ECT
Atlantic Monthly published an article on electroconvulsive therapy and efforts by Scientology and others to ban the procedure. "Today ECT has strengthened its position in the profession. Many psychiatrists, whether or not they actively administer the treatment, have come to appreciate its ability to ameliorate a range of mental illnesses, from depression to some forms of schizophrenia and catatonia. A 1993 commentary in The New England Journal of Medicine stated, 'Electroconvulsive therapy is more firmly established than ever as an important method of treating certain severe forms of depression.' The first phase of a National Institute of Mental Health-supported study, to be published this spring, found that ECT produced a greater than 95 percent remission rate in psychotically depressed patients - vastly higher than the rate for any drug on the market. "Activists continue to push for prohibitive legislation. In 1997 a bill that would effectively have made administering ECT a criminal act, punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and/or up to six months in jail, was narrowly defeated in Texas. ECT has virtually disappeared from state-run psychiatric facilities, owing in large part to government regulation. To be treated, patients must almost always gain access to a private or academic hospital. "There was a moment at the 1985 NIH conference, Peter Breggin recalls, when patients who had had positive experiences with ECT were asked to step up to the lectern and tell about their illness and recovery. Afterward one of them pressed a note into his hand, thanking him for speaking out about the side effects of ECT. 'This was one of the pro-ECT people,' Breggin told me when we spoke recently. 'They were up there to tell people that ECT works, and here this person was thanking me for providing a dissenting opinion.' "'Mental illness,' he says, 'is a metaphor. It's not reality. When patients come into my office and say that they're depressed, I don't give them medication. I ask questions: What is their life like? What is their story? Where are they from? How did they get depressed? Why do they call it depression? Depression isn't caused by some mythical biochemical imbalance. It's another word for hopelessness.' This is a philosophy that Breggin absorbed from his training under Thomas Szasz, one of the forerunners of the 'anti-psychiatry' movement. Breggin is scorned by mainstream psychiatrists for his links to Szasz and for his contemptuous attitude toward physiological psychiatry. 'Lots of fields have splinter groups,' Harold Sackeim says. 'Increasingly the dominant perspective in psychiatry is a biochemical one. There are people who, on ideological grounds, feel that this shouldn't be the case. They think psychotherapy should be the first line of treatment.' But, he says, this opinion isn't necessarily benign. 'Breggin will argue that a cup of tea, chicken soup, and a lot of hugging will get a psychotically depressed patient well. And he'll kill a lot of patients that way. That's why he doesn't have hospital privileges.' "If practitioners of ECT tolerate 'survivor' groups and disdain dissenting psychiatrists, they actively loathe the Citizens Commission on Human Rights. The inside of the pamphlet I have is an indication of why. A quick sampling of chapter headings: 'Perpetuating Cruelty,' 'Therapy or Torture?,' 'The Nazi Heritage', 'Apartheid and ECT,' 'ECT Promotes Breast Cancer,' 'Shock From Birth to Grave.' Bolts of electricity in vivid neon colors provide visual unity here, emanating from the heads of pregnant women, fetuses, piglets. CCHR does not believe in subtlety. The commission maintains offices in forty states and chapters in thirty other countries. It has used its branches in part to lobby for legislation against ECT. In 1974 it worked to get the California legislature to prohibit ECT for patients under the age of twelve. It has several times been instrumental in introducing legislation in Texas to ban ECT altogether. Although the legislation has failed, Texas is now, owing in large part to CCHR's efforts, the state in which it is the most difficult to get the treatment. Recently CCHR supported a bill in the Italian region of Piedmont which succeeded in banning ECT for children, the elderly, and, in most cases, pregnant women. That CCHR has effectively and perhaps permanently damaged the public image of ECT is one of the few things about which the commission and psychiatrists agree. "CCHR was founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology, which by now has a fashionable Hollywood aura. Through Dianetics, Scientologists hope to create a utopia 'without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights.' In CCHR's view, one of the greatest threats to this vision is abuses inherent in psychiatry, which damages the mind instead of soothing the soul. 'For more than 115 years, psychiatrists have treated man as an animal,' CCHR's Web site states. 