In <3c526d8c.200960766@news2.lightlink.com>, hkhenson@cogeco.ca (Keith Henson) wrote:

>On Wed, 23 Jan 2002 06:24:52 GMT, "sanders" <3sanders@attbi.com>
>wrote:
>
>>Hi again!
>>
>>Possibly just back for a little more of what I got before.............
>>
>>I found out a bit more about what happened to the baby.
>>
>>When Helen was shot, one of the bullets was lodged in her spine. Because of
>>the seriousness of Helen's injuries and the difficulty of removing a bullet
>>from that area, the doctors left it in. The baby was in the fourth month
>>when it was discovered that the lead from the bullet was poisoning the baby.
>>It was too late to do anything about it. The baby's brain never grew over
>>the size of a walnut, and the top of her head was flat because of it. She
>>lived to be about 2 1/2.
>>
>>The only way I can think of finding it in writing is to get an Auditor
>>magazine from
>>the time she would of been 2 1/2 and maybe she's listed there. There was no
>>obituary
>>that I could find in Portland.
>>
>>I don't know if this makes any difference to anybody, but I do know two
>>people who are
>>willing to confirm what I say, if that's wanted.
>>
>>But they are both ex-scios so maybe that isn't enough.
>>
>>Also I wanted to say that I *completely* agree that Godeka was a
>>Scientologist, not a critic.
>>
>>Anyway, that's all for now.
>>
>>Maggie Sanders
>
>Thank you very much Maggie. I appreciate the effort. This is quite
>possibly enough leads for us to dig out the rest of it. The story you
>tell has factors of internal consistency which lead me to consider it
>to be based on real things which happened--a bit distorted but that is
>no fault of yours.
>
>If you want to take this further (but you certainly don't have to) you
>might be able to search the state vital stats records for the time
>period and name. While not everyone gets an obit, they do get a death
>certificate.
>
>Incidentally, I read about a dozen postings that followed up your
>post. There *are* people who it is far better to just twit file or
>not take the slightest bit seriously.
Thanks Keith. High praise, indeed, for an occasional amateur joker and degrader like myself.

In any case, attached are a couple of newspaper articles that were posted the day after the shooting, a newspaper retrospective a year later, and a post from Geoffrey Burling, about his peek into Godeka's life.

In September 96, Ms. Burke was in the fourth month of her pregnancy, so she would have given birth in April 1997. The retrospective is from October 1997, six months later, and there's no mention about her child's spinal injury, if there was one. I suppose the church might suppress a story about that, as a show of bravery, but that would be totally unlike them.

I should probably read these more closely, but I'm in a hurry -- on a mission for Xenu, of course. In any case, this stuff has been reposted many times in the years since. Nothing new in a Google search, other than what the cult drags into their fantasy farcical court cases.
From: mestdude <tigerm@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: The Oregonian 9-26-96A
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1996 14:33:09 -0700
Message-ID: <324AF695.6AF5@ix.netcom.com>
The Oregonian, Thursday, September 26, 1996 The Shooting By Bryan Smith and David R. Anderson
Seven months ago, Jairus Chegero Godeka threatened to kill everyone in the Portland Church of Scientology unless they gave him $50,000 for ruining his life.

On Wednesday, police say, Godeka walled into the church's downtown Portland office and shot and wounded four people, including a pregnant receptionist.

Godeka set a fire and briefly took another woman hostage at the church's Portland Celebrity Centre before a police officer persuaded him to surrender.

The attack brought activity on Southwest Salmon Street and Broadway to a halt as police and firefighters massed in front of the office. Workers in and around the Scientology center scrambled for cover after hearing shots, some turning back to see a bloody victim clutching his chest stumble onto the sidewalk.

Godeka apparently was motivated by a grudge against the church. He blames the organization for ruining him financially and thinks it has kept him from bringing his sister here from Kenya to study, according to police reports.

In San Francisco, where Godeka lived recently, he sent a remote-controlled toy tank in front of the Church of Scientology branch, with the message: "Next time, it will be real."

In February, he called the Portland offices, repeatedly demanding money for the ruin of what he described to police as a San Francisco company that sold lighting equipment.

The receptionist, Helen m. Burke, apparently was the primary target of Godeka's threats because she was the one who answered the phone.

Burke, 44 and pregnant, was in critical condition Wednesday night at the University Hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest and an abdominal injury. Doctors said she had some paralysis from the bullet, which lodged near her spine, but that it was too early to tell whether the condition would be permanent. Burke in her second trimester; the fetus was unharmed.

