHR's Human Rights Award to parent Lawrence
Smith, who was threatened with charges of medical neglect if he refused to
put his 7-year-old son, Matthew, on a cocaine-like stimulant. Matthew died
at age 14 from a heart attack that a coroner attributed to the prescribed
drug. Mr. Smith's website reaches thousands of parents each week, and has
become one of the top websites for parents to become educated about the
mental health, pharmaceutical and education system.

"Other awardees are: Texas psychologist Dr. John Breeding, author of The
Wildest Colts Make the Best Horses (presented by Leah Remini), Italy's Dr.
Giorgio Antonucci, who helped cure hundreds of 'schizophrenic' patients,
including children, without drugs (presented by Juliette Lewis), and Mr.
Ricardo Rocha, a renowned journalist whose story on psychiatric drugging
in Mexico has inspired legislative initiatives in Mexico to protect
children against this abuse (presented by Eduardo Palomo)."

The Independent Herald newspaper from New Zealand reported on February 5th
that CCHR is releasing a new publication on psychiatric drugs.

"The Citizens' Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a Church of Scientology
organisation, has released a publication entitled, Psychiatry - Shattering
Your World with Drugs. The glossy, magazine-sized publication - aimed at
educators, politicians, parents and community workers - questions the
widespread labeling of personality disorders and suggests chemicals are
being used for behaviour control rather than used for therapeutic
purposes.

"However, Mental Health Commission deputy director and psychiatrist
Anthony Duncan says the Scientologists' ideas are a great conspiracy
theory, and psychiatrists have nothing to gain by pushing drug company
products.

"CCHR director Steve Green says the psychiatric diagnosing and drugging of
children is one of the worst areas of drug abuse. 'We are in effect seeing
a legalised form of drug pushing on very young children, which will be
viewed in future times as seriously as the abuse of Lake Alice Psychiatric
Hospital (patients) in the 1970s is seen now.'

"However, Dr Duncan says anti-psychotic drugs are rarely used on children.
ClaiMs. that learning and attention disorder treatment drugs, such as
Ritalin, are just used to correct behaviour are ludicrous. 'Parents of
most children who are on these drugs will laugh at it.' Anyone who has
lived with children with ADHD will be well aware of the drugs' benefits.
The amphetamine-based stimulants cannot be addictive because they work by
stimulating natural brain chemicals, he adds. That only works to a certain
point and overdoses just produce nasty side effects."

Message-ID: <yDu0a.16648$gU.644030@...>
Message-ID: <66o54v4171g3ihkr7ss19p2ni1v7bsmrj2@...>
Message-ID: <80ee9418.0302041429.5a09a82@...>

#####

> Celebrities

Celebrity Magazine reported news concerning Scientology' Celebrity Center.

"Actress LYNSEY BARTILSON and children of the 'Set a Good Example Club'
rode the Way to Happiness float in this year's annual Hollywood
Blockbuster Spectacular. Sponsored by the Concerned Businessmen's
Association of America, the float was a tribute to children who help the
nation by forwarding the ideals set fort in L. Ron Hubbard's booklet, The
Way to Happiness.

"Celebrity Centre recently presented the tenth annual 'Christmas Stories'
community benefit. As is traditional, this year's event featured musical
performances, story reading and comedy skits by a host of celebrities. The
fund-raiser benefits the Hollywood Police Activities League, part of a
nationwide inner city youth development program operated by police
officers to provide after-school activities as an alternative to gangs.
The objective is to give children positive role models. The year,
$15,000.00 was raised and presented to the Hollywood PAL."

Message-ID: <048WZR4537658.6746990741@...>

#####

> Germany

Deutsche Welle reported on February 2nd on the decision by Germany to
recognize certain Scientology organizations as tax-exempt.

"The Scientology Church, the target of government monitoring in Germany,
has been granted tax-free status within the country, the church announced
on Monday. Officials made the decision based on a tax treaty between
Germany and the United States, where the church has tax-exempt status. The
ruling covers license fees the church receives for information and
training films. Until now, the church has paid a 25 percent tax on the
income. That money will now be refunded. Critics consider Scientology to
be a money-hungry, unscrupulous operation."

From DPA on February 3rd:

"In a stunning move, German tax authorities have granted tax-exempt status
to the controversial Church of Scientology, retroactive back to 1994,
Scientology officials announced Monday. The announcement sent shock waves
through Germany, where Scientology is widely viewed as a subversive cult.
The German federal government, various state and local governments have
all produced booklets and other information to warn unwary citizens about
the 'dangers' of Scientology.

"The tax ruling came from the Federal Office of Finances in Bonn on the
basis of laws covering double taxation of American organizations operating
in Germany. Because the Church of Scientology is classified as a
tax-exempt religious organization in the United States, it cannot be taxed
in Germany, according to the ruling."

From Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on February 7th:

"The U.S. Scientology organization, denounced by German politicians as a
criminal cult and kept under political surveillance since 1997, was
granted tax exemption by the Federal Finance Office on Monday. The office
said that it had based its decision on an agreement between Germany and
the United States governing double taxation. Scientology is exempted from
taxation in the United States as a non-profit religious group. To avoid
double taxation, the German authority said Scientology thus does not have
to pay taxes on gains repatriated to the United States from license fees
for film material in Germany.

"The ruling applies to the period 1994-2005. It allows Scientology to
recover taxes already paid to the government during that period. The tax
exemption was made retroactive to the date of Scientology's legal
complaint in 1996 and is usually granted for three more years. Scientology
has been paying 25 percent of its proceeds in taxes.

"Ebermann confirmed that "the decision did not imply any acknowledgment of
Scientology as a church in Germany." He also stressed that the ruling
didn't apply to proceeds obtained in Germany that aren't passed on to the
United States."

Message-ID: <NGv%9.15843$gU.635694@...>
Message-ID: <lset3vopkcocccurh9gqsfdl99tcmp3poe@...>
Message-ID: <dpt54v0va0gugp7neidgjsbibs1a3182ct@...>

#####

> Greece

The Church of Greece announced on February 2nd that the Greek Ministry of
Education and Religious Affairs has turned down a request by Scientology
to operate as a church.

"The Greek Minister of Education and Religious Affairs has rejected the
Greek Church of Scientology's request for permission to operate a house of
prayer, on the basis that it does not constitute a church. The Minister's
decision was based on a number of decisions of institutions abroad, as
well as on the decision of the Court of First instance of Athens and the
decision of the Athenian Court of Appeal, which ordered the closing down
of the Center of Applied Philosophy of Greece - a previous name of
Scientology in Greece - due to a series of illegal actions.

"The latter decision among other things, states: 'it is an organization
with totalitarian structures and tendencies, which in essence despises
man, though it deceivingly acts freely in order and exclusively to attract
members who in turn undergo brainwashing, so as to render their way of
thought controllable, and which some years ago engaged in illegal profit
making.'

"The Scientologists appealed to the Council of State for the annulment of
the decision of the Minister. In this lawsuit the Holy Archdiocese of
Athens (Orthodox Church of Greece) intervened against the Scientologists.
Thus, although the case was scheduled for the 6th of December 2002, the
Scientologists withdrew their appeal. In consequence, the decision of the
Greek State is now permanent and irrevocable.

"The Court Reporter's proposal proves that Scientology does not constitute
a religion and that it is not recognized as such in most countries, among
which are the U.S.A., England, France and Germany. It also proves that
Scientology has often developed illegal activities in the countries in
which it is active, and is therefore classified among dangerous and
antisocial organizations."

Message-ID: <80ee9418.0302060337.377d3447@...>

#####

> Ireland

The Irish Times reported on the ongoing hearings in the case of a former
Scientologist who is suing the org and members she claims harmed her while
she was a member.

"A man photographed while making a 'noisy investigation' of a woman who
has sued the Church of Scientology was similar to a man in another
photograph taken outside a meeting of Families Under Scientology Stress
(FUSS), the High Court heard yesterday. Mr. Richard Woods was giving
evidence in the continuing action by Ms Mary Johnston against the church
and three members of its Dublin Mission - Mr. John Keane, Mr. Tom
Cunningham and Mr. Gerard Ryan. Ms Johnston, who operates a sports
equipment centre at Westwood, Foxrock, Dublin, is suing for damages. She
was involved with the church from 1990 to 1994.

"Mr. Woods told the court in 1994/95 he was attending a meeting of FUSS in
London when he saw a man standing outside the door of the building with a
clipboard and pen in his hand. He looked like a member of the Church of
Scientology because of the way he dressed. Because of litigation with the
church lasting seven years, Mr. Woods's solicitor had advised him to carry
a camera and he had taken a photograph of the man, Mr. Woods said.  Mr.
Woods said the man in this photograph was obviously similar to the picture
of a man who had been making a 'noisy investigation' of Ms Johnston and
was photographed at Westwood, Dublin, in February 2001."

"A company director and brother-in-law of a woman who is suing the Church
of Scientology for damages told the High Court yesterday he was informed
that between 25 and 40 phone calls were made by a person with an American
accent to his clients and to private individuals. Mr. Paul O'Kelly was
continuing his evidence in the action by his sister-in-law, Ms. Mary
Johnston, against the Church of Scientology in Dublin and three of its
members for alleged conspiracy, misrepresentation and breach of her
constitutional rights."

"A 'purification rundown' course operated by the Church of Scientology was
neither medically safe nor scientifically verified, the High Court was
told yesterday. Prof. Michael Ryan, head of the pharmacology department at
UCD, said he could not find any evidence to support the claiMs. in the
church's documents about the course. To suggest it could get rid of
radiation and toxic compounds was not supported by scientific facts, he
said.

"Yesterday the court was told Ms. Johnston had experienced a burning
sensation as a result of participating in the purification rundown course
and had been told this was a clearance of old sunburn. Prof. Ryan said
there was no scientific evidence to support that contention. Mr. Michael
Cush SC, for Ms. Johnston, submitted that the claiMs. made by the church
in its documents concerning the purification course were false and the
risks involved many and varied. Prof. Ryan said the claiMs. made in the
church's documentation were not scientifically verified, and the programme
was not medically safe."

"The science behind the Church of Scientology was 'basically rubbish', a
doctor told the High Court yesterday. Dr John Fleetwood, a general
practitioner in the Blackrock/Monkstown area of Dublin, told the court Ms.
Mary Johnston had attended him on October 29th, 1994. She was anxious and
distressed. Dr Fleetwood said Ms.  Johnston was generally quite healthy
but complained of a lot of headaches.

"Dr Fleetwood said he believed some of the church's programmes were a
'sham' and he had no doubt her involvement in the church was instrumental
in causing her stress and anxiety. He said the church did not let its
adherents go without a fight."

Message-ID: <80ee9418.0302051217.6449543e@...>
Message-ID: <80ee9418.0302051349.84ae07c@...>
Message-ID: <gkt54vkcn90758b1f011m6lr48jcdv5kfh@...>
Message-ID: <Im71a.16694$gU.649179@...>

#####

> James Randi

Dan Garvin this week reported giving a talk at the James Randi Educational
Foundation's Amazing Meeting on Scientology.

"I spoke for half an hour on Scientology and the Sea Org, and later
answered questions in a panel discussion. In between, whenever there were
breaks between talks, attendees were asking me questions almost nonstop.
Scientology is truly a hot (and disturbing) topic among people who use
their heads, and most of them did not know much about it."

Message-ID: <587e24f4.0302030711.2ca3bbc9@...>

#####

> In Memoriam

The Washington Post reported the death of Scientologist Nancy Wright
Graham in Falls Church, Virginia.

"Nancy Wright Graham, 54, the owner and operator of Suddenly Slender, a
Falls Church health and beauty mineral-wrap business she started in 1996,
died Jan. 29 at her home in Falls Church. She had cancer. Mrs. Graham was
a founding member of the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre in
Washington, which conducts spiritual counseling for residents and visiting
celebrities. Her hobbies included camping, canoeing and stargazing."

Message-ID: <v3u4o3hgkia1ad@...>

#####

> Russia

The BBC reported on February 4th on the continuing protests against
Scientology in St. Petersburg.

"The Moving Together youth organization have placed a five-tonne stone at
the entrance to St. Petersburg's mayoralty in the Smolnyy palace 'to give
weight' to their indefinite action of protest against the Scientologist
sect. Campaign activists put up a tent in front of the Scientologists'
Church on the city's Ploshchad Vosstaniya [Square] on 27 January. A
demonstration was staged on Tuesday [4 February].

"'We have spent almost two weeks in front of the Scientologists' Church
and managed to reduce the inflow of new members to this organization and
to collect thousands of signatures under an appeal to the city authorities
to close the sect.'

"To add more weight to the appeal the demonstrators stuck leaflets to the
five-tonne stone outside Smolnyy. The action will continue until the
Scientologists' Church, which the Moving Together consider to be a Satanic
and criminal sect, is closed down.

"The city's Scientologists, meanwhile, said that they sent a protest
against the youth movement's actions to the city authorities on 30
January. They argued that their organization is registered and that 'those
who oppose them are protesting against the authorities and are possibly
trying to incite religious enmity.'"

From the Los Angeles Times on February 8th:

"A Kremlin-connected youth movement is targeting the Church of Scientology
with pickets and a planned lawsuit in an attempt to shut down its center
in St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city. 'We've decided to go
after the most odious and dangerous of the cults,' said Aleksey Kuznetsov,
an organizer with Walking Together, a youth group that supports the
policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Walking Together members pitched a tent near the Scientology headquarters
in central St. Petersburg for 12 days, distributed anti-Scientologist
pamphlets and erected a large sign reading, 'The Sect Is There,' with an
arrow pointing at the five-story building."

Message-ID: <80ee9418.0302041430.3da453a0@...>
Message-ID: <1a71a.16693$gU.649179@...>

#####

> Linking

The operators of slatkinfraud.com reported that they have received a
demand that they stop linking their web site to the Hubbard College of
Administration site.

"Hello my name is Alverto and I am the Director of Promotion and Marketing
of the Hubbard College of Administration International Today I was doing a
random search and your web site was one of the results of the search. I am
asking you at this time to remove all and all links to the Hubbard College
of Administration International and its web sites.

"I am not saying that what you are doing is okay or not. Everyone is
entitled to their own free speech but at this time I would like for you to
remove the links for the Hubbard College of Administration International
web site and it's network. At no time were you given permission. Please
refer the the disclaimer in the copy rights link on the Hubbard College of
Administration Internationals web site."

The Boston Globe reported on February 2nd that Scientology is frequently
on the leading edge in legal issues over search engines and linking

"Last year, lawyers for the Church of Scientology insisted that Google
remove from its index links to Xenu.net, a Web site that is highly
critical of the controversial church. They claimed that the site infringed
on the church's copyrights and trademarks. Google promptly complied, to
the horror of many Google fans who saw it as an abdication of the
company's longstanding commitment to search purity. Google said it had no
choice but to abide by federal copyright law, but critics pointed out that
Google had in fact removed more than was required under law. In the end,
Google restored some of the links and explained its reasoning to users.
'Ultimately,' Sergey Brin says, 'where we ended up was the right
conclusion, but we didn't initially handle it correctly.'

"Harvard Law's Zittrain says more clashes are on the way. 'The cutting
edge on such battles is often the Church of Scientology,' he says. 'They
have very well honed procedures and tactics to remove information that
they find objectionable.' Check out a site called chillingeffects.org to
see the growing list of letters from various parties demanding that Google
remove information about them. What seeMs. clear is that just as in
Washington, some parties will have more power than others in the Internet
democracy governing Google Nation."

Message-ID: <5e0371c5.0302032141.fe0a2eb@...>
Message-ID: <80ee9418.0302032027.7839e746@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 45
2/16/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Ad Agency

Adweek reported on February 11th that Scientology has hired a new
advertising agency.

"The Church of Scientology has hired Horizon Media as its global media
partner, the agency said. Horizon won the account following a review that
included URI, the Beverly Hills, Calif., incumbent, as well as KSL Media
and Universal McCann, both in Los Angeles, and Corinthian Media of New
York. The Los Angeles-based client spent less than $1 million on
advertising last year, according to CMR."

Message-ID: <SPj2a.16984$gU.658889@...>

#####

> Flag Land Base

Source magazine reported on the celebration of the anniversary of the Fort
Harrison Hotel.

"On January 18, 2003 more than 500 guests strolled down a red carpet to
The Fort Harrison Hotel for the Fort Harrison Hotel's 76th Anniversary
Gala.  Guests included City, County and State government officials,
business leaders and internationally renowned celebrities including John
Travolta, Kelly Preston, Jenna Elfman, Erika Christensen, Anne Archer and
Catherine Bell.

"During the event, Mr. Stuart Rogel, President of the Tampa Bay
Partnership, an organization whose purpose is to expand the Tampa Bay area
and improve the quality of life here, presented a plaque to the Church of
Scientology, which read, in part: 'In recognition of the Fort Harrison's
76th Anniversary as part of the heart and heritage of Clearwater. We
congratulate you for your commitment to your community and for your work
in making Tampa Bay a better community for all.'

"Entertainment by the Golden Era Musicians, with Isaac Hayes, Chick Corea,
Mark Isham and Kate Ceberano, capped the evening."

Message-ID: <01N0B33L37667.6195486111@...>

#####

> Italy

L'Unione Sarda reported on February 13th that three Scientologists have
been charged with extortion of his cousin, who committed suicide in 1997.

"When Roberto jumped out of his bedroom window, at the 5th floor of via
Castiglione, he wasn't 20 yet. It was Feb. 18th, 1997. Four months later
his parents filed a complaint: their son committed suicide - they claim -
because he was exasperated by the continuous requests of money of his
cousin, with whom Roberto shared the passion for Scientology.

"The preliminary hearing judge indicted Giorgio Carta, 30 from Cagliari,
with the charge of extortion. According to the deputy prosecutor Guido
Pani, the defendant demanded almost 100 millions, threatening to reveal
the confidences Roberto made during meetings with Scientology members. As
for the other two indicted, Annamaria Cogoni, 44 from Selargius and
Massimiliano Longu, 30 from Cagliari, the judge ordered the files to be
transferred to the prosecutor in order to have the charges specified.
Cogoni and Longu (both members of Scientology) are charged with abetting.

"According to Roberto's parents (who sued for damages in the criminal
prosecution) everything started with the boy's Scientology enrolling, of
which he was happy at first. Then something happened. Roberto confided his
father and mother to be pressed by his cousin Giorgio Carta with demands
of money.

"Two days ago a magazine related to Scientology and speaking of this
investigation in a cryptic way was handed out for free in front of the
Palace of Justice.  After gathering a sheer dossier, Roberto's family
asked the power of attorney to reopen the investigation about their son's
death. The charge of suicide instigation dropped, while remains the one
for extortion."

Message-ID: <5k0p4vkudheogoakbbr10bmgs4jnc2g8ta@...>

#####

> Los Angeles

The American Reporter reported on February 14th that Scientologists
flooded a neighborhood council to vote for a pro-Scientology slate of
officers.

"In a naked show of power Wednesday night, some 500 Scientologists
descended by the busload on a Neighborhood Council polling place at a
local church with pre-marked sample ballots and proceeded to elect a slate
of Scientology and other candidates, including Hillary Royce, the group's
international spokesperson, by a huge margin. The Scientologists, most in
their familiar blue military-style uniform, came in waves that almost
overwhelmed volunteers who had set up a polling place in a large meeting
room at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood.

"An elder of the Presbyterian church, Andrew Ettinger, told The American
Reporter at a candidate forum two weeks ago that he had encouraged
Scientology - which is the fifth-largest employer in Hollywood, with
almost 1,700 workers - to run a candidate for office.

"Under the bylaws adopted by the HUNC, five geographical districts and
other seats for non-profits, faith-based organizations, homeowners and
businesses are voted on by all voters regardless of which category they
may register in as stakeholders. By that unusual standard, the
Scientologists were all eligible to vote if they worked either at its huge
building at the corner of Ivar and Hollywood or its former mansion hotel
property on Franklin Ave. called the Celebrity Centre.

"The election was the first for board seats on the Hollywood United
Neighborhood Council, or HUNC, which survived a tendentious battle with
the rival Franklin-Hollywood Hills Community Council for the right to
represent the area, which includes most of the Hollywood Hills from
Cahuenga Blvd. to Western Ave., from the Hollywood Sign to Hollywood
Blvd., with about 20,000 residents, or 'stakeholders.'

"The turnout of the Scientologists has been downplayed just days ago by
Ettinger, who was handily elected to a board seat. Indeed, Scientologists
have not been a factor in municipal elections in the past, although
Scientology International President Heber Jentzsch of Utah is a political
contributor to Rep. Diane Watson, the area's new Congresswoman. Casting
what seemed to be roughly 70 percent of the votes, the Scientologists
elected at least two of their own members and an unknown number of other
candidates who had not disclosed their religious affiliations.

"Many, if not most Scientologists are not registered to vote in normal
elections, largely because they view the American government as a product
of psychiatric conspiracies. In the Neighborhood Council elections,
however, voters do not have to be citizens, do not have to show
identification, and may claim stakeholder status by merely affiliating
with an organization."

Message-ID: <gb63a.17059$gU.666586@...>

#####

> Narconon

The Associated Press reported in articles on February 11-13 that
Scientology offered a tour of a Mexico prison to Nevada legislators in
order to promote the Narconon drug rehab program.

"Hoping to win support for an alternative drug treatment program developed
by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, a Nevada legislator wants her
colleagues to join her on a trip to a Mexico prison to examine the
program. Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, R-Reno, has proposed legislation to
establish the Second Chance Program in Nevada for the state's female
prison population. The program relies on detoxification and
self-betterment principles developed by Hubbard.

"Angle said she has secured funding from a mystery donor for 35
legislators to take a March 1 day trip to Ensenada State Prison, where the
program has been operating since 1995. The program claims to have lowered
inmate recidivism to 10 percent. The donor willing to pay for the
lawmakers' trip is an Arizona man, but Angle wouldn't provide his name.
She added that since the man isn't a registered lobbyist, he won't have to
file a lobbyist spending report - so there would be no public financial
record.

"Malkiewich said he sent a letter about the trip to legislators Monday
afternoon, and all reservations must be confirmed by 4 p.m. Wednesday
because Southwest Airlines is holding 35 tickets. He said that as of
Tuesday afternoon Assemblywomen Genie Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas, and
Valerie Weber, R-Las Vegas, and Assemblyman Don Gustavson, R-Sun Valley,
had confirmed they'll make the trip. Other Nevada legislators were
skeptical, however. A number of lawmakers said they did not plan on
attending the trip because the funding source is suspect and they do not
want to open themselves to criticism about accepting gifts or donations.

"The Second Chance Program detoxifies inmates by administering vitamin and
mineral supplements, massage and sauna treatments to drain the body of
drug residue, according to the program's brochure. The program then
includes an education component, followed by a self-respect component
based on Hubbard's text 'The Way to Happiness.' The self-respect module
also includes one-on-one interviews with a guidance counselor. The program
ends with a life skills component, training inmates on how to evaluate
other people and how to change unwanted conditions of their lives. Inmates
are then expected to take the program back into their communities upon
their release.

"Angle said the program is not Scientology, but simply uses Hubbard's
teachings. The Second Chance Program is licensed by the criminal
rehabilitation group Criminon International, a child of Narconon
International, a drug rehabilitation program. Both groups employ Hubbard's
teachings in their rehabilitation efforts."

"An Arizona businessman was identified Wednesday as the person paying for
a quick trip to Mexico so Nevada lawmakers can see a prison drug treatment
program developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Assemblywoman
Sharron Angle, R-Reno, said Russell Suggs is underwriting the one-day
fact-finding mission, and he only grudgingly agreed to let Angle reveal
his name. 'He is approached not only by non-profits, but politicians as
well,' Angle said. 'And he doesn't like his name spread around, but he
would let it go if it would help me and the Second Chance Program.'"

"A legislative trip to a Mexico prison to view an alternative drug
treatment program developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard was
termed inappropriate Thursday by the Assembly's second-ranking Democrat.
Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said the program is
scientifically invalid and undercuts other state efforts. 'I think this
legislature has a true commitment to the rehabilitation of prisoners,
especially those who are drug addicts,' Buckley said.

"'If anything, why aren't we working on expanding (drug courts and mental
health courts)? Why would we adopt an experimental, gimmicky program that
has absolutely no scientific validation for it. All the studies seem to be
done by Scientology efforts.' Buckley also said it's ironic Nevada would
look to Mexico prisons for ways to handle drug addiction."

From the Las Vegas Review-Journal on February 14th and 15th:

"Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley said Thursday legislators should
not take a free trip to a Mexican prison to view an unproven drug
treatment program that uses sauna and massage treatments. Buckley, D-Las
Vegas, expects most legislators won't take the March 1 trip to an Ensenada
prison that is being arranged by Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, R-Reno.
Angle has been championing a program there that was developed by
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. She is sponsoring legislation to put
the program in women's prisons in Nevada.

"The governor's office announced Thursday that Corrections Director Jackie
Crawford will not travel again to the Mexican prison. Assembly members
Genie Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas, Valerie Weber, R-Las Vegas, and Don
Gustavson, R-Sun Valley, earlier signed up for the trip.  Ohrenschall
canceled, but Weber still intends to go. 'I want to keep an open mind
about it,' Weber said. 'It may be a way to help the state save money.'
Weber said her trip is being privately funded."

"The governor's office wants nothing to do with a Republican
assemblywoman's plan to have female inmates submit to a drug
rehabilitation program developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, a
spokesman said Friday. Greg Bortolin, press secretary to Gov. Kenny Guinn,
said the administration is 'moving in another direction' in its inmate
drug rehabilitation efforts. He added that neither Corrections Director
Jackie Crawford nor any members of her staff will take additional trips to
an Ensenada, Mexico, prison to review the controversial drug
rehabilitation program that uses sauna and massage treatment.

"The Arizona state government rejected the program last year because of
its $15,000-per-inmate cost and because program sponsors did not track
participants once they left prison. Crawford said there is merit to the
Second Chance Program used in the Mexican prison, but not necessarily more
than other drug rehabilitation programs. She said she took a free trip to
the Mexican prison because Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, R-Reno, requested
she see the program.

"Angle insisted 'raw partisanship' is the real reason why Democrats have
rejected an examination of the Hubbard program. She said Assembly Majority
Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, has been inducing legislators to
reject the program without looking at its merits. Guinn, however, is a
Republican. Until she hears otherwise from Crawford, Angle said she
believes the administration may be convinced to offer the program to
Nevada inmates. Angle added 'more than a few' legislators will fly to
Mexico March 1 on a day trip to see the rehabilitation program. She also
declined to identify legislators who will take the trip, saying she
doesn't have an accurate count. But Angle acknowledged that none of the 23
Democrats in the 42-member Assembly will make the trip. 'I had Democrats
attending until she (Buckley) began this partisan move,' Angle said."

From the Las Vegas Sun on February 14th:

"Lawmakers are fleeing as fast as they can from a proposed trip to
Ensenada, Mexico, to see a prison experiment with Scientology ties.
Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, R-Reno, is proposing a pilot program in
Nevada, and has secured 35 seats on a Southwest Airlines flight to San
Diego on March 1 as part of a trip to the prison.

"Angle, the Assembly minority whip, is sponsoring a bill to launch a
similar model in Nevada's women's prisons, and would be seeking grant
money through President Bush's faith-based initiatives. That leads many to
suspect Scientologists will continue to have ties to the program in
Nevada, and is keeping most lawmakers away from the trip. Angle said she
would seek Bush's community-based, not faith-based, initiative grants. She
said she is not a Scientologist, just a woman of faith who attends weekly
prayer meetings in the Legislative Building. In her office, she has a
poster commemorating the first prayer in Congress.

"So far Angle has just two legislative takers for her sojourn: Don
Gustavson, R-Sun Valley, and Valerie Weber, R-Las Vegas. Gustavson and
Angle are the most conservative lawmakers in the Assembly, often voting as
a two-person bloc against bills that other Republicans sponsor. Weber is a
freshman Assemblywoman and Christian conservative."

Message-ID: <8Rj2a.16985$gU.658889@...>
Message-ID: <fWN2a.17025$gU.663528@...>
Message-ID: <80ee9418.0302131858.11e493bd@...>
Message-ID: <i363a.17058$gU.666586@...>
Message-ID: <UIr3a.17078$gU.669566@...>
Message-ID: <PNr3a.17079$gU.669566@...>

#####

> In Memoriam

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported on February 10th that Scientologist
Laurent Fafard has passed away.

"Retired Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra violinist Laurent Joseph Fafard
spent his life inspiring others through music. As a violin teacher, it
wasn't unusual for one-hour lessons to turn into three-hour lessons about
life. After Mr. Fafard retired, he dedicated much his time to the Church
of Scientology of Ohio, based in Cincinnati, where he served as a trainer
to the church's new counselors. In response to the civil unrest here in
April 2001, Mr. Fafard was pivotal in organization of a day of interfaith
reconciliation. 'He believed in the diversity of man and commonality of
the spirit,' said his friend, Mary Harrill of Clifton."

Message-ID: <7gmg4vs9e21sr18o9e96stc42bapordo9f@...>

#####

> Russia

The Moscow Times reported on February 13th that Scientologists plan to
protest against free sex to commemorate Valentine's Day.

"Cynics overwhelmed by the love in the air on Valentine's Day can head for
Tverskaya Ulitsa, where the Church of Scientology will be campaigning
'against the source of depravity and debauchery' on Friday. The
anti-free-sex rally, which will take place around noon between buildings
No. 17 and 19, is cunningly titled 'Sex v Bolshom Gorode,' the Russian
name for the popular U.S. television series 'Sex in the City.'

Those with a more somber relationship with St. Valentine can try out the
Christ the Savior Cathedral. The Catholic Church handed over some of the
remains of St. Valentine to the Russian Orthodox Church last month, and
they are to be placed in the cathedral soon."

Message-ID: <YYN2a.17026$gU.663528@...>

#####

> VOA

Voice of America published a profile on Scientology on February 16th.

"Last month, Germany's Federal Finance Office granted the Church of
Scientology full tax-exempt status, clearing the way for the organization
to be recognized as a bona fide religious group. Scientology was founded
in the United States nearly 50 years ago by L. Ron Hubbard, an engineer
and novelist. Many political leaders in Europe have accused the group of
being a cult and the German decision comes at a time when here in the
United States, a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the church awaits
trial.

"By the church's own estimate, Scientology has spread to more than 150
countries since the organization was first founded in 1954. Church
officials say as many as 640,000 people may be joining the Church of
Scientology each year. And 80 percent of these people boast an annual
income that's higher than the U.S. national average.

"Susan Taylor, who heads the organization in Washington, DC, says
Scientology isn't a Christ-centered religion. 'The Church of Scientology
religion, its basic beliefs, are actually rooted in eastern philosophies.
L. Ron Hubbard said many years ago that if you were to liken Scientology
to any other religion, it'd be closest to Buddhism,' she says. 'So we have
a very eastern core, but with a very western approach.'

"That 'western' approach includes something called 'auditing', one the of
the group's more controversial practices. According to Ms. Taylor, the
process involves a precise set of questions posed to a person in stages.
The goal is to achieve what Scientologists call 'spiritual freedom'.
Auditing sessions are conducted by people who've been specially trained by
the church, and the process is designed to take place over the course of
20 years.

"But Susan Taylor is quick to point out it isn't therapy. In fact, the
Church of Scientology stands in active opposition to modern-day
psychiatry. 'Scientology is nothing like psychiatry or psychology,' she
says. 'I mean, nothing at all. For instance, a psychiatrist and a
psychologist, in most cases, do not have a belief in God. You have a
problem? We're going to label you, and we're going to give you a drug.
Scientologists approach an individual's difficulties from a spiritual
viewpoint. We also believe that the whole field of mental health belongs
in the field of religion.'

"And therein lies the problem for some people, including the family of
36-year-old Lisa McPherson. They've filed a lawsuit in Florida, claiming
she died because, among other things, the Church of Scientology removed
her from the care of a psychiatrist. In 1995, she was involved in a minor
traffic accident, during which she exhibited behavior that law enforcement
officials thought could be a sign of mental instability. She was admitted
to a hospital, where a psychological evaluation was ordered. But
representatives from the Church of Scientology insisted the evaluation
would violate Ms. McPherson's religious rights. They removed her from the
care of doctors, and 17 days later, Lisa McPherson was dead. The official
cause of death was a blot clot, said to have been the result of
dehydration and excessive bed rest.

"'Scientology's complete rejection of all dimensions of psychiatry can
have dire consequences for people who need psychiatric care,' says Stephen
Kent, a sociologist at the University of Alberta who specializes in
alternative religions. He's interviewed hundreds of people who have left
the Church of Scientology and says under the banner of religious freedom,
church officials are practicing medicine without a license. 'The auditing
process is a multi-faceted activity, and one could argue that at least
part of it involves belief in supernatural forces. But a lot of it is
straight pseudo-psychotherapy,' he says.

"Professor Kent also says the church requires its members to pay large
sums of money to participate in auditing sessions. He says Scientologists
are asked to reveal a lot of personal information during these sessions,
information that's recorded in the church's official records and because
of that, he says many who want to leave the church feel they can't."

Message-ID: <1gav4vgdgnf451vhn3jj6d5trciksu6rd4@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 46
2/23/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Ad Agency

Adweek reported on February 21st that the new advertising agency for
Scientology defends the relationship.

"Its detractors have compared the Church of Scientology to a cult, but the
controversy that often surrounds it did not deter Horizon Media from
taking on the business. 'It's freedom of speech,' said Zach Rosenberg, evp
and general manager for Horizon in Los Angeles. 'Everyone has a right to
market a belief, and we want to help them.'

"The church, which spent about $45 million on ads in 2002 had grown too
big for URI, said Becky Miscavige, client marketing campaigns director.
Horizon was tapped because it is 'a growing independent agency that fits
our needs as a growing church,' and it has an office in Europe, she said.
Horizon will handle media strategies for building awareness of the church
in the U.S., Europe and Russia.

"U.S. duties include buying and planning to support church founder L. Ron
Hubbard's book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.
Internationally, Eurizon will support the Volunteer Minister Cavalcade,
which touts Scientology in 40 cities. 'It's not standard retail
[advertising] to drive traffic into seats or generate ratings - it's
ultimately to recruit people to the church,' Rosenberg said."

