Between 1pm and approx 4:30pm yesterday I stood near the Co$ on East Row, Civic with an A2 laminated placard entitled "$cientology Despises Free Speech. www.xenu.net". A fellow protestor couldn't make it. Very disappointing.

Realising that I was there with a video camera, the Scientologists put on their most charming side. Lara the German-accented officer, trained in the ways of Special Affairs and Public Relations, took several photos of me, my banner and even a group photo of myself and another Scientologist.

Lara and I engaged in several hours of fairly productive conversation. I came away from the believing that she was sincere about her cause. I would also like to post a retraction. My last picket report described her as a "woman in a leather trenchcoat". It was an ordinary brown leather coat, and, upon reviewing my tape, "trenchcoat" was an overly inflammatory description.

Basically, the CoS bogged me down at length about the sources of my "data".

Good grief, it was like they expected me to know all my anti-Scientology links off by heart. I am also disappointed with the Church using a person disguised as a passer-by to try and find out my surname. Passers by do not ask a protestor's full name!! Come on Church, you must think I'm totally gullible!! He pretended, rather poorly I might add, that my protest had convinced him to join Scientology. He emerged from the Dianetics building armed with four glossy new Scientology texts, told he he's "starting courses on Monday" and thanked me for introducing him to Scientology! Ha! And the Church considers itself a moral organisation! Where's the morality in deceiving protestors ?

It's pretty difficult to do any sort of activism in a cold, conservative, humourless city like Canberra. However, I'm sure there are more anti-Scientologist out there.

Lara, if you're reading this, leave the Church! You are a good person underneath all that brainwashing! If that passer-by-disguised-as-a-Scientologist is reading this, shame on you! Wake up and smell the coffee.

Cheers, Lynton

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