Note: This issue of Week in Review contains information since April 1st.
CCHR
The National Post reported on April 3rd on the efforts of Scientology to oppose the use of Prozac and Ritalin. "In a lavish ceremony, Priscilla Presley recently presented a human rights award to a courageous New York mother, Patricia Weathers. Mrs. Weathers had fought a long battle with her son's school to get her 11-year-old son Michael off Ritalin, which she said caused him mental harm. Mrs. Weathers' plight is well-known in the United States, where a backlash against such psychiatric drugs as Prozac and Ritalin is in full swing. "What is less well-known is that this backlash has been orchestrated by the controversial Church of Scientology. Indeed, some argue that the Church has triggered the uproar almost single-handedly. Ms. Presley is a Scientologist. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) - which awarded Mrs. Weathers its prize - was formed by the Church in 1969. In fact, the Washington lawyer who launched a U.S. class-action suit against Ritalin's makers and the American Psychiatric Association is also a senior Scientology official. "Scientology, in its fight against Ritalin, is pursuing a broader agenda: to undermine the psychiatric profession. 'While alerting parents and teachers to the dangers of Ritalin, the real target of the campaign is the psychiatric profession itself,' the Church stated over a decade ago in its newspaper, Scientology Today. "Scientology has also won a reputation for taking its enemies to court. Beginning in the late 1980s, it supported a series of lawsuits across the United States, attacking psychiatrists and schools with claims that attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not a valid diagnosis, stimulant drugs are overprescribed, and the doctors who make such prescriptions are corrupt or unethical. Many of these cases were handled by John Coale, a Washington lawyer and senior Scientologist. None of the cases has been successful in court. "These efforts have created a climate of fear among physicians, parents and educators and have sown anxiety and confusion among the general public, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported in 1998. Church operatives also work at raising awareness of potential side effects of psychiatric drugs, often with great success. In the wake of the massacre at Columbine, Col., CNN interviewed Dr. Mary Ann Block, author of the book No More Ritalin-Treating ADHD Without Drugs. She quoted a study noting Ritalin's similarity to cocaine in its ability to cause psychotic episodes." Message-ID: 9aecpq$24ic$1@news6.isdnet.net
Bermuda
The Bermuda Sun reported on April 6th that Scientology is being introduced to Bermuda. "Dee Pearson, a Bermudian, has returned to her homeland, accompanied by her husband, Don, to share what they have learned through Dianetics, the key practice of the church. They offered three free sessions last weekend at the Hamilton Princess to anyone that was interested in learning a little more about Dianetics. "Regis Dericquebourg, a professor of the Sociology of Religion at the University of Lille, in France, has extensively studied the belief systems and practices of the Church of Scientology. In his paper on Scientology, he explained the source of thetans in this manner: 'The founder, L. Ron Hubbard, renews the thesis of primordial spirits. He asserts that before the birth of the universe, spirits existed, which he calls thetans. They were non-material, massless beings without temporal limits, occupying no space, omniscient, omnipotent, indestructible, immortal and capable of creating anything. These intangible beings, along with the Supreme Being, created the universe. They lost their power and omniscience and became vulnerable human beings. Since that time, they have returned, life after life, inhabiting different bodies.' "The Reactive Mind is the part that is mostly emotional and has a goal of 'preventing something bad from happening,' as Mr. Pearson put it. It is the source of 'all unwanted fears, emotions, pains and psychosomatic illnesses.' 'Scientology is a method of how to apply some concepts to your life to make it better for you,' Mrs. Pearson stated. 'We're trying to improve a person spiritually.' The practice of Dianetics is called auditing. As an auditor works with a person, referred to as a 'Pre-Clear,' he functions as a listener to assist the Pre-Clear in reaching into the memory to clear out all bad energy. "The Pearsons will continue their work in Bermuda on sharing theories of Dianetics in an all-day workshop tomorrow, Saturday April 7, at the Hamilton Princess. The $125 fee includes a free copy of L. Ron Hubbard's book, 'Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health,' a card with an explanation of the method, lunch and training on how to audit." The St. Petersburg Times reported on April 8th that Scientology is supporting a bill in Florida to restrict the use of prescription medicines in schools. "State Rep. Larry Crow, R-Palm Harbor, is sponsoring a bill in the Legislature that would require schools to get parents' written permission to give non-prescription medicine to schoolchildren, and would allow parents to opt their children out of some medical treatments. House Bill 357 has received widespread support, including from the Pinellas County Medical Society and an anti-psychiatry group established by the Church of Scientology. The anti-psychiatry group, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, considers the bill a victory for its legislative agenda. "Crow said CCHR urged him to take up its cause against psychoactive drugs such as Ritalin seven years ago and has worked with him through several revisions of the bill. The current broad-brush proposal now wins the support of some of the same groups that once opposed it. And while it no longer deals with psychoactive drugs for children, the use of which Scientology opposes, the CCHR lauds the bill as a historic legislative gain in Florida. "Crow said the bill originated from conversations he had with members of CCHR. The group denounces the 'labeling' of youth as mentally ill. It warns that the overprescription of Ritalin and other psychoactive drugs does more harm than good and might be linked to youth violence. In 1999, at CCHR's request, Crow penned a bill that would have required a detailed parental consent form for children taking psychoactive drugs at school. The bill died a quick death after strong opposition from drug companies, school boards, teachers, psychiatrists and psychologists. Crow since has revised the bill several times, with the input of such groups as the Pinellas County Medical Society, and he reintroduced a new form of the bill last year. It no longer addressed psychoactive drugs at all. Instead, it focused on parental consent for their children's medical treatment in school. "Although CCHR's newsletter called the bill an 'anti-psychiatric labeling and drugging bill,' Figueroa conceded that it 'is not as comprehensive as that.' Crow also said that description is inaccurate. 'No, no, no, it's not that at all,' Crow said. 'It's a parental rights bill.' "Crow, who is Baptist, said he doesn't 'buy into the balance of (Scientology's) philosophy.' In particular, Crow said he does not oppose psychiatry. 'I respect psychiatry as a profession,' Crow said. 'It's a valuable medical science.' But Crow said he found some commonality with CCHR on the parental consent issue." Message-ID: bfk6dt8eo51755c3qdv4deortv37j9jtqp@4ax.com Message-ID: 3ad105d8.0@news2.lightlink.com
