The Los Angeles Board of Supervisors and Scientology

By Graham Berry more
26 July 2006

Source: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion.scientology/msg/4f1ac3ad3880ce51

Over the past weeks I have had occasion to be very very impressed by the boxed multi-volume multi-media submissions, of the Leona Valley and Bouquet Residents, to the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors; and arguing that the proposed Leona Valley Narconon facility "will negatively impact the safety and welfare and property values of neighboring communities."

Some of the information contained in those submissions is eerily familiar to many who have had to confront the dark side of Scientology for any length of time. For example:

1. [Exhibit D, pp.27-28] the alleged drug bust frame-up of 'a California Health Department official... who had produced a highly critical report,' resembles a similar incident experienced by former top scientology official Jesse Prince;
2. [Exhibit L, pp. 83-84, and Exhibit T, pp. 121-128] the photographs of private investigators Edwin Richardson and Talon Executive Services is not news to many who have spoken out against Scientology and later had these people "investigating" them in the neighborhoods and workplaces. Both Talon and Richardson have "noisily" investigated me at Scientology's behest ("... when we want some-one haunted we investigate." L. Ron Hubbard);
3. [Exhibit L, pp.85-87] the expression of support and solidarity by L.A. Sheriff Lee Baca is curious. One of his own lieutenants has warned me that my life may be in danger from Church of Scientology paid hit men [and I have received Secret Service protection in Germany];
4. the increased fire risk from so many smoking scientologists' is truly a very serious and real concern. Hubbard was a chain smoker and many scientology staffers try to 'assume his valence' by doing the same thing. Besides, Hubbard teaches that "the way out is the way through," as demonstrated by the Hubbard comment that smoking more cigarettes is the way to cure lung cancer!
5. The public health, safety and welfare concerns addressed in Exhibits O, P and R are also serious issues. The Purification Rundown can be dangerous enough. But what about the dangers of the "isolation rundown" if some-one has a psychotic break, or 'Potential Trouble Source Type III (PTS-Type III)' condition as it is known in the cult? We only have to remember Lisa McPherson, all those scores of cockroach bites, and an ambulance ride past the three closest hospitals to the one furtherest away where there was a doctor who belonged to the Church of Scientology.

And what about the down-played relationship between Narconon and the Scientology cult? Well there's a whole three minute submission right there!

In fact, I was so impressed by the presentation of the Leona Valley residents, and so disturbed by what some of them had to tell me, that I attended the meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on July 25, 2006. There are only five supervisors for the entire Los Angeles County; it's been only five since the very early days of the County. Consequently, they are probably the five most powerful local politicians in the entire nation.

Each of the five Supervisors should be old enough to remember when eleven top Scientologists (including Hubbard's wife) were convicted and imprisoned in connection with the largest ever known criminal infiltration of the United States government. That concerned Scientology's 'Operation Snow White,' to rid all public files of anything negative about the Church of Scientology. 'Operation Snow White' continues today. There have been reports that the communications from those opposed to the Leona Valley Narconon facility have 'disappeared' from the files of the Board of Supervisors. Many expert observers would opine that this has all of the "hall marks" of a Church of Scientology-OSA "file culling project."

The Board of Supervisors meeting room probably seats 400 people and it was nearly full. Later we would learn from the President of Narconon International that Narconon [a/k/a the Church of Scientology] had over 200 people there to speak in favor of the Narconon facility. To my mind that was an exaggeration by about 100.

Certainly there were a number of senior staffers from the Scientology enterprise. One of the CSI Office of Special Affairs ('OSA') in-house attorneys, Elliot Abelson, Esq., greeted me but otherwise would not engage me in conversation. He limped slightly and looked quite over weight, wan and ill. Another observer commented to me that 'one cannot get involved in all of the bad karma that surrounds Elliot without it festering up inside.' Of course, Abelson's sick look might also be put down to too much scientology 'processing.' It may also be due to the same disciplinary affliction that ails his OSA work buddy Mike Rinder!

The very Reverend Lynn Farny, OSA Legal Unit and Secretary of Church of Scientology was more forthcoming. Lynn seemed genuinely pleased that there isn't much scientology related litigation happening at present. That made him available for other assignments. "I'll be back to put things right," I told him. I think he knew I was talking of the Vexatious litigant ruling and all of the associated perjury, bribery, blackmail, fraud and corruption. Farny once claimed to be the one who devised the Cipriano corruption directed against me. More recently, Farny's wife (another Scientology staffer) was implicated in some potential jury tampering.