'They have assaulted, sexually abused, irreversibly damaged, drugged or killed, all under the guise of 'mental healing.' "CCHR was co-founded by Thomas Szasz, and its members take pains to emphasize this fact. Their connection to 'the Church,' as they call it, is spoken of less frequently. CCHR is separately incorporated, and although virtually every CCHR member worldwide also happens to be a member of the Church of Scientology, this is by choice, the organization says, not by compulsion. Rather than promote Scientology, CCHR seeks to lay out the evidence of psychiatry's misdeeds through the use of statistics, anecdotes, journal articles, news accounts, and hospital records. "Whatever damage CCHR may have done to ECT, the organization has unquestionably improved the gathering of statistics regarding the treatment. The results, however, have not been advantageous to CCHR's cause. Several years ago CCHR lobbied successfully for compulsory reporting of ECT cases in Texas. William Reid, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center, in San Antonio, and three other authors recently published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry all of the center's available data from September of 1993 to April of 1995. The article reported that 97.5 percent of all admissions were wholly voluntary; that the percentage of patients exhibiting 'severe' symptoms was reduced from 70.7 prior to ECT to 2.4 afterward; that the percentage of patients with 'moderate,' 'severe,' or 'extreme' memory dysfunction decreased after ECT; and that no bone fractures, heart attacks, or deaths occurred during treatment. Of the 2,583 patients described by the data, eight died within two weeks of their last treatment, but only two of these deaths may have been related in any way to ECT. "Psychiatrists assume that anti-ECT activists represent a fringe viewpoint on mental illness, whereas the evidence suggests that the anti-ECT outlook is actually close to the public's. In 1999 the Office of the Surgeon General released its first ever report on mental health. The report cited estimates that two thirds of all cases of mental illness in this country go unreported. One of the main reasons the report gave for this is a widespread disbelief in the biological origin of psychiatric disorders. "More important than questioning why anti-ECT lobbyists persist is asking what psychiatrists might do to counter the criticism. The answer from some is that they are already doing all they need to do. ECT use seems to be on the rise, even if slowly, and psychiatry's professional organizations are continually refining treatment guidelines. Greater advocacy efforts seem not to be on anyone's agenda, perhaps for fear of luring ECT's detractors into even louder denunciations." Message-ID: 94a2ee$1rd@netaxs.com
Battlefield Earth
"Yokes" posted an email this week, urging Scientologists to raise the rating of the film Battlefield Earth on movie web sites. "DO NOT PASS ON EXCEPT TO TRUSTED FRIENDS. SPs have stuffed IMDb's ballot box. BE got 16X the number of votes of any other movies with its ranking! 16X is not random public opinion at work! SPs' low rankings of BE have put BE on IMDb's 'Bottom 100' movies of all time. Please go to IMDB, register, and vote BE a high ranking! Using the drop-down arrow, please vote BE an 8, 9 or 10 if that's what you think is fair. "Pass this on o-n-l-y to those you personally know and trust. NOT to a broad list unless you have recently qualled it. Another Internet poll is being electronically stuffed against Battlefield Earth this minute by the enemy camp. Clearly, they have slipped past the site's security. Let's get BE out of 'First Place' as 'Worst Genre Flick of the Year.' Blair Witch Project-2 is the closest contender. Vote for BWP-2, and get BE out of first place. Very best, Jon von Guntenoutreach@mediaone.net" Message-ID: 3a699fac.666396@news-server.tampabay.rr.com
PSTA
The rule against non-commercial ads on Pinellas County imposed to stop protests against Scientology is being challenged in court by a local Christian group, according to the St. Petersburg Times on January 12th. "Last year, Focus on the Family wanted to place ads in Pinellas County bus shelters promoting an upcoming seminar about 'addressing, understanding and preventing homosexuality in youth.' The advertisements were rejected. The Colorado-based Christian group thinks that decision was a violation of free speech rights and filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to force the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority to accept the ads. Focus on the Family is not seeking money, but wants a judge to tell the PSTA to allow it to place similar ads for a seminar this summer. "PSTA faced a similar controversy in 1999 when ads for the Church of Scientology were pulled from buses because of concerns over their content. The authority eventually adopted a policy that non-commercial ads would not be allowed on buses." Message-ID: 946okp$r46@netaxs.com
Six-Gun Caballero