Faith-Based Groups
The Associated Press reported on April 10th that Americans continue to express concerns over funding of Scientology and other cults under the new U.S. initiative to provide funds to religious institutions for charitable programs. "A majority of Americans support the idea of religious groups getting government money to provide social services, according to a poll. But they are sharply divided on specifics of the proposal backed by the U.S. administration. They have mixed feelings about which religious groups should get government money and whether religious groups will try to convert the people they are helping, according to the poll released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion in Public Life, two private think tanks. "About six in 10 supported public funding for Catholic churches, Protestant churches, and Jewish synagogues to provide social services. But that support dropped off when people were asked about the Nation of Islam, the Church of Scientology, Buddhist temples, and groups that encourage religious conversions as part of their services. Funding for the Nation of Islam and the Church of Scientology was each favored by a fourth of the respondents, while public money for the other two groups was each favored by a third." The Salt Lake Tribune published a letter to the editor on April 15th on the U.S. program. "I want to set the record straight concerning the social programs of the Church of Scientology. These are programs supported by the church, utilizing technologies developed by L. Ron Hubbard, but which are not operated by Scientology as religious activities. "Let's take the Narconon drug rehabilitation program, for instance. This program, which is a secular program, has great results. A study of the program in Sweden showed that 84.6 percent of the Narconon graduates remain entirely drug-free. This program has saved more than 250,000 lives. There are other programs such as 'The Way to Happiness,' a common-sense guide to better living, aiding individuals to find morals in a confused society; Criminon, reforming criminals so they become contributing members of society; and Applied Scholastics, educating youth to the highest standards. All show amazing results. "We will continue to operate these programs as our social responsibility, as we have for more than 30 years. If the Bush administration sees fit to support these through his faith-based initiative, we would gladly accept the help. "LORA MENGUCCI Church of Scientology Salt Lake City" Message-ID: td7psisr6t6c31@corp.supernews.com Message-ID: gbbldtsqoq1hspp7vinbd80pt1hejcq67l@newszilla.xs4all.nl
Clearwater
The St. Petersburg Times reported on April 3rd that a letter from Police Chief Sid Klein on the restraining order on Scientology and Clearwater protesters has brought criticism from city officials. "Two days after the St. Petersburg Times published a letter written by Clearwater police Chief Sid Klein, the city's interim city manager sent an e-mail reminding department heads to run such correspondence by him first. Klein submitted a letter to the Times disputing a March 22 editorial that suggested Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Thomas Penick is responsible for keeping the peace between the Church of Scientology and anti-Scientology protesters. The editorial stated Penick 'has the unenviable task of refereeing sidewalk skirmishes.' "Interim City Manager Bill Horne, who was appointed to the job in July, said he and other officials took issue with the tone and content of the letter, calling it 'too emotional, too harsh' and not completely reflective of the city's position on the matter. 'You might have the right facts,' Horne added. 'But if you communicate them in a way that alienates your listeners, then what have you accomplished?' The St. Petersburg Times reported on April 20th that the sale of bricks to help fund a project adjacent to a Scientology property in Clearwater has raised controversy when bricks in honor of Lisa McPherson, Roxanne Friend and Leo J. Ryan were rejected. "Last summer a volunteer group called Citizens for a Better Clearwater launched a brick drive to pretty-up a dingy, downtown alley running along a building owned by the Church of Scientology. A Scientology critic wanted a brick with this message: 'Remember Lisa McPherson 1959-1995.' A secret committee of the Citizens for a Better Clearwater rejected the McPherson brick along with two other bricks ordered by members of a Scientology watchdog group called the Lisa McPherson Trust. Suddenly, whether you could buy a brick depended on who you were, what you had to say and why you were buying it. "'We do not feel that we can accept donations for a brick from you and still maintain the message of community harmony that we seek,' the downtown group wrote to the McPherson Trust members in a letter sent with their uncashed checks. So the feud between the Church of Scientology and its critics, which requires court orders and off-duty cops to keep the peace, now has soured the once simple idea of sprucing up an alley with bricks, jasmine and old-fashioned lights. "'Straight censorship,' is how Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, sees it. 'If the First Amendment stands for anything it's that messages a private citizens group finds divisive can't be censored,' Simon said. 'What the city is stupidly backing into is being liable for constitutional violations going on in its name.' "'It's viewpoint-based discrimination,' said John Merrett, a Jacksonville lawyer who represents the Lisa McPherson Trust. 'If the city has turned over stewardship of a public property to an entity that's going to discriminate against people based on their viewpoint, they need to rip the bricks up.' "The Church of Scientology, whose volunteers helped create the park, applauds the screening work being done by the Citizens for a Better Clearwater. Scientology critic Jeff Jacobsen ordered two memorial bricks, one for McPherson and one for Leo J. Ryan, a California congressman killed in 1978 in Jonestown, Guyana, while investigating the Jim Jones cult. 