🚀 go-pugleaf

In today's _Washington Post_  editorial-pages, Mr. Richard Cohen notes
with some apparent dismay that he "... is not quite sure what a
Scientologist is. I know that Tom Cruise is one, and so is John
Travolta, and one reason I know even that is that in Germany the movies
of both actors have been picketed and boycotts announced. Scientology
might be one weird religion, but the German reaction to it is weirder
still - not to mention disturbing."

Writing from the depths of his heartfelt conviction that anything that
Germany might do to place any members of a bona-fide religion in a
position of ostracism and exclusion from German society is inevitably a
prelude to some new Nazi atrocity, Mr. Cohen demonstrates that he has
not the _slightest_ clue as to what Scientology is all about.

Mr. Cohen seems to be mostly upset over the Christian Democratic party
in Germany approving a resolution stating "Membership in the Scientology
Organization is not compatible with employment in the public service."
Mr Cohen, your abysmal and unforgivable failure to research Scientology
has led you to decry a political statement that is quite akin to the FBI
saying that it finds no justification for hiring openly-active members
of the Red Chinese intelligence services.

Mr. Cohen, follow the links at the end of this article and read the
information therein. You'll write the fastest retraction you've ever
written and you'll probably mention the word Scientology without
spitting.

Mr. Cohen, you write a nice lengthy diatribe, and not without some
inarguably excellent reasons. A renaissance (if one can use that word in
this context) of right-wing extremism or religious/ethnicity-based
exclusion in Germany is indeed a troubling phenomenon, but in this case
utterly misplaced. You conclude your article:

"... but the treatment of the Scientologists is both inexplicable and
troubling... Germany's treatment of Scientologists is hardly
reasssuring. A mere 30,000 of them live in Germany (not that it would
matter if there were more), and they hardly constitute a threat to the
state. They ought not to be treated like criminals until -and unless-
they commit crimes."

So, Mr. Cohen - it's crimes you want? I'll give you crimes. Mr. Cohen,
you maybe want some more information? You think that maybe Germans are
going Nazi again, you think that maybe more atrocities are coming down
the pike, this time aimed at poor inoffense Scientologists? Crimes you
want? I'll give you crimes.

First some links:

http://gopher.well.com:70/1/Publications/online_zines/scam/fraud/

Will give you some slight clues as to what you're defending.

Try, for instance, an article which gives a little bit of the German
side of the story.

---------------------------------------------------
> From: co@nvg.unit.no (Chris Owen)
> Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
> Subject: The "octopus of Scientology" raises German hackles
> Date: 7 Dec 1995 19:57:53 GMT
> =

> STL 14 MAY 95 / Germany Calling
> =

> By ANDREW GlMSON
> =

> GERMANY is at war with 'the giant octopus of Scientology', according to=

> Chancellor Helmut Kohl's close friend and colleague, the employment min=
ister
> Norbert Blum. In a hard-hitting attack, Mr Blum says that the fringe
> religious sect is conspiring to take over Germany by infiltrating its
> economy and converting managers in key sectors such as property, publis=
hing
> and computer software.
> =

> Members of the organisation should not be trusted with money or trade
> secrets, Mr Blum adds, because their loyalty is to Scientology rather t=
han
> to their employers. According to him, the sect is 'an organisation whic=
h
> will stop at nothing in its desire to spread its purblind ideology
> world-wide under the guise of religion'.
> =

> The similarity of such attacks to the sort of thing which used to be sa=
id
> about the German Jews has not been lost on the Scientologists. They str=
ongly
> deny Mr Blum's charges and point out that they enjoy charitable status,=

> celebrity backers and a measure of respectability in the US They
> particularly enraged Mr Blum by taking out 26 full-page advertisements =
in
> the American press, comparing their treatment to the fate of the Jews. =
In
> the New York Times of January 11, for example, they claimed that presen=
t-day
> Germany is frighteningly similar to the Germany of the Thirties and For=
ties,
> when the world shut its eyes as the Holocaust was being prepared.
> This is preposterously unfair and has annoyed the Jews as well as the
> Germans. No one knows how many Scientologists there are in Germany -
> estimates range between 30,000 and 300,000 - but Mr Blum says it would =
be
> counter-productive to outlaw them.
> =

> AND yet, to British ears, his outburst does sound somewhat hysterical. =
Can
> the Scientologists, founded in 1954 by an American science-fiction writ=
er,
> L. Ron Hubbard, really be as dangerous as all that? In Britain we tend,=

