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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 14, 2008 - The Church of Scientology in Clearwater Florida has once again failed to impede the rights of US citizens to free assembly and free speech.On May 9th 2008 a petition was filed with Mayor Frank Hibbard of Clearwater Florida
[1]. In that petition, 37 merchants of the Cleveland Street district assert that frequent anti-Scientology demonstrations are disruptive to commerce in downtown Clearwater, making it difficult to attract new customers to the downtown district.
A loosely-affiliated, internet-based group of individuals who refer to themselves as 'Anonymous' has held global protests against the Church of Scientology every month since February. They plan to continue holding demonstrations each month until the Church's tax exempt status is revoked (where applicable), it is properly penalized for its criminal activities, and it ceases all illegal and immoral activities that still take place today.
The signatory list contains 6 duplicate business entries, 7 signatories that do not have a valid or existing business license in Clearwater and finally there are 3 that are completely illegible
[2]. That indicates that of the original 37 signatories, only 21 are valid signatures - all of which have long standing ties to the Church of Scientology, the target of the protests the petition aims to stop.
Many of these businesses are not open during weekends, when the protests are held. Businesses with ties to Scientology that were open during the protests had 'Anonymous Not Welcome' signs featured predominantly in their shop fronts.
This petition is the latest in a series of attempts to thwart the legal rights of those opposed to the Church of Scientology. On March 10th, 2008, the Church of Scientology sought to enjoin future protests via judicial authority. A "Petition for Injunction for Protection Against Repeat Violence" was filed with Florida's Sixth Circuit District Court seeking the extraordinary remedy of injunctive restraint pending further proceedings. The Honorable W. Douglas Baird (Circuit Judge) struck down this original complaint and acted similarly upon re-filing (adding prejudice to the latter)
[3].
A pattern of similar efforts to silence dissent can be found throughout Scientology's past.
On Tuesday, the City Council spent less than two minutes discussing the issue. The members agreed to send a letter to the businesses, saying they would not address the issue
[4].
For more information, please visit Enturbulation.org. Updates on this and other stories pertaining to the Church of Scientology can be found at the Enturbulation Press Page
[5].
References:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
30 APRIL 2008 - Allegations are flying that the Church of Scientology may have knowingly exposed thousands of people to asbestos, a known carcinogen, over the past 21 years.Scientology's "cruise ship", the Freewinds has been sealed and docked by officials in Curacao due to asbestos on the ship. It is known that all Scientology members who have reached higher OT levels have spent some time on the yacht, and have thus been exposed to the carcinogen. Both local and Netherlands-based investigators and government officials are investigating.
An affidavit filed in 2001 by Lawrence Woodcraft, a former Scientologist and trained architect, claims that Woodcraft encountered the fibrous minerals while working on the ship in 1987, and promptly informed Scientology leaders. For over 21 years, Scientology has knowingly exposed passengers to what is generally considered the most lethal form of asbestos. The National Toxicology Program classifies asbestos as a known human carcinogen. The EPA has also classified asbestos as a human carcinogen. The use of asbestos in new construction projects has been banned for health and safety reasons in many developed countries, including all 27 member states of the European Union, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand.
The Daily Herald, which is based in Philipsburg, St. Maarten, reports:
"During refurbishing and reparatory work, which involved removing the ceiling and paneling on cruise ship Freewinds, blue asbestos was released and ended up in the ventilation system. Freewinds' captain did not report this when it's own personnel were working on the ship on the Mathey warf in Otrobanda. The Curacao Drydock Company (CDM), where the ship was taken for reparatory work on the hull, heard from the surveyor that there may be asbestos on the ship. The captain acknowledged the incident and said that after the incident Freewinds had some investigation done. Keeping the incident quiet became more noticeable when it turned out that the 40-year-old ship contained blue asbestos.
The question is whether or not the blue asbestos dust, which can cause cancer, can be removed from the ship. The CDM has stopped all work on the ship. The ship was sealed and isolated and experts will investigate and measure the presence of asbestos dust in the hull and surrounding areas. Commissioners Eugene Rhuggenaath (Economic Affairs) and Humphrey Davelaar (Public Health) said on Friday.
CDM interim director Frank Esser, deputy head of the Department of Labour Affairs Christiene van der Biezen were accompanied by two inspectors and head of the health Department Tico Ras. Samples taken from the paneling last week by inspectors that were sent to the Netherlands showed that they contained significant amounts of blue asbestos.
After an extraordinary meeting, the Executive Council decided to inform the public in general about the incident to avoid remours [sic] and panic. The CDM personnel were also informed via the media because it was impossible to gather all the workers Friday evening to personally give them the information.
"If you have been exposed, go to your family MD and tell them that you know that you have been exposed to blue asbestos.At a minimum, a lung series is in order. In general, anyone exposed is now in the high risk group for cancer. In the US, the American Cancer Society also performs screening tests. More information can be found at
American Cancer Society :: Information and Resources for Cancer: Breast, Colon, Prostate, Lung and Other Forms. Support and resources for those diagnosed can be found here:
Support for Mesothelioma Patients.
For the past three months, Scientology's long-time critics, including Mr. Woodcraft, have been joined by the loosely-affiliated group of internet activists known as Anonymous. While Anonymous has no spokespersons, one person confirmed to be part of the "group" had the following to say in response to this news:
"While we believe every person has the right to hold whatever beliefs they prefer, that right does not grant Scientology freedom to knowingly expose thousands of people to extremely dangerous substances without informing them of the danger."
