(Note - this essay isn't entirely finished yet, but before adding it to Narconon Exposed I thought I'd post it here for some feedback. Fred Rice, could you please let me see the correspondence you had with the WHO and EPA on this issue?)
Narconon's Claims of Support
The Church of Scientology, Narconon and its various allies claim some high-powered support for L. Ron Hubbard's detoxification methods. Names such as the Council of Europe, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, the United Nations Environmental Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others are cited as having "recognised" or "document[ed] the efficacy" of the Hubbard detoxification programme. In fact, when the claims are examined in detail, it is clear that they are misleading or simply untrue. What is more, many of the individuals involved in writing the studies turn out to be Scientologists or working for Scientology-related organisations. This is a highly relevant factor, as they potentially have religious, financial and professional incentives to promote Hubbard's theories, much as tobacco company scientists had vested interests in producing studies showing smoking to be a safe activity.
--------------------
American Public Health Association (APHA)
According to numerous publications issued by Narconon, Scientology and Scientology-related organisations, the APHA is one of a number of organisations that "have published papers on the results of Mr. Hubbard's detoxification procedure." These supposedly document the "efficacy" of the programme. The impression given is very clearly that the APHA's research scientists have investigated the programme and endorsed its utility. Many Narconon websites have a list of "Summaries of Published Papers Regarding the Detoxification Method Developed by L. Ron Hubbard" (see, for instance, <http://www.marijuanaaddiction.com/research_summary.html>) which lists a collection of papers and their publishers. Curiously, it does not list the authors - an unusual occurence where research is being listed. It is often implied that the study is from the APHA. For instance, the website promoting Hubbard's "Clear Body, Clear Mind" (about the Scientology Purification Rundown) has a list of frequently asked questions including "Has this program been scientifically documented?". Below that heading is the following quote:
"Following treatment [with Hubbard's detoxification method], both past and current drug users reported marked improvements in symptoms. . . . This detoxification program represents a vital innovation in drug rehabilitation: an approach aimed at a long term reduction of the predisposition for drug abuse."
- Reduction of Drug Residues: Applications in Drug Rehabilitation, Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, 1995.
In fact, the APHA's researchers had nothing to do with the authorship of the paper in question, a piece entitled "Treatment of Children with the Detoxification Method Developed by Hubbard" <http://www.detoxacademy.org/pdfs/childtox.pdf>. It was actually a presentation at the 123rd Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association in 1995 and was written by Shelley L. Beckmann, Megan Shields and R. Michael Wisner. All three have close ties with Narconon and Scientology. Shields and Wisner are both prominent Scientologists who are energetic campaigners for the wider use of Hubbard's methods. Shields is the International Medical Advisor for the Narconon network, and Beckmann is its Research Director. (These connections are not disclosed in the 1995 study.) The paper focuses on "the detoxification method developed by Hubbard" but, curiously, does not make any references to source material produced by Hubbard. Instead, it relies for almost half of its references on a number of papers written by a small circle of Scientologists, Narconon staff and Scientology-linked supporters of Hubbard's methods.
--------------------
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
The ASCE is one of the organisations cited on Narconon websites as having published papers supporting L. Ron Hubbard's detoxification methods. The relevant paper is entitled "Occupational, Environmental and Public Health in Semic: A Case Study of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Pollution" <http://www.detoxacademy.org/pdfs/pcb.PDF>. It was published as part of the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Civil Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 1989.
The authors were Ziga Tretjak, Shelley L. Beckmann, Ana Tretjak and Charles Gunnerson. Gunnerson is a Fellow of the ASCE and edited the 1989 publication, "Post-Audits Projects of Environmental Programs", in which the study was published. The Tretjaks were members of the University of Slovenia. By far the most significant participant was Dr. Shelley Beckmann, a prominent Scientologist and Research Director for Narconon International. The case study was conducted in conjunction with the Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education (FASE), a Scientologist-run organisation whose original mission was to "research the efficacy of and promote the works of L. Ron Hubbard in the solving of social problems" and was funded by an unnamed (but most likely Scientology-related) "U.S. non-profit organization". The actual treatment was conducted by Drs. Megan Shields and James Dahlgren in conjunction with R. Michael Wisner. Shields and Wisner are both prominent Scientologists who are energetic campaigners for the wider use of Hubbard's methods - Shields is also the International Medical Advisor for the Narconon network.
