Alt.religion.scientology Week in Review Volume 2, Issue 9 06/08/97 by Rod Keller [rkeller@voicenet.com] copyright 1997
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 informtion. 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, just email me at
rkeller@voicenet.com
It is archived at:
http://wpxx02.toxi.uni-wuerzburg.de/~krasel/CoS/ars-summary.html
http://www.thur.de/religio/publik/arsfaq.html
New--> http://home.sol.no/heldal/CoS/archive/WIR/
http://user1.i1.net/~mallen/scn/arswr/ars-summary.html
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Feshbachs
U.S. News and World Report published an article which mentions
Scientology's infamous Feshbach Brothers, known for short selling stocks.
"Known as short sellers, or 'shorts,' these financiers make their living betting stocks will fall, not rise. Short selling is kind of like investing in reverse. Instead of buying now and selling later, hoping the stock will rise, the short seller sells now and buys later, hoping the stock will fall. Short sellers get shares (actual 8-by-10 certificates) to sell by borrowing them from a broker. They return them by buying back shares in the open market at what they hope will be a lower price.
"In the late 1980s, shorts like California's Feshbach Brothers generated 40 percent annual returns year after year, brashly trumpeting their picks as 'toast' or 'dead ducks.' At their peak in 1990, the Feshbachs managed $1 billion and used their unorthodox approach and lack of formal education to develop a cult following in the staid investment world. But when the bull market began to stir in 1991, clients fled; by 1993, the Feshbachs had shelved the short-only strategy and started buying stocks."
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/970609/9shor.htm
Message-ID: <33a2d068.165702374@news.snafu.de>
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Soccer
Hamburger Morgenpost reported that the Inter Mailand soccer club may be
fined for advertising Scientology on the field.
"Soccer Club 'Inter Mailand' is charged by the UEFA to pay a fine for having scientology's pitch-perimeter advertising during the UEFA Cup Final (Inter Mailand vs. Schalke 04)."
Agence France-Presse reported:
"Italian club Inter Milan are facing a fine after advertisements for the controversial Church of Scientology sect were displayed during their UEFA Cup final second leg match with Schalke on May 21 in the San Siro.
"European football's ruling body UEFA have asked Inter to explain the matter and UEFA secretary general Gerhard Aigner said Monday that Inter would be fined if they admitted agreeing to allow the sect to place banners behind the goals at the match."
http://www.nando.net/newsroom/sports/oth/1997/oth/soc/feat/archive/060297/soc27549.html
Message-ID: <3394366B.7FA540DE@online.no>
Message-ID: <banhut-0306972010190001@banhut.hh.provi.de>
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Germany
Germany this week announced it would begin monitoring Scientology
nation-wide, under laws designed to control terrorist and extremist
groups. From Reuters:
"The federal Interior Ministry and Germany's 16 regional states said a working group on the matter had recommended that sufficient suspicion existed of anti-democratic intent for them to legally place Scientology under surveillance. Interior Minister Manfred Kanther said Germany would do all in its power during a year-long observation to assess whether the group, which Germany does not recognise as a religion, could be classified as anti-constitutional. About 20 Scientologists protested outside Chancellor Helmut Kohl's chancellery, where Kohl was meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair, with placards reading: 'Mr. Kohl. Stop the hate and violence against Scientology.' 'We wanted to send a message to Blair to ensure that he protects religious freedom in Europe,' the spokeswoman said.
"Kanther denied that surveillance, already being carried out in the two large southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg, represented persecution of the group. 'In Germany, there need be no fear of a witchhunt involving state bodies,' he said. Even if the surveillance did unearth evidence against the group, Germany could not ban it outright, he added. Women and Family Affairs Minister Claudia Nolte backed the scrutiny, saying in a statement that 'our citizens must be protected against the unscrupulous profiteering of Scientology.'
"The main opposition Social Democrats (SPD) also welcomed the decision as long overdue but the smaller Green Party criticised it, calling the planned watch authoritarian. 'Using such heavy artillery risks producing martyrs and...making the organisation more radical,' they added."
