Scientology pickets Professor Stephen A. Kent at University of Alberta
Anonymous
The crowded sidewalk in front of the University of Alberta's athletic
facility in Edmonton, Alberta, during registration week provided an
opportunity for Scientology to picket a University professor.
In the early afternoon on Wednesday, September 3, 1997, 4 or
5 Scientologists protested against the work and activities of Professor
Stephen A. Kent. Two people carried placards calling Dr. Kent's
("anti-Scientology" and "intolerant") scholarship into question. They
repeated their picket on Monday, September 8th, until Campus Security
sent them packing. They had not received permission from the appropriate
campus officials to hold their event.
At the September 3rd "event," one mature woman among the group
(possibly Reverend Yvette Shank) tried to pass out leaflets to passersby.
Amid the hustle and bustle of the pedestrian traffic winding its way
past the booths advertising the varied campus associations, not many people
extended their hands to receive yet another piece of paper from yet
another leaflet-passing person. Moreover, even fewer paused in their rush in
order to diminish the risk of being accosted by the marching Scientologists.
This person, however, backtracked through the crowd to pick up a
leaflet when the realization struck that this was a Scientology picket
against Kent--and most probably an illegal picket operating outside the
awareness and approval of Campus Security.
The following is a verbatim transcription of the leaflet that the picketers
were passing out. (I made all attempts to input as accurately as
possible from the text of the leaflet--any errors are mine. Hardcopy of
the original soon will be circulating). I have added comments at the
end about various sections of the text, and have identified the
pertinent sections by adding numbers in square brackets [ ] that, of course,
were not in the original.
Scientologists Protest Harassment by U of A Professor
Edmonton Scientologists picketed the University of Alberta this
afternoon, protesting the outrageous and malicious comments of Stephen
Kent, an associate professor [1] at the university, who has been to
Germany twice recently,[2] inciting government intolerance against German
members of the Scientology religion. [3] The U.S. government [4],
the British House of Lords,[5] Helsinki Watch,[6] and the Human Rights
Centre of Essex University in England [7] have all issued reports citing
the German government for human rights abuses against Scientologists
[8].
"It is positively appalling that a professor from Canada much
less the University of Alberta should go to Germany and pour gasoline on
an already inflamed situation with his paranoia and poor research," [9]
stated Reverend Yvette Shank of the Church of Scientology of Edmonton.
"Kent has not been in a Church of Scientology since 1988 and has refused
for years to meet with Church representatives."[10]
German intolerance against minority religions has exploded in
recent years. Earlier this year the Essex University Human Rights Centre
issued a report entitled Freedom of Religion and Belief: A World Report.
The report is highly critical of German government treatment of
Scientologists in particular. "In Germany, democracy is used as an
ideology to impose conformity. It has been dismaying to discover that
the state, and some of its politicians and people, are using what are
well-worn paths of discrimination and intolerance and of inciting
intolerance towards a new religious minority, the Scientologists...the
[German] authorities condone and actively support discrimination against
Scientologists from economic life and reducing the social and financial
support for members and their families which comes from earning income
or engaging in business...self-declarations and dissociations are part of
the intolerance."
A British House of Lords fact-finding committee [11] discovered that
the German government is spending $65 million annually to fund religious
discrimination against minority faiths and were "completely unprepared
for the sheer scale of prejudice, discrimination and even persecution"
against them. The committee was disturbed by their interviews with
German officials--"from the officials we met we received the inescapable
feeling that we were being told either Hitler got it wrong in the way he
dealt with sects but we have not and we are setting about it in a strictly
legal way', or that Hitler was right about sects but he did not finish the
job.' Either way the implications of the mind set are chilling."
Kent was at an anti-Scientology conference in Bonn yesterday [12] and
was the only North American representative [13]. In July, Kent made
comments to the Globe and Mail that Scientology was a "threat to
democracy" which church members call insane and ludicrous [14]. In a letter to
University President Dr. Rod Fraser, Reverend Shank calls Kent's views
"unscholarly, dangerous and promot[ing of] hatred." She has asked Dr.
Fraser to review the situation as Kent is an "embarrassment to the
University of Alberta and to Canada."
