Alt.religion.scientology Week in Review
Volume 4, Issue 33
11/014/99
by Rod Keller
rkeller@voicenet.com
copyright 1999

Contents

1. OSCE
2. CCHR
3. Chick Corea
4. Orientation
5. Germany
6. Lisa McPherson Trust
7. Lisa McPherson
8. Raul Lopez
9. Make Up
10. Freewinds
11. Russia
12. Switzerland

Alt.religion.scientology Week in Review summarizes the most significant postings from the Usenet group Alt.religion.scientology for the preceding week for the benefit of those who can't follow the group as closely as they'd like. Out of thousands of postings, I attempt to include news of significant events, new affidavits, court rulings, new contributors, whatever. I hope you find it useful. Like many readers of a.r.s, I have a kill file. So please take into consideration that I may not have seen some of the most significant postings.

The articles in A.r.s Week in Review are brief summaries of articles posted to the newsgroup. They include message IDs for the original articles, and many have a URL to get more information. You may be able to find the original article, depending on how long your site stores articles in the newsgroup before expiring them.

Free A.r.s Week in Review subscriptions are available, just email me at

http://wpxx02.toxi.uni-wuerzburg.de/~krasel/CoS/ars-summary.html

http://www.xenu.net/archive/WIR/

http://www.religio.de/publik/arsfaq.html

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OSCE

"The Church of Scientology said on Tuesday it had filed a complaint with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) against Belgium for alleged discrimination against religious minorities. The complaint, filed ahead of an OSCE security conference in Istanbul next week, follows a raid last month by Belgian police on 25 offices and homes of Scientology members throughout the country.

"Belgian court officials said then the raids were part of an investigation into alleged racketeering and fraud. The Church of Scientology, however, has said the raids were tantamount to religious persecution."

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CCHR

"The group met to explore a possible link between the drugs and school violence because suicidal Columbine killer Eric Harris had been on Luvox, and schoolyard killers elsewhere supposedly took similar medications. Leading off at the hearing was Bruce Wiseman of California, national president of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, which he said is a watchdog group. Pfiffner confirmed that the commission is linked to the Church of Scientology.

"Wiseman called medicating children 'one of the most dangerous and insidious' issues facing the nation and blamed increased violence on giving 5 million children 'mind-altering drugs' for 'a mental disorder that has no basis in fact.' Wiseman said such drugs were linked to killings, including the May 1997 murder of a 7-year-old girl in a Las Vegas casino restroom by Jeremy Strohmeyer, and school killings in Pearl, Miss., West Paducah, Ky., Jonesboro, Ark., and Springfield, Ore.

"Dr. Peter Breggin, an M.D. and psychiatrist, flew in from London to testify that Ritalin reduces difficult behavior for about five or six weeks but there's 'no evidence that Ritalin improves long-term behavior.' Breggin said he had obtained data that showed Harris was taking Luvox, which he said has a 'cocaine-like effect' that can cause violent behavior. Breggin said the 'scientific evidence is irrefutable' that Luvox causes 'psychotic mania' in about 4 percent of the young people who take it.

"On the other side, Dr. Marshall Thomas, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Medical School, speaking on behalf of the Colorado Behavioral Health Care, told Pfiffner he was concerned about violence in children but hoped the committee's inquiry would be balanced and 'not politicized.' The quality of some information presented, Thomas said, was 'somewhat suspect, not balanced' and the 'presentations were very skewed.'"

>From Chuck Green, a Denver Post Columnist:

"Pfiffner, a state representative from Lakewood, single-handedly created the committee that doesn't exist. It has no sanction from his legislative colleagues, it has no staff and no budget, it has no official status, it has no clue. But Pfiffner was there in his full legislative regalia, cracking the ringmaster's whip and putting on a great show. Five television cameras were propped on tripods, which provided them with far more stability than displayed by the politicians in the Capitol hearing room.

"The trained seals and clowns who showed up for Pfiffner's big show were Sen. Jim Congrove of Arvada, Sen. John Andrews of Aurora, Sen. Mark Hillman of Burlington, Rep. Shawn Mitchell of Broomfield, Rep. Lauri Clapp of Englewood, Rep. Nancy Spence of Aurora and Rep. Don Lee of Littleton - all Republicans. The dancing-bear act was headlined by a lone Democrat, Rep. Fran Coleman of Denver.

