14 Sep 2000

Perry Scott <perryATezlinkDOTcom> <Perry_member@newsguy.com>

It's really too bad that this affidavit could not be rebutted. It is so full of legal holes that I am surprised it was even submitted.

1) Rinder's "Reverend" title is bogus. He did not attend a school of theology. Rather, he took a Scientology course that can be completed in less than two weeks. The course's major textbook is a survey of world religions.

2) Legally, Rinder fails to show any quantitative damage to CSI. Newspapers enjoy broad freedom under the 1st Amendment. Rinder's principal point seems to be that FSO (rather than "Scientology") should have been identified by the press. Sorry, Mike, but this is one disadvantage of the CSI corporate hydra. You made the bed, now lay in it.

3) Rinder attempts to paint the protests as religious bigotry. This is a constant theme from OSA. It fails when "parishoners" are treated with respect (thanks, protestors for adhering to Ghandi Tech).

4) Rinder attempts to confuse the so-called "religion" of Scientology with the institution of Scientology. In fact, Scientology is practiced by the Free Zone, and the tech and the institution are two separate things.

All critics should be quick to make the distinction between religion and institution when OSA deliberately attempts to blur the line. Once the line is blurred, then the "bigotry" name-calling is more likely to succeed. It's a public service to expose a consumer fraud, but it's bigotry to deny someone the right to believe they're possessed by the spirits of murdered space aliens.

5) While Rinder would like us to believe that only Flag Service Organization is responsible for Lisa McPherson, in fact FSO was only following the "religious procedure" of the Introspection Rundown. The same procedure that led to McPherson's death is also followed without variation at Saint Hill, ASHO, and other high-level Orgs.

6) The much larger issue is that CST and RTC are licensing the use of a product which, if used as directed, is known to cause psychosis and even death in certain circumstances. In spite of knowing this, CST and RTC have not changed the product. If CSI were Firestone tire company, they would be testifying before Congress right now. Fortunately, Scientology does not kill as many people as defective tires do.

Perry Scott, SP 4.3, ScienoSitter 3X + ISP + 2 words
Co$ Escapee