DC Picket Report :: 5/5/01
06 May 2001
t1kk@freedom.net

DATE May 5
TIME 12:30pm to 4:30pm
PARTICIPANTS Arnie Lerma, tikk, Wes Fager
FLIERS HANDED OUT 200+

Arnie and I met around 12:15 at the Starbucks across the street from 'The Martian Embassy' as it's known by the locals. The DC org sits on a busy three way intersection that includes Connecticut Ave & R, and the third road's name I don't recall.

Arnie's sign said - 'BEWARE --- Entering Greedy Cult Zone - www.xenu.net' ; mine said 'Stop Destroying Families Scientology' and 'Stop the Abuse Lies & Deception' on the other side. I had a camera but didn't take too many pictures, because OSA basically left us alone.

Thierry Duchenac walked up to me immediately though and asked, "Who are you?"

I replied, "Don't you know?"

"No."

"You're not doing your job then."

He muttered to himself while he took a few digital pictures of me, then scurried back inside.

Sylvia Stanard had big smiles and a few words for Arnie which I didn't catch. After that, however, she too disappeared and we were left alone to educate the public.

I had printed up 100+ fliers from Kristi Wachter's site [http://www.scientology-lies.com/flierindex.html] entitled 'What Judges Say About Scientology' - this excellent flier contains some of the harshest and most damning legal opinions brought down on this filth ridden cult. I figured it would be received well in DC, where lawyers spawn like brine shrimp.

Wes Fager showed up just as Arnie and I had retired to Starbucks for a much needed liquid break - it was a hazy, overcast, sweaty 85 degree kind of day. Wes's sign said 'Scientology : The Cult of Greed and Power - Time Magazine'. Wes was an original CAN member; he has a son who had fallen prey to a drug rehab cult called 'The Straights' [www.thestraights.com] - which I gathered after talking with him is a prison boot camp x 10. They use twisted and extreme methodologies, such as starvation, isolation, etc. Wes told me that an inordinate amount of members killed themselves or went insane from the psychological torture. Wes is currently writing a book about The Straights.

Wes left around 3:00pm and I went back to handing out fliers and speaking with people. I tried to save my fliers for those who made eye contact first (and thus more likely to read the flier), as I was running low already.

The public reaction to my picketing was this : about 60% ignored me completely, about 20% engaged me and asked me "what the deal was", and another 20% told me "I know, I know, I know.."

Among some of the more interesting comments and reactions were the following..

"You think I'd join them after they made that horrible movie??" (I loved this comment, as it shows that people are DIRECTLY associating the BE Travolta shitbomb with Scientology itself - better critical PR could not be purchased for any amount of MintonBucks.. Hey Travolta - after you're done with the SEQUEL to BE, why not try your hand at the Mission Earth Series..)

"I wish they'd leave so that building could be a nice museum or something.. It's such a waste.."

"They're SO scary..."

"Are you 'for' or 'against' Scientology?" After I told him 'against', he replied "Good. Someone's got to stand up against them."

"Thank you for being out here."

###

We quit around 4:30pm and went back to Arnie's for a bit, before going out to dinner. Two friends came along to an excellent Vietnamese restaurant that came highly recommended by Rod Keller. Rod apparently has good taste, because the food was excellent. I wound up eating sea bass that was cooked at the table.

I spent Sunday (today) running around DC doing touristy stuff.. The National Gallery probably has the most complete renaissance collection in the states, and I could've easily spent more time there, but had to pack a lot in before my 5pm train. I tried to visit the White House to see what kind of abuse my tax dollars were taking and I wasn't disappointed at all.. On the lawn, Bush had organized a TEE BALL GAME (like baseball, only you hit off a tee.. no pitcher); I'm unsure of the participants because I couldn't actually see it through the hedgerow, but the announcer's voice was loud enough to hear ('Batting third and playing left field..'), and two different security guards confirmed that that was in fact what was going on.

~ tikk
ars web summary {} www.altreligionscientology.org

________________________________________________________________________
Protect your privacy! - Get Freedom 2.0 at http://www.freedom.net