The Los Angeles Times reported on January 19th that a fictional book by L. Ron Hubbard will be offered over the internet. "One Glendale-based online company wants to change the way we look at books with their very first Internet offering, 'Six-Gun Caballero,' written by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Started in 1998, Storyteller Online Inc. aims to combine the spoken word with illustrations and running text to create what the company calls 'old-time storytelling with a high-tech twist.' 'We picked a pulp because it's short and we liked this author,' public relations director and Scientologist Derek De Vette said. 'It's a bummer to see all these great authors released in a poor format.' "'Because of the sound, people can walk away,' vice president and Scientologist Andrea Kluge said. 'They are not glued to the computer.' Written in 1938, 'Six-Gun Caballero' was one of 60 western pulps Hubbard penned before his foray into science fiction." Message-ID: 94c9ib$jmm$1@nnrp1.deja.com
Denmark
Catarina Pamnell provided a summary of a January 14th article in Jyllands-Posten on the RPF in Denmark. A television program on DR1 also addressed the RPF. "The interior government of Hamburg, Germany, criticizes the Danish government and police for allowing Scientology to unchecked run a 'totalitarian re-education camp' in the middle of Copenhagen. Ursula Caberta of the Hamburg government says people are being held against their will, and put under physical and psychological pressure, and that it's a sign of misguided tolerance if Denmark does not act against these human rights violations. "The CoS says there are presently 10-15 people taking part of the RPF program in Copenhagen, but that it is completely voluntary, an offer extended only to members of the elite Sea Organization. Religious historian Michael Rothstein of Copenhagen university says it's important to carry on a dialogue with the CoS members, to ascertain why they are going through the RPF program. He says it could be an expression of deep religious commitment, but could also be due to pressure, and that in case anyone feels violated society should step in. "Danish police say they cannot interfere, unless there is a formal complaint filed. Some persons did make complaints in the 1980s, among them former member Birgitta Harrington. But the investigation has been closed, due to lack of evidence. "The CoS has given Jyllands-Posten access to the newest set of rules of conduct for those going through the RPF program. Among the restrictions are: no contact with people outside the program; not leaving the CoS premises without permission; no car driving; no television; carrying a black armband; no walking, running only; no contact whatsoever with their families. Previously, RPF members could see their spouses or children once a week under certain conditions, but now all contact is forbidden for the duration of the RPF program The average duration of the RPF is said to be one to two years, although Jyllands-Posten has knowledge of a Swedish member who was recently kicked out of the organization after five years on the program. "A former Sea Org member, Susanne Elleby, is interviewed. She went onto the RPF in 1989, in an attempt to leave Scientology, and spent 14 months on the program. Her experience was that it was a world of strict control, censorship and mental breakdown. Unlike most ex-members, she succeeded in getting her personal documents out of the organization, and could thus show the journalist examples of the programs she was put through, the success stories she was expected to write after completing a step on the program, and the many ethics reports made by her fellow RPF members, for example accusing her of throwing left-over food into the wrong bucket, stealing a cigarette, forgetting to take a vitamin pill, getting up too late in the morning, demonstrating a bad mood, or even spending too much time in the bathroom. "A present-day member of the Sea Org, Franz Stoeckl, who spent about one and a half year on the RPF in Copenhagen in July of 1998 to December of 1999 tells of his satisfaction with the program. He claims it's the best thing that ever happened to him. Franz especially appreciates that he was allowed to do the 'False Purpose Rundown' auditing. After completing the program, he feels he is doing better at work and gets along better with people, and also has a better relationship with his wife. He doesn't feel that it was a big sacrifice to not see the wife for 18 months - as a Sea Org member, he is accustomed to separation when his job demands it. "On Monday 15th of January, the RPF was debated twice on Danish television. I was told there was something about it on an early morning show with Susanne Elleby, someone from the university and a CoS representative. On the DR1 (major national channel) news at 21.00, a short overview of the controversy was presented. The OSA PR for Denmark, Anette Refstrup, was interviewed and said the RPF is intended for the spiritual advancement of the member. Ursula Caberta on the telephone voiced the concerns of the German authorities. I made a short comment over the phone stating my opinion