'Lisa was an important person in the community and I wanted people to remember her,' Jacobsen said. Another rejected brick was proposed by Stacy Brooks, a former Scientologist and president of the Lisa McPherson Trust. She ordered a brick in memory of Roxanne Friend, who died of cancer after leaving Scientology. Why her order was returned, Brooks cannot understand. "A 10-member steering committee rejected Jacobsen's and Brooks' brick orders because of that posting, Marks said. 'We felt their motive was to create dissension,' Marks said. Just who is on the steering committee? That's a secret. Marks refused to provide a list of committee members. She said only that she is not on the committee and it does not include any Scientologists." A letter from attorney John Merrett was published by the St. Petersburg Times on April 7th. "Attorney F. Wallace Pope Jr.'s March 28 letter to the editor is just what one would expect from a Scientology mouthpiece. In his letter, Pope repeated a willful falsehood he was once forced to retract in court. In fact, no one was convicted of contempt in the recent trial before Judge Penick. Adjudication of guilt was withheld as to two of the approximately 13 people Pope and Scientology haled into court; the rest were acquitted outright. "Pope said that Scientology obtained an injunction against the Lisa McPherson Trust and certain critics but neglected to point out that Judge Penick enjoined every Scientologist on Earth from coming within 10 feet of people affiliated with the Lisa McPherson Trust. Judge Penick also enjoined this 'church' from committing acts of violence and harassment. "He fails to report that one of Scientology's pet police officers admitted under oath at the trial that Scientology decides where he stands and what he does as long as Scientology is paying for his services. They are acting as security guards and are paid straight-time by their employer, Scientology. If anyone doubts that the cash flow has affected the judgment and behavior of some officers, the Lisa McPherson Trust can provide enough videotaped evidence to lay those doubts to rest." The St. Petersburg Times reported on April 8th that Scientology plans to help finance the new bus terminal in order to win approval for the Super Power building in Clearwater. "The project could include floors of parking financed by the Church of Scientology for its seven-story 'Super Power' building that is under construction. The church was planning to build a separate garage southeast of its new downtown facility with more than 400 spaces. But city officials would rather see one large garage - serving the county, city and church - at the location of the PSTA's existing terminal at 525 Park St. and a county parking lot next door. "Ed Armstrong, an attorney for the Church of Scientology, said the church has budgeted about $7,000 per parking space to build a garage with about 430 spaces. The joint garage project would have to be cheaper for the church to invest in it. Pinellas County's utilities department is willing to donate its parking lot for land for the project and also to finance an overpass for pedestrians above Fort Harrison Avenue. The overpass could be designed as a public art project, said Pick Talley, county utilities director. "Discussions will continue this spring to the sound of a ticking clock. The PSTA must decide by Oct. 1 where and how its new terminal will be built, Sweeney said, under a federal deadline. The Church of Scientology wants to know where its garage will be built by June or July, Armstrong said, because it must be constructed by the time the 'Power Center' opens in late 2002." Message-ID: 9acecj$ofb@netaxs.com Message-ID: 9bp9n2$5t0@netaxs.com Message-ID: j4n6dt4vbb9e87438chdl7n2a9skavb9ev@4ax.com Message-ID: 3ad1055d.0@news2.lightlink.com
Jesse Prince
Jeff Jacobsen reported on a hearing in the case of Jesse Prince, who stand accused of growing marijuana at his home. "On April 9 Judge Michael E Andrews heard further argument on a motion to compel testimony from two undercover private investigators involved in the arrest of Jesse Prince on drug charges. Paul Johnson, attorney for the private investigators, announced that, on last Friday, he had filed a 14 page response to Jesse Prince's affidavit. The judge had not seen the response but did find it in his court file so he asked Mr. Johnson to give it to him in a nutshell. "He said Jesse Prince and one of Denis' private investigators had interviewed Barry Gaston (one of the two confidential informants whom Denis is seeking to be brought into court) for two hours and from the information obtained in that interview, its clear to Johnson that Jesse's claims of being set-up by Scientology are wildly speculative and imaginary. Mr. Johnson argued that the private investigators are confidential informants and any improper divulgence of information carried with it very strict fines including the loss of their license. "He told the judge that Jesse claimed he left Scientology a few years ago, 'but he doesn't tell you how many years ago, judge. He left in 1992!' Johnson claimed that Jesse has no knowledge of the current policies and practices of the church whatsoever. 'Critics of the church seize that language (Fair Game) and use it to attack!,' Johnson explained. Hubbard shortly thereafter issued another bulletin saying they can no longer use this language but all this document really says is that they can't use the internal justice system of Scientology. "Johnson very sheepishly said that the state prosecutor called him last week and told him that she had informed Mr. deVlaming that she had interviewed 'an individual' and 'this individual' had received information and orders 'to monitor Jesse Prince to see if he was doing something unethical or illegal.' The Judge then asked if the state was also going to say that Scientology gave Gaston orders to monitor Jesse Prince to see if he was doing something unethical or illegal. Johnson paused and said, 'I don't know.' "deVlaming got to respond. 'We can short-cut this whole process. If there's a voluntary disclosure of privileged information, it's waived!' Denis explained if the person discusses any portion of the testimony, it's waived. His right was waived when Gaston sat down for two hours and talked with Jesse and Denis' private investigators. "Then Denis brought out another bombshell. He passed a letter to the State, to Johnson and to the Judge. This letter was written to 'a woman who was trying to get her money back.' It was written on FLAG letterhead and dated October 30th. The letter stated that undoubtedly this woman has been in contact with the LMT. The letter advised her that we are all criminals. The writer went into details of Jesse's case. 'I have one question,' said Denis, 'How could the Church of Scientology get this information available only through discovery? I didn't get it till three months later in January.' "The judge said he would try to have his ruling by Thursday. Message-ID: fr09dt8rm7mm6bl04jgfbj95p8lao51sia@4ax.com
Washington, DC
