Scientology opponent survives charges, wins award

[Joe's Garage]

Bob Minton has talked of the Church of Scientology as an

organization which tries to stop criticism of itself by taking action to

discredit its critics. Leading Scientologists, in response, have

portrayed Minton and his activities in a decidedly unfavorable light.

The result has been a sort of "Cold War" in which freedom of speech and

freedom of religion are matched against each other in the media, in the

courts and on the street.

After a decades long battle with the Internal Revenue Service,

Scientology leader David Miscavige declared on October 8, 1993, "The war

is over!" More precisely, Scientology's war with the Internal Revenue

Service to gain tax exemption for religious purposes was over. Its wars

with Germany and the internet had only just begun.

Starting in 1994, the "International Association of Scientologists"

publicly identified itself in full page advertisements in three major

U.S. newspapers as the power behind a massive campaign to presumably

warn the American public of a danger of a new Holocaust in Germany.

Large black and white photographs in the ads portrayed scenes from

Nazi Germany while accompanying texts put Scientologists in Germany

today on a level equivalent to the Jews in Nazi Germany sixty years

prior.

In a seemingly unrelated action, Scientology's newly tax-exempt

organizations instituted legal proceedings in which raids were

conducted upon the homes of critics of Scientology in the United

States. Federal marshalls stood by while Scientology representatives

ransacked computer storage media of people whom Scientology believed

had posted its copyrighted secrets to the internet.

One of the results of these 1995 raids was that retired investment

banker Robert S. Minton sympathized with people who would not

otherwise have been in a financial position favorable to defending

themselves from prosecution. Furthermore, the combined outcomes of his

assistance to those in legal need and of Scientology's previous public

relations attacks on Germany has now had unexpected consequences.

Bob Minton is to be distinguished in Leipzig, Germany on June 3, 2000

for his work in promoting the human rights of victims of Scientology's

aggressive tactics. Members of the newly formed Alternative Charlemagne

Award committee come not only from Germany, but also from Ireland,

Great Britain, France, Russia, Denmark, Canada and the USA to honor

Minton's conduct. People publicly supporting the award reside in

countries even more diverse than those of the committee members and

include those with family still in Scientology. For more information

on the award, see http://www.alt-charlemagne-award.de.

Presentation of the Alternative Charlemagne Award to Robert S.

Minton will occur ten days after a jury sided with the Scientology

opponent when he said assault charges filed against him by organization

members were spurred not by misconduct on his part as he picketed

Scientology's Florida headquarters last November, but by his accusers'

own organizational policies towards its critics. In related news, Swiss

Scientology opponent Odette Jaccard has been nominated for the "Prix

Courage."

Joe Cisar: http://cisar.org/rfs0100.htm
Award site: http://alt-charlemagne-award.de
Why would Gottfried Helnwein, one of the world's leading Scientologists,
lie? See http://members.tripod.com/German_Scn_News/has00.htm

On Sun, 28 May 2000, German_Scn_News wrote:

> in Brief - Alternative Charlemagne Award
>
> Struggling with the sect
>
> Berlin, Germany
> May 27, 2000
> taz
>
> U.S. American Robert S. Minton is to be distinguished with the
> "Alternative Charlemagne Award" for his struggles with the Scientology
> sect. The 53-year-old man is the chairman of the "Lisa McPherson Trust,"
> based in Clearwater, Florida The presentation will take place on June 3 in
> Leipzig's old stock exchange. (epd)
>
> ---
>
> [additional info from translating department: It is reported from a German
> source that Scientology's private intelligence agency, OSA, is already in
> Leipzig to tell local businesses not to deal with the award committee.]
>
> -----------
>
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