that the RPF creates in the member an unhealthy dependence on the Scn organization." From M2 Communications on January 16th: "The programme is brainwashing, according to Ursula Caberta, the chairman of a group in Hamburg that investigates Scientology. Caberta has compared the training programme to the physical and mental stress used to make people follow the rules in dictatorships and thinks that the Danish authorities are practising 'misunderstood tolerance' by allowing the movement to continue. "The Danish police force has said it will not investigate the movement unless there is a formal request from Germany through Interpol. The police reportedly investigated the movement in the mid-1980s but the investigation was closed due to a lack of evidence. The police should be involved if the Scientologists have a training camp in Copenhagen, according to Johannes Lebech, a Danish church minister. The minister also said that he will follow the issue but has no plans to start an investigation, as he does not feel that it is his field." Message-ID: 3a63861b.8409308@news1.tninet.se Message-ID: rnewman-1701010913260001@ppp39-68.thecia.net
Germany
Waiblinger Kreiszeitung published an article on January 19th on a student's experiences with a recruitment effort by the Stuttgart org. "'Technically gifted 19-year-old Votecher looking for afternoon/evening part-time job in the field of electronics' read the classified ad in which the student gave the number to his cell phone. He got a call with an invitation to Stuttgart. The reception was poor and he did not understand exactly who was calling. Even as he entered the Dianetics Center in Stuttgart, it was not yet clear to him what organization he was dealing with. "He found the form someone from the personnel gave him to fill out 'relatively inconsequential.' A total of 200 questions, some only slightly varied, were handed to him. After that was scheduled a half-hour recruitment video on the Scientology Church. By that time it was clear who had the job opening, and at that point the student became wary. A woman from the personnel office asked how he liked the video. 'Loaded with emotion and empty of information,' answered the student frankly and openly, he knew about the dubious practices of the organization and that they put their members under pressure and ripped them off. The woman from the personnel office was not thrilled with his response. Meanwhile his personality test was evaluated for him. The result: he was said to have above-average intelligence, but he was insecure. It was said he didn't know what he wanted. At that point the female Scientology staff member led him over to a brainwave device, a sort of lie detector. 'She wanted to have me try out the device once, but I blocked her off.' "Nothing came of the office job which was offered. The 19-year-old is hyperactive and used to take Ritalin, a psycho-pharmaceutical. For that reason he was refused the job. At least ten other people showed up in the short time he was there to have their personalities scrutinized. 'And I'm certain that not all of them got out without becoming members,' he voiced his concern. For that reason he called up the newspaper to tell his story and to show what can happen to you if you are looking for a job." A press release on January 16th announced broader responsibilities for the German agency headed by Ursula Caberta. "Today the Senate decided on a change in the responsibility concerning the child and youth assistance law from the Agency for Schools, Youth and Vocational Education to the Interior Agency. As a result the Interior Agency's Scientology Task Force gets an assignment which is part of educational youth protection. It concerns the dangers which can arise for children and youth from new religious and ideological communities and psycho-groups. The Senate transferred the corresponding missions to the Interior Agency because the AGS is already involved in separating certain groups from Scientology and other psycho-groups in terms of ideology, methods of operation and special risks, said Interior Senator Hartmuth Wrocklage on Tuesday." Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1010119075639.114A-100000@darkstar.zippy Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1010120075108.120A-100000@darkstar.zippy
Gerry Armstrong
