July 11, 1998 - Wulfen

Well, after about a month and a half with no pickets, the Toronto Org was picketed today. Hundreds of flyers were distributed: Gregg Hagglund 575, Wulfen (me) =<250?, Artemis and Deep Wog, well, I dunno. Definitely hundreds each. :-)

We had several different flyers today: Xenu + Crimes of Scientology in Greece and Canada which Gregg brought, the latest issue of Dyin'Ethics which Artemis brought (which is more of a booklet than a pamphlet), and "$cientology: Church of the Holy Censor" which I just wrote a few days ago. I also brought the leftovers from the June 1 APA counterpicket, consisting of Xenu leaflets and Lisa McPherson leaflets.

Here then, is the rough story of my day. Not in any particular order, but hey.. You don't have to read this. ;-)

Got up too damn early for a Saturday, scrubbed myself, collected my equipment, and got picked up by Gregg Hagglund. On the way in, briefly briefed him about the censorware, and his glorious place in it as a confirmed SP. It's funny.. The censorware blocks cgocable.net, but Gregg doesn't have a website there anymore. Ah well.. Dumb cult. Blocking a domain to prevent access to a non-existent website. *sigh*

We got to the (secret) jumping-off point - early! Artemis for once hadn't beaten us there. So, we waited until he showed up. Then, we perused his excellent new copies of Dyin'Ethics until Deep Wog showed up.

Then, someone (Deep Wog?) noticed something. Turned out that at 9:50 there was a gaggle of Scientologists waiting outside the Hubbard Dianetic Foundation for someone to let them in. Finally, someone turned up and let them in. Oddly enough, that person didn't change the "Closed" sign to "Open". We didn't mention it, and they didn't change it. So, all through the day.. That HDF said that it was Closed. (hehe)

Well, we turned up with our signs. I have to mention at this point that finally yours truly got a clue about picketing.. I got me a bag to hold flyers in, so that I didn't have to hold an envelope and juggle it with a sign. We were all loaded for bear (or Scientologist, as it were) with flyers. No danger whatsoever of running out of flyers.

Well, when we got there it turned out that the Org had hired another off-duty police officer. Just for background.. Apparently 52 Division is sick of false alarms from Buttnor and the Org, so they aren't providing coverage, and will charge the Org with the false-alarm admin fee if any calls prove to be groundless. So, the Org has to spend at least $340 Cdn to provide a police presence.

This is when the police mini-saga gets really rich.. The officer's main function turned out to be to make the Scientologists behave. The funny incidents:

1) Gregg started warning passers-by about the Scientologists' habit of taking flyers out of peoples' hands (while giving them Scn leaflets). A Scientologist complained about what he was saying to the police officer, who told that Scientologist not to do it if they didn't want Gregg to talk about it.

2) Later, one (not sure if it was the same one) Scientologist was standing right behind Gregg, apparently trying to block passers-by from getting Xenu/crimes leaflets. Gregg started on a spiel about the Scientologists trying to prevent people from getting flyers (he started giving them out like they were limited editions), and the Scientologist complained to the officer that Gregg was shouting in her ear. He told her that if she didn't want him shouting in her ear, she shouldn't stand next to him.

So, the Org was paying money for a police officer that was there to keep them behaving. Gives us police protection from the Co$, and they have to spend the money. A useful solution all round. :-)

Well, after checking in with the police officer, him asking some public order questions and Gregg telling him that we would behave (well, of course), we started doing our thing. The Org was doing something different - they had their Class V e-meter around the side of the Hubbard Dianetics Foundation, instead of at the front. They did pretty brisk traffic, at least compared with last time, but the e-meter was nearer Gregg at the point position.. So the whole group got a good dose of "enturbulation". (Note: Are they ever going to get a working Mark VII? And step boldly out of that era of technical sophistication known as the Fifties? hehe)

So.. Up and down and up and down we went. I found I wasn't giving out as many flyers as previous pickets, but apparently the crowd were all locals (who have already taken our flyers). My new "$cientology: Church of the Holy Censor" flyer wasn't too popular (rats), but I quickly learned to pair it with the Lisa McPherson flyer. Pointing out that Lisa McPherson died of the Introspection Rundown AND that her name was censored by the Co$ entheta-filter made for a nice packet. It also segued nicely with my sign (Scientology Destroys Lives and Minds). Plenty of people were pretty damn shocked (same sort of open-mouthed, gaping shock that I experienced when I found out) that McPherson was on the banned list, after what Scientology procedures had done to her.

Funny in-joke: Deep Wog said something that had me snickering on and off for hours after. Apparently just once the Scientologist advertising a free stress-test said "Would you like to be stress-tested?" Like, would the person like to be squeezed until they squeak, was his take on the matter. Ow. Hehe.