"Stephen Kent appears to be to Scientology, what Ernst Zundel and
Jim Kiegstra [15] are to the Holocaust. He should not be using his
position as an academic to promote his intolerance and hatred,"
concluded Reverend Shank.
End of leaflet.
Now, here's the midrash/deconstruction of this rant:
[1] The University of Alberta promoted Dr. Kent to Full Professor on July
1, 1997. This process involved three written reviews of his entire
academic vitae by respected Professors in his area of expertise; a
letter of endorsement by his department's Chair; plus a vote by all of the
department Chairs and faculty representatives at a meeting of the
Faculty Evalaution Committee. The Committe consists of ten members elected by
the Arts Faculty Council, fourteen department chairs, two Associate Deans (who
do not vote), plus the Dean. Consequently, almost thirty or so of his peers
were involved in the process. On another matter, one of Kent's former
students reported that picketers were busy against him on campus on
Tuesday, September 2, but I cannot confirm this claim with anyone else
yet.
[2] His first visit to Germany this summer took place in late June,
where he presented a paper to a large audience (probably over 500 people) at
the German Kirchentag, which is a bi-annual, week long celebration of
worship and information of the Lutheran Church. On June 20th, he spoke (through
translation) on the topic: "Wer halt denn das fur Religion? Zur
'wissenschaftlichen' Begundung der Religionseigenschaft der
Scientology-Organization," which translates something like, "What Has
This to Do Witth Religion? The Academic Foundation of the Religious
Characteristics of the Scientology Organization." One of the reasons
that Scientology must try to silence him is that he spoke about almost
certain human rights abuses associated with the RPF.
On June 21st he was a panelist on a panel about "Is Europe
Intolerant? The Dispute over Religious Freedom" (Ist Europa intolerant?
Der Streit um die Religionsfreiheit." He shared the panel with a German
Lutheran Church official, a German politician (noted Scientology
opponent Dr. Guenther Beckstein of Bavaria); a retired French professor,
a Russian professor; a Bulgarian professor; and a German professor.
He mentioned the way in which the internet is transforming the debate about
Scientology.
[3] Scientology is NOT a religion in Germany!! Nor did this hand-out
specify HOW Kent was "inciting government intolerance against German
members of the Scientology religion." At least in the text from which he
delivered his talk on the 20th, he said: "One of the tragedies in this debate is
that normal Scientologists will feel persecuted and threatened. These
people likely know nothing about RPF conditions, and they genuinely feel that
Scientology involvement has benefitted them. The organization to which they
belong, however, appears to be committing serious human rights abuses" (pp.
39-40). That certainly does not sound like inflammatory language!
[4] Yes--the U.S. State Department did begin criticizing Germany on
Scientology issues (mostly as they related to Americans) in 1993, and
Kent discussed this issue in his most recent talk (in August, which will be
discussed below]. For some of his background facts, he seems to have
relied upon the March 9, 1997 New York Times article by Douglas Frantz,
about the peculiar circumstances of the American IRS's decision, as well
as relevant State Department reports and briefings. He also mentioned
problems with both the IRS's and the State Department's positions.
[5] The British House of Lords did not critisize Germany's human rights
record in Germany. An "Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate Discrimination
Against Religious and Ethnic Minorities in Germany" did, BUT IT WAS NOT
AN OFFICIAL HOUSE OF LORDS COMMITTEE AND IT WAS HEADED BY LORD McNAIR--A
SELF-IDENTIFIED SCIENTOLOGIST! See the article on the internet
entitled, "Alarmed by Intolerance," which is an edited version of a FREEDOM
magazine article (published by Scientology) in 1997.
[6] I did not have access to this report, but it almost certainly does
not discuss the issues that Kent did--the Rehabilitation Project Force
(which Kent kept calling a "forced labour and re-indoctrination program or
camp"), security checking, and treatment of children. Does anyone have it?
[7] I do not have access to this report, but the comments for #6 also
hold true here. Again, does anyone have it? We should not take
Scientology's word that these reports discuss human rights abuses in
relation to that organization.