"They were summoned not only by the talented ringmaster, but also by the mysteriously whacko Church of Scientology, which seems to have captured Pfiffner's rich imagination. The hearing room was seeded with enthusiastic scientologists, and an adjacent room resembled a library abundantly stocked with scientology literature.

"Pfiffner's self-designed Interim Committee on Scientologists' Paranoia Over Psychotropic Drugs and Their Effect on America's Youth and Violence in Our Schools featured theories on how the U.S. military, the Central Intelligence Agency, American universities and other assorted suspicious institutions have secretly drugged our youth. Pfiffner and his Scientology staff spent the day worrying that America's kids have been transformed into a society of manic psychotics who are under the influence of medications like Ritalin, Prozac, Dexedrine and Luvox.

"I wonder what medication Pfiffner and his band of clowns are taking."

>From the Denver Post on November 11th:

"Members of the State Board of Education indicated Wednesday they would soften a resolution about the use of psychiatric drugs by schoolchildren. A vote on the resolution is expected at today's meeting of the panel. Mental-health advocates appeared before the board Wednesday to counter a presentation last month by people who claim use of psychotropic drugs causes school violence. Mental-health advocates see the latest developments as a new phase in a long-standing assault on psychiatry with strong ties to the Church of Scientology.

"Dr. William Dodson, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, told the education panel that while the arguments they heard last month might sound convincing, 'they were not arguments based on fact. They were not arguments based on scientific proof. They were not arguments that were true.' Dodson blamed Scientology for creating a phony issue about the use of the medications by branding it 'mind control.'"

>From Post columnist Al Knight:

"Suddenly the long-simmering controversy of alleged overuse of psychiatric drugs has burst upon the local scene complete with a misleading and utterly unnecessary skirmish over the influence of scientology and scientologists.

"The topic of psychiatric drugs has become hot for a couple of reasons. One is that the Colorado State Board of Education is expected to vote today on a resolution intended to discourage teachers from recommending psychiatric drug use for students. Just two days ago, an ad hoc legislative committee heard testimony on the possible pitfalls of psychiatric drug use. These drugs, which include Ritalin, Luvox and Prozac, are prescribed for a number of conditions. It is estimated that 6 million youths between the ages of 6 and 18 take one form or another of psychiatric drugs. That's a lot of drugs, and it is at least fair to question if they might be over-used.

These are not concerns that are expressed solely by the 'mysteriously wacko Church of Scientology.' They have appeared in a variety of popular publications and learned journals. The esteemed National Institutes of Health held a conference on the issue of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder last year and noted that it may be costing $3 billion a year extra to educate children with the condition adding, that although medication helps control the core symptoms, 'there is little improvement in academic achievement or social skills.'

"Press reports that the State Board of Education wants to 'ban' the use of psychiatric drugs among school children are simply absurd. The resolution before the board does little more than ask teachers not to seek to resolve every problem of student behavior, attention or learning difficulty with a recommendation for another round of medical prescriptions That doesn't seem a wacko idea. It certainly doesn't impinge upon the medical community and it grows out of concerns that have little or no connection to the Church of Scientology."

>From the Denver Post on November 12th:

"A somewhat softened but still-controversial resolution on using psychiatric medication to calm school kids with behavior problems was passed 6-1 Thursday by the state Board of Education. 'Reasoned, balanced discussion was squashed today in Colorado,' said Kyle Sargent, director of public policy for the Mental Health Association of Colorado. The resolution, which does not carry the force of law, has alarmed Colorado mental health advocates, who claim it results from a disinformation campaign by the Church of Scientology to blame school violence on Ritalin and other psychotropic medicines used to treat children with behavior problems."

>From the Post's editorial page on November 14th:

"The Colorado State Board of Education diluted a resolution that originally assailed the use of psychiatric drugs down to meaningless pablum Thursday before adopting it 6-to-1. But the board's action, coupled with an impromptu and ill-starred legislative hearing Tuesday, where self-styled 'experts' from the Church of Scientology berated the medications, still risks stigmatizing troubled children and discouraging them from getting the help they need.

