Ritalin



Roll Call reported on May 7th that U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy of

Rhode Island will oppose a bill supported by Scientology to prevent

requirements that some students take medicine for attention deficit

disorder.



"Psychiatrists and at least one lawmaker are taking on the Church of

Scientology's support for a provision in a House special education bill

that seeks to prevent teachers from requiring students to take medication

for attention-deficit disorder. 'It's a wolf in sheep's clothing,' said

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) of the provision that was added to the

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act reauthorization, which passed

the House last week. 'I suspect it probably had its antecedents in the

community that believes that all medication for kids with

[attention-deficit disorder] is wrong.'



"Kennedy and members of the psychiatric profession say the provision,

which has been aggressively backed by the Scientology-founded Citizens

Commission on Human Rights, is an attempt to achieve what opponents charge

is Scientology's broader goal of abolishing the field of psychiatry

altogether.



"The provision, sponsored by freshman Rep. Max Burns (R-Ga.) and supported

by Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), is intended to address highly

publicized cases in several states of teachers pressuring parents to

medicate children with Ritalin and other psychotropic drugs. Burns said he

was aware that the provision was backed by CCHR, but said his goals were

far different from those of the Church of Scientology and CCHR, which

dispute the American Psychiatric Association's determination that

attention-deficit/hyper-activity disorder, or ADHD, is a medical condition

that sometimes requires medication.



"'I did not go out and solicit that support,' said Burns. 'We're not

trying to take away the scientifically based treatments that we have. But

we don't want to over-diagnose or misuse some of these treatments.'



"But psychiatric organizations that oppose the provision - including the

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American

Psychiatric Association, the Federation of Families for Children's Mental

Health, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the National

Mental Health Association - claim supporters have been duped into

supporting a measure that they say could prevent teachers from even

talking to parents about the possibility of their child being evaluated by

a mental health professional. 'It's all an organized campaign to discredit

the mental health profession and disavow the existence of childhood mental

disorders,' said Clarke Ross, CEO of the nonprofit Children and Adults

with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder.



"CCHR spokeswoman Marla Filidei countered that her organization has been

fighting for the provision because of hundreds of stories from parents

about teachers and school districts that have urged or pressured parents

to put their nonattentive children on drugs, such as Ritalin, to address

what may be simple behavior problems or the boredom of a gifted child.

CCHR's Web site states that the group was formed in 1969 by the Church of

Scientology and State University of New York psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz

to 'combat psychiatry's oppression' and to 'expose and help abolish any

and all physically damaging practices in the field of mental healing.'



"Opponents of the provision are hoping to find allies in the Senate to

prevent the provision from becoming law. One lobbyist for the psychiatric

profession said they have already targeted a number of Democrats on the

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, such as Sens.

Edward Kennedy (Mass.) and Jeff Bingaman (N.M.). Psychiatric groups also

plan to contact Republicans friendly to the mental health profession, such

as Sens. Pete Domenici (N.M.) and John Warner (Va.). 'They're not too

worried about it getting into the Senate [Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act] bill,' the lobbyist said of conversations with Kennedy's

staff. 'Conference committee is where we'll be focused in the end.'



"Kennedy argued that the problem is not as widespread as CCHR makes it

seem. 'Clearly, it's a legitimate issue, but as I said, it's a

mischaracterization of the situation to think that it's not the exception

rather than the rule,' he said. 'The question is whether this is a

national issue that requires a national bureaucracy,' added Ross. 'It's

all based on these highly publicized situations.'"



Message-ID: 1052303722.172319@newshost01.voicenet.com





Celebrity



Celebrity Magazine reported news from the CCHR awards banquet, held in LOs

Angeles.



"At the Citizens Commission on Human Rights Awards Banquet, JULIETTE

LEWIS, PRISCILLA PRESLEY, EDUARDO PALOMO and GINA ST. JOHN presented Human

Rights Awards to individuals who have fought to expose the increasing

pressure schools are placing on parents to drug their children. Also

participating in the event was ANNE ARCHER as Mistress of Ceremonies.

