From: senahj@my-dejanews.com
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Re: How did you find A.R.S. ?
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1998 20:15:42 GMT
Message-ID: <6th95e$sei$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com>
Years ago, I read the "non-Scientologist" FAQ when it was first posted to news.answers, I think. Took a look at the group then, thought "too weird even for me", and directed my attention elsewhere.
But Jon Noring's net.petition caught my attention, somewhere, and I started to dip into a.r.s occasionally -- just in time for the raid on Dennis Erlich. I was outraged.
I read about Snow White in the US, and about Paulette Cooper.
I read Bob "Sloth" Bingham's old page, learned about the extension of Snow White into Canada from his long "Scientology in Toronto" account. I read Modemac's page, and started to recommend it to newcomers.
I learned about Gabe Cazares, Gerry Armstrong, Larry Wollersheim.
Scamizdat and Vorlon blessed us, and I read the OTs, the NOTs, HCOBs. I laughed at the Gorilla Goals, marveled at Hubbard's awful prose, and at the shriveled souls of Vera Wallace, Robert Marcus, Talbot, Chris Miller, Justin, et.al.: the long succession of malign and often incoherent "handlers" that have apparently represented Scientology here.
The more I learned, the deeper became my outrage and disgust, until I began to post, trying to spread the word, refuting Andy Milne, refuting "Judy Short", ranting a little.
And then I quoted the Infamous Six Lines in a crosspost to to alt.fan.frank-zappa, (comparing this snippet of Hubbardian dreck to Zappa's song "Call Any Vegetable"), and I got a Kobragram, and attained SP3 -- and then my provider got a Kobragram, and called me on the carpet, and I attested to SP4.
I've mostly lurked ever since; my killfile is deep (and includes many of the most voluble critics, as well as the clambots) but I read every a.r.s article that it doesn't kill. And I continue to learn, and to spread the word.
To me, the loony space-opera cosmology isn't important, nor are Hubbard's prevarications and personal history, nor even the way that Scientology abuses its adherents.
No. The reason I can't let go, the reason that I think that Scientology is evil and must be opposed, is that its practices of massive litigation and intimidation through fair game strike at the bases of civil society, and subvert the rule of law.
Scientology criminally harassed Paulette Cooper; no one was indicted for these crimes, despite clear evidence held by the FBI.
Scientology continues to defy the courts in re Wollersheim, has succeeded in avoiding payment of this judgement for years after they lost their final appeal. No representative of Scientology has been cited for contempt, nor imprisoned, for ignoring these legal decisions.
Scientology killed Lisa McPherson, and spirited the witnesses out of the country; no one has been indicted.
Scientology cowed the IRS with a massive campaign of litigation and intimidation, and thus secured privileges and a kind of tax exemption granted to no other religion in the United States.
Scientology attempted to frame Gabe Cazares, former Mayor of Clearwater, in a staged hit-and-run accident; no one has been indicted in this criminal conspiracy.
This cannot be allowed.
There will always be those who break the law, and some of them will get away with it -- but this pattern of flouting the laws with impunity must be stopped forever.
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Joel Hanes SP4 Houseman Scholar University of Ediacara
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