FACTNet	NEWS LETTER	Vol. 1 Jan-April 1995

"Only you have the right to control your mind"

F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. (Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network) is 
a nonaligned, nonprofit, research and educational organization 
that informs the public about human rights abuses caused by 
coercive mind control much the same way that Amnesty International 
informs the public about human rights abuse caused by physical 
coercion. FACTNet consists of an electronic lending library 
and an electronic news transfer and e-mail service.

THE SCIENTOLOGY NEWS WIRE

Bad times seem to have fallen upon Scientology. According to 
a recent high level defector, Scientology's income has not grown 
since David Miscavige took over a decade ago. While income has 
stalled, liability is rising. FACTNet estimates that Scientology 
faces a potential billion dollars in lawsuits worldwide from 
existing lawsuits and potential new ones as 40 years of victims 
continue to break free from the intimidation, fear, and silence 
that this group produces.

Is Scientology's claimed membership of 8 million another false 
statistic? According to a 1987 internal Scientology memo, there 
were then 25,000 active members. FACTNet estimates that the 
number of ex-members has grown to 1-2 million while there are 
at most 50,000 active members.

Scientology appears to have an 80-95% turnover rate of new members 
every 3-5 years. That's why they are so focused on recruiting. 
Go into any Scientology organization and estimate the percentage 
of public people who have been there since Scientology began.  
How many have been there for 25 years?  Or 15 years?  Or 10 
years? When you lose public people at this rate, you have to 
make a huge amount of money on each one before they leave.  
Most people would consider the organization's near complete 
inability to retain lifelong members a signal of its total failure 
as a meaningful religious movement. Staff, Sea Org ,and OSA 
have a higher retention rate but, even with all the pressure 
designed to lock them in, this rate is very poor when looked 
at over the long haul.

In the U.S., the pressure on the IRS to review Scientology's 
recently awarded tax exempt status is growing from the grass 
roots level to the U.S. congress. (See the IRS section in the 
enclosed questionnaire to see if you have information that could 
help.) Scientology continues to be a big loser in the U.S. courts.  
It recently lost the Fishman/Gertz case and post trial efforts 
to seal upper level materials presented in that case.  It lost 
an important appeal motion in the Enid Vein case, and an ill 
conceived attempt to stop the Wollersheim collection that resulted 
in another victory for Wollersheim.

If you haven't heard, Enid Vien's appeal strategy may itself 
be the greatest challenge and public relations disaster Scientology 
ever has created for itself. Enid contends that under the 1993 
Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Scientology is inhibiting 
HER freedom to practice her chosen religion by its abusive and 
restrictive use of copyright, trademark, and trade secret law 
to control the use of religious materials.

Enid's legal challenge could cause Scientology to lose nearly 
all the rapacious financial and control leverage it currently 
wields using its copyright, trademark, and trade secret positions 
against its current or former members. If you can, send a tax 
deductible contribution for her legal costs through FACTNet.

Lawrence Wollersheim currently has a 4.6 million dollar judgment 
against Scientology approved by the U.S. Supreme Court. Whenever 
Wollersheim's attorneys ask Scientology to pay the judgment 
they get back a story that the Church of Scientology of California 
(that had at least 500 million dollars in assets when Wollersheim 
filed his lawsuit) now somehow has no money.  Wollersheim's 
collection team knows Scientology has money and will eventually 
be forced to pay. They are not dismayed by this arrogant "above 
the law" attitude but rather see it as a tremendous opportunity 
to assist victims all over the world by being at the perfect 
place with the perfect vehicle to pierce all of Scientology's 
corporate shams.

To forward collection, Wollersheim's legal team is sending sheriffs 
to seize bank accounts and property, and will soon be going 
back to court to get a receiver appointed.  The receiver can 
demand documents that Scientology will not dare produce doctored 
copies of.  Discovery will include personally serving many of 
Scientology's present and past highest executives. Yes, that 
does include David Miscavige. The next step in the Wollersheim 
case may move to include all Scientology corporations that received 
transferred assets, on successor, alter ego, and fraudulent 
conveyance theories. Stay tuned, this case soon could produce 
criminal proceedings against Scientology and its attorneys and 
accountants.  And we haven't even mentioned securities fraud.

Has David Miscavige and the Scientology legal team bet the future 
of Scientology on stopping the Wollersheim collection? Do they 
actually believe they have the loyalty of the current and former
members who participated in the inequitable transfer of assets out of
the Church of Scientology of California, and who were then declared
or removed from post by Scientology's management? Do they believe
that these people will take the rap personally to protect David
Miscavige? Stay tuned. This case could produce criminal proceedings
against Scientology and its attorneys and accountants.