The study itself contains a very significant reference, the significance of which lies principally in what is omitted. The text refers to the "Hubbard method" which was "regularly delivered at two centers in California" (which centres and where are not mentioned - possibly Narconon branches?) and references "Hubbard LR. The Technical Bulletins. Vol.12. Bridge Publ. Los Angeles 1980:163-181." The title, as the authors surely knew, is truncated; the full title is "The Technical Bulletins of Dianetics and Scientology". It is not hard to work out why the title has been truncated, as giving the full title would have given the game away. Each of the eighteen volumes of the Technical Bulletins of Dianetics and Scientology is prefaced with the statement that "This is part of the religious literature and works of the Founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard." One has to ask why "religious literature" is being referenced in a supposedly scientific study.
Does the fact that the ASCE published the study mean that it endorsed it? In fact, Gunnerson's publication is not even about detoxification methods in the first place. According to the ASCE, "Post-Audits of Environmental Programs and Projects" is actually about the process of post-auditing activities, "summarizing experience in methodology, science and technology, economic and financial costs, and potential benefits from post-audits." Other items featured in the publication include "low-flows in the Mississippi River, record flooding around the Great Salt Lake, Utah, marine pollution in Southern California, flood plain protection as practiced by the Corps of Engineers, and water quality management for the North American Great Lakes." Overall, "the volume constitutes a hands-on introduction to post-audits for both practitioners and students." <http://www.pubs.asce.org/BOOKdisplay.cgi?8905010> It is thus the process rather than the individual examples which is the subject of the publication's attention.
> Claims from Narconon & Scientology regarding the
ASCE <http://www.google.com/search?q=%22American+Society+of+Civil+Engineers%22+hubbard+detoxification&num=50&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=0>
--------------------
Council of Europe
"The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recognized the success of L. Ron Hubbard's drug rehabilitation technology and Narconon in a resolution passed in January 1988." ("What is Scientology", <http://www.scientology.org/wis/wiseng/25/25-nns_3.htm>. Until recently this claim was also made on Narconon's German website, but it appears to have been removed.)
Matthias Schindler of Germany took the trouble to verify this claim and found that it is, in fact, untrue. Officials of the European Parliament have confirmed that in January 1988, the Parliamentary Assembly had voted for four resolutions and two recommendations, none of which had any connection with drugs, Narconon or L. Ron Hubbard. What actually happened was that ten members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe had signed a "motion for a resolution on ending the use of the drug methadone", numbered Doc 5849 of 27 January 1988. It was strongly critical of the medicinal use of methadone in treating drug addicts, called for the "re-education" (sic) of psychiatrists and "takes notice of drug rehabilitation methods that have results (acupuncture, the Hubbard technology (Narconon), etc), without use of drugs." However, the motion did not get anywhere. According to the Secretary of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,
A motion is tabled by 10 or more parliamentarians and is not discussed in the Parliamentary Assembly. It commits only the members who have signed it. A motion may be referred to a Committee(s) for report. In this case Doc 5849 was referred on 23 March 1988 to the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee and the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for information only. Therefore no further action was taken on this text.
> See "Narconon und der Europarat" (German & English) for more details <http://www.presroi.de/schwarzfahrten/narcouncil/index2.html>
--------------------
Environmental Protection Agency, United States of America
The EPA is one of the larger and more controversial US Government departments, with over 18,000 employees across the United States and a portfolio of environmental protection issues that regularly sees it conflicting with politically well-connected polluters. Clearly, an endorsement by the EPA would be a great boost for Hubbard's detoxification methods.
At first sight, the EPA does seem to take a favourable view, if Narconon and Scientology's claims are anything to go by. In 1988, an "address [was] published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after an international conference in Washington regarding a formal study of Mr. Hubbard's sauna program" which came to a generally approving conclusion of its efficacy. Clark Carr, president of Narconon International, seems to have gone further: according to a February 20, 2002 interview in the Times of India, "The US Environmental Protection Agency in a paper in 1998 testified to the effectiveness of this method in treating individuals exposed to high doses of radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster and the Gulf War Syndrome (the name given to the toxic effects of a vaccine administered to US military personnel to protect them from chemical warfare)."