Carlos Colon, 24, was in serious condition. Colon, a visitor from the church's Clearwater, Fla., branch, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.

Steven Roy Crandell,45, was in fair condition. Crandell, executive director of the church, was shot in the abdomen.

A third man, Jim M. Stone, was shout in the hip but did not realize he had been injured until nearly an hour later, when he pulled out his wallet and discovered a bullet had pierced it. He smiled and waved as rescue workers wheeled him to an ambulance. He was treated and released.

Wednesday's attack occurred as the lunch crowd began to fill the downtown sidewalks near the church's center at 709 S.W. Salmon St., across from the Heathman Hotel.

Police said the gunman walked in the front door, carrying a red plastic gasoline container and a .45 caliber Ruger semiautomatic handgun. He shot Burke, who sat in the lobby just inside the door. Crandell and Colon came downstairs, and he shot and wounded them. Others hit the floor, while workers upstairs fled through a back door.

The gunman spread gasoline and started a fire that set off to sprinklers. He grabbed a woman, Jacqueline Stone, the wife of Jim Stone, and headed through interior passages to a fire exit on the west end of the building.

Meanwhile, witnesses rushed to call 9-1-1, including a man from inside the church who ran to Macheezmo Mouse next door.

"He was frantic," said Jen Kneedler, 21, who was working at the restaurant. "He kept asking where a phone was and said that a person had been shot next door.... He said he had been shot at."

Charles Mann, a course instructor who was upstairs in the church office, said, we knew we had to get out of their. We just heard shots and took off."

Mel Murphy, on his way to lunch with a co-worker, saw men running and flames inside the building. Crandell was bobbling down the sidewalk.

"He said, "I've been shot, I've been shot, I've been shot,'" Murphy said.

Murphy, who had called 9-1-1 on a cellular phone, saw a second man, Colon, who had been shot in the stomach.

As Murphy helped with the two men, a co-worker Mike Picco tried to get in a door to help Burke. Before he could, he said, "Someone yelled, "Gun!There's a guy with a gun!Everyone dives behind cars."

Portland firefighter Rob L. Burson was among the first to arrive. He rushed to the office door just as the gunman burst out with his arm around Jacqueline Stone, a gun to her head.

"I saw what was going on, and I knew I didn't want to be there, " he said. "I yelled `gun' and then ran and told others to get back."

As the gunman opened a metal fire door, Portland police Officer Tom Mack and homicide Detective Sgt. Dave Rubey were on the sidewalk.

The gunman stepped back inside.

"My assessment was he wanted it to end right there," Mack said. "He said, `I don't want to die. I don't want you to shoot me.'"

Mack decided a quick resolution was better than pushing the gunman back into a burning building with Stone.

Mack talked him into opening the door a crack. He convinced the gunman that police wouldn't hurt him.

"My word wasn't good enough for him," Mack said.

The gunman wanted Mack to put down his gun. First Mack tried to hide his gun behind his leg.
"He's not that crazy," Mack later reflected.

Mack agreed to put his gun down if the gunman did. Mack knew there were other officers nearby.

Mack holstered his gun first.

But the gunman balked when he spotted another officer across the street with a gun.

So Mack went a step further, turning his back, briefly, on the gunman.

Mack told the officer to move.

"I think that was the turning point." Mack said.

The gunman allowed Stone to kneel and then put down his gun behind her.

The Godeka knelt and let Mack handcuff him.

Mack said everyone stayed cool during the standoff, which didn't last much longer than a minute.

Even the hostage did well.

Stone yelled through the closed that Godeka was trying to talk to Mack.

She also told Mack to step closer and show his empty hands.

"She seemed pretty calm," Mack said. "I thought she handled herself really well."

Firefighters quickly doused the blaze.

Godeka is accused of four counts of attempted aggravated murder, arson, kidnapping, three counts of first-degree assault, one count of second-degree assault and a count of burglary. He will be arraigned today.

Wednesday's attack was apparently the culmination of Godeka's long-standing grudge against the Portland and San Francisco Church of Scientology offices.

Godeka has listed several addresses in Portland and San Francisco after numerous arrest on traffic violations, including drunken driving and driving without insurance.

In February, Godeka pleaded no contest to attempted coercion in connection with the calls to the church's Portland branch.

"He could give me no specifics of what we had actually done to him and what his business," Burke told Portland police in February.

He said he had lost everything that was dear to him."

At one point, Godeka told Burke that his anger stemmed from something that had happened at the San Francisco branch, but that t the Church of Scientology is all "the same thing."

She said Godeka first came to the Portland office five or six years ago and took a free personality test and bought some books. She thinks he might also have signed up for a home study course.

