From: "Baba ROM DOS" <Baba_ROM_DOS@hotmail.com>
Subject: ARS Literati $10,000 Challenge - Judge's Report
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 11:34:29 +0200
Message-ID: <7ssm38$1376@news2.newsguy.com>

Having finally stolen the time from myself to make a systematic pass over all of the registered entries, here's my "official" response. As Bob is doubtless aware, and as he perhaps intended, I'm not going to make any friends in doing this, but I am not one to compromise my integrity to make friends, nor to I have the Scientology training necessary to warp my perceptions to suit my personal needs. Applying the stated qualifications in a strict but not pedantic manner, I found, much to my surprise, there was exactly one entry that seems to fully qualify. The other entries were good, some of them excellent. They all deserve to be webbed and otherwise distributed.

To recap the contest rules:

An essay of 10,000 to 15,000 words, where:

1. ) It must full of surprising, insightful, and thought provoking ideas.

2. ) It must be not only relevant to Scientology, it must reveal its hidden workings and show Scientology up for what it is.

3. ) It must not lecture to Scientologists, but instead speak indirectly to them, explaining some of the hows and the whys of what they have experienced.

4. ) It must be original.

5. ) It must open up what L. Ron Hubbard Jr. (Nibs) referred to as the part of his father's mind that no one could get into, the part that was locked up tight, not revealed to anyone.

6. ) It must take steps towards revealing Hubbard's true intent and it must do it in a manner that is compelling and convincing to Scientologists.

7. ) And on top of everything else, it must say some significant and useful things about life in general.

8. ) It must be submitted in English

The submissions under consideration, in no particular order:

Joe Cisar - "Doing Hard Time on Planet Earth"

An interesting allegory, but the analogies with Scientology[tm] are easy enough to miss if one isn't already familiar with Scientology's dark side. Does not mention Hubbard, and thus can hardly be construed to open up the secret parts of Hubbard's mind. DOES NOT QUALIFY.

Of all the submissions, this one perhaps best satisfies condition number 3, but it does not even pretend to get into Hubbard's secret motivations or true intent.

DOES NOT QUALIFY.

In addition to not going into Hubbard's secret thoughts and being somewhat of a lecturing-to-Scientologists tone, it does not meet the criterion for length.

DOES NOT QUALIFY.

A truly excellent piece of work, but one which would be taken as a slap in the face by practicing Scientologists, and one which does not pretend to uncover Hubbard's personal secrets. Much as I like it, it DOES NOT QUALIFY.

Speaks well to Scientologists, but does not go into Hubbards hidden thoughts, nor his true intent. DOES NOT QUALIFY.

Takes a lecturing tone toward Scientologists, and while it sets out an interesting conspiracy theory about the true nature and intent of the "tech", it does not presume to go into Hubbards hidden thoughts.

DOES NOT QUALIFY.

Certainly deserves a special mention for best title. Perhaps not the best written of the entries, but it does seem to me to satisfy all of the stated criteria.

QUALIFIES!

Takes a lecturing and critical tone that would "invalidate" current Scientologists.

Sheds no light on Hubbard's secret agenda.

DOES NOT QUALIFY.

With a title like that, it can hardly be calculated to reach current Scientologists, and the essay itself lives up to the title in its confrontational tone. In addition, it comes in under the required 10000 words.

DOES NOT QUALIFY.

Yet another good bit of writing from Warrior.

It does not, however, attempt to deal with Hubbards secret thoughts. DOES NOT QUALIFY.

Best Essay to Inform Non-Scientologists: Jeff Jacobsen
Best Essay to Reach Current Scientologists: Ed
Best Autobiographical Prose: Warrior