Message-ID: <8ivd5v05jc1cqeb50pi5uhikvj04aqtrv2@...>

#####

> Faith-based Groups

The Anchorage Daily News reported on February 21st that Scientology
participated in a meeting with the Lt. Governor of Alaska and a U.S.
official responsible for the faith-based initiative.

"Lt. Gov. Loren Leman led the state's first meeting Thursday. A White
House aide in the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives spoke by
phone. A crowd of about 100 gathered at Wilda Marston Theater to listen
and talk at a session that began and ended in prayer. Pastors came. So did
leaders of nonprofit organizations.

"Many church groups represented were Christian but not all. A minister
with the Church of Scientology, for instance, came to ask how the new
effort will affect denominations that have experienced discrimination. The
intent is to define religion broadly, Leman responded. Churches,
synagogues, temples are all welcome, he said.

"The White House has laid out guidelines for religious organizations
receiving federal dollars on a Web site, www.fbci.gov. Essentially, the
money can't be used to fund worship or buy Bibles, the Koran or other
religious materials. Clients cannot be forced to pray or participate in
religious activities as a condition of getting help. It doesn't matter
whether an organization has a cross on the wall, White House aide Balan
Ayyar told the crowd by speakerphone. What is important is 'whether the
service you are rendering is effective.'"

Message-ID: <yGq5a.17243$gU.700511@...>

#####

> Michael Pociej

Scientology has filed suit against the U.S. Department of Justice to allow
Michael Pociej, a Polish Scientologist, to remain in the U.S. as a
religious worker.

"Plaintiff, CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY OF LOS ANGELES, files Complaint for
Mandamus seeking to compel the Defendants to adjudicate the Special
Immigrant Religious Worker petition they filed on behalf of Michael
Pociej, a national of Poland.  This is a civil action to redress the
rights, privileges, and immunities secured by Plaintiff, by which status
jurisdiction is conferred, and to compel Defendants to perform a duty
Defendants owe to the Plaintiff.

"On October 8, 1996, a Warrant of Arrest was issued for Michael Pociej for
not appearing at his scheduled Deportation Hearing. Mr. Pociej never
received this Notice of Hearing hence, he was not aware that he was being
summoned by the Immigration Court. The Beneficiary of this petition, Mr.
Michael Pociej, is scheduled for a hearing before the Los Angeles
Immigration Court on February 27, 2003 to deliberate what other form of
relief is available to him.

"The Church of Scientology, Los Angeles suffered harm due to the INS'
delay in adjudicating their petition. They need the services of Mr. Pociej
and they cannot hire him unless they are given authority by the INS to
commence the employment.

"WHEREFORE, Plaintiff prays that this Court: Compel the Defendants to
perform their duty to adjudicate Plaintiff's Petition for Special
Immigrant Religious Worker Award attorney's fees and costs of Court; and,
Award such other and further relief that this Court deems proper under the
circumstances."

Message-ID: <qfb55v43h2fmc630d5mr1hb9a86gu9kt9e@...>

#####

> Clearwater

The St. Petersburg Times reported on February 21st that charges will be
dropped against the husband and friends of a Scientologist who restrained
her in order to take her to a doctor.

"The State Attorney's Office last week dropped false imprisonment charges
against Terry R. Hemphill, 54, Jamie J. Popa, 34, and Laurie Lynn Miller,
33. A domestic battery charge against Hemphill also was dropped. Largo
police arrested the three after finding they had bound Hemphill's wife,
Cathleen, with electrical tape. Hemphill told the officer his wife had
been acting erratically and needed to see the doctor. Hemphill said he
enlisted the help of Popa and Miller to get her there. Officers determined
Hemphill's wife was being taken against her will. Hemphill and the two
women were arrested.

"Mrs. Hemphill had told police that her husband had previously abused her,
though she had not reported it to police. She reported it instead to the
Church of Scientology, of which the Hemphills are members. Mrs. Hemphill
also said in statements that Popa and Miller were members of the church.
In fact, she said Popa was a 'field minister' with the church."

Message-ID: <80ee9418.0302210754.7a565044@...>

#####

> In Memoriam

The Oregonian reported the death of Scientologist Dan Perz on February
10th.

"More than 100 kids at Lake Oswego Swim Club were under his tutelage,
mostly ages 8 through 12.  He loved to inspire kids, teach them how to
swim fast and watch them improve. It would drive him nuts when coaches
yelled at kids.

"Perz had a master's degree in cinematography and married his art
experience and visual talent with swimming. He took videos of swimmers in
the water, then used a computer to isolate single images and used special
effects from the computer to make photographs. His size intimidated some
people. But his wife says he was a big teddy bear. He was a committed
Scientologist for at least 20 years, a faithful reader of L. Ron Hubbard,
and took classes at the Celebrity Centre downtown."

Message-ID: <575016bf.0302182346.4dfbdf74@...>

#####

> Narconon

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on February 18th that the sponsor of
a trip for legislators to visit a Narconon program at a Mexico jail will
no longer advocate the program for Nevada.

"Assemblywoman Sharron Angle said Monday she will end her quest to have
female prisoners enter a drug rehabilitation program devised by
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. The Reno Republican said introducing a
bill to try the program in Nevada would be useless because of Democratic
opposition. Democrats hold 23 of the 42 seats in the Assembly. Majority
Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, opposes the program.

"Angle said she will cancel a March 1 trip by legislators to an Ensenada,
Mexico, prison to look at the Second Chance Program. The trip would have
been paid by Randall Suggs, an Arizona businessman with ties to the
Scientology church. Angle said the Scientology church is not involved in
the Mexican prison's program.

"Under the program, inmates receive sauna and massage treatments for
extended periods of time. Only 10 percent of the inmates who enter the
program return to drugs, Angle said. Buckley said Arizona legislators
looked at the program last year and found it cost $15,000 per inmate for 3
1/2 months of treatment. Also, legislators were told Mexican officials did
not check on program participants after they left prison, Buckley said."

Message-ID: <Mxr4a.17186$gU.683664@...>

#####

> Australia

The Daily Telegraph reported on February 16th that billionaire James
Packer has left Scientology.

"'He's out of it,' confirmed one mate, who did not wish to be named, but
who insisted the billionaire media boss had cut all ties with the Church
of Scientology. Packer, 34, started attending classes at the Church of
Scientology in Sydney last year after close friend Tom Cruise introduced
him to the religion. Just last month, Packer the younger flew to New
Zealand to catch up with Cruise, who is shooting The Last Samurai in the
North Island. But his dalliance with the celebrity-driven religion is
definitely over, insiders assert."

Message-ID: <80ee9418.0302161938.209b4d81@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 47
3/2/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Lisa Marie Presley

The Mirror reported on February 28th that one of the causes of the breakup
of Nicolas Cage and Scientology celebrity Lisa Marie Presley was her
involvement in Scientology.

"He may be a Hollywood hunk whose dark good looks and athletic build have
women swooning over him in such romantic hits as Captain Corelli's
Mandolin and City Of Angels. But when it comes to his own lovelife, Nic
Cage just can't seem to get it right. Nic blames the way he gets blinded
by love and obsessed with the object of his affection - so it certainly
can't be down to him not being romantic and attentive. Aspects of his past
relationships have been the stuff of love stories, although they have yet
to have a happy ending.

"A life-long Elvis fan, Nic chatted up the heir to Graceland and the
Presley estate at a party by raving about her father. Unimpressed, she
replied, 'Is that the best you can do?' It took her three months to
realise she may have been rude and called to apologise. They started
dating and tied the knot within six months with a Blue Hawaii-style
wedding.

"It seemed like a match made in heaven, but he and Lisa Marie actually had
little in common. She objected to his drinking, cigar-smoking and
collection of lizards - none of which he was prepared to give up. He
disliked aspects of her Scientology religion and was said to be peeved at
being talked into selling his Venice Beach home after she complained of
sightseers. They went their separate ways three months later citing
'irreconcilable differences'."

Message-ID: <1NL7a.17475$gU.724474@...>

#####

> Clearwater

The St. Petersburg Times reported on March 1st on the new Scientology
Mission of Belleair.

"Opened quietly more than a year ago, it is the first of five missions
Scientologists intend to establish in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties
within the year. Geared toward introducing newcomers to Scientology, the
missions mark the first time in the church's 27 years in Clearwater that
Scientology overtly will try to recruit Tampa Bay area residents.

"Scientology's commanding presence in downtown Clearwater - a collection
of hotel rooms and space for church services - mainly serves
Scientologists visiting from out of state or foreign countries. More than
12,000 journey each year to the church's spiritual headquarters in
Clearwater to receive some of the highest levels of Scientology training.
Missions, on the other hand, offer a starting point.

"Financed and staffed by private Scientologists rather than church
officials, missions offer introductory Scientology courses and services.
Until Feshbach opened hers in Belleair, the only local mission was on
Belcher Road near the church's stronghold in downtown Clearwater. A small
building marked only by a one-word sign saying 'Dianetics,' it has led a
mostly quiet existence. Twice in the last month, though, the Clearwater
mission paid for a four-page insert in the Suncoast News, promoting a
Scientology treatment and book to a North Pinellas audience.

"Missions will start popping up throughout the bay area, says church
spokesman Ben Shaw, because the church has forged a 'more stable'
relationship with the community. Also, Shaw said, 12,000 private
Scientologists now live in the bay area, and opening missions is regarded
as a core contribution for Scientologists. It's a 'natural occurrence,'
Shaw said.

"Specific locations have not been selected, but missions are planned in
St.  Petersburg, Largo, Hyde Park and West Tampa. The Scientologists who
will finance and operate those missions are in training. Two years ago,
Feshbach tried to open a mission in an 86-year-old church in downtown
Largo. Several city commissioners objected, pointing to the history of
strained relations between the church and the Clearwater community. She
dropped her bid to buy the church; a few months later, she found the
vacant quarters in the Belleair Bazaar center, on West Bay Drive near
Indian Rocks Road.

"So far, 300 to 400 have visited the mission, Feshbach said. Word of the
mission is spread by local Scientologists who urge the curious to take a
look. Others responded to Feshbach's advertisements. She recently paid for
an insert in the Pinellas edition of the Tampa Tribune, touting a
Scientology treatment called the purification rundown.  It purports to
remove harmful toxins from the body through a program of vigorous exercise
followed by several hours in a sauna, in conjunction with a regimen of
vitamins, minerals and oils. She also has advertised in weekly shoppers,
but said she plans no direct mail, radio or TV advertising.

"Most newcomers begin with a course called 'Personal Efficiency.' The
cost:  $35. Those who like what they see usually follow with a series of
life improvement courses such as 'Overcoming Ups and Downs in Life,' 'How
to Improve Relationships with Others' and 'How to be a Successful Parent.'
Each runs $82.50. Revenues from the mission's courses and religious
services offset operating costs, which include paying the 16 staffers.
Scientology missions also tithe 10 percent of their profits to the church,
said church spokeswoman Pat Harney.

"The facilities for the purification rundowns are at the opposite end of
the strip center, in an even more nondescript space behind an awning that
says 'Bookstore.' Inside are a sauna, treadmill, stationary bike and men's
and women's locker rooms. The cost of a purification rundown: $1,500. The
mission has administered 55 rundowns, Feshbach said.

"Many in the scientific community challenge the purification program's
success at removing harmful toxins. 'There is no data that that kind of
experience reduces the level of toxins,' said Dr. Raymond Harbison, a
professor in the College of Public Health at the University of South
Florida."

Message-ID: <iu48a.17530$gU.727686@...>

#####

> Digital Lightwave

The St. Petersburg Times reported on March 1st that Scientologist Bryan
Zwan is lending money to the company he founded, Digital Lightwave, and
that the company is appealing an arbitration award to a former employee
who had complained about the use of Scientology policies at work.

"Scrambling for cash to keep afloat, Digital Lightwave took out
$2.4-million in high-interest loans from its chairman over the last two
weeks. Digital, a maker of portable testing equipment for fiber-optic
networks, will pay an annual interest rate of 10 percent to Optel LLC, an
entity controlled by founder and majority shareholder Bryan Zwan.

"The disclosure comes one month after Digital said it might borrow up to
$10-million from Zwan and that it had recently cut 83 staff positions,
reducing its payroll to 106.  Digital Lightwave's fortunes have tumbled
since the telecom boom of the late 1990s, when its stock surged and put
Zwan on Forbes magazine's list of the 400 richest Americans. The company
was later dogged by legal problems, a federal investigation and investor
concerns about Zwan's close ties to the Church of Scientology.

"A Tampa appeals court is reviewing Digital's appeal of an arbitration
award of $3.8-million plus lawyers' fees to former executive Seth Joseph,
a Miami attorney the company let go in 1998."

Message-ID: <8y48a.17531$gU.727701@...>

#####

> Org News

The Auditor magazine reported news from Scientology orgs around the world.

"Many local dignitaries attended the opened of the new Chinatown Mission
in Sydney recently and they were received by Mission Holder and new OT V
Shimmy Harris and her husband Kevin, both SHSBC students at AOSH ANZO.
Among the guests were the Mayor of Burwood, Mr. Ernest Wong, and the
Taipei Economic and Cultural Director, Mr. Carl Shen, who both validated
the mission's drug free activities in the local Chinese community,
expressing their thanks and promising support for the mission Mr. Shen
also announced that the Overseas Chinese Committee would be providing
funding in support of the Drug-Free Ambassadors' activities in Chinatown,
noting that Dianetics had helped ease lives and that he expected it would
benefit the community at large.

"The Drug-Free Marshals anti-drug campaign was featured at an event
attended by over 3,000 held recently by LA County Sheriff Baca's Clergy
Council. At the Church booth thousands of anti-drug booklets were given
out and several local school principals and religious leaders requested
that the Drug-Free Marshals visit their organizations to enlighten
students and parishioners on the campaign.

"At the Austin Area Interreligious Ministries annual meeting, attended by
135 religious leaders, the Austin Church of Scientology was officially
thanked for its active role in the community. Due to the effectiveness
shown by Church staff and Volunteer Ministers in the local community, the
Church's Director of Special Affairs was voted Vice President for Social
Programs

"Renovations on the New York Org building have begun which will result in
greatly expanded capability to deliver Scientology services to the
metropolitan New York area. The building, ideally located near Times
Square, is being fully restored from top to bottom, so that each floor is
perfectly set up for delivery. This will include 23 auditing rooms, course
rooms to service 120 into course students and 180 Academy students, two
Purif saunas as well as a spacious and beautiful reception area, all to
become a reality before the end of 2003.

"To facilitate these extensive renovations being completed as swiftly as
possible, New York Org has moved to a temporary location near Grand
Central Station, where training, auditing and all Dn and Scientology
services and activities are continuing at a high roar. This temporary home
features plenty of spacious course rooms, auditing rooms, a chapel and
Purif areas for FSM activities, lectures and group functions.  Delivery is
in fact expanding with staff and public reaching out to the 21 million
citizens of NY to bring them the priceless freedom and abilities of
Dianetics and Scientology."

Message-ID: <MXHYWWHC37681.5404398148@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 48
3/9/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Clearwater

The letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on March 4th
included two responses to last week's article on new Scientology missions
being established in the Clearwater area.

"Scientology is only about making money. Scientology is a cultic,
multilevel marketing enterprise where the merchandise is ostensibly
personal well-being rather than household products. At least with Amway,
you get some pretty good detergent.  Scientology is religion as a pyramid
scheme.

"If Scientology is truly about improving lives, why aren't its insights
free? Certainly at some point, organized religions get around to passing
the collection plate, but for the world's major faiths, salvation (of one
sort or another) comes first, and it comes free of charge. Scientologists
would consider Mother Teresa types dismal failures because such people
don't earn revenue for their church.

"Apart from the issue of proprietary information, there are other reasons
Scientology members don't share their beliefs freely. One is they haven't
had enough brainwashing to know the Scientology version of the Greatest
Story Every Told. They don't know about the evil galactic ruler Xenu who,
Hubbard said, exterminated hundreds of millions of space aliens on Earth
76-trillion years ago. They haven't paid Scientology enough cash for
indoctrination to learn suffering comes from the ghosts of those murdered
beings - called Body Thetans -- inhabiting humans and instilling false
memories, causing sickness and mental dysfunction.

"But if Scientologists are happy with their beliefs, who does it hurt? The
same might be asked about snake oil treatments desperately purchased from
avaricious charlatans. At least con artists simply rip you off and move
on. The Scientologists want you to become a salesperson too, ensnaring
those you can and disassociating yourself from all others. And Scientology
is quite able to destroy your ability to reason and thoroughly control all
aspects of your life so you'll be a willing drone in their cause. - Jim
Carroll, Largo

"Scientology seems poised to have an effect on other cities with its
ever-expanding enterprise and tax-exempt status. The tax-exempt status is
the key, and this article shows exactly why Scientology should not be
exempt from paying taxes. The fees in this article are much like a fee
paid to a doctor. Are fees paid to doctors exempt from taxes? No. Are the
doctors' offices free from paying property tax, or do doctors' offices pay
employment tax and every other proper tax that other businesses pay? Yes,
and so should Scientology.

"With that tax exemption Scientology is allowed to make huge sums of money
and keep it all. This allows them the luxury to build multimillion-dollar
projects on property that should be generating taxes for the county and
state. This has ruined downtown Clearwater, without any question. The
immense presence of Scientology in Clearwater and expanding areas is bad
for the community. Scientology is a business and should be taxed as one. -
F. Charles Gordon, Clearwater"

Message-ID: <f019a.17760$gU.736149@...>

#####

> Ireland

The Irish Times reported on March 6th and 7th that the case of Mary
Johnston, a former Scientologist who is suing for conspiracy,
misrepresentation and breach of constitutional rights, continued this week
with testimony from Dr. Stephen Kent.

"A professor of sociology who has written books and articles critical of
the Church of Scientology and other organisations told the High Court
yesterday the church was attempting to isolate him within the academic
community. Prof. Stephen Kent, who is based in Canada, made the claim in
the ongoing action for damages by Ms Mary Johnston.

"Yesterday, during resumed cross-examination of Prof. Kent, Mr. Michael
Collins SC, for the defendants, referred to articles written by a number
of sociologists, psychologists and others dealing with the concepts of
brainwashing and coercive persuasion. Mr. Collins suggested the
conclusions of some of these writers were at variance with those of Prof.
Kent, particularly regarding the professor's view that a person's free
will can be overborne by certain coercive persuasion techniques to such an
extent they may undergo a significant personality change and truly convert
to whatever ideology it may be sought to persuade them of.

"Prof. Kent agreed there were some differences between his views and those
of some writers referred to but said he was in broad agreement with them
on many issues. He said one expert had not referred to religion in
discussing coercive persuasion and he believed it was vital to factor in
that people are motivated for purposive rewards. He agreed the term
brainwashing can be used in two different senses, involving an element of
physical force and no such physical element.

"Mr. Collins said one recognised expert had described as a myth the theory
that certain techniques could result in a person's psychiatric status
being transformed from normal to pathological. Prof. Kent said he believed
there could be a change in psychiatric status as a result of coercive
persuasion. He agreed hypnosis could be a factor but said there were other
factors.

"At one point, Prof. Kent told Mr. Justice Peart the defendants had put in
a critique of his work in an attempt to isolate him in the academic
community. Mr. Collins said Prof. Kent had responded to that critique and
he was indicating, in referring to certain articles, was that the
professor has been the subject of criticism by reputed scholars."

"A fundamental issue in the legal action by a woman against the Church of
Scientology is whether her free will was overborne or compromised in her
decision to take up certain courses run by the church, the High Court
heard yesterday. If the court finds Ms Mary Johnston's free will was
affected, it must then decide whether that has any legal consequences
entitling her to damages, Mr. Michael Collins, for the church said.

"The fundamental point was whether Ms Johnston's free will was compromised
to an extent that was unacceptable in law, counsel added. His side would
be arguing free will is a concept that cannot be measured.

"Yesterday, Prof. Kent said he had referred to free will in the context of
a sociological definition and not in the context of a philosophical
discussion. He agreed that man has a reasoning power that is unique. Mr.
Collins suggested that if a person exercises that power free of direction
by anyone else, that is an exercise of free will, irrespective of how
complete their information is. Prof. Kent said sociologists and
psychologists had identified the importance of deception as mitigating a
person's ability to make a decision."

Message-ID: <Ls7aa.17969$gU.745131@...>
Message-ID: <Jt7aa.17970$gU.745131@...>

#####

> Juliette Lewis

The Washington Post reported on March 5th that Scientology celebrity
Juliette Lewis visited the U.S. Congress to push for restrictions of the
use of medicine for children with problem behavior.

"Actress Juliette Lewis visits Capitol Hill today to sell Congress on the
nationwide effort - spearheaded by the Church of Scientology - to stop
educational authorities from requiring 'problem' schoolchildren to take
mood-altering medication.

"'This is not a Scientology thing, but there are Scientologists involved,'
said the 29-year-old Lewis, who joined the church seven years ago after
reading a Scientology text 'and it was really logical. I was 22, and at
the time I could really use it. We are against putting people on drugs to
help solve problems.' Lewis said she got involved in the
anti-pharmaceutical campaign in 1999.  'Everyone was really upset due to
Columbine and the other violent crimes that popped up afterward,' she
said. 'The media started looking at entertainment media and blaming them -
which was an oversimplified explanation. So I became curious.'

"Given Scientology's influence in Hollywood, has it helped her career?
'No. I don't look at it that way,' Lewis answered.  'It's helped me
personally, but not necessarily professionally. The two can go together
but that's not what I look to Scientology for.'"

Message-ID: <1Jl9a.17771$gU.738833@...>

#####

> New Zealand

The Dominion Post published an article on March 1st on the state of
Scientology in New Zealand.

"'Be careful what you write about Scientology. They're very rich and very
litigious.' This warning comes from a psychiatrist - psychiatry is the
sworn enemy of Scientology - and shows that the scepticism about the
movement founded in the 1950s by L Ron Hubbard, who made his name as a
writer of science fiction, is alive and well. The heyday of fear of it as
a cult came in the late 1960s when hundreds of New Zealanders signed a
petition calling for legislative curbs on it and a government commission
of inquiry upheld a complaint that it was responsible for alienating two
young Scientologists from their family.  There was no subsequent
legislation, but a handful of rules the cult said it had already embraced
were laid down. Times have changed. Mike Ferris, spokesman for the
Auckland-based church, says the family involved in the inquiry have long
been reconciled. Scientology bears the respectable title of a religion.
And a few weeks ago the Inland Revenue Department decided it qualified as
a charity and was thus tax exempt.

"The Scientologists - the church claims there are more than 6000 in New
Zealand - are over the moon. Only a scattering of countries of the 151 in
which they operate give them such fulsome recognition, notably Australia,
South Africa and Sweden. Britain does not, nor does France. So what
happened to make Scientology respectable, to align it with the mainstream
churches in New Zealand, and give it the same financial advantages? Mr.
Ferris says the possibility of recognition as a charity has been discussed
with Inland Revenue for years. 'You could say we were running in to fixed
ideas on what a religion might be.' He says a breakthrough came in the
form of a 2001 Inland Revenue paper in which the definition of religion
came from a 1983 Australian High Court case recognising Scientology as a
religion. Armed with this, the Scientologists applied for charity status
again.

"Mr. Ferris laughs off the 'rich and litigious' label, unless litigious
can include a case in the 1970s when someone impugned Scientology on
talkback radio.  'He put forth a retraction.' He says Scientology is a
non-profit group and funds are used in the region from which they come.
The only New Zealand church, on the Ellerslie Panmure Highway, is rented.
'Collecting real estate is absolutely not what we're about.'

"The New Zealand Church of Scientology was the the first to be established
outside of the United States. Paul Morris, professor of religious studies
at Victoria University, says New Zealand is historically hospitable to new
religious movements. 'Scientologists' view of themselves has greater
continuity than it once had. Scientology has a series of different levels
in many ways, a kind of inner circle with a shop-front version. Like many
New Age movements, self-improvement is important.' The idea of auditing,
he says, is 'like a pop-version of psychoanalytic theory, memory as a
release. The aim is to become clear and fully functioning'.

"Auckland University emeritus professor of psychiatry John Werry says any
truth in Scientology's attacks on the psychiatric profession is 'highly
overblown'. Scientology, he says, is supposed to be a religion with a
scientific basis. Scientologists have a science for understanding human
behaviour and see psychiatrists as competitors.

"'It's about feeling good about yourself and your community,' says Tim
Perkins, 33, of Wellington, who has been a Scientologist for seven years.
Mr. Perkins was introduced to Scientology by his brother, who encountered
it travelling with mates in the United States. He has done several
Scientology courses, including a purification course in London in 2001.
The aim was to clear toxins and radiation from his body. Vitamin and
mineral supplements and exercise were part of that. 'After five or six
weeks, I felt 10 years younger,' he says. 'Do I think it was expensive?
Definitely not. I know I was pretty filled up with different toxins.' On
other courses, he has learned communication skills, including 'dealing
with the ups and downs of life and how to recognise people who have been
harmful and are holding you back'. 'The whole ethics programme is amazing
and gets back to doing unto others what you would have done to yourself.'

"Bernard Roundhill, an early, acclaimed graphic artist, has been a
Scientologist for almost as long as the movement has been in existence. He
is 91 and lives with his third wife, Peggy, in Auckland. She, too, has
been a Scientologist for decades.  Mr. Roundhill discovered it in 1953.
Mrs Roundhill says he learned, through Scientology, to create art that
could communicate to people. 'With Scientology, he received validation and
learned to do it better and better.'"

Message-ID: <yEl9a.17770$gU.738833@...>

#####

> Protest Summary

Dave Bird reported a protest on March 8th at the Birmingham, England
Scientology org.

"Present were Dave, Damian, Tony, and Katie, plus Jens and Martin who
rolled in at the end of lunch.  David and John arrived during the demo
because of delayed trains from London, and also Neil. We were short of
leaflets, but John had some and Martin did an extra hundred at the
stationers. We set up the boom-box, first with Martin and later with John
on the Mic, also the cylinder for helium balloons: we have two sorts,
white with a single red and blue design or transparent with the same print
on each of 4 sides in blue, and we had long-float coating in for the tiny
tots who kept them rather than sucked the gas.

"There were a fair number of clams counter-leafleting.  One guy came past
me and said 'are you protesting against that bunch on the second floor?
Well done, they conned me into there six months ago, and wouldn't let me
out. I hadn't got any money, so she kept saying I'd seen now how valuable
the courses were and why didn't I borrow a few hundred quid off my mother
to buy them with?' By popular request I went on the Mic at the end and did
a few spirited choruses of Do The ElRon-Ron, Little Ghosties, the Xemu
Rap, and so forth."

Message-ID: <fkgVslAL3ja+EwA8@...>

#####

> In Memoriam

The Ocean County Register reported that a teenager was struck and killed
by a truck in his way to the Scientology org.

"Clint Coleman had crossed Red Hill Avenue hundreds of times on his way to
weekly youth meetings at the Church of Scientology. But Tuesday night, the
Tustin 14-year-old never made it. A Dodge pickup hit Coleman and a friend
while they were crossing Red Hill at Olwyn Drive at 6:50 p.m. Coleman died
instantly, police said. His friend, Sam Crabtree, 19, also of Tustin, was
recovering from major injuries Wednesday at Western Medical Center in
Santa Ana.

"The accident was the second involving teens at a crosswalk in the past
week. Saturday, two 14-year-olds were injured when they were hit by a
minivan in an unincorporated area near Tustin. Danielle Genzen, 14, a
friend of Coleman's, is collecting signatures on a petition asking the
city to add more streetlights and a stop sign or traffic light at the
intersection.

"Friends and family at the Church of Scientology remembered Coleman as a
fun-loving guy with a witty sense of humor and a crooked smile. He could
raise anyone's spirits with a mean Clint Eastwood impression and he
rattled off movie lines like a tape recorder, said Andra Clark, 23.
Coleman attended Brighten School in Orange and spent many hours on Church
of Scientology youth projects, including cleaning the shoreline at Doheny
State Beach."

Message-ID: <3e675fb8$1@...>

#####

> Reed Slatkin

Slatkinfraud.com reported on March 2nd and 7th that the trustee in the
Reed Slatkin bankruptcy case is involving several Scientology
organizations that may have benefited from the Slatkin Ponzi scheme.

"Despite its best efforts to disassociate itself from its disgraced former
minister, the Church of Scientology is being dragged into the Reed Slatkin
bankruptcy investigation once again - and this time, trustee Todd Neilson
and the Creditors' Committee want documents. The Trustee has demanded that
seven separate Scientology organizations produce documents related to any
donations or gifts that the church has received from Slatkin since 1985.
Church officials from each of the seven corporations will also have to
appear for a videotaped examination.

"In addition to records related to money transfers, the trustee also wants
any and all documents or correspondence related to the Slatkin bankruptcy,
pre-bankruptcy investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission
and the ongoing criminal investigation. Neilson is also demanding all
documents related to communication or correspondence between church
officials and any other individual or entity regarding investments with
Slatkin from 1985 until the present."

"Two more Scientology organizations have been added to the list - the
World Institute of Scientology Enterprises, the quasi-independent network
of Scientologist businesses, and the Church of Scientology Religious
Trust, one of the strongholds of cash within the labyrinth of the
Scientology corporate empire. Both organizations have the potential to
provide the trustee with a wealth of information related to Slatkin's
activities in the years before his Ponzi scheme was uncovered.

"According to Church of Scientology International spokesman Aron Mason,
Slatkin was ejected from WISE precisely because of a failure to meet
unspecified 'ethical standards.' A Knowledge Report, prepared by Slatkin
business associate and net profiteer Richard Levine in 1988, is likely
just one example of the correspondence that WISE and other
Scientology-related entices would have received from puzzled and angry
Slatkin investors over the years about Slatkin's shifty and deceptive
business practices.

"Many Scientology-related payments and donations are made directly to the
Church of Scientology Religious Trust, which serves as a repository for
virtually all of the cash collected from within the United States.

"Scientologist attorney Helena Kobrin, long-time counsel to the Church of
Scientology International and Religious Technology Center, two of the
Scientology entities currently facing Slatkin-related Rule 2004
examinations, lost no time in filing an objection to the examination on
behalf of net-gainers named in adversary proceedings related the Slatkin
case. Ms. Kobrin's motion, filed on behalf of Elvira Morgan, Yvonne
Kellerhals, Alex Guevera, and the Fair family (Virginia, Whitney, Joshua
and Jana), argues that the Rule 2004 examinations into the
Scientology-related entities, which will scrutinize not only money
received from Slatkin, but also from adversary defendants, would
improperly deprive defendants of discovery rights.

"Ms. Kobrin and her husband, Michael D. Kobrin, are also facing adversary
proceedings based on the Trustee's claim that they netted $268,000 in
Slatkin-related profits."

Message-ID: <5e0371c5.0303022310.6946c197@...>
Message-ID: <5e0371c5.0303070839.401a836b@...>

#####

> CCHR

The News and Star newspaper from Carlisle, England reported on March 7th
that the Scientology affiliated Citizen's Commission on Human Rights is
asking a hospital to stop using Electroconvulsive Therapy to treat
depression.

"The Citizen's Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), set up by the Church of
Scientology in America, said the West Cumberland Hospital's Yewdale Ward
carries out Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT), which involves sending
between 180 and 460 volts of electricity through the brain.

"The procedure has been used since the Sixties and cannot be carried out
unless a consent form is signed. It is practiced in hospitals all over the
UK. But the CCHR is calling for the treatment to be stopped altogether.
CCHR spokesman Brian Daniels said: 'Electroshock should not be available
as a choice. After 50 years of practising this, psychiatrists are not
likely to suddenly agree that it is harmful.'

"Lindsay Varty, spokeswoman for North Cumbria Acute Health Trust,
confirmed: 'It is a proven form of safe and effective treatment for people
suffering from severe depression. The treatment is the subject of an
ongoing audit.'"

Message-ID: <J27aa.17968$gU.745055@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 49
3/16/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Clearwater

The St. Petersburg Times reported on March 14th that a group of halfway
houses in Clearwater with ties to Scientology has been closed by the city.

"A network of Christian-themed halfway houses in North Greenwood will be
forced to shut its doors after city officials ruled Thursday the operation
is illegal in a residential neighborhood. Community Resurrection Inc., a
haven for recovering drug addicts and alcoholics, got its start early last
year in a small rental house. The mission soon spread up and down Garden
Avenue to include 11 properties owned by three landlords.

"One of those landlords is a real estate investor and a Scientologist,
who, 23 years ago, was involved in one of the darkest chapters of
Scientology history. Richard Weigand, 56, was one of nine Scientologists
convicted of conspiring to conceal the theft of government documents
related to the church. Weigand, who has assembled dozens of rental
properties in Clearwater, said his ownership in the halfway houses is
nothing more than a business investment. Community Resurrection founder
Michael Cournaya confirms that, saying his program was not modeled on
Scientology methods and has no ties to the Narconon drug treatment
program, which is based on the techniques of Scientology founder L. Ron
Hubbard.

"But Cournaya said he is open to sampling Narconon. He plans to undergo a
Narconon program using a sauna meant to sweat out drug residues. He and
Weigand have talked about installing a sauna for residents at Community
Resurrection. 'I don't mind taking a little bit of whatever it takes to
help people,' Cournaya said. 'Anything that I can do that will help people
have a better chance to stay clean and sober.'

"Weigand denied pushing Scientology or the Narconon program. He said he
did not find work for Cournaya's clients. His real estate holdings have no
relation to Scientology, now or in the future, he said.

"Steve Kautz, head of This House, applauds Cournaya's intentions but said
he has taken on too much, too soon. 'His is not a recovery house; it's
more of a shelter,' Kautz said. 'It's a very dangerous recipe. What
they're doing is winging it. It's scary.' Isay Gulley, executive director
of Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services, said a proliferation of new
halfway houses runs counter to her mission of trying to stabilize the
neighborhood. She said she's all for people getting help but worries that
transient population might discourage potential homeowners from investing
in North Greenwood.

"Weigands' properties in Clearwater have been purchased in the last three
years and most are co-owned with Mark Nickels, a Seattle-based building
contractor and major contributor to the Flag Service Building under
construction in downtown Clearwater. Church spokesman Ben Shaw said
Thursday Scientology has no ties, or interest in, Weigand's properties.
'Whatever he's doing is his business,' Shaw said."

Letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on March 10th discussed
the growth of Scientology missions in the Clearwater area.