Hundreds of doctors, politicians, human rights activists, parent groups

and celebrities, including CATHERINE BELL and LYNSEY BARTILSON, attended

the awards banquet in Los Angeles."



Message-ID: 7MHUWMAI37749.7335069444@anonymous.poster





Clearwater



The St. Petersburg Times reported on May 11th that Clearwater city

officials are planning to revitalize the downtown area, despite the strong

presence of Scientology.



"Three years after voters killed a sweeping $300-million plan to remake

downtown, backers still lament the lost opportunity and ponder what might

have been. Amid pockets of redevelopment, empty storefronts remain,

leading to mounting fears that the struggling commercial corridor could

wither and die when the new Memorial Causeway Bridge opens and beach-bound

traffic is diverted forever off Cleveland Street. But city officials

remain hopeful. After months of study, they are preparing to bring forward

their latest plan to remake downtown into the tourist and community magnet

they say its geography has destined it to be.



"The exhaustive new proposal incorporates elements of past plans,

including a revamped Coachman Park and millions of dollars for

beautification and other improvements to the downtown core. What's new is

the acknowledgement that City Hall is available for sale if the right

development project comes along. And now Calvary Baptist Church's property

next door - a key to development - is on the block, too. Also planned are

a downtown marina, a monorail to the beach and a parking garage on Osceola

Avenue. Meanwhile, the plan will serve as a road map of sorts by creating

six unique 'character districts' with general design guidelines meant to

shape future development.



"But Clearwater faces unique challenges, including its distance from a

major interstate. And the dominant presence of the Church of Scientology

has fed the perception that investments downtown will chiefly benefit the

church, Siemon said. But that perception is false, he said. '(Scientology

is) not what's causing the failure of redevelopment,' Siemon said. 'What

makes them stand out in downtown Clearwater is they're the only ones

there. I think dilution is the only solution.'



"Commissioner Whitney Gray agreed. 'If you feel like there's a large

presence of Scientologists downtown, it's because it's in isolation,' she

said. 'The more great things there are to do downtown, the more people

will come.'"



Message-ID: 1052657988.485470@newshost01.voicenet.com





Digital Lightwave



The St. Petersburg Times reported on May 10th that Digital Lightwave will

not appeal a judgment by Seth Joseph, a former employee of the company.



"For four years, as he waited to collect millions of dollars he said he

was owed by former employer Digital Lightwave, whistleblower Seth Joseph

refused to talk publicly about his case. He preferred to let court

documents speak for themselves: hundreds of pages of testimony, e-mails

and internal memos that detailed how the Clearwater company maneuvered

through an accounting scandal in 1998. The documents also helped show how

the tech company's fortunes and misfortunes were closely tied to

influential members of the Church of Scientology.



"On Friday, after Digital said it would not appeal a $5.2-million judgment

in Joseph's favor, the former Digital senior executive vice president

broke his silence. 'Whenever an individual has to stand up to a big

company with lots of resources, it's not an even fight,' Joseph, who now

works for a Miami law firm, said in an interview with the St. Petersburg

Times. 'Digital used every delaying tactic, every procedure they could to

wear me down and make it almost impossible just to survive through the

process, but here we are.'



"Joseph filed an arbitration suit in 1999 alleging that he was unfairly

dismissed by Zwan. In testimony, Joseph said he was punished because he

urged Zwan to terminate another executive, Denise Licciardi, who was

linked to an accounting scandal in the company. Joseph said that Zwan, a

large donor to Scientology, did not want to dismiss Licciardi because she

is the twin sister of Scientology's worldwide leader, David Miscavige.

Zwan has denied Joseph's account, saying his firing was part of a

companywide restructuring.



"Joseph won his arbitration complaint and, most recently, an appellate

court affirmed the judgment in Joseph's favor. Joseph's lawyer, Holly

Skolnick, said the fight took longer than expected because 'I've never had

such tenacious adversaries. Seth really went through hell.'



"Joseph declined to talk about Zwan personally but predicted that more

problems lie ahead for his old company. As a maker of testing equipment,

Digital will lag behind any recovery in the telecom market since any

initial burst of spending will probably go to telecom switches and

operating equipment instead of testing, Joseph said. 'The only thing that

makes it possible that the company will survive is the fact that Zwan was

able to cash out to the tune of $400-million to $450-million during the

(tech) bubble,' he said."



