Scientology claims rights activists shoot pregnant woman

---

Scientology Raided Around The World

NOTE: Scientology likes to claim -- often in court while under oath -- that human rights activists and free speech activists which protest against Scientology's crimes and abuses are some how responsible for violence against Scientologists. What the criminal enterprise "forgets" to mention is the fact that all acts of violence against Scientologists reported so far have been at the hands of fellow Scientologists -- without exception.

Because Scientology wants people to think that opposition to their homicides, financial frauds, quack medical scams, and other criminal abuses some how constitutes violence or motivates people to engage in violence against them, they have to lie -- often under oath -- by claiming that there's violent speech some where on the Internet (there isn't any) and that it causes violence (there's never been a care the criminial enterprise can reference.)

One of the more well known perjury claims that seemingly all the Scientology lawyer crooks spout in court involves a shooting in Oregon. Scientology has told judges that this shooting was some how related to invisible hate speech and to human rights activists on the Internet. The fact that the shooter was a Scientologist is never mentioned. The fact that the opposition to Scientology's homicides didn't even exist on the Internet at the time of the shooting is also never mentioned.

Scientologys debilitative "processing" drives people insane or -- if they're already marginal -- Scientology's "technology" pushes them over the edge. Such acts of violence and mysterious "suicides" are routine in Scientology because what these criminals do is so debilitative. It's these acts that human rights activists strive to put an end to and -- as history shows -- there has yet to be a single act of violence against the criminal enterprise or its victims by activists. That would be a contradiction in what activistsare working to put a stop to.

It's also horrible to note that the criminal enterprise is using this damaged woman to continue to sell the very mind-damaging processes which resulted in the Scientologist shooting her.


ptsc <ptsc AT nym DOT alias DOT net>
Scientology Critic Shoots Pregnant Women and Two Men at Church of Scientology
22 Dec 2001

On Sat, 22 Dec 2001 04:47:00 GMT, hkhenson@cogeco.ca (Keith Henson) wrote:

> On Sat, 22 Dec 2001 00:08:43 GMT, "Sanders"
> <3sanders@attbi.com> wrote:

>> I live in Portland and was on lines when the
>> shooting happened and after the baby was born
>> - although I was on my way out. I don't know
>> why reports of the baby imply that she was fine.
>> She definitely was not. The back of her head
>> where her brain was supposed to be was gone.
>> - Maggie

> That's really awful! How long did she live? The
> newspaper follow up story was (I think) months
> after she was born.
> Did it have anything to do with her mother being shot?

Here's the original post. Godeka's rampage was in September 1996, and this article is slightly over a year later. It said she was four months pregnant at the time, so the child would have been seven months old at the time of this article, or perhaps older if born prematurely.

From: rkeller@voicenet.com (Rod Keller)
Subject: Helen Burke A Year Later
Date: 1997/10/16

Gayle Ryan (info@sellwoodpeddler.com) wrote:

: Featured in this month's Bee is an interesting article
: about Helen Burke the Portland, Oregon woman paralyzed
: by a gunman who shot her after bursting into the Church
: in downtown Portland, Oregon about a year ago. Read
: this facinating article at
: http://www.thebee-portland.com/1197people.htm

Helen Burke A Year Later

Shooting and Wheelchair Can't Stop Her Ministry and Motherhood

By Rita A. Leonard
For The Bee

Sellwood resident Helen Burke's work as a minister with the Church of Scientology Celebrity Center is taking a personal bent these days.

Burke is paralyzed below the waist as a result of a shooting incident Sept. 25, 1996. Gunman, Jairus C. Godeka, who had burst into the church's downtown Portland office intent on mayhem, wounded her. Before Godeka was finally subdued, he set fire to the building, held one person hostage and shot three other people. Arrested at the scene, Godeka is now in prison awaiting trial.

Four months pregnant at the time, Burke was the first and most seriously injured by Godeka's rampage. Steve Crandell, the church's executive director, took one of Godeka's gunshots in the stomach. "He saved my life, though," recalls Burke. "He pulled me to safety through a fire door."

Burke's baby, Bridget, was born safely on Feb. 14. "She's beautiful," says Burke with a smile. "She's my Valentine present." Bridget is her third child, joining siblings Siobhan, 12, and Tim, 10.

Originally from Australia, Burke has worked for the Church of Scientology for 14 years. In her third year as a minister, she now provides audiences a personal testimonial to the workings of her church.

Burke credits her church, and family, for helping her through the emotional healing process. She has physical therapy three times a week in order to build her upper body strength, which is necessary to manage her wheelchair.

"To have someone point a gun at you and know they're going to use it is a very traumatic experience," she says. "On a mental and emotional level, I'm no worse now than I was a year ago, because of the Dianetics counseling procedure. It gives you the ability to let go of all your negative emotions and focus on a positive future."

Burke returned to her job earlier this year. She holds free workshops to explain L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics methods used successfully to counsel herself and her family. She plans to hold six workshops a year. Her next one will be Oct. 19 at Portland State University. Call 221-4504 to make reservations.

"I plan to focus on the workshops as a personal testimonial and to help others achieve the same sense of peace that I have," Burke says.

"The incident has strengthened our resolve to continue helping others through the Church of Scientology practices," says Burke. In September she held a Sunday service in the Park Blocks as a part of National Religious Freedom Week.

"Helping other people is the most important thing to me. I've seen (Dianetics) help so many people, I want to be back there, doing it again." Burke plans to hold the free workshops about six times a year, directing others to the methods of self-enhancement that have made such a big difference in her life.

Burke holds no grudge against her assailant. "I feel very sorry for him and his mental state that he would have felt so dreadful. But I've never hated him, even from the date of the incident."

She has no nightmares about the shooting. Rather, in all her dreams, she is still able to walk.

"Only my body is changed. I have not," Burke says.



[Note: The Scientology® organization has at best estimate approximately 45,000 to 50,000 followers world wide -- contrary to the 8 million figure that the organization has been claiming for the past few years or so. While that number continues to drop (thanks in part to the Internet) few of the remaining followers are even aware of the unending series of police raids, indictments, and prison terms their leaders and fellow cultists are subjected to routinely. Few are allowed to know about their organization's criminal history, or its current racketeering activities. Even fewer of the cult's remaining followers are privy to their messiah's written policies which dictates the criminal behavior that keeps getting their organization raided (see Xenu.NET for suitable references of Scientology policy) Scientology management is the problem, not the thousands of honest believers who are good, honest citizens; themselves victims of Scientology - flr]

---

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 Organized Crime Civilian Response®.

The name "Narconon"® is trademarked to the Scientology organization through one of their many front groups. The name "Scientology"® is also trademarked to the "Church" of Scientology. Neither this web page, nor this web site, nor any of the individuals mentioned herein assisting to educate the public about the dangers of the Narconon scam are members of or representitives of the Scientology organization.

Return to the Scientology Raided main Index page.

E-Mail Fredric L. Rice / The Skeptic Tank