"Gee, where can I sign up to give my $1,500 check to the Scientologist
cult to walk on its treadmill, use its sauna and feel better with a
spiritual awakening?  The awakening? From a group of atheists who worship
L. Ron Hubbard? This is a man who lived for years on boats so the U.S.
government couldn't nail him for crimes and back taxes.

"I worked as a volunteer at the Lisa McPherson Trust. I remember best the
poor mother who came and asked if we could help her see her daughter.
Twice at the door to their building downtown, she was turned away, told
that 'her daughter was in audit and couldn't be seen.' The next time she
was told that her daughter had left for California! Ah, such wonderful
'hope-for-man' people. - M.L. Fitzpatrick, Dunedin

"I applaud your article covering the new missions in the Clearwater-St.
Petersburg area. Given the amount of crime, illiteracy, drug use, economic
strain and threat of war and terrorism we face, people need to know that
something can be done about it. Only by knowing that a person can do
something effective can you then increase the person's ability to hope for
a decent future for their friends and family.

"I have been successfully applying Scientology methods to my life for the
past 12 years. The most important thing I have learned is that it is okay
to improve your own life as long as you are also trying to improve the
lives of others. My company supports a local literacy center, and we have
helped hundreds of children learn to read. We also support effective drug
rehabilitation methods that have saved many lives.

"The fact that there are several missions that will be opened in the near
future is proof that something effective can be done about improving
conditions in a person's life. - Jim Mathers, Clearwater"

Message-ID: <874ca.18267$gU.760358@...>
Message-ID: <cekca.18279$gU.762513@...>

#####

> Volunteer Ministers

Chris Owen reported that a Volunteer Ministers event is currently running
in London.

"The Church of Scientology's 'Volunteer Ministers Cavalcade' has turned up
in London. A traveling exhibition in a mustard-yellow tent is currently in
Victoria Embankment Gardens. The exhibition runs from 7th-21st March 2003,
10am-6pm. This is part of Scientology's Europe-wide tour of the Volunteer
Ministers. ED Int Guilliaume Lesevre described the Volunteer Ministers'
activities in a presentation to Scientologists last year.

"'Mr. Lesevre showed attendees a series of billboards to drive people into
our cavalcade announcing that we are coming, saying 'NO MATTER THE PROBLEM
IN LIFE, SOMETHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT, VOLUNTEER MINISTER CAVALCADE,
Real help is coming' with the date and location. Explaining how each city
will be plastered with newspaper ads and posters announcing the cavalcade
and hug banners on the local org, the cavalcade will be transported to the
next European city where we have an org. There it will stand, a full-blown
Volunteer Minister pavilion, 3,000 square feet in size and the VM team
accompanying the cavalcade will get into immediate production, delivering
VM services, seminars, courses and workshops to hundreds of people at a
time.'"

Message-ID: <f758becc.0303121652.72332d25@...>

#####

> Ireland

The Irish Times reported on March 12th that Scientology asked the court
not to discriminate against Scientology by allowing testimony from a
Psychologist on the practice of auditing. The case was brought by Mary
Johnston against the Scientology org and several leaders for conspiracy,
misrepresentation, breach of constitutional rights and negligence.

"For the court to admit evidence from a psychologist which was critical of
the practice of auditing - described as the core and single most important
way in which Scientologists profess and practise their religious belief -
would be akin to conducting a judicial inquiry into the legitimacy of the
Sacrament of the Mass in Roman Catholicism, it was argued. This was
impermissible under the constitutional guarantee of the free profession
and practise of religion.

"In submissions on behalf of the church, it was argued Scientology had
been recognised as a religion by many governments worldwide, and must be
treated the same as any other religion here. Mr Michael Collins SC, for
the church, was objecting to the court hearing evidence from a
psychologist, whom it sought to call on behalf of Ms Mary Johnston in her
continuing action for damages.

"Mr Collins said Ms Johnston was seeking to adduce evidence which would
presumably be primarily directed to the effects of auditing and whether it
involved some form of hypnosis and the consequences of auditing for Ms
Johnston. Mr Michael Cush SC, for Ms Johnston, argued he was entitled to
call the psychologist. He referred to a previous ruling by Mr Justice
Peart in relation to such evidence and said Mr Collins was not entitled to
reargue the point and 'blur' the issue. It was for the judge to decide
whether Scientology was a religion and the judge might conclude it was
entirely misguided. Mr Cush said it was Ms Johnston's case that
Scientology was a pseudo-religious cult."

From the Irish Times on March 13th:

"A woman who is suing the Church of Scientology appeared to have been
hypnotised while undergoing an auditing session by a member of the church,
a psychologist told the High Court yesterday. Ms Mary Johnston appeared to
have been subjected to 'very curious' and 'not very good' therapy. Dr
Peter Naish, a chartered psychologist who has written extensively on
hypnosis, said it was his view Ms Johnston was very susceptible to
hypnosis.

"Asked about hypnosis, he said there was nothing intrinsically harmful in
the practice per se. However, when it was used as a vehicle for some kind
of therapy, the person using it must be able to deal with the subject's
reactions. There was a concern that if a subject became distressed, the
hypnotist might retraumatise them. Not all people were susceptible to
hypnosis. In his view, Ms Johnston was highly susceptible.

"Mr Cush read extracts from Dianetics - The Modern Science of Mental
Health, by the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, and also outlined
extracts from Ms Johnston's evidence to the court. He said the extracts
from Dianetics indicated that what was involved in auditing was hypnosis.
It appeared hypnosis was being used as a vehicle and that material was
being developed in an emotional context."

RTE News reported on March 13th that the case was settled by the
participants.

"A High Court action for damages by a Dublin sports shop owner against the
Church of Scientology has ended after out of court talks. No details of
the settlement were disclosed but costs in the action are estimated to be
around 2 million Euros.

"Mary Johnston joined the Church of Scientology in 1992. In her legal
proceedings against the Church and three members of the Dublin Mission,
she claimed she suffered a personality charge after being sucked into the
grasp of the church and subjected to mind control techniques. She claimed
efforts were made to prevent her leaving the church and to silence,
devalue and intimidate her and prevent her taking her legal proceedings.
She claimed she suffered psychological and psychiatric injuries."

Message-ID: <7sd07v87980fc0uh5fc8vmp51mc6snst65@...>
Message-ID: <iG3ca.18266$gU.760269@...>
Message-ID: <ine37v0bdfvdcdr761hr2eqb586bsogtoo@...>

#####

> Kelly Preston

An article by MSNBC on March 13th questioned an appearance by Scientology
celebrity Kelly Preston on a repeat airing of the Montel Williams show.

"Was Kelly Preston providing a valuable public service on a Montel
Williams show? Or was she merely touting some controversial policies of
Scientology? Preston, who with hubby John Travolta is a devout
Scientologist, appeared on the talk show Wednesday, discussing the health
woes of their son. Then she told how his ailments were cured by following
the detoxification procedures in 'Clear Body Clear Mind' a posthumously
published book by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.

"Also featured on the show, which was a rebroadcast, was Michael Wisner,
who was introduced as 'Toxicologist to the Stars.' Wisner, too, is a
Scientologist, who promotes Hubbard in his Sacramento, Calif., clinic,
according to Rick Ross, whose Web site, www.cultnews.com, notes that the
word 'Scientologist' was never used on the show.

"Also not discussed, says Ross, were the potential risks and side effects
of Hubbard's treatment. 'Montel's show was devoid of any meaningful
critical balance that might help viewers develop a more informed
understanding about this supposed process of 'purification.' Instead,
Williams provides a platform for Kelly Preston to essentially use his show
much like an infomercial to promote her Scientology beliefs.'"

Message-ID: <a_0ca.18264$gU.759865@...>

#####

> Camille Paglia

The gossip column of the New York Post on March 16th published the views
of essayist Camille Paglia on Scientology.

"The trendiest religion in Hollywood was founded on the teachings of a
Satanist, a new essay by Camille Paglia claims.  According to an article
by Paglia in Boston University's Arion journal, Hubbard got many of his
ideas from infamous devil worshipper Alistair Crowley.

"'Hubbard had met Crowley in the latter's Los Angeles temple in 1945,'
Paglia writes. 'Hubbard's son reveals that Hubbard claimed to be Crowley's
successor: Hubbard told him that Scientology was born on the day that
Crowley died.' According to the article, Scientologists perform some of
the same rites that Crowley invented, all designed to free practitioners
from human guilt.  'Drills used by Scientologists to cleanse and clarify
the mind are evidently a reinterpretation of Crowley's singular fusion of
Asian meditation and Satanic ritualism, which sharpens the all-conquering
will. Guilt and remorse, in the Crowley way, are mere baggage to be
jettisoned,' Paglia says."

Message-ID: <20030316033644.18599.00000006@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 50
3/23/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Clearwater

The St. Petersburg Times reported in articles on March 18th and 23rd that
a group of Scientologists have purchased one of the large office buildings
in downtown Clearwater, Florida.

"A group of international investors who frequently visit the Church of
Scientology's downtown religious retreat have purchased a nine-story
office building one block away. Despite its proximity to the church, the
building anchored by the AmSouth bank will not be leased or sold to the
church, said Tom Wright, a spokesman for the investors. The white
building, which overlooks Clearwater Harbor, sold for $8.2-million March
4.

"Its location and position as one of downtown's largest buildings have
created a buzz about what the future holds. That buzz intensified as word
spread that the new owners are Scientologists. The church has no plans to
buy or lease any part of the building, said church spokesman Ben Shaw. 'I
can assure you, the church has no interest in it,' he said. 'These are
just businessmen, and from what I understand, very successful
businessmen.'

"On Monday, Assistant City Manager Ralph Stone said the city is anxious to
hear what's in store for the AmSouth building. 'We certainly want to meet
with them and see what their plans are,' he said of the new owners.
'Because that's a key piece of downtown property.' Tenants said they were
assured they wouldn't have to move.

"Last week, Kevin Burke, one of the new owners, made the rounds at the
AmSouth building to introduce himself. He told Martin Richardson of
Corporate Sports Marketing Group Inc. to expect 'business as usual,'
Richardson said. 'Our first thought was, 'Do they want all
non-Scientologists out?' Richardson said. 'That doesn't seem to be the
case.'

"The other investors are Roberto Santos, Elias Jaffif and Marcos Salame,
according to corporate records. The investors bought the property from
Decade Gulfcoast Office Partners, headed by Jeffrey Keierleber. Records
from the county Property Appraiser's Office show Decade Gulfcoast bought
the property in 1996 for $3.1-million."

"Forget the nine-story AmSouth building, the real gem in the recent
purchase of 400 Cleveland St. by a group of international investors
appears to be the parking lot that came with it. On that paved lot, the
investors tentatively plan to build a high-rise, said Lee Arnold, whose
real estate firm helped broker the AmSouth purchase.

"Arnold said he met two weeks ago with Elias Jaffif, one of the four
investors, all of whom are Scientologists who noticed the property while
visiting Clearwater for Scientology services. Arnold said Jaffif told him
the investors are interested in developing some mix of uses in a
high-rise: perhaps condos and hotel rooms or offices, atop a parking
garage and street-level retail stores. Jaffif also seemed very interested
in including a movie theater, Arnold said.

"News of the prominent building's sale last week to a group of
Scientologists resulted in a range of reactions. 'There are definitely
different camps in town,' said city Commissioner Frank Hibbard. One camp,
he said, had this reaction: 'Oh, no, they (Scientologists) are buying
more.' The other camp thought it irrelevant that the buyers are
Scientologists, he said, so long as they are committed to improving the
downtown. 'I would just like to see this land stay on the tax rolls and be
around for larger overall development,' Hibbard said.

"Some downtown business owners said who bought the building, and what they
may plan to do with it, is less important than the city's commitment to
the downtown. 'To me, it (the purchase) doesn't mean anything,' said Terry
Tsafatinos, who owns five commercial properties downtown, several of which
he rents to Scientologists with small businesses. 'I don't think
Scientologists, by themselves, can save the downtown.'

"A lingering negative attitude about the Church of Scientology's large
downtown presence is one big reason some people won't invest there, he
said. 'That's why we suffer,' Tsafatinos said. 'People, they discriminate
against each other. Some people are afraid of Scientologists for no reason
at all. They have to stop that.'"

The St. Petersburg Times reported on March 22nd that a candidate for Mayor
of Clearwater was introduced to a group of Scientologists interested in
her campaign.

"Several weeks ago, political consultant Mary Repper told mayoral
candidate Pam Iorio that several friends wanted to meet her. But the
introduction came with a warning. Her friends included prominent members
of the Church of Scientology, Repper said.  'They were interested in my
candidacy,' Iorio said Friday, adding she doesn't ask supporters about
their religious backgrounds. 'I viewed them as individuals who lived in
Tampa and knew of my record and wanted to offer support. I truly treat all
people the same and all people with respect.'

"Years ago, Repper said, she would have never introduced a mayoral
candidate to a group of Scientologists. The church was too much of an
issue. Now, Repper said she has invited Hillsborough County commissioners,
City Council members and other elected officials to meet Scientologists.
'I work with a lot of elected officials who turn to the church,' Repper
said.

"Repper said the Scientologists who held the fundraiser for Iorio also
helped her opponent, Frank Sanchez. Campaign finance records show the
three Scientologists gave a total of $800 to Sanchez."

Message-ID: <rPFda.18330$gU.773025@...>
Message-ID: <6i_ea.18364$gU.782745@...>
Message-ID: <3e471c14.0303230527.7f0e9ea3@...>

#####

> The Way to Happiness

An email sent to Dutch Scientologists urged them to collect copies of The
Way to Happiness by L. Ron Hubbard for shipment to Iraq.

"I received the following order from Int management: 'Collect 10.000 Way
to Happiness booklets from The Netherlands to send to Iraq.' The threat of
war in Iraq increases by the hour. My father and brother are at this
moment in Israel. They have sealed the houses, a gasmask lies next to
their chair. Despite the reports there is much fear that Saddam Hussein
will attack Israel with chemical weapons. The Org too has been blinded and
sealed.

"There are thousands of WTH booklets in Arabic printed and lying ready to
be sent out in Copenhagen. The Netherlands has the quota of 10,000. One
booklet can prevent a wrong decision and can trigger a decision to not
commit a murder. See what you can do and mail or call me back. It's gotta
be quick! We have no time to lose. This is a 'call to arms'!

"Omri Paz,
Head, Books Department
Amsterdam Org"

Message-ID: <vjfi7v8a7i2svsf8e5iir5v6abpsreto5a@...>

#####

> Taiwan

Reuters reported on March 20th that the government of Taiwan has
recognized Scientology as a religion.

"'At this time of world peril, our recognition in Taiwan reflects a
country where diversity is celebrated rather than politicized,' Rev. Heber
C. Jentzsch, president of the Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology
International, said, adding that Taiwan is the 100th government
acknowledgment or recognition of Scientology internationally."

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0303220604.5737551d@...>

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 7, Issue 51
3/30/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> UK

The Daily Telegraph reported on March 27th that the Advertising Standards
Authority has ruled against Scientology advertisements claiming that
250,000 people have been helped to give up drugs. The authority relies on
public opinion and publicity rather than governmental authority to enforce
its rulings.

"The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against the
Church of Scientology, which stated in a poster that it had rescued
250,000 people from drug addiction. The council said that the worldwide
religious movement had not proved its claim that as many as a quarter of a
million addicts had stopped using drugs as a direct result of
Scientology's intervention.

"The Church of England's Birmingham diocese and several members of the
public had objected to the poster, which was produced by the
Scientologists to publicise a tour of parts of the country. The poster
read: 'Scientology: applied religious philosophy. 250,000 people salvaged
from drugs.' There was also a free telephone number and a website address.

From the Birmingham Post on March 26th:

"The Diocese of Birmingham complained that the poster breached the parts
of the advertising code which related to truthfulness, honesty and
substantiation. The letter added that the claims made were 'both dishonest
and also misleading by both ambiguity and exaggeration'.

"In upholding the complaint, the ASA said they were 'concerned that the
advertisers had not proved that all those enrolled on the programmes were
dependent on drugs at the time of the enrolment or that as many as 250,000
drug users had stopped using those drugs as a direct result of
Scientology's intervention.'"

From The Guardian on March 27:

"The ruling related to a poster coinciding with a campaign run two years
ago by the church. In effect it claimed that the church had saved all
those who had completed its drug programmes. It did not mention that its
definition of drug use included an occasional alcoholic drink or
prescription medicine, and exposure to chemical toxins.

"The ASA judgment said: 'The authority accepted that the programmes had
enabled many people to overcome a dependency on drugs but was concerned
that the advertisers had not proved that all those enrolled were dependent
on street or prescription drugs at the time of enrolment, or that as many
as 250,000 drug users had stopped as a direct result of Scientology's
intervention.'"

Mad.co.uk reported on March 26th that a second complaint against the claim
that Scientology is capable of helping people stop taking drugs was denied
by the ASA.

"The Church of Scientology has been rapped by the ASA for an ad, which
claimed the church had saved 250,000 people from drugs. While
acknowledging the religion's views on drug use and its steps to prevent
drug abuse among its members, the ASA did not accept that all those
enrolled on the church's programmes were existing drug users, or had
stopped taking drugs as a direct result of intervention by the church.

"However the industry regulator failed to uphold a second complaint
objecting to the claim that Scientology could help people kick a drug
habit. The ASA felt the church had provided sufficient evidence to
substantiate its claim."

From the text of the adjudication:

"The Authority accepted that more than 250,000 people had undertaken the
Church's Drug Purification and Drug Rundown programmes, the Authority
understood that, within Scientology, the concept of 'drug use' referred to
a variety of behaviours that ranged from heavy use of street drugs to
occasional ingestion of alcohol or prescription medicines and exposure to
chemical toxins. It understood that, because the Church of Scientology
described itself as a 'drug-free community,' members were encouraged to
identify their patterns of drug use and free themselves from habits that
contravened Scientology's philosophy. Although it acknowledged the terms
of Scientology's philosophy on drug use, the Authority considered that,
without clarification, readers were likely to interpret the claim '250,000
people salvaged from drugs' to mean that 250,000 people had stopped being
dependent on street or prescription drugs because of Scientology. The
Authority accepted that the drug Purification Rundown and Drug Rundown
programmes the advertisers offered had enabled many people to overcome a
dependency on drugs but was nevertheless concerned that the advertisers
had not proved that all those enrolled on the programmes were dependent on
street or prescription drugs at the time of enrolment or that as many as
250,000 drug users had stopped using those drugs as a direct result of
Scientology's intervention. The Authority welcomed the advertisers'
assurance that the poster was no longer appearing and advised them to make
clear the terms of their definition of drugs in future advertising.

"The Authority considered that the advertisers' evidence showed that many
people with a damaging drug habit had stopped taking drugs with help from
Scientology and did not object on those grounds."

Message-ID: <Uo6ga.18394$gU.791957@...>
Message-ID: <3e471c14.0303261656.59e528e6@...>
Message-ID: <3e471c14.0303261705.32c45a58@...>
Message-ID: <QZDga.18409$gU.796115@...>
Message-ID: <bVDga.18408$gU.796115@...>

#####

> Birthday Event

"Cerridwen" reported on the annual L. Ron Hubbard birthday event held in
Clearwater on March 21st.

"The LRH Birthday Event was held at the Ruth Eckert Hall and then held
again on March 22nd in the outer orgs of the US and Canada. The theme
around this event was 'Help' and how great it is to help others and how
the C of S needs your help in Clearing the Planet. It seems the best way
to help is to join staff or the Sea Org and if not, then the second best
thing is to be on the Bridge as much as possible, preferably, full time.

"The event is held at Flag on Friday night and then is sent via satellite
to the local orgs in order for the event to be held the next night. The
event seen at the local orgs or at the Shrine in LA is always a video of
the event. The reason it is not live, is because they want to be able to
edit it before everyone sees it.

"All the big money people get to sit up front at an event. This is the
case in local orgs as well. Patrons of the IAS, per policy get to sit in
the first few rows. The more money you gave to the IAS, the closer to the
front row you get.

"The stage has is gold and gaudy with Gold columns, gold dais, huge gold
replicas of the Birthday Game winners cup and the a photo of LRH that has
to be 40 to 50 feet tall, by 12 feet wide.  DM arrives to a standing
ovation. DM starts talking about all war and giving his take on it.  All
of a sudden he came to a stop and said 'and so I welcome you to the 2003
LRH Birthday event' and the crowd went wild with cheers. It was really
weird.

"DM then introduced the LRH Biographer Dan Sherman.  Dan's gig was to show
us video taped interviews of non-Scientologists that knew and had some
dealing with LRH and what a superior human being LRH really was.  The
first video was of a man who attended George University with LRH.  He
spoke about LRH and what a great guy he was and some of the fun things
they did together, including learning how to put on a turban. There was
one of Edd Charitier who was an illustrator for many of LRH's early Sci Fi
works, a man who was a crew member of the ship the 895 that LRH commanded,
the gardener at Saint Hill Manor and a black man from South Africa, who
held the 'houseboy' job when LRH lived there. The all gave video
testimonials to what an absolutely fucking fabulous guy LRH really was.

"Mark Yager spoke about the 'unprecedented expansion' and then all of a
sudden all these tech stat graphs started appearing on the screen and
stayed up on the screen for 2 seconds. There was no way anyone could
actually read them or see what the numbers on them were. But per Mark each
and every one of the Scientology tech stats -

"We get to see a video presentation of the brand new Tampa Org. I have to
admit it was very nicely done, if you like that early attic look. I happen
to know that Tampa org had an awful time getting their new building
renovated and moved because of the 6,000 Scientologists that live in the
Tampa area only a handful showed up to help reno and moved the org.

"We have a new Class V Org formed in Athens, Georgia. The ED of the Athens
Org gets a standing Ovation as he walks from the audience to the stage
while the Golden Era Musicians play Greek Music. It's done in the same way
that Oscar winners are filmed walking down the aisle to the stage while
the appropriate theme song is played for them. He promises that 'I'll be
back' soon to collect his Saint Hill Size Award.

"Winner of the Mission Birthday game
Third place: Kansas City (Kirstie Alley's Mission).
Second place: A mission in the Ukraine.
First Place: Cercedilla, Spain.

"Class V Orgs
Third place: Verona, Italy.
Second place: St. Petersburg, Russia.
Winner: Milano, Italy.

"Sea Org Orgs
Third Place: ASHO Day.
Second Place: AO Europe.
First Place: Celebrity Center Int.

"CLO's or Continental Liaison Offices.
Third Place: Latam (Latin America).
Second Place: WUS (Western United States}.
First Place: Europe.

"The event wrapped up with DM showing us some of the newly purchased
Scientology properties. The first one was in Buffalo, New York.  Then DM
showed us the newly purchased 'historic Landmark' that was purchased in
San Francisco. Per DM, the C of S purchased the original Trans America
Building which is right across the street from the current pyramid shaped
Trans America building.

"DM asked the crowd, who in this society is the leader in cultural changes
in music, fashion.  The answer per DM is Black America. So with this in
mind, the C of S purchased a building on 125 Street in Harlem, New York."

Message-ID: <8ZYDIMMV37705.6162847222@...>

#####

> Clearwater

The St. Petersburg Times reported on March 26th that a proposed drug
treatment center is turning to Scientology, hoping to receive the donation
of a building in downtown Clearwater.

"The Pinellas-Pasco public defender wants to put a new drug and alcohol
dry-out center in or around downtown, a plan that has riled city
officials, who fear such a facility would undercut their efforts to
kick-start redevelopment in the struggling business corridor. 'We don't
want to just be known as the place to come for people who have issues like
that,' said Mayor Brian Aungst.

"Public defender Bob Dillinger argues that locating a facility downtown is
common sense. That's where the problem is, he said. Among those Dillinger
has approached for help is the Church of Scientology, which owns numerous
downtown properties. Dillinger said he needs a donated building to
duplicate in North Pinellas the treatment services offered in St.
Petersburg by Turning Point, an independently operated, government funded
detox center. Turning Point serves 3,000 people a year, and Dillinger said
he figured to help roughly half that number with a new center in
Clearwater.

"Several city officials said one property Dillinger targeted is a building
owned by the Church of Scientology at 601 Grand Central St., a block east
of Morton Plant Mease Hospital. The building operates as a church mill,
where workers make furniture and internal fixtures for the church's Flag
Service Building under construction in downtown Clearwater. The church is
'definitely willing' to help Dillinger, church spokesman Ben Shaw said,
but the mill may be off limits. 'We need that building,' he said.

"Shaw said the church is committed to a solution. 'We're a player in the
downtown,' he said, 'and it's a downtown problem.'"

Message-ID: <Rbjga.18401$gU.793648@...>

#####

> Narconon

The St. Petersburg Times reported on March 30th on a Narconon facility
that has been operating in Clearwater for the past 10 months.

"At Tampa Bay's newest alternative to mainstream drug treatment, the
license issued by the state hangs next to commendations from the Church of
Scientology. Narconon, a controversial drug treatment program based on
techniques developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, has opened its
first Florida facility in Clearwater in a commercial park off U.S. 19.

"The facility's client list, its director said, is mostly mid- to
upper-level executives - doctors, lawyers and business professionals - who
are recreational drug users. The staff of five includes a certified
addictions specialist and a registered nurse.

"Critics contend that Narconon is a recruitment tool for Scientology.
Narconon International president Clark Carr calls the charge 'baloney,'
but concedes 10 to 15 percent who complete the program become
Scientologists. The director of the new Clearwater Narconon, Cheryl
Alderman, a Clearwater resident and a longtime Scientologist, sank
$100,000 of her own money into the venture and opened it quietly 10 months
ago. The program got a boost from Clearwater Mayor Brian Aungst, who
issued a proclamation for 'Narconon Day.'

"Now Alderman plans to do what no other Narconon program in the country
does: Get taxpayer assistance in the form of state and federal grants. She
also plans to seek referrals from local court systems and permission to
teach a Narconon-based prevention program in Pinellas public schools. Some
in the political elite indicate they will listen. Pinellas County
Commissioner Susan Latvala and Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judges Linda Allan
and Linda Babb have toured the facility and left impressed. Pinellas
Public Defender Robert Dillinger said he could envision courts sending
offenders there. Government money and partnerships would subject the
Clearwater facility to closer government scrutiny than any other Narconon
facility has encountered. Alderman said her program is ready.

"The Clearwater Narconon is financed by private Scientologists, Alderman
said, and enjoys only a 'supportive' relationship with the Church of
Scientology, whose international spiritual headquarters are in downtown
Clearwater. Narconon's mission, she said, is to get people off drugs.
Period.

"Its ties to Scientology are undeniable. Scientologists are major
contributors, and when volunteers are needed, Alderman simply calls the
church. With one exception, every Narconon in the country is run by a
Scientologist. Narconon also embraces Hubbard's opposition to psychiatric
drugs. It sells itself as an alternative, drug-free treatment program. It
does not use psychiatric drugs or methadone, common at most mainstream
detoxification facilities for treatment of heroin and morphine addicts.

"'There is no data that that kind of experience reduces the level of
toxins,' said Dr. Raymond Harbison, professor of environmental and
occupational health in the College of Public Health at the University of
South Florida. Others question the program's stance against treatment
drugs and psychiatry. As many as 40 percent of drug addicts need
psychiatric treatment, sometimes including drugs, said Nancy Hamilton,
chief executive officer of Tampa Bay's largest drug treatment program,
Operation PAR. And drugs such as methadone, properly applied, improve the
odds of getting heroin and opiate addicts clean, Hamilton said.

"Despite the skepticism, Clearwater's Narconon is gaining acceptance.
Tampa's DACCO, a drug treatment program, has referred clients. So has
Pinellas-based Operation PAR, Alderman said. The latest edition of
Scientology's Freedom magazine carries a ringing endorsement from Dr.
Betty Buchan, vice president for research and laboratory services for
Operation PAR. Buchan's comments landed her in trouble with her boss.
Buchan has no authority to endorse a program for PAR, Hamilton said. If
PAR employees referred clients to Narconon - computer records show no such
referrals, Hamilton said - that should cease until PAR formally reviews
Narconon.

"County Commissioner Latvala said she is open to Narconon as an
alternative. A former Pinellas School Board member, Latvala remembers
school officials rebuffing an attempt several years ago to teach a
Narconon prevention program. The feeling among many, she said, was: 'It's
just Scientology.  Oooo, don't do that. The Church of Scientology is here
to stay,' Latvala said. 'They are doing a lot of good in the community. If
they are teaching kids to say no to drugs, what's wrong with that? If (the
drug treatment program) works, I'm all for it.'

"When Narconon opened its Chilocco facility in 1991, the Oklahoma Board of
Mental Health issued a blistering assessment in denying its application
for certification. 'There is no credible evidence establishing the
effectiveness of the Narconon program to its patients,' the board
concluded. It attacked the program as medically unsafe; dismissed the
sauna program as unproven; and criticized Narconon for inappropriately
taking some patients off prescribed psychiatric medication."

Message-ID: <mzCha.18426$gU.803080@...>

#####

> Org News

The St. Petersburg Times reported on March 28th that the new Tampa org has
opened after renovating a former cigar factory.

"When the sign 'Church of Scientology Tampa' went up outside the stylishly
renovated cigar factory next to her home, several other neighbors warned
her it was 'more like a cult than a church.' But after several weeks, all
she notices now is the busy parking lot. 'I can't complain,' said Furlow,
28. 'They seem like nice people.'

"Saturday will mark the grand opening of the Church of Scientology's new
Tampa home. The four-story, 18,000-square-foot facility at 3102 Habana
Ave., purchased last year for $1.1-million, demonstrates the church's
burgeoning growth on the other side of Tampa Bay from Clearwater. For
years, Scientology maintained a nominal presence in Tampa, operating out
of a small leased building on Henderson Boulevard in South Tampa. Now,
church officials say, the church's Tampa membership has ballooned to
5,000. About 12,000 Scientologists are said to live in the bay area.

"The Tampa facility will offer courses, lectures and counseling geared to
longtime Scientologists. It also will welcome newcomers. Services will be
provided in Spanish and English. Some offerings will be free -
personality, IQ and aptitude testing. Scientology's 'purification rundown'
will be offered. It aims to remove harmful toxins through vigorous
exercise followed by several hours in a sauna in conjunction with a
regimen of vitamins, minerals and oils. The facility has several
treadmills and a sauna large enough for 20 people. On the top floor is the
Hubbard Guidance Center, where 14 rooms have been readied for Scientology
counseling, called auditing.

"Scientologists have made substantial efforts recently to establish the
church as members of the Tampa community. The church was one of 30 'gold
level' contributors pledging at least $200,000 to Tampa's failed bid to
land the 2012 Olympics. Church members also got involved in the Tampa
mayoral race, hosting a fundraiser for Pam Iorio. Political consultant
Mary Repper, who arranged the Iorio fundraiser, said she suggested it to
some friends who are Scientologists as a way to avoid in Tampa some of the
controversy the church generated when it quietly moved into Clearwater in
the 1970s.

"'They've done a beautiful job with the building,' said Javier Plasencia,
who runs a cigar shop next door. 'They came in and introduced themselves
and told us a little bit about their organization. They seem okay. They
seem very friendly. The courses they offer are life improvement things,'
he said. 'Heck, who can knock bettering people's lives, if that's their
agenda.'

"But Earl Haugabook, president of the West Tampa Chamber of Commerce, is
wary of the church, given its controversial history in Clearwater. 'An
organization like Scientology, which has basically taken over downtown
Clearwater, is not the type of organization we want in the West Tampa
area,' Haugabook said. 'But they purchased it, and it's their property.
We're going to have to live with it.'"

The San Francisco Business Times reported on March 21st that the San
Francisco org has purchased a building and intends to relocate.

"The Church of Scientology, Hubbard's celebrity-laden religious
organization, has purchased 701 Montgomery St. for approximately $7
million. That's an eye-popping $350 per square foot for the
20,000-square-foot building. The Church of Scientology will move from its
current 40,000-square-foot building at 83 McAllister St."

Message-ID: <pVWga.18413$gU.798503@...>
Message-ID: <7ADfa.18376$gU.788016@...>

#####

> Reed Slatkin

The Los Angeles Times reported on March 26th that investors in the Reed
Slatkin Ponzi scheme will attempt to recover funds from Scientology, and a
judge has ruled that the records of donations must be handed over.

"Investors defrauded of $255 million by EarthLink Inc. co-founder Reed
Slatkin are hoping to recover funds from the Church of Scientology
International and six affiliated organizations that allegedly wound up
with tens of millions of dollars from the investment scam. The investors
won an initial battle when a bankruptcy judge in Santa Barbara recently
refused to block subpoenas ordering the Scientology groups to hand over
records of money transferred to them by certain Slatkin investors who came
out ahead financially. The subpoenas also seek records of communications
the groups had about Slatkin, a longtime but now excommunicated
Scientologist who was known for his celebrity clientele.

"The subpoenas mark the first legal targeting of church entities. No suits
have been filed against the church or the affiliates. Attorneys expect
months of legal wrangling before the subpoenas might yield anything.
Lawyers for the church groups, who sought to block the subpoenas, won a
partial victory from U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robin Riblet, who is overseeing
Slatkin's bankruptcy. The judge ruled Friday that they can participate in
the subpoena process. That will allow the groups to mount further legal
challenges and to have access to any documents that are made public.

"One of the claims made to try to block the subpoenas was that details of
money transfers are protected by 'clergy-communicant privileges' - the
status accorded to the confessing of sins to a priest. But attorneys for
the trustee and the committee of unsecured creditors questioned in court
documents 'how a simple monetary transfer, where no communication was
involved, would violate any clergy-communicant privileges.' Legally, there
is no protection for third parties such as the Church of Scientology if it
can be shown that they received supposed profits from Slatkin, said
Alexander Pilmer, an attorney for the trustee and creditors.  'We believe
that Scientology entities received tens of millions of dollars from
Slatkin or from Slatkin's Ponzi scheme,' Pilmer said.

"Slatkin pleaded guilty nearly a year ago to fraud, money laundering and
conspiracy charges carrying a potential sentence of up to 15 years.
Slatkin's plea agreement allowed him to request a lighter sentence because
of what the plea agreement called the 'psychological impact of his
association with certain individuals and/or groups,' a reference to his
membership in the Church of Scientology and long and close relationship
with some prominent members.

