20 Sep 2000

cultxpt@primenet.com (Jeff Jacobsen)

Tonight 14 of us (can you believe it?) picketed the Ft. Harrison Hotel. Did Scientology possibly do something last picket to pull this number of picketers in (including 2 newbies)?

Some of us were sporting new picket signs made to individual tastes. Others of us mostly videotaped. In fact, tonight must hold the world record for number of videocameras at one picket. We had 4 while Scientology had 5 besides there permanent security cameras.

It was quiet for a little while but then of course our handlers were teleported in from wherever they hang out waiting for us to picket (reminds me of a fire department waiting for a fire).

Mark and Mary Demoss sort of gravitate toward each other, so I didn't here what pearls of wisdom she had tonight. I mostly videotaped and kept quiet and the handlers basically left me alone.

A new tactic tonight was that the Scientologists had flyers about us terrible picketers, including one made up just for our guest of honor, Graham Berry. Some process servers came by handing out papers, but I'll let the recipients tell that story.

I neither saw nor heard of any hint of violence tonight. A thunderstorm brewing in the south sent us home a little early, but we had a good time and enjoyed all the car horn honks and thumbs up from the Clearwater residents, and were happy to have some new Clearwater citizens joining us to show their opinion of Scientology.

When a Scientology staffer used a syringe to force a mixture of aspirin, Benadryl and orange juice into McPherson's throat while others held her down, it was "spiritual sustenance," the church argues.