The vicious nature of recent personal attacks by Diane Richardson against a number of ARS contributors, myself among them, has raised speculation that she is, after all, a scientology operative. I initially had disdain for this idea but the increasing maliciousness of her posts and the fact that the persons she is attacking are high on scientology's hit list gave me cause to look more seriously at this idea. Then, in a weird exchange, she emailed me her home and work addresses and phone numbers along with a threat that she would hold me responsible if anyone attempted to contact her employer.

The name of the place that she gave me as her work place is a library at the Insitutute for the History of Psychiatry. Now, I think that most of you, who are familiar with scientology's pernicious anti-psychiatry operations and the front groups that it has set up to discredit psychiatry, will agree with me that this sounds perfectly like a scientology front group..."the Institute for the History of Psychiatry." So, the question is, is Diane Richardson a legititmate director of a legitimate psychiatric library or is she a scientology agent operating through a scientology front group to disrupt this newsgroup?

With these questions in mind I decided to call the number she gave me and who should answer the phone but Diane Richardson, herself. I wish that I could report that we had a reasonable and rational conversation but such was not the case. I told her who I was and that I was calling to try and determine whether this was a legitimate organization and if she actually worked there. And I mentioned that some of us on the ARS have considered that this 'Insititute' may well be a scientology front group. Diane offered very little information on the ' Institute' and issued me a barrage of threats to the effect that she will charge me with harassment and stalking if I should call there again. She repeated these threats a number of times in much the same manner that a scientologist slips into one of their programmed rants.

The upshot of this is that I don't know the answer. A more in depth inquiry could probably determine if this is a legitimate organization. I tend to think that it is legit but possibly she is a scientologist who has infiltrated it as a spy. As we all know this has certainly happened before. But I sense that she is not well and we all would be well advised to leave her alone. I recommend not getting into posting exchanges with her.

JImdbb

From: mike@michaelgebert.com (Michael Gebert)
Subject: Re: Contact with Diane Richardson
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 14:51:10 -0600
Message-ID: <mike-3107011451120001@user-33qta72.dialup.mindspring.com>
As much as "The Institute for the History of Psychiatry" does indeed have the bland institutional sound of a Co$ front group, it does not appear to be one. I found this via Google:

Cornell University-New York Hospital. The History of Psychiatry Section has adopted a new name: it is now known as the Institute for the History of Psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Looks legit. I think it's time to all just take a big Diane deep breath.

If she attacks you, don't reply. If she says something sensible, try to do so in return....

___________________________________________________ Michael Gebert, Writer | www.michaelgebert.com "Look where you will, in every high place there sits an Ass, settled beyond the reach of all the greatest intellects in this world to pull him down. Over our whole social system, complacent Imbecility rules supreme -- snuffs out the searching light of Intelligence with total impunity -- and hoots, owl-like, in answer to every form of protest, See how well we all do in the dark! One of these days that audacious assertion will be practically contradicted, and the whole rotten system of modern society will come down with a crash."

--Wilkie Collins, on the Bush energy policy, in No Name (pub. 1862)
From: Monica Pignotti<pignotti@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Contact with Diane Richardson
Message-ID: <UjH97.13263$ar1.42586@www.newsranger.com>
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 23:38:28 GMT
In article <20010731134343.15238.00002025@ng-ft1.aol.com>, JimDBB says...

<snip>

>The upshot of this is that I don't know the answer. A more in depth inquiry
>could probably determine if this is a legitimate organization. I tend to think
>that it is legit but possibly she is a scientologist who has infiltrated it as
>a spy. As we all know this has certainly happened before. But I sense that she
>is not well and we all would be well advised to leave her alone. I recommend
>not getting into posting exchanges with her.
I do know the answer. The Institute for the History of Psychiatry is definitely not a Scientology front group. I am 100% certain of that. It is part of Weill Medical College at Cornell/NY Presbyterian and quite well known. Do a Google search on these terms and you'll see that this is the case. It is about as far from being a Scientology front group as one could ever get!

Monica Pignotti

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