The Marin Independent Journal reported on January 18th that a California court has found Gerry Armstrong in contempt for speaking out against Scientology. "Marin Superior Court Judge Vernon Smith ruled that Armstrong, a former Scientology archivist, violated an earlier settlement agreement that he stop criticizing the church and discussing the experiences he had within the organization. Smith also issued an arrest warrant for Armstrong, who did not attend yesterday's court hearing. "Reached at his home in British Columbia, Armstrong said he intentionally stayed away from court for fear he would be thrown in jail. Armstrong said he also has no intention of curbing his criticism, which most often takes the form of writings he posts in Internet discussion groups. 'This is about freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, the whole gamut. I will fight this to the ends of the Earth.' "In making their case for a contempt order against Armstrong, attorneys for the church submitted a sheaf of messages Armstrong had posted on the Internet between March 1998 and last July. Quiros, the Scientology spokesman, said 'We'll probably never see a dime from Mr. Armstrong,' he said. 'And I doubt he'll do any jail time because he will probably never come back to California.'" Gerry Armstrong posted his comment on the ruling to a.r.s. "They are still faced with the same problem they had, only it's bigger. This little big win may have cost them a million. And nothing happened. Their need to lie only serves to convince me that I am without the slightest doubt correct in my studied assessment and judgment that Scientology's 'contract' is legally unenforceable, that Judge Thomas's injunction is unlawful, that $cientology has unclean hands throughout this litigation, and that $cientology and their lawyers know these facts to be true. "For my first contempt, which was for sending Judge Whyte my declaration about being threatened by attorney Andy Wilson after I was served by Grady Ward in $cientology v. Ward, Judge Thomas sentenced me to 2 days in jail and fined me $2,000. For my next 13 contempts, which were mainly talking about my religious experiences to people in Germany, Judge Thomas sentenced me to 26 days in jail and fined me $2,600, or $200 each. In this latest effort by $cientology, having me charged with 133 contempts, Judge Smith has not sentenced me to any jail time nor fined me. The clear message to me is that by continuing to communicate more and more about my religious experiences and religious beliefs, and committing more and more violations of the unlawful Thomas injunction, I have brought the price of contempt down to zero. And continuing the trend, $cientology will now be paying me to speak and write. I'm inspired." Message-ID: c7ge6tcbkovlv03ea7nm7i475fe02nb6m4@4ax.com
Keith Henson
Scientology this week tried to place Keith Henson in jail for allegedly making threats to attack Scientology's Gold Base with cruise missiles. "His trial was continued to April 15. His Own Recognizance was reinstated, so no bail was required for him to avoid jail. The judge recused himself at the request of the DA. This has to do with some personal friendship of the judge with someone who somehow is involved." Message-ID: 3a6b35ce.0@news2.lightlink.com
Bob Minton
Bob Minton described Scientology's attempts to compel him to answer questions in the Keith Henson bankruptcy case. "Scientology has continued to spout lies that I have been sanctioned for this and that and have to pay huge fines. This week I was compelled back into a deposition, that started in November 2000, and answered all the legitimate question proffered by Kobrin on January 16th in Boston. Today, Kobrin appeared before the Judge in Boston to argue for sanctions and fines against me. Kobrin presented her case and the Judge told her that her motion was denied as sanctions and fines are inappropriate in this case. Kobrin made the usual Scientology noises to no avail and the Judge repeated 'motion denied.' "It is my legitimate right not to answer any question proffered by Scientology in a deposition because they know no limits. I realize this may subject me to sanctions and fines. However, I also know that a fair Judge in a fair hearing will sufficiently narrow the scope of questions that Scientology can ask so as to put boundaries on Scientology's abuse of the legal system. So being compelled back into a deposition is not such a thing to fear if it can protect you from Scientology's sacrament of using the law for the sake of harassment." Message-ID: tfce6tkg4uvcip3r9q503l9fo5p39qj6ap@4ax.com
NOTS
Birgitta Harrington posted a confession from her husband, Joe Harrington, that he was responsible for the first posting of the secret NOTS materials on the Internet. "I hope my public gift of NOTS, humbly tendered to Mankind and the emerging Internet on 25 Dec 1994, cost them a bit and afforded the public an opportunity to get a free glimpse of what the ultimate price a person sometimes pays for the 'Total Freedom' that LRH seduced many with." Message-ID: b6vb6tg7caj8ddivh3ik8pgivv18cbqcv6@4ax.com
Tom Padgett
Tom Padgett posted an update to his case in Kentucky court this week. "The issues on appeal were the exact amounts of child support arrearage alleged to be owed, and the awarding of attorney fees and costs. In an order dismissing the appeal, Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled that the trial court failed to include finality language in the civil court order of January 19, 1999, therefore being 'interlocutory' and not an appealable ruling. The Court of Appeals noted that an evidentiary hearing required for discovery and disclosure, never took place. "The Court of Appeals did note the confusion of whether or not the Appellant was represented by the Law Firm of Mobley & Lloyd since they motioned the court to withdraw because of their client's pauper status. "All issues are remanded back to the same lower court for more litigation before the same judge." Message-ID: 15094-3A683B62-1@storefull-217.iap.bryant.webtv.net