> sometimes with mistaken complacency to deal with people who say they ar=
e
> going to take over the world by ridiculing them. In Germany, which is s=
aid
> to be the second strongest centre of Scientology outside the United Sta=
tes,
> the subject is taken more seriously. After sales of beer were affected,=
 the
> country's largest private brewery, Warsteiner, launched an advertising
> campaign to quash rumours that it had been infiltrated by the
> Scientologists.
> =

> Die Woche, the newspaper which published Mr Blum's attack, describes ho=
w the
> sect can work its way into a person's confidence by the most insidious
> methods. A garage proprietor in Hamburg paid more than 7,000 marks (pou=
nds
> 3,000) for four weekend seminars before realising he had fallen into th=
e
> hands of the Scientologists.
> =

> He found the seminars 'extremely positive and enjoyable', but became
> suspicious when participants were encouraged to reveal details of their=

> private lives and the trainer started to demand information about his
> business. New recruits can find themselves under psychological dominati=
on
> paying vast sums for evening and weekend courses.
> =

> There is said to be one good way of finding out whether the management
> consultant or personal counsellor who offers you help is a Scientologis=
t.
> These people may be prepared to hide their membership of the sect, but =
are
> not prepared to renounce L. Ron Hubbard himself. Apparently their signa=
ture
> to a written declaration that their working practices will not be regul=
ated
> according to Hubbardian principles should usually see one safe.
> =

> The Sunday Telegraph
> =

> -- =

> |        Chris Owen       |  New Mansion House, Lancaster Gate, London =
W2   | =

> |----------------------------------------------------------------------=
------
> |    WORLD'S BIGGEST SPECTRUM ARCHIVE -- http://www.nvg.unit.no/sinclai=
r    |
> | "Piltdown Man was always biting his wife": another gem from L.Ron Hub=
bard |

---- =


here's what minister Blum himself has to say.

-------------------------------------------
> No, the German's aren't replacing names with cryptic labels lik Bl\174m=
=2E
> The Gentleman's name is Blum (I think) with an umlaut.
> =

> =

> =

> From: tilman@berlin.snafu.de (Tilman Hausherr)
> Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
> Subject: Labor minister Bl=FCm interview by DER SPIEGEL about scientolo=
gy
> Date: Mon, 27 Nov 1995 18:21:17 GMT
> =

> Hobby translation of interview from DER SPIEGEL with labor minister Bl=FC=
m
> in DER SPIEGEL of this week.
> =

> =

> "That is psychological warfare"
> =

> =

> SPIEGEL: Mr. Bl=FCm, you are the only minister in the federal governmen=
t
> who has loudly warned about the psycho-cult scientology. What alarms yo=
u
> ?
> =

> Bl=FCm: Two years ago on a vote rally in southern Germany I met a mothe=
r
> who had lost her son to this contemptuous cult. The young man had
> changed completely, and she had no more access to her child. It was the=

> first time I got aware of the pressure that scientology applies on
> people.
> =

> SPIEGEL: Now you're on the top of the ennemy list of the cult. In the
> scientology-propaganda you are named as a "spiritual arsonist" in the
> tradition of Adolf Hitler. The allegation is that you persecute the
> scientologists like the nazis did with the jews in the third Reich.
> =

> Bl=FCm: It it was only directed at me, I wouldn't care. But someone who=

> compares our legally correct ["rechtsstaatliche Mittel"] campaign
> against the cult, is libelling the victims of the Holocaust. That's all=

> for me.
> =

> SPIEGEL: Aren't you fearing more than libel and verbal attacks ? Cult
> founder L. Ron Hubbard said that "each one" can "trick, sue, lie to or
> destroy" scientology-critics like you, to make you shut up.
> =

> Bl=FCm: This is part of the fear strategy of that group. But if someone=

> believes he could scare me, then I get really stubborn. If something
> really happens to me, then someone will certainly get suspicious and
> search for clues. I am more safe than an official of the labor office,
> who has denied a license for a job placement agency to a scientologist.=

> If they finish him off, it will be noticed less than if something like
> that would happen to me.
> =

> SPIEGEL: Scientology claims to be a church - and therefore to be
> protected by the constitution.
> =

> Bl=FCm: Scientology is the opposite of a church. The sect bases belief =
not
> on freedom, but on supression - rubbish, you cannot even call it belief=
=2E
> They confuse God with money. They only want to satisfy their desire for=