U.S. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns was asked about the announcement in a press briefing.
"The United States obviously has to stand for freedom of religion. We have that in our own country and we stand for freedom of religion around the world. If you would just look at our annual human rights reports, I think four out of the last five years or five of the last six - I forget which - we have mentioned this issue of scientology. But I feel compelled to say something else about this issue, and that is that Germany needs to be protected, the German Government and the German leadership need to be protected from this wild charge made by the Church of Scientology in the United States that somehow the treatment of Scientologists in Germany can or should be compared to the treatment of Jews who had to live, and who ultimately perished, under Nazi rule in the 1930s.
"This wildly inaccurate comparison is most unfair to Chancellor Kohl and to his government and to regional governments and city governments throughout Germany. It has been made consistently by supporters of scientology here in the United States, and by Scientologists themselves. I do want to disassociate the United States Government from this campaign. We reject this campaign. It is most unfair to Germany and to Germans in general.
"We have an alliance relationship with Germany. We have a very close relationship. I think among friends, you don't shoot first and ask questions later. What we need to do is study this issue, talk to the German Government about it, and then perhaps we will have something to say later on."
http://www.state.gov/www/briefings/9706/970606db.html
http://www.whidbey.net/~skyhawk/cos/kohl
Message-ID: <5n9a46$gu@netaxs.com>
Message-ID: <33c09519.380219649@news.snafu.de>
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Grady Ward
Grady Ward reported that the Dead Agent attacks on him have continued,
with an emailed pack to the entire school district his children attend.
"As in the DA pack sent by the US Mails, this one accidentally gave away the source as 'smtp.scientology.org'
"'From: mjanney@mac-mail1.interworld.net To: pacific@humboldt.k12.ca.us Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 18:54:17 +0000
"'I am concerned about the Ward children who attend Pacific Union Elementary School. Their father, Grady Ward, posts profanity and pornography onto the Internet, which I have come across. I don't normally get involved in such things. Except his children spend a lot of time with him, as their mother works. I am concerned that they are being exposed to this type of material. Enclosed are some examples of the type of material he puts onto the Internet.'"
Grady also reported that at a hearing Judge Whyte denied Scientology's motion for summary judgment. "The tentative ruling hotline reveals that Judge Whyte is intending to DENY RTC's motion for partial summary judgment against Grady Ward. This means that there will be a full trial in January, 1998. The Judge, did, however, eliminate all the affirmative defenses from Grady Ward's answer, such as unclean hands and copyright misuse.
"He also granted the cult summary adjudication in the matter of the ownership of their alleged copyrights."
Message-ID: <33934463.3208750@news.supernews.com>
Message-ID: <33977b8e.172382@news.supernews.com>
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Ireland
Two anonymous posters reported this week on efforts to free an Irish
Scientologist from the cult.
"I am writing from South East Ireland, a friends brother (Odrin Fortune) joined the scientologists in Copenhagen. He came back to Ireland at Christmas emaciated. The Scientologists got him back on Sunday and smuggled him to England. His family found out that he was at their centre in Sussex, and went over there yesterday. When they got there he was gone to London, to 'consult with a barrister'.
"This story is receiving massive publicity on Irish Radio, if we could get him back it would give the whole subject a huge publicity boost in Ireland. The radio programme (Pat Kenny Show) will be doing an update on Monday morning."
"About twenty friends and members of Odhrans family went to England yesterday as you said, to the centre where he is being held in the hopes of being able to talk to him. It is believed that at present Odhran is with the Scientologists in East Grinstead, Sussex. His family would be grateful for any help or information that you can give. More media coverage and publicity about this incident increases the chances of Odhran being able to communicate with his family."
Message-ID: <5n9dgs$itn4@spock.tinet.ie>
Message-ID: <5n9504$rvk@basement.replay.com>
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Narconon
Scientology's jazz band "The Jive Aces" announced they collected 456
pounds in support of the Narconon program during a recent street
performance.