The Washington Times reported on April 17th that Scientology planned a lecture on drugs. "Drugs lecture noon The Church of Scientology presents a lecture, 'Clear Body, Clear Mind,' salvaging society from the effects of drugs, by Dr. Astrid Reeves. Location: 1701 20th St. NW." Scientology announced a plan to lobby the U.S. Congress against the government of France. "The United States of America, as an international icon of freedom and human rights, must take a leadership role to stop this insanity before it takes hold in other parts of the world. The introduction of a Congressional Resolution, representing 'the voice of the U. S. Congress,' will condemn government-condoned religious persecution in Western Europe and especially in France. "Join us in an historical multi-religion campaign to eliminate this suppression swiftly and decisively, as Scientologists join with like-minded groups and individuals who believe that religious freedom is worth fighting for. Your adventure will begin Wednesday, April 25, in Washington, D.C. You and other religious representatives will be briefed and hatted by our D.C. experts on meeting with congressional publics to bring them to understand the importance of this vital issue. "There will be many highlights, including a multi-faith service, organized by the Foundation for Religious Tolerance, and held at the Founding Church of Scientology in D.C. Leaders from many different religions will be mobilized into action. Fight back against those who would destroy religion on this planet! "Leisa Goodman Human Rights Director Office of Special Affairs "Mark these dates: April 25 & 26. Contact the Foundation for Religious Tolerance LA 323-661-1196 to find out more. The Office of Special Affairs (OSA) is leading the way in the fight against religious suppression." Message-ID: 37nvdt0gekd9d1l4p21pcatuta00ahsvta@4ax.com Message-ID: 3ae0d05a.0@news2.lightlink.com
France
Reuters reported on April 3rd that charges have been filed against Scientology to answer charges of extortion and invasion of privacy. "Investigating magistrate Renaud Van Ruymbeke also notified Marc Walter, a leader of Scientology in the Paris region, that he would face trial on the same charges, in addition to false advertising. However, Van Ruymbeke dropped charges against Martine Brochard, another Scientologist. "The suit was filed by three former Scientologists who accused the church of using their names and addresses on its listings after they had left the movement. Court documents said two of the three plaintiffs had been bombarded with publicity material seeking money under false pretenses. A date for the trial was not immediately set." Message-ID: Xuvy6.2698$rk1.243569@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net
Freewinds
La Prensa reported on April 2nd that Scientology's ship, the Freewinds, may be inspected for dangerous asbestos levels. "People of the Shipping Inspection expect problems in seriously dealing with the 'Freewinds'. All buildings and ships built before 1970 were built with asbestos. All plates/panels on roofs are made of dangerous asbestos. According to a functionary of the Shipping Inspection, this is a material which provides good protection from fire. 'Why should we begin refusing 'Freewinds,' when we know that all ships built before 1970 were fitted with that material? Then we would have to refuse the majority of ships,' according to the statement. "Richardson emphasizes that blue asbestos is not dangerous, as long as one does not come into contact with it. 'We understand that the asbestos on board is in hard, and not powder, form. We will soon inspect the 'Freewinds.' We will do this together with Shipping Inspection and the Port Safety Inspection, since these are the the nautical authorities in this case,' according to Richardson's statement." Message-ID: 986411037.516291@seven.kulnet.kuleuven.ac.be
Germany
Tagesspiegel reported on April 19th that a Munich, Germany labor court has ruled that civil service employees do not have to fill out a survey about involvement in Scientology. "An employee in civil service does not have to fill out and sign the survey on relations with the Scientology organization. That was the decision come to by the Munich labor court. The Bavarian Interior Ministry explained, however, that filling out the surveys would remain mandatory for job applicants. The complainant in the Munich case was already employed." From Frankfurter Rundschau on April 18th: "Scientology stated on Wednesday that the surveys on membership in their organization had no legal foundation for employees of civil service. The Bavarian Interior Ministry contradicted that statement and explained that the survey had not been withdrawn. Employees in civil service, as well as new applicants, would continue to have to report possible contacts to 'organizations categorized as extremist or counter-constitutional.' The Interior Ministry said, however, that it would not appeal the decision because it was an 'isolated, exceptional case.'" Freie Presse reported on April 19th that Scientology is creating controversy in the race for mayor of the city of Zwickau. "Mayoral candidate Dietmar Vettermann (CDU) is between a rock and a hard place. Only last November did the planning commissioner confirm his course of confrontation with Kurt Fliegerbauer, the controversial Scientologist. Eight building owners from Weissenborn are currently putting him under the gun. 'An absolutely difficult and sensitive political story,' groaned Vettermann. In the early '90s the current residents bought four finished double dwellings. Now the owners are being asked again for cash for the street - from Kurt Fliegerbauer. He is demanding 10,000 marks apiece from each owner because the street has belonged to him since 1998. "The residents have been asking for a long time that the street be made public. 'The city granted use of the street as access, but never assured right-of-way,' said Raimund Berst, spokesman for the development. The street has always been private property and finally came into Fliegerbauer's possession, who acquired it as part of real estate package. Berst stated, 'The city neglected to make the street public in a timely manner.' It admitted to no wrong-doing, but was soon dealing with Fliegerbauer as to use. He said he would only agree if the building owners would pay a 'one-time compensation.' But the people affected by this did not want to do that and again put Vettermann under pressure. "The budget committee is supposed to take it up 'at the end of April / beginning of May.' A buy would be 'dependent upon conditions.' But now the residents are in a hurry. 'Fliegerbauer could fence off the street,' complained Berst. 'Emergency medical service, fire truck service and waste disposal are not insured.' But the Scientologist has no intention of undertaking anything. 'Those are fantasies,' he said." Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1010420065207.150A-100000@darkstar.zippy Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1010420065338.150B-100000@darkstar.zippy Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1010412120418.117A-100000@darkstar.zippy