"In short, such drugs, under careful medical supervision, can reduce violent or self-destructive behavior in some patients but cannot eliminate such behavior completely. Pfiffner and Johnson might as well spend their time trying to outlaw seat belts - which dramatically reduce deaths and injuries suffered in traffic accidents but cannot totally eliminate them.

"There is indeed, as the watered-down Board of Education resolution said, 'much concern regarding the issue of diagnosis and medication and their impact on student achievement.' But such legitimate concern is no reason to ban such drugs or to stigmatize the people who take them. Rather, it underscores the need for such drugs to be used under close medical supervision to ensure that patients don't take too much - or too little - medications and are receiving treatment appropriate to their needs."

Message-ID: <EqspOHg8UDmIMpn0WXnNKEhJuJPq@4ax.com> Message-ID: <LRsrOMtNH1Bp2+EjkbVG=Gelk6Gk@4ax.com> Message-ID: <382dae33.4825561@news.primenet.com> Message-ID: <3830a775.1271002@news.primenet.com> Message-ID: <3831a7a7.1321253@news.primenet.com> Message-ID: <382eb6b8.7119084@news2.lightlink.com> Message-ID: <382e5888.38639326@news.primenet.com>

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Chick Corea

"Brought up a Roman Catholic, Corea says his discovery of scientology -- like fellow celebrities Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Priscilla Presley -- has helped him balance his life. 'I've got a few simplicities together -- I don't pretend to be the happiest guy in the world, or the freest guy in the world, but I have struck a balance in a few ways. 'Life consists in having a purpose and pursuing it, that's important, and for me it's been making music and I love it. It fulfills me not just personally but socially because people like it. I feel like I'm contributing something.'"

Message-ID: <80aco1$oru$1@nnrp1.deja.com>

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Orientation

"RECENTLY, I entered the local office of the Church of Scientology to ask a few questions on what they were all about. What I got in return was some rather suspect information. I watched a 40-minute info video on Scientology that raised several interesting points. One of the video's scenes had one of the board of directors of the organization wonder openly who was more mentally ill, the non-Scientology psychiatrists or the patients who used them, instead of being cleared by Scientology. The end of the video is what got my anger up. The host said the person had a right to leave the building and never mention Scientology again but it would be stupid to do so. He went on to say it would be comparable to putting a fully loaded gun into one's mouth and pulling the trigger. Or jumping off a bridge. It left me to wonder how these scare tactics help a person develop a healthy spiritual life. It was scary to see something that should have stayed in science fiction become part of real life. - Ron Murdock" Message-ID: <3827591a.3434957@news.primenet.com>

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Germany

"On Wednesday, December 10 at 7:45 p.m. 'in the castle' at Postbauer-Heng, Dr. Christiane Willers, Religious Studies scholar from Eichstaett, will talk on the theme of 'Scientology' - structures of a controversial religious association. It is about the Scientology 'movement,' which is more in the headlines than it is in the back pages, so it's no less of a current topic. The 'Church of Scientology,' which operates worldwide, is one of the religious associations whose promises of healing, ethical standards, missionary and other practices have been criticized as 'incompatible with democratic mentality.' The business practices of the commercial side of the association have come into conflict with politics, the justice department and public opinion."

Mannheimer Morgen published an article on November 11th on former Scientologist Jesse Prince.

"The 16 wasted years are past, but their effect lingers on. In order to save others from something similar, Jesse Prince told of his time in Scientology management. 'I did not just lose my personality there,' ran his statement describing that which outsiders can understand only with difficulty: how someone can stay with the organization. For two days Prince spoke with Cologne Constitutional Security, which had invited him to Germany. Now he has told his story to our newspaper.

"1976 in San Francisco: 22 year old Jesse felt alone in the big city which he was seeing for the first time. The conditions were ideal for him to get hung up in Scientology. After only one month he belonged to the Sea Org, an elitist organization in fantasy uniforms. As section leader he worked 15 hours per day for which he received a mere $12 a week. When he soon wanted to leave, Scientology put him into a reeducation camp. 'I felt like a prisoner there: work in black clothes, I had to sleep on a thin mattress in a basement without electricity.' After 18 months, Scientology corrected its 'big mistake' and paid him a paltry $2,400 in compensation.