"On Bank Holiday Monday, 26th May 1997, the effective drug rehabilitation
and education charity, NARCONON, raised GBP 456 from its first street
collection in Brighton. The Jive Aces, who have just returned from their
tour of Israel, played songs from their new CD entitled, 'Bolt From The
Blue' to packed crowds on the seafront near the Palace Pier. All members
of the group lead completely drug-free lives and regularly support
Narconon at such events."
http://narconon.org
Message-ID: <199706032333.QAA02891@fat.doobie.com>
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Julf
Johan Helsingius (Julf) has been ordered to release the identity of the
poster of one of the Scamizdat series of confidential materials.
"The Court of Appeals of Helsinki (Helsingin hovioikeus) has upheld the decision of the local court of Helsinki, in which Johan 'Julf' Helsingius was ordered to reveal the user id of the person who used the anon.penet.fi server to repost parts of Scamizdat, a collection of secret Scientology scriptures.
"In its decision dated 4th of June 1997, the Court of Appeals orders Helsingius to reveal the names in 30 days after the decision becomes final. If he doesn't try to appeal the decision it will mean that he has to reveal the user id within three months. He might appeal the decision to the Supreme Court within 60 days, in which case the whole thing will take longer, regardless of whether the Supreme Court chooses to consider the case or not.
"The following ID's were used to send material through anon.penet.fi: an498608@anon.penet.fi, an545430@anon.penet.fi
"The material was a repost of Scamizdat #11, in several parts. The original repost was done on 15.2.1996, and partly repeated 12.3.1996."
Message-ID: <5n7g0v$h75@reimari.uwasa.fi>
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Keith Henson
Keith Henson reported developments following his deposition of David
Miscavige and picket at the Hemet compound.
"He denied knowing about Lisa at the deposition. (Is his denial a trade
secret, a copyright violation or just confidential? Will RTC ask Judge
Infante for sanctions for me disclosing this tidbit?)"
"[H]e did indicate he reads the net.abuse artists heap on him."
"[T]he cult filed two great photos of me with each side of the sign in the reply to my last motion for more time to depose DM. I will try to get the originals and get them scanned it."
Message-ID: <hkhensonEB881E.775@netcom.com>
Message-ID: <hkhensonEB886A.7En@netcom.com>
Message-ID: <hkhensonEBE3u0.Iou@netcom.com>
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Eli Lilly
A.r.s poster "JimDBB" reported that Eli Lilly has hired the Leo Burnett
advertising agency, and alleged that this firm has ties to Scientology.
"Apparently, Eli Lilly & Co. does not know that a Leo Burnett Vice President and Associate Creative Director is a covert agent for the Church of Scientology. This covert agent has been involved in numerous criminal harassment actions against former scientologists, CAN staff members and supporters. This agent was actively involved in the Church of Scientology's conspiracy to destroy the Cult Awareness Network (CAN). "The Church of Scientology spent millions of tax-exempt dollars in a despicable attempt to discredit Prozac as a beneficial medication and attempted to destroy the Eli Lilly Co. as a reputable pharmaceutical Co. This same covert scientology agent/Leo Burnett VP was involved in scientology's anti-Prozac actions."
Message-ID: <19970604160901.MAA02316@ladder02.news.aol.com>
http://www.chicago.tribune.com/print/business/9706/04/business/9706040327.html
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The World Is Watching
The Tampa Tribune this week published an article on the worldwide
attention being given to the Lisa McPherson investigation. Lisa died in
the care of Scientology's Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida.
"Since December, people around the world have been intrigued by reports of the death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson. In Australia, Canada and England, critics of the Church of Scientology have invoked McPherson's name during protests. Arizona critic Jeff Jacobsen designed a Web site devoted to McPherson that has been duplicated to 18 different sites around the world. He and others protested against Scientology in downtown Clearwater in March. Some in the group carried signs with McPherson's photo or her name.
