Thoughts on my predicted demise
Rev. Dennis L Erlich
It's been a while since I did more in my postings than point to
cracks in the law where the scienos can do their dirtywork.
Frankly, it's not all that interesting to me.
If those lawyer threads are just going to be a general discussion
about copyright law or the american justice system,
alt.religion.scientology should be trimmed from the distribution.
That there are many injustices in the world is certainly a given.
In the case of Your Humble Narrator, it seems like I have
combined two character elements which need to be expressed by
seperate players, if the story is to have emotional impact. It
is always more effective if the victim is not left standing after
the "tragic injustice." S/he should be unable to complain about
what what was done. It should be left to another character,
someone more objective, perhaps even skeptical at first, to point
to what happened, and gain the empathy of the reader.
So many times during the years since I left the cult, I have been
subject to dirty tricks. I have long since given up holding on
to anything I care about, including my own life. Perhaps to the
casual reader, I seem to be anesthitized to events.
I'll give you an example: There is no time while I drive during
which I am not concerned about being followed; constantly
checking the rear-view mirror, constantly ready to duck if a car
comes up alongside. Another thing: I have not met anyone in
years about whom I have not wondered; were they placed in my life
by the cult.
The scienos brag they have me "pinned down". This is because
they know my minimal movements. They say I look ugly in my
bathrobe. This is because I am under surveilance by them.
You try it for a week and see how it effects your emotional
balance.
On second thought, don't bother. I've had so much practice
adjusting to these kinds of things. Take my advice: you better
steer clear.
And while I'm on the subject, I certainly thought I've made it
evident that I do not in any way consider myself worthy of
emulation. Quite the contrary! I advise people *not* to end up
like me. Do not take the path I am on. Do not try to be like
me. "Like me" is exactly the *wrong* way to be. It is, as Andy
and the scienos are so fond of pointing out, a good way to get
yourself into a mess.
Society trains us to be less and less confrontational. To
acquiesce and back off, rather than to take a stand and not
budge.
Against this sweeping social current, I am attempting to remain
balanced on the tip of a life in which I became too proficient at
things with which no human being should become familiar. No
matter how casual I make it seem, it is not particularly easy.
Sometimes I use a part of my personality I hate, vitreolic
rhetoric, to rail against darkness itself. Of this, I am not
particularly proud. But I have my own unique dark wail. It
warns others to stay away from my footsteps. The reasons should
be obvious.
When I go to Clearwater for the March 9th protest rally against
the scienos' harassment of critics, I will be raising the ante a
bit. Since I left scientology and began speaking out in the
early 80's I have had a number of direct death threats. Once a
man threatened to kill me for *accidentally* getting his wife out
of the cult. Se had watched me talk her sister out of suicide
and out of the cult in a 24 hour period. Another threat occurred
when I finally acquessed and told some chap the Oat Tea 3 story.
A couple of hours later he was driving around town with a rifle,
looking to talk to me.
Perhaps it is true, as one "former" scieno security officer said
on irc the other nite, that I will probably be shot while getting
off the airplane in Tampa. This dude was only betting on the
number of bullets I'd take. I heard that he later claimed it was
just exaggeration. Hyperbole. Isn't that what they told the
Clearwater Police about the Hispanic maid who had been threatened
with death for running away from the cult's Clearwater Florida
organization. "We were just exaggerating." Well, whatever.
I expect the scienos to attempt to stage an incident to either
have me arrested or set up a frivolous law suit against me. This
would be extremely inconvenient for me, but it would allow me to
hang around the Clearwater area and mess up the "flows" of the
scienos' tax-free, cash-cow, golden-goose, brainwashing factory:
Flag (the Flagship Land Base).
I'd love to start a one-man, continuous picket in front of the
Ft. Harrison Hotel. Bill Franks did it. Shortly after Tubby
named him Executive Director International (For Life), in 81, the
poodle had him kidnapped to Hemet. Bill escaped and came back to
Clearwater. He marched back and forth in front of the Fort
Harrison Hotel with a sign that said something like "The Scienos
Stole Our Church". It made quite an impression on the staff.