"Interrogations that lasted for hours, always the same questions, light hypnosis: 'Brainwashing changed me,' stated Prince in his explanation of why he stayed with Scientology. When its founder, L. Ron Hubbard (1911-86), sought out the best man to educate his propagandists in his deluded psycho-thesis of 'total spiritual freedom,' Prince had - as he said - 'bad luck': he was chosen to develop a training program for staff. At the time, said Prince, there was a singular confrontation with the guru: 'Hubbard could not conceive of a colored man like me being so intelligent.' Behind the glass was a man who had nothing in common with the PR photographs: unbrushed teeth, long unkempt hair, the same with his fingernails. Serious doubts arose in Prince. 'Hubbard was obsessed with a phobia, he was afraid of people and bacteria.' Because of that he always communicated from behind glass.

"Prince took the leap to freedom in 1992 with his wife Monika, an Offenbacher by birth. When Prince talks about what he has behind him, his shame surfaces. How he eavesdropped from a car on high-ranking members who were suspected of fraud in homes ('A dirty business'). Or how he had abducted a non-Scientologist who was charged with 'espionage': 'a private detective held a pistol on him while I hooked him up to a lie detector.' Or how, from 1984, he destroyed evidence which could have incriminated Scientology in court. He also knows of attempts made at intimidation against people in the judicial area: 'One time a judge's dog was killed and put in his garden.'

"Scientology has no more forgotten him than he has the organization. Using slander, it destroyed his first attempt at a career. In 1998, a death threat was imparted to him by way of a friend, in Los Angeles he looked into the barrel of a pistol. One of his two daughters has been bothered with denunciations, in front of the house of his 73 year old father march Scientologists with racial expressions. Besides that they demand he keep his mouth closed to keep his son from being affected. 'Scientology is even after me here in Germany.' Doesn't all that make him afraid? 'I have nothing to lose that would make life worth living if I don't use it to warn others.'"

Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.991108164235.122C-100000@darkstar.zippy> Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.991111080426.116A-100000@darkstar.zippy>

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Lisa McPherson Trust

"I couldn't find an office building that would lease to us. The office manager of the SunTrust building informed me that the owner had declined to lease to us. Then the realtor for the NationsBank building told me that he got an email from the owner of that building saying that the owner had 'decided to rethink how he wants to utilize the building.' I told the realtor it was obvious Scientology had contacted him. He hemmed and hawed and said he'd have a final answer for me the next day. Next I tried at the Clearwater Tower building. The way that realtor refused us was to tell me the owner had said they would have to get a release from all the other tenants in the building before they could lease to us. The owner of the AmSouth building at first told me there would be no problem leasing to us, but later changed his mind and refused. In conversation with the realtor for that building I was able to discover that Scientology had sent him a large package of materials 'documenting' the dangerous nature of each of the principals in the Lisa McPherson Trust. He refused to show me the package, but he did mention that the owner wouldn't want to lease to a 'convicted felon.' I told him he was being given false information by Scientology and told him the real story of the assault charge against Bob in Boston and how the charge had been thrown out by the judge.

"We had an appointment at eleven to look at a building at 33 N. Ft. Harrison. Within five minutes seven Scientologists barged into the room he was showing us and began shouting at him, 'This man is a criminal! He was arrested for assault and battery last night! He's violent! Don't do business with these people!' The CPA ordered them out of the building immediately, but they refused to go. We finished our tour and then sat down to talk to him in his conference room. Almost immediately his secretary called to say that his building was being picketed and that one of his clients had been photographed as they entered the offices. At this the CPA instructed his secretary to call the police. During our brief meeting, he got three urgent messages to call Mary Story, the DSA Flag. 'I've asked Mary twice to get Scientology to buy my building,' he told us. 'They weren't interested. Now that I'm talking to you, suddenly she's frantic to talk to me.' He just shook his head in amazement. Pat Jones arrived with an entourage, demanding to see the owner of the building. He just closed the conference room door and tried to ignore all the frenzy, but soon his secretary announced that the police had arrived outside.