> power. Money, money, money - that is the Trinity of Scientology.
> =

> SPIEGEL: You called the organisation a "cartel with contempt of human
> beings" and a "criminal money-laundering organisation". What makes
> scientology so dangerous ?
> =

> Bl=FCm: This cult is an octopus, who ruins people and drives them into
> debts, because they must enroll in overpriced psycho-courses. It
> destroys the personal core of the individual thru advanced forms of
> brainwashing that were invented only in this century. Persecuted people=

> of past times almost had it better, since they could at least think
> freely besides of the external threats. But the victims of scientology
> don't even realize that they get conquered by these manipulation
> techniques. This is a massive threat to our democracy.
> =

> SPIEGEL: Scientology, ennemy of the state - until now such categories
> were only used for political extremists. Don't you praise the cult too
> much ?
> =

> Bl=FCm: Not at all. Democracy needs mature citizens. When the people ge=
t
> transformed into puppets, then it is the end of democracy. Then you'd
> need just a puppetmaster, and Scientology wants to rule the world. Thei=
r
> target is a new form of imperialism which doesn't shoot the ennemy but
> destroys him in another with a different method. =

> =

> This is war, psychological war. The new conquerors like scientology
> don't come anymore like Dschingis-Khan or Hitler on horses or tanks.
> Neither with the atom bomb. But they can leave the same devastation whe=
n
> they manipulate the whole society.
> =

> SPIEGEL: Why doesn't the state simply forbid scientology ?
> =

> Bl=FCm: That would be the emergency brake. Our main weapon is informati=
on.
> We have to immunize society against these soul merchants. The alarm
> bells have to ring immediately for young people - who are especially
> exposed - and their parents, when the name scientology comes up. Nobody=

> would run to his death with eyes open.
> =

> SPIEGEL: Some would. Many ex-cult members tell that they were warned of=

> the dangers. But they never saw what they were warned about - psycho
> terror and brainwashing - instead, only people that were nice, happy an=
d
> willing to help.
> =

> Bl=FCm: But that is the trick. This fake friendliness is the glue on wh=
ich
> the people will get stuck. They believe to find there what society can'=
t
> offer them. It is not enough to say: You have enough to eat and drink,
> and can go on vacation once a year. What stays is a big hunger of the
> people, a yearning for transcendence. That's the market niche used by
> scientology.
> =

> SPIEGEL: Shouldn't this be the business of the churches ?
> =

> Bl=FCm: The churches are too shy to fulfill their role as XXXXXX
> ["Sinnstifter" - no idea what this means. To give a meaning of life ?].=
 =

> When I listen to the morning service on the radio in the bath tub -
> that's interesting, but I don't really need the reverend for that. The
> church message is reduced to social counselling, and the rest is
> shamefully withheld - God, the unknown being. The field is now ready fo=
r
> charlatans and devils, who step in instead of the churches.
> =

> SPIEGEL: Scientology has already expanded in the economy. Full lines of=

> business, like the real estate market, are threatened by systematic
> infiltration. The german industry and sale organisations calls
> scientology a "threat to the industrial location Germany". But the
> government does nothing.
> =

> Bl=FCm: For a long time we have underestimated the problem. But society=
 is
> moving. After court decisions, cities like Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart
> and others are forcing the cult to registers themselves as an official
> business. Because of that they are forced to show their finances and to=

> show from whom they get money and what they are doing with it. That's
> already a lot.
> =

> SPIEGEL: These court decisions have not much stopped the urge of
> scientology to expand. Nearly everywhere today the cult is still allowe=
d
> to recruit and to lure unknowing passers-by with their psycho-test.
> There are no uniform [court] decisions.
> =

> Bl=FCm: This is more a matter of the states. The conference of the
> interior ministers will discuss the matter. We as federal government
> can't rush forward.
> =

> SPIEGEL: Why not ? As labor minister, you could systematically check th=
e
> employement of the scientology staff members. Many work more than 50
> hours for pocket money, and are frequently insured too low or not at
> all. What speaks against making raids on the branches of the cult ?
> =

> Bl=FCm: Again, that would be a matter of the states. We don't have a
> central point to check employments in Germany.
> =

> SPIEGEL: But in the search for illegal contruction workers such raids
> are usual, since you asked to states to do so.
> =

> Bl=FCm: I strongly recommend the states to do so. But most important is=
 to
> bundle the activities. Facts and evidence about criminal activities hav=
e
> to be collected by the secret service. It didn't close its eyes on it i=
n
> the past. But only the next conference of the interior ministers will
> decide if this will be done in a unified way. I strongly approve it.
> =

