Editor: I read your recent editorial with interest and noted the deep support and warmth that you feel for Mr. Michael Flynn. My concern is that such support is not based on facts. The facts are that Mr. Flynn was part of a criminal conspiracy to forge a check on the account of L. Ron Hubbard. This has now been turned over to federal authorities as this is a criminal act. Mr. Flynn may be opposed to several religions and indeed ...

Editor: The Sun's Aug. 4 editorial concerning the Church of Scientology and Michael Flynn further reflects the Sun's continuing bias and blindness to matters concerning the "sect" as you put it. I recall when Richard Nixon appeared before the world and contented he had done no wrong in the Watergate affair. The press and the public wanted to believe him and placed confidence in his honesty as a man and as our president. However, the facts soon proved that trust to ...

[...] Rubber and Glue Dear Editor: I am a member of the Church of Scientology. I have been so officially since I took my first course in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1971. I find your article ("Did Scientology Defraud Members?" L.A. Weekly, July 20-26) rather disgusting — which is a personal remark, so I won't spend column inches indulging my repugnance. So, to go right to the point. The Church of Scientology as a group and as it represents the applied ...

The United States Treasury Department's Criminal Investigations Division has mounted an in-depth investigation into the activities of the Clearwater-based Church of Scientology, the Clearwater Sun has learned. In the past several weeks, Treasury agents have traveled across the United States interviewing a number of former Scientologists—including some who held positions of immense power and influence in the worldwide sect prior to their defection, sources said. Spokesmen for the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service in Tampa and Los Angeles, citing Department ...

A judges' panel of motion picture professionals has been chosen to select the winners of a nation-wide "Battlefield Earth" logo design contest for student and amateur artists. The contest offers a grand prize of $1,000 and possible screen credit on two upcoming movies from Hollywood - Salem Productions' back-to-back theatrical film versions of L. Ron Hubbard's science fiction bestseller of alien invasion and conquest, "Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000." The judges' panel for the logo competition - open ...

A London High Court judge characterized the Clearwater-based Church of Scientology as "corrupt, immoral, sinister (and) dangerous" in delivering a damning indictment of the sect during a civil trial. Mr. Justice Sir John Latey's July 23 comments concluded a six-month court battle over custody of two children whose father is a Scientologist but whose mother has left the sect. In awarding care and control of the children to their mother, the British judge minced no words in his condemnation of Scientology, ...

A man who told police he was detained at the Church of Scientology headquarters in Clearwater and later recanted that account will not be charged with filing a false police report. The Pinellas-Pasco state attorney's office declined to charge Daniel Cotrino, 30, of Brooklyn, N.Y., after reviewing a taped statement Cotrino made to police. Clearwater police had taken Cotrino to police headquarters for questioning March 5 after a police sergeant reported that he saw him being held by two Scientologists outside ...

Heber Jentzsch, the international president of the Church of Scientology, seriously underestimates the sophistication of Clearwater residents if he thinks they will believe a word of his diatribe against Boston lawyer Michael Flynn. Jentzsch gave a press conference on the steps of City Hall Wednesday to "expose" Flynn for conspiring to bilk the sect of $2 million. Flynn, as just about every Clearwater resident knows, has been a perennial foe of the Scientologists. It was Flynn who conducted a series of ...

U.S. District Court Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich Thursday denied a Church of Scientology request to restrain Clearwater officials from enforcing a charitable solicitations ordinance until after further hearings on the law in a higher court. City officials hailed the decision as added support for their position. But sect attorneys said after the Tampa hearing that they intend to continue their battle to have the ordinance ruled unconstitutional. "The judge also said that if the city should abuse the enforcement of the law, ...

THE DAYS when Scientology threw writs at anyone daring to criticise it may have passed — but do not be too sure. There has been no change in the function and purpose of the bizarre organisation at Saint Hill to which East Grinstead has been a reluctant and embarrassed host for more than 20 years. The best news would be that the whole strange set-up had packed up and left. Mr Justice Latey's denunciation of Scientology in the High Court last ...