"Our meeting effectively disrupted, the CPA went out to see for himself what was happening, while Bob and I remained in the conference room. Soon three police officers came in and one of them said, 'Mr. Minton, I just wanted to shake your hand and welcome you to Clearwater.' The other police officers also shook our hands and expressed how glad they were to have us in Clearwater. They all said they knew what had happened the night before, and asked us to let them know if there was anything they could do for us.

"As soon as we left the building we were surrounded by seven Scientologists, apparently public, at least two of whom had been part of the spontaneous grassroots counter-picket in front of the Ft. Harrison the afternoon before. This gang of Scientologists surrounded us as we tried to get to our car and stood behind the car as we tried to back out. They followed us on foot as we drove to the ticket booth, and the woman in the ticket booth called the police to let them know that the Scientologists were harassing us in the parking structure.

"We stopped in to see the CPA again on our way back to the hotel. The same set of Scientologists materialized out of the bushes as we crossed the street and surrounded us as we tried to walk up the stairs to our car. There were two men with video cameras, three women with picket signs and two other women whose job seemed to be to chant, 'Religious bigots go home, religious bigots go home.' It was close to dusk and with these people all following us to our car it looked like a scene out of 'Night of the Living Dead.' A policeman happened to be in the parking structure and witnessed all of this. He ordered them to let us get in our car and leave the parking lot.

"After my meeting in Tampa I had to go into Clearwater to set up a Post Office box for the Lisa McPherson Trust. When I came out I was surrounded on the steps of the Post Office by nine Scientologists - the ones that had stalked us all day the day before and two more - and this time they were actually threatening me. While two of them videotaped me, several others held up picket signs that said 'Religious Bigot go home,' and several of them shouted at me. One of them in particular shouted, 'Go home or else, religious bigot!' I felt very threatened by what was being shouted at me and by the intensity with which I was being stalked. Finally I managed to get into my car and lock it. As I drove away I could hear them shouting after me.

"I decided to go into Tampa and find Patricia and Peter. As I walked in Patricia and Peter were both standing up. Patricia was pointing at a man who was ducking into the men's bathroom toward the back of the restaurant. Patricia called out to me, 'He was watching for you! He was pacing back and forth looking out the window and talking on his walkie-talkie, and then I heard him say, 'Here she comes'. After a few minutes the man came out of the bathroom and headed for the door. Patricia, Peter and several others from the restaurant followed him out, and then I returned to the phone and began to talk to the Tampa police officer. I told him my name and asked him if he had ever heard of Lisa McPherson, and he said yes, he knew who she was. I told him I was in Tampa to set up the Lisa McPherson Trust. Then he said, 'I can't tell you what I really think of you because this is a recorded line. But I will tell you this: I fully support everything you and Bob Minton are doing. I am behind you a hundred percent.' I told him how much I appreciated his saying that and he said, 'We'll do anything we can to help you. Anything.'

"Clearly, Scientology is going to do everything they can to keep the Lisa McPherson Trust out of Clearwater. But we're moving to Clearwater, and we are going to shine the light of truth on Scientology. There are a lot of people who are very happy that we are coming to town. In Lisa's honor, we can't let the Scientologists frighten us away, and we won't. No matter how much harassment and intimidation they throw at us, we're moving into Clearwater."

Message-ID: <RScnOD14cANTQqm91LTbxS23FBvK@4ax.com>

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Lisa McPherson

"In a petition filed this week, Scientology asks a Pinellas probate judge to remove a Texas woman, Dell Liebreich, as the personal representative of Lisa McPherson's estate. The church is alleging that Liebreich forged a key document used in setting up the estate. The charge is based on the findings of an expert, Gus R. Lesnevich, who once examined handwriting for the Army and the Secret Service.

"Liebreich's attorney, Ken Dandar of Tampa, called the church's petition slanderous, saying, 'They're making some very outrageous and serious allegations.' The wrongful death case continues to drag on in Hillsborough County Circuit Court. A trial is scheduled in June, but the church is trying to stop it before it gets that far.

"According to Scientology, Fannie McPherson never blamed the church for her daughter's death in 1995. But two years later, when Fannie McPherson was close to death herself, Leibreich took advantage of her sister's fragile health by filing documents without her consent, the church alleges. In those documents, Fannie McPherson's right to represent her daughter's estate was transferred to Leibreich. The church alleges that the dates of the filings coupled with handwriting samples from Fannie McPherson point to fraud and forgery.