> SPIEGEL: You deny scientologists to work as private job placement
> agents. Are the allegations against the cult enough to deny their
> members the right of free choice of work ?
> =

> Bl=FCm: If someone wants to run a business, he needs an approval from t=
he
> administration, in this case the labor administration. But why should w=
e
> give someone a license, so that he gets access to the personell plans
> and to the personal data of corporations; this starts innocently, with
> psycho-tests. But the target is a network of informers, who use the
> weakness and the misery of the people.
> =

> SPIEGEL: What job might a scientologist have ? May he be a teacher ?
> =

> Bl=FCm: No.
> =

> SPIEGEL: Kindergarden teacher, professor, police officer ?
> =

> Bl=FCm: No. All these are grab arms of the cult. Why does it try to get=

> teachers ? To prepare the supplies for their dirty businesses early.
> =

> SPIEGEL: Are you thinking about a general disqualification from public
> service ?
> [This was done in the 70ies and 80ies with communists]
> =

> Bl=FCm: A general disqualification from public service would be the las=
t
> resort. Until then, we are forced to show the evidence, to inform about=

> the techniques of the cult. But I want to prevent that the
> scientologists get settled into the nodes of society - kindergardens,
> schools, administrations and businesses. These nodes build the net, in
> which the manipulated people struggle.
> =

> SPIEGEL: With that opinion you are alone in the federal government.
> There is nothing to hear from the ministry of economy, family and
> interior.
> =

> Bl=FCm: Well, an example is Manfred Kanther [interior minister of the
> major ruling party CDU/CSU] wasn't afraid: he has expelled a
> scientologist from his party in his state. And of course I'd be happy i=
f
> my collegue Rexrodt [from the minor coalition partner, the liberal part=
y
> "FDP"] would help with the fight against the psycho oppression organise=
d
> by scientology. Freedom is a basic liberal topic. The FDP, like the
> CDU/CSU, is expelling scientologists. And Bavaria is at the front of th=
e
> fight against scientology.
> =

> SPIEGEL: And your fellow party member in the family ministry, Claudia
> Nolte?
> =

> Bl=FCm: She's aware of the danger.
> =

> SPIEGEL: But obviously without taking the necessary steps. Cult experts=

> predict, that most members - partly deeply in debt, and mentally
> finished - would get out of scientology, if there were institutions to
> help them to get back into normal life.
> =

> Bl=FCm: Money should not be the problem. We need a public system of exi=
t
> counsellors. To stay in military terminology: we need a psychological
> red cross, that takes the injured, like medical officers do in a war,
> away from the battlefield. The scientologists must understand: we reall=
y
> mean it. They must know that it's "game over" now.
> =

> SPIEGEL: Mr. Bl=FCm, we thank you for this interview.
> =

-------------------------------------

Starting to get the picture by now Mr. Cohen?

Here's what some judges around the world have to say about it.

----------------------------------------

> From: tilman@berlin.snafu.de (Tilman Hausherr)
> Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
> Subject: FACTNet: "JUDICIAL AND GOVERMENTAL DECISIONS ABOUT SCIENTOLOGY=
 AND DIANETICS"
> Date: 23 Aug 1995 04:30:59 GMT
> =

> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>                          F.A.C.T.Net, Inc.
>          (Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network, Incorporated)
>       a non-profit computer bulletin board and electronic library
>             601 16th St. #C-217 Golden, Colorado 80401 USA
>                           BBS 303 530-1942
>                           FAX 303 530-2950
>                        Office 303 473-0111
> =

> This document is part of an electronic lending library.  F.A.C.T.Net
> does not sell documents, it only lends them according to the terms of
> your library cardholder agreement with F.A.C.T.Net, Inc.
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> [This is excerped from a printed piece which contains appropriate
> footnotes citing all references, available at nominal cost from
> FACTNet at the above address. The content is the same.]
> =

> JUDICIAL AND GOVERMENTAL DECISIONS ABOUT SCIENTOLOGY AND DIANETICS
> =

> *       Justice Anderson, Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia
> =

