May 9, 1998 - Wulfen

Yes, this is posted much after the fact. See the end for why, if you care. ;-)

Brief aside: To Deep Wog: Email me, we'll Quake sometime. It's loads of fun.

To start the day right, I woke up at the ungodly (for me) hour of 7:30 AM (agh). Because of the end of the school term, I was able to catch a lift with Gregg Hagglund into Toronto. Better than going from hike to bus to train to subway to hike. The picket started out with us just hanging around the Hubbard Dianetics Foundation side of the Org while Gregg went to clear up interpretations of the law with the paid-for constable (that the Org hired to watch for lawbreakers, heh).

As an aside, this constable was a member of the police - just paid for by the Co$ so that they could have a police presence. Otherwise, there would have been no police presence at the picket, the police being tired of all the time-wasting Co$ false alarms.

We suppressives got a few laughs from the items in the window display - the "Dianetics Picture Book", and the recruiting poster. Picture book?? Hoo, boy. A poster which advertised Dianetics as the solution to the problem of life? *longsigh*

The picket started pretty quietly. The usual body routers were present, this time venturing out onto the sidewalk, instead of just hugging the building. The police officer stayed in the Org porch, although I wondered why he didn't move into the shadow, out of the sun. A couple of the body routers went across the road, and didn't seem to have much success handing out the usual sales gimmickry. We moved much literature, and I saved a few for myself (which got disseminated at another location). I was only able to stay for two hours (see end for why, if you care).

Vignettes from the Picket:

The old 50's e-meter was out again, but there weren't too many takers. I heard a $cientologist telling another to look for an additional e-meter, but they couldn't seem to find one by the time I left. Apparently when they found another it was broken. Um, pardon? An Org with only one e-meter? Doesn't indicate that they have many people to audit. Oh well, that's fewer people that can be defrauded of their hard-earned money.

While I was up at the Hubbard Dianetics Center end of the Org, I saw a woman passing by with (perhaps) her daughter. The woman hissed "You're disgusting!" at Gregg. I asked what that was all about, and he said "Look, she'll go into the Org." What do you know, he was right! In fact, all of the negative comments we picketers get about our picket (from my last few pickets, including this one) are either from $cientologists or people who think we are $cientologists.

While I was marching up and down, one of the Brothers (from Brothers Restaurant, the eatery enveloped by the Org) came out, and leaned against his door. One of the body routers pointed to me (ooh, I must be important, *wink*) and told the Brother that we were picketing in front of his restaurant. His answer was a big smile, a shrug, and a nonchalant "What can I do?" No, the Brothers do not like the cult..

An interesting couple took leaflets and were then routed into the Org. They were teenaged, and her hair was dyed. Typical cult recruitment age. The router tried to take their Xenu/Crimes flyers, and the male wouldn't surrender his (brief tug of war, hehe). They were talked at inside the Hubbard Dianetics Foundation. After a while the female emerged and almost ran down the street. The male then came out (sans leaflet). I gave him another, and he took off after his (I am presuming) girlfriend. They came back several minutes later, and he complained that they didn't let him get a word in edgewise. I imagine that all their friends are going to hear about the crazy cult at 696 Yonge. ;-)

I didn't see the cult-videocam in use, although one router did snap a picture of Gregg spreading verbal entheta to a passer-by. This router seems to have done better on her TR0 than the router at the last picket, when I asked if I was could be SP Pinup of the Week at Flag she didn't even blink.

I also took over Gregg's point position for a bit while he went to divest himself of a few layers and my sign (the day was getting damn hot, and I had to leave soon). I found that if I cranked up my vocal volume then the other side of Yonge could hear me. :-) I just recited a short list of the Co$'s legal travails. Unfortunately, I couldn't do this continuously, that much volume makes my larynx sore, and I couldn't have that for my afternoon's activity.

Finally, it came time for me to leave, at the early time of 12:00. What was I doing in the PM? Performing in a community orchestra concert! I played Holst's Planets 1 and 4, and had loads of fun. As well, several copies of the Xenu leaflet got passed around in the dress rehearsal that afternoon. ;-) One cello player thought I was a cultist, until I explained to her that I was no such thing. (Why do people keep thinking that I am a cultist, even when I say "all about the unfriendly neighborhood cult"??)

Anyhow, to any Toronto $cientologists, picketers, and lurkers around: See you all next month!

End: I posted this late because the last few weeks have been the last chance to see my girlfriend for four months, as she goes back to her family in Malaysia for four months in the summer break. :-( So, I've been hanging around with her for the last while. Ah well - now that she's gone, I'll have more energy for suppressing. Laterz!