From shy_david@nospam.org Wed Dec 09 22:15:24 1998
Saturday I had to take time away from the picket to attend a dinner at
another function (a freethought dinner). Captain Ahab and I did not have
time to change our $CIENTOLOGY KILLS tee-shirts, so we were wearing
them when we entered the restaurant. But then we also carried one of
the pciket signs in, to show the diners what we were doing in
Clearwater. The dinner was held in Saint Petersburg, some 30 minutes
away from the Fort Homicide Hotel.
About the time the goat cheese pizza arrived, I saw a man walk by the
restaurant looking at me while talking into a radio. I assumed he was
some kind of "mall security" person so he didn't really register on my
cognative machinery.
Then he walked into the restaurant--- wearing a different shirt, but it
was the same guy.
He walked up to the table we were sitting at and said "howdy," etc.,
and I noticed that his face was very familiar. I had seen his picture
on the internet very recently, possibly from the Toronto picket. I told
him he looked very familiar and that I had seen him on the internet.
His smile turned to rubber and sagged a bit; I said I couldn't say
exactly where and in what function I had seen him, but I insisted
that I had indeed seen his picture. When I asked him why he was
so familiar to me, he did not even shrug: he completely ignored my
query, as if I had not even asked it. This seemed extremely strange
to me: if someone I'd never met before told me he had seen my
picture on the internet sometime in the past week or so, I would be
very interested in where.
I asked him if I had seen him at the marina, since he had a weekend-
sailor kind of look about him. This deflated his smile a bit more, and
he ignored this query as well. He didn't just not answer: he didn't
acknowledge I had asked a question.
Then he sat down at our table. He didn't ask. He was not invited. He
then started asking questions. Who were we? Was Captain Ahab and
I part of a much larger group? Was every one at the table part of the
same group? What were our names? What were we doing here?
Then No Blink came in. Whereas the first guy was trying to be
ingratiating and pseudo-friendly, No Blink was fighting hard to not
appear hostile. No Blink sat down next to me--- without an invitation.
He asked why only "the two of you" were wearing $CIENTOLOGY
KILLS tee-shirts (there were 8 other people at the table), and where
did the tee-shirts come from. I jokingly said that Eli Lilly was paying
me to be there and had provided the shirts.
It was here that I took Captain Ahab aside and told him I had seen
the first guy on the internet recently. I told him it was very unlikely that
the two gentlemen were Scientology goons, but we should mind what
we say.
The two continued trying to extract information from us, and they expressed
anger (real of feinted) when we gave evasive replies. But here's the
thing--- when we started asking THEM the same questions, we were
met with evastions, or were completely ignored.
Scientology goons? I do not know.
Since we had to rush to get to the McPherson Memorial in time,
we cut our dinner short. Captain Ahab warned one of the freethought
diners (Gary P) that the two "guests" at the end of the table might be
OSA/GO goons, and to watch what they say. Gary, not being one to
beat around the bush, then introduced the two "guests" to the rest
of the diners as "two Scientologists." Even No Blink blinked furiously
at that and turned a little pink. "I... I... I... I'm not...." he stammered. The
other guy piped up and said "We're not Scientologists. Are you
guys Christians? What is this group? Do you believe in Jesus? I
have a great respect for Christianity. What are your names?" This
said loudly and quickly, and in my opinion it was an effort to change
the subject away from our "guests" being Scientologists are not.
Gary P., being a freethought bloke who has been around the block a
few thousand times, is an old hand at such evasions. He said "You
two are Scientologists, aren't you?" The two kind of shuttered into
silence and went to go sit at the bar.
It is entirely possible, even probable, that these two gentlemen were
not Scientology goons. I do not know the social behavior in Florida,
but here in California these two people's behavior would be considered
very, very rude--- sitting down at a table uninvited while a group is
talking, and interrogating two of its members and getting upset when
we declined to answer. Is such behavior considered anything other
than impolite in Florida? I've sailed half-way around the world, going
to restaurants in some 12 different countries: in many instances I
have joined people at their tables, or allowed people to join me, but
only after being invited. I've never had some people just walk up,
sit down, and start demanding answers. Mexico; California; Panama;
Costa Rica; Tonga Tapu; Saith Barth's; Saint Martin; Marquesas....
dining space is sacred and social form requires an invite.
And damn it all, I didn't have my camera with me!
---
Further facts
about this criminal empire may be found at
Operation Clambake and FACTNet.
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: CLEARWATER PICKET: A familiar face?
From: shy_david@nospam.org (Shy David)
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 06:15:24 GMT
The Truth About "Psychics:" http://holysmoke.org
The Truth About Scientology: http://www.airspeed.com/~shydavid/cos.htm
The Truth About Creationism: http://holysmoke.org/icr-cult.htm
LYING IS A SCIENTOLOGY SACREMENT
The views and opinions stated within this web page are those of the
author or authors which wrote them and may not reflect the views and
opinions of the ISP or account user which hosts the web page. The
opinions may or may not be those of the Chairman of The Skeptic Tank.
This web page (and The Skeptic Tank) is in no way connected with
nor part of the Scientology crime syndicate. To review the crime syndicate's
absurdly idiotic web pages, check out www.scientology.org or any one of the
many secret front groups the cult attempts to hide behind.
Return to The Skeptic Tank's main Index page.