"Linda Simmons Hight, a spokeswoman for the church in Los Angeles, said
Slatkin 'used his position in the church to suck in Scientologists who
were victimized along with other people.' Pilmer said dozens of people who
profited from Slatkin's scheme have settled the claims. The latest
settlement, approved Friday by Riblet, was with CNN legal commentator
Greta Van Susteren and her husband, tobacco litigator John Coale. They
agreed to pay about $700,000 - about 81 cents on the dollar for the
profits Slatkin paid them."

Message-ID: <Tejga.18402$gU.793648@...>

#####

> Spam

"Glennf" reported on March 26th that a marketing company hired by
Scientology is sending out unsolicited emails asking for recipients to
link to Scientology web sites. This would have the effect of boosting
Scientology's prominence in search engines.

"We would like very much to exchange links with your site, but to do it
with a twist. Do to a long standing policy that prohibits the Church of
Scientology from reciprocating links, we are not able to provide a link
back. However, we do have a few sites that we could link you with.

"Regards,
Ignite Business Solutions
http://www.ignitebiz.com
linkpartners@..."

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0303270758.11aebbe6@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 1
4/6/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Belgium

Frankfurter Rundschau reported on March 30th that members of Scientology
have been charged as being part of a criminal association.

"A spokesman for the public prosecutor's office has confirmed that
proceedings are being instituted against the members of the sect who had
been the subject of previous reports in the Belgian media. Apparently the
action that has been taken is the consequence of 25 house searches carried
out against Scientology in 1999.  Investigations at the time had been
triggered by a former member of the sect, who had demanded the repayment
of the contributions and course fees he had paid. All nine accused are
also being charged with being members of a criminal association It now
remains only for the charges to be approved by the appropriate court.

"La Libre Belgique, a French-language Catholic daily newspaper, reported
that the house searches in 1999 had provided grounds for believing that
several members of parliament, a journalist and members of the Belgian
Gendarmerie (an organisation that has since been dissolved and absorbed
into the local and federal police force) were also members of the sect.
Furthermore, links with Belgium's extreme right wing had emerged during
this operation.

"A fact-finding parliamentary committee had included Scientology on the
list of sects and classified it as 'damaging and dangerous.' In a petition
to Mary Robinson, the then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the
Scientology organisation demanded the return of 2000 files that had been
seized by van Espen."

Message-ID: <3e8e070a$1@...>

#####

> Prison workers

The Buffalo News reported on April 6th that prisoners worked to renovate
the new Scientology org in Buffalo, New York.

"Buffalo's Church of Scientology, soon to be forced from its downtown
church for a new city parking ramp, turned to Erie County prison inmates
to help get its new Main Street home ready. A crew of six inmates from the
Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden, dressed in orange prison
jumpsuits and guarded by corrections officers, spent the last month
helping with interior renovations in the new Scientology Church at Main
and Virginia streets.

"Sheriff Patrick M. Gallivan, questioned Thursday by The Buffalo News
about a government agency providing free labor to a church, removed the
prison crew from the building several hours later. 'He decided to pull
them until they resolve this,' said Mary Murray, a spokeswoman for the
sheriff.

"Gallivan earlier told The News that, while he had a firm policy that
prison crews could only provide labor to county departments and non-profit
groups, he had never thought about the longtime tradition of separating
church and state. 'Now that the issue is raised, we will immediately look
at it,' Gallivan said. 'It's just something we hadn't considered, and it's
apparent we should have.'

"The county's assistance comes after a Scientology benefactor and church
member financed a trip to inspect Mexican prisons for H. McCarthy Gibson,
the county's top jail administrator, and one of his deputy
superintendents, Robert Huggins. Gibson said they took the trip in October
2001 to look at a Scientology anti-drug program being used in Mexican
prisons that he thought might work here. It was never begun at the county
prison.

"Gallivan said helping the church renovate its new home was unrelated,
suggested by a West Seneca insurance agent impressed by the prison crew's
work on another project. 'I think it's an outstanding program,' the
sheriff said of the prison's Service Assistance Corps. 'We're providing a
service to the community and the inmates are doing something productive
with their time, rather than just sitting there.'

"The Internal Revenue Service designated Scientology a church for tax
purposes a decade ago. That's enough for Rob Boston, a spokesman for
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a lobby group in
Washington, D.C. 'Houses of worship should be built by private donations
without any help from government at all,' he said.

"Gibson, the county's chief prison administrator, said the inmates working
on the building were model prisoners who are considered prison trustees.
He said there were no sex offenders or violent offenders among them. 'It's
an inmate works program,' he said. 'These are people who have never had an
opportunity to work before. We designed the Service Action Corps to do
some non-profit community related projects.'

"Gibson said the trip to Mexico that he and Huggins took allowed them to
see a Scientology Second Chance drug program that uses long sessions in a
sauna with large doses of vitamins and minerals. 'It was a holistic
program involving saunas and a vitamin regimen that actually purged the
toxins out of your body,' he said. Gibson said he had hoped to start a
pilot program involving the Scientology methods here, but said prison
administrators have not had time to do it."

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0304060557.36909676@...>

#####

> Germany

Agence France Presse reported on April 1st that Scientology has sued the
German government in order to stop surveillance by the Office of the
Protection to the Constitution.

"The German branch of church has asked an administrative court in Cologne
to order the country's interior ministry to 'cease surveillance of the
Church and its parishioners by the state security police,' the church
said. It also wants the court 'to declare that such 'observation' is
illegal,' it said in a statement issued from its Los Angeles headquarters.

"A parallel suit was filed against the interior ministry of the State of
Berlin to end alleged observation of church members by its Office of the
Protection of the Constitution (OPC), it said.

"The announcement of the suit against the German government came as the
State Department said in its human rights report for last year that German
authorities, notably the federal and state OPCs, remained wary of
Scientology. 'Scientologists continued to report discrimination because of
their beliefs,' the report said. 'A number of state and local offices
share information on individuals known to be Scientologists.' The State
Department report said the church had been singled out by OPCs for
scrutiny as they believed it posed a threat to the state's 'democratic
constitutional order.' The perceived threat was because the church
allegedly 'advocates replacement of parliamentary democracies by an
undemocratic system of government based on principles of Scientology,' the
report said."

From the Associated Press on April 2nd:

"All but one of Germany's 16 states have been monitoring the
Scientologists since June 1997, on suspicion of being a religious cult
with purely economic interests that poses a danger to the democratic
political order by trying to infiltrate governments and companies. The
Scientologists insist, however, they are a religious organization and
claim surveillance is 'politically motivated, based on no facts, and
abuses Scientologists' rights to freedom of religion and belief.'

"Sabine Weber, a spokeswoman for the Scientologists said the organization
hopes a victory in the Cologne case against the federal agency will be
precedent-setting. The Berlin suit was filed after a court there ruled in
favor of Scientologists in a 2001 case forbidding state officials from
planting informants in the church. It was not clear when either case would
be heard, she said."

Message-ID: <XVDia.18444$gU.811418@...>
Message-ID: <IHXia.18778$gU.813250@...>

#####

> Lisa Marie Presley

Fox News published a story on April 3rd on Scientology celebrity Lisa
Marie Presley, who is conducting a publicity tour to support her first
album.

"I'd like to say Lisa Marie Presley should have her head examined. But she
can't, since she doesn't believe in psychiatry. I mean, she really doesn't
believe in it. On her album, which will be released next Tuesday, Presley
even sings the whole title track about this. The song, 'To Whom It May
Concern,' is a screed about psychotropic drugs being bad for kids. ('When
there's something wrong take an antidepressant. You can even choose which
kind you want by the latest suicide.')

"Of course, this is the position of the Church of Scientology, of which
Presley is an adherent: They are anti-psychiatry and anti-medication. They
would rather be the cure for what ails you. You'd think Rolling Stone,
which has Lisa Marie on its new cover and has promoted the heck out of
this fact, would have asked Presley about some of this in the story. In
fact, the writer of the 8,000-word piece glosses over it, as well as the
fact Presley's Web site promotes a charity called the Citizen's Commission
on Human Rights, or CCHR.

"In fact, this is Scientology. There are 23 registered non-profit chapters
of CCHR, and their purpose, besides lobbying and promoting Scientology,
seems to be to raise money for the group. On their tax filings, CCHR
chapters spend lavish amounts on promotion and press, paying consultants
far more than the charity's local directors.

"Writer Chris Heath could have asked Lisa Marie if she only listens to
Scientologists or goes to their parties based on this information. After
all, that's why some people think it's a cult. Presley does break with
Scientology philosophy, which says we shouldn't blame others for our
mistakes. To get publicity for her album, she turns on Michael Jackson and
blames him for their highly publicized bad marriage. She even sends Heath
lyrics to a song not on the album that imply Jackson is 'masturbative.'"

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0304030652.5828e5a@...>

#####

> Org News

The Seattle Times reported on April 3rd that Scientology plans to purchase
a building from the Seattle School Board.

"The district has reached a deal to sell its former computer center on
Fourth Avenue North in Lower Queen Anne for $2.25 million. The buyer is
the Church of Scientology of Washington. The computer center is the last
of four properties that became surplus when the district last fall opened
its new headquarters, the John Stanford Center for Education Excellence,
south of downtown."

The San Francisco Business Times reported on March 28th that the same firm
that helped Scientology purchase a new building in San Francisco will help
sell the old org on McAllister St.

"Steve Pugh of GVA Whitney Cressman represented the Church of Scientology
in the organization's $7 million purchase of 701 Montgomery St. Pugh is
also brokering the sale of the Church of Scientology's existing
38,000-square-foot space at 83 McAllister St. The asking price is $2.9
million."

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0304030640.3161feee@...>
Message-ID: <3e471c14.0303310625.3d2bae9@...>

#####

> U.S. State Department

The annual U.S. State Department Human Rights report was released on March
31, 2003.

"Austria - In March the Catholic Diocese of Linz, in conjunction with the
provincial government of Upper Austria, publicly distributed a CD-ROM
entitled 'The Search for Meaning: An Orientation Guide to Organizations
that Offer the Solution.' It included information on a wide range of
recognized and unrecognized religions ranging from the Roman Catholic
Church to the Church of Scientology.

"Sensitivity to members of the Church of Scientology and fears of
infiltration remained high. Individual Scientologists were subjected to
discrimination in hiring during the year. Scientology leaders complained
that the church's bank account was closed without cause and that they did
not receive permission to set up an informational tent in downtown Vienna.

"France - In 2001 charges were filed against the Church of Scientology for
fraud and false advertising in a lawsuit brought by three former members.
In May the court found the Paris branch guilty of violating the privacy of
former members and fined it approximately $8,316 (8,000 euros); however,
the branch was cleared of attempted fraud and false advertising. The court
fined the president of the Ile-de-France section of the organization
approximately $2,079 (2,000 euros). Church of Scientology representatives
reported that a case filed by a parent whose child attended an 'Applied
Scholastics'-based school remained ongoing.

"Scientologists continued to report cases of societal discrimination
during the year. Panda International software company claimed that press
reports in 2001 and critical statements by government officials linking it
to the Church of Scientology continued to cause a significant loss in
business.

"Germany - Several states, noting their responsibility to respond to
citizens' requests for information about nontraditional religious groups,
have published pamphlets detailing the ideology and practices of these
groups. Scientology was the focus of many such pamphlets, some of which
warn of the alleged dangers posed by Scientology to the democratic
political order and free-market economic system and to the mental and
financial well being of individual Scientology practitioners. For example,
the Hamburg OPC published 'The Intelligence Service of the Scientology
Organization,' which claimed that Scientology tried to infiltrate
governments, offices, and companies, and that the church spied on its
opponents, with the aim of defaming and 'destroying' them.

"Bavaria announced in November that it might seek to ban Scientology based
on recommendations of a recently released study commissioned by the state.
The basis for the ban would be medical malpractice associated with
Scientology's 'auditing' techniques. The Bavarian Interior Ministry is
expected to test a ban in courts during 2003.

"The federal OPC's annual report for 2001 concluded that the original
reasons for initiating observation of Scientology in 1997 still were
valid, but noted that Scientology had not been involved in any criminal
activity. When the issue of OPC observation was discussed at the annual
gathering of state interior ministers in Bremen in December, the ministers
also acknowledged that Scientology had not been involved in illegal
activities. In December 2001, the Berlin Administrative Court ruled that
the Berlin OPC was barred from using undercover agents or other covert
means for observing Scientology activities. However, the observation of
Scientology activities through other means was not affected by the ruling,
which applied only to the city-state of Berlin.

"In March the Baden-Wuerttemberg Administrative Court ruled that
Scientologists were not permitted to sell books and brochures in
pedestrian zones in the cities of Stuttgart and Freiburg. The court noted
that such activity required a permit, which the Church of Scientology
never applied for. The Church of Scientology argued that this restriction
violated the basic right of religious freedom; however, the court did not
accept this argument.

"In the state of Bavaria, applicants for state civil service positions
were required to complete questionnaires detailing any relationship they
may have with Scientology. According to Bavarian and federal officials, no
one in Bavaria lost a job or was denied employment solely because of
association with Scientology; Scientology officials confirmed this fact. A
number of state and local offices shared information on individuals known
to be Scientologists. There were numerous unconfirmed reports from
Scientologists that they were denied banking services when the account was
to be opened under the name of the Church of Scientology, and were denied
the right to rent facilities to hold meetings and seminars.

"Greece - An appeal by the Church of Scientology to obtain recognition and
a house of prayer permit was pending at year's end. The non-Greek Orthodox
churches must provide separate and lengthy applications to government
authorities on such matters as gaining permission to move places of
worship to larger facilities.

"Russia - Efforts to liquidate the Moscow branch of the Church of
Scientology were defeated in the courts. At year's end, the Church
continued to be engaged in legal battles in other localities. The Moscow
Department of Justice, a branch of the Ministry of Justice, filed a
liquidation suit in 2001 against the Moscow branch of the Church of
Scientology, but the Church won both the suit and ensuing DOJ appeal in
July. While the Moscow Church had not been cleared to reregister by
October, the group continued to operate. The Scientologists filed a suit
with the ECHR against the liquidation order. The St. Petersburg branch of
the Church of Scientology filed an application to register in February,
but was refused twice. In Khabarovsk the local Department of Justice filed
for the liquidation of the Dianetics Center. The Church of Scientology
lost on appeal and the case was under consideration by the federal Supreme
Court. In a related case, the director of the Dianetics Center was
convicted on criminal charges of the illegal practice of medicine and
education. She lost on appeal and was given a suspended sentence of 6
years. Local media attention included references to 'totalitarian sects'
in their coverage. The case was also under consideration by the Supreme
Court.

"In October 2001, police arrested five suspects believed to have been
involved in tossing a Molotov cocktail into the Moscow headquarters of the
Church of Scientology in 2001; the church had received bomb threats by
telephone prior to the incident. In February one of the five defendants
was found guilty and sentenced to 2 years in jail.

"UK - The Government did not recognize Scientology as a religion for the
purposes of charity law. Scientology ministers were not considered
ministers of religion for the purpose of immigration relations or
facilitating prison visits. However, prisoners were free to register their
adherence to Scientology."

Message-ID: <ZcYia.18779$gU.813250@...>
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/

#####

> Vancouver

The Vancouver Courier published an article on Scientology on March 31st.

"Since it was created by world traveler-cum-science fiction writer L. Ron
Hubbard in the 1950s, Scientology has remained a relatively small, if
controversial, player among world religions, best known for high-profile
followers like John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Lisa Marie Presley, Isaac Hayes
and Nancy Cartwright - the voice of Bart Simpson.

"In Vancouver, the Church of Scientology has occupied the corner of
Hastings and Homer since 1980 with volcano-adorned window displays of
Dianetics and signs beckoning passersby to drop in for a free Personality
Test. That's what James Wood encountered when he found himself jobless,
with plenty of time on his hands and broke from spending all his money on
pot.

"'Then I went to the library to prove Scientology wrong, to read one of
their books and say, 'Well these guys suck' - like everything else I had
ever read.' Much to his surprise, Wood agreed with everything he read in A
New Slant on Life - a collection of Hubbard's essays on family, children
and the state of the world. Wood says that since immersing himself in
Scientology and the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, he no longer uses drugs,
he understands how to communicate better and his relationship with his
family has improved tenfold. He's also gotten married and now has a son.

"The book that seems to have smacked the most people in the head is
Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. Published in 1950,
Dianetics was Hubbard's explanation of what makes people tick. He
postulated that humans possess an analytic mind and a reactive mind - the
part of the mind that acts unconsciously and causes unwanted sensations,
emotions and psychosomatic illnesses. Dianetics is essentially Hubbard's
prescription for how to 'clear' one's reactive mind. This is done through
a technique called auditing, where someone trained in applying Dianetics
and/or Scientology processes assists a 'preclear' to defeat his or her
reactive mind.

"While Scientology believes in a supreme being, it doesn't dictate who or
what that supreme being is. It's up to individuals to decide as they
become more enlightened. Enlightenment, however, doesn't come cheap. One
of the first steps for anyone wanting to move up The Bridge to a state of
'clear' and beyond is the Purification Rundown - a regimen of vitamins,
minerals, exercise, rest and sauna time to rid the body of toxins,
pollutants, alcohol and drug residue that apparently block mental and
spiritual development. In Vancouver, the Church of Scientology's
purification program costs $1,609.87.

"Then there's the cost of the seemingly endless stream of L. Ron Hubbard
lecture CDs, workbooks, courses, training programs to become an auditor,
buying your very own 'Super VII Quantum E-meter' - all of which can add up
to thousands upon thousands of dollars in expenses, with the promise of
faster progress up The Bridge. 'Soar to OT,' announces an advertisement in
one of Scientology's many promotional magazines. 'Your fastest route to
Clear and OT starts here,' claims another.

"I take a tour of the premises with Angela Ilasi, the church's public
relations officer. As Ilasi walks me through the church, I notice that
nearly every room has a framed photograph of L. Ron Hubbard, usually in an
ascot or a captain's hat, often looking wistfully out at the ocean or
standing on the bow of a ship. Downstairs, there's a sauna, auditing rooms
and classrooms. In one of the rooms, a man and a woman, both training to
be auditors, sit and face one another in silence. 'They are practising
being able to confront,' Ilasi whispers. 'They're practising being able to
comfortably be in a space without bothering you. Later as it gets higher
to where people are yelling at you, you practice keeping it together.'

"Dr. Stephen Kent, a University of Alberta sociology professor
specializing in the study of religion, says the information superhighway
has hindered Scientology's expansion into the mainstream. 'The Internet
seems to have caused a problem for Scientology. People who might be
interested in the organization can log on and find out a lot of material
by the organization itself, but also a tremendous amount by its critics.
So the Internet has inhibited Scientology's ability to control information
on itself.'

"One of the church's most vocal critics is Gerry Armstrong, a former
Scientologist and Hubbard biographer who calls himself 'Scientology's
Salman Rushdie.' Armstrong left the church in 1981 and has dedicated his
life to speaking out against what he frequently refers to as a 'psycho
cult.' 'My goal is for every Scientologist or ex-Scientologist to be able
to speak freely about his experiences,' says Armstrong. 'I was lured into
Scientology the same way everyone else is - by its false promises. The
cult promised to raise IQ a point per hour of 'auditing.' It promised
stable psychological states far above what man has achieved before. It
promised superhuman abilities. I bought the package.' Even calling
Scientology a religion is controversial. 'Since the KGB and mafia are not
considered religions by thinking people, neither is Scientology,' says
Armstrong.

"'Scientology can be very aggressive against perceived opponents,' says
sociology professor Stephen Kent, who himself has been a target. In 1998,
after Kent spoke to German government officials who were gathering
evidence against Scientology, the church paid for an advertising insert in
the Globe and Mail in which he was compared to Holocaust denier Ernst
Zundel.

"'Scientology is a multidimensional, transnational organization, only one
part of which is religious - Scientology would like to replace
conventional mental health practices with its own techniques, but most
Scientologists have no scientific training, which makes their ability to
offer intelligent criticisms somewhat limited. From time to time,
Scientology has helped uncover mental health abuses, but much of what it
claims is shrill.'"

Message-ID: <3e8aeaaa$1@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 2
4/13/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> CCHR

The Boston Globe reported on April 11th that Scientology's Citizen's
Commission on Human Rights planned to protest a hospital where a patient
who committed a murder/suicide was treated with Zoloft.

"An antipsychiatry 'watchdog group' said that Colleen Mitchell's
psychiatric medication had spurred her to shoot Dr. Brian McGovern and
then turn the gun on herself. Members of the Citizens Commission on Human
Rights, which is affiliated with the Church of Scientology, planned a
protest at the hospital today against the use of antidepressants such as
Zoloft, which Mitchell had apparently been taking.

"A Harvard Medical School psychiatrist said yesterday that it is
'preposterous' to assign blame for a crime to an antidepressant like
Zoloft. The drugs increase buildup of a naturally occurring chemical,
seratonin, around nerve endings in the brain. Although 'edgy' people may
sometimes see an exaggeration of that quality, he said, the effects are
transient.

"But a Utah activist who has testified as an expert witness against drug
manufacturers said a high level of seratonin in the brain can cause people
to 'act out their nightmares,' leading them to commit violent crimes. Ann
Blake Tracy, director of the International Coalition for Drug Awareness,
said she had become increasingly suspicious of SSRI antidepressants as she
watched more and more friends in Utah begin taking them, 'doing violent
things completely out of character for them.'"

Message-ID: <xpAla.19000$gU.832372@...>

#####

> Tom Cruise

The New Zealand Herald reported on April 9th that Scientology celebrity
Tom Cruise has donated money to Scientology's Drug Free Ambassadors
program.

"Hollywood film star Tom Cruise has donated $1500 to an Auckland youth
drug programme sponsored by the Church of Scientology. Cruise sent the
cheque and a letter after hearing about the work of the Drug-Free
Ambassadors group, which encourages young people to adopt a drug-free
lifestyle.

"Mo McLeary, manager for the group, which has been running for three
years, said it was thrilled with the donation. Mr. McLeary had written to
the actor hoping it might receive a photo for publicity use. Instead
Cruise sent the Union Bank of California cheque through the Bank of New
Zealand. The money will be used to reprint 10,000 copies of an anti-drug
booklet, Truth About Joints, and contribute to a booklet on Ecstasy."

Message-ID: <c7Mka.18817$gU.826856@...>

#####

> Nicole Kidman

Teenhollywood.com reported on April 10th that Nicole Kidman has backed
away from her involvement in Scientology.

"Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman has distanced herself from
Scientology - her former husband Tom Cruise's religion. But according to
John Travolta's wife Kelly Preston - who is a committed Scientologist like
her husband - Kidman used to love the controversial creed.

"Kelly says, 'Actually when I knew Nicole she seemed to think there was
nothing better than Scientology. She was, like, 'This is the greatest
thing ever.'

"But Kelly notes that since Cruise and Kidman's 2001 split, Nicole has not
kept their friendship. She adds, 'Well, I haven't seen her for a long,
long time. I see Tom, but not her as much.'"

Message-ID: <cnAla.18999$gU.832372@...>

#####

> Narconon

Letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on April 13th responded
to an article last week about a new Narconon facility in Clearwater,
Florida.

"Narconon, a Scientology drug treatment program, wants taxpayers' dollars
by having the local court system order people into the program at a cost
of $7,500 per client. The article states that insurance is not accepted at
Narconon. What insurance company would pay $7,500 per client for a
religious-based treatment program 'incorporating the same concepts and
principles one encounters in introductory Scientology courses at a church
mission'?

"Cheryl Alderman, the director of this Scientology program, is a
Scientologist herself who invested $100,000 of her own money to make a
profit. According to the story, 'Drug treatment became a priority for
Alderman, she said, after an immediate family member failed to get help
from several treatment programs.' That vast knowledge of chemical
dependency, plus a 'staff of five that includes a certified addiction
specialist and a registered nurse' equals no validation of the knowledge,
skills and abilities needed for competent treatment performance.

"As a former director/counselor in chemical dependency treatment programs
at a state prison for the Florida Department of Corrections, my salary was
$28,000 per year, with a minimum of 50 inmates on my case load at all
times. For $7,500 I could treat 50 inmates continuously for three months
and give myself a $500 bonus.  Now taxpayers are to pay $7,500 per client
as a recruitment tool for Scientology. - Michael J. Kelly, Dunedin

"Scientology intends to open its drug treatment program called Narconon.
In no way should our schools, courts or community be involved with this
program. The methods that Narconon uses are very antipsychiatric because
that is the cult way. Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard was
antipsychiatry for obvious reasons. The $1,200 detoxification program
called the 'purification rundown' is unproven and may be harmful - and
$1,200 for a sauna, vitamins, treadmill and cooking oil? This often is the
first step in the cult's high-priced teachings. According to the Food and
Drug Administration, the only things the procedure removes from the body
are salt and water.

"According to the Oklahoma Board of Mental Health, Narconon's program is
not safe. There are no scientific, independent, well-controlled studies
that document its safety. Yet according to Hubbard, the purification
rundown can cure, among other things, radiation sickness! Narconon only
appears to have decent results for two reasons. One, it doesn't take
addicts that would require professionals to treat them, and two, the
patients are declared cured by unqualified members of the cult.

"The bottom line is, you can't give taxpayer dollars to what is
essentially a cult recruiting tool. You have to understand the cult's only
goal is to sell expensive programs and expand. It doesn't do anything
unless it benefits the cult. - David Rodman, Dunedin"

Message-ID: <Oecma.19021$gU.837200@...>

#####

> Protest Summary

Dave Bird, John Ritson and Jens Tingleff reported a protest on April 12th
in Manchester, England.

"I found Damian, John, Neil, and Steve CT. Jens and Andy joined us later
at the demo, and a veteran of the old Manchester demos passed by who will
probably join us next time in Manchester.  The clams had found out we were
coming, presumably through the city council, and sent police a notice of
their own 'say no to drugs' event on the same day. Again because of city
council hassles, we didn't bring the sound system; but John and I were in
good voice, alternating and occasionally overlapping on various slogans.
John had also prepared a quick 'Nar-CON-on, bogus drug rehab' leaflet
based on http://www.narconon-exposed.org"

"One new recruit was 'ashtray man.' He had obviously been through the
early training, such as the part that teaches how to avoid being diverted
from the point. This works very well in the controlled conditions of a
Scientology classroom, and may have limited use in the real world. When
this results in an adult Scientologist standing in the street and chanting
'You can only destroy things' for an hour, it does not improve the public
image of the cult. It also does not help if you are up against a person
with a considerably louder voice and a much larger repertoire. We told him
we were destroying Scientology and after a while we managed to get him to
change to 'You can only try to destroy things.'

"Another new recruit got himself tangled up in the 'You're distorting what
Scientology is all about' trap - which opened him up to a rapid
re-education course from experts. Being forewarned, they had put out an
all-points alert, and had the children of Scientology members washing the
pavements.  It took these people with their expensive 'superior abilities'
two hours to work out that it might inconvenience us or cause a
confrontation if they tried to wash the pavement we were standing on
(actually it didn't and we simply moved a few feet away)."

"They had roped in a lot of people. Seemed like the usual mix of staffers
/ Sea Ogres / public / kids.  Some of the locals tried to gently persuade
us that we had it all wrong and attempted standard discouragement and
diversion tactics. I do wonder if it struck them as odd that we had
specific answers to their generic criticisms of our activities. They all
much preferred to try to divert me ('Why are you protesting here today?')
to looking at my web-site.

"There must have been one camera for every two clams. I don't know how to
distinguish their behaviour - taking turns at shouting right in your face
and video recording - from that of a group which has decided to
manufacture an incident. I'm glad to report that not even tens of minutes
of having 'you can only destroy things' shouted at our stalwart protesters
had any effect other than slight exasperation."

Message-ID: <IxfAZiAEhGm+Ewyy@...>
Message-ID: <YDZc60xgBYm+EwTj@...>
Message-ID: <b7cf9b02s1v@...>

#####

> Spam

"Android Cat" reported that a staffer for Scientology's Association for
Better Living and Education submitted an apology for having sent spam
emails in an attempt to increase newsletter readership.

"I apologize for this inconvenience. I have actually reviewed the SPAM
California laws and have actually made my emails to fit the law. My
intention regarding this emails is not to spam others or bother or annoy
others.

"I work in ABLE International, a non-profit organization dedicated to
improving conditions for our children ad our communities through the
promotion and expansion of charitable programs using social betterment
technologies developed by L. Ron Hubbard. ABLE's purpose is to reverse the
social decay that threatens our societies by resolving the worst problems
that plague man today - drugs, crime, illiteracy ad immorality. This is
done by supporting and promoting the programs of four organizations
dedicated to social betterment - Narconon International, Criminon
International, Applied Scholastics International and The Way to Happiness
Foundation International.

"I usually get one list every week which is supposed to be targeted and
opt-in. And whoever signs up to receive our newsletter gets put on our own
list. Again, I apologize for this, and will stop sending these emails if
need be.

"Best Regards,
Pedro Cue
Director of Promotion"

Message-ID: <ASxla.4984$1b1.362820@...>

#####

> Tampa

The Tampa Tribune reported on April 10th that some neighbors of the new
org in Tampa, Florida are unhappy about the new location.

"Susan Tennyson said workers have made construction noise during the night
and traffic has increased in the neighborhood. 'I'm not happy they are
here,' said Tennyson, who lives adjacent to the church. 'I think they
bring down the value of our homes because they have a cult type of stigma.
I moved here because it's a family neighborhood, and that has been taken
away.'

"Last year, the Church of Scientology of Tampa purchased the Andres Diaz
Building, a 1908 former cigar factory, for $1.2 million. The church has
improved the interior of the four-story building and has landscaped the
property. Inside the brick building, there are administrative offices,
counseling and course work rooms, a film room, a chapel, a library, a
bookstore and an L. Ron Hubbard room. Hubbard, who founded the Church of
Scientology, died in 1986.

"The church is trying to be good neighbors and work with the community,
said Ana Tirabassi, spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology of Tampa.
Members have visited many homes in the area to introduce themselves and
had invited residents to the grand opening in March, Tirabassi said.

"City Councilwoman Mary Alvarez went to the grand opening and said she was
impressed. Alvarez doesn't pay much attention to the talk that the church
may purchase more property in West Tampa, as it did in downtown
Clearwater. 'They went into a neighborhood that is predominantly Hispanic
and Catholic,' Alvarez said. 'If they try to reach out into the community
for conversion, they are probably going to face a rough time.'

"Along with purchasing the building, the church acquired an adjacent
parking lot. It is considering purchasing more property in West Tampa to
make room for their community outreach programs, Tirabassi said, including
drug awareness programs, cleanup projects and literacy classes.

"Earl Haugabook, president of the West Tampa Chamber of Commerce, said he
is concerned if the church plans to grow in West Tampa. 'They could easily
buy a whole bunch of property,' Haugabook said. 'We want a diversified
community with businesses who are going to come in and offer jobs and keep
the West Tampa mystique. We don't want West Tampa known as the Scientology
capital.'"

Message-ID: <Rgela.18991$gU.829926@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 3
4/20/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Clearwater

Letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on April 18th reacted to
recent articles and letters about Scientology.

"The article, City forces halfway houses to shut down, should win the
prize for worst writing by two reporters. Was this article about Michael
Cournaya and his effort to help recovering addicts? Was it about Richard
Weigand, a former executive in the Church of Scientology? What does
Weigand's past have to do with his being a property owner in Clearwater?
It was data added in to connect Scientology with something not related to
Scientology.

"It seems your editor missed the point that Weigand offered a solution to
the renters (Narconon) and should have printed the statistics of how many
people have been helped by Narconon, and therefore would have shown that
Narconon has one of the highest rates of drug addiction recovery of any
program on this planet. Lack of investigative facts and sloppy reporting
show up blatantly.

"If the philosophy of L. Ron Hubbard did not work, there would be no
issues. Since the data on the human spirit, his mind and body appear to be
true and his solutions to improve mankind by improving the human spirit
are workable, Scientology has been attacked by those who don't want a
better planet. I am proud to be a Scientologist and use this data to help
others who need help, no matter their religion or background. If every
person of every religion did this, do you really think the planet would be
in the shape it is in? - Dan Sigal, Clearwater

"Since you insist on printing David Rodman's false and derogatory letters
about my religion, then may I ask some questions regarding your
often-published hate monger? What scientific and controlled studies has
Mr. Rodman done regarding the religion of Scientology? What is his
experience, background or expertise that would support his conclusions
regarding the religiosity of Scientology? Has Mr. Rodman ever asked any of
the 12,000 Scientologists in the Tampa Bay area how Scientology helps them
in their lives or why they practice this religion? Has Mr. Rodman visited
a church of Scientology and scientifically evaluated the data for himself
firsthand?

"His unrestrained hypercriticism based on false rumors is typical of
someone who refuses to find out for himself. His generalities are sweeping
and beg a challenge. He doesn't even realize that the Narconon facility in
Clearwater has been open for almost a year and has been licensed. Did he
read the fact that Mrs. Cheryl Alderman invested her own funding into
opening the facility and that the facility is, in fact, owned and run by
her?

"Does Mr. Rodman even care that Narconon is in fact getting thousands of
people off drugs? There are an estimated 16-million Americans using drugs
on a monthly basis, and 6-million meet the clinical criteria for needing
help. What is Mr. Rodman doing about the problem? - Doe Hewitt, Holiday"

Message-ID: <ykSna.19062$gU.847528@...>

#####

> The Way to Happiness

A letters to the editor of the Los Angeles Times on April 15th claimed
that a recent fund raiser event was dedicated to providing copies of L.
Ron Hubbard's book The Way to Happiness to Israel.

"Article in the Glendale News-Press on April 8 announced that Mayor Dave
Spence was quite willing to help publicize a $1,000-a-couple 'peace
fund-raiser' held on March 29 at a 'home in La Canada Flintridge.' No
other names were mentioned, so his was obviously included for its
public-relations value. The peace fund-raiser raised $53,000, some of
which will be used to distribute a booklet titled "The Way to Happiness"
by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in Israel and Palestinian
territories.

"I know of this booklet, which advocates taking care of your health,
following the 10 Commandments and living by the Golden Rule - certainly
not a bad thing. I first learned about it when I read a December 1999
article in the LA Times, which noted that during a visit to the
Renaissance Academy, Assemblywoman Carol Liu received a copy of 'The Way
to Happiness.' Perhaps Spence's affinity to peace groups is a result of
his close relationship with Democrats like Liu.

