Today's CCHR demo in Sudbury, MA
barbz
http://www.kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=18&ArticleID=11169&TM=48010.15
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=178849
When tragedy strikes, most people are sympathetic and considerate of
survivors, friends and relatives of the victims.
There are a few notable exceptions, such as Fred Phelps and the Westboro
Baptist Church. Phelps is drawn to military funerals as a fly is drawn
to stinky. His congregation, which is mainly members of his own family,
show no regard for the mourners. Left to their own devices, they'll hoot
and screech that 'God hates fags,' and that the death is god's
retribution for national tolerance.
Is Scientology poised to become the next Westboro? One might be inclined
to think so, as Scientologists are planning a protest following a fatal
stabbing at a Sudbury, Massachusetts school last Friday.
Under the banner of Scientology front group 'Citizens Commission on
Human Rights,' Scientologists are planning to demand a list of the
accused killer's perscriptions and the name of the doctor who perscribed
them.
John Odgren has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of
autism, and is on several different medications.
Scientology is not above scrounging around at disaster sites.
Immediately after September 11, Scientologists posing as mental health
workers and "Volunteer Ministers" smarmed into New York City. They even
conned Fox News to run a banner on their news crawl, offering mental
health assistance from an organization they called 'National Mental
Health Assistance,' not to be confused with the legitimate 'National
Mental Health Association.' The phone number on the banner is the same
800 number used by Dianetics. Back at <A
HREF="http://www1.nmha.org/newsroom/system/news.vw.cfm?do=vw&rid=341">Ground
Zero,</A> Scientologists were walking around in NMHA shirts in a
deliberate attempt to mislead people. Certainly it is a mere coincidence
that their mental health assistance organization just *happens* to have
the same initials as the National Mental Health Association. Right?
CCHR claims there is no such thing as mental disease. This reflects the
beliefs of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, not that there's anything
wrong with that. At least, not until their whacky, ignorant junk science
theories begin to affect state policies.
They also claim that "psych drugs" are the core reason for school
violence because kids who commit unthinkably horrible acts like the
Sudbury stabbing are under medical supervision.
As Dr. Earnest Harman points out, "The kids doing the school shootings
are troubled to begin with, whether they're on anti-depressants or not,"
he said. "The fact they're on a medication is an indication that
somebody in the community has identified a problem and is trying to help."
CCHR clamoring has already affected one state legislature; New Mexico.
Pressure from groups opposed to screening influenced New Mexican
legislators to pass a law prohibiting mental health screening in
schools. Similar legislation has been proposed in nine other states, the
National Mental Health Association reports.
Screening for depression and other mental health issues could be a
valuable tool in preventing tragedies like the Columbine shootings. This
is Scientology fantasy impacting real life...real kids and real deaths.
Heck, they screen for vision and hearing problems. What if the voices
are all in the head, or your adolescent is suffering from depression?
Wouldn't you want to know about it? Wouldn't you want your child's
school to be aware of potential problem kids?
CCHR is also actively promoting a traveling road show, in the best
tradition of snake oil salesmen of the Wild West. Called 'Psychiatry, An
Industry of Death,' this display of wild accusations and inaccuracies
has drawn criticism and rejection wherever it goes.
Again posing as "experts," CCHR representatives churn out choice sound
bytes by the hatfull.
Mental health "expert" Kevin Hall is head of CCHR in New England. "These
doctors shouldn’t be prescribing willy-nilly. It’s like playing Dr.
Frankenstein," he declared. Apparently you don't need a medical degree
to give advice to doctors. A diploma from Klown Kollidge is apparently
sufficient. He makes it sound like the doctors hang up a Physician's
Desk Reference and hurl darts to pick a drug. Sadly, some people are
naive enough to buy this codswallop. Even sadder, some of them are
legislators, congresscritters, and judges.
The problem is, hardly anyone bothers to fact-check the misinformation
gushing from the Scientology standpipe.
Last week, CCHR made the mistake of sending a brochure to the <A
HREF="http://www.kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=18&ArticleID=11169&TM=48010.15">Kingman
Miner,</A> the local paper for Kingman, Arizona. The reporter decided to
take the time and research some of CCHR's outrageous statements.
A psychiatrist who was shown the brochure described the Scientologist
mindset accurately and succinctly.
"First of all, you have to recognize where (CCHR) is coming from," Dr.
Earnest Harman said. "They're a mouthpiece for the Church of
Scientology, which is big on anti-psychiatry drugs.