However, the study in question was not authored by the EPA. Entitled "Rehabilitation of a Chernobyl Affected Population Using a Detoxification Method", it was published as part of the "Proceedings of the 1998 International Radiological Post-Emergency Response Issues Conference" <http://www.detoxacademy.org/pdfs/epa_radiation_conf.pdf>. The conference was not about "Mr. Hubbard's sauna program" but about the general issue of radiological health effects in the Chernobyl-contaminated regions of the former Soviet Union - co-sponsors included the Department of Energy, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Nuclear Regulatory Commission, among others. None of the six authors worked for the EPA: two worked for a Russian research centre, two for the Kaluga Regional Detoxification Centre, one for a Moscow university and one - most significantly - James Barnes, for the Los Angeles-based Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education. This Scientologist-run organisation originally proclaimed its mission as being to "research the efficacy of and promote the works of L. Ron Hubbard in the solving of social problems". Its involvement, and the involvement of its staff, is a common theme in many pro-Hubbard studies.
Barnes is a health physicist at Rocketdyne (a subsidiary of Boeing) and is quoted as saying that "L. Ron Hubbard's Purification program remains the only proven and safe method for reducing or eliminating chemical residues and radiation effects from the body" [Clear Body Clear Mind - <http://www.clearbodyclearmind.com>] It is not clear whether he is a Scientologist himself, though this seems distinctly possible. Although his FASE connection is referred to in the study, the material published by FASE and Scientology invariably refers only to his role in Rocketdyne, with the clear suggestion that the statements are authorised by the company. It certainly gives the impression that he is speaking on Rocketdyne's behalf rather than in a personal capacity.
According to the Church of Scientology's "Purification Program" publicity material, "after conducting his own independent study, a US Environmental Protection Agency doctor concluded that dangerous environmental toxins, which had lodged in the body for two years, could be flushed out by doing the Purification program." <http://www.purificationpgm.org/page04.htm> The doctor in question is David W. Schnare, a senior environmental scientist with the Environmental Protection Agency. It is not clear whether he is a Scientologist. He is, however, the Director of Research for FASE; how he reconciles scientific objectivity with the original remit of FASE to "promote the works of L. Ron Hubbard in the solving of social problems" is not clear.
Many Narconon and Scientology publications also quote William L. Marcus, routinely described as "Senior Science Advisor and Chief Toxicologist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency". He is very supportive of Hubbard's detoxification methods, declaring: "I have researched and reviewed the scientific literature concerning the Hubbard program, and find it an invaluable tool in assisting people to survive in an increasingly toxic world. It is the only technique currently being used which in fact provides positive results for people with toxic exposure. The results reported by people undergoing the program are very impressive."
Marcus is a definite Hubbard partisan, having opined in print that "I first realized [Hubbard] was a genius because of his contribution to my field. Later I discovered that his brilliance embraced the arts and humanities as well. L. Ron Hubbard was a true Renaissance man - philosopher, scientist, writer and artist." <http://www.lronhubbard.org/eng/publi/friends/index.htm> He is also a member of Narconon's International Science Advisory Board. As such, he clearly has a strong personal and occupational motive to promote Hubbard's theories; it is hard to regard him as an unbiased source.
The two men's connection with the Environmental Protection Agency is heavily played up by Narconon, Scientology and the various related pro-Hubbard organisations. As with James Barnes, statements by Marcus and Schnare are often attributed to them in their professional EPA capacities, rather than a private capacity. The EPA has made its own position clear; Marcus's superior, Michael Cook, the Director of the EPA Office of Wastewater Management, told the Los Angeles Times in 1990 that Marcus has "made it clear that he was not speaking as an EPA employee". Evidently this message has not got through to those who are republishing Marcus' comments under an EPA attribution.
