------------------------------------------------------------------- F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. (Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network, Incorporated) a non-profit computer bulletin board and electronic library 601 16th St. #C-217 Golden, Colorado 80401 USA BBS 303 530-1942 FAX 303 530-2950 Office 303 473-0111 This document is part of an electronic lending library and preservational electronic archive. F.A.C.T.Net does not sell documents, it only lends them according to the terms of your library cardholder agreement with F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------------- American Family Foundation News American Family Foundation committee members, and others who are vital to AFF's research, information, and education functions, will learn of one another' s recent activities in this column. Of course, much more work occurs than is reported to us. We'll try to relate the news in the order we receive it. 1 Kevin Garvey Helps FBI on Waco [David Koresh] Among the many AFF associates who have given advice and counsel to the government and to news organizations on the Waco cult tragedy is Kevin Garvey. The Hamden (CT) Chronicle of May 13, 1993, in a full-page article titled "Hamden man aided FBI in Waco," states that "[he] was asked by an acquaintance in the federal government to provide insights into the theology of David Koresh. Garvey... [provided the FBI] a three-page observation on Koresh's theology and a seven-page elaboration of [his] self-created mythology." His advice to the FBI, along with that of other cult experts, had it been heeded, might well have forestalled the attack on the compound which actually "fulfilled the prophecy wherein Revelation talks about outsiders who came in and then attacked and all were consumed by fire," said Mr. Garvey. He calls the FBI's decision "totally stupid," but he has no doubt that either Koresh or a follower "intentionally ignited the fire that destroyed the compound. 'I would have waited it out. Once they went in on Feb. 28 the die was cast,' Garvey said." 2 Dr. Louis Jolyon West [Waco, David Koresh] In the Psychiatric Times of June, 1993, a front-page commentary, "Cult Expert Explains Waco Implications," by Louis Jolyon West, M. D. places the Branch Davidjan cult among the other harmful cults of the past few decades, stating, "Psychiatrists now are asked questions similar to those generated by the death of 913 people at the Jonestown, Guyana compound of the Peoples Temple on Nov. 18, 1978." He enumerates the questions always raised about how and why cults attract, bind, and control members even to the point of disaster. He follows the "Wingspread" conference' s definition of a cult, explains in brief the variety of harms to be seen, and concludes with a helpful comment on where up-to-date information can be found, naming the American Family Foundation as well as support groups and such "halfway houses" as Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center. 3 "Captive Hearts, Captive Minds" by Madeleine Tobias and Janja Lalich Madeleine Tobias and Janja Lalich have just announced that their new book, Captive Hearts, Captive Minds: Freedom and Recovery from Cults and Other Abusive Relationships, will be published in October by Hunter House Publishers. Their book addresses "specific issues of recovery and reintry for those who have been subject to a thought-reform environment." It comes with a foreword by Michael Langone and a warm recommendation by Carol Giambalvo. The authors are Advisory Board members of AFF, and both of them have intimate knowledge of the groups and relationships about which they write. Janja Lalich was a guest speaker at Stanford University in May, telling of her experiences in a political cult to Dr. Philip Zimbardo's class on the "Psychology of Mind Control." She appeared on CBS TV's "Bay Sunday" on Easter Sunday, talking about cults in general. Both she and Madeleine Tobias were interviewed by the Denver Post and on the San Francisco ABC TV affiliate the day after the Waco disaster, giving basic information on cults, recruitment techniques, and thought reform. 4 Dr. John Hochman at APA [Jonestown] Dr. John Hochman had the interesting experience of chairing a workshop on cults at the American Psychiatric Association's annual May meeting. "It was originally rejected, but after Waco I talked them into 'unrejecting' it," he says. His subject was "Jonestown: Searching for Meaning 15 Years Later." In his abstract (a summary of his submission) he asked, "Is there any meaning to be found in these events, or was this a 'Freak Cult' among many benign Utopian experiments in our history?" The relevance needs no belaboring. Because the APA meeting was in San Francisco, Dr. Hochman was able to get Dr. Margaret Singer and Dr. Richard Ofshe, as well as Dr. David Halperin, to participate. He is also teaching a course on cults this summer at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. 5 Dr. Edward Lottick receives award Dr. Edward Lottick deserves a special note of appreciation here. First, of course, congratulations on his receiving AFF's John Gordon Clark Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Cultic Studies presented at Stony Point, NY, in May. He was also praised recently by the Wyoming Valley, PA Alcohol and Drug Services, Inc., for volunteering his cult expertise in order to help the area's youth to pursue "active, healthy life-styles." And at the Barcelona conference on "Totalitarian Groups and Cultism" in April, he made a summary of the topics and presenters (of whom he was one) for AFF's information (see his summary on pages 9-10 of this Cult Observer). 6 Marcia Rudin at NAFSA Marcia Rudin was on a panel at the national conference of NAFSA (National Association for Foreign Student Affairs), a group that works with foreign college students, on Memorial Day. She reports, "The session was so successful that they want me to present... at their next year' s conference in Miami... a 3-hour session." She hopes that, since it will be held in Miami next spring, Sandy Andron will meet with her there. ================================================================= If this is a copyrighted work, you are acknowledging by receipt of this document from FACTNet that on the basis of reasonable investigation, you have not been to obtain a copy elsewhere at a fair price, and that you are and will abide by the following copyright warning. WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS: The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photo copies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified by law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. FACTNet reserves the right to refuse to accept an order for copying or other duplication, or delivery of copied or duplicated material if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. ------------------------------------------------------------------- CARD CATALOG ENTRY DOS FILENAME OF TEXT FILE: CO0593AA.TXT DOS FILENAME OF IMAGE FILES: CO0593.TIF ADMINISTRATIVE CODE: OK SECURITY CODE: SCO DISTRIBUTION CODE: RO DESCRIPTION FOR BBS FILE LISTING: The Cult Observer, Vol. 10 No. 5 1993. SORT TO: AFF CONTRIBUTOR: American Family Foundation (AFF) LOCATION OF ORIGINAL: American Family Foundation (AFF) NOTES: Back issues and selected reprints of the Cultic Studies Journal are available from the American Family Foundation, P.O. Box 2265, Bonita Springs, FL 33959-2265. WHAT AFF COMMITTE MEMBERS (AND OTHERS) ARE DOING | 1 Kevin Garvey Helps FBI on Waco | [David Koresh] | 2 Dr. Louis Jolyon West [Waco, | David Koresh] | 3 "Captive Hearts, Captive Minds" | by Madeleine Tobias and Janja | Lalich | 4 Dr. John Hochman at APA [Jonestown] | 5 Dr. Edward Lottick receives award | 6 Marcia Rudin at NAFSA For additional verification see the contributor of the document. This text below was produced by scanning a printed copy of the Cult Observer. Hence a few errors may have been introducted inadvertently. Please consult the printed copy if there is any question about the text. UPDATED ON: 10/13/94 UPDATED BY: FrJMc =================================================================