Letters to the Editor
St. Petersburg Times
published June 5, 2003

Subject: Please, commissioner, spare us the empty line Re: For Clearwater, some West Palm dreaming, story, May 26.

Please, Clearwater Commissioner Whitney Gray, spare preaching "the good word of downtown" to the majority of Clearwater residents. City officials know how most residents feel about the Scientologists' overwhelming presence in downtown Clearwater.

The bulk of property they have procured within our city is disturbing to many. The concept of spending up to $41-million to provide residents with a Barnes & Noble, Ann Taylor, Armani Exchange, Kenneth Cole and FAO Schwartz is absurd. Do they think these stores would draw most of us downtown? Call me stupid, but come on. The elephant is in the living room.

I was a bit surprised to read on the list of officials who made the trip to West Palm Beach a community relations representative from Scientology. Why? Did you invite a priest, a minister, a deacon or the rabbi from other religious organizations?

This issue has exhausted most taxpayers in this community. Most of us have had uptown "dreams" of downtown, but that's all they are, dreams.

-- Charlene Comeau, Clearwater

Downtown is becoming intimidating

Re: A new rescue plan for downtown, story, May 11.

When I was in Florida last year, I dropped by the Lisa McPherson Trust not too long before its demise. I thought it would be interesting to meet some people with whom I had corresponded on the Internet.

One of the staff members took me on a walking tour to see the various Scientology buildings, pointing out the many "security" cameras and motion sensors. We were constantly shadowed by operatives yapping on walkie-talkies and cell phones.

When approaching Scientologists on the sidewalks, my guide simply stopped in his tracks, explaining that they couldn't come within 10 feet, so he preferred to let them figure out how to deal with that prohibition.

Get a clue. The atmosphere in downtown Clearwater is downright intimidating. The heart of the city is an occupied territory, under constant surveillance by a "religion" based on sci-fi scriptures about alien forces that overwhelmed Battlefield Earth 75 million years ago.

History repeats itself.

-- Eldon M. Braun, Paris, France

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