--------------------
National Cancer Institute, United States
The Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education (FASE) states on its website that "in cooperation with the World Health Organization, the U.S. EPA, the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the Commission on the European Communities, FASE presented a study regarding the detoxification of HCB (hexachlorobenzene)-exposed workers at an international symposium in Lyon, France." ("Overview of FASE Initiatives", <http://www.fasenet.org/overview.html>) It provides no date for this event nor the text of the study. Unusually, the otherwise comprehensive list on the website of the pro-Hubbard International Academy of Detoxification Specialists does not include any mention of this study (see http://www.detoxacademy.org/detox.htm).
--------------------
National Institute on Drug Abuse, United States
According to the Church of Scientology's Freedom magazine, the NIDA has published "papers on the results of Mr. Hubbard's detoxification procedure". This actually refers to a presentation entitled "Precipitation of Cocaine Metabolites in Sweat and Urine of Addicts Undergoing Sauna Bath Treatment Fifty-Seventh Annual Scientific Meeting, National Institute on Drug Abuse, College on Problems of Drug Dependency" given at the Fifty-Seventh Annual Scientific Meeting of the NIDA's College on Problems of Drug Dependency, in June 1995. As usual, it was written by individuals with very close connections to Scientology and Narconon - in this case, Forest S. Tennant and Shelley L. Beckmann. (Most online references to the paper omit the authors' names, for some reason.) Beckmann is Narconon's Research Director, while Tennant is a prominent supporter of Narconon and Scientology's Purification Rundown although, curiously, he was strongly critical of it when he reviewed it on behalf of the California state government in 1974.
The presentation was not peer-reviewed and thus not endorsed by the NIDA; in fact, the NIDA has said in the past that it does not know of a single peer reviewed piece scientific literature to support the Narconon programme.
--------------------
Royal Swedish Academy of Science
The Royal Swedish Academy of Science is one of a number of organisations which the Church of Scientology's Freedom magazine and Narconon claims has published "papers documenting the safety and value of Mr. Hubbard's program". This apparently refers to a "1982 study of the technique [which] examined Michigan farmers exposed to PBB". According to an article by R. Michael Wisner and the late Theron G. Randolph, M.D. (both Scientologists), "subjects chosen from the earlier study [by a Mt. Sinai School of Medicine team] were put through a precisely controlled Hubbard regimen". ("DETOXIFICATION: Personal Survival in A Chemical World", Wisner and Randolph <http://www.mcsrelief.com/theron.html>) Wisner and David E. Root, in another article (published in California Medical-Legal Alert) entitled "Chemical Exposure in the Workplace", explicitly attribute the study to the Royal Swedish Academy of Science: "A 1982 study of the technique by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences examined Michigan farmers exposed to PBB, one of the most highly persistent and toxic organohalides."
The facts are rather different. The study of the Hubbard method was published in 1984 in Ambio (Vol. 13, No. 5-6), the journal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Science. However, the Royal Academy clearly had nothing to do conducting the study, published under the title of "Body Burden Reductions of PCBs, PBBs and Chlorinated Pesticide Residues in Human Subjects" (see <http://www.detoxacademy.org/pdfs/ambio.pdf>). Its authors are once again individuals with very close ties to Narconon and Scientology - David W Schnare, Max Ben and Megan G Shields. No mention is made of Swedish involvement (other than a passing and dubious claim that the Hubbard method is "also widely used in Sweden during drug rehabilitation"). An earlier report written by the same authors (plus L. Ron Hubbard's personal physician, Gene Denk) and published in 1983 by the pro-Hubbard Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education, "Reduction of Human Organohalide Body Burdens," <http://www.detoxacademy.org/pdfs/reduc.pdf> likewise makes no mention of Swedish involvement. According to FASE's Winter 1996 Research Report, the research was actually conducted by FASE. It seems likely that the Royal Academy's involvement was limited solely to publishing the 1984 paper.
One final point is worth noting. The 1983 article includes a reference to Hubbard's work on detoxification as "L R Hubbard, The Technical Bulletins (Bridge Publications, Los Angeles, 1980) vol 12, pp 163-181." The authors, being Scientologists, would have been very well aware that the actual title of this work is "The Technical Bulletins of Dianetics and Scientology", each volume of which declares itself to be "part of the religious literature and works of the Founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard." As with the other instances of truncation in pro-Hubbard papers, it is hard to explain it as being anything other than an attempt to disguise the fact that religious literature is being used as the foundation of a supposedly scientific study.