"Dandar said Fannie McPherson and Dell Liebreich were close, and Liebreich has simply carried out her sister's dying wish that Scientology be exposed for causing Lisa McPherson's death. The church's handwriting expert contends Fannie McPherson's signature on the waiver is a forgery because the smooth strokes do not match the shaky strokes she used on other documents just weeks earlier. Dandar said the signing was witnessed by Liebreich, a hospice worker and a notary public. He also said the church has no legal basis to contest Liebreich's standing in the estate."

Message-ID: <199911101129.MAA16285@sofuku.monster.org>

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Raul Lopez

"Plaintiff Raul Lopez was born on July 25, 1966. On August 27, 1985, at the age of 19, he was gravely injured when the light pick-up truck he was driving was demolished in a head-on collision by an 18-wheel truck. Plaintiff was hospitalized for approximately seven months following the incident. Among the many injuries he suffered was a closed head injury resulting in irreversible trauma to his brain. This injury caused cognitive dysfunction that rendered Plaintiff substantially impaired mentally and emotionally, including a compulsion toward impulsive and irrational behavior.

"From the very first days of his affiliation with Scientology, Plaintiff's brain damage was known to Jim Hamre and Tom Steiner, as was the fact that Mr. Lopez was in possession of significant assets. At the urging of Jim Hamre and the other Scientology agents with whom Plaintiff became acquainted, Plaintiff continued to make almost daily inquiries of his mother regarding the amount of funds in his bank accounts. Plaintiff reported the information he learned from his mother back to the Scientology agents, who continually urged him to buy additional expensive courses and L. Ron Hubbard-authored literature. The relentlessness of these inquiries engendered much tension and discord between Plaintiff and his mother. Eventually, during a time when Ms. Lopez was herself in a weakened state of health, she became exasperated and relinquished all control of the bank accounts to Plaintiff, vowing to have no further involvement in the management of his money.

"Hamre's encouragement to Plaintiff to enter into the jailhouse telephone investment scheme was made in his capacity as registrar, and as an authorized agent for the Church of Scientology Buenaventura Mission and the enterprise of Scientology. From its inception the investment scheme was solely designed to provide RC&A, Zetner and the Cefails a method by which they could obtain funds to channel into the enterprise of Scientology or pay for its products and services. Accordingly, on October 16, 1991, Plaintiff entered into a contract to invest $60,000 with RC&A in exchange for a minimum monthly income stream after 14 months of $135 for each of 20 phones for 48 consecutive months, with a maximum monthly payment of up to 50% of the phones' net revenue. A third contract called for Plaintiff to invest a total of $180,000 for 70 additional phones, with the same provisions for minimum and maximum monthly income streams as were associated with the first and second contracts, as set forth in Paragraphs 34 and 35 above, except that: under this third contract, Plaintiff was also to be paid 12 consecutive payments of $3,500 each, beginning four months after the execution of the agreement. Thus, under all three contracts, Plaintiff was to receive a total minimum return of $754,800.

"Plaintiff fully performed his obligations under each of the three contracts described above, to wit: Plaintiff paid consideration in three separate transactions of $60,000, $60,000 and $180,000, respectively, to Robert Cefail, Toli Cefail, Michael Zetner and RC&A as investments in the jailhouse telephone scheme as set forth herein. Although Plaintiff received the first $3,500 payment in April, 1992, as called for by the third contract, beginning in May of 1992, and at all subsequent times, Defendants RC&A, Robert Cefail, Toli Cefail and Michael Zetner have failed to pay in accordance with their obligations under the above-described contracts.

"On information and belief, Plaintiff alleges that Defendants Robert and Toli Cefail, Michael Zetner and RC&A Group, Inc. channeled a significant portion of the $300,000 invested by Plaintiff into various Scientology organizations and projects including the 'Church of Scientology Religious Trust.'