"Pat Kerr
Sunland"

Message-ID: <cs1na.19043$gU.842355@...>

#####

> Lisa McPherson

Arnie Lerma reported that Judge Shaeffer has removed herself from the
counterclaim by Scientology against the estate of Lisa McPherson and Bob
Minton.

"On April 8th, Schaeffer recused herself from the counterclaim and
referred the matter of whether she should remain on the wrongful death
claim to the Chief Judge. Granting Robert Minton's motion to do same. On
Wednesday the Chief Judge reassigned both cases to Judge Robert Beach.
Judge Beach was the discovery judge, and is intimately familiar with what
Scientology is."

http://www.lermanet.com/reference/McPherson/schaeffer-040903c.pdf
http://www.lermanet.com/reference/McPherson/demers-041603.pdf
Message-ID: <3e9ecef6.266970504@...>

#####

> UK

The London newspaper Trinity Mirror reported on April 17th that marathon
runners were attacked with stones and approached by Scientology with
offers of nerve assists.

"Marathon runners were pelted with stones by a reckless gang of youths, as
they ran the Isle of Dogs section of the course. Runners and onlookers
were horrified as youths threw projectiles at competitors, just as they
were tackling one of toughest parts on the Marathon course.

"Controversial religion the Church of Scientology targeted Marathon
runners at the Wharf with a 'healing therapy.' The church came to
Westferry Road to promote a 'Nerve Assist,' which promises to aid recovery
from injury and illness. Volunteer ministers for the church said they had
been overwhelmed by interest from runners on Westferry Road who lined up
to experience the practice."

Message-ID: <Ptvna.19057$gU.845353@...>

#####

> Montel Williams

The New York Post published an article critical of television host Montel
Williams on April 17th in response to a show in which Scientology
celebrities appeared to oppose psychiatric medicine and to promote the
detoxification methods used by Scientology.

"Was Montel Williams duped into promoting the Church of Scientology on his
talk show?  Earlier this week, Williams - who is not a Scientologist -
devoted a show to 'children abused through the use of prescription
psychiatric drugs such as Ritalin, specifically given to alleviate the
symptoms of attention-deficit disorder.' But the featured organization on
the segment was the 'Citizens Commission on Human Rights.' CCHR, founded
by Scientology in 1969, is an anti-psychiatry 'watchdog group' that once
described psychiatry as a 'malignant disease' that 'threatens society and
ultimately mankind.'

"During the show, CCHR president Bruce Wiseman compared 'your friendly
neighborhood psychiatrist' to drug lords in Colombia. Appearing with him,
Scientology celebrity Juliette Lewis urged the audience to make 'drug
manufacturers and psychiatrists accountable.' Williams also introduced
cameo clips by church followers Anne Archer and Catherine Bell.

"Noted Scientology-watcher Rick Ross writes on cultnews.com, 'At no time
did the talk show host explore the wider agenda of the CCHR and/or its
antipathy for the entire mental health profession. The word Scientology
was never even uttered.  Many of the claims made by the CCHR have been
labeled 'preposterous' by experts. It seems that Montel has either gone
from dumb to dumber, or is so desperate for celebrity appearances to boost
his ratings, he will shill almost anything,' Ross wrote.

"A rep for Williams said: 'In the 12 years that 'The Montel Williams Show'
has been on the air, guests have never been discriminated against based on
religious beliefs. We would not discriminate against someone like Mr. Rick
Ross. We welcome him to the show to discuss his bias.'"

Message-ID: <3ajt9vspgcoegq6c3029pffcltogr8qf6n@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 4
5/4/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

Note: This issue contains articles from the past two weeks of
Alt.religion.scientology.

#####

> Leipzig Award

CNET News published an article on May 1st on the award of the Leipzig
Human Rights Award to Xenu.net creator Andreas Heldal-Lund.

"A critic of the Church of Scientology, Andreas Heldal-Lund, has received
a human rights award for maintaining his Web page despite repeated legal
attacks from church officials. Heldal-Lund, a Norwegian citizen who
operates the Operation Clambake Web site, is the fourth recipient of the
Leipzig Human Rights Award. Church of Scientology officials have tried to
silence Heldal-Lund by, among other things, asking Google and the Internet
archive site Archive.org to pull links to his site, claiming that material
on its pages violates church copyrights."

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0305011943.3198fb58@...>

#####

> Criminon

The East Grinstead Courier reported on March 7th that Criminon is planning
an evaluation of its programs with the University of Kent.

"Criminon, based in Lewes Road, runs a number of correspondence courses
for prisoners, and its work is to be evaluated by senior lecturer in law
at the University of Kent at Canterbury, Dr Deborah Cheney. 'We've been up
and running for seven years doing this,' said Criminon executive director
Susan Chalmers. 'We would very much like to take it to the next level,
which would be actually running courses inside prison. But to do that, you
need to have a proven success rate - and this work is very difficult to
evaluate.'

"She said the ideal way to research a programme like this would be to
evaluate the recidivism rates of people who have completed the Criminon
programme, in other words, working out how many Criminon 'graduates'
commit crimes after being released from prison. Dr Cheney's idea is to
look at the disciplinary records of prisoners, and see if there is any
improvement once a prisoner has begun the Criminon correspondence course.
'If this proves successful,' Mrs. Chalmers said, 'we can then move forward
to an in-house programme where it can then be evaluated for recidivism.'

"Criminon is part of an international organisation which uses the works of
L. Ron Hubbard to address the main factors behind offending. Programmes
are running in prisons in countries as diverse as South Africa, the USA,
Hungary, Israel and Mexico. 'Certainly in no way do we want it to be
solely staffed by scientologists,' she said. 'My goal is for the
organisation to eventually act like a sort of quality control, ensuring
that it is run with the original philosophy.

"About 10 prisoners register with Criminon every week. Eight courses are
on offer, beginning with The Way to Happiness - a 21 point 'common sense
guide to better living'. After this, more specific courses can be taken,
including parenting skills and drug awareness. Criminon operates out of
about two thirds of prisons in the country, and its take-up rate appears
to be almost equal between men and women."

Message-ID: <f758becc.0305031242.738ebee@...>

#####

> Search Engines

Tory Christman reported that an Scientologists are being asked to email
search engines to ask that web sites critical of Scientology be removed.

"They are supposed to say things like: 'Scientologists have suffered
personal violence and bloodshed in Europe and the USA. Potentially violent
and unstable people get their fuel from others hate-speech. Do you want an
incident of violence traced to a hate-site found by your search engine?'

"'This issue is absolutely not a matter of 'free speech' or 'showing both
sides of a controversial subject.' One is not free to incite violence, to
fuel hatred, or yell 'fire!' in a crowded theatre. These hate sites
actively seek to ruin others' lives and businesses, then hide behind 'free
speech.' Scientologists with excellent work records have been fired or
lost their businesses when hate-media mentioned them as Scientologists or
stirred up ignorant anti-Scientology hysteria. Do you want those economic
repercussions traced to your search engine?'

"'Hate sites for other religions, other persuasions are omitted from
search results -- as they should be! It's prejudicial to include
hate-sites that denigrate Scientology. (Please find another example
besides Judaism; it gets overloaded as a comparison point.)'

"They are to send their emails to:
Google: comments@...
Yahoo: http://add.yahoo.com/fast/help/abuse/cgi_abuse
Lycos: abuse@...
Netscape: http://wp.netscape.com/feedback/general.html
AOL: http://www.aol.com/info/feedback.html"

Message-ID: <pJVra.58926$cO3.4010708@...>

#####

> In Memoriam

The Buffalo News reported on April 21st that Marie Bolt, a staff member of
the Buffalo org, has passed away.

"A memorial service for Marie R. Bolt, of the Town of Tonawanda, will be
held at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Church of the Nativity United Church of
Christ, 1530 Colvin Blvd., Town of Tonawanda. Mrs. Bolt died April 16th of
injuries suffered in an auto accident in Oak Hill, WV, while traveling
with her family. She was 48.

"In 2002, she joined the staff of the Church of Scientology, where she was
a ministerial counselor in training. She was active as a Girl Scout troop
leader and a member of the Kenmore East High School Band Parent Council."

Message-ID: <1051525386.810908@...>

#####

> Montel Williams

CHADD (Children and Adults with ADD) published an open letter to TV talk
show host Montel Williams protesting a recent appearance by Scientology
celebrities on his show, in which they promoted Scientology's theories of
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

"As the director of communications and media relations of CHADD, the
nation's leading support and advocacy organization serving individuals
with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, I am writing to express my
astonishment and supreme disappointment in your biased, inaccurate, and
unequivocally damaging program entitled, 'A Parents Right to Choose.' By
featuring the panelists you did - individuals who vocally decry the
existence of AD/HD - you not only offered 'no right to choose,' you
unquestionably deterred and prevented millions of families from seeking,
obtaining and securing the help and medical treatment they or their
children may need in order to manage their AD/HD and live successful and
fulfilling lives.

"Irresponsibly tossing around untruths and inaccuracies is a tactic
designed to startle and scare the American public, one spearheaded largely
by a wealthy organization with Hollywood celebrities who claim that AD/HD
and other childhood mental disorders do not exist. Anyone familiar with
your featured panel knows that several of your guests are reported to be
members of the Citizens' Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), an affiliate
founded by the Church Scientology, and well recognized for its anti
psychiatry rhetoric. It was a one-sided panel, a one-sided show, and a
one-sided case of journalistic irresponsibility at its height. Shame on
you, Mr. Williams, for not recognizing junk science when it's staring you
in the face.

"Tather than citing the vast body of research validating the existence of
and devastation of untreated AD/HD, you and your panelists cited no
credible research at all. Instead, you mocked the medical community,
referred to stimulant medication as 'kiddie cocaine,' compared
psychiatrists to drug lords and, in general, violated every possible rule
of sound and responsible journalism that you had an obligation to provide
to your viewers.

"Perhaps most glaring was the complete omission of well-documented
clinical studies demonstrating the effectiveness of stimulant and other
psychotropic medications when appropriately administered. Not one was
referenced; not one was included.  No one will dispute that unnecessarily
placing a child on medication is deplorable. But the greater travesty is
delaying proper diagnosis and effective treatment for those who truly need
it. The sad truth is that many more children with mental disorders slip
unrecognized past the gatekeepers of mental health services than those who
are improperly diagnosed.

"Peg Nichols
Director of Communications & Media Relations
CHADD"

Message-ID: <53183a73.0304271742.659eb270@...>

#####

> Lisa Marie Presley

The Daily Record newspaper from Glasgow, Scotland reported on May 1st that
Scientology celebrity Lisa Marie Presley has been receiving therapy from
John Travolta in the wake of her divorce from Nicolas Cage.

"John Travolta has been giving 'therapy sessions' to Lisa Marie Presley,
who is trying to get over the collapse of her marriage to Nic Cage. The
actor has been passing on Scientology tips on how to find her true
soulmate. Travolta became pals with her mum Priscilla Presley after
helping her cope after the death of Elvis."

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0305011939.7957c99c@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 5
5/11/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Ritalin

Roll Call reported on May 7th that U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy of
Rhode Island will oppose a bill supported by Scientology to prevent
requirements that some students take medicine for attention deficit
disorder.

"Psychiatrists and at least one lawmaker are taking on the Church of
Scientology's support for a provision in a House special education bill
that seeks to prevent teachers from requiring students to take medication
for attention-deficit disorder. 'It's a wolf in sheep's clothing,' said
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) of the provision that was added to the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act reauthorization, which passed
the House last week. 'I suspect it probably had its antecedents in the
community that believes that all medication for kids with
[attention-deficit disorder] is wrong.'

"Kennedy and members of the psychiatric profession say the provision,
which has been aggressively backed by the Scientology-founded Citizens
Commission on Human Rights, is an attempt to achieve what opponents charge
is Scientology's broader goal of abolishing the field of psychiatry
altogether.

"The provision, sponsored by freshman Rep. Max Burns (R-Ga.) and supported
by Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), is intended to address highly
publicized cases in several states of teachers pressuring parents to
medicate children with Ritalin and other psychotropic drugs. Burns said he
was aware that the provision was backed by CCHR, but said his goals were
far different from those of the Church of Scientology and CCHR, which
dispute the American Psychiatric Association's determination that
attention-deficit/hyper-activity disorder, or ADHD, is a medical condition
that sometimes requires medication.

"'I did not go out and solicit that support,' said Burns. 'We're not
trying to take away the scientifically based treatments that we have. But
we don't want to over-diagnose or misuse some of these treatments.'

"But psychiatric organizations that oppose the provision - including the
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American
Psychiatric Association, the Federation of Families for Children's Mental
Health, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the National
Mental Health Association - claim supporters have been duped into
supporting a measure that they say could prevent teachers from even
talking to parents about the possibility of their child being evaluated by
a mental health professional. 'It's all an organized campaign to discredit
the mental health profession and disavow the existence of childhood mental
disorders,' said Clarke Ross, CEO of the nonprofit Children and Adults
with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder.

"CCHR spokeswoman Marla Filidei countered that her organization has been
fighting for the provision because of hundreds of stories from parents
about teachers and school districts that have urged or pressured parents
to put their nonattentive children on drugs, such as Ritalin, to address
what may be simple behavior problems or the boredom of a gifted child.
CCHR's Web site states that the group was formed in 1969 by the Church of
Scientology and State University of New York psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz
to 'combat psychiatry's oppression' and to 'expose and help abolish any
and all physically damaging practices in the field of mental healing.'

"Opponents of the provision are hoping to find allies in the Senate to
prevent the provision from becoming law. One lobbyist for the psychiatric
profession said they have already targeted a number of Democrats on the
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, such as Sens.
Edward Kennedy (Mass.) and Jeff Bingaman (N.M.). Psychiatric groups also
plan to contact Republicans friendly to the mental health profession, such
as Sens. Pete Domenici (N.M.) and John Warner (Va.). 'They're not too
worried about it getting into the Senate [Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act] bill,' the lobbyist said of conversations with Kennedy's
staff. 'Conference committee is where we'll be focused in the end.'

"Kennedy argued that the problem is not as widespread as CCHR makes it
seem. 'Clearly, it's a legitimate issue, but as I said, it's a
mischaracterization of the situation to think that it's not the exception
rather than the rule,' he said. 'The question is whether this is a
national issue that requires a national bureaucracy,' added Ross. 'It's
all based on these highly publicized situations.'"

Message-ID: <1052303722.172319@...>

#####

> Celebrity

Celebrity Magazine reported news from the CCHR awards banquet, held in LOs
Angeles.

"At the Citizens Commission on Human Rights Awards Banquet, JULIETTE
LEWIS, PRISCILLA PRESLEY, EDUARDO PALOMO and GINA ST. JOHN presented Human
Rights Awards to individuals who have fought to expose the increasing
pressure schools are placing on parents to drug their children. Also
participating in the event was ANNE ARCHER as Mistress of Ceremonies.
Hundreds of doctors, politicians, human rights activists, parent groups
and celebrities, including CATHERINE BELL and LYNSEY BARTILSON, attended
the awards banquet in Los Angeles."

Message-ID: <7MHUWMAI37749.7335069444@...>

#####

> Clearwater

The St. Petersburg Times reported on May 11th that Clearwater city
officials are planning to revitalize the downtown area, despite the strong
presence of Scientology.

"Three years after voters killed a sweeping $300-million plan to remake
downtown, backers still lament the lost opportunity and ponder what might
have been. Amid pockets of redevelopment, empty storefronts remain,
leading to mounting fears that the struggling commercial corridor could
wither and die when the new Memorial Causeway Bridge opens and beach-bound
traffic is diverted forever off Cleveland Street. But city officials
remain hopeful. After months of study, they are preparing to bring forward
their latest plan to remake downtown into the tourist and community magnet
they say its geography has destined it to be.

"The exhaustive new proposal incorporates elements of past plans,
including a revamped Coachman Park and millions of dollars for
beautification and other improvements to the downtown core. What's new is
the acknowledgement that City Hall is available for sale if the right
development project comes along. And now Calvary Baptist Church's property
next door - a key to development - is on the block, too. Also planned are
a downtown marina, a monorail to the beach and a parking garage on Osceola
Avenue. Meanwhile, the plan will serve as a road map of sorts by creating
six unique 'character districts' with general design guidelines meant to
shape future development.

"But Clearwater faces unique challenges, including its distance from a
major interstate. And the dominant presence of the Church of Scientology
has fed the perception that investments downtown will chiefly benefit the
church, Siemon said. But that perception is false, he said. '(Scientology
is) not what's causing the failure of redevelopment,' Siemon said. 'What
makes them stand out in downtown Clearwater is they're the only ones
there. I think dilution is the only solution.'

"Commissioner Whitney Gray agreed. 'If you feel like there's a large
presence of Scientologists downtown, it's because it's in isolation,' she
said. 'The more great things there are to do downtown, the more people
will come.'"

Message-ID: <1052657988.485470@...>

#####

> Digital Lightwave

The St. Petersburg Times reported on May 10th that Digital Lightwave will
not appeal a judgment by Seth Joseph, a former employee of the company.

"For four years, as he waited to collect millions of dollars he said he
was owed by former employer Digital Lightwave, whistleblower Seth Joseph
refused to talk publicly about his case. He preferred to let court
documents speak for themselves: hundreds of pages of testimony, e-mails
and internal memos that detailed how the Clearwater company maneuvered
through an accounting scandal in 1998. The documents also helped show how
the tech company's fortunes and misfortunes were closely tied to
influential members of the Church of Scientology.

"On Friday, after Digital said it would not appeal a $5.2-million judgment
in Joseph's favor, the former Digital senior executive vice president
broke his silence. 'Whenever an individual has to stand up to a big
company with lots of resources, it's not an even fight,' Joseph, who now
works for a Miami law firm, said in an interview with the St. Petersburg
Times. 'Digital used every delaying tactic, every procedure they could to
wear me down and make it almost impossible just to survive through the
process, but here we are.'

"Joseph filed an arbitration suit in 1999 alleging that he was unfairly
dismissed by Zwan. In testimony, Joseph said he was punished because he
urged Zwan to terminate another executive, Denise Licciardi, who was
linked to an accounting scandal in the company. Joseph said that Zwan, a
large donor to Scientology, did not want to dismiss Licciardi because she
is the twin sister of Scientology's worldwide leader, David Miscavige.
Zwan has denied Joseph's account, saying his firing was part of a
companywide restructuring.

"Joseph won his arbitration complaint and, most recently, an appellate
court affirmed the judgment in Joseph's favor. Joseph's lawyer, Holly
Skolnick, said the fight took longer than expected because 'I've never had
such tenacious adversaries. Seth really went through hell.'

"Joseph declined to talk about Zwan personally but predicted that more
problems lie ahead for his old company. As a maker of testing equipment,
Digital will lag behind any recovery in the telecom market since any
initial burst of spending will probably go to telecom switches and
operating equipment instead of testing, Joseph said. 'The only thing that
makes it possible that the company will survive is the fact that Zwan was
able to cash out to the tune of $400-million to $450-million during the
(tech) bubble,' he said."

Message-ID: <1052572045.583419@...>

#####

> France

Agence France Presse reported on May 7th that two Scientologists have been
indicted for fraud and illegally prescribing medicine.

"Two execs from the Scientology church have been recently indicted by a
Parisian instruction judge, one for fraud and the other for illegal
pharmacy practice. Alain Rosenberg has been indicted as General Manager of
the 'Celebrity Center' in Paris, for fraud and complicity of illegal
exercice of pharmacy.

"The judge suspects him to have been engaged in personality testing
without a scientific basis having caused damages to the plaintiff. Those
tests could have been used in order to steal fortunes of some people,
under the guise of a psychological aid.

"Another executive, Aline Fabre, is indicted for illegal pharmacy practice
because she would have sold high dosages vitamins. Attorney Aram
Kevorkian, who is the defender of the two persons indicted, declared that
indictment is not culpability, and that the people are not guilty. Nothing
forbids personality testing, and those tests had scientific bases, did he
declare, before adding that vitamins can be sold outside drugstores.
Kevorkian added that he had appealed of these indictments before the
Indictments appeal Room in Paris court."

Message-ID: <3ebba81f$0$23446$626a54ce@...>

#####

> Scientology Tour

Skyway News published the first of two articles on a visit to Scientology
in Minnesota.

"Through the storefront windows at 1011 Nicollet Mall, the Church of
Scientology of Minnesota seems bright, open and warm.  Posters advertise
personality, toxicity and IQ tests - free and immediately available. At
one of the tables abutting the windowpane, a young man in a black hooded
sweatshirt diligently fills in small ovals on a test. Bright paperbacks
and posters of golden, erupting volcanoes frame the space around him.
Come, step out of the rain - and discover your full potential.

"As I step inside, a kind- and weary-looking man jumps from his post at
the front desk to greet me. It's raining, I tell him, and ask, what is
this place? He extends his well-muscled, lean hand - the hand of a
laborer. He is Bernie, a volunteer, and says this is the Church of
Scientology. It basically believes you are a soul inhabiting a body that
can get toxic, so the church helps you clear it and reach your potential.
'You see,' he says, his eyes opening a little wider, 'you are so much more
than you've been taught you can be.'

"He reaches for one of the thousand or so books on the shelves as one
might reach for a bottle of medicine, haltingly yet reverently. 'This
book,' he begins, 'saved my life.' Bernie owns an auto diagnostics
business. Things got stressful, so he took a management course; the
teacher used a 'tone scale' to help him discern and deal with people's
basic dispositions.

"Bernie opens one of the thinner, cheaper books and displays the realm of
human beings divided into strata, from the gray and glowering at the
bottom, to the clear and serene at the top. 'You see,' he says, pointing
to the darkest circles, 'not everyone is on your side. About 2 percent of
people in the world are Suppressive Persons; they want to keep you from
being happy.' Suppressive agents cause most illnesses, Bernie explains.
Take someone he knows, he says, locked up in a mental hospital because 'he
didn't have this technology to deal with the abuse in his past.'

"Day two. I say hello to a woman in a pinstriped brown and black outfit at
the front desk, and Troy emerges in his pressed shirt, tie and gray
slacks.  'You're back!' he says with a flash of his even white smile. The
brochures seem contingent upon taking the personality test, I explain; I
only have a half-hour, is that enough?

"The woman at the front desk sets to her task, which involves calling
people out of the phone book. I resist the urge to interrupt and ask what
certain test questions are meant to reveal: 'Do you intend two or less
children in your family even though your health and income permit more?'
'If we were invading another country, would you feel sympathetic towards
conscientious objectors in this country?' and 'Would the idea of
inflicting pain on game, small animals or fish prevent you from hunting
and fishing?' I answer honestly, 'yes,' 'yes' and 'yes.'

"By the time I finish (about 10 minutes) I've admitted to allowing
'external noise' to disturb my concentration, being 'a slow eater' who is
'touchy about certain things about [my]self' and occasionally 'feel[ing]
compelled to repeat some interesting item or tidbit.' Troy emerges with
the prognosis: I'm down on seven of 10 counts, below 'normal' and in an
'unacceptable state,' in need of 'immediate assistance' as I suffer from:
depression, a lack of accord, being critical, not being outgoing enough,
nervousness, irresponsibility and being unstable or dispersed.

"I stammer, try to explain/defend myself as Troy's finger points to each
of my documented downfalls: well, I can be blunt, but I'm also the primary
caregiver in my family, so how can I be irresponsible? Troy explains that
responsibility is not 'like, 'Do I pay my bills on time or vote.' It's
like, are you causative or do you let life happen to you - like cause and
effect. Don't I want to take control of my life?' Troy cocks his head,
smiles, and moves his index finger to my most significant problem -- the
one point on the chart Troy has drawn a small cloud around: I'm depressed.
I had no idea.

"Day Three. Over breakfast 'Josh' - me - completes the exam guessing how a
super-Scientologist would answer. 'Josh' doesn't prefer a few close
friends but prefers a wide net of familiars; he wants us to breed like
rabbits, which, of course, he has no problem shooting. He also feels
comfortable telling others every opinion he has, even if he can't prove
what he's saying and is generally not influenced by his emotions in his
personal interactions. This time, another man sits at the front desk. He
seems preoccupied, but looks up when I come in. He extends his long thin
hands to take the pink fold-up test, but withdraws when I tell him it's
for my husband - and I could get him to take it but not to come in. 'Well,
it isn't much use without talking about it with somebody,' he says softly,
but with deep concern. 'Well, I'd like to see how our charts compare.'

"'This is a nice looking chart,' she says, indicating the eight of 10
counts where Josh/superman is in the 'optimum range.' He's aggressive,
responsible, outgoing - very impressive. But there are a couple areas
where he's just normal: he can be critical and isn't very appreciative. If
I'm interested, there's a solution - a glossy little book on marriage and
the primer, 'Components of Understanding.'"

Message-ID: <3eb706e8$1@...>

#####

> Protest Summary

Jeff Jacobsen reported a protest at the Mesa, Arizona org on May 8th.

"Bruce asked me if I wanted to picket. How could I say no? So during rush
hour today we picketed the mission in Mesa. There were about 16 cars
there, including wonderful Russ! One guy came out and took our pictures.
He talked to me a bit commenting on my Lisa McPherson sign and saying
that's old news. I said 'she's still dead.' He argued a bit with me,
asking if we also protest the Catholic church too. I said that we each
choose our fight.

"We got about 8 positive reactions and 1 negative from the traffic that
was crawling by because of road work ahead. I handed out 3 flyers, which
is almost a record there because there is little foot traffic. After an
hour we left and had a nice meal."

Message-ID: <vbjn88mdnr2vef@...>

#####

> Reed Slatkin

Slatkinfraud.com reported on May 8th that Scientologists are opposing the
trustee's plan for the Reed Slatkin estate to go after some Scientology
orgs to recover money donated by Slatkin during the period he ran a Ponzi
scheme investment club.

"High-ranking Scientologist creditors are fighting back against Trustee
Todd Neilson's proposed reorganization of the estate, claiming that he
failed to disclose his plan to go after Church of Scientology entities in
an effort to recoup some of the millions lost in the Slatkin Ponzi Scheme.
The Scientologist bloc is represented by lawyer Helena Kobrin, herself an
active Scientologist and Slatkin net debtor, who has also served as
counsel to several of the Scientology organizations targeted by the
trustee.

"From the Kobrin motion: 'Objecting parties assert that the Plan cannot be
confirmed because it has become evidence that the Trustee intends to sue
various Scientology entities, but did not disclose this intention in his
disclosure statement. Instead, he waited to make this intention known
through his attorney's comments to a newspaper reporter, resulting in a
March 26, 2003 article entitled 'Victims of Scam Target Church.' Beyond
the obvious desire to use this intention to create yellow journalism, the
Trustee's failure to disclose this intention in the normal fashion through
disclosure documents filed in the court violates 11 USC 1129(1),(2) and
(3). Not only would it affect how a substantial number of claimants who
are parishioners of the Scientology religion would vote, but the
concealment of the issue affects the entire conduct of the case, including
such things as the intensity of the Trustee's pursuit of these and other
adversary defendants, and the Trustee's refusal to settle other than at a
very high percentage of the amounts demanded.'

"Ike Kezsbom, a longtime Scientologist, writes in his declaration of
objection: 'My accounts suffered a net loss of approximately $2,400,000. I
am a longstanding member of the Church of Scientology. I reviewed the
Trustee's disclosure statement and proposed plan, and it did not state
that they were planning to sue the Church of Scientology. I would be
opposed to any Plan that involves suing my Church, and would prefer a plan
that liquidates the assets of the Estate as promptly as possible. Based on
the disclosure, I was under the impression that they did not intend to sue
the Church. I believe other Scientologists [sic] creditors were also left
with the same impression.'"

Message-ID: <5e0371c5.0305061615.d00a6c4@...>

#####

> FSMs

Flag FSM NewsLetter reported the winners of the Birthday Game for Flag
Field Staff Members. The contest is based on money paid by recruits for
training and processing to Scientology in Clearwater, Florida.

"FINAL BIRTHDAY GAME STANDINGS 2002-2003 WINNERS!
1. Michael Phillips CW
2. Wendy Ettricks WUS
3. Ty Dillard WUS
4. Barry Klein WUS
5. Mike Smith WUS
6. Ronit Soracco WUS
7. Steve Besio CW
8. Ray Barton CW
9. Divona Lewis WUS
10. Wayne Fuller CW
11. Deborah Hulthen CW
12. Monika Ruegg EU
13. Pat Parodi WUS
14. Sheila Bulger UK
15. Kay Daly Weiner WUS
16. Mary Jo Hyland WUS
17. Dennis Feeney WUS
18. Neils Kjedlsen EU
19. Susan Rowe EUS
20. Luis Colon EUS"

Message-ID: <WNAGQTES37749.7008333333@...>

#####

> Narconon

Tulsa World reported on May 3rd that the Oklahoma legislature voted down a
measure to commend Narconon for its work in drug rehabilitation.

"Normally, resolutions honoring this or that group, person or event fly
through the Legislature with nary a ripple of controversy. However, those
measures do not usually involve substance-abuse treatment facilities
operated by the Church of Scientology. On Thursday, freshman Rep. Terry
Harrison, D-McAlester, appeared surprised that his Senate Concurrent
Resolution 29, sponsored in the Senate by Sen.  Frank Shurden,
D-Henryetta, sparked opposition. The resolution commends Narconon
Arrowhead, a nationally recognized drug and alcohol treatment facility
located at a former state lodge in Pittsburg County.

"The measure doesn't mention the facility's ties to Scientology. It cites
the $5.5 million spent on the lodge's purchase and renovation, delivery of
free drug education programs to 58,000 Oklahoma youths, 130 jobs and $7.4
million impact on the local economy, among other attributes. Rep. Richard
Lerblance, D-Hartshorne, said drug-afflicted people come to the Narconon
center from all over the country. A lawyer, Lerblance said some of his
clients have completed the program successfully. 'This is a program, a
company, that has come into Pittsburg County to help people,' he said.
'Whoever this company is owned by is immaterial.' Rep. Al Lindley,
D-Oklahoma City, also spoke for the measure. 'I'm completely ashamed of
the membership here,' he said. 'It doesn't matter who owns that facility
down there, as long as it helps people.'

"Rep. Bill Paulk, D-Oklahoma City, said he didn't want his name 'on
something supporting the Church of Scientology.' The veteran lawmaker said
such measures illustrate the dangers of mixing church and state. 'This is
a faith-based organization,' Paulk said. The resolution failed 43-50. It
had passed the Senate a day earlier, but not before Shurden fielded
questions on the facility's licensing with the state."

Message-ID: <1052303170.63878@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 6
5/18/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> CCHR

Zap2it.com reported on May 17th that Scientology plans to protest against
the annual convention of the American Psychiatric Association in San
Francisco.

"Actress Kelly Preston plans to lead a protest with hundreds of supports
from the Church of Scientology against the American Psychiatric
Association's annual convention in San Francisco on May 19. Preston says
she's protesting the psychiatric organization's recent opposition to
federal legislation designed to keep parents from being coerced by school
officials to give potentially addictive psychiatric drugs to children.

"Other celebrities such as Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley, Juliette
Lewis, Isaac Hayes, Anne Archer, Catherine Bell and Lynsey Bartilson have
spoken out at rallies and testified before the House of Representatives
Government Reform Committee on this issue since last September. The actors
are involved with the Citizens Commission on Human Rights - a mental
health watchdog founded by the Church of Scientology. The group says that
since the beginning of 2003, 16 states have introduced laws that would
prohibit the practice of psychiatrists using teachers to identify children
as mentally disordered and forcing parents to give drugs to their children
as a condition for them continuing school."

Message-ID: <1053263908.944186@...>

#####

> Housing Authority

Connecticut newspaper the Greenwich Time reported on May 16th that a
Scientologist in charge of the local housing authority has retired.
Benjamin Little was involved in a lawsuit by an employee who claims his
termination was religious discrimination.

"Benjamin Little retired yesterday as chief executive officer of the
Greenwich Housing Authority because of health problems that began earlier
this year when he underwent emergency colon surgery, he said. Little said
his decision to retire was based on a desire to spend more time with his
family and not on a lawsuit that alleges Little, a Scientologist, fired a
former employee because of religious discrimination. Scientology is a
philosophy based on creator L. Ron Hubbard's teachings of self-discovery.
'The lawsuit still goes forward,' Little said. 'The suit's going to be
there. My leaving does not affect the suit.' The housing authority and its
board are also named in the suit."

Message-ID: <1053081297.573130@...>

#####

> Interfaith Day

An email sent to Scientologists invited them to participate in an
Interfaith Day of Prayer being sponsored by the Los Angeles Police
Department.

"You are invited to join president CSI, Heber Jentzsch; Chief Bratton and
Reverend Leonard Jackson, of the first AME Church at CC Int on Sunday!
LAPD Religious Advisory Forum is holding this Interfaith Day Of Prayer to
recognize the commitment of the officers of the LAPD.

"This short event will be at the Pavilion at CC Int, from 5 to 6:30 on
this Sunday, May 18th.  The C of S Choir has organized an interfaith choir
to perform. Your attendance would be appreciated. It is important that our
Church shows its utmost respect to the men and women of the LA Police
Department."

Message-ID: <4OU6GVQA37755.6@...>

#####

> Protest Summary

Dave Bird reported a protest at the Birmingham, England org on May 10th.

"We did another picket of the Scientology cult's offices which are in
Churchill House on the floor above Pizza Hut in New St. Present were Dave,
Jens, John, Neil, Katie and Tony.  We had a gas cylinder and the
ever-popular Xemu Loves You helium balloons, white ones and clear ones. We
also have some 7 inch PVC inflatable space aliens with Xemu Loves You
printed on their little foreheads.

"The clams seem to have had their own promotional event in Library Square.
We split three and three when the gas cylinder ran out, half the group
going up there to check it out, but whatever it had been was already have
dismantled by the time our 3 got there."

Message-ID: <eyz1ZBIR$Xv+Ewph@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 7
6/1/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

Note: This issue includes articles from the last two weeks of
alt.religion.scientlogy.

#####

> Clearwater

The St. Petersburg Times reported on May 29th that Scientology has mailed
promotional materials to encourage retailers to open stores in downtown
Clearwater, Florida.