At least one earlier police report involved extortion attempts against the church, but details were not available Wednesday.

After Godeka was introduced to Scientology, "the imprisoned my mind to do what they wanted me to do," he told police in February. He also complained to police that the church got him deported to Kenya in 1986 and that Burke was controlling his mind.

The organization is a self-enhancement movement that emphasizes counseling and an approach to problem-solving called Dianetics that was created by church founder L. Ron Hubbard.

Jeff Quiros, special affairs director for the San Francisco church, said Godeka also had threatened workers there in recent months.

"He was just babbling and threatening to kill everybody. He was just saying things that didn't make sense." Quiros said.

The news Wednesday shocked the San Francisco church.

"How can you make sense of senseless acts of violence?" Quiros said.

"It's a scary thing. I don't know what would make someone do something like that."

"It's disturbing, and it's shocking," added Angie Mann, public affairs director for the Portland center. "Scientologist are honest, ethical people who want to help. Our goal is toward a world without crime and a world without insanity."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Farrell, Laura Trujillo, and Chastity Pratt of The Oregonian staff contributed to this report.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- mestdude re-typed the fucker
From: Morgan Montague <tigerm@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: 2nd Article from Portland Newspaper
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1996 19:30:25 -0700
Message-ID: <324B3C41.2AD8@ix.netcom.com>

The Oregonian, September 26. 1996, pg. A 16 Title: Church of Scientology is no stranger to criticism Subtitle: The controversial church has made enemies since its founding in 1952 by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard By Mark O'Keefe, of The Oregonian staff Time magazine called it "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power." Some Germans boycotted the movie "Mission: Impossible" because of it. Others fight it on the Internet.

The Church of Scientology has drawn critics ever since L. Ron Hubbard, a science fiction writer, founded the religion in 1952. But on Wednesday in Portland, criticism crossed over to violence when a man opened fire at the church's downtown center, wounding four employees.

"Certainly, there has never been anything like this, ever." Wendy Beccaccini said from the organization's international headquarters in Los Angeles.

Beccaccii said the suspect, Jairus Chegero Godeka, has a history of harassing Scientologist but no formal connection to the church.

But in a statement to police last February, Helen Burke, a Portland based Scientology secretary who was among Wednesday's victims, said Godeka took "a free personality test, and he bought a book, and I think he may have signed up for a home study course."

Burke spoke to police after she said Godeka had threatened "to shoot at us all" if Scientology didn't give him $50,000.

Whatever motivated the shooting, Scientology leaders said it was symptomatic of a deeper intolerance.

"We have been screaming abut the way religious hate groups breed fear and prejudice and stir up psychos to commit violence," the church said in a written statement. "And we've been shrugged off. It shouldn't t ake bullets and blood to prove the point."

John Carmichael, a church spokesman in New York and former president of the Portland church, said that "when you hear people or read some of this stuff on the Internet, it's just out of control."

Robert V. Young of Seattle, a former Scientology spokesman who left the organization in 1989, said he was saddened by news of the Portland shooting.

But he said the church's response-to criticize its critics-was predictable.

"The standing orders of Scientology are, always blame your critics,"

said Young, who consults in lawsuits involving the church. "The Hubbard policy is to never defend and always attack."

Scientology emerged more than 40 years ago form Hubbard's best selling book, "Dianetics," which launched his popular self-enhancement movement.

Its premise is that life experiences are recorded in the brain as mental images called engrams. These engrams are later restimulated by similar but not identical situations to cause inappropriate and self-defeating behavior.

"The basic theology is that we develop a number of psychological aberrations," said J. Gordon Melton, director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion in Santa Barbara, Calif. "The intent of Scientology training is to relieve the person of those aberrations.

They feel they have discovered a very precise-they would use the term scientific-way of doing it.

Part of the process involves taking Scientology courses, which can cost thousands of dollars, during a lifetime, Melton said.

The Internal Revenue Service recognized the Church of Scientology of California as a tax-exempt religion in 1957, then revoked the status in 1967. In 1993, the IRS restored the tax-exempt status to 20 church organizations.

Beccaccini, the church spokeswoman, said there are 4 million Scientologist in the United States, a figure Melton disputes.

"Most of us who look at the church can't find nearly that many," Melt on said. "Two hundred (thousand) to 300,00 is more like it>"

Charles Mann, a Scientology minister in Portland, estimates there are 6,000 Scientologist in Oregon. Using Hubbard's teachings, he said, the church started a literacy crusade three weeks ago in North Portland.

