F.A.C.T.Net Daily Newswire archives
for the week of April 19, 1999

April 23, 1999

Eleven states ban sale of Scientology-related laundry balls

Eleven states have barred the sale of "laundry balls" manufactured by TradeNet, a Scientology-affiliated company, and Top Marketing Business Consulting Inc, which may or may not have affiliation to Scientology. The laundry balls, called "The Super Globe" and "The Laundry Solution," were marketed as environmentally-friendly alternatives to detergent, and sold for about $75 apiece. Each ball was supposedly filled with a solution of "crystals" and "structures," so that the ball ''forces the dirt to leave the fabric because the dirt is positively charged and the Laundry Solution is negatively charged, thus creating an electronic release of dirt.'' The states alleged that the two Dunedin, Florida companies failed to substantiate their claims regarding the laundry balls, and failed to inform consumers of reports that refuted claims. In the settlements, the companies agreed to pay $155,000 to the eleven states and the Federal Trade Commission, although they admitted no wrongdoing. The states involved are New York, Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, and Oklahoma. Oregon enacted a ban of the products in 1997. TradeNet is a member of WISE, the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises. It is unknown if Top Marketing is also a member. According to the Associated Press [April 4, 1999], TradeNet is out of business and Top Marketing's telephone number is disconnected.

Church arsonist indicted in 10 fires

Jay Scott Ballinger has admitted to setting fire to 30 to 50 churches in 11 states between 1994 and 1998. He has been indicted for 10 of those fires, seven in Indiana and three in Georgia. For one of the Georgia blazes, Ballinger could receive the death penalty because the fire killed a volunteer fireman. In 1994, parents reported that Ballinger was recruiting teens into a cult, and police found satanic materials in Ballinger's home, including about 50 "contracts" signed in blood by teens agreeing to give their souls to the devil in return for money, sex, and power. Ballinger was arrested in February after he was burned in a church fire in Ohio. He will probably face trial first in Georgia, since he is facing his most serious charge of murder there. Racial motives have been ruled out, since Ballinger is a white man who set fire to predominantly white churches. [Source: The Associated Press, April 21, 1999].

April 22, 1999

Aum-affiliated company leaves building of victim’s widow

A computer company affiliated with Aum Shin Rikyo, the cult responsible for the 1995 sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway in which a dozen people died, has agreed to vacate its offices by the end of April. Its offices are located in an apartment building where a widow of one of its victims lives. Shizue Takahashi’s husband was one of two subway workers who died during the gas attack while attempting to remove the toxin from the subway. Since becoming aware that the computer company relocated to her building in March, Takahashi and other residents have gathered a petition with 3,300 signatures demanding the company leave. Officials at the company say they will leave by the end of April, but they deny involvement with the cult. The cult says the company is run by former, not current, members. [Source: Mainichi Daily News, April 22, 1999].

“Trenchcoat mafia” planned for much larger slaughter

Numerous bombs have now been found in Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado in the wake of Tuesday’s killings there. As police sweeps of the building were drawing to a close, several 30-pound bombs were located in the school kitchen. Dozens of other bombs have been found in various locations in the school, in cars in the parking lot, and on one of the shooters. Police are not certain why many of the bombs did not detonate. It appears the shooters intended to burn down the school. A note has been found in the home of one of the killers, but police have not yet released its complete contents. It has been reported on Colorado radio that it asks that nobody but the shooters be held responsible for their act of terrorism, and that this was the way they wanted to die. Fifteen people died and 28 were injured after two members of the “Trenchcoat mafia” assaulted their high school with semi-automatic weapons and pipe bombs. The attackers are among the dead, apparently having ended their killing spree by committing suicide.

April 21, 1999

“Trenchcoat mafia” launched tragic attack on Hitler's birthday

Fifteen people died and 28 were injured after two members of the “Trenchcoat mafia” assaulted their high school with semi-automatic weapons and pipe bombs. The attackers are among the dead, apparently having ended their killing spree by committing suicide. Law enforcement authorities were not in control of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado until about 4:30 p.m., five hours after the shootings began. During the ordeal, teachers and students hid, locking themselves in different areas of the high school, while SWAT teams worked to rescue groups of them. In the end, most escaped safely. The injured were treated by area hospitals, mostly for wounds caused by gunshots and shrapnel. The deceased remained in and around the school while investigators and police continued their work. One hidden bomb on a timer detonated late last night, but nobody was injured.