Grady Ward
Bob Minton posted filings made in the Grady Ward case, in which Scientology is attempting to depose him and collect $3 million on a claim that Bob is responsible for an alleged breach of Grady's settlement for copyright violations. From a filing against the deposition: "In opposing Mr. Minton's motion for a protective order, RTC does not squarely address the substance of the motion but instead focuses its efforts on attacking Mr. Minton and spinning its fictional theory of a Minton-led 'conspiracy' against the Church of Scientology. The proper place to address RTC's conspiracy theories and their relevance to the central issue - the execution of the judgment against Grady Ward - is in the court in which the judgment was entered, the Northern District of California. The Northern District is the court that ruled on the scope of discovery on the judgment; it is the court that decided not to permit RTC to execute on the judgment; and it is the court that has explicitly retained jurisdiction concerning execution of the judgment. If RTC believes its conspiracy theory justifies discovery against Mr. Minton, it should take it up with the Northern District. Its unwillingness to do so speaks volumes on the impropriety of the discovery. "Any attempt by RTC to proceed on the basis of alter ego or enterprise liability is premature and inappropriate. When they received notice of the Northern District's order denying execution, Mr. Minton's counsel called RTC's counsel and asked her to withdraw RTC's Motion to Compel and its request to depose Mr. Minton. Although she acknowledged that RTC was not entitled to execute the judgment against Ward, she stated that RTC intends to execute the judgment against others 'beyond Ward,' including Mr. Minton, who RTC alleges are responsible for the judgment on a theory of alter ego or enterprise liability. RTC has never presented this theory of liability to the Northern District, and Mr. Minton, as a non-party to the litigation, has never had the opportunity to address the court that entered the judgment as to why he should not be responsible for it. When Mr. Minton's counsel asked whether RTC intends to seek approval of the Northern District before proceeding on an ability theory, RTC's counsel stated that it did not. "Mr. Minton is a private citizen who has provided financial assistance to several individuals who have sued and been sued by various affiliates of COS, including RTC. He has done so out of concern for the way in which COS treats individuals who dare criticize it. He finds offensive COS's litigious nature and its practice of trying to crush its critics under the heavy weight of litigation. Among his goals in doing so are to produce a 'fairer fight' and to make it more likely that the matters at issue are fairly heard and decided by the courts rather than disappear because one of the litigants cannot afford to continue. Moreover, Mr. Minton neither is a party to any of these suits nor has any involvement in or direct knowledge about the underlying matters being litigated. "Over the past several years, COS has taken aggressive steps to harass and intimidate Mr. Minton and his family. COS has dispatched private detectives to try to 'dig up dirt' on Mr. Minton from his relatives and former business associates. It has had Mr. Minton's two young daughters followed on two occasions. One representative of COS has threatened to attack Mr. Minton through his family, former business associates, and tax authorities. On many occasions, COS has had its members blanket Mr. Minton's neighborhood with leaflets containing false and highly inflammatory statements about him. Within the last few months, a 'private investigator' named Mr. Hirsch, from an organization apparently known as International Inquiries, falsely warned Mr. Minton's personal accountant that the Nigerian government had filed formal criminal charges against Mr. Minton and asserted that a Swiss bank account allegedly belonging to him had been frozen. These statements were totally false. COS, through the very counsel that that appears for RTC here, has threatened Mr. Minton, expressing its displeasure that Mr. Minton has 'undertaken the financial maintenance of a significant number of litigants adverse to Scientology Churches in the United States.'" From Scientology's motion to compel the deposition: "By his Motion for Protective Order, Minton continues a pattern of discovery obstruction in which he, and his controlled entity and those who work for it, have been engaged in this district and in several other courts for over a year. This conduct persists despite that, since October 1, 2000, no fewer than six sanctions orders have been entered in Florida against Minton, his corporation, his cohorts, and even another of his attorneys, for their concerted stonewalling of discovery in this case and ether cases. Minton has been admonished severely by the Bankruptcy Court of this district for discovery obstruction in another deposition taken in a different case on November 2, 2000. Minton was, on February 21, 2001, held in criminal contempt of a Florida court's injunction. "Currently, Ward is employed by LMT and is paid $2,500 a month out of Minton's support to LMT to contribute to Minton's attacks on the Scientology religion. He is also able to obtain additional Minton funding from LMT on demand; in May 2000, he asked Brooks for money to make a payment of $11,500 under the judgment herein and was immediately given $12,200 as a 'loan.' LMT has also paid for Ward to hire counsel to represent him in this case. And on another earlier occasion, in 1998, prior to LMT's existence, Ward told Brooks that he needed money, and Minton passed $16,000 on to Ward via Brooks, this time giving $8,000 to Ward and $8,000 allegedly to his children in a blatant tax fraud, even though Brooks does not even know Ward's children, even though she herself was virtually destitute but for Minton's funding of her, and even though Ward used the supposed gift to his children to purchase a computer for his, Ward's, own use. "Minton, Brooks and LMT have funded other adversaries of Scientology in litigation, including a wrongful death action ostensibly brought by the Estate of Lisa McPherson in Hillsborough County Circuit Court; but which, in reality, is completely funded by Minton as an 'investment' into which he has poured more than one million dollars. "LMT was formed and wholly owned by Minton, who exclusively funds its activities. It is not known to engage in any income-producing activities, and apparently exists as a means to funnel Minton's funds to litigants adverse to Scientology parties in the effort to damage, and eventually destroy the Scientology religion, as well as a vehicle by which Minton intends to receive large payments from such litigants if and when they succeed in their litigation. Ward's financial support is entirely dependent upon Minton and his corporation, and he is able to obtain money on demand from Minton and LMT whenever he needs it, other than, of course, to pay RTC's judgment. "Minton and those involved with him, including defendant Grady Ward, are thus engaged in an enterprise that may well be liable under California law for the judgment herein. RTC's document requests and questions to Minton concerning LMT arc aimed at obtaining evidence of these relationships, of how LMT is controlled and funded, and of how Minton's money goes to Ward. Thus, all of the arguments set forth above concerning payments to or for the benefit of Ward are equally applicable here." Message-ID: 2ujfdt4359e2tr73edp9gb1q74dsv1b8gn@4ax.com Message-ID: bdnfdtce79mt0q6r7h8f4th847i9audoh5@4ax.com