Message-ID: 1052572045.583419@newshost02.voicenet.com





France



Agence France Presse reported on May 7th that two Scientologists have been

indicted for fraud and illegally prescribing medicine.



"Two execs from the Scientology church have been recently indicted by a

Parisian instruction judge, one for fraud and the other for illegal

pharmacy practice. Alain Rosenberg has been indicted as General Manager of

the 'Celebrity Center' in Paris, for fraud and complicity of illegal

exercice of pharmacy.



"The judge suspects him to have been engaged in personality testing

without a scientific basis having caused damages to the plaintiff. Those

tests could have been used in order to steal fortunes of some people,

under the guise of a psychological aid.



"Another executive, Aline Fabre, is indicted for illegal pharmacy practice

because she would have sold high dosages vitamins. Attorney Aram

Kevorkian, who is the defender of the two persons indicted, declared that

indictment is not culpability, and that the people are not guilty. Nothing

forbids personality testing, and those tests had scientific bases, did he

declare, before adding that vitamins can be sold outside drugstores.

Kevorkian added that he had appealed of these indictments before the

Indictments appeal Room in Paris court."



Message-ID: 3ebba81f$0$23446$626a54ce@news.free.fr





Scientology Tour



Skyway News published the first of two articles on a visit to Scientology

in Minnesota.



"Through the storefront windows at 1011 Nicollet Mall, the Church of

Scientology of Minnesota seems bright, open and warm.  Posters advertise

personality, toxicity and IQ tests - free and immediately available. At

one of the tables abutting the windowpane, a young man in a black hooded

sweatshirt diligently fills in small ovals on a test. Bright paperbacks

and posters of golden, erupting volcanoes frame the space around him.

Come, step out of the rain - and discover your full potential.



"As I step inside, a kind- and weary-looking man jumps from his post at

the front desk to greet me. It's raining, I tell him, and ask, what is

this place? He extends his well-muscled, lean hand - the hand of a

laborer. He is Bernie, a volunteer, and says this is the Church of

Scientology. It basically believes you are a soul inhabiting a body that

can get toxic, so the church helps you clear it and reach your potential.

'You see,' he says, his eyes opening a little wider, 'you are so much more

than you've been taught you can be.'



"He reaches for one of the thousand or so books on the shelves as one

might reach for a bottle of medicine, haltingly yet reverently. 'This

book,' he begins, 'saved my life.' Bernie owns an auto diagnostics

business. Things got stressful, so he took a management course; the

teacher used a 'tone scale' to help him discern and deal with people's

basic dispositions.



"Bernie opens one of the thinner, cheaper books and displays the realm of

human beings divided into strata, from the gray and glowering at the

bottom, to the clear and serene at the top. 'You see,' he says, pointing

to the darkest circles, 'not everyone is on your side. About 2 percent of

people in the world are Suppressive Persons; they want to keep you from

being happy.' Suppressive agents cause most illnesses, Bernie explains.

Take someone he knows, he says, locked up in a mental hospital because 'he

didn't have this technology to deal with the abuse in his past.'



"Day two. I say hello to a woman in a pinstriped brown and black outfit at

the front desk, and Troy emerges in his pressed shirt, tie and gray

slacks.  'You're back!' he says with a flash of his even white smile. The

brochures seem contingent upon taking the personality test, I explain; I

only have a half-hour, is that enough?



"The woman at the front desk sets to her task, which involves calling

people out of the phone book. I resist the urge to interrupt and ask what

certain test questions are meant to reveal: 'Do you intend two or less

children in your family even though your health and income permit more?'

'If we were invading another country, would you feel sympathetic towards

conscientious objectors in this country?' and 'Would the idea of

inflicting pain on game, small animals or fish prevent you from hunting

and fishing?' I answer honestly, 'yes,' 'yes' and 'yes.'