> "Scientology is evil; its techniques are evil; its practice =

> is a serious threat to the community, medically, morally, and =

> socially; and its adherents are sadly deluded and often mentally =

> ill...  (Scientology is) the world's largest organization of =

> unqualified persons engaged in the practice of dangerous techniques =

> which masquerade as mental therapy."
> =

> *       Kenneth Robinson, British Minister of Health
> =

> "The government is satisfied that Scientology is socially harmful.  =

> It alienates members of families from each other and attributes =

> squalid and disgraceful motives to all who oppose it; its authoritarian=
 =

> principles and practice are a potential menace to the personality =

> and well being of those so deluded as to become followers; above =

> all, its methods can be a serious danger to the health of those =

> who submit to them... There is no power under existing law to =

> prohibit the practice of scientology; but the government has =

> concluded that it is so objectionable that it would be right =

> to take all steps within its power to curb its growth."
> =

> *       U.S. federal prosecutor's memorandum to the judge urging =

> stiff jail sentences for 9 top leaders of Scientology who had =

> pleaded guilty to criminal charges
> =

> "The crime committed by these defendants is of a breath and =

> scope previously unheard of. No building, office, desk, or file =

> was safe from their snooping and prying. No individual or organization =

> was free from their despicable conspiratorial minds. The tools =

> of their trade were miniature transmitters, lock picks, secret =

> codes, forged credentials and any other device they found necessary =

> to carry out their conspiratorial schemes."
> =

> *       Justice Latey, ruling in the High Court of London
> =

> "Scientology is both immoral and socially obnoxious... it is =

> corrupt sinister and dangerous. It is corrupt because it is =

> based on lies and deceit and has its real objective money and =

> power for Mr.  Hubbard... It is sinister because it indulges =

> in infamous practices both to its adherents who do not toe the =

> line unquestionly and to those who criticize it or oppose it. =

> It is dangerous because it is out to capture people and to indoctrinate=
 =

> and brainwash them so they become the unquestioning captives =

> and tools of the cult, withdrawn from ordinary thought, living, =

> and relationships with others."
> =

> *       Judge Breckenridge, Los Angeles Superior Court
> =

> "[the court record is] replete with evidence [that Scientology] =

> is nothing in reality but a vast enterprise to extract the maximum =

> amount of money from its adepts by pseudo scientific theories...  =

> and to exercise a kind of blackmail against persons who do not =

> wish to continue with their sect....  The organization clearly =

> is schizophrenic and paranoid, and this bizarre combination =

> seems to be a reflection of its founder, L.Ron Hubbard."
> =

> =

> *       Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Paul Breckenridge, June =

> 1984, in the Gerry Armstrong case
> =

> "In addition to violating and abusing its own members' civil
> rights, the organization over the years with its "fair game"
> doctrine has harassed and abused those persons not in the
> church whom it perceives as enemies."
> =

> *       Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia, Justice Brookings, =

> 1982
> =

> " ...the teaching of Scientology and the practice of Scientology =

> will result in the commission of many offenses and may well =

> result in the commission of many others."
> =

> *       California 9th Circuit Appeals court in the Zolan case , =

> after secret Scientology tapes were remanded from the U.S. Supreme =

> Court
> =

> "The purpose of the MCCS project was to cover up past criminal =

> wrongdoing.... The MCCS project involved the discussion and =

> planning for future frauds against the IRS in violation of 18C =

> USC 371."
> =

> *       California appellate court, 2nd. district, 3rd. division, =

> July 29, 1991, B025920 & B038975, Super. Ct. No. C 420153
> =

> "In January 1980, fearing a raid by law enforcement agencies, =

> Hubbard's representatives ordered the shredding of all documents =

> showing that Hubbard controlled Scientology organizations, finances, =

> personnel, or the property at Gilman Hot Springs. In a two week =

> period, approximately one million pages were shredded pursuant =

> to this order."
> =

> *       Ted Gunderson, former head of the FBI's Los Angeles office, =

> quoted in TIME May 6, 1991 =

> =

> "In my opinion the church has one of the most effective intelligence
> operations in the U.S. rivaling even that of the FBI."
> =

> *       IRS Final Adverse Ruling re "Church of Spiritual Technology," =

> July 8, 1988 =

> =

> "The California case also demonstrates inurement... amid continuous
> representations denying control by and benefit to Mr. Hubbard, and
> a tenacious denial of the actual state of the organization's actual
> affairs in the face of overwhelming evidence establishing the true
> nature of the organization's operations." ...Such self dealing does
> not lose its identity as private benefit and inurement merely because
> it is conducted through intermediary individuals and\or organizations.
> =