In other areas, in Germany Scientology is being treating as 
a neo-Nazi group and is being buried in adverse media coverage. 
In England, Scientology is choking and in Spain, Scientology 
is having major problems once again. In South Africa, a Christian 
Zulu chief suffered considerable embarrassment when it was discovered 
that some of his high level advisors were Scientologists and 
that Scientology had significant satanic origins. Scientology's 
reputation has gotten so bad that FACTNet has noticed that even 
some of Scientology's splinter groups have begun to distance 
themselves from their former affiliation.

Expect the news for Scientology to go from bad to worse because 
of the computer revolution. Internet, FACTNet and others, through 
information sharing, are empowering tens of thousands of former 
members. These electronically united individuals are beginning 
to meet Scientology's every effort at expansion or deception 
with instant alternative information and victim support.
Scientology is not designed for open dialog.

GROWING FAST!

Since FACTNet began promoting its information services on the 
Internet (the information super highway), the number of daily 
computer calls, service requests, and orders from around the 
world has quadrupled. This remarkable response and growth can 
be attributed to two things.  There is a critical need for immediately 
accessible electronic information about cultic groups, and there 
is nothing else available like FACTNet's confidential and comprehensive 
on-line information service.

Around the clock, from anywhere in the world, anyone with a 
computer and modem can economically experience the personal 
empowerment of the information revolution applied to cult and 
mind control issues. Each caller, from the convenience of his 
or her home or office, can access thousands of pages of information, 
work and strategize with other advocates, connect to support 
services and others who have had similar experiences, get referrals
to lawyers, ministers, and other health professionals, place free
want ads, send or receive e-mail on the latest news before it hits
the papers.

SORRY, NO FACTNET BENEFIT DINNER AND DANCE THIS YEAR

We can't invite you to a fancy benefit dinner or dance and won't 
call you to remind you, but you won't receive a more important 
invitation all year than this request to send your contribution 
now.  Use the enclosed order form and your check or charge card 
to contribute whatever you can. The victims of cult abuse and 
mind control, and their advocates, thank you in advance for 
your generosity.

1994 CONTRIBUTOR THANK YOU

The volunteer staff at FACTNet has not been able to keep up 
with the growing demand for assistance and also get out personalized 
thank you letters to the many contributors who kept FACTNet's 
insurance, phone, and other bills paid in 1994. You know who 
you are.  Because we keep the names of all contributors confidential, 
we can't honor your assistance by recognizing you publicly. 
From the many victims of cult abuse and mind control that FACTNet 
has been able to help, and from the FACTNet staff, we deeply 
appreciate you and thank you.

OLD HEROES OF THE RESISTANCE

The following are individuals who have been around for a while, 
who we recognize for their defence of human rights against Scientology 
oppression.  Vaughn and Stacy Young, Margery Wakefield, Lorna 
Levett, Nan Mclean, Paulette Cooper, Brendan Moore, Monica Pignotti, 
Mike Flynn, Gerry Armstrong, Hana and Jerry Whitfield, Charles 
O'Reilly, Priscilla Coates, Andre and Mary Taboyoyan, Michael 
Meisner, Homer W. Smith, Jeff Jacobsen, Dennis Erlich, Enid 
Vien, Toby Plevin, Cynthia Kisser, Herb Rosedale, Julie Tichborne, 
Steve Fishman, Margaret Singer, Jolly West, John Clark, Gary 
Scarff, and (posthumously) L. Ron Hubbard, Jr..  This is by 
no means a complete list.  Please send us your nominations for 
both new and old heroes for our next issue.

VOLUNTEER HOT LINE

Many individuals have offered to give us some of their time. 
We have not been able to get back to all of you and take you 
up on your generous offers, but that should change in the first 
quarter of 1995.

We expect a technical breakthrough in image and text information 
transfer so that we will be able to efficiently forward most 
volunteer work via computer.  We expect to have a volunteer 
coordinator on staff who will be able to train and coordinate 
the work of dozens of volunteers on their chosen projects. If 
you want to help us, now is the time. Please look over a library 
file called HELPWANT.TXT and let us know your preferences.

WHAT'S NEW IN THE LIBRARY

If you haven't tried FACTNet or haven't tried it in the last 
45 days, call today and see all of our new improvements--and 
if you have never called before, your first three hours are 
free! You can browse our new electronic mall and order products 
using your credit card. You can place free want ads. You can 
explore completely new library sections designed for ease of 
use by parents, victims, advocates and those new to computers. 
Under the "Help Resources" menu, the new selections are called 
"Most asked questions," "Experts and expert advice," "Ex-member 
personal stories," "Support and action groups," "Ideas for fighting 
back," and "Child and family issues."