[8] By no means is it certain that Scientologists are suffering human
rights abuses. Scientologists can believe anything that they want--no
government official is interfering with BELIEF. Officials remain
opposed, however, to claims that the organization is both religious and
deserving of societal concessions and recognition. It appears that at least some
Scientologists' allegations about having suffered human rights abuses
are greatly overblown.
[9] Poor research? Well, give us some. SHOW us examples of his poor
research. And paranoia? Where does that come from? If he was paranoid
about being attacked by Scientology, he would not have given these
talks!!
[10] No. Al Buttnor, who recently has received some attention on this
news group, contacted Kent about a meeting in May, 1994. (The two of
them had met previously.) Kent tried to reach Buttnor by telephone three
times, but failed, so he wrote Buttnor a letter asking him to send a letter
instead in which he (Buttnor) could express his concerns. Kent was
rushing off to present an academic paper at a conference(ironically, in
Germany), and he had not finished writing the paper. As far as I know, that was
the last time that any Scientology official contacted Kent about a meeting. In
previous years, Kent had visited Scientology organizations in Ottawa, Toronto,
Montreal, and Los Angeles, and even visited Heber Jentzsch in his L.A. office!!
He also attended a Sea Org meeting in his home city of Edmonton, Alberta, AND
attended a big Scientology celebration in Toronto.
A few weeks ago (in mid-August), Kent ran into Buttnor at an academic
conference in Toronto, which was immediately after the two of them had
been on the radio show in Victoria, British Columbia (CJVI AM, hosted by
Howie Segal and also involving Martin Hunt and Gregg Hagglund, which got heavy
newsgroup exposure). Kent approached Buttnor and told him that, at
least from his perspective, the radio show had not been a set-up, since he
(Kent) did not even know that others were going to be on the show with him
until he read it on the 'net that morning. Well, Buttnor clearly did not want
to have a conversation with Kent! Looks like the "meeting with Church
representatives" issue is more complicated than Scientology portrays it
(typically).
[11] On this supposed "British House of Lords fact-finding committee,
see note 5 (above). Apparently two lords were on the "ad hoc
committee"--McNair and Hylton; along with Professor Anthony Flew,
Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Reading University; Dr. Dennis O'Keefe,
senior lecturer in the Sociology of Education at the University of North London;
and David Rosser-Gwen, who writes and lectures on religious affairs
(whatever that means). Does anyone have info on these people?
[12] The conference at which Kent spoke in Bonn, Germany, on September
1st was a short but high-profile panel on "How to Deal with Scientology?
An International Perspective." He spoke about "Scientology in the United
States" and "Scientology in Canada." His U.S. part of the talk
discussed the IRS decision and what it revealed about the Scientology
organization; the implications for the U.S. State Department; the civil
litigation involving allegedly posting secret doctrines and the subsequent
debates about expired copyrights and trade secrets, serious questions about
Hubbard's death, and Lawrence Wollersheim's efforts to collect his
money. He ended by (once again) mentioning the RPF. In his briefer Canadian
talk he highlighted the breach of trust conviction of the Church of
Scientology of Toronto, and the Casey Hill libel decision.
[13] Yes, he was the only North American representative at the
conference, BUT IT WAS IN GERMANY!! He shared the panel with one German
federal politician, one state politician, a German law professor, a
former British politician who had worked on Scientology immigration
issues, a Dutch professor, and a Greek professor. There was no need for
more than one North American! Someone from the Canadian embassy, however,
did attend, as did someone from the American embassy.
This Bonn conference was sponsored by the prestigious Konrad
Adenauer Foundation, which (according to its home page) "offers
political education, conducts scientific fact-finding research for political
projects, grants scholarships to gifted individuals, researches the
history of Christian Democracy, and supports and encourages European
unification, international understanding, and development-policy cooperation.
Our annual budget amounts to around DM 200 million. We account publicly for
our expenditures, and careful management of our funds is scrutinized by
Federal and Land ministries, courts of audit, and fiscal authorities." Match
that accountability, Scientology!!
[14] The article to which the pamphlet refers is: Alan Freeman,
"Germany Presses Case Against Scientologists," GLOBE AND MAIL
[Canada's national paper], (July 17, 1997): A1, A8. He was quoted
as saying, "But Stephen Kent, a University of Alberta sociologist who
has long studied Scientology, believes it is a totalitarian organization
that should be feared by all democracies, including Germany,
because of its alleged use of forced labour and indoctrination programs.