> *       California appellate court, 2nd district, 7th division, =

> Wollersheim v. Church of Scientology of California, Civ. No. =

> B023193 Cal. Super. (1986)
> =

> "Substantial evidence supports the conclusion Scientology leaders =

> made the deliberate decision to ruin Wollersheim economically =

> and possible psychologically.... We do not mean to suggest Scientology'=
s =

> retributive program as described in the evidence of this case =

> represented a full scale modern day "inquisition." Nevertheless =

> there are some parallels in purpose and effect.  "Fair game" =

> like the "inquisition" targeted "heretics."
> =

> "Other testimony established Scientology is a hierarchal organization =

> which exhibits near paranoid attitudes toward certain institutions =

> and individuals---in particular the government, mental health =

> professions, disaffected members, and others who criticize the =

> organization or its leadership...  During trial, Wollersheim's =

> experts testified Scientology's "auditing" and "disconnect" =

> practices constituted "brainwashing" and "thought reform" akin =

> to what the Chinese and North Koreans practiced on American =

> prisoners of war."
> =

> "A religious practice which takes place in the context of this =

> level of coercion has less religious value than one the recipient =

> engages in voluntarily.  Even more significantly, it poses a =

> greater threat to society to have coerced religious practices =

> inflicted on its citizens." "Using its position as religious =

> leader, the church and its agents coerced Wollersheim into continuing =

> auditing even though his sanity was repeatedly threatened by =

> this practice... Thus there is adequate proof the religious =

> practice in this instance caused real harm to the individual =

> and the appellant's outrageous conduct caused that harm... Church =

> practices conducted in a coercive environment are not qualified =

> to be voluntary religious practices entitled to first amendment =

> religious freedom guarantees."
> =

> "We hold that the state has a compelling interest in allowing =

> its citizens to recover for serious emotional injuries they =

> suffer through religious practices they are coerced into accepting.  =

> Such conduct is too outrageous to be protected under the constitution =

> and too unworthy to be privileged under the law of torts."
> =

> *       U.S. v Kuch 288 F Sup. 439 (1968)
> =

> "Those who seek constitutional protections for their participation =

> in an establishment of religion and freedom to practice its =

> beliefs must not be permitted the special freedoms this special =

> sanctuary may provide merely by adopting religious nomenclature =

> and cynically using it as a shield to protect them when participating =

> in anti social conduct that otherwise stands condemned."
> =

> *       United States v. Article or Device, Etc., 333 F.Supp. 357 =

> (D.D.C. 1971) [regarding Scientology's "E-Meter"] =

> =

> "The bulk of the material is replete with false medical and scientific =

> claims devoid of any religious overlay or reference." (333 F.Supp. =

> at 361) =

> "The Court's opinion directly and forcefully confronts the issue of
> claimed First Amendment protection by Scientology.  The Court then
> held that the practice of Scientology was secular." (333 F.Supp. at 359=

> =

> *       Commissioners of the City of Clearwater, Florida, public =

> hearings, May 5-10, 1982.  The Commission received documentary =

> and testimonial evidence with respect to the operation, activities =

> and conduct of Scientology.  Based upon the sworn testimony =

> of witnesses, affidavits, state and federal court decisions, =

> and miscellaneous documents reviewed and considered, the Commission =

> made the following factual recitation:  "Evidentiary fact:  =

> The Church of Scientology is currently engaged in a nationwide =

> conspiracy to impede and obstruct municipal, state and federal =

> taxing authorities, by adopting a religious and charitable guise =

> to avoid payment of taxes.
> =

> "Scientology's internal policies state:  "They (the public) =

> want ministers. We will show them what ministers look like" =

> (Vol. 1 p.41).
> =

> "Churches are looked upon as reform groups.  Therefore, we must
> act like a reform group" (Vol.1 p.196).
> =

> "Scientology has nothing to do with religion. The Church did =

> not adopt the religious guise until it was necessary to seek =

> First Amendment protection (Vol.4 p.405).
> =

> "Scientology uses a religious image checklist designed to falsely =

> portray a religious image to mislead officials (Vol. 2 p.238,239).
> "Church policy instructs members to lie to inquiring officials =

> (Vol.1 p.226,227).
> =

> *       Documentary evidence in Church of Spiritual Technology vs =

> U.S., November 22, 1989 =

> =

> "The goal of the department [of governmental affairs] is to bring
> the government and hostile philosophies or societies into a state
> of complete compliance with the goals of Scientology.  This is done
> by a high level ability to control and in its absence by a low level
> ability to overwhelm.  Introvert such agencies.  Control such
> agencies." -- LRH =

> =

> "The purpose of the legal officer is to help LRH handle every legal,
> government, suit, accounting and tax contact or action... and to
> bring the greatest possible confusion and loss to its enemies." -- LRH
> =