I commented to Farny that Scientology seemed to be on a big building buying spree in Europe (Paris, Brussels and Berlin). Right next door to the European Community building I noted. "It's the new wave," Farny beamed. "I'm wondering where the wave of money is coming from," I replied. "From the wave of new members," Farney shot back, as he walked off. "Yeah, right, the wave of new members," I replied as he walked off, too quickly for me to add, "in all of those empty course-rooms on both sides of the Atlantic." Then I thought, 'why should Rev. Farny worry about empty course rooms at the bottom of the pyramid now that the Church is again so feverishly involved with corruption at all levels of government and law enforcement?' In Scientology's copyrighted Policy Letter "Targets Defense," Church of Scientology staffers are informed of: "Target 1, depopularize the enemy (Scientology's opponents) to a point of total obliteration; Target 2, take over the control or allegiance of the heads or proprietors of all news media; Target 3, take over the control or allegiance of key political figures..."

If Lynn Farny had stuck around I might have asked about: the four British Labor Party members of the European Parliament who are now said to be Scientologists; or the several German judges who may have been compromised by the cult; or the appointment of a guardian ad litem for a Hamburg infant to ensure that the infant is protected from the cult in a custody battle involving a very senior German Scientologist, her son and her daughter-in-law; and whether the European prime real estate buying spree is due to money-laundering as police in Hamburg, Brussels and Amsterdam might suggest, or due to the movement of U.S. dollars off-shore as other Europeans have suggested. And then I wondered what he would have thought of Ursula Caberta still being where she is, and what he thought of David Miscavige still being where he is? Isn't he embarrassed by a cult leader who is accused of physically striking his senior staffers on a regular basis, and extolling them to emulate actor Tom Cruise? And the Church of Scientology compares David Miscavige to the Pope?

I also spoke with Narconon's attorney who I recall introducing himself as David Carlton, Esq. I was told his office is in Irvine, Orange County. He recognized my face from somewhere but could not tell me from where. I did not enlighten him other than to tell him I was "part of the other side; the light side."

I was carrying my papers in a large manila envelope with a bumper sticker attached clipped to it. The bumper sticker had been given to me by the wonderful and inimitable Ida Camburn and it read:

www.xenu.net What Scientology doesn't want you to read

I had walked in and out of the auditorium several times, carrying my envelope past the block of about one hundred scientologists, before the Sheriff's Deputies at the entrance door told me they had received a complaint and to cover my envelope when inside the actual hall. They were polite and I complied.

Shortly afterwards a group of two thuggish looking brutes and a woman sat down opposite me and started staring non-stop at me. They were surrounded by scientologists. The two men glaring at me looked too thuggish to be even bad P. I. s. After awhile I went over and said to the closest brute: "You are staring at me. Do I know you?" He growled, "I don't speak English. I'm Italian." Well at least he speaks some English, I thought. And then he turned to the thug behind. "Are you private investigators?" I asked. "No, we're not private investigators," the lady interrupted. Sure, I thought as I returned to my seat across the aisle. Talon's own imported Sicilian thugs more likely, and here to dish out the usual Scientology 'psycho-terror.' I'd bet that they even drive leased white Ford Explorer SUVs!

It wasn't long before the Board of Supervisors reached the agenda item so many of us were waiting for. Sam Dea was representing the Regional Planning Commission. He reported that the Narconon facility would have no substantial adverse impact upon the area. I thought he either had not read or considered the Leona Valley and Bouquet Canyon resident's submissions, or the cult had corrupted yet another public official, high up in the Regional Planning Commission. If so, that's more corruption the very Scientology-friendly Sheriff Baca will not be investigating. Hundreds of brain-washed Scientology staffers can provide a generous political donor base. They were for the late John Ferraro when he presided over the re-naming of Berendo Street as L. Ron Hubbard Way.

It was then Narconon's turn. Clark Carr, the President of Narconon International and his land use consultant Tim Riley took the microphone. It was announced that there was an agreement between the Board and Narconon that the matter would be "remanded back to the Planning Commission to consider select issues." Clark Carr of Narconon confirmed the agreement and then very tellingly commented that he was sorry that the more than 200 people in attendance to speak in support of Narconon would not get to speak. However, he wanted to be sure that the opponents would not be heard either. The Board of Supervisors gave the head of Narconon that reassurance. "The opponents will not be heard." That is the real reason I thought (or 'the end product' in scientology-speak).