Me particularly. I think he marched every day for a week. I
could see him out my hotel window.
I still have dreams about being lost in Clearwater. Trying to
get out. Trying to find my things in the Ft. Harrison Hotel, so
I can leave. They are never terrifying nightmares. Sometimes I
am successful and the dreams are happy. But most of the time,
they are mildly uncomfortable. The scienos in the dream are
always very polite to me, but continually misdirect me or block
my quest for egress.
I have a couple of reasons to be ambivalent about going to
Clearwater. It should be fun, though.
I met Steve Fishman last night. Glad I did, too. Now I know
what my friend, Joyce Stephenson, saw in him. With a genuinely
jovial demeanor, he succinctly explained a lot of things about
his adventure which had "eluded my understanding". I now
consider him a very credible person, notwithstanding his tendancy
toward excessive optimism. :)
In the freedom of speech v. copyright sekrit skripture case, we
received notice that we will be getting a deposition transcript
reimbursement from the state court reporter's group, due to the
pro bono status of MoFo's defense. We expect to get the funds
any time now. However we have need to encourage more
contributions, as MoFo will be about $3-4,000 short, even after
the transcript reimbursement comes in.
If any of you feel the urge to support my work in exposing the
scieno-scam, or to assist MoFo in defending freedom of speech,
please send your donations to:
Morrison & Foerster
345 California St.
San Francisco, CA 94104
C/O Carla Oakley
(make checks to MoFo and put "Dennis Erlich Defense" in the note
space)
Finally, I do not deny that I have not been worthy of support in
the past, and perhaps am not worthy of your support now. I will
attempt to become worthy should you choose not to judge me
harshly for my past misdeeds.
I am seeking redemption for my misspent youth, for supporting the
social disease known as scientology, for the occasional cruel
word or thoughtless act and for those I have unintentionally
harmed.
The struggle to win back my soul in which I am engaged with the
scienos might warp my personality beyond recognition. It may
very well be the death of me.
Hey. Whatever it takes. Right?
Rev. Dennis L Erlich * * the inFormer * *
<dennis....@support.com>
<inF...@primenet.com>
Rev. Gypsy Joker At The People's Republic of Frobnia
: Faithful Reader,
:
:
: So many times during the years since I left the cult, I have been
: subject to dirty tricks. I have long since given up holding on
: to anything I care about, including my own life. Perhaps to the
: casual reader, I seem to be anesthitized to events.
:
: I'll give you an example: There is no time while I drive during
: which I am not concerned about being followed; constantly
: checking the rear-view mirror, constantly ready to duck if a car
: comes up alongside. Another thing: I have not met anyone in
: years about whom I have not wondered; were they placed in my life
: by the cult.
Dennis, there are ways to combat many of these tactics. There are a good
many manuals on anti-surveillance tactics and with careful, thought out
execution these techniques do work. These same techniques have been
applied by Intelligence agencies for hundreds of years against enemy
counter-intelligence. If you are interested, the Loompanics catalog might
be a good place to start. Doing nothing about this is exactly what they
want you to do.
:
: The scienos brag they have me "pinned down". This is because
: they know my minimal movements. They say I look ugly in my
: bathrobe. This is because I am under surveilance by them.
:
: You try it for a week and see how it effects your emotional
: balance.
:
: On second thought, don't bother. I've had so much practice
: adjusting to these kinds of things. Take my advice: you better
: steer clear.
It is pretty scarey. I know, I've been there (albeit with a slightly less
resourceful group as my adversary) when I was in 10th grade the local
fundamentalists were doing the old black propaganda thing on me, one
their faithful my school resource officer had me put under police
surveillance, as he somehow managed to paint me as an UberCriminal and
Satanist (which being one these wasn't a criminal offense in the United
States last I checked, Though it was a fairly ridiculous charge as I was
the Chaplin of my ROTC unit that year ). Hence an unmarked car was waiting
for me at my
bus stop daily, it would be waiting in the parking lot in front of my
house by the time I got home. It would often follow me when I would go
out with my friends. It is *VERY* unnerving, no matter what the
circumstances.
