Frank Magazine - MP Organizing Scientology EuroJunket

[Android Cat]

<bigo...@canuckistan.ca> wrote in message
news:S8MAR76K3757...@Gilgamesh-frog.org...
> Frank Magazine is a snarky Canadian publication that bills itself as
"North America's only bi-monthly satirical magazine." This article lightly
covers a bit of territory, including that of 'Face of Religious Bigotry'
political pundit and slatkinfraud.com co-author Kady O'Malley. A picture
of an anti-Kady picketer appears in the hard copy, which perhaps could be
scanned and posted to ABS by some kind Canadian with a Scanner. There is
no digital copy of the article, as Frank Magazine webs very little of its
content. The date of the article is thought to be either 10/4/02 or
10/18/02.
>
> ====
>
> BATTLEFIELD OTTAWA: MPs' SCIENTOLOGY MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR
>
> This week's award for most dubious parliamentary junket goes to Colleen
Beaumier (Lib-Brampton West-Mississauga) who is trying to round up
collegues for a week-long tot later this month to England to attend the
international AGM of the charmingly offbeat Church of Scientology.
>
> According to Colleen, she hatched the idea for the UK odyssey with Al
Buttnor, Scientology's chief Canadian spokesthingy.
>
> "Mr Buttnor shared with me an interesting idea that he has to take
several parliamentarians to Europe to demonstrate to them first hand the
discrimination and prejudice experienced by members of the Church of
Scientology. I thought hte idea had merit and I agreed to forward the
information to Members of Parliament who I thought might be sympathetic to
their cause as well as interested in a trip of this nature."
>
> Scientology is, of course, the wacky sect based on the writings of
sci-fi writer L. Ron Hubbard, best known for offers to cleanse you of your
past life traumas (for a reasonable price), a severe allergy to criticism,
and celebrity adherents like Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Charles Manson
(although Chuckie left the Church long before entering the psycho hall of
fame).
>
> Prominent Canadian Scientologists are a rarer find, or seem to keep
quieter about it. Leonard Cohen briefly sampled Scientology from the New
Age salad bar and Guess Who lead hoser Burton Cummings once kicked drugs
through a Scientology-run narcanon program, before once again dropping the
Church for drugs. Chacun a son goute.
>
> There's nothing new about MPs taking freebie trips from all sorts of
cultural and religious groups, foreign governments and businesses, seeking
a sympathetic ear and a little legislative gratitude for their
hospitality. As soon as the mercury drops in Canada, the honourable
members get a helluva lot less picky about who's paying the tab for their
travel of what kind of time-share style sales pitch they have to endure
before the free cocktails.
>
> Among the subjects the Scientologists can be expected to raise with
their guests are the constant concerns about "suppressive" behaviour by
governments around the world, some of which regard them as a dangerous
cult, and plain old matters of the pocketbook (Revenue Canada kiboshed the
Scientologists' last bid for tax free status in 1999).
>
> The parliamentary freeloaders are scheduled to leave for England October
17. On the 21st, after the AGM wraps up at Scientology world headquarters
in Saint Hill Manor, East Grimstead, the Scientologists propose to whisk
their guests off on a fun-filled tour of France and Germany, two
governments with rigorous anti-cult laws the Sci-Fi's find particularly
onerous before touching back down in Toronto, Planet Earth, October 23.
>
> The Scientologists will have plenty to talk about at the confab, as it
has not been a good year.
>
> In March, Reed Slatkin, an ordained minister with the Church of
Scientology, pled guilty to 15 counts of fraud, money laundering and
conspiracy related to a long-running ponzi scheme. Among Slatkin's
celebrity bilkees were Pearl Harbour producer Armyan Bernstein and Fox
News meat puppet Greta Van Susteren.
>
> In May, the Church settled out of court with ex-member Lawrenece
Wollersheim, who claimed their harassment of him after he quit Scientology
drove him to the brink of suicide. The settlement price tag? US $8.7
million.
>
> Then there was the trouble in Paris, where a court fined local
Scientology Chapter US $7,300 for harassing ex-members. The French
government is proposing even stricter anti-cult laws which the
Scientologists say are an unconscionable attack on their religious
freedoms.
>
> Hubbard's tribe havn't historically had much luck in Canada, either,
often because of their dirty tactics against critics and enemies, real and
imagined. The Church was convicted in 1992 of spying on the Attorney
General, the Ontario Provincial Police and the RCMP. They were fined
$250,000, and made matters worse by making up some goofy shit about
misconduct by Crown prosecuter Casey Hill. Hill made legal history with
his mammoth $1.6-million libel judgement against them.
>
> The 1999 repercussions against Hill Times hackette Kady O'Malley, whose
offense against the Scientologists was to be seen at a free speech rally
outside the Church's Toronto headquarters was more bizarre than sinister.
Scientology operatives photographed her and then somehow tracked her back
to Ottaawa. They then sent a couple of goons to Parliament Hill with
picket signs reading "The Face of Bigotry!" (See Pic) Much puzzlement
ensued and the protestor/stalkers soon packed it in.
>
> Good seats are, I understand, still available on the Starship
Scientology. Interested MPs should contact Colleen's assistant Natalie at
996-2878

Ha! I can't wait to see Co$'s reaction to that story. They'll lose no
matter what they do. I suspect that a lot of government people buy that
magazine. (In brown-paper wrapper.)

Ron of that ilk.