In another section called "Internet News," even if you currently 
can't connect to the Internet directly, you will be able to 
see what tens of thousands of other people all over the world 
are talking about by reading the best of the Internet discussion 
conferences.  (We currently carry the best of the alt.religion.scientology 
newsgroup.)

	Soon you will be able to fill out questionnaires and petitions 
on-line and see thousands more pages of materials from the 
media and other sources. Right now you can chat electronically 
with other users who are on the system at the same time as 
you.

We also have made it easier to find answers to your on-line 
technical questions. The "bulletins" menu item has many sub 
categories of helpful information and tips on using FACTNet, 
such as. "Getting started with FACTNet," "How to find things 
on the BBS," and "Helpful hints from the technical director." 
There is also a new road map for the new user that will help 
you quickly understand where everything is located Download 
ROADMAP.TXT from the main board conference, "general" file directory.

Call from your computer and check it out for yourself.  The 
number is 1-303-530-1942.  After you connect, just follow the 
instructions on your screen.

THE FRIENDS OF FACTNET

Besides your tax deductible contributions or purchases of FACTNet's 
products and services, there are many other ways to help FACTNet 
fight human rights abuse in the areas of cults and mind control.

You can send us news story copies or let us know about the latest 
lawsuits, government investigations, or other stories involving 
cults and mind control in your area.  We will get them into 
our library database and let the involved people know about 
our resources.

You can send us your personal story and what you did that was 
successful.  This information will go to our ex-member stories 
section, so your life experience can help others.

You can volunteer to assist with projects of organizing or improving 
our library or organization.  You can help set up and manage 
a special new section of our electronic library that would be 
specifically for your organization, peer group, or for addressing 
some other needed area of the cult and mind control issues.

You can send us the name and address of everyone on your mailing 
list who is a current or former cult member or is interested 
in these issues.  We will put such people on the mailing list 
for our newsletters, to learn of our resources.

You can send us other materials you think should be scanned 
into our library, like legal materials or old materials from 
someone who you know was involved in a cult. (Thanks to all 
of you who have done this already.)

You can copy this newsletter and forward it to whoever you think 
would be interested.

COOPERATION INCREASING WITH OTHER VICTIM ADVOCATE ORGANIZATIONS

FACTNet is meant to be a global research information clearinghouse 
on cults and mind control, and an electronic tool to support 
the efforts of non-computerized organizations working in this 
area. To this end, FACTNet has been electronically scanning 
the "Cult Observer" publication put out by the American Family 
Foundation (AFF). After finishing the remaining Cult Observers, 
we will go on to their professional journal publication, "Cultic 
Studies Journal." Then we will get all of the Cult Awareness 
Network's newsletters on-line. We will also be selling many 
of AFF's and CAN's products in our 24 hour electronic mall.

Soon you will be able to review the huge electronic index of 
materials handled by Info Cult of Canada. Info Cult has the 
largest library of French language materials on cults and mind 
control in the world. Expect to see other supportive arrangements 
with other leading cult information organizations in other languages 
as FACTNet continues to grow and expand.

WILL YOU YOU HELP US IN THE NEW YEAR...

...continue our ongoing worldwide investigations into Scientology's 
hidden casualty rates and other alleged criminal activities?

...empower cult victims and their advocates to bring their oppressors 
to justice?

...make instant information available that can break the cult 
abuse cycle and prevent other children, young adults, and families 
from being abused?

...hire permanent staff? (History has shown that non profit 
organizations cannot continue to grow and successfully service 
increasing demand using only volunteer staff.)

...expand to a full Internet library service? (Our present connection 
does not have the capacity to support the volume we need to 
realistically provide critical information services to 50,000-100,000 
computer callers in 1995.)

...provide services to those, both here and in third world countries, 
who need them but can't pay for them?

...expand our database with thousands of additional pages of 
cult and mind control related information?

...better equalize the flow of information by connecting to 
and providing our electronic capabilities to the almost 400 
non-computerized cult information organizations in the world 
today?

$50,000 IN REWARDS

From the proceeds of his $4.6 million judgment against
Scientology, Lawrence Wollersheim is offering rewards for
information the most useful in bringing Scientology to
justice.  See questionnaire...  [posted as "$50,000 for info,"
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4]

LAST CHANCE...

Let the spirit of the holidays move you. Give the gift you can 
deduct from your 1994 U.S income tax bill. Put your feet up, 
relax, and enjoy the warm feeling of knowing you are helping 
defend and protect those who need your help in the areas of 
cults and mind control. Send your contribution today.

DON'T FORGET THERE IS 50% DISCOUNT ON NEW LIBRARY CARDS IF YOU 
GET AT LEAST A THREE MONTH CARD AND PAY BEFORE JAN 31 ST. (If 
you are a member of a non profit organization that works in 
the area of cults and mind control, call for your special library 
card discount.)