"The Church of Scientology has sent out promotional brochures to national
retailers such as the Gap and Banana Republic in an effort to lure more
upscale businesses downtown. But city officials, largely caught off-guard,
expressed surprise and disappointment at the strategy. 'I thought that it
was odd that an independent entity would do this,' Commissioner Whitney
Gray said. 'You don't see other businesses, or churches certainly,
marketing downtown to this degree.'

"Gray said she had been notified by the church about plans for the
eight-page flier touting downtown. She met with a church representative
and bluntly outlined her concerns. Given the church's dominant presence
downtown, there are people who refuse to spend money there because they
think it would benefit Scientology, according to Gray. 'If it looks to the
public like the Church of Scientology is building downtown,' she said,
'people won't come.'

"The brochure was distributed to 10 to 20 retailers, including Haagen-Dazs
and Ann Taylor. The church, he said, has an interest in seeing downtown
thrive, both for parishioners' benefit and for the community at large.

"Commissioner Frank Hibbard said the church had ventured outside its
traditional bounds. 'When you talk about promoting Clearwater as a whole,'
he said, 'that is the role of city government.' In fact, the city put out
a glossy brochure of its own in March, sending it to 4,000 developers
nationwide. Assistant City Manager Ralph Stone said the effort was widely
publicized and sought input from a host of city groups, many that include
members of the church.

"Mayor Brian Aungst said he was surprised by the brochures. 'I don't know
that it hurts anything,' he said. 'It's probably helpful, but we'll find
out, I guess.' City officials said they had no problems with the
information contained in the church's flier - it is standard economic
development fare, with statistics on population, median age and income.
But they worried about straying from a unified message. At the very least,
Gray said, the city of Clearwater needs to be perceived as heading up its
own economic development. 'This just makes it a little bit harder,' she
said."

The article prompted a letter to the editor on June 1st.

"The headline should read, City of Clearwater sold downtown to
Scientology. The city of CLEARwater has long since been handed away bit by
bit to this church by ill-informed and misguided commissioners and a few
mayors, most recent being the ever-so-eloquent Brian Aungst. It does not
bother me that the 'The Church of Scientology' operates in the city; it
has a constitutional right to and I believe it should. However, do not
think for a second it has the citizens of Clearwater in the forefront of
its mind.

"The church operates and caters to a transient population that, for the
most part, is crammed into motels and apartment complexes throughout
Clearwater and Pinellas County and is clothed and fed by the church. How
is this helpful to a once thriving city? It is not. I challenge the City
Commission to research the legal term ad valorem, and try to enact a bill
that would restrict any tax-exempt entity from owning a certain percentage
or dollar amount of property within a single city limit. - Paul Hodges,
Clearwater

The St. Petersburg Times reported on May 23rd that Scientology is
requesting the Lisa McPherson wrongful death case be moved from Clearwater
because of the low opinion potential jurors have about the organization.

"Earlier this spring professional researchers combed Tyrone Square Mall
asking Pinellas residents what they thought of the church. 'A cult,' said
person after person. 'Scam,' said one. 'Crooks,' said another. The
researchers, hired by the church, questioned 300 people. Their findings
were grim: Four out of five had unfavorable things to say about
Scientology. The church concluded that the negative opinions Pinellas
residents hold toward Scientology are so deep and widespread, it could not
get a fair trial here.

"This week, it took the unusual step of asking the court to move a civil
trial out of this area because, it says, potential Pinellas jurors have
been prejudiced by negative media coverage. The motion for a change of
venue comes in a related matter, a countersuit against the McPherson
estate and its attorney Ken Dandar. The church alleges that Dandar
improperly attempted to add Scientology leader David Miscavige as a
defendant in the wrongful-death suit. That case is scheduled for trial
July 7.

"'(The church) has learned that the breadth and intensity of 'community
prejudice' against both the Scientology religion and Flag (the church's
Clearwater entity) within Pinellas County is such that Flag cannot receive
a fair trial in this venue,' the 28-page motion states. 'The community
prejudice has been fueled by an ongoing barrage of negative media
comments, principally by the St. Petersburg Times and the local television
stations, including publication of inflammatory and unethical public
statements by Kennan Dandar.'

"Dandar, who has represented McPherson's family for six years, called the
allegation 'a bunch of baloney' and another delay tactic by the church's
formidable legal team.

"Ben Shaw, the church's head of public relations in Clearwater, said the
respondents were residents whose perceptions were 'created by the
continuing onslaught of negative media coverage.'

"Times editor and president Paul C. Tash defended the paper's coverage.
'The Church of Scientology remains a big and important institution in the
Tampa Bay area and we're going to continue our coverage, fully and fairly,
even if sometimes the church officials object to that coverage,' Tash
said.

"Dandar said he wasn't surprised by the survey's findings. 'They (church
officials) are complaining about the newspaper reporting on the tragic
death of Lisa McPherson when they are the ones who caused her death in the
first place,' Dandar said. 'They are blaming everyone but themselves for
their bad public relations image.'

"Last month, the case was reassigned from Circuit Judge Susan Schaeffer,
who sat through weeks of hearings last year, to Senior Judge Robert Beach.
Chief Circuit Judge David Demers made the move after Schaeffer recused
herself from handling a counterclaim."

Message-ID: <1053685708.753904@...>
Message-ID: <1054203669.363094@...>
Message-ID: <1054469652.461617@...>

#####

> Narconon

The South Idaho Press reported on May 20th that city officials in Rubert,
Idaho will hear a presentation from Narconon

"The council will also hear from officials of the Burley-based NARCONON of
Idaho. The group offers drug treatment and counseling. NARCONON's
treatment is based on methods created by L. Ron Hubbard. 'It's a natural
method of ridding the body of drugs stored in fat. They use herbs, saunas,
sweating and exercise to help in the process,' Neiwerth said.

"The council needs to know about drug treatment alternatives, she said. 'I
wanted the council to be aware of some of the methods available to help
people get off drugs so they can get out of that drug mode and trafficking
and making drugs. It's to help take them off that dependency for drugs,'
Neiwerth said."

Message-ID: <3ECADCE2.1030601@...>

#####

> Leipzig Human Rights Award

Freie Presse Chemnitz reported on May 18th that the Leipzig Human Rights
Award has been presented to Andreas Heldal-Lund, creator of the web site
xenu.net.

"The information technology specialist was honored in Leipzig on Sunday
for his work against the Scientology cult and his efforts towards freedom
of speech on the Internet. For almost seven years, Heldal-Lund has
maintained a web site by the name of Operation Clambake, in which he
distributes information about the Scientology organization.

"Last year's award winner Alain Vivien said in his laudation that
Heldal-Lund had revealed the machinations of the Scientologists with
'respect and intelligence.' In doing this he was helping both potential
and past victims.

"In his acceptance speech, Heldal-Lund emphasized the role of the citizen
in the fight for basic rights, such as freedom of speech. 'These rights
being anchored in the Constitution is not good enough,' he said. Therefore
every individual should deliberate on how to put a stop to such churches
and organizations. Also people had to continue to earn their basic rights.

"Heldal-Lund uses his Internet pages to inform people about the doctrines
and practices of Scientology that the organization itself does not want
published. Despite legal complaints from Scientology and temporary
boycotts from several Internet Service Providers, Heldal-Lund has not shut
down his web site.

"The award is conferred annually by the European-American Citizens
Committee for Human Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA. Besides
Americans and Germans, the committee includes members from England,
Austria, Russia and Sweden. The Citizens Committee was formed in 1997 and
opposes physical and psychological abuse of humans under the pretext of
religion, among other things. One of the people who received the award
prior to Heldal-Lund was former Labor Minister Norbert Bluem."

From Frankfurter Rundschau on May 15th:

"The Norwegian Internet expert from Stavanger is receiving this year's
Leipzig Human Rights Award on Sunday. For six years Heldal-Lund has been
engaged in uncovering the human rights violations of the cult-like
Scientology organization, as reported by the 'European-American Citizens
Committee for Human rights and Religious Freedom in the USA' in Berlin on
Wednesday. The recipients of the unremunerated honor, bestowed since 2000
in the form of a glass-contained sculpture with an image of the Leipzig
Nikolas Church, include former federal labor minister Norbert Bluem (CDU).
In presenting its award to individuals, the Committee hopes to promote
'human rights reforms' among cult-like organizations."

Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.1030525055801.121A-100000@...>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.1030524061946.119B-100000@...>

#####

> Scientology Tour

Skyway News published the second of two articles on May 12th on a tour of
the Scientology org in Minnesota.

"After a quick talk with Scientologist Troy about how I don't have to be
introverted, and, really, the depression score isn't high enough to be a
real concern, Diane, another volunteer working at Scientology's 1011
Nicollet Mall center, asks if I'd like to see a video on Dianetics.
There's a process in it that can help people figure out what's wrong and
give them the tools to fix it.

"There is a certain cadence to the narration and pacing of the imagery,
the monotonous voice of the narrator regularly punctuated by exceedingly
long pauses. However slowly, I am being introduced to the only system in
the world that has ever figured out the source of man's problems and, more
importantly, how to fix them.

"Basically: the mind is split into two parts, the 'analytical mind' and
the 'reactive mind'. The analytical mind is incapable of making mistakes,
it is logical and rational - it is sane. The reactive mind is toxic,
holding on to negative impressions of the world formed by bad experiences
or by people saying things to us while we're in an unconscious state;  it
is the source of neurosis and insanity.

"Michael has pulled out a screening form.  The questions quickly grow
intimate: Have I had any alcohol in the last 24 hours, how much do I
normally drink, have I ever had any illegal drugs, am I on any medication,
ever had psychiatric treatment or counseling, if so, why, how long, what
was the analysis?  I end up telling him things I don't usually divulge to
strangers.  Have I or a family member ever personally contributed to
negative articles in the media about Scientology? Am I a member of the
news media? Am I with the CIA or FBI or any other government agency?

"I ask a free church service is contingent upon my profession or
government involvement. 'The church has to protect itself from
infiltrants,' he explains.  Like I said before, I'm the managing editor of
Skyway News, but I'm not in the CIA or anything. He just writes 'No.' With
the form completed, albeit incorrectly, and oddly without me having to
sign it, we move on.

"For the next hour or so, I recount 10 times each the experiences of a
bike accident and a previous childhood chin injury, eyes closed.
Unfortunately, I couldn't recall anything said to me when I was
unconscious, no engrams. But I did get a headache and my neck got tight -
evidence of regression, i.e., reliving the experiences on that part of my
time track.

"I just need to pay for some books I picked up from hours ago.  Michael
drops me off with a woman who can process the book order. There's no cash
register. She has to go to the basement to get change. Standing there,
waiting, I browse the brochures. I'm back in the area where I watched the
Dianetics video.

"One of the men in the navy-like outfits approaches.  'Are you in the
navy?' I ask.  'No, I'm in the Sea Org.' Uh-huh.  'Would you like to
complete our survey?' he asks, handing me another opportunity to offer up
personal information: name, address, am I married, do I have kids? How
many? Do I have debts? How much? And answer 'yes or 'no' questions like,
'DO YOU HAVE A PURPOSE TO HELP CLEAR THIS PLANET?'

"Another man approaches as I finger brochures. 'Do you like to read?' he
asks. Yes, I like to read, in fact, I work at the local newspaper; no, I
don't have much time. The woman emerges from the basement with my change.
Despite my desire to leave, I find it impossible to be rude and leave the
friendly man who approached me. We agree to talk until 4:30 p.m., no
longer.  At 5:30 p.m., I get up to leave.

"Diane comes out. 'How was the auditing?' The next step is the basic
Dianetics course for just $35 and another audit that costs $200 but it's
eight hours long.  Over the next day or so, I find 'Dianetics' impossible
to read. I quote a passage to my husband and can't imagine calling the
kind man for assistance decoding it."

Message-ID: <Xns9380618C6B62kadywwwaifnet@...>

#####

> Reed Slatkin

Slatkinfraud.com reported on May 26th that Scientologists have been
pressuring their members to join in opposing the Reed Slatkin trustee's
attempts to recover money from Scientology orgs.

"Scientologist profiteers used high pressure tactics to pressure fellow
Scientologists with creditor status in the case to sign up for a legal
maneuver almost entirely contrary to their own interests. In a mass email
sent out last January, longtime Scientologist Tony Lonstein, currently on
the hook for nearly $2 million according to the suit filed against him by
the estate, called on his fellow Scientologists to join an objection to
the trustee's plans to reorganize the estate, claiming that trustee Todd
Neilson is 'out of control' and plotting to attack the church.

"'The Trustee is out of control, suing anyone he can find. As an example,
in the 50 page interrogatory which he just sent us, there is a full page
devoted to listing out every single corporate entity of the Church,
followed by questions related to our dealings with the Church. Despite the
fact that this is highly inappropriate, it does lead one to believe that
the Trustee has taken significant time researching all the Church's legal
entities, and one must wonder if he doesn't intend to use this information
in some sort of a suit or other attack against the Church, which I am sure
you would not want to support.'

"Scientologist net-loser Al Ribisi questioned Lonstein's failure to make
clear his own pecuniary interest in the motion, and chided him; '(for)
positioning the issue in any way with our Church. Leave the Church out of
it. It's off-line. We have an Office of Special Affairs to handle these
things.' Lonstein responded by quoting liberally from Scientology founder
L. Ron Hubbard, and claimed that trustee Todd Neilson was a 'suppressive'
- a Scientology term for an 'enemy' - for attempting to recoup Slatkin
profits from 'hundreds of upstanding, ethical, productive Scientologists.'

"'I personally believe that the Trustee's actions are suppressive, and
that his suit of hundreds of upstanding, ethical, productive
Scientologists is suppressive, and that his attempts use the legal system
to strong-arm Scientologists into paying him by trying to get their assets
attached in advance of a judgement are suppressive, and that his posturing
to sue the Church is grossly suppressive, and if he sues the Church, he is
100% suppressive, and that anyone who actively backs him up or sits
quietly on the sidelines getting monetary benefit from his actions is
aiding and abetting a Suppressive. Think about it, one of the
distributions you receive from the Trustee could potentially be money
extracted from the Church. No-one would want that to occur.'"

Message-ID: <5e0371c5.0305260806.e04472f@...>

#####

> Tampa

The Tampa Tribune reported on May 31st that Scientology has been
aggressively distributing material in Ybor City, a neighborhood of Tampa,
Florida known for its large number of bars and restaurants.

"For months, well-dressed Scientologists have lined parts of Seventh
Avenue, two on each side of the street, passing out pamphlets and asking
passers-by to take a personality test. Now, Ybor City residents and
business owners are complaining to the city that they are being harassed
by Scientology recruiters who follow them down the street and won't take
no for an answer. 'People have said they are just as annoying as
panhandlers,' said Vince Pardo, president of the Ybor City Development
Corp.

"The church is renovating a building it is leasing at 1619 E. Eighth Ave.
and plans to open The Scientology Life Improvement Center on June 7, said
Ana Tirabassi, spokeswoman for the church's Tampa headquarters. It will
offer lectures, courses and films on Scientology, she said. Scientologists
stand on street corners not to harass people, Tirabassi said, but 'to
introduce us to people new to the subject.' 'It's a traditional way of
letting people know about Scientology,' she said. 'It's what we do in
cities all over the country. We have excellent relations with our Ybor
neighbors, and there have been no complaints that I know of.'

"In response to complaints made to the city, Councilwoman Rose Ferlita on
Thursday asked the city's legal department to investigate the issue and
find out what, if anything, the city can do to limit how Scientologists
recruit in the district. 'We have two issues here,' Ferlita said. 'The
respect of visitors of Ybor and religious rights. I don't really feel you
can equate this to panhandling, but them approaching someone may
ultimately end in the request for a contribution.'

"Tampa has an aggressive panhandling ordinance that prohibits people from
repeatedly asking for money. Members of the Ybor Coalition have asked the
city whether it can draft a similar ordinance to limit how many times
Scientologists can ask someone to take a personality test. But because it
is a religious organization, it has protection, said Gina Grimes, chief
assistant city attorney. The city is faced with balancing the
constitutional religious rights of the church with the rights of someone
to walk down the street without feeling pressured, she said.

"Joe Howden, an Ybor resident and Barrio Latino commissioner, said he
walks past at least four Scientologists daily on his way to work at King
Corona Cigars at 1523 Seventh Ave. 'We've worked hard to get panhandlers
out of this area, and now we have these people standing on the street
approaching people, and it's unfair,' he said. 'I don't know why this
organization seems to think it has the right to step beyond the boundary
of personal space.'

"Irene Pierpont, general manager of Centro Ybor, said she has had to ask
Scientologists to leave her property. 'We wouldn't have a problem if we
didn't witness them following people down the street,' Pierpont said. 'But
we just can't have that here.'

"Rachelle Wagner, an Ybor resident, said she's glad to see the church
renovating a vacant building, but she's concerned that members don't
identify themselves when approaching people on the street. 'The average
person doesn't know what a personality test is or what Scientology is,'
Wagner said. 'What bothers me most is that they seem so sneaky.'"

Message-ID: <1054395295.644605@...>

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 8
6/8/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Clearwater

Letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on June 5th reacted to
plans to Scientology's efforts to promote downtown Clearwater, Florida to
developers and retailers.

"Please, Clearwater Commissioner Whitney Gray, spare preaching 'the good
word of downtown' to the majority of Clearwater residents. City officials
know how most residents feel about the Scientologists' overwhelming
presence in downtown Clearwater.

"The bulk of property they have procured within our city is disturbing to
many. The concept of spending up to $41-million to provide residents with
a Barnes & Noble, Ann Taylor, Armani Exchange, Kenneth Cole and FAO
Schwartz is absurd. Do they think these stores would draw most of us
downtown? Call me stupid, but come on. The elephant is in the living room.

"This issue has exhausted most taxpayers in this community. Most of us
have had uptown 'dreams' of downtown, but that's all they are, dreams. -
Charlene Comeau, Clearwater

"When I was in Florida last year, I dropped by the Lisa McPherson Trust
not too long before its demise. One of the staff members took me on a
walking tour to see the various Scientology buildings, pointing out the
many 'security' cameras and motion sensors. We were constantly shadowed by
operatives yapping on walkie-talkies and cell phones. When approaching
Scientologists on the sidewalks, my guide simply stopped in his tracks,
explaining that they couldn't come within 10 feet, so he preferred to let
them figure out how to deal with that prohibition.

"The atmosphere in downtown Clearwater is downright intimidating. The
heart of the city is an occupied territory, under constant surveillance by
a 'religion' based on sci-fi scriptures about alien forces that
overwhelmed Battlefield Earth 75 million years ago. - Eldon M. Braun,
Paris, France"

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0306050600.242bc4c3@...>

#####

> Germany

A press release from the Dialog Center in Berlin, Germany on June 3rd
warned that Scientology has begun advertising in magazines placed in taxi
cabs.

"Numerous Berlin taxis have been driving through the capitol city recently
with covert Scientology advertisements. Sect commissioner of the
Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg, Rev. Thomas Gandow, warned about
the taxi advertisements for the new Scientology magazine 'Free Mind -
Reise zum Ich.' The connection of the advertisement to the Scientology
organization is not readily apparent to either the taxi driver or to the
potential buyers. This is because the word 'Scientology' is not mentioned,
although the advertisement is for 'Dianetics' and Scientology founder
Hubbard.

"Scientology and Dianetics inventor Hubbard stated that his psycho-courses
were going to replace psychiatry and psychotherapy. Erich Fromm, who back
in 1950 was a renowned psychotherapist, wrote that the Dianetics book was
'alarming.' He said the book was a 'symptom of a dangerous trend.'

"'Free Mind' is printed by Verlag New Era Publications GmbH.  There is no
doubt this is a Scientology corporation whose business consists primarily
of dealing in Hubbard books."

#####

> Narconon

Narconon International Newsletter reported in its May, 2003 issue on
developments around the world regarding the Scientology drug rehab
program.

"The First China International Symposium on Alcohol and Health was put on
by the Beijing SIJI Exchange Center for Science and Technology, the World
Health Organization-Shanghai Collaborating Center for Health Education and
Promotion, and the University of Nebraska. More than fifty delegates
attended from throughout China, Australia, Canada, Europe, and Taiwan. The
Narconon International President delivered an address on sauna sweat-out
detoxification methodology, as developed by L. Ron Hubbard, in relation to
treating alcoholism. He presented the research and published materials of
the Narconon program and evidence of its worldwide delivery.

"Following the symposium, the President met with Prof Gan Xmgfa of the
WHO-Shanghai Collaborating Center, who requested that someone from
Narconon International come as soon as possible to present the Narconon
drug rehabilitation method, to help pilot the Narconon program in a local
hospital, and to help survey the China Republic regarding drug abuse. Many
professionals in the country are aware that there is a large and growing
problem and are searching for intelligent technology that can be
implemented rapidly and locally to deal with it.

"An invitation to introduce Narconon technology and First Step Workshop at
the second Project Bridges Faith Based Substance Abuse Treatment and
Prevention Conference soon followed from Washington, DC. The motto of the
conference was 'Mobilizing to Bridge the Gap.' The conference focus was on
faith- and community-based organizations, building them into a grassroots
movement toward handling the drug problem. The attendees were primarily
African-American pastors and related associates in the Washington, D.C.
area.

"Clifton Mitchell, President Bush's Coordinator of Faith and Community
Partners Initiative, spoke about the President's initiative to increase
funding for faith-based rehab groups. He encouraged the attendees to form
coalitions and write grant proposals to the U.S.  Government. Mr. Mitchell
thanked Clark Carr and Narconon for helping him to do his job and urged
everyone to visit Narconon Arrowhead. Rev. Carlton N. Pressley (Senior
Advisor for Religious Affairs to the D.C. Mayor), gave a rousing sermon,
preaching among other things that the listeners 'should be sending addicts
to Narconon.'

"The federal ANF (Anti Narcotics Force) of Pakistan invited the President
of Narconon International to tour and lecture throughout Pakistan. Dr.
Humaira Aziz, a Narconon supporter in Islamabad, has been disseminating
Mr. Hubbard's social betterment technology, and Narconon drug prevention
and rehabilitation methods were what were most urgently requested.

"The Narconon International President first met with Dr. Muhammad Sharif,
ED Narconon Hyderabad, near Karachi. Dr. Sharif set up meetings with the
Mayor of Hyderabad and Latifabad, a neighboring town, and put on for the
President a welcoming event with 40 enthusiastic supporters of Dr.
Sharif's activities, followed by a banquet at which awards and
recognitions were given out to all.

"A two-day workshop in the city of Rawalpindi got rave reviews.  All
attendees gave heartfelt wins and thanks to Narconon International for
coming to Islamabad/Rawalpindi, to the President, and to Dr. Humaira Aziz.
Every rehab group in attendance rushed the President for Narconon license
applications. The President then toured local rehabs, giving assists to
those he saw were ill, and continued to work with their representatives on
how to get vitamins, etc., for delivery.

"The staff of Narconon Southern California have long since filled their
Narconon Newport Beach facility to capacity. Now, after purchasing a
lovely new residential facility in the desert hills of north San Diego
County, they have completed the zoning approval processes and are filling
this center to capacity and are looking for a third location!

"Narconon Racine in Wisconsin was licensed this year. They have done their
basic incorporation and have begun promoting the Narconon drug prevention
program. This group is just north of Chicago, so they are also working in
coordination with Narconon Great Lakes and will be doing referrals to
Narconon Stone Hawk."

Message-ID: <DJ1YKYZO37778.1267824074@...>

#####

> Safe

CNET News.com reported on June 3rd that Scientology is attempting to force
AT&T to disclose the identity of a poster to alt.religion.scientology who
allegedly posted copyrighted materials anonymously.

"Raising new issues about anonymity on the Net, the Church of Scientology
is invoking a law passed last year to force AT&T to disclose the identity
of an Internet service subscriber who allegedly infringed the church's
copyrights online. Scientology's Bridge Publications, which four years ago
helped to forge new law when it sued Internet service provider Netcom,
claims the anonymous author 'made two unauthorized, verbatim Internet
postings' of the church's copyrighted works on the
alt.religion.scientology Usenet group. Invoking a provision in the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act, Bridge Publications filed a subpoena on AT&T
that would require it to turn over the name of the Worldnet subscriber.

"AT&T spokesman Jonathan Varman said the company had not yet turned over
the information to the church and was 'looking to do the best for our
customer and still comply with the court.' The subpoena set yesterday as
the deadline for complying. In a telephone interview, the poster, going by
the pseudonym 'Safe,' said AT&T had agreed to delay complying with the
subpoena until at least tomorrow to give his attorney time to figure out
how to proceed.

"Dan Leipold, Safe's counsel and an attorney who has done battle with
Bridge Publications in the past, said he was concerned the law was being
misused against his client. 'This individual has not been shown to do
anything wrong and yet he's going to lose his anonymity,' said Leipold,
who declined to name the author. 'He's worried. He does not want to give
up the anonymity because he knows who's on the other side and he knows
what they'll do to him.'

"According to one of the offending Usenet postings, the church goes so far
as to make it a 'high crime' for followers to 'Organize splinter groups to
diverge from Scientology practices still calling it Scientology or calling
it something else.' In all, the post, which purports to cite the
Introduction to Scientology Ethics, lists 274 'errors, misdemeanors,
crimes, and high crimes' against the Church.

"Leipold argued that despite the large amount of text quoted verbatim, the
posting fell under so-called fair use exceptions to the copyright law.
Fair use provisions permit parties to reprint copyrighted work depending
on the purpose, the amount of text quoted, and other factors. 'If you're
trying to illustrate the point that they exert control over their members,
you can't do it by quoting only five or six rules,' Leipold said. 'You've
got to look at what the scope is.'"

Message-ID: <1054636018.812490@...>

#####

> Ybor City

The St. Petersburg Times reported on June 6th that Scientology will open a
new facility in the Ybor City area of Tampa, Florida.

"The church spent $200,000 renovating the leased building at 1619 E Eighth
Ave. and expects 500 people for the grand opening, Tirabassi said. 'We
like Ybor City because it has lots of people, lots of life, lots of
activities, and it's a vibrant community,' she said. This week, workers
were putting the finishing touches on the Scientology Life Improvement
Center, which will sell Scientology books, administer personality, IQ and
aptitude tests and offer self-improvement courses.

"But to get people through the doors, the church stops them on sidewalks.
Vince Pardo, executive director of the Ybor City Development Corporation,
said he's pleased to see the church fix up a local building but he's also
heard complaints about the intensity of church members' pitches. In teams
of two, members have been standing along Seventh Avenue, talking to
passers-by and offering free personality tests. Some of them have
apparently followed customers onto private Centro Ybor property, where
solicitation is off limits.

"'We're all for free speech,' said Lisa Brock, a spokeswoman for Centro
Ybor. 'We just have to draw the line at following people (onto) any of our
property, which might cross into the area of harassment.'"

From the St. Petersburg Times on June 7th:

"The church, which has been criticized for aggressive canvassing in Ybor
City, met with its neighbors this week and discussed that very question.
After the meeting, Ybor civic leader Vince Pardo was pleased. The
Scientologists, he said, had agreed to dispatch no more than two people at
a time to recruit new members from the streets of Ybor.

"But church spokeswoman Ana Tirabassi didn't remember it that way. She
said the church didn't limit itself to a number but simply agreed not to
overwhelm the neighborhood. Friday, after a reporter raised the
discrepancy with Pardo, he opened a three-way conference call with church
spokeswoman Pat Harney. When she avoided a firm commitment, he expressed
disappointment. 'What you're doing is voluntary, and I appreciate that,'
said Pardo, executive director of the Ybor City Development Corp. 'But I
also appreciated that you came up with a number.'

"In recent weeks, community leaders have received complaints about the
number of canvassers and the intensity of their pitches. When the
Scientologists learned about the concerns, they started talking to shop
owners and promised to be good neighbors. Pardo said he told them about
the concerns of business owners who had reported that church members
followed customers onto Centro Ybor's property. The Scientologists, he
said, were apologetic. Pardo said the church agreed to remind members of
its policy not to follow or harass people on sidewalks.

"Pardo said he was told that the typical number of canvassers assigned to
Ybor is from two to eight. According to Pardo, the church committed to
limiting canvassers to two at a time. Tirabassi said the church generally
assigns no more than two members at a time but reserves the right to send
more. The bottom line, Tirabassi said, is that the church wants to be
sensitive to neighborhood concerns without limiting its own rights. Pardo
said he was encouraged by the Scientologists' 'good faith, voluntary
agreement.'"

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0306060405.6aead645@...>
Message-ID: <1054989910.672517@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 9
6/15/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Clearwater

A St. Petersburg Times editorial on June 9th reacted to charges made by
Scientology that Clearwater area residents have been prejudiced against
them by press coverage.

"Many Pinellas County residents know the story of how the Church of
Scientology slipped into Pinellas under a different name in 1975 and began
buying property in downtown Clearwater, where it established its
international religious retreat known as Flag. They remember the clashes
that followed between Clearwater city officials and Scientology, the
church's penchant for secrecy and the disinformation campaign hatched by
the organization to discredit a city official who opposed Scientology.

"Many Pinellas residents also remember hearing that a member of the Church
of Scientology, Lisa McPherson, died in 1995 after being kept in the care
of staffers in the church's Fort Harrison building. Because they know all
that, some of them have strong opinions about Scientology, and it should
come as no surprise that many of those opinions are negative. What is
surprising, given the history of the church in Pinellas, is that
Scientology officials are shocked by how many Pinellas residents distrust
or dislike their organization.

"The church recently hired professional researchers to survey 300 shoppers
at a St. Petersburg mall to learn their opinions of Scientology, Flag and
the McPherson case.  Since getting the results, the church has asked for a
change of venue in an upcoming jury trial that peripherally involves
aspects of the McPherson case. The church's motion for the venue change is
filled with accusations about the 'religious bigotry' of the Pinellas
population and 'hate-mongering' by local media, including the St.
Petersburg Times. The church claims that the media have poisoned the
public's view of Scientology.

"The truth of the matter is that most residents of Pinellas County are
neither misled nor confused about Scientology. What they are is
well-informed, and they have good memories. They see not just the
dressed-up image the church has displayed since getting smarter about
public relations a few years ago, but also the years of shenanigans that
preceded the change.

"Church officials apparently thought they had made more progress at
changing perceptions, especially in Clearwater. And indeed, Clearwater
officials have forged a cooperative relationship with Scientology, in some
cases accepting campaign support and assistance from church members,
bestowing awards on the church and even inviting church officials'
participation in city government affairs.

"Perhaps it was the city of Clearwater's accommodating attitude that
recently led the church to believe it had the standing to start recruiting
national retailers to downtown Clearwater.  The church prepared a brochure
spotlighting the city's demographics and benefits (including a section
touting the positive presence of the Church of Scientology downtown) and
sent it to retailers such as the Gap and Banana Republic. Because no
author is listed, the brochure promotes the mistaken impression that it
comes from city government. Yet asked about this presumptuousness by the
church, Mayor Brian Aungst said merely, 'I don't know that it hurts
anything. It's probably helpful, but we'll find out.'

"Clearwater officials would do well to review the results of the
Scientology survey and consider whether an informed and wary public would
be comfortable seeing them hold hands with the Church of Scientology."

Message-ID: <1055153838.94746@...>

#####

> Lisa McPherson

The Palm Beach Post reported on June 11th that Scientology has withdrawn
its request to move the breach of contract counterclaim in the Lisa
McPherson case to another county.

"In a letter to the judge on the breach-of-contract case, an attorney for
the church wrote that since the court date was only four weeks away, the
church would try for a fair jury panel there. The Scientologists
previously argued that they could not continue in the Clearwater area
because a survey conducted by the church had shown a bias in the area.

"The church lawyers asked that the case be moved to Palm Beach or Broward
county because the counties have demographics similar to Pinellas County.
The church is involved in expansive litigation after a church member died
while under psychiatric care at a church facility. The church member, Lisa
McPherson, 36, a devout Scientologist from Clearwater, had a mental
breakdown in 1995 and was taken to a church retreat facility, where she
died 17 days later."

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0306110811.564c44d8@...>

#####

> Tom Cruise

The Washington Post reported on June 15th that Scientology celebrity Tom
Cruise visited U.S. Government officials in part to discuss issues
important to Scientology.

"Church of Scientology cause celeb Tom Cruise slipped into town this week
for private meetings with senior Bush administration officials at the
Department of Education and the White House. On Thursday, Education
Secretary Rod Paige hosted a lunch for Cruise so the actor could gab with
education officials in the secretary's dining room. 'He wanted to learn
more about the president's 'no child left behind' program,' Education
Undersecretary Eugene Hickok told us yesterday. Hickock added: 'We're
willing to talk to anyone interested in the issue. I don't think I'm
star-struck.' But we hear that on Friday at the White House, where Cruise
lobbied officials on Scientology-related issues, there were plenty of
young female staffers standing around, hoping to bump into him in the
corridors of power."

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0306142123.1d697177@...>

#####

> Reed Slatkin

Slatkinfraud.com reported on June 14th that an attorney for Scientology
will be asking for a subpoena in the Reed Slatkin Ponzi scheme case to
discover communications between creditors of the Slatkin estate and the
Slatkinfraud creators.

"Scientology lawyer Helena Kobrin, here acting as counsel for herself
(independent from Scientology) and other Scientology investors, has filed
a declaration revealing her intent to target members of the Creditors'
Committee for subpoena. First on Kobrin's list is George Kriste. Among the
monstrous laundry list of material she asks Kriste produce is a request
for 'all documents which relate to communications you have had with any
person who is involved in the Slatkinfraud web site, including, without
limitation, David Touretzky, Kady O'Malley, and Scott Pilutik.' Kirkland &
Ellis attorney Alex Pilmer replies in a letter that Kriste will only
respond to the subpoena if ordered to by the court. If the court does
allow the Kriste subpoena, Kobrin states plans for serving identical
subpoenas to the rest of the Creditors' Committee."

Message-ID: <5e0371c5.0306141502.2f1b9142@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 10
6/22/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Clearwater

Letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on June 17th and June
20th addressed a recent editorial, the issue of Scientology's dominance in
Clearwater, Florida and its expansion into nearby Tampa neighborhood Ybor
City.

"I know well the history of Scientology in this community, especially the
'shenanigans,' as you put it, that occurred more than two decades ago.
There is no doubt that during that period there was legitimate reason to
question the motives of some members of this church. Even its current
members and leaders will acknowledge those past mistakes made by former
leaders who were purged because of their actions.

