A confidential source tells me that Narconon is looking to get into the city of McAlester (Oklahoma) by purchasing a local hotel. Called the Hiway Inn Express, many of the locals remember it as the Ramada Inn or the Holiday Inn. It lays on the south border of town on Highway 69. This hotel changed hands a few years ago for a price in the low millions. I don't know what the current purchase price is, or if the sale is final yet, but it's being done through the Bank of Oklahoma. (Narconon does a lot of business at the Eufaula branch, so that might be the office they are going through.)

It's not clear what the new space will be used for. One report says they're moving the withdrawal section there, and and also planning on putting in a medical detox facility, but this has not been confirmed.

McAlester is about 20 miles south of Canadian, Oklahoma, which is where Narconon Arrowhead is located.

You would think that with all the trouble Narconon has caused in Oklahoma, McAlester officials would know better than to allow construction of a new facility in their town. Someone needs to look into this.

-- Dave Touretzky
http://Stop-Narconon.org http://Narconon-Exposed.org

Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2005 07:16:47 -0700
From: barb <bwarr1@cox.net>
Organization: ARSCC Intel Div

Yeah...someone like the Fifth Estate...so here we go!

Sir,

The following was posted to alt.religion.scientology, a Usenet group which is a sort of watchdog for Scientology activities worldwide.

A confidential source tells me that Narconon is looking to get into the city of McAlester (Oklahoma) by purchasing a local hotel. Called the Hiway Inn Express, many of the locals remember it as the Ramada Inn or the Holiday Inn. It lays on the south border of town on Highway 69. This hotel changed hands a few years ago for a price in the low millions. I don't know what the current purchase price is, or if the sale is final yet, but it's being done through the Bank of Oklahoma. (Narconon does a lot of business at the Eufaula branch, so that might be the office they are going through.)

This is definately worth looking into. Narconon has a history of controvery. Its drug education outreach program was reviewed by California educators and determined to be unscientific, inaccurate and potentially hazardous to practitioner's health.

Narconon representatives will tell you that Narconon is not associated with Scientology. This is a lie. Narconon and other front groups such as Applied Scholastics (which recently was expelled from St. Louis public schools) are under the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) umbrella in the Scientology corporate structure.

The courses they teach are pure Scientology, identical to the courses purchased by practitioners.

Before contacting them, I recommend you read two well-researched websites: http://stop-narconon.org http://narconon-exposed.org

These two websites should give you all the information you need to counter Narconon supporters' claims.

Depending upon your town's government structure, chances are they've already contacted and hoodwinked city councilmembers into supporting their program.

It should be noted that, when stories relating to Scientology are run, distribution goes up! You might want to contact J. Pilkonis from the Carroll Star News in Bowden, Georgia. He and his editor did their homework when Narconon proposed a facility in their small town. Pilkonis wrote a series of informative, yet amusing articles, exposing the lies of the Narconon representatives and the harassment he and his editor experienced while opposing the facility. Narconon was ultimately driven out of town, due to their own underhandedness.

If Narconon reps tell you that their program is supported by the Red Cross, the Concerned Black Clergy or the Boy Scouts of America, double check with those entities. They lied about that support in Bowden, and J.Pilkonis told the entire town about the lies.

Read the websites and I'm sure you'll agree, a Narconon in McAlester is not a benefit to the community.

--
--barb
Chaplain,ARSCC
xenubarb@netscape.net

"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 and Peter Alexander