From garryls@earthlink.net Wed Dec 09 22:16:10 1998
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Scarff: Clearwater Picket, 12/5/98
From: "G. SCARFF" <garryls@earthlink.net>
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 22:16:10 -0800

Saturday, December 5:

My morning starts out with a phone call from my mother in response to my message to her that I'd like to visit with her before I go back to California. My mother agrees as long as I agree to her rules that no mention is made of Scientology, her beliefs, and nothing is mentioned of my activities in Clearwater which is a definite source of aggravation to her. She also says that we can meet as long as Bev is not there as one SP is enough to deal with. I later arrive at the Ft. Harrison with Bev and Val in tow and there is not a Scientologist in sight. I arrive with my sign "MIKE RINDER IS STILL ONE HOT HUNK" surrounded by colorful valentines which draws the attention of several news cameras (and which CiCi said later that night ended up on one of the news stations as a very funny set-up to an interview with Mike Rinder). I can only imagine how fast Mike had to run to his room to change his soiled underwear...

Stacy Y. chews me out for "hitting a Scientologist" the night before. I give her a piece of my mind on the matter and tell her I don't give a rat's ass about comments made by those critics present I don't count as friends. All the critics present are nice to me and a joy to be around. Jeff Jacobsen is silent throughout and we ignore each other. The only asinined remark comes from the poster boy of hemorroidal creams, Rod Keller. I ignore him as well.

Other developments:

1. I get my photo taken with Xenu.

2. I am asked by a police sergeant (with a barking dog in the back of his car) to please keep my pants on (following a complaint by Scientology that I had dropped my pants and mooned one of their photographers.)

3. I informed Stacy that Mike Rinder is across the street speaking to Police Chief Sid Klein. Stacy says hello to "Mikey", but he ignores her. I then take Bev's hand and walk her across the street to intoduce her to him, and when he see's me coming, he RUNS south across the parking lot. We look for him but cannot find him. One of the officers inform us that he was seen running back across the street and into the Ft. Harrison garage.

4. Bev, Val and I spend a greater amount of time behind the Ft. Harrison at a black tarped gate where Scientology was running their staff in and out to avoid the picketers up front. It becomes apparent as long as we are there, they will not load/unload their buses, and soon, recognize that they have again changed course and are running white vans in and out of the garage on Ft. Harrison Avenue. Flag guards stand on the roof watching us.

5. I walk around with my black whip "PROPERTY OF DAVID MISCAVIGE" and am informed by an officer not to whip anyone as that could constiute assault. I ask the officer if I could try my toy out on him, and he declines.

6. Keith Henson and I have a conversation with a police officer how Clearwater does such a great job keeping the peace, but how LAPD has royally kissed the ass of Scientology in California. The officers says it is strange to him because off-duty LAPD officers have been in Clearwater working for Scientology. Keith tells the officer the saga of Glen Barton and why he was fired as a LAPD Chaplain.

7. In the back of the hotel, I "inform" the security guard that we will be walking by the gate every 15 minutes till midnight. Bev takes turns trying to comm with the guard who runs and hides behind a post in the courtyard, and singing to him (go figure ~ and you thought I was crazy!!)

Garry Scarff