Subject: Re: BOB LOBSINGER, AMERICAN HERO VS NARCONON Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 17:17:18 -0600 (CST) HAROLD'S JOURNAL Editorial Comment By RWL - 11 May 1989 Well, now. Haven't I been put in my place. I guess now I know better than to mess with big, important folks from LA. Narconon, it turns out, is a wonderful program after all. They said so. And that, of course, is what AP reported last weekend, gutsy organization that they are. Now, we already had enough of Narconon's own material to tell you what they would say about their program. Of course it's wonderful. What else would you expect them to say? We thought you had a right to know what they weren't saying. And we found plenty they were staying quiet about. There is no shame in not knowing the difference between an ugly duck and the goose that laid the golden egg. The shame is in not changing ones thinking when one finds out the difference. Mr. Miles, from the Health Planning Commission is a likable individual in a tough spot. His head is not hooked to an E-meter after all. He simply has to live by somebody else's regulations. Mr. Bridges is a fine fellow, too, with a sincere, personal interest in trying to help the Indian people. But he's in the same situation. Which boils down to the fact that the state can do nothing about the situation because everything is quite legal. Narconon says it is not connected in any way with the Church of Scientology. Fine. It was just started by Scientologists, and Scientologists run it. But that is a coincidence of nature... Suppose that next week, Doc S. announces he is going to start a Birth Control Clinic that adheres to the methods of John Paul II. What are you to believe about his operation? This deal is no different. A consistent history and long term reputation, documented in print doesn't change just because one refuses to read it or check it out. No matter how many times you "play it again, Sam," the record stays the same. We'd all like the Chilocco project to be the grand and glorious establishment it's makers say it will be... helping humanity and providing economic assistance to the Indian people as well. But I'm afraid if it looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, and walks like a duck, it's probably a duck. ||||| HAROLD'S JOURNAL Editorial Comment By RWL - 11 May 1989 We're Pretty 'Clear' On That! We have this terrible urge to refer to the writer of the above letter as "Duffy Duck", but we won't, simply because we feel a certain sympathy for individuals so taken in by the ruse of Scientology. Beyond that, personality is not at issue, no more than is qualified and appropriate drug rehabilitation, or freedom of religion. What is at issue is the long and spurious reputation of Scientology. Documented in print since the imagination of the first "Thetan.". "Old articles," he calls them, without refuting their accuracy. As old as Scientology itself. And as new, too. Scientology's own magazine, The Auditor, in it's February 1989 edition further confirms our opinion. "Trained Scientologists to staff huge Oklahoma facility," brags the headline of one article. And yet with straight face they tell us there is no connection. Americans will tolerate practically anything one chooses to believe in the name of religion, if they are convinced it is a religion to begin with. Scientology is science fiction. Unlike religion, it was science fiction at its conception, albeit good enough science fiction that the naive amongst us began to believe it was real science. Only when the scientific community in mass began to debunk it did it decide to become a "religion." And that, my friends, is why it has been so poorly tolerated in spite of the legal manipulations it has undertaken to make it look like religion. It remains what it has always been. Science fiction. Accepting the occasional abuse of religious freedom is still preferable to limiting religious freedom. Scientology is a successful business enterprise. It accepts people who are, or think they are, in trouble. Often it even relieves them of their real or perceived problems as it allows them to brainwash themselves down the unending path of L Ron's "unique methods and technology." Narconon is simply one of many methods Scientology uses to get their "technology applied broadly in the society," as The Auditor gently puts it. Hubbard said it more bluntly in a 1960 Communications Order to his followers: "It is a maxim that unless you have bodies in the shop you get no income. So on any pretext get the bodies in the place..." If the "shop" can offer a service, like drug detox, along the way that will be paid for by insurance or some other third party, then so much the better." We have little doubt that the Narconon drug detoxification methods work as well as any other dry-out clinic. We find it interesting that L. Ron Hubbard claims patent to food, exercise, and vitamin therapy. We'll concede sauna baths may be his own idea. And we will give him full credit for the "counseling and training" sessions that go along with it. What is unique