'The overall issue of Scientology's threat to the democratic state is
certainly worthy of investigation.'" Mr. Kent was recently in Berlin
to address a seminar on Scientology organized by a Social Democratic
member of Parliament who is a harsh critic of the group."
[Well, close: Kent was the focus of a news conference called by Ms.
Renate Rennebach, a member of Parliament from the Social Democratic Party.]
Kent's discussion of the RPF was carried in at least ten newspapers
around the country, plus radio and television.
[15] Jim Keegstra (note the correct spelling) and Ernst Zundel
are notorious Canadian anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers. Keegstra was a
high school teacher in the same province as Kent's University, so it looks
like Scientology was trying to play on a "teacher" analogy here. Obviously
Scientology does not realize that Kent worked directly with the Crown
prosecutor and the RCMP on the Keegstra trial, which eventually led to
the former school teacher's conviction!
Well, typically, Scientology attempts to "dead agent" someone who
speaks truthfully and thoughtfully by combining half-truths, unsupported
allegations, distorted facts, and character assasination. The
University adminstration did receive a Scientology protest letter
against him, but apparently Kent has not yet seen the University's response
to it.
Martin Hunt
In article <360fc9932e31c9fc...@anon.efga.org>,
an...@anon.efga.org (Anonymous) wrote:
>The crowded sidewalk in front of the University of Alberta's athletic
>facility in Edmonton, Alberta, during registration week provided an
>opportunity for Scientology to picket a University professor.
Verification, please?
I'd like to web this on the Scientology in Canada webpage, if it
checks out as having actually occurred, and is not a troll. They
picketted Dr. Kent? Loonies!
Anyone interested in Dr. Kent's views about OFC can read a transcript
of the radio show he did with me last month at:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/1332
Exact URL:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/1332/radio1.htm
BTW, if anyone wants to picket me at home, my address is:
203-1116 Queens Ave.,
Victoria, BC.
Best times are probably on the weekends, but suit yourself. There
is a noise bylaw in Victoria, so I'd advise not to make a noisy
late-night picket and wake up the neighbours, but pick whatever
time you find convenient. If possible, I'd like to be made out
to be a pornographer, please; I've always taken a fancy to that
particular DA line. :-)
Suggested signs:
Martin Hunt: Copyright Terrorist!
Hunt and Hitler: separated at birth? (with suitable photo edit)
Anti-Scientology Bigot creates Hate on the Internet
Martin Hunt: Porn King of Victoria!
TIA.
--
Cogito, ergo sum. Use "Xenu" in Subject: line of email.
Bev
Anonymous wrote:
> The crowded sidewalk in front of the University of Alberta's athletic
> facility in Edmonton, Alberta, during registration week provided an
> opportunity for Scientology to picket a University professor.
> In the early afternoon on Wednesday, September 3, 1997, 4 or
> 5 Scientologists protested against the work and activities of Professor
> Stephen A. Kent.
> At the September 3rd "event," one mature woman among the group
> (possibly Reverend Yvette Shank) tried to pass out leaflets to passersby.
> The following is a verbatim transcription of the leaflet that the picketers
> were passing out.
> End of leaflet.
> Now, here's the midrash/deconstruction of this rant:
I think it may be worth a try for anybody at University of Alberta
to recommend to their University newspaper on doing a story on this.
Show both sides using the Co$'s leaflet, and then the midrash/
deconstruction of their leaflet just as done in this post.
It will show the face of the Co$ the very best way that can be
done, and that is by using their own material versus facts as
demonstration.
Include also the Co$'s favorite portion from Brinkema's decision
in Arnies case and some of the policy on DA and fair game with some
URL's thrown in for good measure.
Beverly
Ex Mudder
<snip>
Congratulations, Mr. Kent! that makes you a SP 4 for sure.
Feel free to use what I have collected at
www.best.com/~dkeith/exterm.htm for a rebuttal.
