Clearwater



Letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on April 18th reacted to

recent articles and letters about Scientology.



"The article, City forces halfway houses to shut down, should win the

prize for worst writing by two reporters. Was this article about Michael

Cournaya and his effort to help recovering addicts? Was it about Richard

Weigand, a former executive in the Church of Scientology? What does

Weigand's past have to do with his being a property owner in Clearwater?

It was data added in to connect Scientology with something not related to

Scientology.



"It seems your editor missed the point that Weigand offered a solution to

the renters (Narconon) and should have printed the statistics of how many

people have been helped by Narconon, and therefore would have shown that

Narconon has one of the highest rates of drug addiction recovery of any

program on this planet. Lack of investigative facts and sloppy reporting

show up blatantly.



"If the philosophy of L. Ron Hubbard did not work, there would be no

issues. Since the data on the human spirit, his mind and body appear to be

true and his solutions to improve mankind by improving the human spirit

are workable, Scientology has been attacked by those who don't want a

better planet. I am proud to be a Scientologist and use this data to help

others who need help, no matter their religion or background. If every

person of every religion did this, do you really think the planet would be

in the shape it is in? - Dan Sigal, Clearwater



"Since you insist on printing David Rodman's false and derogatory letters

about my religion, then may I ask some questions regarding your

often-published hate monger? What scientific and controlled studies has

Mr. Rodman done regarding the religion of Scientology? What is his

experience, background or expertise that would support his conclusions

regarding the religiosity of Scientology? Has Mr. Rodman ever asked any of

the 12,000 Scientologists in the Tampa Bay area how Scientology helps them

in their lives or why they practice this religion? Has Mr. Rodman visited

a church of Scientology and scientifically evaluated the data for himself

firsthand?



"His unrestrained hypercriticism based on false rumors is typical of

someone who refuses to find out for himself. His generalities are sweeping

and beg a challenge. He doesn't even realize that the Narconon facility in

Clearwater has been open for almost a year and has been licensed. Did he

read the fact that Mrs. Cheryl Alderman invested her own funding into

opening the facility and that the facility is, in fact, owned and run by

her?



"Does Mr. Rodman even care that Narconon is in fact getting thousands of

people off drugs? There are an estimated 16-million Americans using drugs

on a monthly basis, and 6-million meet the clinical criteria for needing

help. What is Mr. Rodman doing about the problem? - Doe Hewitt, Holiday"



Message-ID: ykSna.19062$gU.847528@news2.voicenet.com





The Way to Happiness



A letters to the editor of the Los Angeles Times on April 15th claimed

that a recent fund raiser event was dedicated to providing copies of L.

Ron Hubbard's book The Way to Happiness to Israel.



"Article in the Glendale News-Press on April 8 announced that Mayor Dave

Spence was quite willing to help publicize a $1,000-a-couple 'peace

fund-raiser' held on March 29 at a 'home in La Canada Flintridge.' No

other names were mentioned, so his was obviously included for its

public-relations value. The peace fund-raiser raised $53,000, some of

which will be used to distribute a booklet titled "The Way to Happiness"

by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in Israel and Palestinian

territories.



"I know of this booklet, which advocates taking care of your health,

following the 10 Commandments and living by the Golden Rule - certainly

not a bad thing. I first learned about it when I read a December 1999

article in the LA Times, which noted that during a visit to the

Renaissance Academy, Assemblywoman Carol Liu received a copy of 'The Way

to Happiness.' Perhaps Spence's affinity to peace groups is a result of

his close relationship with Democrats like Liu.



"Pat Kerr

Sunland"



Message-ID: cs1na.19043$gU.842355@news2.voicenet.com





Lisa McPherson



Arnie Lerma reported that Judge Shaeffer has removed herself from the

counterclaim by Scientology against the estate of Lisa McPherson and Bob

Minton.



"On April 8th, Schaeffer recused herself from the counterclaim and

referred the matter of whether she should remain on the wrongful death

claim to the Chief Judge. Granting Robert Minton's motion to do same. On

Wednesday the Chief Judge reassigned both cases to Judge Robert Beach.

Judge Beach was the discovery judge, and is intimately familiar with what

Scientology is."



http://www.lermanet.com/reference/McPherson/schaeffer-040903c.pdf

http://www.lermanet.com/reference/McPherson/demers-041603.pdf

Message-ID: 3e9ecef6.266970504@news.verizon.net





UK



The London newspaper Trinity Mirror reported on April 17th that marathon

runners were attacked with stones and approached by Scientology with

offers of nerve assists.



"Marathon runners were pelted with stones by a reckless gang of youths, as

they ran the Isle of Dogs section of the course. Runners and onlookers

were horrified as youths threw projectiles at competitors, just as they

were tackling one of toughest parts on the Marathon course.



"Controversial religion the Church of Scientology targeted Marathon

runners at the Wharf with a 'healing therapy.' The church came to

Westferry Road to promote a 'Nerve Assist,' which promises to aid recovery

from injury and illness. Volunteer ministers for the church said they had

been overwhelmed by interest from runners on Westferry Road who lined up

to experience the practice."



Message-ID: Ptvna.19057$gU.845353@news2.voicenet.com





Montel Williams



The New York Post published an article critical of television host Montel

Williams on April 17th in response to a show in which Scientology

celebrities appeared to oppose psychiatric medicine and to promote the

detoxification methods used by Scientology.



"Was Montel Williams duped into promoting the Church of Scientology on his

talk show?  Earlier this week, Williams - who is not a Scientologist -

devoted a show to 'children abused through the use of prescription

psychiatric drugs such as Ritalin, specifically given to alleviate the

symptoms of attention-deficit disorder.' But the featured organization on

the segment was the 'Citizens Commission on Human Rights.' CCHR, founded

by Scientology in 1969, is an anti-psychiatry 'watchdog group' that once

described psychiatry as a 'malignant disease' that 'threatens society and

ultimately mankind.'



"During the show, CCHR president Bruce Wiseman compared 'your friendly

neighborhood psychiatrist' to drug lords in Colombia. Appearing with him,

Scientology celebrity Juliette Lewis urged the audience to make 'drug

manufacturers and psychiatrists accountable.' Williams also introduced

cameo clips by church followers Anne Archer and Catherine Bell.



"Noted Scientology-watcher Rick Ross writes on cultnews.com, 'At no time

did the talk show host explore the wider agenda of the CCHR and/or its

antipathy for the entire mental health profession. The word Scientology

was never even uttered.  Many of the claims made by the CCHR have been

labeled 'preposterous' by experts. It seems that Montel has either gone

from dumb to dumber, or is so desperate for celebrity appearances to boost

his ratings, he will shill almost anything,' Ross wrote.



"A rep for Williams said: 'In the 12 years that 'The Montel Williams Show'

has been on the air, guests have never been discriminated against based on

religious beliefs. We would not discriminate against someone like Mr. Rick

Ross. We welcome him to the show to discuss his bias.'"



Message-ID: 3ajt9vspgcoegq6c3029pffcltogr8qf6n@4ax.com