"By the time I finish (about 10 minutes) I've admitted to allowing

'external noise' to disturb my concentration, being 'a slow eater' who is

'touchy about certain things about [my]self' and occasionally 'feel[ing]

compelled to repeat some interesting item or tidbit.' Troy emerges with

the prognosis: I'm down on seven of 10 counts, below 'normal' and in an

'unacceptable state,' in need of 'immediate assistance' as I suffer from:

depression, a lack of accord, being critical, not being outgoing enough,

nervousness, irresponsibility and being unstable or dispersed.



"I stammer, try to explain/defend myself as Troy's finger points to each

of my documented downfalls: well, I can be blunt, but I'm also the primary

caregiver in my family, so how can I be irresponsible? Troy explains that

responsibility is not 'like, 'Do I pay my bills on time or vote.' It's

like, are you causative or do you let life happen to you - like cause and

effect. Don't I want to take control of my life?' Troy cocks his head,

smiles, and moves his index finger to my most significant problem -- the

one point on the chart Troy has drawn a small cloud around: I'm depressed.

I had no idea.



"Day Three. Over breakfast 'Josh' - me - completes the exam guessing how a

super-Scientologist would answer. 'Josh' doesn't prefer a few close

friends but prefers a wide net of familiars; he wants us to breed like

rabbits, which, of course, he has no problem shooting. He also feels

comfortable telling others every opinion he has, even if he can't prove

what he's saying and is generally not influenced by his emotions in his

personal interactions. This time, another man sits at the front desk. He

seems preoccupied, but looks up when I come in. He extends his long thin

hands to take the pink fold-up test, but withdraws when I tell him it's

for my husband - and I could get him to take it but not to come in. 'Well,

it isn't much use without talking about it with somebody,' he says softly,

but with deep concern. 'Well, I'd like to see how our charts compare.'



"'This is a nice looking chart,' she says, indicating the eight of 10

counts where Josh/superman is in the 'optimum range.' He's aggressive,

responsible, outgoing - very impressive. But there are a couple areas

where he's just normal: he can be critical and isn't very appreciative. If

I'm interested, there's a solution - a glossy little book on marriage and

the primer, 'Components of Understanding.'"



Message-ID: 3eb706e8$1@news2.lightlink.com





Protest Summary



Jeff Jacobsen reported a protest at the Mesa, Arizona org on May 8th.



"Bruce asked me if I wanted to picket. How could I say no? So during rush

hour today we picketed the mission in Mesa. There were about 16 cars

there, including wonderful Russ! One guy came out and took our pictures.

He talked to me a bit commenting on my Lisa McPherson sign and saying

that's old news. I said 'she's still dead.' He argued a bit with me,

asking if we also protest the Catholic church too. I said that we each

choose our fight.



"We got about 8 positive reactions and 1 negative from the traffic that

was crawling by because of road work ahead. I handed out 3 flyers, which

is almost a record there because there is little foot traffic. After an

hour we left and had a nice meal."



Message-ID: vbjn88mdnr2vef@corp.supernews.com





Reed Slatkin



Slatkinfraud.com reported on May 8th that Scientologists are opposing the

trustee's plan for the Reed Slatkin estate to go after some Scientology

orgs to recover money donated by Slatkin during the period he ran a Ponzi

scheme investment club.



"High-ranking Scientologist creditors are fighting back against Trustee

Todd Neilson's proposed reorganization of the estate, claiming that he

failed to disclose his plan to go after Church of Scientology entities in

an effort to recoup some of the millions lost in the Slatkin Ponzi Scheme.

The Scientologist bloc is represented by lawyer Helena Kobrin, herself an

active Scientologist and Slatkin net debtor, who has also served as

counsel to several of the Scientology organizations targeted by the

trustee.