"Ken Dandar, the Tampa attorney for McPherson's family, said he is 'constantly getting e-mail' from people around the world interested in the lawsuit. Clearwater police Detective Sgt. Wayne Andrews, who is investigating the death, has received Internet mail from Germany, Greece, England, Australia, Mexico and Switzerland from people asking about the investigation or wanting to relate tales about Scientology.
"Interest is particularly high in Germany, where the government has concluded Scientology is not a church but a dangerous business. 'After having conducted thorough studies on the Scientology organization, the [German] government has come to the conclusion that the organization's pseudo-scientific courses can seriously jeopardize individuals' mental and physical health and that it exploits its members,' the German government said in a statement through its embassy in Washington, D.C.
"In the United States, McPherson's death has attracted the attention of the Tampa Bay media, as well as The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and 'Inside Edition' and 'Hard Copy' television shows.
"In Clearwater, investigators say their efforts to gather information in the case have been slowed because all of the church-affiliated people they've sought to interview have attorneys. That includes McPherson's former co-workers at AMC Publishing, which is owned by Scientologists. All in all, some 50 to 60 people who have been interviewed have been represented by up to 21 attorneys, police say. Subpoenas have been issued for 30 to 40 of those people. The clients have not disclosed who is paying for the attorneys.
"In response to a subpoena, the church has provided some records relating to McPherson. 'I consider them significant,' Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe said. Investigators will not discuss the documents.
"McPherson's family members are suing the church, claiming its members are responsible for her death. Dandar, their attorney, says he also has the subpoenaed documents, which he describes as an incomplete set of church 'medical records' that 'support all of our allegations.'"
Message-ID: <5mtco5$m78@netaxs.com>
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Oslo
Scientology lost an appeal in Oslo, Norway this week in the case of Magne
Berge.
"The appeal from The Cult of Scientology in Norway was turned down unanimously by 3 judges in High Court last week! This is final and the verdict (also unanimous) now stands for ever. It's pay-up time for the cult in Norway, if not they are demanded bankrupt.
"Magne Berge is an ex-scientologist who sued the cult to get his money back. He was awarded 600.000 kroner (about 100.000 US$) and the cult had to pay all legal costs. That must be well over a million kroner by now."
Message-ID: <33924F7D.7CCDEAF9@online.no>
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Russia
Arnie Lerma posted an article from an anonymous Russian correspondent on a
case filed by a number of cults, including Scientology, against the
Russian Orthodox Church.
"The trial in Moscow which have started on April 3 was finished on May 21. The lawsuit which was filed by Russian so called Peoples Committee to Defend the Freedom of Consciens against Alexander Dvorkin and Russian Christian Orthodox Church is totally dismissed. The complete ruling will be issued by the judge Saltykova within a month. The honor and dignity of 'religious organizations registered in Russia' which Dvorkin named as totalitarian sects among which are Krishna's consciousness society, Church of Scientology, Moon's unification church, and other were defended by international 'experts' like Eileen Barker, Prof. James Richardson, and numerous representatives from Russia. Massimo Introvigne and Gordon Melton have sent their written exhibits to the court. None of them could convince the court in the presence of victims that all these destructive cults are wealthy and loyal true religion organizations. The trial has a valuable precedent in Russia since all cults had joined together against traditional religion and the court will prove the possibility to name them as totalitarian sects. The Peoples Committee to Defend the Freedom of Consciens have revealed itself as an organization not fighting for the peoples human rights but which is lobbying interests of destructive cults and challenging to fill up this well-paid business of the free market."
Message-ID: <33958044.847988@news.dgsys.com>
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CyberPromo
Dozens of contributors to a.r.s received email from spamming company
CyberPromo this week, containing many of the secret materials of
Scientology.
"The World Wide Church of Auditing Technology, in conjunction with L. Ron Hubbard's Church of Scientology, brings you the upper level Secret Teachings at a great savings of SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS.
"The entire Operating Thetan Series in eight parts normally costs OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, but for a limited time only you can get the equivalent set leather bound in one concise volume FOR ONLY $99.95!!!