Thousands world-wide have taken their protests to the street on a monthly basis. The next protest is scheduled for May 10.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20 APRIL 2008 RE: CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGYTo contact Anonymous or for additional information about the Church of Scientology and Anonymous’ global protests, visit
Enturbulation.org Hollywood, CA The infamous celebrity religion Scientology is under fire around the world this week. In Belgium, federal agents have raided and closed the church because of accusations of deceitful recruitment methods
[1]. The Russian government has raided and closed Narconon, a Scientology group that claims to help people overcome chemical additions, for practicing medicine without a license
[2]. In Israel, a number of kindergartens, operated by the Church of Scientology, have been shut down for being unlicensed
[3]. During this month's world-wide protests to oppose Scientology, members of Anonymous, a loosely-affiliated group of internet users protesting Scientology, were pleased to discover that the Scientology Org in Düsseldorf, Germany had been completely abandoned.
[4] But the most significant of all may be the situation in Norway, where citizens are reeling after revelations that a Member of Parliament's daughter committed suicide within hours of completing a Scientology 'stress test.'
[5] The stress test, one means of recruiting used by the Church of Scientology, is a sales tool whereby unwary passersby are given a series of obtuse questions with an official-sounding title. The auditor running the stress test will interpret the answers to these questions, ensuring that the test indicates something 'terribly wrong', a tactic referred to in Scientology as "finding your ruin". Once they've pinned a pseudo-diagnosis of depression, anger issues, or poor time-management skills on you, they attempt to cajole you into purchasing Scientology books or courses. For those who join Scientology, this can add up to hundreds of thousands of US dollars, and/or years of barely-paid work in scientology services, such as stress test booths. The suicide death of Kaja Bordevich Ballo - after recieving one of these high-pressure sales pitches - has put the Church of Scientology under a microscope in both her native country of Norway and in France, where she took her life. There is now a strong public backlash in both countries.
Anonymous states emphatically that "This is just the beginning." They state that "As people become more aware of the cruel methods Scientology employs to recruit and to silence critics, and as they become aware of the extortion of money and obedience from followers, more and more governmental agencies across the globe will act in opposition to the cult." Anonymous insists that they support the rights of individuals to believe and say what they like, and opposes legislation to outlaw belief systems - but they support government efforts to prevent criminal activity, regardless of who is doing it.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20 APRIL 2008
RE: CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY
Hollywood, CA - Anonymous, the loosely-affiliated group of internet users protesting Scientology, has a message for Katie Holmes: "Do not fear Scientology. If you choose to leave, we will back you up, as will the thousands of brave souls who have already escaped Scientology. There are resources and support in place for those who leave. We will stand behind you 100 percent. To the best of our collective ability, we will help you gain freedom for both yourself and your daughter. Katie, the entire country knows how much you love your daughter, and Anonymous supports you doing what's right for her - no matter what Scientology or your husband may be telling you."
Rumors have been circulating that Katie Holmes is considering taking her daughter Suri to New York for a trial separation from Tom Cruise. The Church of Scientology is actively working to avoid this PR blunder, and may be using strongarm tactics - including threats to back Tom for custody of Suri. Anonymous is well aware of the Church of Scientology's active 'Fair Game' policy, in which scare tactics and intimidation are used to control both those seeking to leave the cult and those who criticize it from outside.
During her indoctrination into the cult, Katie Holmes has undergone many hours of auditing, a process vaguely similar to confession in Catholicism. However, one striking difference between the two is confidentiality: while the priests who administer confession may never reveal what they are told, auditing is videotaped without the knowledge of the "confessor", and there is no promise of secrecy. In addition, people who undergo auditing are evaluated with the aid of an E-meter (a primitive lie detector) and cannot leave the room until the auditor is satisfied. Sessions sometimes last hours. Ex-scientologists report that these auditing sessions and their tapes are used as blackmail material against the Church of Scientology's own members, giving auditors the psychological control they need to ensure that many members never try to leave. Scientology is doubtlessly holding those video recordings - and the custody of her child - over Katie's head.
Disconnection is the Church's policy of forcing a Scientologist to sever, completely and thoroughly, all ties with family members, friends, confidantes, mentors, or anyone else that can be labelled an SP, or "Suppressive Person". An SP is someone who speaks out against Scientology, will not or cannot be converted along with their friend, or tries to convince said friend to get out of the cult. It is very hard on the victim because it leaves them with no person outside of Scientologist circles to talk to. Nobody to steady them or ground them. The very real possibility of being Disconnected from her daughter is surely one of the things stopping Katie Holmes from leaving. If she does leave and is unable to secure Suri's safety as well, Tom will no doubt be ordered to aid in two-year old Suri's disconnection from her own mother.
Anonymous pledges that, if she chooses to leave, we will publicize any Fair Game tactics mployed against her. We will rally behind her. Anonymous also empathizes with Katie and all members of Scientology - we understand the methods by which the Church of Scientology hijacks the minds of those who have not been inoculated. We know that very intelligent, well-meaning people have been taken in, and we will welcome those intelligent, well-meaning people back to our open society once their eyes are open to the abuse they have suffered.
We demand nothing of those who have left the cult; we ask nothing and are happy to respect the privacy of those who leave - but we are more than happy to help those who have first-hand knowledge educate those who do not on the travesties occurring within the 'Church.'
For ex-scientologists looking for support,
http://www.forum.exscn.net/ and
www.xenu.net are good places to begin.