Narconon/Purification: A Call To Arms [2/3]
Chris Owen
The recent New York Times article on L. Ron Hubbard's purification
"therapy" being used to "detoxify" New York firefighters exposed to
9/11 toxins had one very striking quote in it, which I'll highlight
here:
"People are desperate to feel better," said one fire lieutenant.
"As far as I can tell, they'll try anything, even off the beaten
track." Another officer, who said he planned to sign up for the
regimen in hope of clearing up lung congestion, said: "Right now,
I'm at the point I would try a voodoo doctor."
Desperation and ignorance: that's the soil in which
Narconon/Scientology grows. We can't do much about the desperation,
but the ignorance *can* be tackled.
Narconon Exposed (http://www.narconon-exposed.org) was created with
the aim of collating and analysing as much information as possible on
Narconon and the Purification Rundown. Until now, the main focus of
activity has been data-mining from online sources and databases. That
now needs to be expanded to cover the vast amounts of offline
information that is sitting in archives, waiting to be unearthed and
publicised. But information by itself is not necessarily going to make
much difference. Narconon Exposed is a useful resource, but it is a
passive one. We need to mobilise what information we have and send it
into battle; the goal, to press Narconon/Scientology to fix its
problems or else to undermine it, roll it back and if necessary to
drive it out of business.
Over the years, many local, regional and national governmental bodies
have had dealings with Narconon - typically in licensing its
operations or providing funding for local programmes. In quite a few
cases, there has been considerable controversy, particularly
concerning funding for Narconon or other organisations peddling
Scientology Purification. As far as can be determined, it seems that
most state-funded Narconon/Purification programmes have been dropped
or cut off because of concerns about propriety or poor results. This
is not as widely known as it should be. It needs to be.
Because Narconon/Scientology has been most active in the United States
and Canada, I propose to focus primarily on those countries. There are
a few items of interest in Britain as well, which should not be too
difficult to deal with. France, Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico,
Spain and Sweden are also of interest, but as language presents a
barrier it will take longer both to obtain information and to exploit
it. The U.S. is clearly the most fruitful place to start, with its
high level of Narconon/Scientology activity and its national and state
freedom of information laws.
I've worked out what, where and who we need to ask questions. If
anyone can suggest any more, please let me know! They break down into
three basic categories: generic issues (principally for the U.S.
states), localised issues of major importance (for a number of
individual states and Federal agencies) and localised issues of lesser
importance (for other individual states and agencies). The questions
are as follows:
----------
1. Generic issues
(Note: Narconon has been active at one time or another in about 20
states. These questions need to be asked of the governments of each of
those states.)
A. Is Narconon currently accredited and/or licensed to operate in your
state?
B. If the answer to question A is yes, who approved it, what was the
justification, what evidence was presented for and against Narconon's
application and when was approval given?
C. Has your state ever provided direct or indirect funding to
Narconon?
D. If the answer to question D is yes, why was funding provided, how
much was given, where and when was it spent, and what evaluation was
conducted into the results?
E. Is funding still being provided and if not, why was it terminated?
(The following questions are for states where Narconon organisations
used to exist but are now defunct.)
F. A Narconon organisation used to operate in your state; was it
accredited or licensed to operate?
G. If the answer to question F is yes, who approved it, what was the
justification, what evidence was presented for and against Narconon's
application and when was approval given? And was approval ever
withdrawn?
----------
2. Specific major issues
(Note: these invariably concern evaluations of Narconon which have so
far not made it into the public domain, but are potentially highly
relevant to the organisation's bona fides and even its continued
existence.)
A. CARF, Oklahoma: In 1992, Narconon obtained accreditation from an
Arizona organisation called the Commission for Accreditation of
Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). This allowed it to obtain licensing
in Oklahoma and has been invaluable to the organisation elsewhere.