Super Power
"Zorrosblade" posted a promotional letter this week, describing the new super power rundown to be given when the new building in Clearwater is completed. "We have not only fully completed the foundation of the New Building this year, but have just completed the cement structure of all 7 floors. The project is moving right on target to open this new structure in the not too distant future. The rapid construction of our New Mecca means a great deal to the freedom of all mankind, as it brings us the hope of a Cleared Planet with the release of Super Power. "LRH made it very clear that Super Power will handle the sick, the dying and the dead society. With the ethics repair list we will clean up the degradation and suppression that is holding back mankind's freedom. By restoring justice, we will have a 3rd dynamic like this planet has never seen before. And by rehabilitating the fifty-seven perceptions of a being, Scientologists will be operating at a level of awareness that surpasses anything to date. "Therefore, again I am asking you to make a generous contribution of $100, $250 or more." Message-ID: REPOST-Lzy96.717$tD2.69461@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net
Zenon Panoussis
Karin Spaink reported on the first two days of a appeals hearing in which Scientology is accused of copyright violation for posting the secret NOTS levels on the Internet. "The court hopes that he will simply plead guilty on many counts, so that deliberations about those acts can be dismissed. And Zenon is quite willing to do so: he has never denied having webbed parts of the OTs nor denies having posted the NOTs, but Scientology accuses him of much more. That he will fight. He is even prepared to settle or to admit guilt on all counts as long as he gets this particular one: a declaration that the OTs and NOTs are legally published. "The case against him was already well on its way when Zenon filed a new, even thicker stack of NOTs with the court. Scientology immediately claimed copyright to those as well and demanded secrecy. They even had a notary public compare this thick stack to the original, unmasked NOTs, and upon doing a random comparison, she established that this thick stack contained nothing but pure, unadulterated NOTs. But they weren't original NOTs. Of this stack of two hundred alleged NOTs, only eight were authentic; the rest had been mangled. To mangle them, you do this: you take a paragraph from a text, use it as a 'seed' and input it to a program, and the output is a full page of mixed-up phrases, illogical sentences and weird grammar - but full of faintly familiar phrases. They are nonsensical, gibberish texts, Zenon explained to the court, and the fact that Scientology claims copyright on these texts proves that one should take their claims with not a grain but a pound of salt. "'Take a look at page so-and-so of my appeal brief,' Zenon says. The court nods, they know this text. It is part of the ruling of the pervious court in Scientology versus Panoussis. 'Please read the text carefully,' Zenon asks, and is silent. This text doesn't make any sense, it has no head nor tail. It's plainly gibberish. 'This text is the result of a real paragraph of the ruling having been mangled in the same way as the NOTs that I filed and to which Scientology claims copyright,' Zenon explains. 'I wanted to prove that Scientology claims copyright to any text that contains a few of their phrases, so I mangled a paragraph of the previous court's ruling in order to demonstrate the scope of that claim." "Magnusson continues about the damages that RTC suffered and the legal costs that Zenon has burdened them with. Zenon objects to the closed doors that we will soon have. Last time, only three words were uttered that RTC actually considers to be confidential. (those three words were 'body thetan' and 'cluster'.) 'What I want to say is five lines only, nothing more. These five lines is what I want to read.' Magnusson answers that these lines can only be uttered behind closed doors: secrecy has to be maintained. Zenon sits down again, exasperated. It is only a description and an argument, not a quote. "And here are these five lines, verbatim from Zenon's notes: 'The teachings are dangerous. The OTs and NOTs establish that sickness should be treated with auditing. This is also applied on children that do not have their own free will to abstain from medical care but are actually deprived of it instead (Lisa McPherson)'. "McShane's deposition starts. 