From: Joe Harrington Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: Reflections on 17 years of litigation (fwd) Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 23:53:54 -0400 Organization: Holistic Learning Network of Maine Lines: 95 Message-ID: <60a2dp$2j9@bgtnsc03.worldnet.att.net> Reply-To: joeharr@worldnet.att.net NNTP-Posting-Host: 12.68.12.8 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0C-WorldNet (Win95; I) CC: clear-l@lightlink.com Lawrence Wollersheim writes, Subject: Resistance is its OWN reward. I have never told anyone publicly about Scientology's first settlement offer to me in 1983 or 1984. I think it is appropiate to reveal it now as it has brought about a chain of circumstances that are significant. In 1982 or 1983 Earl Cooley came to my attorney in our first settlement conference and said Scientology would pay me $500,000 to make the case go away. Then as we were about to proceed with the settlement Cooley then added the condition that I had to sign a statement that Scientlogy was a legitimate religion and that everything that Scientology did to me was part of their sacred and legitimate religious practices. My attorney privately advised me I should never sign such a document not even for 50 million dollars. He then instructed Earl Cooley that if they dropped the insane request for such a statement we would settle right then and there and the Wollersheim case would be over. Earl came back and insisted his client understood we would settle without the statement, but that they wouldn't settle without it. So I left the settlement negotiations and continued on to court. Later Scientology offered me 4, 6, then 8 million dollars, but I always knew that the price was signing some stupid statement that you could never sign and still keep your sanity and soul. (I recently posted their insane 12 million dollar Factnet/Wollersheim package settlement offer that I and others also had to reject.) Now this brings me to how funny life is and the point of this posting. It is more often the decisions we make that look like losses that wind up bringing us our greatest joys. If I would not have made the 1982-83 decision to turn down their money I would have never have met so many amazing people and have learned so much. The trial would have never occured and all the events and connections that have sprung from the events and circumstances of the Wollersheim trial would have never occured. (Many things from the Wollersheim verdict and related events had a direct bearing on the Fishman case and the Fishman verdict. The Fishman verdict and documents have changed the face of Scientology and the Internet.) Because of that simple decision to say no to these people and from the consequent chain of events many people who were being hurt by Scientology stopped being hurt. Many people avoided being hurt by Scientology because of the publicity of the case and how it affected other departing Scientologists, a growing resistance to Scientology and the media. And, Factnet would have never come into existance and been a part of the Internet education and resistance to Scientology. All of this has contributed significantly and Scientology has justly suffered immensely on every level because of its refusal to stop hurting people and the growing resistance that we all have presented to them. In truth they have lost their future to the Internet only they can't admit it, so they continue to repeat the same mistakes and dig their holes deeper. I have gained more personally and spiritually in my difficult resistance to the spiritual and social evil that they are, than I could have ever gained from any amount of money or an easier life. I feel I will never settle with Scientology because a: they will never present a real settlement offer and b: there is so much more good that can be done by holding them into the various litigation draining their power and using the litigation to educate the world. To whoever it attacks Scientology surrenders another piece of its control over its own destiny. And, they are almost out of pieces. I have conclusively learned over these 17 years that Scientology empowers whoever it attacks if you just make decisions from your heart and soul. There ARE many times when resistance is its own reward and, the most justice you may ever get, is the justice you experience IN THE PROCESS of countering and containing injustice rather than some clear cut victory OVER injustice. For me the last 17 years has been this way. I would not trade them for money. I will continue to use the justice system for another 17 years, if necessary to enforce my judgement and do what I can to use the litigation process to protect those who cannot protect themselves and to educate the world about this dangerous group. I also have to thank Earl Cooley and all the Scientology attorneys and executives who have done everything possible to continually disuade me from doing anything, but fighting them with the full force of the law. If it wasn't for your activities I would never have had such an opportunity for personal and spiritual growth, challenge and adventure. And for that I am deeply grateful. IMHO Lawrence Wollersheim