Fat lotta good THIS will do...pissing into the wind, more like. As if the pigs with their little noses buried in the trough are gonna listen while Scientology and Amway shovels $$$ to them...


I'm writing in regard to an article referring to 'retaliatory visa restrictions' in countries which support laws restricting groups which practise mental manipulation.

There are many groups which practise coercive manipulative tactics in order to control their followers. Some, like Scientology, pose as religious. Others, such as Amway, are coercive commercial groups. You may not be aware of it, but Scientology only became a religion in the 70s, following problems with the FDA over practising medicine without a license. Coercive groups, no matter what their thrust, use identical programs to entrap and control their members. The framework used is readily apparent, only the collective group stories are different.

Heaven's Gate, the People's Temple, Scientology, all these groups use or used the same format to control their members. The People's Temple, Heaven's Gate, and the Order of the Solar Temple demonstrate the depth to which coercive mental manipulation can influence their members, even to suicide and murder. These groups cause untold suffering, not only to those on the inside, but to family and friends as well.

Too often, America exhibits a knee-jerk reaction whenever religious freedom is an issue. This has enabled destructive groups to function virtually unconstrained in our country. Often, the motivation of the leaders of such groups hinges on either money or absolute power over others. Deluded members, unaware that they are being manipulated, often turn their entire lives over to the group, working long hours in what is virtually slave labor conditions, while the leaders are fabulously wealthy. Scientology and Amway are two existing examples of this;

Scientology's worth is estimated in billions of dollars, as is the fortune of Richard DeVos, head of Amway and personal friend of the Bush family. These fortunes are accumulated by preying upon unsuspecting innocents, who are not making an informed decision when they join, as the true, quantifiable data regarding these groups is hidden from them.

As more is learned about the dynamics and psychology of these destructive, totalitarian groups, eventually legislation will be enacted to protect citizens from falling into their grasp. This is what France is attempting to do with the Picard Bill, and the United States should support them. Your job, in part, is to protect the citizens of the United States. This is not being done at the present time, in fact;

these criminals are schmoozing comfortably with those in power. This is not coincidence, it is a very deliberate strategy to protect the group from any opposition to their program.

Too often, those in positions of power are abysmally ignorant of the nature of coercive manipulative groups. The argument that brainwashing doesn't exist is fatuous, witness the ex-prisoners of mainland China after WWII, for example. It does exist, and is in use today by Scientology, Amway, and others.

The fact that our elected leaders are incredibly tolerant of these insidious coercive groups, that they are allowed to prey on innocent victims and destroy lives and savings, is unbelievable. When I see pictures of DeVos grinning next to the President, it makes me sick.

It is your responsibility to inform yourself of the true nature of these groups before making decisions regarding them. This does not mean just listening to their side of the story! People who speak out about the dangers these groups present are not merely a handful of disgruntled ex-members, whiners, and losers. This is the off-handed way all coercive groups dismiss those who speak out, it's part of their defense. These are real people, with horrible stories of bankruptcy, shattered families, and even suicides. The sad thing is, these stories are in the thousands, yet nobody, including our government, seems to be listening.

Please take note of who is most vocal in supporting sanctions against groups which practice coercive mental manipulation. Scientology? Amway?

They have a great deal of money to throw at the problem, and wish to protect their right to feed upon the unwary. The people who join are not informed of the true nature of the groups they enlist with, therefore they are not making an informed decision. Were they allowed to look at the true nature of the groups in question, chances are they would not sign up. "They join of their own free will," is not the truth, it's another lie promoted by both Amway and Scientology.

Inform yourself of the 'bait and switch' scam of Scientology.

Do some research into Amway, and discover exactly how many people actually make money at it. By looking at the figures Amway will not show you, you'll see that only the people at the very top of this MLM coercive group are profiting, all at the expense of the virtual slaves below them.

Support France and the Picard Bill! It really is an important new step in controlling the charlatans who, in their greedy quest for power and wealth, have no qualms about destroying lives and families as long as the money keeps rolling in.

I have studied this issue for the past three years following a brush with Scientology and recognise that coercive control groups are a very real threat which should not be allowed to continue in America, whether under the guise of a "religion" or a program promoting "independant business." These groups are not what they claim to be. You owe it to those who voted you into office to inform yourself as to their true nature, and not be misled by their fabricated realities.

--
Barb
Chaplain, ARSCC
http://members.home.net/bwarr1/index.htm (this site is down right now.)
http://www.geocities.com/bwarr_2000/ mirror site "Every week, every month, every year, every decade and now every century, Scientology does weird and stupid things to damage its own reputation."

-Steve Zadarnowski "Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as Scientology."

-ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"
Scientology:
Do you want to save the world?
Then eat this booger.
--Hud Nordin

>Fat lotta good THIS will do...pissing into the wind, more like. As if
>the pigs with their little noses buried in the trough are gonna listen
>while Scientology and Amway shovels $$$ to them...
>
>I'm writing in regard to an article referring to 'retaliatory visa
>restrictions' in countries which support laws restricting groups which
>practise mental manipulation.
snip (nice letter) H. Keith Henson
Box 60012
Palo Alto, CA 94306
650-325-7533
hkhenson@pacbell.net May 2, 2001 Gordon H. Smith
United States Senator from Oregon
440 Russell Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
mailed/emailed Dear Senator Smith:

I read in the news today that you are proposing retaliating against countries that are trying to protect their people against cults with origins in the US. The article specifically mentioned the Mormons and the Church of Scientology and was to apply in cases where the cult leaders have committed serious crimes.

If I recall correctly, it was not that many years ago when Oregon had a rather serious problem with a cult which went to the extreme of contaminating a salad bar with salmonella bacteria in an effort to influence a local election. Thinking back, do you think it have been appropriate for other countries to sanction people from Oregon for the state's criminal prosecution of that cult's leaders?

The Los Angeles paper this morning contained a story about a $300 million Ponzi scheme run by a Scientologist. I wouldn't mention this, but if you check with the Bureau of Prisons for how many Scientologist they have and use the accepted number of them in the US (45,000) you will find that almost 1 in 200 Scientologists are in prison. (In contrast Mormons are 100 times less likely to be locked up.) If you look into the history of the highest donors to Scientology you will find that a very substantial fraction of them have been convicted within a few years of being highest donor.

The point is that Scientology amounts to a support group for criminal behavior, not in all cases, but it is easy to understand why other countries don't want Scientology to become established there. Even the US government had problems with them, eventually convicting 11 of the top leadership for crimes very close to treason. Also, it is clear that by the use of lavish amounts of money Scientology has way too much influence over the government in Riverside County California and Clearwater, FL.

Especially given Oregon recent history, you might consider letting other countries deal with dangerous cults as they see fit.

Sincerely,

H. Keith Henson

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