However, serious questions have been raised about the CARF
accreditation which have so far gone unanswered. If there were
irregularities in the process, their exposure would be devastating to
Narconon's credibility and quite possibly its legal status. Right now,
there simply isn't enough evidence to say that there *were*
irregularities; but those unanswered questions need to be addressed.
They are:
- CARF conducted a review of Narconon which gave it a glowing report,
but this review has never been published; what does it say?
- Which individual CARF staff conducted the report and what were their
qualifications?
- Where methodology was used to evaluate Narconon?
- What influence, if any, did Narconon/Scientology have with CARF? In
particular, were any Scientologists or individuals connected with
Scientology-related organisations on CARF's staff?
B. Oklahoma. During the early 1990s, the state authorities fought a
ferocious battle with Narconon over the organisation's accreditation -
a battle which was eventually rendered moot by CARF's accreditation,
which forced the state to give Narconon a license to operate despite
it having been declared a menace to public health by the state's own
accreditors. An equally bitter battle was fought by the local Indian
tribes on whose land the Narconon Chilocco centre was established,
eventually resulting in Narconon being forced to relocate several
hundred miles away.
- What information did the state authorities (particularly the Board
of Mental Health and the Dept of Health) receive for and against
Narconon's accreditation?
- What info did the state authorities receive for and against
Narconon's relocation to Lake Eufaula?
- What did the state's own reports on Narconon say? (Only one has
actually been published.)
- Does the state have a copy of the CARF report? (presumably it must
do; it could hardly have granted Narconon a license on the basis of
the CARF accreditation without some confirmation on the matter).
- The Church of Scientology and Citizens Commission on Human Rights
both played an active role in pressuring the state; what
representations did they make?
- What discussions did the Indian tribes have concerning Narconon, and
what representations did Narconon make to the tribes?
- How much money did Narconon pay to the tribes in the end and how
much should it have paid?
- What did the original agreement between Narconon and the tribes
actually say?
C. Massachussetts: In the mid-to-late 1990s, the state of
Massachussetts not only permitted Narconon to lecture in public
schools but provided over $1m in funding to facilitate it - thus
enabling Narconon to promote its unscientific and religiously-based
theories on drug issues to thousands of children.
- How much funding has MA (presumably the state Departmenbt of
Education) provided to Narconon and is it still ongoing? If not, why
not?
- On what basis has this funding been provided?
- What representations did Narconon make to the MA authorities?
- Did the state conduct any evaluation of the results and if so, what
did it find?
- How did the state react to the Boston Herald's exposure of the
programme in 1998?
D. Utah: Fox News exposed the disturbing activities of a local judge,
who was sending convicted drug users to compulsory Narconon courses -
an illegal and unconstitutional action that appears to have been
stopped by the Fox report.
- Was this the only court in Utah that was sending people to Narconon?
- Who paid for this, and how much was spent?
- What evaluations were done concerning the results?
- What was the state's response to the Fox exposé?
- Has the programme now been ended for good?
E. Arizona: In 2001, some Arizona lawmakers were pushing "Second
Chance", a Scientologist-run programme which uses the Scientology
Purification method. It was eventually squashed following strong and
apparently well-informed opposition from the state Director of
Corrections, who highlighted the constitutional and efficacy problems.
Some years before that (in the 1970s) Narconon had been operating for
some years in Arizona prisons - where in fact it was founded, by a
convict named Willie Benitez - but subsequently lapsed for some
reason.
- Why did the state reject Second Chance?
- What did the state receive information for and against the
programme?
- What evaluations did the state itself conduct, and what were its
findings?
- Narconon was active in Arizona prisons in the 1970s. Did the state
fund this? What evaluations were conducted? When and why did this
activity end?
- Narconon claims that some time in the 1970s the "Arizona
Correctional Authority reported on 76 Narconon students who had been
released from prison". Is this true, and is a copy of the report
available?
