Well I've seen some speculation from Rebecca Hartong and others that Grady Ward has or is being paid off by Bob Minton to be silent and not post to A.R.S. or has been frightened away, become a fascist, etc.

Interesting speculation, but I thought I try to get some *factual* information rather than this negative gossip based upon nothing it seems.

I actually contacted Grady Ward (you can too) at grady@gradyward.com (his voice number is (707) 826-7712) and *asked*. Didn't anyone here think of doing this? Apparently not, Grady said.

I asked him if he was being paid by Bob Minton to not post to A.R.S. and he denied it without reservation.

Grady Ward said that Bob Minton has *never* explicitly or implicitly or with a wink or a nod or in any other way suggested that any support for Ward or his family depended upon the existence or content of any of Ward's communications to A.R.S. or otherwise.

Similarly with Stacy Brooks or anyone else.

Grady Ward said that he was free to post here as to any newsgroup as anyone who does or once did such as Dennis Erlich, Dave Touretzky, Chris Schafmeister, Peter McDermott, Bob "Da Sloth"

Bingham, William Barwell (Pope Charles), Maggi Council, Nico Garcia, Ron Newman, Sri Changiana Saar, Bruce Scott, Bill Stewart-Cole, Diane Richardson or even Rebecca Hartong.

When I asked him then why *hadn't* he been posting to A.R.S. he laughed and said that for everyone that wanted to see more of his drivel posted to A.R.S. he bet there were fifty others who wished that several of the people who *now* frequently exercise their free speech rights to A.R.S. would take a short (or long) vacation.

He said that he was happy to do whatever he could to speak up for freedom of speech on the Internet and that what was an appropriate response to thuggery in 1995 might be differently thought out in today's circumstances. He hasn't retired from promoting the free flow of ideas on the Internet.

He hoped that A.R.S.ers have been following the immediate threat to freedom with the "Poindexter"

piggy-back bill on the new Homeland Security Bill flying through congress. (William Safire's Op/Ed in the NYT of November 14, 2002 has more details.)

He also pointed me to this article that I haven't seen on A.R.S. yet on how the State of Bavaria is further cracking down on Scientology.

http://www.faz.com/IN/INtemplates/eFAZ/docmain.as p?rub=%7BB1311FCC-FBFB-11D2-B228-00105A9CAF88%7D&doc=%7BB19424EB-6AEC-4D73-A923-05ED2DC4023A%7D

(if this URL is too long, try this one:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?D2D055872

First sentence in article by the FAZ Weekly Politics Nov. 14, 2002:

"The state of Bavaria plans to take a tougher stance on the Church of Scientology by increasing state assistance for what it calls victims of the religious organization founded by L. Ron Hubbard."

Grady sounded in good humor and said that the reports of his public demise were "probably" exaggerated.

Before I hung up I asked him if he were Scamizdat. He laughed again and said that what difference did it make? Something needed to get done and someone did it. He thought Joe Harrington was a fine man and lucky to know Birgitta before he passed away.

From all reports, he said, Scientology was fighting a losing battle on the Internet, no matter how many "click thru" ads on Google they bought or whatever meaningless infighting there might be on A.R.S.

I wish that next time negative gossip is flung around about the usual people that they might first check with the person under investigation *first.* (I know, Fat chance.)

<A. Lurker>

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