From coast to coast companies are using a booklet to improve employee and client relations and the results are showing in increased production and rising statistics. With the rising statistics in absenteeism, sickles after a night on the town, lack of loyalty and enthusiasm, employees are shaking their heads to frustration as to what to do to get production up. How does todays business world survive in todays jungle of earning an honest buck? There is an answer. Growing in popularity ...

As the athletes of the world come together in peace to compete in the Olympics, a group of peacemakers in Watts, a city once town by riots, received an international peace award Wednesday. It was presented by a Century City-based group. On behalf of Bridge Publications, singer Amanda Ambrose, who has a special interest in Watts, presented a handsomely framed copy of the lyrics of the song "Declaration of Peace," composed by L. Ron Hubbard, to the Parents of Watts (POW). ...

CLEARWATER — The Church of Scientology brought a traveling press conference to the steps of Clearwater City Hall Wednesday, and its targets were old foes. Saying that Clearwater "has a chance to pull itself out of a really nasty mess," the church's international president Heber Jentzsch took shots at the city's charitable solicitation ordinance (a measure aimed at the Church of Scientology) and at Michael Flynn, the Boston lawyer who recommended its passage. Reading from a letter addressed to Mayor Kathy ...

CLEARWATER — Church of Scientology President Heber C. Jentzsch renewed charges involving a forged $2 million check and a "conspiracy" by sect foe Michael Flynn during a Wednesday press conference. Flynn, a Boston attorney, represents more than a dozen ex-Scientologists who have sued the sect. In May 1982 Flynn coordinated highly-publicized city hearings on Scientology. "Mr. Flynn was involved and is involved in acts that involve organized crime," Jentzsch told reporters and 50 supporters on the steps of Clearwater City Hall. ...

THE FATHER of two children who lost the Scientology custody case last week, said he is to appeal against the judgement. The case made national headlines when the High Court judge, Mr Justice Latey, awarded custody of the youngsters to their mother because he said the man's Scientology beliefs were "dangerous? sinister and corrupt". The six-month tug-of-love battle ended by the judge declaring in open court that the influence of the sect would put the children gravely at risk. "The church ...

The Church of Scientology brought a transcontinental traveling press conference to the steps of Clearwater City Hall Wednesday to publicly denounce outspoken Scientology critic Michael Flynn. Sect officials claim Flynn, a Boston attorney and longtime adversary of Scientology, orchestrated an elaborate but abortive scheme two years ago to forge a $2 million check drawn on a bank account of sect founder L. Ron Hubbard. The accusations made by the Clearwater-based sect are based on the declaration of a man a Scientology ...

I WAS somewhat surprised by the High Court Judge last week who described the 'Church' of Scientology as 'immoral, corrupt, obnoxious and dangerous'. Not surprised, mind you, by the words themselves — just by the fact that no judge has used them before. It is true that foreign adherents of this loathsome sect were originally banned from Britain in 1968 by then Labour Minister of Health Kenneth Robinson. But I always felt this was rather a half-hearted move — and in ...

THE head of the Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, whose organisation was described by a High Court judge as 'dangerous, immoral, sinister and corrupt', has been ordered to stay away from Britain. The 74-year-old recluse, himself declared a 'charlatan' by the judge, had hoped to reverse a Home Office ruling which barred him from coming to this country to address his followers at the British headquarters of the sect, Saint Hill, at East Grinstead, Sussex. But when he refused to ...

A new Clearwater law, declared constitutional July 13 by the US. District Court in Tampa, could eventually have an impact on the money-raising practices of nearly all churches and other religious groups in the nation. Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich implied as much in issuing her opinion that the city's revised charitable solicitation ordinance does not violate constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. She described the law as "an issue that I believe is becoming a trend" and noted that it has "far-reaching implications." ...