"Plaintiff was repeatedly advised and unduly influenced by the Defendants that WISE constituted the only forum available to an 'ethical' Scientologist for the resolution of claims against fellow Scientologists. Defendants further advised Plaintiff that it was a violation of Scientology ethics for one Scientologist to pursue a claim against another Scientologist outside the Scientology ethics and justice system. Specifically, Defendants employed the auditing procedure to gain Plaintiff's assent to the WISE arbitration on the basis that if he did not agree to pursue his claims against his fellow Scientologists in an ethical manner, he could not avail himself of the promised opportunity to be returned to his pre-accident condition. Plaintiff relied on these statements and the repeated assurances of WISE that WISE would take care of Plaintiff and handle all of Plaintiff's claims pursuant to Scientology ethics in joining WISE and consenting to its arbitration processes.

"Plaintiff, upon the insistence and urging of Defendants and/or their authorized agents, paid money for Scientology products and services by not only extracting funds from his personal accounts, but also by charging them to his credit cards up to the maximum allowable limits. Defendants, knowing that they were taking advantage of Plaintiff's mental incapacity, sought to cover up their systematic looting of Plaintiff's funds. Defendants instructed Plaintiff on numerous occasions that he should purchase cashier's checks made out to himself. Defendants would then have the Plaintiff endorse the cashiers check on the back with his name in payment for Scientology 'Services'.

"Also, at the urging of Defendants and/or their authorized agents, Plaintiff was taught how to obtain funds by refinancing the two homes he had purchased free and clear after receiving his lawsuit settlement proceeds, and he tendered these funds to the Church of Scientology Buenaventura Mission and/or Celebrity Center International and/or Church of Scientology Flag Land Base. Plaintiff has subsequently been unable to keep either of the two homes.

"WHEREFORE, Plaintiff prays as follows: For general and special damages according to proof at trial; For a permanent injunction prohibiting Defendants from engaging in the practices as alleged and such other equitable remedies caused by these practices; For punitive damages against Defendants Steiner, Haley, Jones and Valle. Plaintiff will seek leave of court to allege punitive damages against Defendants Church of Scientology Mission of Buenaventura, Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre, World Institute of Scientology Enterprises, Church of Scientology Flag Land Base, also known as Flag Service Organization and Church of Scientology Religious Trust; For an award of treble damages. For an order that Defendant Church of Scientology Religious Trust hold the sum of $100,000 in trust for the Plaintiff; For an order-compelling Defendant Church of Scientology Religious Trust to return to Plaintiff the sum of $100,000; That Defendants Church of Scientology Religious Trust; Church of Scientology Mission of Buenaventura; Church of Scientology Flag Land Base; and Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International be ordered to pay to Plaintiff the total amount paid by Plaintiff to said Defendants plus interest for the purchase of Scientology goods and services and donations to Scientology entities."

Message-ID: <80bs85$6u3@netaxs.com>

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Make Up

"'The Scientologists pull the strings. It used to be the Mafia, but now it's the Scientologists. Look at Isaac Hayes' recent revival. Why's he in South Park? Because he's a Scientologist. There are other people too, but I can't mention their names.'

"Why not?

"'I just can't. Look, the Germans have got the right idea. They're banned over there, right? It's the next step after Protestantism. The next step towards super-selfishness. Be all you can be, fuck your brethren. You can download all the secrets of L Ron Hubbard from the Internet. Do I use the Internet a lot? No, I don't like all those beige colours. feel like I'm at Gap.'"

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Freewinds

"As Mr. Mike Rinder talked about our wins in past months he said, 'While others look on and dodge the suppressives who are striving for domination and control, we look them in the eye, knowing full well that SPs cannot tolerate the voice that confronts them with their own crimes and then says 'no.'

"He then spoke of our untiring efforts to protect our technology on the internet from SPs who think that they can steal our material and then 'hide behind the anarchy of the internet.' He reported of the five cases which were brought before the American federal court to set precedents and create protection and had the following results, 'Every case was settled successfully. Every wrongdoer has been contained, and there are a series of federal court orders which protect the purity of Scientology.'

