One More Silent Picket at the UCLA Book Fair

Today was the Los Angeles Book Fair which I've now gone to a few times, with various friends. Today my friend Sam and I went to the picket, and joined a few other friends there. Sam decided to wear a T-shirt he had gotten which has on both sides:

"SCIENTOLOGY
KILLS"

and I believe it had www.xenu.net on it, too.

Ok, so we arrived, and the place was jumping! There are tons of booths from all different publishers, stores, and authors, and we both love books, so it was fun. Immediately people began coming up to Sam saying, "Love the shirt, man".

This went on all day, in various forms. We ran into someone Sam knew, and while talking even he was quite surprised, as he wasn't too familiar with the Scientology scene. He commented how amazing it was how many people came up and said they liked his shirt, agreed with it, didn't like Scientology, etc.

One man came up to us who used to be on staff. He told us, "I finally ran from the place once he realized what a con it was". He was happy to be free of them, and we congratulated him too. It's always amazing how many people have their own frightening stories, and you know they're true. People can't make up these kinds of stories. Well, they *could*...but why bother?

I also spoke with a number of people, and literally everyone we talked with congratulated me on getting out, and commented strongly on disliking Scientology. I shared cards with Web sites on them, with a number of people who expressed an interest, and each person thanked me for this.

Well, except for one person, that is. This was sort of funny. Having walked around for awhile, we decided to stop and get a bite to eat. We bought something, and because all the tables were taken, we sat on a ledge, sort of behind a tree. All of a sudden this man arrived some feet away, with a rather large video camera and a huge lens. It was pointed directly at Sam. I mentioned it to him, and he decided to walk off, and see what happened. Since the guy kept the camera directly on the corner he walked off to, I began to wonder.

Being an outgoing person, I decided to go greet this man. I walked over and asked what he was filming? He said, "Oh.just the fair". He seemed pretty grumpy, so I asked, 'You're not a Scientologist are you?" He said, "No.why?"

I explained how it looked like he had his camera on my friend who had the T-shirt on that said, "Scientology Kills" and that is the kind of thing Scientology would do. He seemed really angry now .and snapped, "I'm taking an Art Class".

I asked, "At CC?" He then really snapped, "I don't have ANY idea what you are talking about". At this point I left to go find my friend, but both of us found that very suspicious. However, ~~~perhaps~~ we were wrong.

We found the Scientology Fiction booth, last year called, "Galaxy Publications". This year it was named, "Stories of L. Ron Hubbard". They also had "Celebrity Center"-doing the stress test there, "A.B.L.E" was pushing the "Learning Book" in the kids section; Bridge Publications was doing the Stress Test, as usual.

All of the booths were basically run by young kids. I was amazed at how NONE of the "Old timers"..people/"OT's" who used to always man up this kind of an event were there: Not one. As we walked over to Bridge, guess who was there? Oh my goodness, what do you know? The camera guy, who lied, said he 'Knew nothing of what I was talking about". He continued to film Bridge as one person took the "Stress Test", for about 15 minutes. We both again agreed that was quite odd, for someone "just filming the whole festival", as there was SO much there.

We continued enjoying the books, and talking with people as we cruised around.

My friend pointed out that first Scientology used the "Personality Test". Then when South Park and others made fun of it, they tried switching to the "IQ" test. I guess people laughed at that, so finally now C of S has the "Stress Test". In each of the Scientology booths there were few if any people at their booths, at least while we were there.

While there, I happened to run into a very old friend, a Scientologist. Typically Scientologists refuse to talk with me, even if they were my "Best friend". They literally look at me like I'm worse than any scum of the Earth, and usually walk away. So when a person came up to me and tapped me on the shoulder, I was amazed to see my friend there smiling at me! She asked me to sit down, and we sat and talked briefly. As we talked I couldn't help but think how amazing that in 4 years of being out, how few Scientologists were able to speak with me. These are people who spend their lives getting trained in "Communication", and insisting they are 'The most able people on the planet". Yet the vast majority of my old "Friends' have never ONCE asked me, "Tory---what the Hell happened?" So for me, this was a delight to have this old friend come up to me, and we had a very nice chat, and agreed life was good for both of us.

Sam and I continued on our way around the UCLA Book Fair.