> *       "Guardian Order 060971" seized in FBI authorized search =

> of Scientology headquarters =

> =

> "The vital targets on which we must invest most of our time are:
> (T1) Depopularizing the enemy to the point of obliteration.  =

> (T2) Taking over the control or allegiance of the heads or
> proprietors of all news media.  =

> (T3) Taking over the control or allegiance of key political figures.
> (T4) Taking over the control or allegiance of those who monitor
> international finance..."
> =

> *       Documentary evidence in the Armstrong case
> =

> "You can be merciless whenever your will is crossed and you =

> have the right to be merciless." -- LRH
> =

> *       California Supreme Court, in United States v. Lee 455 U.S. =

> 252,257,258 (1982) =

> =

> "When a person is subjected to coercive persuasion [as in Scientology]
> without his knowledge or consent ...[he may] develop serious and
> sometimes irreversible physical and psychiatric disorders, up to and
> including schizophrenia, self-mutilation, and suicide."
> =

> =

> From: Ted Mayett <teddybar@accessnv.com>
> Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
> Subject: VICTORIA REPORT - 1965 - Prefatory Note
> Date: 24 Aug 1995 09:29:58 GMT
> =

> =

>            ______________________________
> 1965 - Victoria - Report of the Board of Inquiry into Scientology
> Presented by   KEVIN VICTOR ANDERSON, Q.C.
> =

>                       page 1
> =

>            PREFATORY NOTE
> =

>      There are some features of Scientology which are so ludicrous that=
 =

> there may be a tendency to regard Scientology as silly and it's =

> practitioners as harmless cranks.  To do so would be gravely
> to misunderstand the tenor of the Board's Conclusions.  This Report =

> should be read, it is submitted, with these prefatory observations =

> constantly in mind.  Scientology is evil ; its techniques evil ; its =

> practice a serious threat to the community, medically, morally and =

> socially ; and its adherents sadly deluded and often mentally ill.
> =

>      Its founder is Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, an American now resident =
at =

> Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, Sussex, England, who falsely claims  =

> academic and other distinctions, and whose sanity is to be gravely =

> doubted.  He is the governing director of, and has absolute power in, a=
 =

> world-wide organization named Hubbard Association of Scientologists =

> International (the HASI), which promotes the practice of scientology an=
d =

> canvasses for adherents in most of the countries of the Western World. =
 =

> In eight years to 1964, scientology became strongly entrenched in =

> Victoria.
> =

>      For many years Hubbard was a prolific and successful writer of =

> science fiction ; the theories of scientology which he has developed ha=
ve =

> altogether extraordinary and novel qualities, rivaling in fantasy the =

> most advanced science fiction.
> =

>      Many scientology techniques, beyond the elementary stages, are =

> essentially those of command or authoritative hypnosis, and are =

> potentially dangerous to mental health.  Scientology processing or =

> "auditing" is administered by scientology trained "auditors" who have n=
o =

> knowledge or appreciation of, or skill in, orthodox psychiatry or =

> psychology ; they are generally unaware of the dangers of the technique=
s =

> which they practice and are unable to detect in their patients a variet=
y =

> of symptoms which would indicate to a medical practitioner or a trained=
 =

> psychologist mental and physical conditions which may require =

> professional treatment.
> =

>      A pseudo-science called "dianetics" , also founded by Hubbard and =

> claimed by him to be
> "the modern science of mental health", is an important part of =

> scientology and categorically but falsely claims to cure 70 per cent. o=
f =

> man's ailments.  Though scientology formally professes not to treat or =

> cure physical or mental ailments, in a covert way it creates the =

> impression that it does, and it frequently processes individuals for th=
e =

> purpose of curing or alleviating their ailments.
> =

>      Scientology procedures have done very considerable mental harm to =

> individuals who have been persuaded to undergo processing and training.=
  =

> In many cases, mental derangement and a loss of critical faculties have=
 =

> resulted from scientology processing and have continued long after the =

> individuals concerned have ceased active association with scientology. =
 =

> In a number of instances the direct result of scientology processing ha=
s =

> been to produce mental derangement which has required hospital treatmen=
t.
> =