"From the Kobrin motion: 'Objecting parties assert that the Plan cannot be

confirmed because it has become evidence that the Trustee intends to sue

various Scientology entities, but did not disclose this intention in his

disclosure statement. Instead, he waited to make this intention known

through his attorney's comments to a newspaper reporter, resulting in a

March 26, 2003 article entitled 'Victims of Scam Target Church.' Beyond

the obvious desire to use this intention to create yellow journalism, the

Trustee's failure to disclose this intention in the normal fashion through

disclosure documents filed in the court violates 11 USC 1129(1),(2) and

(3). Not only would it affect how a substantial number of claimants who

are parishioners of the Scientology religion would vote, but the

concealment of the issue affects the entire conduct of the case, including

such things as the intensity of the Trustee's pursuit of these and other

adversary defendants, and the Trustee's refusal to settle other than at a

very high percentage of the amounts demanded.'



"Ike Kezsbom, a longtime Scientologist, writes in his declaration of

objection: 'My accounts suffered a net loss of approximately $2,400,000. I

am a longstanding member of the Church of Scientology. I reviewed the

Trustee's disclosure statement and proposed plan, and it did not state

that they were planning to sue the Church of Scientology. I would be

opposed to any Plan that involves suing my Church, and would prefer a plan

that liquidates the assets of the Estate as promptly as possible. Based on

the disclosure, I was under the impression that they did not intend to sue

the Church. I believe other Scientologists [sic] creditors were also left

with the same impression.'"



Message-ID: 5e0371c5.0305061615.d00a6c4@posting.google.com





FSMs



Flag FSM NewsLetter reported the winners of the Birthday Game for Flag

Field Staff Members. The contest is based on money paid by recruits for

training and processing to Scientology in Clearwater, Florida.



"FINAL BIRTHDAY GAME STANDINGS 2002-2003 WINNERS!

1. Michael Phillips CW

2. Wendy Ettricks WUS

3. Ty Dillard WUS

4. Barry Klein WUS

5. Mike Smith WUS

6. Ronit Soracco WUS

7. Steve Besio CW

8. Ray Barton CW

9. Divona Lewis WUS

10. Wayne Fuller CW

11. Deborah Hulthen CW

12. Monika Ruegg EU

13. Pat Parodi WUS

14. Sheila Bulger UK

15. Kay Daly Weiner WUS

16. Mary Jo Hyland WUS

17. Dennis Feeney WUS

18. Neils Kjedlsen EU

19. Susan Rowe EUS

20. Luis Colon EUS"



Message-ID: WNAGQTES37749.7008333333@anonymous.poster





Narconon



Tulsa World reported on May 3rd that the Oklahoma legislature voted down a

measure to commend Narconon for its work in drug rehabilitation.



"Normally, resolutions honoring this or that group, person or event fly

through the Legislature with nary a ripple of controversy. However, those

measures do not usually involve substance-abuse treatment facilities

operated by the Church of Scientology. On Thursday, freshman Rep. Terry

Harrison, D-McAlester, appeared surprised that his Senate Concurrent

Resolution 29, sponsored in the Senate by Sen.  Frank Shurden,

D-Henryetta, sparked opposition. The resolution commends Narconon

Arrowhead, a nationally recognized drug and alcohol treatment facility

located at a former state lodge in Pittsburg County.



"The measure doesn't mention the facility's ties to Scientology. It cites

the $5.5 million spent on the lodge's purchase and renovation, delivery of

free drug education programs to 58,000 Oklahoma youths, 130 jobs and $7.4

million impact on the local economy, among other attributes. Rep. Richard

Lerblance, D-Hartshorne, said drug-afflicted people come to the Narconon

center from all over the country. A lawyer, Lerblance said some of his

clients have completed the program successfully. 'This is a program, a

company, that has come into Pittsburg County to help people,' he said.

'Whoever this company is owned by is immaterial.' Rep. Al Lindley,

D-Oklahoma City, also spoke for the measure. 'I'm completely ashamed of

the membership here,' he said. 'It doesn't matter who owns that facility

down there, as long as it helps people.'



"Rep. Bill Paulk, D-Oklahoma City, said he didn't want his name 'on

something supporting the Church of Scientology.' The veteran lawmaker said

such measures illustrate the dangers of mixing church and state. 'This is

a faith-based organization,' Paulk said. The resolution failed 43-50. It

had passed the Senate a day earlier, but not before Shurden fielded

questions on the facility's licensing with the state."



Message-ID: 1052303170.63878@newshost01.voicenet.com