Date: Aug. 19, 2000
Time: 10:30 am till Noon
Cars: 8 beginning, 12 ending
Positive Acks: 100+, app. 1/45 sec.
Negative Acks: 1 finger.
Pictures: below
Weather: 90+ degrees, clear and sunny
Wynot and I arrived a little before 10:30 with our flyers, signs, videocamera, cheapo digital camera, and some top secret equipment. After a few minutes, Mad Cow arrived. Ox was expected at 11, but was a few minutes early. Upstat! The org has installed a box for pamphlets (much like what real estate agents use) by the sidewalk with copies of the "What is Scientology?" brochure. I guess this must be their only method of body routing since they moved from downtown, now that there's no foot traffic past the org . There is a very large "NOW HIRING" sign hanging below the regular co$ sign. Our special guest, Chad from the Associated Press, arrived right on schedule, bringing a photographer (with a very nice camera) with him. As we picketed, he spoke with each of us about our reasons for picketing. We gave him our individual personal reasons, our flyers, and a list of DeKalb Co. and Georgia ordinances which have been broken by co$ as we picketed. We told him about the illegal revenge picket at my house, and told him all these things are documented on the arscc-atl.com site. After Susan arrived around 11:30, Chad spoke with her for a few minutes, told me he'd let us know when the article comes out, and then the two journalists left. Susan came out to take our pictures, after Chad had gone, of course. I told her the flowers were looking better than they had the last time we were there, and we had a brief discussion about gardening. I recommended that they use soaker hoses on the flower beds, that the water will get right to the plants' roots, without wasting any, and they could just let them run overnight during their allowed times. (We are on outdoor watering restrictions here in Ga. because of the drought. Please send rain! Maybe Tory could come do a rain dance.) I told her since the soaker hoses sit flat on the ground, they could just be left in place, and the sprinklers not have to be brought out and taken back in. I hope they will consider it. Susan can be pretty nice when she's not in attack mode. Wonder what they're up to...? Susan showed great concern for our wellbeing in the heat, asking if we would be leaving soon and if we were drinking plenty of water. I told her, that yes, we would be leaving soon, that we couldn't let them think their OTs had killed us with a thought. She said, "Oh, no, we wouldn't want that!" I wasn't sure if she meant us getting heatstroke or OTs killing us, but since I know there are no OTs, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt . (Maybe she's seen some of the recent videos coming out of CW.) Linda pulled in as wynot and I were leaving. We left a few minutes before Mad Cow and Ox, and once we had crossed the street, we saw more people coming up to talk to them about the cult. Meanwhile, on our side of the street, a guy in a pickup truck asked us why we thought L.Ron Hubbard was a liar (he had seen wynot's sign, Scientology Lies). Since the light had changed, we handed him a flyer pack, and then another car rolled down the window to ask for flyers. No handlers, no harassment, no nastiness, no frivolous police calls. Just snapshots. Could they actually be reforming here in Atl? On a sadder note, one of our previous picketers has agreed, at X-Friend's request, to not picket anymore. This is contingent on her and her family not being harassed by co$. I am saddened, but I understand her position. Her husband, also a previous picketer with us, is not in good health at this time, and neither of them need the additional stress. However, she still holds her own opinions, and has not made any agreements to quit talking. :-) Here are a few pictures: Susan talking to Chad. She is holding her new baby on her hip, but she asked me not to take his picture, so the baby is hidden behind Chad. Mad Cow and Wynot are talking to the photographer. http://www.arscc-atl.com/img/00-08-19/00-08-19-08.jpg Mad Cow in his Xenu cap: http://www.arscc-atl.com/img/00-08-19/00-08-19-03.jpg Wynot and Mad Cow taking advantage of the lunchtime traffic: http://www.arscc-atl.com/img/00-08-19/00-08-19-10.jpg Mad Cow and Ox picketing: http://www.arscc-atl.com/img/00-08-19/00-08-19-13.jpg Ox talks to Chad about his prior membership in the Atlanta org: http://www.arscc-atl.com/img/00-08-19/00-08-19-02.jpg (story told at http://www.arscc-atl.com/personal/alan-story.html)
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