FACTNews #9 - October 7, 1997

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A digest devoted to alerting Netizens about the issues of
Freedom of Speech,
Freedom of Thought,
Mind Control, & Cults

Distributed by FACTNet (Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network, Inc.)
<http://www.factnet.org/>

Vol. I, Issue #9September/October 1997

In this issue:

(1) DOWNLOAD THE FACTNET WEBSITE!
(2) HUBBARD CHARTER SCHOOL ON HOLD
(3) ILLINOIS HIGH COURT BRINGS BACK CAN/SCIENTOLOGY LAWSUIT
(4) JEWISH/BUDDHIST PERSECUTION
(5) HARMS OF INFORMATION FATIGUE SYNDROME
(6) ELECTRONIC TAGGING SYSTEM FOR INTERNET
(7) CYBER PROMOTIONS RETURNS TO INTERNET
(8) CONTENTS OF FIRST AMENDMENT LEGAL WATCH
(9) CONTENTS OF EPIC ALERT

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(1) DOWNLOAD THE FACTNET WEBSITE!

FACTNet's existence is not guaranteed. Scientology has threatened once again to destroy FACTNet and financially damage its directors. Please help protect FACTNet by copying our pages or entire web site. To download, see <http://www.factnet.org> under Headlines.

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(2) HUBBARD CHARTER SCHOOL ON HOLD

On September 18, 1997 the Los Angeles Times reported that the proposal for building a charter school using the Scientology's teachings was withdrawn by its drafter, Scientologist Linda Smith. Ms. Smith said she will resubmit the proposal at a later date.

In reference to these plans, School board President Julie Korenstein commented, "If there continues to be any connection at all with Scientology, I would be derelict in my duties as a Board of Education
member to support something like that."

Linda Smith's attorney is Steve Hayes, thought to be the same lawyer who purchased the Cult Awareness Network after it was bankrupted by Scientology attorney Kendrick Moxon.

For full story, see http://www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/THURSDAY/t000083177.html

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(3) ILLINOIS HIGH COURT BRINGS BACK CAN/SCIENTOLOGY LAWSUIT

In response to 21 lawsuits filed by Scientology in 1992 and 1993 in Illinois, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York and Washington, D.C. against the Cult Awareness Network (CAN), CAN brought a lawsuit against Scientology charging Scientology's litigation was "a conspiracy to maliciously prosecute" CAN for its efforts investigating the church.

CAN's lawsuit against Scientology was dismissed in 1995 before it could go to trial. However, this September, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the lawsuit was improperly dismissed and should be resurrected. CAN's litigation was thus reinstated in an opinion written by Chief Justice Charles Freeman.

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(4) JEWISH/BUDDHIST PERSECUTION

Two stories have surfaced recently in Ignacio, CO about religious persecution by local government and neighborhood associations. A group called Residents Against Inappropriate Development (RAID) is
telling a Buddhist he can't allow guests to pray in his home. They contend that group prayer would make the building a church, and thus a zoning violation. They're even threatening to have the house dismantled if guests pray in it.

A second story surrounds a Jewish Rabbi who's being told he can't have guests at his home for religious functions.

Full story and links to related articles at: <www.newhope.com/boulderplanet/091797/nselby.html>

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(5) HARMS OF INFORMATION FATIGUE SYNDROME

According to Edupage, "Getting physically sick as a result of the stress caused by information overload now has an official name -- Information Fatigue Syndrome." Reuters released in its 1996 Business Information
report that almost half of all senior managers and a third of all managers suffer from the syndrome.(Investor's Business Daily 1 Oct 96)

>From Edupage <http://www.educom.edu/edupage.new> <http://www.educom.edu/web/pubs/pubHomeFrame.html> for Edupage archives.

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(6) ELECTRONIC TAGGING SYSTEM FOR INTERNET

A "digital object identifier" has been developed to tag electronic postings with its copyright information, origin, and ownership. This system was created the Association of American Publishers with cooperation from the Corporation for National Research Initiatives.

Internet users would be able to "recognize intellectual property even on the fastest of highways," according to one of the developers, by clicking an icon linking to the owner's home page. The system's maintenance would be handled by a nonprofit organization, D.O.I. Foundation. Use of the tag would be voluntary. (Chronicle of Higher Education 3 Oct 97)

>From Edupage <http://www.educom.edu/edupage.new>

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(7) CYBER PROMOTIONS RETURNS TO INTERNET

Cyber Promotions, Inc., a company infamous for flooding the Internet with spam, was allowed by a federal court in Philadelphia to return to the Internet. Cyber Promotions' Internet service provider, AGIS, cut off service to the company after receiving numerous complaints from netizens claiming they continued to received unsolicited messages from Cyber Promotions even after asking to be removed from its lists. The federal temporary restraining order requires AGIS to restore service to Cyber Promotions. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 1 Oct 97)

>From Edupage <http://www.educom.edu/edupage.new>

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(8) CONTENTS OF FIRST AMENDMENT LEGAL WATCH
Published by the Legal Department of the First Amendment Center, Vanderbilt University.

Contents of Vol. II, No. 39

IN THE FEDERAL COURTS
(1) Press Groups Challenge Unabomber Jury Anonymity Order
(2) American Atheists and Freedom from Religion Foundation File Challenges
(3) Compelled-Speech Case Against California Bar Dismissed
(4) Cyberspace Battle Rages Over Domain Names
(5) Student Sues Instructor Over Junior ROTC Creed

IN THE CONGRESS
(6) Secretary of Education denounces private-school vouchers as a "silver-bullet solution"
(7) Amendment to mandate domestic controls over encryption axed, but other versions of amendment still floating in other House committees
(8) Nation’s "vast technological resources" are at the command of "anyone with a telephone line," says Sen. Cochran
(9) State courts censored political ads in last election, witnesses tell House Judiciary subcommittee.

HIGHLIGHTS
(10) Photographs of Nude Children Spark Controversy

Legal Watch is available on their Web site (http://www.fac.org) in HTML format and Adobe Acrobat format for printing.

To subscribe to the Legal Watch mailing list send an email to legalwatch-join@truman.fac.org
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(9) CONTENTS OF EPIC ALERT

(1) Table of contents:
(2) House Committee Rejects Crypto Restrictions
(3) National ID System to Cost $10 Billion
(4) HHS Recommends Medical Privacy Legislation
(5) SSA to Reopen Web Site
(6) Press Groups Reject Internet Rating Scheme
(7) Judge Rules Export Control Regs Unconstitutional

EPIC Alert is available at http://www.epic.org

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end FACTNews September/October 97