I just got back from my first solo picket outside the S.F. mission on Sutter street. I was there on Saturday from noon to 3:30 P.M. I carried a flourecent green sign that said, "in my opinion $CIENTOLOGY IS A SCAM." The support I got from the general public was tremendous.

Now I need some advice.

One woman suddenly came up to me, pointed to my sign and asked, "What does $cientology mean?" Another asked," Why is it a scam?" Strangely enough when I was in that situation and knowing that I only had maybe 30 seconds or so to get my point across I wondered, "Where do I even start?" I found myself at a loss for words.

In a one-on-one situation, in a quite place where I have some time, I AM VERY GOOD at turning people against $cientology. However, when suddenly confronted with questions like these, out on a sidewalk with all kinds of distractions going on, I don't think I was as effective as I could have been. As I keep picketing I WILL GET BETTER. In the mean time I'm asking all of you for any advice you can give to help me get the word out more effectively. Maybe someone even has I flyer they could E-mail me, something that I could pass out. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm lucky to live near San Francisco. As I make the long commute there and back I HAVE to walk through the busiest part of downtown. I HAVE to walk right through the crowds of people who are shopping at places like Macy's and Emporium Capwells. These people have money. These are the people the mission is targeting. When I was walking down the sidewalk almost ALL of them read the fluorescent green sign that I kept prominently displayed. Many of them even stopped me to ask about $cientology. Every trip I make to the mission I'll be getting the message out to perhaps thousands of people.

If the $cientology organization tries to silence me in any way I will not say a word about it to this news group. I will just continue posting as if nothing is happening. I absolutely refuse to be USED as their tool to make others "shudder into silence." I've talked with several members of the security department where I work regarding my involvement with $cientology. From these talks I've decided that this is the best approach to take. How $cientology handles critics is already well known and documented in other places. Any input from me in this area would just be counter-productive.

I would like to thank whoever posted,"Sometimes people go into battle knowing they or their friends may not come back -- but they do it anyway" ( or words to that effect. ) That post has been a major source of inspiration for me. I want you all to know that your postings DO make a difference to me even though I don't respond to them.