In addition, people regularly visit the downtown Portland Church of Scientology on Southwest Fourth Avenue or its Celebrity Centre on Salmon Street. Man said he relieved a woman's backache recently at the Celebrity Centre with a technique called a "nervous assist."

"We do miracles like this every day," Mann said. "Our biggest accomplishment is the next one."
Scientology has been embraced by many celebrities, who credit it for developing confidence.

Perhaps the most outspoken supported is actor John Travolta, who is featured in the book, "What is Scientology?" in which he credit s the teachings with putting him "in the big time." Travolta acknowledge his debt to Scientology founder Hubbard after winning a Golden Globe award this year for the movie, "Get Shorty."

Screen stars Tom Cruise and his wife, Nicole Kidman, also are members.

Cruise has credited the religion with helping him overcome dyslexia.

But criticism o of the organization is as passionate as support.

In Germany, where the government has launched a campaign against the religion, Cruise's movie "Mission: Impossible" became the target of a mass boycott. And protests greeted an appearance this spring by jazz musician Chick Corea, a Scientologist.

The church is aggressive in its response to critics. Time magazine has been embroiled in Scientology litigation since a 1991 article critical of the organization.

And a Multnomah County court case in the mid-1980's triggered a mass influx of Scientologist into Portland for a month of parades, vigils and protest.

Julie Christofferson Titchbourne claimed she had been defrauded by claims that Scientology could improve her intelligence, eyesight and health. she won large jury awards-$39 million in one case- in two trials. The first award was over turned on appeal, and a mistrial was declared in the second. Titchbourne and the church agreed to an undisclosed out-of-court settlement in 1985.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- R. Gregory Nokes and Kristi Turnquist of The Oregonian contributed to this article.

______________________________________________________________________ From the flying fingers of mestdude
From: The.Galactic.Federation@ThePentagon.com (Anti-Cult)
Subject: Repost: Re: Helen Burke A Year Later
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 22:07:22 +0200
Message-ID: <3464c4d0.12913297@193.12.69.3>

Reposted due to cancelbot:

Gayle Ryan (info@sellwoodpeddler.com) wrote:

: Featured in this month's Bee is an interesting article about Helen Burke : the Portland, Oregon woman paralyzed by a gunman who shot her after : bursting into the Church in downtown Portland, Oregon about a year ago.

: Read this facinating article at : http://www.thebee-portland.com/1197people.htm Helen Burke A Year Later Shooting and Wheelchair Can't Stop Her Ministry and Motherhood By Rita A. Leonard For The Bee Sellwood resident Helen Burke's work as a minister with the Church of Scientology Celebrity Center is taking a personal bent these days.

Burke is paralyzed below the waist as a result of a shooting incident Sept. 25, 1996. Gunman, Jairus C. Godeka, who had burst into the church's downtown Portland office intent on mayhem, wounded her. Before Godeka was finally subdued, he set fire to the building, held one person hostage and shot three other people. Arrested at the scene, Godeka is now in prison awaiting trial.

Four months pregnant at the time, Burke was the first and most seriously injured by Godeka's rampage. Steve Crandell, the church's executive director, took one of Godeka's gunshots in the stomach. "He saved my life, though," recalls Burke. "He pulled me to safety through a fire door."

Burke's baby, Bridget, was born safely on Feb. 14. "She's beautiful,"

says Burke with a smile. "She's my Valentine present." Bridget is her third child, joining siblings Siobhan, 12, and Tim, 10.

Originally from Australia, Burke has worked for the Church of Scientology for 14 years. In her third year as a minister, she now provides audiences a personal testimonial to the workings of her church.

Burke credits her church, and family, for helping her through the emotional healing process. She has physical therapy three times a week in order to build her upper body strength, which is necessary to manage her wheelchair.

"To have someone point a gun at you and know they're going to use it is a very traumatic experience," she says. "On a mental and emotional level, I'm no worse now than I was a year ago, because of the Dianetics counseling procedure. It gives you the ability to let go of all your negative emotions and focus on a positive future."

Burke returned to her job earlier this year. She holds free workshops to explain L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics methods used successfully to counsel herself and her family. She plans to hold six workshops a year. Her next one will be Oct. 19 at Portland State University. Call 221-4504 to make reservations.

"I plan to focus on the workshops as a personal testimonial and to help others achieve the same sense of peace that I have," Burke says.

"The incident has strengthened our resolve to continue helping others through the Church of Scientology practices," says Burke. In September she held a Sunday service in the Park Blocks as a part of National Religious Freedom Week.