"My relationship with individual members of the Church of Scientology
grows out of many years of friendship and observing the good things they
have done for my hometown of Clearwater. I see positive improvements in a
downtown that was suffering. I see new stores, retail activities, coffee
shops and arts events where there were none. I see an honest effort to
reach out to people in my community, not for nefarious purposes but out of
a genuine love for this city and a desire to be part of its future. It
amazes me that you cannot see those same changes that so many people in
Clearwater have seen in the Church of Scientology's effort to undo the
damage of 30 years ago when it first arrived here.

"Especially disappointing to me, as someone who has been in the public eye
for more than 20 years and who is a big believer in the media's important
role in our community, is the threatening tone of the editorial. Instead
of making a reasoned argument in the marketplace of ideas, your editorial
resorted to calling out individuals such as myself by name and threatening
their political futures should they continue to treat Scientologists as
even possibly productive members of society.  - Mary Repper, Clearwater

"I want to thank you for your excellent editorial on Scientology. As a
former 20-year member, who was not aware of the continual pattern of
illegal/unethical covert activities practiced by this so-called church
while he was in the group, I commend you for exposing the true nature of
this cult. Scientology's recent attempt to clean up its image is like
Osama bin Laden getting a haircut and a shave, and has the same purpose:
to disguise what it really is. - Peter Alexander, Tampa

"Your recent articles on the opening of the Scientology Life Improvement
Center in Ybor City created a controversy about complaints that are not
even specified, allegedly concerning Scientologists inviting the public to
the center. The Church of Scientology is opening a new and beautiful
center in a restored historic building where anyone can walk in and find
out about Scientology for themselves.

"The Scientology Life Improvement Center in Ybor City is open for anyone
to come in and find out for themselves about Scientology. We have had a
wonderful reception from our neighbors. We are there to help people and
the community to thrive, prosper and achieve better conditions in life. -
Ana Tirabassi, Church of Scientology, Tampa

"This organization is not a church, but a cult. It is built on falsehoods
and stands on sinking sand. The citizens do not want this cult in our
community and by the organization's own research find that it is
considered a detestable organization, which is unfortunately located on
our mist. The St. Petersburg Times reports that the words used to identify
this group were 'cult,' 'scam,' 'crooks,' 'despicable,' 'lost souls and
evil,' 'mind-controlling.'

"Scientologists are blaming the Times for the negative responses. They
blame everybody but themselves for their own failings. Remember when they
first came into Clearwater? They came under the disguise of United
Churches. If this is a church, why do they use falsehoods and devious
tactics? They have loaded upon the citizens of this community their tax
burden because they are hiding under the name 'church.' Churches do not
sue about everything and everybody that may offend them. All this cult is
about is money, money, money. - Ken Peters, Clearwater

"Clearwater has become synonymous with Scientology, a goal that the
organization deliberately set out to achieve when it sneaked into town
under the assumed name 'United Churches of Florida' and promptly tried to
frame and eliminate Gabe Cazares, then-mayor of Clearwater. Just how
synonymous Clearwater is with Scientology is something that most of the
St. Petersburg Times' readers are probably not aware of unless they read
national news. Horribly, if you visit the Web site Encyclopedia.com and
enter 'Scientology' in the search request, Clearwater is offered as one of
the four encyclopedia entries.

"In a fairly recent court case in the county, a judge reviewed
documentation covering the more than 100 video cameras Scientology has set
up to watch and record vehicle and pedestrian traffic in downtown
Clearwater. The judge turned to the Scientology lawyers and rhetorically
asked them, 'I just don't get it. When is the invasion coming?' The fact
is Scientology's invasion was a success. The city of Clearwater lost. -
Fredric L. Rice, Glendora, California"

Message-ID: <575016bf.0306180012.32d3b384@...>
Message-ID: <1056104001.442760@...>

#####

> Tom Cruise

MSNBC reported on June 19th that Tom Cruise has been talking to U.S.
administration officials about education and Scientology issues.

"The Church of Scientology's Top Gun has been lobbying the White House.
Tom Cruise has been meeting with officials from the Department of
Education and lawmakers at the White House, reports the Washington Post,
and a source says he believes that Cruise is hoping to get government
funding for the church.

"'Tom is a big believer in the teaching tools of Scientology and has
spoken in the past about how it cured his dyslexia,' says alternative
religion expert Rick Ross. 'It looks to me like he is seeking federal
funds for Scientology schools under President Bush's Faith-Based
Initiative.'

"Ross also says that Cruise is appealing to the Bush administration to
pressure some European countries to ease up on their anti-Scientology
policies - just as John Travolta lobbied the Clinton administration.

"'Tom met at the Department of Education because he has always been
passionate about education and wanted to meet the Secretary [of
Education],' a spokeswoman for the actor told The Scoop. 'And, in a
separate meeting, he met with a few White House officials to discuss his
concern about the state of human rights in the world today, especially
religious intolerance in parts of Western Europe.'"

From the New York Daily News on June 22nd:

"Tom Cruise wants to get your children off drugs. We're talking about
medications doctors prescribe to help them conquer learning disabilities
such as hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. Last week, Cruise
went to Washington to push one of the key causes of his Church of
Scientology.

"'There's a bill that just passed the House that makes it unlawful for
schools and doctors to coerce children to get on drugs,' he told us
Thursday night at a benefit for MENTOR, the school charity that honored
him for his work with tutoring programs. 'We have some serious problems
with education. I know a lot about it. There are 8 million kids that are
being medicated with educational medication.

"A few days before, Cruise, who has credited Scientology with helping him
overcome dyslexia, lobbied for his position at a lunch with Education
Secretary Rod Paige in Washington. Cruise, who previously was a Bill
Clinton supporter, may have been lobbying the White House for the funding
of Scientology programs through President Bush's faith-based initiatives
program, according to some familiar with the organization."

Message-ID: <575016bf.0306192201.f97d146@...>
Message-ID: <1056285917.373734@...>

#####

> Narconon

The North County Times reported on June 17th that a new Narconon facility
has opened in the San Diego, California area.

"Narconon Southern California recently opened its second rehabilitation
center near Warner Springs. Narconon is a 35-year-old nonprofit drug
rehabilitation and education organization providing residential
rehabilitation services.

"Performing the official ribbon cutting ceremony are, Don McKinney from
U.S. Congressman Darrell Issa's office; Clark Carr, president of Narconon
International; Tommy Thompson from State Assemblyman Ray Haynes' office;
Gerry Marshall, president of Narconon Southern California Inc; John Allan,
chief of the Sunshine Summit Volunteer Fire Department; and David
Worthington, executive director of Narconon San Diego."

Message-ID: <1056196973.234392@...>

#####

> In Memoriam

Former Scientologist Robert Vaughn Young passed away on June 15th after a
long battle with prostate cancer. From his wife, Caren Cohen Young:

"Robert died at 1:10 pm on Sunday, June 15, 2003.  It was a couple of
hours after his son, who spent the night with him, left to return to
California. I was at his side, holding Robert's hand in mine. He was in no
pain, resting calmly and peacefully until his last breath. Robert will be
cremated in accordance with his wishes, and his ashes will be scattered
over water. Robert loved Vashon Island and Puget Sound and had fond
memories of the sailing scene around San Diego.

"Robert asked that in lieu of flowers or other memorials, tax deductible
donations be made to Phoenix5 so that the work can continue. There are
instructions as to how to support Phoenix5 at
http://www.phoenix5.org/Phoenix5/support.html. I will continue to maintain
the Phoenix5 website in accordance with Robert's wishes as I have computer
expertise to do so.

"Robert found fulfillment and joy in helping all those in the prostate
cancer community. My life and I'm sure many others' are richer because of
his life and his work.  I want to thank the many of you who have written
to me in these past weeks while Robert was ill. There were so many heart
warming emails that I wasn't able to respond to them all personally."

Message-ID: <797f716c.0306161152.35bb8cbb@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 11
6/29/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> APUME

Cultnews.com reported on June 23rd that a new Scientology organization has
been formed to distribute The Way to Happiness in the Middle East to
promote peace.

"The so-called 'Association for Peace and Understanding in the Middle
East' (APUME) seems to be little more than another ploy to promote
Scientology. On its website APUME says, 'We are volunteers - American,
Palestinian and Israeli' with offices in 'Florida' and 'Los Angeles,' two
bastions of activity for Scientology.

"Their featured publication is titled The Way to Happiness by
Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard. APUME says it has handed out more
than a million of these booklets in Hebrew and Arabic and hung up
'thousands' of promotional 'posters.' APUME claims it is 'not a religious
group and does not have a religious agenda.'

"APUME says you too can help bring peace to the Middle East by giving them
money to produce and distribute more booklets. They advise, 'Every dollar
that you donate buys one copy of The Way to Happiness booklet for an
Israeli family and one for a Palestinian family.'"

Message-ID: <3ef659a2@...>

#####

> Australia

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on June 24th on a student at a
Scientology school in Sydney, Australia who has overcome his shyness.

"Tears before school was a Monday morning ritual for Raja, a little boy
lost at his large local primary school in the inner west. Then she
stumbled across an advertisement for a Newtown school which boasted that
no class exceeded 15 pupils. Mrs. Nallathambi, a Hindu, was unaware that
The Athena School is Sydney's only Scientologist school. 'Now he's more
confident, there's no more tears,' she said. 'At the other school he had
no friends, now I can't get him to come home at the end of the day.'.

"The Athena School has 90 pupils, from pre-school to year 10, and eight
teachers, who have reportedly completed six months training in L. Ron
Hubbard teaching techniques, rather than holding formal qualifications.
Fees are about $1500 a term. The principal, Clare Holbrook, says that no
religion, including Scientology, is taught. But the school does base its
teachings on Hubbard's philosophy of education, centred around the theory
that children, like adults, need to 'learn how to learn.'

"Values are inculcated through a Scientologist booklet, The Way to
Happiness, whose principles would not look out of place alongside the
commandments of the Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions."

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0306231248.5f27a02f@...>

#####

> Clearwater

Letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on June 25th again
addressed the issue of Scientology's impact on downtown Clearwater.

"The Church of Scientology has done more to clean up and rebuild downtown
Clearwater than any other single group that I have seen since I first came
here in 1970. They have rid N Fort Harrison Avenue of most of the hookers
and undesirables and they have turned the dilapidated motels that were
populated with drug dealers and vagrants into clean units that have
clean-cut people coming and going all day.

"We can walk freely to a concert or an event in Coachman Park (many of
those supported by the Church of Scientology) and not worry about leaving
before dark out of fear of being assaulted. We can shop downtown or enjoy
sitting outside having a cup of coffee while watching the people or the
sunset from the bluff because of the prosperity the Church of Scientology
has brought to Clearwater.

"As a good Catholic, I do not want to belittle the author of 'It's a
cult,' but suggest that he and all of us live together, respect each
other's views, religions and lifestyle preferences, and make Clearwater
and Pinellas County a great and prosperous home for ourselves, our
children, our grandchildren and the tourists. - Thomas J. Murrin, Belleair

"What prompts this letter is the specific warning in your editorial about
church officials marketing downtown Clearwater. You should be applauding
the effort, not deriding it. I was assistant city manager for economic
development in Clearwater for more than four years.  I never had a more
honorable ally and advocate than church staff, starting at the very top.
Directly said, the church is a key and positive component on the downtown
mix.

"The church's efforts in the mailing were small, targeted and based on
public information. As your story pointed out about halfway through,
senior city officials knew well in advance what the Scientology staff
wanted to do. Just because they neither raised an objection nor informed
their elected officials is hardly reason for commissioners, top management
or you to imply that something untoward had occurred.

"Downtown development is going to take a lot more than pretty pictures and
vague promises. It is going to take the concerted efforts of everyone who
has a stake in progress and the future of Clearwater. The Times needs to
make a decision of conscience and without old prejudices. Are we going to
work in the present and the future or continue to live with past mistakes
and biases? - Robert Keller, Clearwater

Message-ID: <1056535988.654045@...>

#####

> Lisa McPherson

The St. Petersburg Times reported on June 27th that Scientology has asked
that the Lisa McPherson wrongful death case be moved out of the county
that includes Clearwater, Florida. A similar request to move the related
counter-claim case was recently withdrawn.

"The Church of Scientology says that media coverage of the landmark Lisa
McPherson wrongful death case has turned back the clock to days of 'overt
hate mongering and media-fueled public animus' and it can no longer get a
fair trial in Tampa Bay. The church on Wednesday filed a motion seeking to
move the wrongful death trial to either Palm Beach or Broward county.
Church attorneys blame a 'barrage of negative media coverage' about the
lawsuit for widespread community prejudice against Scientology, documented
in a random survey of shoppers at Tyrone Square Mall in early spring.

"And the culprit for much of that negativity, the motion argues, is the
repeated inclusion of 'inflammatory and unethical' quotes from Ken Dandar,
the attorney for the estate of McPherson, a Scientologist who died in 1995
after 17 days in the care of the church in Clearwater. 'For six years
Dandar has made outrageous claims, accusing Flag of 'capturing' and then
'imprisoning' Lisa McPherson, then torturing and intentionally causing
Lisa McPherson's death - indeed murdering her,' the motion states. 'Yet
Dandar knew all of these allegations to be utterly false and eventually
they were found to be false by judges.'

"Dandar stood by his statements Thursday. Dandar said the church's attempt
to move the trial is aimed at running up his expenses in hopes it will
persuade the estate to settle the lawsuit.

"According to the motion filed Wednesday, decades-old community prejudice
against Scientology had 'subsided markedly' prior to Dandar filing the
wrongful death suit. 'To the extent the tide had been turning by 1997,
however, this case changed matters,' the motion states. Attached to the
motion are copies of hundreds of newspaper articles, editorials and
letters to the editor - enough to fill a shopping cart - which contain,
the motion states, 'derogatory content of one kind of another on
Scientology.'

"After taking a public relations hit when it released the results of the
survey in the previous motion for change of venue, this time church
attorneys were careful to characterize the context of the negative
comments made about the church. Robert C. Sorensen of New York, who
orchestrated the survey of 300 people, noted that on the subject of the
Scientology religion generally, there were an equal number of neutral and
negative responses. But when asked about Scientology in connection with
the wrongful death case, four out of five gave negative opinions, he
stated."

Message-ID: <1056708717.192739@...>

#####

> Narconon

The Battle Creek Enquirer reported on June 28th that Scientology has
opened a new Narconon facility in Battle Creek, Michigan.

"The Narconon Stone Hawk Rehabilitation Center has been in operation since
late January. The facility will hold its grand opening today with
residents, local officials and the leadership of the national Narconon
organization in attendance. Festivities, will include food, entertainment,
a traditional Native American blessing and guest speakers including State
Reps. Michael Nofs and Lorence Wenke.

"'Tomorrow is going to be a huge celebration,' Kate Wickstrom said Friday.
Wickstrom is executive director of the facility, on St. Mary's Lake in
Pennfield Township. Wickstrom, who operates the facility with her husband,
Per, said more than 400 people have turned in reservations for the event,
and it's open to the public. Narconon centers follow a strict regiment of
classes, proper eating habits and the use of saunas, as laid out by
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in his book 'Clear Body, Clear Mind,'
to teach people how to beat their addictions, Wickstrom said.

"Last year, when the Wickstroms sought approval for a use variance from
the Pennfield Zoning Board of Appeals to begin operations, numerous
neighbors spoke out against the property being used as a drug
rehabilitation facility. However, the variance was approved 2-to-1.

"One neighbor moved soon after the Pennfield Zoning Board of Appeals
approved the special use permit for Narconon, he said. 'He put it on the
market the day after the township approved it,' Booher said. 'I think
there's some skepticism among the neighbors.'

"Currently there are about 45 residents in the facility, which is expected
to house as many as 100 people when it's at full capacity. So far,
Wickstrom said, nine people have graduated from the program."

Message-ID: <1056796689.493133@...>

#####

> Scam Artist

The Arizona Republic reported on June 28th that a Scientologist has been
sentenced to prison for stealing the money of investors in his company.

"A former Carefree man who pleaded guilty to spending elderly investors'
money on planes, luxury cars, and jewels was sentenced Friday to 17 1/2
years in prison. Benjamin Franklin Cook III, 55, who has been jailed since
October 1999, agreed to plead guilty to three theft counts in exchange for
the dismissal of more than 30 other charges. Admitting that 'mistakes had
been made,' Cook asked for probation so he could try to repay about 300
investors more than $43 million he collected between Jan 1, 1998, and
March 15, 1999.

"'If this isn't an aggravated case, I don't know what is,' he told Cook,
who once lived on a 10-acre spread in Carefree. 'This is so much money and
the fraud is so gross, there just has to be a major sanction against you.'
Cook's Dennel Financial Limited collapsed after a nearly three-year
investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Arizona
Corporation Commission, the U.S. Customs Service and state Attorney
General's Office. Prosecutors said Cook promised to sink investors' money
into a secretive European Bank Trading Program but spent it on two planes,
a 31-foot cabin cruiser, jewels and fat commissions for top salesmen,
including a BMW.

"Lawrence Warfield, a certified public accountant appointed as the
receiver in the Cook case, testified Friday that the money was never
invested and the type of foreign investment Cook promised 'doesn't exist.'
Warfield's seizure and sale of Cook's home and other assets netted about
$15 million. That includes the $1.5 million Cook donated to the Church of
Scientology, which handed over the money as part of a civil suit."

Message-ID: <1056796510.2055@...>

#####

> Reed Slatkin

Knight Ridder Tribune Business News reported on June 19th that a hearing
was held in the Reed Slatkin investment fraud case, which may lead to some
investors getting money back from the Slatkin estate. Slatkin was a
Scientology minister, and many of the investors are Scientologists.

"There were hundreds of winners and losers after a court decision
Wednesday concerning the Reed Slatkin investment scandal that erupted two
years ago in Santa Barbara.  More than 400 defrauded investors are now a
step closer to receiving the first distributions of recovered money in the
$254 million case.

"But there's disappointment among more than 100 others who object to Mr.
Slatkin's guilty plea and the very foundations that the case is built
upon. After their arguments were rejected Wednesday by U.S. Bankruptcy
Court Judge Robin Riblet, their attorney said he plans to appeal.  The
dissenting group, represented by attorney Howard Kollitz of Los Angeles,
wants to convince a judge that Mr. Slatkin did not operate a Ponzi scheme.
They also argue that Mr. Slatkin was a stockbroker and was ineligible to
seek bankruptcy relief under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection two years
ago.

"Judge Riblet said Wednesday that Mr. Slatkin was not a stockbroker and
did run a Ponzi scheme - a Ponzi scheme is illegal because investors are
not told that their money is simply being used to pay off earlier
investors.

"Friday, Judge Riblet will review and possibly approve the long-awaited
plan that's been OK'd by a vast majority of creditors. That would lead to
millions of dollars being sent to victims later this year.  Mr. Neilson
said these 100 dissenters received more money from Mr. Slatkin than they
invested with him, and are using these tactics to try to avoid refunding
millions of dollars. Mr. Neilson has already sued some of the dissenters
to recover funds."

Message-ID: <c8vjfv49dnnofn0s6qgr5iju1onfmi6tea@...>

#####

> UK

The Western Gazette, a newspaper in Dorset and Somerset, England, reported
on June 19th that Scientology is being accused of harassing potential
recruits in public.

"A Top politician has criticised the methods a religious sect is using to
spread its message, saying shoppers are being unfairly harassed.
Shoppers said they felt uncomfortable at the way they were persuaded to
follow representatives into the centre's temporary base at Woods Wine Bar
in Middle Street and given a pamphlet offering a 'free personality test'.

"This included questions such as: Do you often 'sit and think' about
death, sickness, pain and sorrow?; Would it take a definite effort on your
part to consider the subject of suicide?; and Do you ponder over your
inferiority?

"Anne Davis, aged 22, of Yeovil said: 'This girl just stopped me in the
street and started asking me some questions. They started off quite
general but when she asked me to follow her to the basement below Woods
wine bar it got a bit creepy. By this stage I was starting to have my
doubts and when she sat me in a chair and told me to look through a book I
started to get a bit worried. The simple fact is her perseverance started
to unnerve me. I felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car. The
questions got more and more personal and she started asking me about past
relationships. I don't necessarily have a problem with people's belief in
Scientology but I don't like having it shoved down my throat.'

"South Somerset District Council chairman Tony Fife said he was uneasy,
too. He said: 'I am concerned about this religion and I would not like to
see them encouraged in Yeovil. There are enough established religions in
the town. I think it is totally outrageous that they are persuading
shoppers to go into this basement with them.

"The Dianetics Centre's local representative Simon Harrison, 34, of Yeovil
said he was sorry if people had felt unnerved. It carried out these kinds
of book-selling sessions every Friday and nobody complained. Mr Harrison
said: 'We ask people a few questions and if they will do a survey. If they
say yes, we ask them to come in and ask about the book. I am not a
salesman, I do not get paid.'"

The East Grinstead Observer reported on June 25th that Scientology
volunteers have organized clean-up events near the Saint Hill compound.

"Volunteers have been giving a brush-up to the Park Road Bridge site in
East Grinstead over the past couple of weekends. The team spent two
consecutive Sundays clearing the site in liaison with the Town Council.

"About 120 bags of rubbish were removed with 11 shopping trolleys and a
host of other debris, such as traffic cones, signs and old batteries. The
clean-up operation was organised by the East Grinstead Scientology
Volunteer Minister Group, assisted by residents and town clerk Chris
Rolley.

"Tom Shuster of the group said: 'The intention is to put two waste bins at
either side of the bridge, but until that occurs we ask people not to
discard their rubbish but take it home with them."

Message-ID: <1056622545.380831@...>
Message-ID: <1056536716.752687@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 12
7/6/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Clearwater

Letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on June 30th again
discussed the role of Scientology in downtown Clearwater.

"I am incensed over the Times' pointless attacks on my religion. I have
been a Scientologist for over 20 years.  I do not understand why you
continually print editorials or articles which portray Scientology in such
a negative light. I do not see any such treatment of Christianity or
Judaism.

"The Times has a constitutional right to print whatever it sees fit, just
as its readers have their right to express their opinions.  As a practical
matter, however, we see all around us examples of how exercise of these
rights can lead to prejudice, bigotry and even war. I feel it is the
responsibility of the Times in its exercise of its rights to be careful
not to promote an atmosphere where discrimination and mistrust can grow.

"Religious intolerance has been part of man's history since the dawn of
civilization. Your contribution to it by publishing inflammatory articles
and editorials on Scientology is irresponsible and brings your motives
into question. - John J. Beachy, Belleair

"Although I agree that past errors should not be a basis on which to judge
an organization for eternity, in this instance it is wise to remember.
When the FBI raided Scientology offices, some of the documents that they
recovered included plans to set up then-Clearwater mayor Gabe Cazares for
a staged hit-and-run accident; to infiltrate local newspaper offices; and
to set up a former Scientologist who had written a book on her
experiences. In fact, Scientology so successfully accused her of crimes
which she had never committed, that she was arrested until the truth came
out in those seized documents.

"This very paper ran a story in March of this year that included
information on Richard Weigand, who is still a very active member of the
church and who was convicted of one of those 'past mistakes.' The mistake
was conspiring to conceal theft of government documents. Mary Sue Hubbard,
wife of Scientology's founder, was also convicted. Has she been purged
from the church?

"I was a member of Scientology for 20 years. I have lived in the
Clearwater area since 1995 and have no intentions of leaving. I want to
say: Do not forget what happened in the past. Do not forget that all of
Scientology's activities are, per their own policies, geared only toward
forwarding their own aims and purposes.

"The people of Clearwater can see with their own eyes what Scientology has
contributed to them; we are not led by the nose by the St. Petersburg
Times. However, it is by remembering the past and keeping a keen eye on
the present that we will be able to embrace the future from a fully
educated viewpoint. - Teresa S. Summers, Dunedin

Message-ID: <1056968284.813717@...>

#####

> Protest Summary

Dave Bird reported a protest at the London Scientology org on June 28th.

I arrived at the venue early before the others, but we soon had a good
crowd crowd comprising Dave, Jens, Hartley, Katie, Tony, SteveCT, plus
Andy and Pam.  The clams were quite snappy, but I was in remarkably good
voice and spirits. I did the mic 95% of the time. Tony went on the mic for
a few minutes too, and a guy came past who laid into the clams based on 20
or 30 years of experiencing them. We just gave him the mic and let him
rip!!

The police were there at the start of the start of the demo. They were
particularly concerned that the sidewalk south of the Org, which was
already narrowed by scaffolding, should not be further obstructed by
leafleters and we carefully complied with this by staying at least 5
meters north of there.

"The most notable feature for me was that I acquired a barnacle, who
persistently stood in front of me with his back to me. I responded by
using him as an example 'this is your mind on Scientology, staring with a
googly-eyed look and parroting his few set phrases. I couldn't see the
reaction on his face, but others tell me he was becoming a bit of a
steamed clam."

Message-ID: <kHdr06ApLg$+Ewc4@...>

#####

> Tax Exemption

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on June 30th that Scientology is
appealing a decision by St. Louis County in Missouri that it is not
entitled to a tax exemption on the org building

"The Church of Scientology is fighting the decision by St.  Louis County
to deny tax-exempt status to the group's property at 6901 Delmar Boulevard
in U. City.  Armstrong Teasdale's Donald Beimdiek filed an appeal on
behalf of the Scientologists. The county Board of Equalization denied the
group's exemption, saying the property was not 'regularly used exclusively
for religious (or) charitable' purposes, as required. The Scientologists
have an identical appeal pending before the St. Louis County Council. The
county billed the building's former owner $10,277 in 2000, the last year
taxes were assessed on the building."

Message-ID: <1057054467.571071@...>

#####

> Tampa

The St. Petersburg Times reported on July 6th that Scientology has bought
another cigar factory building in Tampa, Florida, and plans more expansion
in the area.

"A group of high-ranking Scientologists, concerned the church's Tampa
facilities aren't up to snuff, is investing more than $2.5 million to buy
a second cigar factory in West Tampa and to lease and renovate a two-story
building on one of the hottest corners in Ybor City. The church's three
properties, staffed by nearly 100 people, will be the base for
Scientology's most aggressive appeal for members to the Tampa Bay
community.

"This 'dissemination' campaign, primarily focused on Tampa, often comes in
the form of an invitation to take a personality or aptitude test.  It will
be bolstered by television advertising and taking to the street to spread
the word.

"The remarkable growth spurt for the Church of Scientology in Tampa began
this spring with the grand opening of the newly renovated Andres Diaz
building. It was purchased last year for $1.2-million. The church then
moved to acquire a smaller cigar factory next door, for use as a community
center. Now under lease, the church plans to buy the building in September
for $425,000. The church spent $500,000 renovating this second cigar
factory and its newly opened Life Improvement Center in a leased brick
building on Eighth Avenue, in the heart of the Ybor entertainment
district. Well-dressed staff members fan out in the crowded streets
nightly to offer free 'Scientometric Testing.'

"'We want to make ourselves more known,' said Wayne Fuller, a
Scientologist for 31 years and executive director of the Tampa church.
Fuller is one of an elite group of Scientologists who have completed the
highest levels of Scientology training, called OT ambassadors. The OT
ambassadors living in the Clearwater area had talked for years about
upgrading the Tampa church, he said.

"Clearwater Scientologists played a key role. Fuller, the Tampa church's
executive director, Louise Cournoyer, who runs the community center in the
recently opened second cigar factory, and Peggy Guigon, who runs the Life
Improvement Center in Ybor, all commute to the Tampa church from
Clearwater.

"The church estimates it has 12,000 members in the Tampa Bay area;  5,000
in Tampa. Fuller said about 800 of the Tampa parishioners are active
members, who are taking courses or participating in church services.

"Personality tests, a popular tool used by the church to introduce
Scientology to the uninitiated, are showing up on windshields at hockey
games. Cards inviting residents to Scientology Sunday services can be
found on countertops of diners and delis around town. Newspaper
advertisements tout the benefits of the church's 'purification rundowns.'
What's more, the publishers of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's book
Dianetics have begun making an area push with television ads and a
campaign to place Dianetics books in prominent displays at local
large-chain bookstores, Shaw said.

"A team of some 200 field staff members of the church also spreads the
word about Scientology at flea markets and other events throughout the
region. Field staff members are not employees of the church, but make
commissions on what the people they bring to the church spend on
materials, courses and services. Some make a living out of it.

"The Tampa church also plans to add another 20 to 30 employees. The 93
employees of the church are paid based on a percentage of what the church
collects in fees for services during a given week. General, full-time
staffers typically earn about $200 per week, Fuller said.  Unlike
employees at Clearwater's Flag, called Sea Org members, Tampa staffers pay
for their own living arrangements.

"The church has also begun reaching out to its neighbors in West Tampa.
During walks around the predominantly Hispanic West Tampa neighborhood,
church spokeswoman Ana Tirabassi said she was told by many that they would
like help learning English. So the church offers English as a Second
Language courses on Monday and Tuesday nights in its community center. 'We
want to be part of the community,' Tirabassi said."

Message-ID: <MKXPHR9E37808.2966319444@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 13
7/13/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> In Memoriam

The Daily Camera reported on June 25th that Robert Penny has passed away.
Bob was a former Scientologist and co-founder of Factnet, a cult
information service.

"Robert T. Penny of Niwot died of multiple sclerosis Thursday, June 19,
2003, in Louisville. He was 60. The son of Robert T. Penny Sr. and Mable
Hammack Penny, he was born May 25, 1943, in Hodge, La. He married Barbara
B. Sommer in 1966. They divorced. 'He will be remembered for his love of
the Colorado mountains,' his family said.

"Contributions may be made in his name to HospiceCare of Boulder and
Broomfield Counties, 2594 Trailridge Drive East, Lafayette, CO 80026."

Message-ID: <okbigv4tdic945eqq6oijdgu6t2eeib7ps@...>

#####

> Clearwater

Letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on July 8, 2003
responded to previous letters regarding the attitude of Clearwater
residents towards Scientology.

"The letter writer is incensed and does not understand why people
constantly criticize Scientology. Could it be the reason is that
Scientology is not a religion but a cult/business which tries to portray
itself as a religion? You don't see people criticizing Christianity and
Judaism, because those are real religions.  The people of Tampa Bay are
tolerant of all religions. If the cult were a religion there would not be
a problem.

"The cult brings the criticisms upon itself by its actions, past and
present. So when Scientologists argue that they can't practice their
faith, it may be because they practice by lining the cult's own pockets
with the livelihood of their victims. Not a faith to admire. - David
Rodman, Dunedin

"This letter included fraudulent claims which I wish to correct. He stated
that Clearwater citizens and your newspaper 'attack' his 'religion.' In
looking over the St. Petersburg Times for the last three years, one can
clearly see that it is abuse and criminal behavior that people have been
'attacking' regarding Scientology Inc. and not 'religion.' In the online
search of the Times, I didn't find even a single letter that attacked
Scientology as a 'religion.'

"Religion isn't the issue. Lies, deception, harassment, intimidation and
another dead woman are the issues. Why isn't this obvious to Scientology
customers? It is not an issue of 'religious tolerance.' If Scientology
were a religion, they still would not have the right to commit crimes and
human rights abuses. Tolerance doesn't mean ignoring abuse. - David Rice,
San Clemente, Calif.

Message-ID: <1057659389.893041@...>

#####

> Tom Cruise

People Weekly published an article by Tom Cruise, in which he credits
Scientology for helping him overcome dyslexia.

"In 1986, the year Top Gun came out, I became a Scientologist. A friend
gave me a picture book on Scientology, and through this I was introduced
to the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, who had founded the religion. Mr.
Hubbard was also an educator who had been researching the field for
decades. He had found that literacy and comprehension levels were
declining worldwide, so in the 1960s he had developed 'Study Technology.'
It pinpoints three barriers to learning: Lack of mass (you can't learn to
fly a plane by just reading about it - you have to sit in the cockpit or
at least have a picture of a plane); skipped gradients (trying to master
skills or information without mastering or understanding that which comes
before them); and misunderstood words (the most important one and a cause
for stupidity).

"I had run the gamut, hiring specialists for myself privately, bringing in
tutors and hearing why I would just have to 'learn to deal' with being
dyslexic. Many people had tried to teach me, but no one had taught me how
to learn or how to study; I had been told I had all the symptoms of
dyslexia, but no one had given me a solution.  I'm now a founding board
member of the Hollywood Education and Literacy Project (H.E.L.P.), which
opened its doors in 1997. H.E.L.P. is a non-profit program that uses the
Study Technology in a totally secular setting to provide free tutoring in
communities all over the world. Before this, I was supporting Applied
Scholastics, H.E.L.P.'s parent organization, which was started by teachers
to make Study Technology available broadly. When you consider that
schoolteachers are sometimes dealing with four or five different levels of
literacy in one classroom, you can see what they have to contend with."

Message-ID: <cevvgv8hgipmlvek45ef5ccpbdfmid2db2@...>

#####

> Org News

The San Francisco Examiner reported on July 8th that Scientology has
purchased a building in the North Beach area of the city.

"North Beach residents are whispering about the new owners of the old
Transamerica Building on Montgomery at Columbus - the Church of
Scientology. It's a historic landmark. 'As long as the building is not
being altered in any way,' says Sarah Owsowitz, who deals with historic
landmarks at the City Attorney's office, 'then it is just another purchase
of private property.' So far, there's been no activity around the site.

"I once took one of those personality tests the Scientologists around
United Nations Plaza often proffer. The results were inconclusive. My
personality remains undetectable. The Church of Scientology bought up lots
of property in West L.A. and that seems to irritate a lot of the locals.
'Don't write anything about them,' someone down there warned me."

GlobeSt.com reported on July 8th that the New York Scientology org will be
renovating its building in Manhattan.

"The Church of Scientology New York will renovate and expand its current
home at 227 West 46th St. Brennan Beer Gorman/ Architects has been
selected as the architect to develop the church's concept, which includes
a total renovation and expansion to the six-story building. Upon
completion, the building will total approximately 46,650 sf. Currently in
construction, the project is expected to be complete by spring 2004.

"The renovated facility will serve Church members with office space,
classrooms, a bookstore, 250-seat auditorium, small film screening rooms
and a variety of rooms for interviews and spiritual counseling. An
existing airshaft will be filled in on floors three through six,
contributing another 2,000 sf to the building and allowing more open and
efficient floor plans. A skylight will cap the sixth floor infill.
Leveling out the raked balcony of the current auditorium will create
additional interior space for office and administrative functions while
retaining views into the auditorium.

