All of them, those in power, and those who want the power, would pamper us, if we agreed to overlook their crookedness by wilfully restricting our activities.
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Posted as
"girvin" on alt.religion.scientology
Posted as
"proflex" on Operation
Clambake Message Board
IKlipz page, which contains
many pictures as well (my thanks to the person who informed
me about this link)
All the while, you had this public representative of the church — Tommy Davis — from which you would assume restraint and minimally good behavior, as a facade at least — not only avoiding to engage in a grown-up conversation, but thinking that it's a good idea to focus on what they perceive as someone's "crimes," to avoid any conversation at all.
People watching the show are not only left with unanswered questions, but creeped out by the behavior of the representatives of that church... People watching this can't help but think that Shawn Lonsdale did actually put the finger on a serious issue — forced labor here.
Really, I can't imagine a mother — Anne Archer — being proud of a son acting like that. But it's Scientology, where the doctrines and policies are self-serving, and where individuals are mere tools to execute these doctrines and policies.
— Raymond Hill (I posted this commentary shortly after the BBC Panorama's "Scientology and me" show aired on May 14th, 2007)
BBC
Channel 4 (March 1, 2008): John Sweeney on Shawn Lonsdale
Shawn Lonsdale, who became one of the most bedeviling local
critics of the Church of Scientology, died of an apparent
suicide at his Clearwater home this past weekend. He was
39.
There was no sign of foul play, said Clearwater police spokeswoman Elizabeth Daly-Watts. Police found the body about 12:30 p.m. Saturday after neighbors complained of a pungent smell coming from the home Lonsdale rented at 510 N. Lincoln Ave. Authorities found a garden hose running from the exhaust pipe of Lonsdale's car to the home. They also found what is thought to be a suicide note, Daly-Watts said. The contents of the note won't be released until the case is closed. [...] Radar (February 19, 2008): "Anti-Scientology Activist Found Dead" by Neel Shah
Shawn Lonsdale, a vocal Scientology critic
who both directed his own anti-church documentary and appeared
in a BBC Panorama documentary titled
Scientology And Me, was found dead in his home
over the weekend in an apparent suicide,
according to the St. Petersburg Times. [...]
A Church of Scientology critic was found dead over the weekend
in what police are calling a suicide.
St. Petersburg Times (February 19, 2008): "Scourge of Scientology
dies in apparent suicide"The body of Shawn Lonsdale, 39, was found in his home at 510 N. Lincoln Ave. about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, said Elizabeth Daly-Watts, Clearwater public safety spokeswoman. "I can tell you there are no signs of foul play,'' she said. "It does appear to be a suicide.'' A garden hose was found leading from Lonsdale's car into his home, Daly-Watts said. Neighbors called police after noticing a smell coming from the house. Inside, police found what is believed to be a suicide note. The note was not immediately available. It will be made public once the case is closed, Daly-Watts said. She did not know when police would complete the investigation. An official cause of death is pending, the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's Office said today. [...]
Shawn Lonsdale, whose one-man crusade against Scientology
made him a public enemy of the church, was found dead at
his home over the weekend in an apparent suicide. He was
39.
Police discovered Lonsdale's body at 12:20 p.m. Saturday after neighbors reported a foul odor. They found a garden hose stretched from the exhaust pipe of Lonsdale's car into a window of his home at 510 N Lincoln Ave., according to Clearwater police spokeswoman Elizabeth Daly-Watts. Daly-Watts said there were no signs of foul play, and police found what appeared to be a suicide note. It was not immediately available. [...] St. Petersburg Times (September 17, 2006): "Scientology's scourge" by Robert Farley
[...] In Lonsdale, the Church of Scientology has encountered
a confusing and difficult nemesis. Unlike most ardent Scientology
critics, Lonsdale was never a member. And unlike other critics,
Lonsdale has proved difficult to squash.
The key: He has very little to lose. [...] Clearwater Citizen (July 13, 2006): "Man arrested after dispute with moviemaker" by Jim Harrington
CLEARWATER – Two men got into a
scuffle on July 8 when one of them apparently disliked the
other man’s taping of the goings-on at a street corner.
Shawn Lonsdale, a 38-year-old independent filmmaker who said he is making a documentary for local public access TV, was standing about 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the corner of Fort Harrison Avenue and Cleveland Street with a sign by his side that read “Cult Watch.” He was panning the area with his camera, he said, when another man approached him on the street. Lonsdale said the man told him he had no right to film him and then grabbed his equipment. Lonsdale said he pulled the camera back, but the men got into a fracas. The police were called and arrested Michael Fitzgerald, 52, charging him with a single count of battery, according to Wayne Shelor, police spokesman. |
Cult Watch 1
ScienoTimes: «Episode 1 of Cult Watch Church of Scientology in Clearwater, FL»
Now for the MONEY SHOT... the security keeps the members
on a tight path back and forth across the street and away
from my corner but it's really hard to catch him actually
correcting someone till today! A 30's female went to cross
to my side and he sharply whistled at her and stepped out
to grab her by the arm, she turned and held her arms out
as if expressing "what did I do wrong", the crowd all turned
and caught it too and she was sent back to the crowd to
go in the opposite direction and appeared embarrassed like
a scolded child... I shouted out "Why did you keep that
poor woman... an adult in this free country from crossing
the street"... "is this Russia or a free society... she
is not a child, she has the right to go wherever whenever
she wants... cult or not!... "thank you for giving me the
best shot yet... 3 days I have waited for that shot" Everyone
was freaked and in agreement judging from head nods and
expressions...
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