>      In the initial stages of scientology, its practitioners, using =

> recognized psychological methods commonly found in schools, clubs and =

> welfare and social organizations, have on occasions produced some =

> apparent benefit for some people ; but the enthusiasm resulting from su=
ch =

> transient gains is deliberately exploited by the HASI to produce a =

> subservience amounting almost to mental enslavement, from which, becaus=
e =

> of fear, delusion, debilitation and other conditions induced by =

> scientology processes, the individual finds it extremely difficult, and=
 =

> often impossible, to escape.  The dubious and temporary benefit which =

> some people claim to have received from scientology processing does not=
 =

> justify the continuance by unskilled and ignorant operatives of practic=
es =

> which are positively harmful to mental health.
> =

>      Though there was no evidence of  blackmail in the popular sense, y=
et =

> because of the domination which scientology asserts over its adherents =

> who have been persuaded to reveal their innermost secrets in the course=
 =

> of processing, the potentiality for the misuse of confidences reposed i=
n =

> the HASI is great ; the existence of files containing the most intimate=
 =

> secrets and confessions of thousands of individuals is a constant threa=
t =

> to them and is a matter of grave concern.  This aspect is the more =

> serious because copies of these reports are also held at Saint Hill Man=
or =

> in England.
> =

>      The appeal of scientology is at times deliberately directed toward=
s =

> the weak, the anxious, the disappointed, the inadequate and the =

> lonely--those unduly concerned about themselves, who in some cases are =

> mentally unwell.  At other times it is directed at university and senio=
r =

> school students, ambitious business men and women, public servants, =

> school teachers, housewives and others.
> =

>      Scientology offers to "make the able more able", to remove =

> "suppression", to improve IQ and personality, to proof people against =

> mental and physical illness and to bestow a variety of other benefits, =

> offering sure success by allegedly infallible means.  All of these clai=
ms =

> are entirely unjustified.  Public advertisements generally make no =

> mention of scientology theory or advanced techniques ; they merely offe=
r =

> lectures and benefits "without obligation" and make extravagant promise=
s.
> =

>                    page 2
> =

>      The principles and practices of scientology are contrary to accept=
ed =

> principles and practices of medicine and science, and constitute a grav=
e =

> danger to the health, particularly the mental health, of the community.=
  =

> Expert opinion to this effect was fully confirmed by the considerable =

> number of specific cases of damage to mental health of which the Board =

> heard evidence.
> =

>      Many individuals have paid very large sums of money to the HASI fo=
r =

> processing and other services, amounts of over 1,000 pounds not being =

> uncommon.  The hourly rates for processing range from four and a half =

> guineas downwards.  Frequently, courses of processing extend over =

> hundreds of hours ; for these there are reduced rates.  Financial =

> hardship to the customer is the usual concomitant of processing.  For t=
he =

> six years ended the 30th June, 1964, the gross income of the HASI was =

> over a quarter of a million pounds, on which a flat 10 per cent. levy w=
as =

> payable to Hubbard's headquarters in England.  In addition, considerabl=
e =

> sums have been received by the Australian College of Personal Efficienc=
y =

> at Geelong and the Melbourne College of Personal Efficiency at Hawthorn=
, =

> two offshoots of the HASI.
> =

>      Scientology has highly undesirable processes, many of which are =

> hypnotic, wherein normal inhibitions and restraints are in abeyance.  =

> Sexual matters, normal and abnormal, are frequently dwelt upon =

> extensively and erotically.
> =

>      Scientology is a grave threat to family and home life.  As well as=
 =

> causing financial hardship, it engenders dissension, suspicion and =

> mistrust amongst members of the family.  Scientology has caused many =

> family estrangements.
> =

>      The board has been unable to find any worth-while redeeming featur=
e =

> in scientology.  It constitutes a serious medical, moral and social =

> threat to individuals and to the community generally.
>          __________________________________________________
> =

> I have attempted to post this report verbatim.
> This is but part of a 202 page report.
> -- =

> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
>                   Ted Mayett
> =

>   =

> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
> =

> =



Mr. Cohen, you feel neatly into their scheme to hide behind righteous
moral outrage at the Holcaust, but let me tell you now that you'd
probably rather have the Nazis than the Scientologists running the show
over there in Germany.

Next time before you write such a misinformed piece of tripe, educate
yourself!





-- =

Be kind to your       | When the going gets weird the weird turn pro.
neighbors even though | http://www.clark.net/pub/klaatu/
they be transgenic    | Now. chock full of uninteresting links.
chimerae.             |-- Genesis 19:1-13 - Hebrews 13:2 -- =

---- INCOMING! http://www.clark.net/pub/klaatu/incoming.html ---------
"Sarah Connor?" All UseNet and BitNet postings are copyrighted.