However, the Supervisors themselves may have had second thoughts about Scientology "grand fathering" so many concessions into the Conditional Use Permit, and then decided to send the entire application back to the Planning Commission where there will be a new examination of purely land use issues such as fire, road, water and septic.

During the course of the morning I had observed both Clark Carr and Elliot Abelson in long and extended cell phone conversations; possibly back to the HGB building at 6331 Hollywood Boulevard. It was probably discussed then, that the 200 plus scientologists waiting to speak could not be exposed to the realities and truths that they would hear spoken by the opponents and critics who were also waiting to speak.

Of course, the good news is that the matter has to go back to the Board of Supervisors and we can have even more opponents in attendance to argue why the Scientology enterprise should not be expanding into the Leona Valley (no matter how deep the lake or dense the woods). Certainly, a non-governmental, non-lock-down, voluntary drug rehab facility should not have armed guards 24/7! But then the Scientology base at Gilman Hot Springs should not be "armed and dangerous" either. It is quite scary to think of the numbers of people who have simply disappeared from that facility, or to hear stories of people like Annie Broeker screaming from solitary confinement. If only the dead could talk! See Brainwashing in Scientology's gulags, the RPF.

As I walked out of the meeting room a young woman attacked me. She grabbed at my manila envelope, briefly exposed the 'WWW.XENU.NET' bumper sticker and then informed me that she was going to have me arrested for displaying it. "We know you're working covertly," she said. Ah, OSA I thought. I told her to get her hands off me but she wouldn't back off. She screamed for a nearby Sheriff's deputy to come over, and he did. She was still grabbing at my arm and envelope when I said to the Deputy that I wanted her arrested, for assault and battery. The Deputy motioned for me to be silent while he called for back-up which arrived in seconds. The back-up then escorted the Scientology staffer away while the first deputy asked to see my bumper sticker. "Ah," he said. "There were several comments about that." I spoke to him about the two thugs who had been trying to intimidate me. The Deputy said that several of the other Deputy Sheriffs had noticed and worried about them as well. Then the deputy escorted me out to the street and past the gathered scientology executives and the woman who had wanted me arrested. I wondered as to the real "crime?" A "Suppressive Person" being "covertly hostile" by just telling the actual truth instead of a scientology "acceptable truth." As defined by Hubbard, an "Acceptable truth" is an explanation tailored for the needs of a particular audience. Hubbard also wrote a document called 'TR-L' or 'Training Routine-Lying: the only way to control some-one is to lie to them.' And those are religious scriptures?

Once outside the throng of Scientologists or Rondroids, I encountered David Sweetland. David is a former scientologist who had progressed 'up the Scientology Bridge' to OT VII before leaving the organization. When David left Scientology he was declared "a suppressive person" and his wife of nearly 25 years, and his two young adult children, were ordered to "disconnect from him." He has not been able to communicate with them since. David can personally attest to the painful horror of scientology family abuse and the side-effects of the Narconon "culling process."

David Sweetland explained his opposition to the Leona Valley Narconon facility as being very simple: 'If the Church of Scientology wants to promote Narconon it is entitled to do so, but only within the confines of the Church of Scientology [and not through a commercial false-front such as Narconon], and only after a full disclosure [of the potential consequences of what you are being exposed to] and your fully informed consent has been signed, expressly waiving much of the medical, legal and family assistance you might otherwise expect to receive.

As I wandered off into another Los Angeles heat-wave, I wondered as to the sort of church that would have hired thugs at a public hearing to determine whether or not the church's false-front should be allowed to do business within a community. The question can be answered by the final sentence of a St. Petersburg Times editorial: "The Church of Scientology is like no other church that we know."

And so the Leona Valley Narconon facility, if it is approved, will be a part of the totalitarian para-military Church of Scientology's command structure; with Narconon money [$10 million p.a.] going up-lines to the Church and orders coming down-lines from the Church to the Leona Valley facility.

Would you want a religious mafia such as the Church of Scientology, America's own Taliban, in your neighborhood, destroying America one citizen at a time?

"By their deeds ye shall know them." Just watch Scientology's shills attack me for this expression of free speech and opinion!

Graham Berry
Attorney
[tel. number and email address - see source]