Keith Henson
Keith Henson posted updates to his trial for making terrorist threats against Scientology's Gold Base in Hemet, California. "After the serious defeat Tuesday where we lost an attempt to get Frank Oliver in as an expert witness and his qualifications made part of the court's record, Jim and I had a strategy session. We wanted this stuff in as part of the appeal record and it seemed a really good idea to educate the judge about some of the nasty non-religious aspects of the cult. We made a motion to reconsider with a declaration from Frank about having been in the court during the Clearwater 13 trial and heard one of their security people define me as 'enemy' and 'suppressive persons' and attached Franks qualifications to the motion as an exhibit." "Judge Wallerstein took up the motion we filed, and ruled against us again. It was determined that the motion and exhibit were filed. Next my lawyer asked the Judge to reconsider mentioning Lisa McPherson, Ashlee Shaner and Stacy Moxon Meyer since all are mentioned in the postings which have been admitted. DA Robert Schwarz spoke up, saying that my postings would be redacted to remove the reason I was picketing. "Schwarz put in a major rant to the judge about my reporting on a.r.s and mentioning that this weekend would be a fine time to picket. He mentioned polluting the jury and doing the same thing I was accused of doing. Robert Schwarz went into an old scientology reason not to picket, danger to the picketer. What Robert was asking for is prior restraint. The judge was very sharp with him and told him no. "We started in on jury selection. A Jehovah's Witness stood up and said she could not be fair to all religions. She was dismissed. Eventually we got 12 and two alternates. I was impressed by the fact that more than half of the potential jurors were on the Internet. "Opening statements: One fragment of Robert's argument stuck. 'Dissuade the victims from practicing their religion.' He made the claim that I hate scientologists. Of course, that is not the case. Schwarz mentioned that the case would involve CoS out at Gilman Hot Springs. There would be mention of GPS (the global positioning system), explosives; they would show from a patent that I knew how to launch missiles. Schwarz went on to mention that I was practicing psychological warfare, owned a cannon, had the ability to make incendiary devices and the animus to do so. He went on to say that their case would be based on Internet postings, reported chasing of buses, getting in front of the buses, and ended with proposing a contract with the jury that if he shows the elements of a crime they will convict. "Jim Harr gave an opening statement. He brought up the first amendment and said the case was really about scientology's trying to stifle my right to protest. "So we got to the first witness, Frank Petty. Schwarz asked him about a July 4 picket. This was the one where Shy David took the GPS readings while picketing with Barbara and me. 'Did you see Mr. Henson with the GPS? 'No.' 'Can you tell us the gist of what they were saying?' 'No.' At this point Schwarz tried to get the photo of the guard shack with the 'target data' and some numbers on it introduced into evidence. Jim Harr objected that it had 'no foundation'; the judge sustained. "Next on was Ken Hoden. Schwarz walked Ken through a long description of the Golden Era property using a huge map. Ken was led into a long description of how much disruption some 40 days of picketing caused them last summer." "Jim Harr used Hoden's identifying the full versions to read parts of the rest of the postings. Hoden did a dramatic reading of a page or so from Great Mambo Chicken. The events Hoden described dated from the early seventies. There was a great deal of description of the tremendous efforts they went to last summer to keep people from being where they could see my signs, parts of gold base were largely abandoned, traffic was rerouted on a dynamic basis, there was a Henson drill instituted when I showed up or was known to be on the way. "Last was a guy from a concrete company. I don't remember if I reported on this last summer, but I did go by a ready mix plant that had been delivering concrete all day as I was picketing, to ask them what they were doing. In any case, it is not against the law to ask if they were pouring a bunker. "After a rainstorm Saturday morning Bruce Pettycrew, Deana Holmes and Arel Lucas (my wife) picketed Gold base. There were only a dozen people or so walking rapidly into the studio, and the base was just about as deserted looking as it was last summer. On the way in from the west, the picketers drove past one person with an orange vest who was picking up litter. After the picketers had made a couple of passes and the person in the orange vest had worked near the compound, it looked like Bruce would be passing the person. When he was about 50 yards from the person, a black SUV like the one I have mentioned as being driven by Richardson before roared up and snatched the person. "I picketed the corner of State and Florida and gave out the usual ration of flyers. One woman from a car was advocating extreme physical measures to deal with them. I suggested that less extreme measures should be given a chance." Message-ID: 3adf0af1.12771032@news2.lightlink.com Message-ID: 3ae06832.19951815@news2.lightlink.com Message-ID: poq4etoss0phaoa2rj7rrq8p3o6gc1br05@4ax.com
Narconon
The Arizona Republic reported on April 4th that a bill has been passed by the legislature on licensing procedures for doctors which does not include funding for Narconon or Scientology. "The Legislature has sent Gov. Jane Hull a bill to keep state regulators from licensing physicians whose licenses in other states have been revoked. The Senate on Tuesday sent the bill to Hull after voting 29-0 to accept minor changes made by the House to the bill passed previously by the Senate. The bill would prohibit the Board of Medical Examiners from issuing a license to an applicant whose license has been revoked elsewhere for unprofessional conduct and require the board to investigate previous disciplinary actions by other states before issuing a license. "A Senate committee dropped any notion of providing $3 million worth of massages and saunas for addicts in prison on Tuesday but approved spending $600,000 a year on programs to help ex-convicts return to the community. The controversial Second Chance drug-treatment program, based on the teachings of Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, nearly derailed HB2563 last week. But the measure emerged from the Senate Judiciary Committee with pre-release drug treatment amended out." Message-ID: 9af2hh$qmc@netaxs.com