--------------------
Society for Occupational and Environmental Health (SOEH)
According to Narconon, the Church of Scientology and various other pro-Hubbard sources, the SOEH has published "papers documenting the safety and value of Mr. Hubbard's program". No papers are named, however, and this claim cannot yet be verified.
--------------------
World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
The pro-Hubbard "International Academy of Detoxification Specialists" claims that "Papers documenting [the Hubbard method's] use to reduce body levels of man-made chemicals such as PCBs, DDT, HCH and residues of cocaine and marijuana have been published by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer". This refers to "Reduction of human body burdens of hexachlorobenzene and polychlorinated biphenyls", a paper by David W. Schnare and P.C. Robinson in Hexachlorobenzene: Proceedings of an International Symposium, published in 1986 by the IARC in its Scientific Publications Series, Volume 77. Schnare is the Research Director of the pro-Hubbard Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education, the original remit of which was to "research the efficacy of and promote the works of L. Ron Hubbard in the solving of social problems". Although the paper is apparently not available online, it is likely that it is another FASE-sponsored study for which the involvement of the IARC is limited solely to publication.
http://www.iarc.fr/pageroot/Forms/mail.html
--------------------
Conclusions
Narconon, the Church of Scientology and Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education frequently invariably cite reports written by their own members, but attribute them instead to the publishers. The papers turn out not to have been produced by the publishers, the only involvement of which appears to be in the act of publication, not in actually doing any experiments or studies. Very often they appear to be non-peer-reviewed papers presented at conferences and meetings; in terms of scientific acceptance, this is about the lowest rung on the ladder.
It is usually only when the reports themselves are examined that their authorship becomes clear. Even then, the authors often do not disclose their connection with FASE, and no mention is ever made of Narconon or Scientology. When Scientology religious literature such as the "Technical Bulletins of Dianetics and Scientology" is cited, as is the case in no fewer than five pro-Hubbard studies produced between 1983 and 1991, the title is always truncated to eliminate any mention of Dianetics and Scientology. (See <http://www.google.com/search?q=%22bulletins%22+detoxacademy.org&num=50&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&scoring=d&filter=0> for the studies in question.) This appears to be a systematic policy, as something very similar happens with the title of the book, "Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought", which Narconon co-founder William Benitez credited with having inspired the programme. In a very similar fashion, Narconon's websites always abbreviate it to "Fundamentals of Thought" even though Scientology's websites use the full title including the word "Scientology".
The confusion over attribution is widespread. When health and safety professionals are cited as supporters of the Hubbard method, their statements are often attributed to them in their professional capacity, even when they are not actually speaking for their employer. Hence James Barnes's statement that Hubbard's programme is needed "when we are confronted with a Chernobyl, when we are confronted with a Bhopal" is attributed to him in his capacity as "Safety Officer, Rocketdyne Division, Rockwell Aerospace" even though it is a safe bet that Rocketdyne does not endorse his statement. Likewise, the pro-Hubbard statements of William L. Marcus have been disowned by the Environmental Protection Agency, officials of which told the Los Angeles Times that Marcus is "not speaking as an EPA employee".
It is hard to avoid the conclusion that there has been a systematic effort to associate Hubbard's dubious theories with "respectable" third parties. If one examines the papers in detail, a small group of seven individuals employed by Narconon and FASE have authored or co-authored a remarkable 66% of all of the known papers published on Hubbard's detoxification methods. The only body which appears to have published papers and endorsed the results of those papers is the Scientology-linked Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education. As for the other publishers, it would seem that their name value is all that they have brought to the table - their involvement otherwise appears to be minimal and their endorsement non-existent.
