Tonight 14 of us (can you believe it?) picketed the Ft. Harrison
Hotel. Did Scientology possibly do something last picket to pull this
number of picketers in (including 2 newbies)?
Some of us were sporting new picket signs made to individual
tastes. Others of us mostly videotaped. In fact, tonight must hold
the world record for number of videocameras at one picket. We had 4
while Scientology had 5 besides there permanent security cameras.
It was quiet for a little while but then of course our handlers
were teleported in from wherever they hang out waiting for us to
picket (reminds me of a fire department waiting for a fire).
Mark and Mary Demoss sort of gravitate toward each other, so I
didn't here what pearls of wisdom she had tonight. I mostly
videotaped and kept quiet and the handlers basically left me alone.
A new tactic tonight was that the Scientologists had flyers about
us terrible picketers, including one made up just for our guest of
honor, Graham Berry. Some process servers came by handing out papers,
but I'll let the recipients tell that story.
I neither saw nor heard of any hint of violence tonight. A
thunderstorm brewing in the south sent us home a little early, but we
had a good time and enjoyed all the car horn honks and thumbs up from
the Clearwater residents, and were happy to have some new Clearwater
citizens joining us to show their opinion of Scientology.
When a Scientology staffer used a syringe to force a mixture of
aspirin, Benadryl and orange juice into McPherson's throat while others
held her down, it was "spiritual sustenance," the church argues.