about Hubbard's methods is not that he feeds his patients, or exercises them, or gives them vitamins. The "unique" part is that his counseling and training methods dissipate dependency on drugs while creating dependency on Scientology. And maybe that's not all bad, if only they were straight forward enough to admit it. It would be interesting to know how many Spanish Narconon patients were Scientologists after their treatment. That would tell us an awful lot more than cure rates. We suspect the number is about 69.2%. These are some of our concerns about Narconon and Scientology. But in a fashion true to their historical reputation and background, they have failed to address them, and instead resort to calling our citizens drug racketeers "in favor of a drug ridden society..." for questioning their motives. It's a duffy... I mean daffy world they want us to live in, we're pretty "clear" on that ||||| Harold's Journal Editorial Opinion By RWL - 14 September 1989 WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER The Newkirk Herald Journal will heartily support the Narconon/Scientology drug abuse treatment program at Chilocco as soon as Narconon... 1) produces the necessary scientifically acceptable studies that they should have done during the 23 years they claim to have been in business... studies done by non-Scientologists, reviewed thoroughly by Oklahoma professionals, that will confirm without doubt that their system is safe, effective, reliable, and medically sound. 2) can prove that their treatment program does not consist of any of the first half dozen steps up the Scientology chart of religious progress known as the Bridge to Total Freedom. 3) can provide accurate and accountable reports of results they have attained instead of wild guesses. 4) can prove that they have never, do not currently, and will not in the future use any type of "religious artifact" or require as part of the treatment, the services of a minister (or auditor) of any church in their treatment program, at Chilocco, or at any other Narconon establishment. Or when Hell freezes over, whichever comes first. We will heartily support any drug abuse treatment program that can comply with these few simple requirements that insure quality treatment, separation of church and state, and basic honesty. And we have, in fact, suggested to Drug Czar William Bennett that Chilocco would indeed make an excellent facility for legitimate drug treatment. We hope he is listening. ||||| Harold's Journal Editorial Opinion By RWL 05 October 1989 THEY'RE SHOOTING THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT.............AGAIN! Since Scientology/Narconon can't refute facts, and they won't address the real concerns, all they have left is to attempt to discredit. And, as the reaction to their mailing last week proved, they did a rather miserable job, even, of that. More unity has been demonstrated in Newkirk than we can remember in the past decade. Scientology spent a lot of money, used a lot of words, and managed to make just about everybody in town unhappy with them, especially our former mayor, who said Monday that he felt he had been "raped." We didn't dream up Scientology. We didn't create its nefarious 30 year history. Scientology did. We didn't attempt to frame people like Paulette Cooper and Gabe Cazares and Michael Flynn. Scientology did. We didn't break into Government offices. Scientology did. We didn't hire any "private investigators" to try to discredit Scientology. Scientology discredited themselves without our help. We didn't ruin Scientology's reputation. Scientology did. We didn't shoot Scientology in the foot. They did it all by themselves. We just made sure everybody noticed. Which is our job. *** We simply insist that any drug rehab program at Chilocco be proven safe, effective, reliable, and medically sound by independent scientifically acceptable studies verified by Oklahoma professionals. We insist that any drug rehab program at Chilocco not consist of any portion of the religious dogma of any religion, or require the services of a minister of any religion, or the use of any religious artifact as part of the treatment. And we insist on basic honesty and accountability. Why can't they do that? Is it because their program has never been independently proven safe, effective, reliable, and medically sound? Is it because their treatment program does consists of the first steps up the Scientology chart of religious progress known as the Bridge to Total Freedom, thereby violating the principle of separation of church and state? Is it because they do require the services of a "minister" of the church of Scientology in their treatment? Is it because they have no accurate and accountable reports of the results they have attained? *** Item: "Noisy Investigations" are a trademark of Scientology. It's standard procedure to attempt to discredit those who oppose them. Eugene Ingram, sent by Scientology to "investigate" many of Newkirk's leading citizens, is reportedly a former Los Angeles Police Officer who left the department amid