"They look at all kids in what we call primary process thinking, which
does not adhere to logic. For example, if you have someone in a yellow
shirt kill someone wearing a yellow shirt, a primary process thinker
believes anyone in a yellow shirt will kill someone else in a yellow shirt."
Thus, we can see strangely incomprehensible leaps of Scientology logic
made clear. If you're against Scientology, for example, you support the
drugging of schoolchildren. If you criticize Scientology's drug rehab
facility Narconon, you're in favor of illegal drugs.
Scientology seems to have a real talent for repulsing and disgusting
people worldwide. Targeting vulnerable disaster victims and sending
members posing as mental health professionals and ministers is pretty
low. But they haven't stopped there, it's almost as if they're trying to
find the line that shouldn't be crossed. Using a community tragedy as an
excuse to spread their peculiar and ill-informed beliefs while the
residents are grieving is repugnant.
This is already a concern voiced by <A
HREF="http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/homepage/8998982781094592505">The
Metrowest Daily News</A> which covers the Boston area, "A Scientologist
group will gather today in Sudbury to demand that accused teen killer
John Odgren's psychiatric medications be made public in an event some
say will enrage the grieving community."
Another topic of outrage should be over CCHR's demands for access to the
accused killer's medical records and doctor's name as if they have a
right to them. When Scientologists are on a roll, they act like they
have a right to personal information, medical histories and criminal
records.
It is somewhat surprising that there isn't more of a backlash from the
medical community. Scientology's open hatred of the mental health
industry is dangerous. Just ask Scientologist Elli Perkins. Oh, right,
you can't. She's dead, stabbed to death by her schizophrenic son<A
HREF="http://perkinstragedy.org">Jeremy Perkins,</A>who was being
"treated" with vitamins on the expert advice of an osteopath named
Conrad Maulfair. You might as well take medical advice from a geologist
for all the good it will do.
Finally, I want to emphasize that CCHR presents itself as a secular
organization not connected with Scientology. Like Narconon and other
front groups, they claim to be a separate entity, realizing that they
will benefit from establishing some distance away from the Mother Ship.
Still, with this kind of lurid, insensitive behavior, they aren't making
any friends. Their protest today in Sudbury consisted of nine people on
a corner holding signs, with the following reaction from locals.
During the hour-long protest, several motorists could be seen shaking
their head. Several flashed their middle fingers at the CCHR members as
they passed, while others shouted from windows.
"Have you ever seen a schizophrenic off his drugs? Obviously not!" one
woman shouted, before driving away.
If there's one thing Scientologists know how to do well, it's making
friends all around the world!
--
--
Spidergraham
Chaplain, ARSCC
xenu...@netscape.net
"Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable
insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as
Scientology."
-ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"
thorazine shuffle
"barbz" <xenu...@netscape.net> wrote in message
news:LgUth.14861$8U4....@newsfe20.lga...
Thanks for posting that. I know of some people that need to see it.
Android Cat
> http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/homepage/8998982781094592505
>
> http://www.kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=18&ArticleID=11169&TM=48010.15
>
> http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=178849
> Scientology is not above scrounging around at disaster sites.
> Immediately after September 11, Scientologists posing as mental health
> workers and "Volunteer Ministers" smarmed into New York City. They
> even conned Fox News to run a banner on their news crawl, offering
> mental health assistance from an organization they called 'National Mental
> Health Assistance,' not to be confused with the legitimate 'National
> Mental Health Association.' The phone number on the banner is the same
> 800 number used by Dianetics. Back at <A
> HREF="http://www1.nmha.org/newsroom/system/news.vw.cfm?do=vw&rid=341">Ground
> Zero,</A> Scientologists were walking around in NMHA shirts in a
> deliberate attempt to mislead people. Certainly it is a mere
> coincidence that their mental health assistance organization just
> *happens* to have the same initials as the National Mental Health
> Association. Right?
A search on "National Mental Health Assistance" doesn't turn up an active
organization. The only Google references are to reports about CoS's
deception, and a few dummies who call the *real* organization National
Mental Health Assistance by mistake. (It has since changed it's name to
Mental Health America | formerly known as the Mental Health Association,
btw.)
No luck on incorporations in Florida or California.
So... A name which they never used before 9-11 and never used afterwards.
Obviously it was invented on the spot by Scientology just to scam FOX. (Oh
wait, that's not fair. CoS might have created a checklist ahead of time of
scams to try in the event of a disaster.)
--
Ron of that ilk.