'NOTs is not a course, it is spiritual counseling, delivered in blocks of time. Twelve and a half hour is one block. There is a fixed donation for such a block. Within NOTs, that is 7000 USD per block. We don't think that is expensive, but you have to understand that Scientology is a relatively new religion and it costs money to pay our church operations.' "Magnusson brings McShane the binder that contain impressive colour snapshots of RTC's security system. Zenon protests, whether anything has been secured is irrelevant in this context and, besides, he is not disputing the current security measures. The court allows the evidence anyway and McShane flips through the binder, explaining as he goes along. 'In 1983, 3 ex-members of the church disguised themselves as high church officials. They traveled from England to Denmark, where they wouldn't be recognised, and via a trick - they switched the material - they got the NOTs. Since then the NOTs have surfaced every now and then, and every time we sue, the material has been enjoined. "'What is the damage that Zenon has incurred upon Scientology?' "'Extensive damage. First of all, we have had a loss of revenue through people who have seen the material that Zenon Panoussis made available; they won't become church members, mainly because they saw this material without the proper preparation. Secondly, the amount of effort we had to put into protecting the copies around here. Scientologists gave up their jobs, their family life, made great personal sacrifices to do so, just to prevent people who were not eligible from seeing the material. There were loopholes in the law that Zenon Panoussis took advantage of. It took us three years to solve this. It took us over three years to solve this. Lots of money and personal sacrifice went into this. Thirdly, the money involved in this litigation. This is one of the most complex cases I have come across. Zenon Panoussis has taken advantage of the system. It took tremendous expertise to counter him.' "At this point, Zenon puts his hand on his chest and nods to McShane, making a virtual bow. He takes this accusation to be a compliment. "McShane shows a part of OT2. 'See, this is what we consider to be a work.' He points at a page containing ten or twelve lines. Zenon, who is also standing there, recognises a part and interrupts. 'This part is in the Fishman Affidavit, but while here you have a list of items and then a short description under each, in my Fishman Affidavit I only have the headings.' That can hardly even be seen as a quote, let alone as an infringement.' 'But you must understand that these words have a very special meaning for us,' McShane objects. 'And the one-page work that you showed us earlier? Can I see that again?' Zenon leafs through OT2 and finds the ten-liner. McShane cringes, a Suppressive is touching the OTs, and he can't prevent it. Zenon takes the Fishman Affidavit, puts it next to this work from OT2 and shows the court that the Fishman version contains only half of these twelve lines. "McShane continues about the special meanings that words have. He points at a list and reads it aloud: 'Love' and then proceeds to sing-song the rest; he finds it difficult to pronounce them under these circumstances, within this company. They really are sacred to him. 'All the nuances of these words must be understood, and it is terribly important that they are understood properly. You can imagine how difficult it is to make an adequate translation.' The Chair suddenly looks up from the OTs that he is viewing, and asks McShane, with a certain surprise in his voice: 'Are there any translations made of the OTs and NOTs?' 'Yes,' McShane answers proudly. He doesn't know that he is digging his own grave. Twenty-five thousand readers, translations, all this suffices to establish legal publication, and thus the right for individuals to have copies for private use and the right to quote them in public. "McShane points at a Rastafarian NOT. 'You see, they just wrote the words funnily, and while I agree that the texts have been mangled: what can be processed can be reverted and unprocessed.' The court looks and compares. Actually, as they find out, words have been exchanged as well: all instances of 'thetan' have been changed into 'watermelon' and all instances of 'body thetan' into 'watchammecallit'. 'There are no instances of the word 'watermelon' in the original?' the Chair asks McShane, to be sure what it is that he is seeing. No, McShane replies, that word was not used by Hubbard. 'I admit that the order of the words has been changed, and that the text has been reworked,' says McShane, 'but you must understand that these texts still contain our confidential words.' He is actually implying that they have copyright on words. "McShane states that 'paraphrasing is infringement'. Zenon asks him to repeat himself. McShane amends: 'Paraphrasing could be an infringement.' Under his belief system, I understand him: since they claim ownership to certain words, any text that contains these words is indeed infringing - according to them."
A.r.s. Week in Review is put together by Rod Keller ©
This collection is organised for WWW by Andreas Heldal-Lund.
Only edits done by me is replacing word encapsuled in * or _ with bold and underscore, and made links into HTML.