"A mansard roof will be replaced with a 1,771 sf 'purification rundown'
used in a program for eliminating the effects of drugs and toxins.
Featuring three skylights, the new structure will be clad in a material
complementary to the building's existing limestone facade and be topped
with a standing seam roof.

"'We approached BBG with a broad plan based on Scientology founder L. Ron
Hubbard's methods for individual improvement and serving the needs of the
community,' notes Rev. John Carmichael, president of the Church of
Scientology New York. 'Working closely with us, they have designed a
renovation that provides the spaces we need now to deliver those services,
and enables us to continue that expansion into the future.'"

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0307081319.4259606b@...>
Message-ID: <ehv0hvge2ddjh7qbe6g7km0cn7f8d0tpgb@...>

#####

> Narconon

News24.com reported on July 7th on the Narconon program in South Africa.

"'The Narconon First Step programme is new to South Africa and was only
launched here a few months ago, after extensive research and piloting in
the United States,' said Paul Kruger, director of Narconon New Life Centre
in Cape Town. He said the programme had operated successfully for over 30
years and was used in several cities and countries, including Melbourne,
Sydney, Los Angeles, New Mexico, Brazil, Jakarta, Buenos Aires, Mexican
prisons and Pakistan. He said the programme was a cost-effective approach
for handling large numbers of people needing to get off drugs, and
involved voluntary, drug-free and pain-free drug withdrawal. 'We can train
a family member or concerned friend to administer the programme with a
two-day intensive workshop.'

"Kruger said that the new programme helped with the withdrawal symptoms
before real treatment could begin. Each individual was assessed to
determine if the First Step Program was suitable to his/her personal drug
history. This involved doses of CalMag - a tonic of calcium gluconate,
magnesium carbonate mixed with cider vinegar and water - and something
called a 'drug bomb,' a vitamin and mineral formulation. 'A third
important component of the programme is the use of physical assists, that
bring the person back into communication with his body and also helps with
the associated physical symptoms of withdrawal. There are different types
of physical assists, including nerve and touch assists,' he said.
Communications exercises are also used to get the recovering addict to
look 'outward' and to get back into communication with his/her
environment.

"Discussions were currently under way with religious bodies, government,
community-based organisations and other agencies to try to co-ordinate the
programme. Narconon is an international non-profit organisation started in
1966 by William Benitez based on the research of L. Ron Hubbard. There are
over 100 drug education and prevention offices worldwide. Narconon has
received support for its advanced technology from Scotland Yard, Britain's
National Treatment Agency, the European Centre Against Drug Abuse, and the
American justice department."

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0307070515.289b4fcb@...>

#####

> Saint Hill

The Auditor UK reported on a celebration of the anniversary of the Saint
Hill compound in East Grinstead, England.

"Saint Hill staff and public celebrated the 38th Anniversary of Saint Hill
Foundation in the Great Hall at Saint Hill. LRH established Saint Hill
Foundation on the 11th of June, 1965. Up until that time Saint Hill had
operated only as a Day org. The anniversary celebration included speeches
from two people who were involved with Saint Hill Foundation from the very
early days.

"The first was Rosalie Delacy, the AO Case Supervisor AOSH UK, who had the
privilege of working as the HCO Exec Sec Saint Hill Foundation under LRH
in 1966. Rosalie talked about her experiences at Saint Hill during those
early days, the excitement of the first Clears being made, and the volume
of students coming through the Saint Hill Special Briefing Course.

"Then Margaret Meal, who has been involved with Saint Hill Foundation for
well over 30 years, shared her experiences from the beginning to the
present day. She arrived here in the 1960s, and in 1970, after doing the
Flag Executive Briefing Course on the flagship Apollo, she returned to
Saint Hill under LRH's direction to assume the post of Executive Director
Saint Hill Foundation.

"The final speech of the evening was delivered by Captain Saint Hill
Foundation, Mr. Thomas Fehn. He briefed the audience on the increase in
the org's delivery areas over the past year and the plans for the future.

"Entertainment was provided by local Scientologists Mike Ricketts, Adrian
Pownall, Francois Mairaux, Roland Boucher and John Wood, who performed a
selection of live music from the 1960s up to present time and ended with a
special song written for the anniversary of the org."

Message-ID: <BI4SJ6F837814.604224537@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 14
7/20/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> CCHR

An email sent to Scientologists urged them to contact their U.S. Senators
in support of the Child Medication Safety Act.

"The U.S. House of Representatives passed the 'Child Medication Safety Act
of 2003,' by the overwhelming margin of 425-1, sending it to the Senate.
As written and if signed into law, school personnel would be legally
prohibited from requiring that a child take any psychotropic drug under
the Controlled Substances Act as a condition of attending school or
receiving school services.

"It is critical that each and every one of us contact our Senators and
urge them to support and co sponsor SB 1390 introduced by Senators Ensign
and Alexander. The best way is to call. The second best way is to fax. You
can also e mail, but it does not have the same impact as the first two.

"Just so you know, several psychiatric front groups have been fighting to
stop these pieces of legislation claiming the coercive situation in
schools relates to only a few. This is not true. Your help is needed NOW!!

"Peter Dockx
Governmental Affairs
CCHR International"

Message-ID: <bf258r.3vveofj.1@...>

#####

> Clearwater Academy

The St. Petersburg Times reported on July 15th that a teacher at the
Scientology-run Clearwater Academy has been arrested for leaving her son
in a locked SUV in a parking lot.

"A schoolteacher was arrested and accused of leaving her 3-year-old son in
her locked vehicle for up to a half-hour while she grocery-shopped. The
child was not hurt. Kimberly D. Pesch, 38, a teacher at Clearwater
Academy, was arrested on charges of child abuse and resisting arrest
without violence. She posted $5,250 bail and was released from the
Pinellas County Jail.

"A witness reported seeing a woman leave a young child in her black
Chevrolet Suburban when she went into the Publix, sheriff's reports state.
The Suburban was locked with the windows up. The child was asleep in a
safety seat in the back. Deputies reported the weather was overcast but
warm.

"Pesch told deputies she didn't do anything wrong. She came outside in the
middle of her shopping and turned on the air-conditioning for a time, she
told deputies. Deputies told her to call someone to pick up the child. She
pulled away from deputies during the arrest."

Message-ID: <3f1ac5a4.14765750@...>

#####

> Tom Cruise

Fox News reported on July 14th that the educational organization promoted
by Scientology celebrity Tom Cruise in a recent issue of People magazine
is a part of Scientology.

"The new issue of People magazine is out and contains a five-page spread
endorsing a program affiliated with the Church of Scientology. The program
is Hollywood Education Literacy Project, and in the feature story
superstar actor Tom Cruise credits it with curing his illiteracy. But what
is barely mentioned is that HELP, as it is known, has been roundly
criticized by mainstream educators as a propaganda tool of Scientology.

"Also not mentioned is that the not-for-profit Hollywood division of HELP
- which is based at Scientology's garish Celebrity Centre - dispensed in
2001 a mere $100 in grants and contributions. HELP had total expenses,
though, of $273,000 - more than half of which was for staff salaries. This
is according to the group's 2001 tax filing.

"Was People magazine so desperate to get a Cruise interview that they
didn't mind shilling for a cult organization? The answer, it seems, is
yes. Hidden in the story is the headline that Cruise was not able to read
until age 22. The first reading material he had, he claims, was a
Scientology picture book. That book led him to HELP and, consequently,
Scientology.

"People also gives little space to the many vociferous critics of
Scientology and of HELP, mentioning only briefly that they exist. This
came as a surprise to Carnegie Mellon University professor David S.
Touretzky. The professor, who has written an exhaustive analysis of HELP,
said, 'Fannie Weinstein, the reporter, called me and talked to me a lot.
She went out and got all the source materials and did a lot of research.
But I was cut out of the story.'

"Touretzky says that HELP is a rigid learning system full of Scientology
jargon, lingo and philosophy, and is designed to lead participants
straight into the science fiction-worshipping, pay-through-the-nose
'religion.' He writes that the HELP manual 'is no more a secular learning
methodology than wine and communion wafers are a Sunday morning snack.
Indoctrinating students into Study Tech's unconventional language and
world view, with its implied acceptance of L. Ron Hubbard as authority
figure, would do much to soften them up for future recruitment into
Scientology itself.'"

The Internet Movie Database reported on July 19th that Cruise is being
criticized by a Dyslexia charity for his statements in People.

"Tom Cruise has been criticized for speaking about how Church of
Scientology teachings helped him overcome his learning difficulties. The
movie star spoke exclusively to America's People magazine last week about
his involvement with Scientology's learning programs.  But the
International Dyslexia Association has hit back at his claims, insisting
his statements are unscientific. Executive director J. Thomas Viall says,
'When an individual of the prominence of Tom Cruise makes statements that
are difficult to replicate in terms of what science tells us, the issue
becomes what other individuals who are dyslexic do in response to such a
quote-unquote success story. There is not a lot of science to support the
claims that the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard are appropriate to overcoming
dyslexia.'"

Message-ID: <1058177863.323235@...>
Message-ID: <i8ughvgcrafmc51osoou95mberu4bkir0c@...>

#####

> Health Med

MSNBC reported on July 17th that Scientology has established Health Med, a
detox program in New York to assist rescue workers who were part of the
rescue efforts after the World Trade Center disaster.

"A center has been set up in Lower Manhattan to 'detoxify' Ground Zero
workers with techniques developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
'The tragedy of 9/11 left hundreds of members of the New York Fire
Department and other rescue workers at the World Trade Center site,
severely debilitated from the toxins they were exposed to during the
tragedy,' notes an article on a Scientology Web site. 'To get rid of the
toxins a group of the rescue personnel recently began L. Ron Hubbard's
Purification detoxification program at Health Med, a medical clinic that
delivers the program.'

"But critics of the group say that Hubbard's 'detoxification' process has
been called into question, and may even present health risks. 'And the
firefighters may get more than they bargained for since Scientology often
recruits new members from Hubbard-inspired programs,' says Rick Ross, who
wrote about it on his Web site. Nevertheless, the program seems to have
found favor among at least some 9/11 rescuers. The Scientology article
quotes one firefighter as saying: 'From the very first day on the program,
I had three times more energy and felt so great.'"

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0307170741.469cfa60@...>

#####

> France

The Associated Press reported on July 17th that a judge has ruled that a
French teenager may not leave home to join the Sea Org in Copenhagen.

"A judge for children in Nantes prohibited a teenager from leaving. The 14
year old girl who lives in Nantes was to join a center of Scientology of
Copenhagen. An aunt who, by discovering a mail which the girl had
addressed to her grandmother, alerted the authorities in Nantes.

"Her parents, a couple of teachers, are followers of Scientology, an
organization classified among the sects by a national parliamentary
report. According to them, their daughter made this choice freely.  The
judge for children must determine which protection it can consider if it
estimates that the teenager is in danger."

Message-ID: <bfblcr.3vvgd75.1@...>

#####

> Gold Base

The Riverside Press Enterprise reported on July 18th that Scientology's
Gold Base has filming permits that will close for two weeks a road near
the compound.

"Gilman Springs Road east of Highway 79 will be closed for two weeks
beginning Saturday because of a film production at Golden Era Productions.
Golden Era makes educational and training films for the Church of
Scientology at a studio along Gilman Springs Road. The studio needs to use
the road for time-lapse exterior photography on a film about the adverse
effects of drugs on youth, spokeswoman Muriel Dufresne said. The road will
be closed between Highway 79 and Soboba Road from Saturday through August
2, said Mojahed Salama, permit engineer for Riverside County's
Transportation Department."

Message-ID: <20030718141702.18124.00000162@...>

#####

> Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Independent reported on July 16th that Scientology is
behind on property taxes in Los Angeles.

"The Church of Scientology has failed to pay more than $94,000 in property
taxes for the last fiscal year on four of its Hollywood properties,
marking the second time in recent years that the religious group has had
an outsize tax delinquency.

"The Church of Scientology expects to pay the taxes this year, but has not
done so yet because other financial priorities must first be taken care
of, said Linda Simmons Hight, church spokeswoman. 'It's a question of
priorities,' she said. 'You know, we have an enormous amount of community
activity in Hollywood, and we'll always put the funds there first. It's
strictly a question of priorities. It's not a protest or anything like
that.'

"Last year, The Independent reported that the church owed back taxes in
the millions of dollars and was in danger of having at least one of its
properties, at Hollywood Boulevard and McCadden Place, seized by the
county. The church recently paid off those back taxes. But now it once
again is in arrears, having failed to pay taxes for the fiscal year
spanning July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2003.

"The local BID was counting on receiving those assessments from the church
to help fund its security services, trash cleanup and graffiti removal,
said Kerry Morrison, executive director of the Hollywood Entertainment
District.

"Hight says the church is not in the habit of being late on its property
taxes. Last year, when it owed millions, the church decided not to pay
because it was still seeking tax exemptions from the county. 'That was a
completely different set of circumstances,' she said. 'At that time, we
were in negotiations, long-term discussion, with the county tax collector
in establishing [tax] exempt and non-exempt portions of each of our
properties.' Hight says the church will pay all taxes but adds that it
doesn't believe nonprofits should be obligated to pay into the BID because
they already contribute to the community.

"But other property owners disagree.  Non-profits benefit just as much
from district services, such as street cleaning and security, as
for-profit groups do, says Sheila Holincheck, general manager of 6253
Hollywood and Vine, formerly known as the Hollywood Equitable Building.
'All those services are still received no matter if you are making a lot
of money or [are] a non-profit,' she said.

"In response to non-profits' concerns, the Hollywood Entertainment
District will give nonprofits a credit of up to $1,000 per square-ft. on
their property assessments starting next year, Morrison said. Church
officials have asked the district to give them a future credit on taxes
owed, and so for the next few years, the church will owe the district
nothing on that property, she added."

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0307170744.71c2006b@...>

#####

> Russia

Regions.ru reported on July 14th that the Russian Orthodox Church in
Yekaterinburg is protesting Scientology's Say No to Drugs campaign there.

"A representative of the Russian Orthodox Church expressed outrage that
while the Yekaterinburg administration was sanctioning numerous actions
being carried out by totalitarian cults in the city, the police were
interfering with religious ministers in performing informational work
among residents.

"Last Friday near TsUM, where a Scientology 'Say No to Drugs' operation
was being carried out, employees of the Leninski ROVD Yekaterinburg
detained two representatives of the diocese missionary department who were
passing out booklets that warned about religious fraud. 'First sergeant
Martynov, sergeant Mitkin and Major Pidzhakov compelled the religious
ministers to sign a statement saying they allegedly arranged an
unsanctioned picket. Particularly disgraceful was the remark in the
official statement, that the police confiscated 75 booklets.'"

Isvestia reported on June 22nd that three residents of Volgograd have
apparently left their families to become involved in Scientology.

"Vera ran a home business, raised the sons and in the evening sang in the
church choir. They enjoyed the outdoors and spent free time in their dacha
doing honest work. And all this would have been fine if Vera had not been
bothered by the pain in her back. A friend offered to introduce her to a
specialist to help her recover.  A special physician performed a massage
and stuck her with needles. The pain stopped but Vera had nightmares, the
cause of which Sergei still cannot understand. Vera had a constant dream
with the 'Savior' appearing in a vision. A friend advised going to a
wonderful woman, Natalia Simonova. At that first meeting, Natalia Simonova
explained to Vera that this fell into the realm of black magic, that there
was a black spot that remained on her soul, which urgently needed to be
removed. The cleansing of the soul would be carried out according to the
methods of Scientology founder Ron Hubbard. Natalia Simonova provided her
ward with literature for home study.  Vera became completely immersed in
the doctrine by the name of Dianetics, which promised her deliverance from
sickness, from failure, and from the suffering of this world.

"Sergei felt a wall of alienation growing between him and his wife. She
suddenly began to hate the older son - only because he refused to go to
the sessions with Natalia Simonova. Sergei tried to explain to his wife
that her enthusiasm was starting to be dangerous, but she neither listened
nor wanted to listen to him. More than that, she also tried to get him to
go to the 'purification' with Natalia Simonova. 'You are the person
nearest and dearest to me, and if you want to be with me, do it. But if
not then don't interfere with me, you're holding up my development.' For
the sake of saving the family, Sergei went for a session to the spiritual
instructor. He paid her a thousand rubles for twelve hours of 'auditing' -
two sessions of six hours.

"Vera demanded money to conduct her home business. For her it was like the
children no longer existed. No warmth, no kindness, no ordinary
politeness. At the first call, she'd report to her spiritual instructor.
When Sergei was not home, Vera collected her things and, without saying a
word to the children, left for parts unknown. The neighbors said that a
blue Zhiguli arrived for her and two women loaded her things.

"In one of the local papers there was published an interview with a
certain Olga S., who related good things about 'Dianetics' and about the
'heavenly' woman Natalia Simonova. Sergei found Olga's telephone number on
a note pad left behind by Vera. We called and a woman picked up who said
she was Olga's mother. She said that her daughter had left home at the
same time Vera had. And the blue Zhiguli - that was her car. The next day
the woman, Anna Ilinichna, arrived at the editor's department and told how
back in 1997 spiritual instructor Natalia Simonova had turned her daughter
into a novice.

"We found out the name of a third victim of Natalia Simonov, Svetlana K.
Her husband told us where to find the three women and the blue Zhiguli.
The next day we drove to the area where the dachas were, to the dacha of
the spiritual instructor. With the help of the bookkeeping cooperative we
quickly found the dacha in question. At the gate was wound a thick rusty
chain, which had not been taken off for a minimum of two years. Not a
blade of grass was on the lot. The neighbors said the owner and three
other women lived here. Only the gate was not used here; they climbed over
the fence. And they also entered the house strangely - not through the
door, but through the window.

"We didn't get to storm the dacha. Everything was written in a statement
to the district attorney. The old assistant to the district attorney Yurii
Panchishkin promised to see to the matter him self.  The families are very
hopeful that he will keep his promise."

Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.1030716201428.111A-100000@...>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.1030719061114.114B-100000@...>

#####

> Chaplains

The New York Journal News reported on July 20th that a group of clergy
would like chaplains who respond to disasters such as the World Trade
Center to be screened and have credentials.

"The group aims to weed out clergy prone to proselytize at disaster sites,
those not trained to refer survivors and rescue workers for counseling or
other services, and those who are simply not up to the taxing work of
disaster relief. It is an unprecedented and potentially controversial
effort that organizers hope will become a national model for providing
spiritual care in the face of tragedy.

"'A lot of people managed to get to Ground Zero who did not go through any
channels,' said Rabbi Zahara Davidowitz, a veteran New York chaplain who
is leading Disaster Spiritual Care Services. 'Anyone who goes through us
will have to demonstrate that they can do nonsectarian, nonproselytizing
work. And they will be bound by an agreement that says so.'

"Disaster Spiritual Care Services intends to screen would-be chaplains,
including those recommended by religious denominations, to make sure they
are willing to offer spiritual care to people of all faiths - or those who
have none. Chaplains who pass will be trained in disaster relief, entered
into a database and given ID cards. It remains to be seen who will be
rejected and whether religious freedom issues will be raised.

"The Church of Scientology had dozens of 'volunteer ministers' on hand to
offer counseling, and their involvement was criticized by the mental
health establishment. It is unclear whether Scientologists can meet
Disaster Spiritual Care Services' standards, which will likely ask that
chaplains be prepared to refer people for psychological services.
Scientology rejects traditional mental health treatment.

"The Rev. John Carmichael, Scientology's president for the state, was
skeptical when told of Disaster Spiritual Care Services' goals. 'I don't
think they'll be able to define who can help at a disaster site,' he said.
'If they have a way to smooth things out and ensure that proper care is
given, that's tremendous. But as far as involving mental health people, my
observation at Ground Zero is that they were not in great evidence, and
when they were, they did not help.'"

Message-ID: <1058700338.895455@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 15
7/27/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Applied Scholastics

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on July 25th that Scientology has
opened a new headquarters for the Applied Scholastics program.

"In a multimillion-dollar complex overlooking the Mississippi River, a
company called Applied Scholastics International has opened its national
headquarters - a training center for teachers, tutors and business
trainers. The center uses methods developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the late
science fiction writer and founder of Scientology. The company has moved
to north St. Louis County from Los Angeles because of Missouri's central
location and the area's rich history of education, said Bennetta
Slaughter, chief executive officer of Applied Scholastics.

"Leaders of Applied Scholastics say their organization is separate from
Hubbard's Scientology, that it is based on his educational techniques. 'We
are strictly an educational organization,' said Slaughter. 'We are not
part of the church,' she said.

"Applied Scholastics paid $2.9 million to buy the complex and 55 acres two
years ago from the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The company also bought
an adjacent 45 acres and plans to expand, Slaughter said. St. Louis County
lists the property as taxable, a county spokeswoman said. Applied
Scholastics spent about $2 million on renovations.

"The company says it trained 6,000 teachers last year. It employs about 45
people at the center. On the front wall of the complex's former chapel are
panels describing Hubbard's 'three barriers to learning.' The barriers
arise when a student: Cannot visualize an object, such as a combine when
the student is studying about food production. Fails to master all the
steps in a concept. Doesn't understand a word. Hubbard's solutions: Have a
student use a dictionary. Provide a student a picture or model of
unfamiliar objects. Review concepts students fail to understand.

"Applied Scholastics was at the center of a debate in California six years
ago when some teachers proposed that the state buy the group's books to
supplement school textbooks. State officials approved the purchase after a
review group found the books did not appear to advance Scientology.

"Applied Scholastics employees have begun to introduce themselves to
school districts, churches and other agencies in the St. Louis area,
Slaughter said. She said several local school districts were considering
using ASI's training.

"Scot Danforth, who oversees teacher education for the University of
Missouri at St. Louis, said he searched a database of four decades of
published educational research and could find no study on L. Ron Hubbard's
instructional techniques. 'In my opinion, they are involved in the worst
kind of deception. They make grandiose claims about the effectiveness of
their methods and materials with data that has never been published in a
legitimate educational research journal,' he said.

"Greg Jung, president of the Missouri National Education Association, is
cautious. 'We don't know if the people who are providing training are
qualified and if the teachers providing the tutoring are qualified,' Jung
said."

From the Associated Press on July 27th:

"Executives with Applied Scholastics International say the center is
completely secular, licensing educators and schools in the learning
methods Hubbard developed, known as study technology. 'We have no
religious materials. They are separate organizations,' chief executive
officer Bennetta Slaughter said.

"Use of Applied Scholastics materials raised questions in Los Angeles in
1997 and in Boston in 2001, when some educators expressed concern that the
program could have links to Scientology. J. Gordon Melton, director of the
Institute for the Study of American Religion in Santa Barbara, Calif., has
written about Scientology and visited Applied Scholastics centers. He said
Applied Scholastics presents itself as separate from Scientology, and from
everything he's seen, that's the case. Applied Scholastics isn't licensed
to use any Scientology materials. 'It has to be separate, or it would just
be too controversial,' Melton said.

"The Rev. Alfreddie Johnson Jr., a Baptist pastor in Compton, Calif.,
founded a literacy program that uses Hubbard's methods. He compared the
current state of education to a house on fire - he doesn't care about the
religion of the firefighters. 'You want trained individuals who will pull
your kids out of the burning house safely,' he said.

"The new campus can train about 700 educators at a time and has rooms to
house about 180. Prices range from $125 for a weekend workshop to roughly
$13,000 for a semester of study and accommodations in a suite.

"A county economic official said it's always good to see a new development
come into the area. 'We're not endorsing any particular teaching or belief
system. That's not our business. We also don't want to be disrespectful of
any beliefs,' said Steve Anderson with the St. Louis County Economic
Council. 'It appears it will be good for the neighborhood.'"

Message-ID: <1059221192.923796@...>
Message-ID: <1059318225.902615@...>

#####

> Tom Cruise

The Irish Examiner reported on July 21st that the International Dyslexia
Association has criticized Tom Cruise for his promoting Scientology to
help with learning disabilities.

"Tom Cruise has upset members of the dyslexia community by claiming in an
interview that Scientology had cured his dyslexia. Cruise, who is a
founder of the Scientology-based Hollywood Education and Literacy Project,
told People magazine that after he read The Basic Study Manual by L Ron
Hubbard, his dyslexia disappeared.

"'There is not a lot of science to support the claims that the teachings
of Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard are appropriate to overcoming
dyslexia,' said J. Thomas Viall, executive director of the International
Dyslexia Association. 'When an individual of the prominence of Tom Cruise
makes statements that are difficult to replicate in terms of what science
tells us, the issue becomes what other individuals who are dyslexic do in
response to such a success story.'"

Message-ID: <1058782151.910735@...>

#####

> Gold Base

The Valley Chronicle reported on July 26th that residents in San Jacinto
are unhappy with the closure of a highway through Scientology's Gold Base
for the purpose of making a time-lapse film.

"San Jacinto Mayor Jim Ayres said it reduces the number of entrances to
San Jacinto to one at time. The city and Eastern Municipal Water District
are involved in a two-pronged plan to lay a wastewater line under the
road, and repave and widen the road when that is finished.  'It was built
and paid for with taxpayer dollars,' he said and should be available to
the public.

"Riverside County Supervisor Jim Venable acknowledged that the timing of
the closure probably wasn't the best, but said it is neither the first
time it has been done, nor the longest closure. 'We closed Domenigoni
Parkway for three weeks,' he said. 'People didn't like it but they got
used to it.' That closure was to film the movie 'The Fast and the
Furious.'

"Muriel Dufresne, public relations director for Golden Era Productions,
the Church of Scientology's in-house movie production company, said the
reason the road is closed for two weeks is that cameras have been set up
in the road to capture changes in the sky above San Jacinto.  'They are
doing time lapse photography,' she said.  'We apologize if it's caused any
inconvenience,' she said. 'It's not going to happen that often.'

"Ayres believes it shouldn't happen at all. 'Maybe they picked a poor spot
to build a studio,' he said. The closure has also revived a rumor that the
road will be closed but Venable said that will not happen. 'I will
guarantee that road will not be closed off,' he said. 'It is one of the
major arteries in that Valley.' Venable said he has heard the rumors about
closing the road and is aware that the Church of scientology would be
happy if it were closed, and he has even discussed it with the church
representatives, but that the only way that could happen is if the church
builds a road to replace Gilman Springs."

Message-ID: <20030726204047.10328.00000476@...>

#####

> Protest Summary

Jens Tingleff reported a protest at the Birmingham, England org on July
26th.

"Six of us had a very nice and productive afternoon out protesting in
front of the body-routing grounds of the Birmingham, UK, shop of the
criminal organisation known as the 'church' <spit> of $cientology. Dave,
John, Hartley, Neil and myself started off somewhat apprehensive.
Waiting for us was a police van with three friendly police-persons in it.
They wanted us to be nice and would expect the clams to be nice. It also
turned out that no clams came out to play, so we had a clear run to do our
thing.

"Dave had new balloons (larger, clear, single two-toned image) and a lot
of balloon gas. I was basically busy for one and 3.4 hours handing out
balloons and ended up giving away everything we brought - roughly 250
balloons festooned with Xemu's friendly face and the message '$cientology
Sucks!' We were joined later by a local parent and a friend of the parent,
bringing our total number to a very healthy seven. The leafletters managed
to pretty much give away all the five hundred leaflets we'd taken along."

Message-ID: <bfukit02ntm@...>

-end-

Alt.religion.scientology
Week in Review Volume 8, Issue 16
8/3/2003 by Rod Keller [rkeller@...]
copyright 2003

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://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzs1dc/scientology/wir.html
         http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

#####

> Acting Seminar

The web log site justanormalgayguy.blogspot.com described on July 24th a
seminar at the Celebrity Center in Los Angeles for actors looking to get
into the movie industry.

"Last night I attended a seminar on 'How to Get Into the Industry'
presented at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International in
Hollywood, presented by Terri Novitsky. I presumed the 'seminar' would be
some hook for something else that may or may not be legitimate or in my
best interests. I was escorted by a nice gentleman in a suit to a back
room where others were waiting for the seminar to begin. It was warm
inside and those in attendance were sitting nervously, fanning themselves,
and waiting for the seminar to start. Meanwhile people were flipping
through the booklets we all got written by L. Ron Hubbard.

"Terri came in about 5 minutes late, but full of sincere energy and
enthusiasm. I could tell she was a little nervous herself.  There were
about 12 of us, all shapes/sizes/ages. We did some exercises where we said
a line and she told us what emotion to express. I went in front of the
class and found myself getting into it.

"Terri has great things to offer, but the seminar was a hook to get us to
buy another seminar for $35.00 which is probably good, but I declined. The
Scientology people tried pressuring me into signing up now and not
'procrastinating.' I saw it for what it was and decided if I wanted to do
the seminar, I'd do it later after I've done more exploring."

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0307311028.558f295d@...>

#####

> Los Angeles

The LA Independent reported on July 30th that Scientology has paid the
back taxes it owed to the local business district.

"The Church of Scientology on July 18 paid more than $94,000 in delinquent
property taxes on four of its Hollywood properties, including tens of
thousands to the local business improvement district. The Independent
reported the day before that the church had failed to pay $94,625 for the
fiscal year that ended June 30 on its properties, including $41,227 to the
Hollywood Entertainment District.

"'The payment was in the works and this happens to coincide with your
article,' said spokeswoman Linda Simmons Hight. 'It's really a non-issue,'
she said. 'I can't think of anything of less interest to the Hollywood
community than when somebody is going to pay their property taxes. I know
it's of great interest to the [business improvement district], but that
really isn't of general interest.'

"The Hollywood Entertainment District had counted on receiving money from
the Church of Scientology this year to fund services like street cleaning,
security patrols and graffiti removal. The church, whose members include
several celebrities, had owed about $31,200 in total taxes on its 6331
Hollywood Blvd. property, $41,700 on its 6349 Hollywood Blvd. property,
$4,800 on its 1715 Ivar Street property and $16,700 on its 6724 Hollywood
Blvd. property."

Message-ID: <3e471c14.0307311048.d9a66ac@...>

#####

> Lisa McPherson

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled on July
22nd that a judgment against the estate of Lisa McPherson be set aside for
lack of jurisdiction.

"In 1997, the Estate of Lisa McPherson filed a wrongful death action in
state court in Tampa, Florida against various corporations and individuals
affiliated with the Church of Scientology.  Upon being served with the
complaint, and ostensibly as a cost-saving measure, Defendant Flag Service
Organization (Flag) proposed to the Estate that they enter into an
agreement to limit the number of Scientology-related corporate entities
and individuals that would be named in the suit. The Estate and Flag
consequently entered into a contract in which the Estate agreed to forego
adding certain enumerated corporate defendants, and Flag agreed to forego
encumbering its assets.

"In 1999, the Estate moved the Florida court to add David Miscavige to the
list of named defendants in its wrongful death action. Miscavige is the
Chairman of the Board of RTC, a Scientology corporation, and while RTC was
listed among the parties which the Estate was contractually bound to
exclude from its action, the Estate sought to add Miscavige under the
theory that it was not contractually precluded from adding Miscavige in
his personal capacity.

"RTC filed suit against the Estate for breach of contract, and against
Liebreich personally for tortiously interfering with the contract between
the Estate and Flag. RTC filed in United States District Court in the
Eastern District of Texas under a diversity of citizenship jurisdictional
theory. The jury returned a verdict for $258,697.10. RTC petitioned the
district court for an award of $549,015.84 in costs and fees for the
litigation of this single-issue breach of contract case. The district
court reduced the award to $327,654.00. The court did impose sanctions
against the Estate's counsel for 30% of the attorneys' fees awarded, which
totaled $98,296.00.

"The contention here is that Liebreich, as the personal representative of
the Estate, created in personam jurisdiction over the Estate. There are
two ways in which Liebreich might have brought the Estate into the reach
of the district court.  First, the district court found general
jurisdiction over the Estate via Liebreich. Moreover, RTC argues that
Liebreich created specific jurisdiction over the Estate. However, neither
general nor specific jurisdiction existed over the Estate.

"The district court correctly found that it had general personal
jurisdiction over Liebreich as a resident of Texas. However, the district
court impermissibly imputed that general personal jurisdiction to the
Estate.  As a creature of the Florida probate regime, the Estate resides
in Florida. Thus, for an estate probated in a foreign jurisdiction to
establish the type of continuous and systematic contact necessary for
general jurisdiction, the representative of the Estate must have made
those contacts in her representative capacity, on behalf of the Estate. It
is not sufficient that the personal representative herself lives in Texas.

"In sum, the district court lacked personal jurisdiction over the Estate.
Liebreich's general jurisdiction cannot be imputed to the Estate, and the
Estate did not establish minimum contacts relating to the breach action
with the forum jurisdiction sufficient to support specific jurisdiction.
Therefore, the district court erred in failing to dismiss the action
against the Estate for want of jurisdiction."

Message-ID: <c8n7iv81odl5aberb2d7cqu4et7rn052a4@...>

#####

> WISE

Press newspaper from New Zealand reported on July 26th that public money
invested into a plastics factory run as a member of the World Institute of
Scientology Enterprises has not produced the jobs that were promised, and
is going bankrupt.

"A year ago, the Westland District Council was defiantly pushing ahead
with plans for the now-infamous Hokitika plastics factory.  Ratepayers
were assured that $581,000 of their money entrusted to some Australian
entrepreneurs would jackpot within a year into a world-first factory, and
Hokitika would be the world headquarters.

"They were promised 53 jobs, quickly growing to more than 100, with the
added benefit of having the plant licensed as a Wise training academy for
local staff training. No-one was told that means World Institute of
Scientology Enterprise, an offshoot of the Church of Scientology.

"Even when the Australians pulled out in November (having established
nothing more than a phone book listing in Hokitika) to focus the venture
in Sydney, the council continued to express faith that they would be back
and have the factory running before Christmas this year.  As public
dissension with the project grew louder, the decision was made for a
delegation to fly to Sydney to reassure itself that all was well. It
returned to pronounce that everything was on track.  None of that will be
forgotten now as the council scrambles to rescue the public money it
risked.

"FT Manufacturing (Westland) Ltd, the company hailed by Mayor John Drylie
as leading the 'next generation' of plastics technology, has gone bust,
and Westland ratepayers are going to be demanding answers, if not more."

Message-ID: <9uoaivgve9d7pp12ihai9usptsmo417t5k@...>

-end-