"Email worldwide@savetrees.com and our autoremailer will send you full details within one hour. The first one hundred to place an order are automatically eligible for a 20% discount on our upcoming special updated edition of the 'New Era Dianetics for Operating Thetans.' DON'T DELAY!! ACT NOW!"
Message-ID: <5nc6dr$e1e@flatland.dimensional.com>
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Swedish TV
Per Lundquist translated an announcement from Swedish TV 4 reporter Sven
Bergman concerning complaints and threatened lawsuits being filed by
Scientology in response to pieces broadcast on the church.
"TV4 sent a number of stories in November and December about the Church of Scientology. Representatives from CoS filed a bunch of complaints to the 'discipline board of Swedish broadcasting'. TV4 have handed in remarks about these complaints and they are at present treated by the discipline board. The News broadcast maintain their point of view that all the stories were of great public interest, objective and impartial. The CoS always were given chances to replay to all critics but often choose not to. The discipline board will give their statement in August.
"The second is that the News broadcast at TV4 is being threatened with lawsuit. It is U-man and 'Resursbolaget' that via their lawyers (Sagell & Angsmark) threatened to sue TV4 if TV4 doesn't follow their demands: Big damages and 'corrections'. TV4 replied to this via their lawyers turned these demands down. A few mails have been sent between the parties during spring. Any lawsuit have not been filed."
Message-ID: <865334122.9618@dejanews.com>
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Anti-Cult
A.r.s poster "Anti-Cult" reported that Scientology is attempting to
pressure his Internet provider into removing his account.
"The law firm Dahlman/Magnusson sent a fax to my ISP and demanded that they should close my account, or they would be held responsible. Was I surprised when I found out, that it was because of some alleged copyright abuse. Yes, it goes back to May 1 when I received a Kobrinogram in which the 'ho told me to cancel a message that I had sent to this NG. That was not possible, as I told her since they already had done that from a location in LA.
"This was a reply to one of the regulars in this NG, and the alleged copyright protected material was already in the article when it landed in my NG. However, since they haven't been able to prove that they have any standing whatsoever on this, I have no reason to restrict myself when replying to articles.
"This law firm that the criminal cult deals with her in Sweden, (Dahlman/Magnusson) is the same law firm that handles Zenon's case, and the very same law firm that sent threatening mails to people that have ordered the NOTs from the Swedish parliament.
"Now, I also told my ISP, that if I had done something wrong, there surely must be a legal judgment upon me, and if there isn't, this law firm of bullies and thugs haven't any standing whatsoever. I demanded that this threat would be withdrawn and if they had anything they should say, they can do that in the court of law. So, the result for the moment is that my ISP would once again talk to this law firm and return to me."
Message-ID: <3395d0f3.125558@193.12.69.3>
Message-ID: <339b23d1.4815549@193.12.69.3>
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Disinformation
The underground media award site "Disinformation" has given Jeff Jacobsen
its highest award for "The Hubbard is Bare".
"From: brian_pang@disinfo.com (Brian Pang) Subject: DisInformation Web Site Award Notice Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 16:26:31 -0600
"Your page, 'The Hubbard is Bare' at
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/cos/comments/jjintro.html, has been given
our highest rating by the reviewers at DisInformation, the subculture
search engine (http://www.disinfo.com), as a part of our dossier on
Scientology (http://www.disinfo.com/cc/illum/cc_illum_scientology.html)..
"We would like to thank you at this time for your great work and offer you a DisInformation Four Grenade Site graphic which you can display on your page.
http://xenu.phys.uit.no/lrhbare/
http://www.primenet.com~cultxpt/cos.htm
Message-ID: <5n59im$qvf@nntp02.primenet.com>
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Dennis Erlich
Copyright infringement defendant Dennis Erlich posted news that
Scientology claims it is unable to locate records as ordered by the court.
"I can tell you that in my case the scienos have refused to turn over my pc folders, despite a specific court order to do so, claiming that they can't locate them.
"Lying scumbags."
Message-ID: <339a472d.3272431@news.primenet.com>