The killers, straight-A students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, were part of a small group they called the “Trenchcoat mafia.” Mostly outcasts, the group dressed in the gothic style, all in black with black trench coats at all times. They aspired to neo-Nazism, listened to German rock music, and often spoke German to each other. They opposed blacks, Hispanics, Jews, and jocks, and the killers targeted these groups in their attack. Members of the Trenchcoat mafia were sometimes ridiculed by other students, and had threatened violence on students on at least three earlier occasions, once with a gun. Yesterday's attack took place on Hitler's birthday.

Some members of the Trenchcoat mafia posted Internet sites. According to the Washington Post, “On Web sites featuring poetry called ‘The Written Work of the Trenchcoat’ and in political tracts and other elements of the conspiratorial imagination, trench coats serve as a symbol for things from Hitler and the Nazis to mass murder to suicidal fantasies. Yesterday was Hitler's birthday, an occasion for demonstrations, mock funerals and other macabre commemorations among both neo-Nazis and parts of the Gothic scene” [April 21, 1999]. At least one report indicated that the Trenchcoat mafia was not limited to Columbine High School, but that other schools also had groups of students going by that name, both in and outside Colorado. Source articles include the Washington Post [April 21, 1999] and The Associated Press / ABC [April 21, 1999].

April 20, 1999

At least 21 injured in shoot-out at Denver high school

At least two students entered Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado and opened fire earlier today. At least 21 people are injured, most of whom are students and at least one of whom is a teacher. At the time of this newswire, the shooters are still in the school and may be holding hostages. Some students are reported to be hiding in other parts of the school; one called his parents from a friend's cell phone in a whisper to say he was all right. SWAT teams have helped other students escape. Three students were taken into custody by police for questioning, but are not suspects. One student who escaped said the shooters were known as "the Trenchcoat gang" because they usually wore long coats to school, and that the group recently had been engaged in altercations with other students.

My experience with Children of God/The Family, part X

F.A.C.T.Net has been featuring a continuing series by an ex-member of the cult known as the Children of God, or The Family. The complete series is available here. An excerpt from the newest segment, which has just been released, follows: "One of the most important things about this part of the story, about the birth of my baby in a hospital, is that it gave me two weeks out of the commune and in an uncontrolled setting with ordinary people. When I say a normal setting, I mean regular people who are going about ordinary working lives. It gave me the chance to be around other new mothers my own age, who were experiencing the same thing as me but with a different attitude than me. When the other mothers' babies cried a lot, they did not react by praying for the baby and immediately assume a devil was attacking it, or that they were doing something wrong or thinking something wrong." Click here to see the rest of part X.

Aum Shin Rikyo accepts offer not to buy hotel

In Takane, Japan, the Aum Shin Rikyo cult angered residents when it was disclosed in January that the group planned to buy a vacant hotel in town. Some locals set up a hut close to the hotel to monitor cult members’ comings and goings. In response to local opposition to Aum’s plans, the town government offered the cult four million yen to abandon its bid on the property, a deal which the cult accepted. In addition to the four million yen, Aum will also receive the eleven million yen it put down as a deposit.

April 19, 1999

Judge orders boy to undergo chemotherapy

Doctors say a 13-year-old boy in Toronto will likely die of bone cancer within the year unless he continues chemotherapy treatments. However, the boy and his parents want to halt the treatments and try vitamin and mineral injection treatments, along with prayer. Judge Allison Rothery ruled that he must continue chemotherapy and possibly have a leg amputated. He has a 65% chance of recovery with the treatment. Her ruling was based on evidence that the boy’s father was distorting the information provided to his son regarding the success of the alternative treatments in Mexico that he was looking into. The boy incorrectly believed that the therapy had a 90% success rate. The boy will stay with his parents while Saskatchewan's Social Services Department oversees his medical treatment.

Victims of Aum Shin Rikyo to receive compensation

Two survivors of Aum’s 1995 sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway system are entitled to workers’ accident compensation, a labor standard inspection office ruled earlier this month. The two women were on the subway during the attack, and are suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, as verified by doctors. This is the first case in Japan of the labor office ruling that post-traumatic stress disorder is covered by workers compensation insurance. Due to the women’s nightmares, flashbacks, and lethargy, doctors believe their condition is permanent. The women received their insurance payments some time ago, one in April 1996 and the other in October 1997.