a cloud of un-prosecuted allegations that he was involved in pandering, pimping, prostitution, and harboring narcotics dealers. The charges were later dropped for lack of evidence once he left the force. He was later allegedly implicated in an attempt to frame Boston lawyer Michael Flynn. Currently, there is a warrant outstanding for his arrest in Kay County allegedly on charges of impersonating an investigator and carrying a concealed weapon. This is the type of individual a "church" sends out to investigate us? Item: Harassment is another tactic often used. KOCO's Larry Blunt was threatened with legal problems and told he would lose his job for reporting on Narconon. A KOTV reporter and cameraman were pushed around when they attempted to report on Narconon. Mr. Ingram subtly suggested that Newkirk Mayor Garry Bilger and School Board President Jana Shafer would be subject to some kind of phony "conspiracy" lawsuit if they didn't retract their opposition to Narconon. The Newkirk Herald, he suggested, would face legal trouble for running a "hate" campaign. The only people who are allowed to have an opinion, it appears, are Scientologists. And they are only allowed to have one... the one written by their late leader, L. Ron Hubbard. Free thinking is not a hallmark of Scientology. Item: Deception is a Scientology artform. It's called Training Routine L. Persons properly trained in TR-L can "outflow false data effectively." It is the opposite of TR-1 (which, incidentally, is one of the drills used in Narconon's program). The person who visited Mayor Bilger last Monday may have been trained in TR-L. He said he had a daughter in a government class at Ponca City High School who was supposed to interview a small town mayor to find out what his accomplishments were... what his goals were, and how small town government worked. It was a good story, except that Ponca City High School has no one enrolled by this person's name. The person who called the Herald Journal a few weeks ago may have been trained in TR-L. He said he had been hired by Prudential Life Insurance to locate RWL and another person because we were beneficiaries of a policy from Atlanta, Ga. Mostly, he wanted the other person's address. He said we were both in line for a lot of money. He was told to put it in the mail. It was a good story, except that Prudential Life insurance doesn't know anything about it, and nothing ever arrived in the mail. The person from Brooklyn, N.Y. who wrote and called several ministers in town, all the city commissioners, and RWL several months ago told a sad story about a child hooked on drugs who wanted her to send money for Narconon, she said. But she had heard this "bad publicity" about Narconon and wanted to know the source of it... It was a good story, except she gave a couple of different names but the same phone number to several different people. One time it was her son on drugs - the next, it was her daughter. She probably had poor TR-L. We suspect all of the above incidents (and a few others) are deceptive attempts to gain information from those opposed to Scientology/Narconon. We can't prove it, of course, but it's funny we never received any "stories" that wouldn't check out before Narconon arrived in our midst. These "Battle" tactics were outlined by their leader, L. Ron Hubbard, in 1969. Some more of his advice (paraphrased to avoid infringing on the gentleman's many copyrights) is as follows: 1. Make those who oppose Scientology unpopular to the point of total annihilation. 2. Gain the backing or fidelity of the news media. (Are you awake, Ark City?) 3. Get command or loyalty of top political figures. 4. Take over those who oversee finance, and shift them into an unstable situation. 5. Blame everything on a conspiracy headed by psychiatry and psychology. 6. Always attack. Never defend. 7. Never be reasonable. Give non-sequiteur answers (double talk) 8. Fight on somebody else's turf, never Scientology's. 9. Cut off communications, funds, connections. Deprive the opposition of political advantages. Take over opposition territory. Raid and harass. 10. Public Opinion is what Scientology is trying to win. Make people love Scientology and hate the opposition by using standard wartime propaganda... complete with "atrocity, war crimes trials, the lot." 11. Preserve and improve the image of Scientology and degrade the image of the opposition to "beast level." There's more, but you get the point. If we are running a "hate" campaign, it is a campaign against deception, against harassment, against fraud, against smear tactics, against frame-ups, and against intimidation. But we surely don't hate Scientologists. They are more the victims than we are of their own warped management practices. We could [not] care less what the "religious beliefs" of Scientology are. But we are very aware of the outrageous behavior of the organization. We don't think it is deserving of our taxes or our insurance benefit money. The war on drug abuse is too important to allow a dime of it to be waisted on an outfit like Scientology's Narconon