Speaking of Deep Wog.. Was he sending "Take My Leaflets" intention beams to the passers-by or something? For much of the day he was alternating passing out Dyin'Ethics and Lisa + Censorware, and he passed out more of my own flyer than I did. (jealousyjealousyjealousy, hehe) Well, nice wide dissemination, anyway. Good job, Deep Wog. :-)

Every so often Gregg would take a breather to feed his nicotine habit, and because I was eager (or daft), I would trudge up to his point position and take over the public announcing. "See the websites that Scientologists Online can't see! Read the newsgroups that Scientologists Online can't read! Why is this man's (*point to Gregg*) name censored?", and other such goodies. Then one guy passed and commiserated with the body-router about my supposed idiocy. This made me a little irritated.. Until I realized just what gives in a situation like this. I started counting to 5, turned around on 4.. And sure enough, on 5 the man went into the Org. Can I call them or what?

Then, Gregg told me not to be down about it (I was rather disappointed at his churlishness). I said that I was getting better, only a five-count and he went into the Org. As well, apparently the Scientologists around the e-meter table didn't like my tone level or something.. Seems they said that I needed some TR0 Confront. Yes, just like I need my space alien on-board companions exorcised, ladies.

Then! Just when I was taking a break, I saw a familiar face. Remember my APA Counterpicket report? I mentioned that for a few minutes I had a shadow, trying to provoke something. Well, guess who was standing by the newspaper boxes outside the Org, lighting a smoke? Yep, the KGB-wannabe himself. Also, Deep Wog mentioned later that he was again trying to be a jerk. Interesting... Of course, perhaps even more interesting is that again, it was only when Deep Wog mentioned that he was being provocative that I clued in. On the other hand, this is good. Can't provoke me if I don't know you're trying to. ;-)

Finally, we broke for lunch. Turned out the waitress was actually a trained R.N., and Gregg and Artemis got to discussing Lisa McPherson with her. Well, she had some interesting comments on the medical details of the case, and ended up getting a package of flyers when we were heading back to the Org from lunch. She also mentioned her own Co$ experience: After her mother's death, Scientologists were pushing her to come in for a chat. Seeing as they hadn't shown much interest while she was emotionally more healthy, it was a pretty obvious example of preying on the vulnerable. As well, she mentioned that crowds of Scientologists don't go to the Artful Dodger any more, and good riddance. They were loud, obnoxious, swore, and disturbed the other patrons. Great PR job, guys!

In the afternoon Deep Wog took a couple of snaps of we picketers, and a shot of some more physical damage to the Org. Just inside the door of the Hubbard Dianetics Foundation, there used to be a light on the ceiling. Now, there are naked wires hanging down, creating a safely hazard to any tall Scientologists. You'd think they could spend 10¢ and buy caps for the wires, or at least tape them to the ceiling. In other news, the broken window at the back of the Org is still broken. So, the Org is definitely downstat as far as the physical plant goes.

Eventually, the wedding around the side got underway. Actually, this is only really noteworthy because of the earlier cleaning job that the Org had to do to get it ready. They were washing the windows, scrubbing the sidewalk with mops (yes, they were), and cleaning layers of grime off the windowsill. Now.. Why would they have to do this much deep-cleaning for a chapel? The quick answer is, that chapel isn't used very much. Oh, how religious.. An unused chapel in a so-called "Church".

Now this next thing was really odd.. Perhaps it was just the Orange Order parade (I'll get to this in a moment), but I was prosleytized at by two separate Christians. One (Protestant) was in a group of people my age, and discussed a variety of things. Trying to convert me? Didn't work, but it was food for thought. The other (Catholic or Orthodox) accepted my flyers, and pocketed them.. Then told me that he was going to the wedding that was being held in the chapel around the side. Hmm.. So my flyers attended the wedding. Well, they were both nice people, and gave me insights into the nature of Christian faith. Also discussed the habit of culling pre-clear folders with the first person, which elicited some shock.

As I've already mentioned, there was the annual Orange Order parade in Toronto, and near the end of the picket one of the Orangemen came up to me and told me I should be just as opposed to the Catholic Church. Something about the Catholic Church sponsoring Hitler and that was why they didn't get standing at the UN.. ??? Now I have a greater understanding of why Northern Ireland is the way it is. This guy was definitely running a buggy OS.

In the last 45 minutes of the picket, I ended up on the corner near the Hubbard Dianetics Foundation, with Artemis on the other side of the street sign pole, and Gregg over the other side of the pedestrian traffic. I was alternating with Gregg over the free P.A. system (our loud voices), and Artemis was giving Dyin'Ethics away like it was gold-plated. Deep Wog was catching people at the other end of the Org. That was when Gregg cracked open his sixth 100 bundle of leaflets, and when I ran out of Censorware flyers. In the last ten minutes, I did a few staggers up and down the front of the Org, and then that was it.