http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-fside09.html

Scientology's volunteers get frosty reception at fire scene December 9, 2004 BY ROBERT HERGUTH STAFF REPORTER

As fire raged inside the LaSalle Bank building, a band of serious-looking young adults in yellow jackets hustled past the police tape toward the action.

Their coats bore the words "Volunteer Minister." But these weren't your standard chaplains -- like the five Catholic, Jewish and Protestant clerics already on the scene.

The volunteer ministers are members of the Church of Scientology, a religious group founded in 1954 by the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard and perhaps best known for celebrity followers such as John Travolta and Tom Cruise. Some critics -- including the German government, which views it not as a religion but a money-making scheme -- insist Scientology is a cult.

This was the first time the group's ministers responded in an organized fashion to a fire in Chicago -- and it probably won't be their last, even though their debut didn't go over too well with the Chicago Fire Department's chaplain corps.

"I threw 'em out," said one chaplain. "If they want to minister to the people on the sidelines, that's great . . . but they were standing in the triage and treatment area and they were making total chaos in there.

"We can't have untrained people at a time when things are very chaotic and you need a sense of order," he said. "Fire and police chaplains are trained in how to do this."

Mary Ann Ahmad, a spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology in Chicago, was told by her people that the volunteers were looking for someone in charge "to find out what was needed and wanted, and they were told, 'It's dangerous for people in here, so go outside.' "

If Scientology volunteers need special training, "they're totally willing," Ahmad said, adding Scientologists were at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks.

David Klarich, one of the Scientologists at Monday night's blaze, said the church is planning on regularly showing up at fires and other disasters in the region to offer an "assist" -- special techniques they use to aid the injured or traumatized.

A Chicago Fire Department spokesman was unaware of the situation but said he'd look into it.

<p><hr><p> From: barb <bwarr1@cox.net>
Subject: Re: $cientology VM's Booted in Downtown Chicago
Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 07:41:13 -0800
Organization: ARSCC Intel Div
Message-ID: <41b8721b@news2.lightlink.com>
In-Reply-To: <l3Xtd.4380$H_5.549@newssvr31.news.prodigy.com>

Feisty wrote: > http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-fside09.html
>
> Scientology's volunteers get frosty reception at fire scene
> December 9, 2004
> BY ROBERT HERGUTH STAFF REPORTER
>
> As fire raged inside the LaSalle Bank building, a band of serious-looking young adults in
> yellow jackets hustled past the police tape toward the action.
>
> Their coats bore the words "Volunteer Minister." But these weren't your standard
> chaplains -- like the five Catholic, Jewish and Protestant clerics already on the scene.
>
> The volunteer ministers are members of the Church of Scientology, a religious group
> founded in 1954 by the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard and perhaps best known
> for celebrity followers such as John Travolta and Tom Cruise. Some critics -- including
> the German government, which views it not as a religion but a money-making scheme --
> insist Scientology is a cult.
>
> This was the first time the group's ministers responded in an organized fashion to a fire
> in Chicago -- and it probably won't be their last, even though their debut didn't go over
> too well with the Chicago Fire Department's chaplain corps.
>
> "I threw 'em out," said one chaplain. "If they want to minister to the people on the
> sidelines, that's great . . . but they were standing in the triage and treatment area and
> they were making total chaos in there.
>
> "We can't have untrained people at a time when things are very chaotic and you need a
> sense of order," he said. "Fire and police chaplains are trained in how to do this."
>
> Mary Ann Ahmad, a spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology in Chicago, was told by her
> people that the volunteers were looking for someone in charge "to find out what was needed
> and wanted, and they were told, 'It's dangerous for people in here, so go outside.' "
>
> If Scientology volunteers need special training, "they're totally willing," Ahmad said,
> adding Scientologists were at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks.
>
> David Klarich, one of the Scientologists at Monday night's blaze, said the church is
> planning on regularly showing up at fires and other disasters in the region to offer an
> "assist" -- special techniques they use to aid the injured or traumatized.
>
> A Chicago Fire Department spokesman was unaware of the situation but said he'd look into
> it.

Doncha just LOVE 'Letters to the Editor?' >
It disturbs me that Chicago's Scientology establishment has expressed a determination to be present at disasters. This is nothing but a blatant attempt to recruit vulnerable people into the "church" of Scientology, and is as noxious as ambulance-chasing lawyers who seek to profit from tragedy.

Most recently, the Volunteer Ministers swarmed into Beslan, drawn by the massacre of school children. They were quickly ejected by local authorities, who understood that they are nothing more than a cult recruitment tool wielded by Scientology.

Their presence at Ground Zero following the World Trade Center disaster was revealing. A number of internal emails were released by Scientology "lieutenant" Simon O'hare, in which he boasted about the VMs sneaking past barricades, thus endangering trained rescue workers by their presence, and disrupting legitimate mental health counselors. They were also the only group which set up sales displays of their books and other materials, trying to flog their product at the heart of a maelstrom of chaos and suffering.

http://xenu.net/archive/events/20010911-tragedy/

Following 9-11, there was a big publicity campaign launched by Scientology, tailored to feed on the publics' fears of terrorism. Billboards with the slogan, "Something can be done about it" urged people to contact the Volunteer Ministers for counseling. I and several of my friends called the number. In every case, we were strongly urged to immediately go to the local Scientology center and start taking courses. Our lives, we were told, depended on it! Needless to say, the courses offered are expensive, and always lead to the necessity for more. People have decimated their life savings and sold their possessions to continue with these courses.

The Volunteer Ministers also provide another "service" to the public, the Touch Assist. Supposedly a healing tool, they will poke you until you say you feel better to make them stop poking you. According to the Volunteer Ministers, this Assist can cure everything from drunkenness to flatulence. A few applications, and the impaired drunk is ready to take to the road again!

The Volunteer Ministers program has several goals. Primarily, their aim is to foster good public relations for Scientology, such as Mary Ahmad's claim of their presence at Ground Zero. Second, they seek access to vulnerable people in the wake of tragedy, attempting to recruit them into Scientology under the guise of "help."

A google search of Scientology, combined with terms such as abuse, deaths, fraud, harassment, government and criminality will provide readers with a wealth of information not found in Scientology's promotional literature. It is incredible that this group, hiding behind a cloak of religiosity, is still allowed to impose its scam with impunity on an unsuspecting public.

-- --barb Chaplain,ARSCC

"Imagine a church so dangerous, you must sign a release form before you can receive its "spiritual assistance." This assistance might involve holding you against your will for an indefinite period, isolating you from friends and family, and denying you access to appropriate medical care. You will of course be billed for this treatment - assuming you survive it. If not, the release form absolves your caretakers of all responsibility for your suffering and death.

Welcome to the Church of Scientology."

--Dr. Dave Touretzky Peter Alexander

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