:
: When I go to Clearwater for the March 9th protest rally against
: the scienos' harassment of critics, I will be raising the ante a
: bit. Since I left scientology and began speaking out in the
: early 80's I have had a number of direct death threats. Once a
: man threatened to kill me for *accidentally* getting his wife out
: of the cult. Se had watched me talk her sister out of suicide
: and out of the cult in a 24 hour period. Another threat occurred
: when I finally acquessed and told some chap the Oat Tea 3 story.
: A couple of hours later he was driving around town with a rifle,
: looking to talk to me.
Didn't even know this was going on! Show's what I get when my real life
gets to busy for me to keep up with things.
:
: Perhaps it is true, as one "former" scieno security officer said
: on irc the other nite, that I will probably be shot while getting
: off the airplane in Tampa. This dude was only betting on the
: number of bullets I'd take. I heard that he later claimed it was
: just exaggeration. Hyperbole. Isn't that what they told the
: Clearwater Police about the Hispanic maid who had been threatened
: with death for running away from the cult's Clearwater Florida
: organization. "We were just exaggerating." Well, whatever.
A word of sage advice from someone who is a Florida native, try not to
come in on a late night or even early evening flight. Tampa Int.'s
security is much tighter in the day time when it is crowded and full of
people.
:
: I still have dreams about being lost in Clearwater. Trying to
: get out. Trying to find my things in the Ft. Harrison Hotel, so
: I can leave. They are never terrifying nightmares. Sometimes I
: am successful and the dreams are happy. But most of the time,
: they are mildly uncomfortable. The scienos in the dream are
: always very polite to me, but continually misdirect me or block
: my quest for egress.
Ever since I was a little kid (bout 8 years old) when my Mom first took
me down through downtown Clamwater that place has always spooked me a
little. When I was a little older I rationalised it away and merely
regarded the rondroids ( actually that what they reminded me of when I
was eight, robots masquerading as human beings) as just kinda kooky.
Guess it proves that old saying: "From the mouths of babes...."
:
: In the freedom of speech v. copyright sekrit skripture case, we
Don't judge yourself too harshly. We've all done less than wise things
when we were young and knew no better.
President-for-Life Rev. Gypsy Joker KSC, IM, SP4, Earl of Fives
Neocheater, Critic and GIMME FREE SPEECH! GIVE EVERYBODY FREE SPEECH!
Czar of alt.gif-agreement
Dean of the Takiwashi Kuno School of Anything Goes USENET Flames
Bruno For U.S. President in '96
Kuno or Gypsy on IRC
ftp cybergate.com /ftp/pub/users/cdemmons
Fight the CDA, see http://www.eff.org/blueribbon.html for details
Fuck the CDA, Exon is a *COCKSUCKER*!
:
: Hey. Whatever it takes. Right?
:
J.Jonah Jameson
Terry Carroll
wrote:
>If those lawyer threads are just going to be a general discussion
>about copyright law or the american justice system,
>alt.religion.scientology should be trimmed from the distribution.
Will you guys return the favor and remove misc.int-property, misc.legal
and misc.legal.computing from the posts that are just pro- or
anti-scientology posts?
Cat Lover
Rev. Dennis L Erlich
Me:
>>If those lawyer threads are just going to be a general discussion
>>about copyright law or the american justice system,
>>alt.religion.scientology should be trimmed from the distribution.
Terry:
>Will you guys return the favor and remove misc.int-property, misc.legal
>and misc.legal.computing from the posts that are just pro- or
>anti-scientology posts?
Sure thing, Terry. I'll order the ars Central Committee to
make it Official Policy.
Rev. Dennis L Erlich
>>>: Hey. Whatever it takes. Right?
Cat Lover:
>How much is your suggested donation?
Any amount of support would be graciously accepted and put to
good use by MoFo. I would ask only that you not send money if
you are in financial bind yourself, or if in doing so, you might
deprive yourself or your family of any essentials.
>People out here may want to help.
I am sincerely grateful for any support, financial or
otherwise, given to this worthwhile cause.