--------------------
Quotations from pro-Hubbard sources
"Over the last decade, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, the Society for Occupational and Environmental Health, the American Public Health Association, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the United Nations Environmental Program and other organizations have published papers on the results of Mr. Hubbard's detoxification procedure." (Freedom magazine, "Staying Clean in a toxic world", <http://www.freedommag.org/english/vol29I1/page34.htm>)
"Papers documenting [the Hubbard method's] use to reduce body levels of foreign compounds such as PCBs, DDT, HCH and residues of cocaine and marijuana have been published by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, the American Public Health Association, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, UNESCO, the Society for Occupational and Environmental Health and others." ("The International Conference on Chemical Contamination and Human Detoxification", http://www.fasenet.org/conference_proceedings.pdf)
"Papers documenting the efficacy of the Hubbard procedure have been published in the journals of such organizations as the American Public Health Association, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer and the American Society of Civil Engineers." (Dr. David E. Root, Narconon Medical Director, "The Facts the Herald Avoided", <http://news.scientology.org/mag/boston/page09a.htm>)
"Studies regarding the use of this program to reduce body burdens of common contaminants such as DDT and PCBs have been published by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, the Society for Occupational and Environmental Health, UNESCO and the American Society of Civil Engineers, among others." (Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education, "Overview of FASE Initiatives", <http://www.fasenet.org/overview.html>)
"In cooperation with the World Health Organization, the U.S. EPA, the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the Commission on the European Communities, FASE presented a study regarding the detoxification of HCB (hexachlorobenzene)-exposed workers at an international symposium in Lyon, France." ("Overview of FASE Initiatives", (Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education, "Overview of FASE Initiatives", <http://www.fasenet.org/overview.html>)
"While no medical claims are made for the program, and the benefits vary person to person, papers documenting the safety and value of the program have been published in the journals of such organizations as the American Public Health Association, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Society for Occupational and Environmental Health and the Royal Swedish Academy of Science." (Press release, Bridge Publications, <http://www.bookflash.com/releases/100605.html>)
"Papers documenting the safety and value of Mr. Hubbard's program have been published in journals by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, the American Public Health Association and the Society for Occupational and Environmental Health." (Press release, Bridge Publications, <http://www.bookflash.com/releases/100702.html>)
"Since 1982, seventeen papers, published by such organizations as the World Health Organization, the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, the Society for Occupational and Environmental Health and others have documented the effectiveness of Hubbard's Purification program." (Bridge Publications?, "Staying Healthy May Increase Body's Resistance to Toxins", <http://www.pioneerthinking.com/ara-toxins.html>)
"In 1984, the Journal of California Law Enforcement reported that Purification had significantly aided police officers exposed to toxic chemicals to rid their bodies of such substances. Two years later, a report published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science told of similar results with poisoned chemical workers." (Church of Scientology, "L. Ron Hubbard and his Effect on the Culture", <http://www.recognizedhubbard.org/page10.htm>)
"Has this program been scientifically documented?
Papers documenting the effectiveness of Mr. Hubbard's program have been published by such organizations as the World Health Organization, The Royal Swedish Academy of Science, the Society for Occupational and Environmental Health, and others as well as in proceedings of international conferences." (Bridge Publications, "Clear Body Clear Mind::Frequently Asked Questions", <http://www.clearbodyclearmind.com/faq.shtml>)
"The findings of the researchers who participated in these studies have been published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer, and in the journals "Medical Hypotheses" and "The Journal of Toxicology Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology", among others." ("DETOXIFICATION: Personal Survival in A Chemical World" by Theron G. Randolph, M.D. and R. Michael Wisner, <http://www.mcsrelief.com/theron.html>)
"The technical methodology used by Narconon has been scientifically studied. To quote from a 1998 address published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after an international conference in Washington regarding a formal study of Mr. Hubbard's sauna program, the conclusion states: "There is evidence suggesting that the program revitalizes the immune system and improves the general physical condition of the participant. . . . In addition, the detoxification program devised by Hubbard possesses a powerful psychotherapeutic potential."
