Several weeks ago I posted a letter that I had written to the Publisher of the Pioneer Press, a north Chicago suburban news paper chain. Here is a report on this matter.

The Pioneer Press runs a chain of local newspapers in the north Chicago suburban area. A few weeks back the Pioneer Press ran ads for a Chick Corea-Gary Burton concert which is to be held at the New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL on April 29. This concert is sponsored by both the Pioneer Press and the high school, and is to raise funds for high school band trip. New Trier is a well known upscale high school.

Chick Corea is a fine pianist but it is well known that he uses his celebrity status to promote and recruit for the destructive and greedy Scientology cult. I was, myself, lured into Scientology in good part by Corea. The proliferation of destructive cults is a growing problem worldwide and young people are especially vulnerable to cult recruitment. With this in mind it seemed to me highly inappropriate for this Publisher and the school to sponsor Corea for a school fundraiser. Corea is known for distributing literature which promotes Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard and I don't think that most parents, if they knew of Chick Corea's cult history, would want him for an educational function.

I wrote a letter to the Publisher of the Pioneer Press and left a phone message for him. In my letter I expressed my concerns and sent with it some information on Corea's cult activities in this country and in Europe. In my letter I suggested that a good idea would be to either cancel Corea or exact an agreement from him that he would not distribute any literature which promoted or mentioned Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard at this concert event. I received no response. I wrote another letter and asked that it be published in the Letters section and I left another phone message. No response. I wrote a letter to the Superintendent of the High School and left a phone message...no respone. So, I called and talked with the editor of my Pioneer Press paper, the Northbrook Star. He told me to send a letter and information on Corea. I did...no response.

At this point I had spent more time on this than I had intended but the latest cult tragedy has just exploded on the news and I was more than curious at the complete lack of any response whatsoever. I have never, ever run into this before...on any matter. the Pioneer Press and the Superintendent have absolutely stonewalled me on this. The paper won't print my letter and I have no way of reaching parents in this area on this matter. I think that this is reprehensible, especially in light of the cult situation worldwide.

So, I invite your comments on this and perhaps your participation. Here I will print the names, phone numbers and addresses of the Publisher, Editor and Superintendent. They apparently think that this will just blow away if they ignore it. If you feel that they should be contacted on this and you would like to express your concern, please do so.

The Pioneer Press:

Publisher: Thomas J. Neri telephone: 847-486-9200 3701 West Lake St.

Glenview, Il. 60025 Editor of the Nothbrook Star: Paul Sassone same address and phone as above.

Henry Bangser Superingtendent New Trier High School 385 Winnetka ave.

Winnetka, Il 60093 telephone 847-446-7000 submitted by Jim Beebe

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