Those who like to imagine a great city might be pleased to learn that, some time after the year 3000 AD, Denver is destined to become the capital of the world. But the next millenium truly looks a mess, what with ecological devastation and the demise of most of us humans as we fall under the brutal domination of the evil Psychlos, intergalactic warlords. Take heart, for this is the stuff of Hollywood dreams. The pop seller, Battlefield Earth, by L. ...

AN ENGLISH country garden. Beautiful lush lawns, flower beds of startling colour. But a young, dark-haired girl presents a bizarre spectacle as she sits cross-legged on the lawn eating her lunch oblivious to the summer storm pouring down on her head. Two other girls lovingly entwined in each other's arms march past in the shadow of the 18th century Manor House. All wear a naval-type uniform, dark blue with lashings of gold braid. The whole scene is surreal, like something from ...

There's a good chance that local actors will play at least one of the lead roles in two $20 million science-fiction movies based on L. Ron Hubbard's best-selling novel "Battlefield Earth." At least that's the word from press agent Ed Margulies, who said first-round auditions for the roles of Jonnie and Chrissy have been narrowed from 350 actors and actresses to five — four from the Denver area and one from Dallas. Marque Gritta, 25, and Dan Shadwell, 22, both of ...

A HIGH COURT judge has made the most outspoken condemnation yet of the Church of Scientology, which has its British headquarters at Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead. He condemned it as "corrupt sinister and dangerous". Its founder, former American science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard and his wife Mary Sue were condemned by Mr Justice Latey as "charlatans and worse." And the sect, said the judge, was "both immoral and socially obnoxious." Hubbard and his helpers were said to be "grimly ...

LOS ANGELES — Church of Scientology officials yesterday accused a top church adversary of conspiring with organized crime figures to steal $2 million from Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard two years ago. Church officials contended Boston attorney Michael Flynn also intended to use the theft scheme in a Riverside County probate case to gain control of Hubbard's $200 million estate. That case was later dismissed. Flynn, reached yesterday at his Boston office, called the Scientologists claim adversary had $2 million check ...

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Church of Scientology officials are accusing a Boston lawyer of conspiring to pass a counterfeit $2 million check "to divert attention from himself." Michael Flynn, a prominent critic of the Church of Scientology who has filed 20 suits against the organization, also was accused of blaming the forgery on Scientologists in an attempt to destroy the controversial group. The allegations regarding the check on the account of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard surfaced Monday in documents filed in Los ...

The Scientology cult was branded "corrupt, sinister and dangerous" by a High Court judge in London yesterday when he ordered two young children to be placed in the custody of their mother. He described the practices of the founder of the so-called "church", Ron Hubbard and his helpers, as "grimly reminiscent of the ranting and bullying of Hitler and his henchmen". Mr Justice Latey ordered a Scientologist father to hand over his son, aged 10, and daughter, aged eight ...

THE Church of Scientology was branded corrupt, sinister and dangerous by a High Court judge yesterday. Mr Justice Latey roundly condemned the sect, its American leader L. Ron Hubbard and other members or the hierarchy. He said: "Scientology is both immoral and socially obnoxious"—and he slammed Hubbard for a series of false claims. In a Family Division judgment which denied custody of two children to a church member be called Scientology "training for slavery." He said it was already beginning to ...

THE Church of Scientology was condemned as "corrupt, sinister and dangerous" Mr Justice Latey in the High Court yesterday. The judge described the practices of the Californian-based sect, founded by its "messiah," Ronald Hubbard, as "both immoral andd socially obnoxious." The actions of Hubbard and his helpers were grimly reminiscent of the ranting and bullying of Hitler and his henchmen. Mr Justice Latey, giving judgment in open court after a private hearing ordered a scienlogist father to hand over his 10-year-old ...

Church of Scientology officials Monday accused a Boston lawyer who has been a prominent critic of the organization of conspiring to pass a counterfeit $2-million check on the account of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and later blaming the forgery on members of the church as part of an "overall plan" to destroy the group. The charges were made against attorney Michael Flynn in documents filed in Los Angeles federal court in connection, with a lawsuit filed by a Scientology member, ...