The day turned out to be delightful, not too hot, not too cold, and endless cool things to look at.

As we began to leave, I spotted a sign "Stress Test" in the corner of a Spanish Bookstore. How odd! I decided to go ask what was up. I asked one of the girls that worked there, "Why do you have the Scientology Stress Test at your tent". She was young and said, 'I don't know". So I asked who ran the tent, and could I speak with them? She asked an older lady, and then said, 'It's because he's selling "Dianetics".

Ok, fine. So I walked over to a young girl who was alone, doing the Stress test, speaking to a man in Spanish, trying to sell him, "Self Analysis". Once done, she asked if I wanted to do the Stress test, and I said, "Sure". I wanted to see how she explained it. To my great surprise, this is what she said. First off, the cans were cold, and she didn't wait for the cans to warm up. For those not familiar with the E-meter, until the cans warm up, the needle will naturally be "Falling to the right"....not due to 'stress" but because the cans are freezing!

She began to tell me that if the needle fell to the right, that meant I had stress on something and that I was thinking of something stressful as the needle was falling to the right. No I wasn't......the cans are warming up! DUH~ But I let it be, to see where this went. Finally they warmed up, and she asked what I was thinking of. I said, "Nothing" as I really wasn't focused on any one thing, and the needle wasn't moving much either way. I was frankly amazed that I was here; holding these cans that I'd spent the vast majority of my adult life believing could help me get free..now knowing it was nothing but smoke and mirrors.

Finally I thought of just that: "What a con it all was and how happy I was to be out of there" and the needle moved to the right~~and quite possibly F/N'd. As I thought that, she asked, "What are you thinking of?" I said, "Scientology". She then said, 'Well, you have quite a bit of stress on that". (This was quite an incorrect evaluation and out tech, really). The old "Stress test" consisted of pinching someone, and having the needle move or fall to the right. Then saying, "Recall that pinch". Once they recalled it, the needle would make the same move it had made (supposedly) when they were first pinched. Then, as the same needle reaction occurred, you'd say,"That". This would be supposedly the person recalling that pinch, and would prove the E-meter would "Read" .showing the 'charge" one had on pain, which Dianetics was based on.

Since she was going to evaluate for me, I decided to tell her what I was thinking. I told her I had actually been in Scientology for 30 years, and found out it doesn't work. I know there are many 'nice' people in Scientology, but the truth is, it doesn't work, and I hoped she'd not waste her whole life and at least read both sides and make up her own mind. I handed her a card, quite sure she'd turn it over. To who, I wasn't sure, but I figured it would be OSA, in one form or another.

As I walked away.....guess who arrived on the scene? Oh yes..Mr. Camera Man! The same jack ass that had been following us the entire day, taking his "shots of the festival", supposedly. Why it is Scientologists feel they have to lie? I won't be at all surprised if OSA adds some ugly photo of me on their hate page: "RFW", with their Black PR about me. And they wonder why the vast majority of people dislike them.

Mr. Camera man was looking for Sam, and I told him so, as we stood some feet away. Suddenly he turned all the way around, saw us, Sam took a photo of him, and he hid behind another guy. During this time, the young girl (20 at most) handed him the card I gave her. She waved at me, and I waved back..knowing he had told her some lies about me, and thankful I'd finally seen my way out of that insidious trap.

We met many wonderful authors during the day, and found some books we loved. Sam bought a few, and I made some appointments to go meet with some very interesting people.

The day ended with us thankful that we knew each other, and happy that we both love books so much. As for Scientology? I'm sure they'll have their blurbs of hatred, as they usually do.

Care to buy some of their "Freedom"?

Think again, is all I can say.

Lots of love to all who care J

--
Tory/Magoo~Dancing in the moonlight~
In Scientology for 30 years, out for 4 years and 9 months
For thinking and speaking my mind, I am:
Declared SP and Expelled from C of S
(SP 6 ^ with Cumulative Cluster)
Free at LAST!
For more information about this, please see:
http://www.xenu.net
http://www.xenutv.com
http://www.torymagoo.org
http://www.lermanet.com/cos/toryonosa.htm
http://www.altreligionscientology.org

magoo44@charter.net
"They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin

Burbank, CA
(818) 841-3632

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