Toronto Picket Report 2001-11-24
24 Nov 2001
"Christopher Wood" <cwood@NOSPAMxenu.ca>

Toronto Picket Report 2001-11-24

Leaflets: 300, mixed between 200 of Gregg's Xenu Special and 100 of Keith Henson's flyer.

Picketers: Me, Gregg Hagglund, Keith Henson, Arel Lucas, and an Unknown
Picketer. Also, a special guest appearance by Nan McLean
(http://xenu.ca/nan/index.html).

The details:

Another week, another picket. The fourth picket in four weeks, as a matter of fact. Some things that happened, in no particular order:

Dan Bryenton was there again. He (thanks, Dan!!) showed us again that the cult facade of being utterly terrified of picketers is exactly that, a facade. He showed up, and snatched a flyer from the Unknown Picketer, and tried to snatch one from me. He then hung around near the org for a while staring at us picketers (like I didn't already know I was cute, hehe), and then went and stood about three metres away from Keith Henson and stared at him. Stared. As if Dan hasn't seen an SP before in his life.

Peter Ramsay was there, and tried a few words of the usual Scientology intimidation on me. I turned my back on him (I know, probably a bad move with this one) and he didn't bother me again.

The police were called, probably by Mario, the Dianetics franchise holder (I refuse to call them missions, they were and are operating as franchises), who was on the phone for a while. This time it was two police officers, arriving separately in cars. One police officer talked to Gregg, and the other officer got names and addresses of picketers (I offered him my email as well, he didn't want it). The one who took my name asked if this was the extent of it, and I said signs, leaflets, Gregg with his voice, and then pointed out Keith Henson down the block.

When the police officers got out of their cars to go to the org, I asked the older one why we only got two police officers this time (six came in response to the last cult whinge, two weeks ago). I worded it something like, "aren't we as terrifying this time?", and I could almost swear that the police officer rolled his eyes at me. Then he said that whenever there was a complaint they had to investigate, and the two of them went into the org. It strikes me that what the cult would really like is to complain about suppressive persons promulgating entheta, but this is the real world and they have to stick to groundless complaints about disturbance and harrassment.

I met Arel Lucas, Keith Henson's wife. They make a very cute couple, and Arel is so very obviously concerned for her husband's well-being, what with this vicious cult out to get him and all. Arel and Keith snuggled in the coffee shop before the picket, and then Arel picketed for a while in front of the org before Nan appeared. Another thing that the cult has to answer for, is keeping the Keith/Arel loving couple apart.

Nan showed up, and hugged all us SP's, and smiled a big smile at our signs and leaflets. She got shown off to a couple of passers-by, but Nan can't actually talk about Scientology due to a past legal settlement with the cult (a settlement that only occurred after twenty years of cult harrassment of Nan, who was *the* Scientology critic in Ontario in the 1970's). Then Nan and Arel went off to do something awfully suppressive (like, say, persuade people not to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on Scientology).

After the picket we went and had a loud argument in the non-smoking room of the Artful Dodger, about various suppressive things. We had a grand old time snickering at the mocked-up victimhood of the Scientologists - they aren't very good at it.

We also suspect that we were followed leaving the org's neighbourhood in Gregg's car. The *same car* followed us from the parking lot, to a lane-by-lane thing on the highway. However, if we were being followed, we lost them at a highway exit in Mississauga. (Hint to cult: Don't follow critics home. It makes you look weird and spiteful and crooked.)

Here's to winter holding off, so we can extend the picket season as long as possible.

--

-- Scientology's gate is down. --
Canadian Scientology information is now at:
http://xenu.ca/