Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology From: dennis.l.erlich@support.com Subject: For Martin's FAQ Message-ID: <9601122027.0SQUX02@support.com> References: Organization: L.A. Valley College Public BBS (818)985-7150 X-Mailer: TBBS/PIMP v3.35 Distribution: world Date: Fri, 12 Jan 96 20:27:44 -0800 Lines: 171 New alt.religion.scientology Reader, Hello. My name is Dennis Erlich. I would like to welcome you to the wacky world of alt.religion.scientology. I extend this welcome despite the fact that I hold no "official" position in the newsgroup, exactly in the same way you don't. The only difference between us is that I got on-line here a bit earlier than you, or tuned into this newsgroup sooner than you did. And I know a bit about the subject of the newsgroup: scienotology. Er ... I mean diaherretics. Or whatever is being discussed here. Perhaps you heard that this particular newsgroup is like none other on internet. It's true. For that reason it might take you a little while to get "up to speed" on the controversy, the jargon, and the medium. Stick with it, though. It might just be some kind of group adventure into the new kind of international community internet is creating. Or it could like be some really heavy cosmic-consciousness kind of universal "happening". Then again, it might be nothing of consequence. OTOH, you might actually be participating in human history here. God only knows. What a concept for us little people, huh? (no offense to my vertically-impaired friends) In any case I sorta "know the ropes" in this newsgroup. So my friend Martin (whom I've never met irl ) asked me to give you the quick tour. You can grab your Free Clue about what's up around here, and decide if you want to lurk, post or move on. Martin asked me to do it in three screens, so I'm sure this particular piece of throw-away journalism will contain too much of something you didn't want, and not enough of something you did. Sorry. The reason I know so much about the scienos (that's what I call us/them) is that I were one myself from 1968 to 1982. I was very highly placed in the organization by the man we can thank for the specimen of mental excrement known as scientology: El Ron Hubbard - who is now, thankfully, an UTTERLY DECEASED madman. My position in the cult (may I call it that?) was Chief Cramming Officer. My job, according the the Phatman (as we like to call hiM), was "FORCE-FEEDING DATA". I was the Chief Quality Control Engineer in the world's most profitable mind-control factory which the scienos plopped down in the sleepy little retierment and vacation community of Clearwater, Florida. I watched the cult take over that town, discredit the Mayor, intimidate the Fire Marshal, and refuse to pay taxes on either the millions of dollars of property, or hundreds of millions that flowed through the Clearwater operation. My position involved seeing to it that Hubbard's voluminous directives regarding the absolutely correct procedure to use to mess with the inside of another person's head, were accurately taught and exactly applied to each and every person who fell for the scam. My job was to fix it up if mark wasn't made to believe he'd been helped by the mind-f*cking he'd paid so much of his hard-earned cash to receive. It was my resopnsiblity to *make* the techniques work, and get others to do the same. So I know all the techniques. I went all the way to the top of the training and processing levels, and taught others how to teach them. I left my billion (with a bee) year contracted position with the cult and regained my own soul in 1982 and have spent the last (what is it?) 13 or 14 years, putting my head back on after the experience. S'not so easy. But alas, I found alt.religion.scientology in July of 94 and since then I have had a place to tell others of my experiences and continue my recovery from the effects of my 28 year encounter with the cult. It is, by the way, my belief that any of the ex-scientology posters you may read on ars, or on the newsgroup that discusses supposedly practical uses of scieno tek (alt.clearing.technology), are involved in some some sort of recovery from their scientology experience. But what do I know? In the summer of 94 I began posting to this newsgroup internal documents (sekrit sakrid skriptures the scienos call them) which I had been given to train on as (you should please excuse the expression) a minister of scientology. These documents exposed the fraudulent and vicious nature of the scieno scam. I posted them based on the firm belief that the public had a right to know. I posted them because in school I had read the highest law in the land, the United States Constitution, I believed (perhaps in light of my vast ignorance) that I had the right to expose the sca,. I posted these things under my own name, and not anonymously, to prove to myself and to the scienos, that neither they, nor their twisted ideas, have control over me any longer. To prove that I control *my own* mind, and the actions that result from those thoughts. The cult (I will be kind) bamboozled a Federal Judge in San Jose into thinking I was some kind of info-bootlegger, selling computer disks out of some dusty garage. This judge ordered a Civil Writ of Seizure (different from a criminal search warrant where probable cause is required). He allowed the scienos, without any Law Enforcement Officials present to conduct or even monitor the raid, to ransack my home; examine the contents of every drawer, cabinet, closet and room; examine and copy the entire contents of my computers' hard drives; delete whatever they wanted to off my hard drives, pack up hundreds of my legally obatined disks, books and research papers; and take them from me without giving me any inventory of what was being confiscatged. This rape of my privacy commenced at 7:30 in the morning on February 13th of last year (1995), and lasted seven hours. The cult personnel had complete physical control of my home and person during the raid. They were armed and would have used "any force necessary" had I resisted. I have still not had the property they stole during that raid returned to me, despite the fact that the judge has ruled that the raid violated my Constitutional Rights under the First and Fourth Amendment (duh), vacated the Writ, and ordered the scienos to return everything they took. I now face a long, drawn out legal battle with the cult for having dared to warn the public about the scam techniques. Fortunately I have support of many wonderful people around the world on the net, the backing of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the good wishes of the Cult Awareness Network, and the best pro bono (that means for the public good, freely given) legal representation from Morrison & Foerster (the Mighty MoFo, as they are known in these parts). It is only hard costs - xeroxing, phones, depositions - that are not covered by MoFo's generous offer of legal protection. For that reason, others have set up a legal defense fund for me. Perhaps its purpose is, more correctly, to defend the public's right to know. Ask questions of the regulars (not necessarily me, please, til you've gotten up to speed). Get your web browser set up and read some of the many wonderfully designed world wide web sites about the cult and its attempt to stifle free speech on the internet. Modemac or Ron Newman's page are often recommended as the places to start. Lurk and learn. Dismiss the matter as trivial or foolish. Join in the amazing adventure free speech in this new medium provides. Or just scratch your head and say, WTF. But whatever role you play or walk away from, try to enjoy yourself, and not get too worked up. Leave that to the professionals. Good reading! And kids ... don't try this at home. :) Rev. Dennis L Erlich * * the inFormer * *