1 Sep 2000

Keith Henson <hkhenson@netcom3.netcom.com>

I previously mentioned in a few lines report that Wed. morning Arel and I picketed gold. I never ask Arel to picket the clams because she tends to take them more seriously than they deserve. But after reading the positive reactions of a.r.s readers to her story of the persistent picketer/stalker (who she walked right into the arms of the Palo Alto police) and about Tory Bazazian inventing picket dancing she was in the proper frame of mind and insisted. The night before she picked out a Michael Jackson CD after considering (and almost buying) a Boney James.

We took off from Ida's about 7:15, disturbing the PI (probably Frank Petty) who had been out there waiting for us since dawn. (So they surely knew we were coming.)

I had printed the "DA" material from the late 60s the clams had dug up on Arel and posted the previous night. She read it and was much amused, commenting that the first scientologist she had ever known was one of the two women who had *started* the Sexual Freedom League, along with Jefferson F. Poland. The last information she had on the scientologist woman was that she was very upset because she had been ordered to disconnect from her mother (who she loved) and then she dropped out of sight and was never seen again her former friends. Arel speculated that this woman might have been the source of the material because the stuff in the posting was known to a very limited number of people.

In addition, there was a short email note from an old friend scientology had manage to find and really piss off. My, my scientology pulls in some interesting people, in this case, someone I had no idea had deep inside information about LRH from before he died.

For this time of the year, the weather was very odd. A storm had slowly moved across the LA basin, raining on us the previous night 30 miles to the west. It was more misting than raining, but the roads were wet. We parked next to the Ashlee Shaner memorial. I was worry about the lens fogging up but got good video clips of Arel picket dancing by the wheelbarrow, in front of the Golden Era sign, and down on the west end. She was carrying "Knowing How to Know is Knowing When to Blow" on one side of her sign and "What Happened to Stacy Moxon Meyer?" on the other

I was expecting our thugs, it was not that they didn't have warning we were coming, but no thugs came out! I guess the sight of Arel, picket dancing, complete with bobbing clip-on space alien antenna was too much for them to deal with.

Arel says we have to do this again, with boom box, partners, and official dance steps. Maybe even dance exhibitions? Choreographing is way beyond my competence so would someone pick up this project?

Only slightly damp (and slightly winded) we left for the airport. Frank might be getting a little better I guess because I didn't see any tails until I had dropped Arel off. (On the other hand I wasn't looking either.)

I have some fair video, including some recognizable shots of Frank as we played "get behind the PI" and "try to get behind the target again" around the airport. It is really a pain to tape and drive, but I got some fairly good video.

[End part one]