"Helping other people is the most important thing to me. I've seen (Dianetics) help so many people, I want to be back there, doing it again." Burke plans to hold the free workshops about six times a year, directing others to the methods of self-enhancement that have made such a big difference in her life.

Burke holds no grudge against her assailant. "I feel very sorry for him and his mental state that he would have felt so dreadful. But I've never hated him, even from the date of the incident."

She has no nightmares about the shooting. Rather, in all her dreams, she is still able to walk.

"Only my body is changed. I have not," Burke says.

-- Rod Keller / rkeller@voicenet.com Black Hat #1 / Expert of the Toilet / Golden Gate Bridge Club United Free Zone Alliance / Elron's Inspector / Merchant of Chaos Kha Khan countdown: 9 to go / OSA Patsy / Quasi-Scieno / Mental Bully

From llywrch@cyberpromo.rdrop.com Mon Oct 20 14:25:42 1997 Path:

xs4all!nestorix2.xs4all.nl!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsgate.unisource.nl!newsgate.unisource.nl!news.amsterdam.unisource.nl!News.Amsterdam.UnisourceCS!cosy.sbg.ac.at!news.cs.utwente.nl!zdc!szdc!newsp.zippo.com!news1 From: llywrch@cyberpromo.rdrop.com (Geoffrey Burling)
Subject: Jairus Godeka Update
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 20:25:42 GMT
Organization: None
Message-ID: <344bac8f.259410@news.zippo.com>
With my new work schedule stabilized, I finally had a chance to go to the Multnomah County Courthouse & take a look at the file on Jairus Godeka's crime from a year ago. What I found sheds a bit more light on the condition of his mind when he shot 3 people & attempted to set fire to their offices on Salmon Street.

First, he is currently being held in the Oregon State Hospital for treatment. As of a Minute Order dated July 16, 1997, ``counsel reports that def still unable A + A" [aid & assist], & another status report was scheduled for September 30. (There was no copy of this report in the folder.)

Second, the condition of his confinement is ``treatment until fit", due to his inability to aid & assist in his defense. This is to be distinguished from a plea of ``guilty except insane" - in other words, Godeka may still have reasons to mitigate what he did. The order for this act limits his time at the State Hospital to 3 years (per ORS 161.370 (6)).

How could someone assume that Godeka had mitigating reasons for his actions? Also in his file is an interview that Dr Jerry Larsen performed to evaluate his mental condition. This appears to be a faithful summary of Godeka's words, preserving even his sudden &

disorienting transitions of topic. I plan on scanning & posting the entirity of this document shortly (or else pass the chore on to another critic), but here is a relevant passage from that interview:

Godeka, describing his life in America, recounts that he returned to Portland in 1995 when [h]e then digresses, stating that he and his wife began to argue. He saw his other friends graduating from college and obtaining stable employment. Marital issues escalated, and he admits to occasional physical altercation. Feeling despondent, he noted that John Travolta, a well-recognized individual, was coming to Portland. He therefore went to the Scientology Celebrity Center [on Salmon street] and was given a personality test. It was then recommended that he complete at [sic] $40.00 Communication course taught by an individual named Murray. This is described as a confrontation in which he and the teacher would stare at one another until one blinked, and this was to teach him how to confront today's society. He states that this was the beginning of his problems. In retrospect, he believes that they "hypnotized me." he later learned that they were doing "mind research," and that he became a subject of "telepathy." These individuals could "stay in my mind and be part of me," and that "my mind and body became an apartment for Scientology roommates." After returning from Alaska [where he worked in a cannery], he went once again to the Celebrity Center, stated that he had been in Alaska, but could tell by the Scientologists' response that they knew of his whereabouts, thoughts and behavior. He was offered booklets which he refused, and at this point his problems continued to escalate.

While some of the details he relates are obviously symptoms of schizophrenia, many resound with clarity of truth, both in this passage - & elsewhere in this document - & suggest he is not as mentally disoriented as he has been portrayed in other reports: from his comments when he returned to the offices in Portland, I wonder if the registratrars there engage in ``cold reading"; he describes the Sea Org with a certain amount of accuracy (``The Sea Organization were doing mind research. This he believes was done in the ocean from a large ship.").

And I wonder about Murray, who he names in this report: has he since blown the CoS, or did he suddenly find himself in a grey boiler suit late last year, doing time in the RPF? I'm sure a copy of this has been in the hands of the CoS for months now. (It was entered into the court documents 16 January of this year.)

The more one delves into another person's life, the more complex, the more difficult, the picture becomes.

Geoff Olympic-Class Bore Return address altered to foil spambots. Change ``cyberpromo"

to``agora", & your email will reach me.

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