Protest Summary
Bruce Pettycrew reported a protest in Mesa, AZ on March 31st. "Kathy and I picketed from 10 to 11 yesterday morning, accompanied by two students from NAU (Northern Arizona U.). The students are doing a report for a sociology class and had requested to interview me after seeing a Web ad for a talk on the subject of 'CoS vs the Internet' that I had presented at local humanist and skeptics' meetings. They did not carry signs, although one of them asked to be notified about later pickets. "Just before the students arrived, as Kathy and I started the picket, two female sea org members walked up on the sidewalk from the Dobson intersection and entered the building. Towards the end of the picket a woman came out of the org with a Kodak 'use once' camera to take our picture. Kathy responded with a Sony Hi-8 video and I volleyed with my new Canon G1 Powershot digital camera in 'Raw Pixel' mode. Outclassed, she retreated." Gregg Hagglund and Kaeli reported a protest in Toronto on April 15th. "Picketers: Mike Argue, Gregg Hagglund. Observers: Kaeli, Zeratul. Duration: 1 PM to 3 PM. One Hour Civil, One hour Obstructed. Flyer Count: 100+ ""For the first hour, despite some of the usual abusive rhetoric of Bob Hill, the picket ran smoothly. Mike and I handed out over 100 flyers. After almost exactly an hour the bulk of the usual OSA Volunteer Goons arrived. First Brian Mcpherson, Gwen Jones and Bob Hill simply began a steady barrage of the usual verbal abuse. They were accompanied by Doug on the OSA Video cam. Two minutes later Dan Bryenton arrives and four minutes later I find myself in distinct trouble. Brian Mcpherson approaches me from my left and Dan Bryenton quickly steps into within inches of me. Bryenton is smoking a foul smelling cigarillo about 4 inches long. Bryenton is verbally abusive of me and the physical proximity of the burning cigar is frightening. "Restrained by the street sign at my back, street traffic on my right, Mcpherson on immediate left and Dan Bryenton close in front of me. I had to push between Bryenton and Mcpherson. Val Hill, standing behind Bryenton, immediately claimed I had pushed Bryenton. And Bryenton, burning cigar in hand, demanded an apology. Of course I did not give him one." "At one point, Gregg was surrounded by an entire group of people. I noticed that Dan was somewhat more aggressive than before, and was right up (I'd say about two inches or so) from Gregg's face. Dan had a lit cigarillo and at one point, had it right near Gregg's face as well. Gregg tried to walk forward, and landed up right into Dan, who was blocking him. Gregg had to push in order to get past Dan. The only recourse he had was stepping into a very busy Yonge Street, or walking into me, and next to me was Mike." Kristi Wachter reported a protest in San Francisco on April 7th. "Start and End Times: 12:00 - 3:30 pm. Picketers: Murdoch, Phr, Kristi Wachter (and Charlie stopped by). Handlers: Jeff, Craig, Robin Number of Handouts given away: at least 250. "Phr, Murdoch, and I met up at the org, then we headed over to the Borders Books at Union Square, where Scientology celebrity and promoter Nancy Cartwright was doing a reading and book signing for her autobiography, 'My Life As A Ten Year Old Boy.' Craig followed us over, and shortly thereafter, Jeff and Robin also appeared, decked out in matching 'Psychiatry Kills / Psych Buster' t-shirts, and bearing large 'Psychiatry Kills' signs. "We handed out 95 of my new 'What Nancy Cartwright Won't Tell You' fliers (with 'What's Wrong With Scientology' on the back). The cable cars stopped often at our corner, so I had fun showing them my sign and waving at them. "We arrived back at the org shortly after two, trailing our trio of followers. Charlie joined us for a bit, not picketing or handing out fliers but strolling with us and engaging in conversation with Jeff." Dave Bird reported a protest in Birmingham on April 7th. "Ten of us picketed today in Birmingham (England): Dave, Jens, Damian, Martin, Hartley, Ian, Andy and Pam, Steve C-T, plus Santosh. It rained. It was windy, and very cold; my hands needed a good warming afterwards. "One small OSA clam scuttled round the edges. He used a mobile to phone the police, who seemed to be telling him to go away and stop wasting their time. Between one and two clams carried on against our picket. He said he had a 'surprise for us at the end,' which seemed to be that the total of body routers went up to four the moment we departed. He followed us, taking pictures, to a pub just next to the station. Leaflets went reasonably well, we must have put out about 500." Mike Gormez reported handing out flyers at a Scientology affiliated school in Amsterdam on April 13th. "400 hundred or so of very good flyers handed out. The first one told on one side in bold letters that the school is Scn and has a quote of an ex-pupil who wanted to die because he was made to believe then that he had done many bad things in his life. The other side described the link between the Lafayette-school and Scientology, that the same books were sold in Scientology 'churches' as used on this school, and cited the 2 academics Professor J. Lemlech of USC and Dr. David Touretzky, who debunked study tech. It continues with the use of e-meters on the kids - who are sent to the org for that - and about the gift Hubbard left behind for the Scn children, the infamous Sec Check Children. The other flyers was the trusted Xenu-flyer. "3 picketers. Jeta, Ineke and Mikey. One Scn-school linked lunatic who verbally threatened to smash our heads in with a baseball bat. Denied being scieno while behaving and talking like one. 8 cops (or 10, I am not sure) because of same scn-school lunatic. He said his son was a pupil of this school and he didn't like us to see there. If we wouldn't leave he would get a bat and make us go. That and a lot of swearing. I called the police but the man was already gone after I had asked him to stay and wait with us. In a few minutes 2 police cars did come from two sides of the street two officers talk with us. The situation was explained and that the guy was not under control. Two officers went inside and after ten minutes they came outside and told us that the school had told them that the man would not come back. "The police weren't away for longer