alt_religion_scientology/FACTNetARS20020510

On 23 September 1997 Lawrence Wollersheim wrote:

Subject: Resistance is its own reward.

I have never told anyone publicly about Scientology's first settlement offer
to me in 1983 or 1984. I think it is appropiate to reveal it now as it has
brought about a chain of circumstances that are significant.

In 1982 or 1983 Earl Cooley came to my attorney in our first settlement
conference and said Scientology would pay me $500,000 to make the case go
away. Then as we were about to proceed with the settlement Cooley then added
the condition that I had to sign a statement that Scientlogy was a
legitimate religion and that everything that Scientology did to me was part
of their sacred and legitimate religious practices.

My attorney privately advised me I should never sign such a document not
even for 50 million dollars. He then instructed Earl Cooley that if they
dropped the insane request for such a statement we would settle right then
and there and the Wollersheim case would be over.

Earl came back and insisted his client understood we would settle without
the statement, but that they wouldn't settle without it. So I left the
settlement negotiations and continued on to court. Later Scientology offered
me 4, 6, then 8 million dollars, but I always knew that the price was
signing some stupid statement that you could never sign and still keep your
sanity and soul. (I recently posted their insane 12 million dollar
Factnet/Wollersheim package settlement offer that I and others also had to
reject.) Now this brings me to how funny life is and the point of this
posting.

It is more often the decisions we make that look like losses that wind up
bringing us our greatest joys. If I would not have made the 1982-83 decision
to turn down their money I would have never have met so many amazing people
and have learned so much. The trial would have never occured and all the
events and connections that have sprung from the events and circumstances of
the Wollersheim trial would have never occured. (Many things from the
Wollersheim verdict and related events had a direct bearing on the Fishman
case and the Fishman verdict. The Fishman verdict and documents have changed
the face of Scientology and the Internet.)

Because of that simple decision to say no to these people and from the
consequent chain of events many people who were being hurt by Scientology
stopped being hurt. Many people avoided being hurt by Scientology because of
the publicity of the case and how it affected other departing
Scientologists, a growing resistance to Scientology and the media. And,
Factnet would have never come into existance and been a part of the Internet
education and resistance to Scientology.

All of this has contributed significantly and Scientology has justly
suffered immensely on every level because of its refusal to stop hurting
people and the growing resistance that we all have presented to them. In
truth they have lost their future to the Internet only they can't admit it,
so they continue to repeat the same mistakes and dig their holes deeper.

I have gained more personally and spiritually in my difficult resistance to
the spiritual and social evil that they are, than I could have ever gained
from any amount of money or an easier life.

I feel I will never settle with Scientology because
a: they will never present a real settlement offer and
b: there is so much more good that can be done by holding them into the
various litigation draining their power and using the litigation to educate
the world.

To whoever it attacks Scientology surrenders another piece of its control
over its own destiny. And, they are almost out of pieces. I have
conclusively learned over these 17 years that Scientology empowers whoever
it attacks if you just make decisions from your heart and soul.

There ARE many times when resistance is its own reward and, the most justice
you may ever get, is the justice you experience IN THE PROCESS of countering
and containing injustice rather than some clear cut victory OVER injustice.

For me the last 17 years has been this way. I would not trade them for
money.

I will continue to use the justice system for another 17 years, if necessary
to enforce my judgement and do what I can to use the litigation process to
protect those who cannot protect themselves and to educate the world about
this dangerous group. I also have to thank Earl Cooley and all the
Scientology attorneys and executives who have done everything possible to
continually disuade me from doing anything, but fighting them with the full
force of the law. If it wasn't for your activities I would never have had
such an opportunity for personal and spiritual growth, challenge and
adventure. And for that I am deeply grateful.

IMHO
Lawrence Wollersheim

This article is at:
http://www.suburbia.com.au/~fun/scn/why/970923-wollersheim.txt
http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/resistance.htm
http://www.lermanet.com/cos/17years.html

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