Dean Benjamin
Anonymous wrote:
> [11] On this supposed "British House of Lords fact-finding
> committee, see note 5 (above). Apparently two lords were on the "ad
> hoc committee"--McNair and Hylton; along with Professor Anthony
> Flew, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Reading University;
> Dr. Dennis O'Keefe, senior lecturer in the Sociology of Education at
> the University of North London; and David Rosser-Gwen, who writes
> and lectures on religious affairs (whatever that means). Does
> anyone have info on these people?
Antony Flew is a Fellow of CSICOP (Committee for the Scientific
Investigation of the Claims of the Paranormal), an organization
dedicated to the debunking and critical examination of frauds of every
stripe. CSICOP publishes the quarterly magazine _The Skeptical
Inquirer_, to which Flew is a frequent contributor. I've read a
number of his articles, and on that basis I doubt Flew is the type to
favor Scientology. CSICOP itself was attacked by the barratrous cult
for publishing a critical article by Roy Wallis about Dianetics.
See complete list of CSICOP Fellows at
http://www.csicop.org/about/fellows.html
and article in the Toronto Globe & Mail about the GO Op
http://www.sky.net/~sloth/sci/CSICOP.txt
David Gerard
On Thu, 11 Sep 1997 22:46:05 GMT,
Ex Mudder <Xmu...@dkeith.vip.best.com> wrote:
:In article <360fc9932e31c9fc...@anon.efga.org>,
:an...@anon.efga.org (Anonymous) wrote:
:<snip>
: Congratulations, Mr. Kent! that makes you a SP 4 for sure.
No, that's SP 5 - actual harassment. Even 'better'!
: Feel free to use what I have collected at
:www.best.com/~dkeith/exterm.htm for a rebuttal.
--
http://thingy.apana.org.au/~fun/scn/ http://www.suburbia.net/~fun/scn/
I hereby encourage all earthlink.net users to leave for a provider whose
email and Usenet messages are not boycotted by the rest of the net, and
for ISPs to continue to block earthlink.net email and Usenet messages from
Earthlink, until earthlink.net *stop* the flow of junk email and spam.
And they're this > < close to going under, too. Bewaaaare.
Roland
> Anonymous wrote:
> > [11] On this supposed "British House of Lords fact-finding
> > committee, see note 5 (above). Apparently two lords were on the "ad
> > hoc committee"--McNair and Hylton; along with Professor Anthony
Lord McNair has been a Scientologist since 1990. Lord McNair is
sometimes referred to as Lord Scientology.
Roland
Dave Bird---St Hippo of Augustine
In article <3419B601.4E46@_SPAMTRAP_coltice.force9.co.uk>,
Roland <xemu@_SPAMTRAP_coltice.force9.co.uk> writes:
>> Anonymous wrote:
>> > [11] On this supposed "British House of Lords fact-finding
>> > committee, see note 5 (above). Apparently two lords were on the "ad
>> > hoc committee"--McNair and Hylton; along with Professor Anthony
>
>sometimes referred to as
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Martin Hunt
In article <slrn61iga...@thingy.apana.org.au>,
f...@thingy.apana.spaaaamtraaaaap.org.au (David Gerard) wrote:
>No, that's SP 5 - actual harassment. Even 'better'!
I had asked for some back-up that this actually occurred in a previous
post; it did. It's been confirmed.
Have critics ever picketed an *individual* like this? I know
Scientology has done this more than once. Picketing an organization
I can understand, but picketing an individual citizen by an
organization? That's ludicrous!
Maybe we should give the cult the address for the secret underground
base so they have something legitimate to picket?
Tony McClelland
an...@anon.efga.org (Anonymous) wrote:
I Emailed Stephen Kent speech to you but it bounced back to me.
I have posted his speech as separate article.
Scientology has confirmed thr quality of this document with
their protest.
Congratulations to Stephen A. Kent (Ph.D.)
Regards
Tony McClelland
>
Anonymous
>the last time that any Scientology official contacted Kent about a meeting. In
>previous years, Kent had visited Scientology organizations in Ottawa, Toronto,
>Montreal, and Los Angeles, and even visited Heber Jentzsch in his L.A. office!!
correction:
Kent did not visit the *Ottawa* org.
Apologies for our mistake!