as 5 minutes before that dangerous lunatic come cycling back. Perhaps he had his baseball bat we were wondering. Luckily he hadn't, but he was still very much upset and aggressive. He nearly rode his bike against Jeta. He went again into the school. Of course the police was called again. This time 2 bikes and 1 or 2 police cars came. While I am still talking with the officers the man comes outside the school. I point him out and the officers had in interesting conversation with him that went something like this. "'I only speak English. So we have a problem' "Police: 'I speak English as well, so that settles is. From which country are you?' "'I am an European.' "Cop: 'In which country are you born?' "'England.' "'Well, perhaps you are not aware of the laws in the Netherlands but here everyone has the right to express his opinion. Even if you don't like that opinion. This picket has a permit approved by the mayor of Amsterdam.' "'I am also expressing my opinion.' "Officer: 'You are trying to put extra force in your argument by threatening with physical violence? Sir, you have sweaty temples and your heartbeat is way over the top. You are very emotional and although you try to pretend you're calm, I can tell you're not.' "The police made it clear if the picketers had to call for a third time, he would be taken in. The man went reluctantly inside and then his girlfriend tried her spiel. 'Those people,' meaning us, 'have misunderstood him. He hasn't meant it that way. They are misrepresenting him.' Officer bluntly: 'He has just told me himself how he would smash their heads in.'" Message-ID: DYMx6.94139$Xt3.12786297@news1.rdc1.az.home.com Message-ID: 9bcvdtged4969gcuvfg1s6trrho3d5o0vs@4ax.com Message-ID: 3AE11AB9.7665FAA1@klis.com Message-ID: 3acfb5c9.0@news2.lightlink.com Message-ID: $TptxbAJY0z6EwPZ@xemu.demon.co.uk Message-ID: 3ae29241.12447697@news.ams.chello.nl
Sweden
Helsingborgs Dagblad reported on April 18th that a member of the Swedish parliament will not appeal her sentence for copyright violation. "The Social Democrat member of parliament Carina Hagg, who was convicted in the district court of Jonkoping for having handed in a copy of the so-called Scientology Bible to the town library, will not appeal the sentence. Carina Hagg, who is a member of parliament from Varnamo, was sentenced to a fine of fifty units. She is also to pay damages to the Church of Scientology, and their legal costs. "Carina Hagg has, after discussion with her family, decided not to appeal the verdict. 'I am disappointed about not having been acquitted by the court, but that disappointment has to be weighed against the pressures that an appeal of the verdict would involve', she writes. 'I handed the 'bible' over to the library because I wanted to create a debate about cults. I will certainly continue the scrutiny of cults such as Scientology'." Catarina Pamnell reported attending an event at a Swedish high school at which a Scientologist was one of the presenters. "The largest secondary school in my home town Angelholm, in southern Sweden, arranged a 'Day of Religions.' Representatives for several different religious faiths or philosophies are invited. They each get to hold three 45-minute presentations in the morning, and the students can choose to attend presentations from three different groups. "Ake Wiman presented some cult critical and skeptic viewpoints. There was also one representative from the Church of Scientology. It turned out that she was not OSA, but from the job description she gave the students probably the FBO (Flag Banking Officer) of the small org in Malmo. "The presentation was mostly standard fare - the 8 dynamics, the tone scale, dianetics auditing, the e-meter, the goal to become Clear. The CoS rep said she had been a member for 6 years and soon after joining had found that she was Clear from a past life. Then the students could ask questions. 'You don't seem to have any religious message, so why do you call yourself a religion?,' and a few didn't bother to conceal their amusement. When the discussion turned to the cost of courses, and the CoS rep started the 'there are 4 dollar courses' spin, I finally gave in to the temptation to open my mouth and said 'If anyone wants to know what the courses cost in reality, then I have an official CoS price list upstairs.' I got a bunch of questions from the students which took up most of the remaining time. The CoS rep seemed unprepared for how to deal with this, but only asked me a few civil questions about when and where I had been involved, and didn't cut me off. "During Ake's presentations and during the conversations I got into with students in the hallways, they wanted to talk about Xenu. Why did the CoS want to keep this story secret? What did the CoS rep think of the story? Did she really think that it was dangerous for people to read it? The CoS rep said - probably truthfully - that she had not done the course yet and didn't know what to think about it. But this dodging the question clearly failed to impress the students." From Nordvastra Skanes Tidningar on April 21st: "The theme day about religions was arranged for the final year students. This year, it was dominated by the smaller congregations. The basic idea of the day of religion is to give the students a good opportunity to practise critical thinking. The last lecturer was a scientologist. Clearly, the positive outweighs the negative with these lectures. Perhaps one person is convinced to join the Church of Scientology, but 100 realize that they should not do it, so it's a good thing, says Jacob Jorlen. They get agreement from Catarina Pamnell, who is a former scientologist: 'If this had been allowed to stand alone, out of context and without counter-arguments - then it could have been dangerous. But the students are well prepared and there is also the panel debate this afternoon.'" Message-ID: 9bjma0$3us$1@cubacola.tninet.se Message-ID: 9bskan$gov$1@cubacola.tninet.se
UK
Metro reported on April 11th that a teacher's union is opposed to plans that might allow Scientology and other cults to run state schools in the UK. "Controversial religious groups such as the Moonies and Scientologists might be allowed to run state schools under plans to reform the education system, a teachers' union leader said yesterday. Under plans unveiled earlier this year, faiths other than the Christian churches are to be allowed to apply for public money to set up voluntary-aided schools. "Peter Smith, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, asked his union's annual conference: 'Will the proposals open the way for financially powerful cults such as the Scientologists or the Moonies to apply for public funding? 'Who is to decide between a mainstream non-Christian faith which is entitled to be considered and heavily back-rolled fringe religions?'" Message-ID: t2OxtCAe+i26EwG8@lutefisk.demon.co.uk
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.