(Kate Wickstrom, Executive Director of Narconon Stone Hawk, letter to Battle Creek Enquirer, July 26, 2002 <http://www.narconon-exposed.org/sources/media/bce260702.htm>)
| Chris Owen - ronthewarhero@OISPAMNOyahoo.co.uk |
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| NARCONON EXPOSED: The full facts about the Narconon program |
| http://www.narconon-exposed.org |
On 9 Feb 2003 09:19:47 -0800, ronthewarhero@yahoo.co.uk (Chris Owen) wrote in <f758becc.0302090919.247de983@posting.google.com>:
>one for a Moscow university and one - most significantly - James
>Barnes, for the Los Angeles-based Foundation for Advancements in
>Science and Education. This Scientologist-run organisation originally
>proclaimed its mission as being to "research the efficacy of and
>promote the works of L. Ron Hubbard in the solving of social
>problems". Its involvement, and the involvement of its staff, is a
>common theme in many pro-Hubbard studies.
>
>Barnes is a health physicist at Rocketdyne (a subsidiary of Boeing)
>and is quoted as saying that "L. Ron Hubbard's Purification program
>remains the only proven and safe method for reducing or eliminating
>chemical residues and radiation effects from the body" [Clear Body
>Clear Mind - <http://www.clearbodyclearmind.com>] It is not clear
>whether he is a Scientologist himself, though this seems distinctly
>possible.
Yes: http://home.oursites.net/jamesgbarnes/myself.htm
--
Tilman Hausherr [KoX, SP5.55] Entheta * Enturbulation * Entertainment
tilman@berlin.snafu.de http://www.xenu.de
Resistance is futile. You will be enturbulated. Xenu always prevails.
Find broken links on your web site: http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html
The Xenu bookstore: http://home.snafu.de/tilman/bookstore.html
Tilman Hausherr wrote:
> Yes: http://home.oursites.net/jamesgbarnes/myself.htm
That one really had me wondering about Rocketdyne. Mr Barnes does,
it appears, work for them as a health physicist . . .
but then if he is a scientologist since 1971, as he states, he is well aware of Hubbard's views on radiation. Now, either he holds to those views, which is a really frightening thought considering his job entails radiation protection, which he claims to work as a specialist . . .
or he knows that Hubbard's views and teachings on radiation are flawed, and is therefore too stupid to cog that Hubbard's other views and teachings are flawed . . . and doesn't care.
Here is what his site states about his job as Radiation Safety Officer for Rocketdyne.
"For the next 12 years I worked all over the United States as a
radiation protection specialist for a number of commercial nuclear
power plants. During this period I completed my college degree
(using the study techniques I learned in Scientology), certification
as a health physicist from the American Board of Health Physics (an
accomplishment of which I am particularly proud). I am now employed as
the Radiation Safety Officer for a major aerospace company in Los
Angeles."
Now, I don't know if his approval of The Purif and what it is ~supposed~
to handle, especially regarding the removal of radiation . . .
is approved with Rocketdyne/Boeing as well as he is their Radiation Safety Officer . . .
or if he is just allowing that fact with the mention of his title and company to be tacked on as part of an advertisement giving the insinuation that there is approval from the employer as they are mentioned.
But there really ~are~ what can be considered "impressive" people involved with Narconon and Detox Academy and the stamp of approval on Hubbard "Purification" Technology.
Glad to see you are tackling that aspect on Narconon, also.
ARC = As-Ising the Real CST,
Beverly
In article <3E46A1F3.18FA@mpinet.net>, dbj1120@mpinet.net says...
> Glad to see you are tackling that aspect on Narconon, also.
Rocketdyne ran one of the very rare civilian nuclear research reactors around, most notable for it's location on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
It is also notable for the scandal revealed in the 1980's, involving horrifically incompetent disposal of nuclear waste on its own site. If Barnes was the 'Radiation Safety Officer' *and* a Scientologist/Hubbardite, it goes a long way towards explaining the particularly egregious and cavalier handling of radioactives near a (to put it mildly) large metropolitan area.
One of hundreds of news stories is available at: http://www.laweekly.com/ink/99/03/news-collins.php
Many more are available at google with a search for rocketdyne nuclear epa or many other possibilities.
Of course, Rocketdyne also and primarilly tested rocket engines, which made for interesting fireworks in the sky over the western San Fernando Valley.
Zinj
--
Scientology is the *Cure* for escalating Health Care Costs
'We didn't think it was a big deal'
'She died! People die! - David Miscavige