"'In May, two Scientologists appeared in court in Switzerland. The proceedings had started with a family quarrel in 1993. The relatives had already resolved the problem a long time before, however, an SP state attorney absolutely wanted to bring Scientology to court. The state attorney received his first surprise, though, from his only witness, and she was the sister of one of the Scientologists and the alleged victim in this case. She said that she did not want to have a bad conscience and she had decided to tell the truth. She said that the Scientologists, and especially her brother, had much helped her. The state attorney practically fainted. The only other witnesses were Scientologists. They gave the judge a copy of 'What is Scientology?' and testified as to the importance of religious freedom. Three days later, all charges were dropped. The court stated that it felt honored to exonerate the Scientologists, and that the state would pay the court costs.'

"Besides that the astonishing reaction to the publication of the book 'Scientology: theory and practice of a current religion' - from Sweden to South Africa and all the way to Moscow - was mentioned. A delegation from the Venezuelan Justice Department came to Los Angeles for guidance from our Church. That happened after the announcement of the March 15 event of how this book had helped to achieve religious acknowledgment in Venezuela."

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Russia

"Moscow's mayor Yuri Luschkov has a problem. His name is Sergei Dorenko. For weeks the well-known journalist, who moderates a political magazine in a broadcast studio friendly to Yeltsin, has been accusing the city chief of corruption, nepotism and contact with the mafia. An unpleasant situation, especially in the election campaign for the next state president, for which Luschkov is regarded as a promising candidate. Therefore the mayor hired a new judiciary staff member, Moscow lawyer Galina Krylova, and assigned her to prepare a libel suit against the journalist. Since then, Luschkov has yet a greater problem. That is because the 37 year old woman is not only regarded as the most important legal representative for international sects in Russia, she also sits on the board of the 'Citizens Commission on Human Rights' (CCHR) in the USA. This organization is a full-fledged offshoot of Scientology, whose goal it is to 'liberate' the earth of psychiatrists.

"Once more, sect experts are warning of possible Scientology influence upon Russian politics. 'The mayor is either ill-informed, or somebody is trying to compromise him,' said Alexander Dvorkin, sect commissioner of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow, about the new legal advisor. 'Krylova is being used by Scientology as a Trojan horse.'

"Scientology is presently under increased scrutiny by the justice department. After diverse raids, state attorneys are investigating top managers of the sect in various cities. On October 6, a Moscow court ordered the closing of the 'Humanitarian Hubbard Center,' the largest Scientology branch in Russia, because of money-laundering, illegal business practices and violating civil rights; the appeal of the Scientologists has not yet been decided. Legal representative for the sect was, as usual, Galina Krylova."

Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.991111194042.114A-100000@darkstar.zippy>

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Switzerland

"'Do you think that violence in your school his increased, decreased or stayed the same in the past 10 - 15 years?' That is how the survey starts, and other multiple choice questions follow on issues such as 'drug problems' 'reading and writing levels of students' and 'measures of the school board to decrease violence and drugs.' And 'What percentage of the children in your school take psychopharmaceuticals such as Ritalin or Fluctin?'

"Teaching personnel who instruct at public schools found the surveys with the cover letter in their mail boxes at home. Different principals in the Lucerne region have confirmed that such surveys have made their way among the teachers in their communities. The envelopes, which have been addressed by hand, have not been broadcast by mass mailing: male teachers with lengthier experience appear to be the preferred addressees, as professor Franz Hofstetter in Horw has determined.

"It is signed only by a 'Committee for a Better School,' but not by anyone by name. 'A questionable process,' said Horw principal Edi Lang. 'Not everybody would know who is behind it.' The return address - 'Schulhaus Berg, 6014 Littau' - and several statements in the cover letter indicate the direction from which it comes So who are the people united in the Littau parents' committee? The person who answered the phone to the number given on the survey's cover letter was Konrad Meile, Scientology member, official renter of the Berg school building and father of three children who are being instructed by Sandra Planzer. In the conversation, Meile disputed any connection with the closing of the school, he also said that in an 'information page' which he faxed later and which listed a series of 'negative points' concerning the behavior of the education department and administrative board in the withdrawal of the permit.

"As far as the real purpose of the survey in regards to the community, Konrad Meile's statements stayed somewhat nebulous: the survey was to serve to 'find out whether there were tendencies in some direction, if yes, to investigate more thoroughly and, if possible, to offer a solution,' wrote the Scientologist."

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