F. Pinellas County, Florida: In 1999, the county's Family Life
Education Committee heard an application from a local Scientologist to
undertake a Narconon anti-drugs programme in local schools, but
rejected it on the grounds that it was "not aligned with school
district and federal guidelines governing drug education." This is
highly significant - if Narconon isn't aligned with federal guidelines
in Florida, that suggests that the same may be true elsewhere in the
U.S. too.
- Why did the county reject the programme?
- What representations were made for and against it?
- In what ways was Narconon "not aligned with school district and
federal guidelines governing drug education"?
G. The US Government: Over the years, the USG has had a number of
run-ins with Narconon, most notably when the federal Bureau of Indian
Affairs took over the management of Narconon's Chilocco facility from
1995.
- What dealings did the BIA have with Narconon?
- Why was Narconon's stay at Chilocco cut short by the BIA? (It was
agreed in 1989 and was originally due to run until 2014, but was
renegotiated in 2000 to require Narconon to leave within 3 years. It
left the following year.)
- Have the US Government's medical experts (notably the Dept of Health
and NIDA) ever reviewed Narconon/Purification, and if so, what are
their conclusions?
H. London, UK: In August 2001, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone banned
a Narconon/Purification rally in Trafalgar Square and issued a
statement calling it "a spurious medical programme" which was merely a
"cynical method of promoting the Scientology creed."
- What prompted Livingstone to ban the rally?
- According to Livingstone, he had received advice and expressions of
concern from "many drugs professionals". What did they say?
- What representations did Narconon/Scientology make?
- What was the subsequent reaction to the ban?
----------
3. Specific lesser issues
(Note: these concern a miscellany of issues relating to Narconon's
operations in specific localities.)
A. California (Dept of Corrections):
- Narconon claims that at some unspecified dates in the 1970s the
"California Dept. of Corrections reported on 19 inmates who had
participated in the Narconon program while in prison" and that "the
California Institute for Women reported on 25 Narconon clients" . Is
this true, and are copies of the two reports available?
B. California (Dept of Health): During the 1970s, the Dept of Health
was providing funding to Narconon New Life of Los Angeles through what
was known as the Short Doyle Act. An evaluation team was sent to the
facility on October 31, 1974 and was highly critical, recommending
termination of funding. A copy of the report is available on Narconon
Exposed but it is, unfortunately, incomplete.
- Does the Dept of Health have a complete copy, including attachments,
of the "Outline for Recovery, House Evaluation" of Narconon New Life
of Los Angeles, written by Forrest S. Tennant, Jr., M.D., Dr.P.H.,
Jane Thomas, R.N., Mike Reilly, and Joseph Shannon, M.D., M.P.H. and
submitted to Don Z. Miller, Deputy Director, Health Treatment System,
State Department of Health, Sacramento, CA, on Oct 31, 1974?
- How did the Dept of Health respond to this report?
- What dealings with the Dept of Health have with Narconon after Oct
31, 1974?
C. California (Workers' Compensation Appeals Board):
- According to testimony of Dr. David Root given to Congress in 2001,
the state Workers' Compensation Appeals Board has repeatedly ruled in
favour of compensation for Narconon/Purification "treatment" being
provided to workers suffering the effects of toxic exposure. Is this
true, and if so, in how many cases has it occurred, what level of
funding has been bestowed and what evaluation has been conducted into
the results?
D. California (Warner Springs): In 2002, the town of Warner Springs
gave Narconon permission to establish a facility near the town.
- What representations were made for and against Narconon?
- On what grounds was Narconon given permission to establish its
facility?
E. Minnesota (Dept of Corrections): In 1981, Narconon was kicked out
of the St. Cloud Reformatory for Men after a newspaper exposé and a
raid on its offices by state officials.
- On what grounds was state funding or permission for Narconon to
operate in prisons discontinued?
- Were any reports or evaluations conducted into Narconon's activities
and the effects thereof, and if so, what were the conclusions?
F. Connecticut (Dept of Corrections): In 1976, a Narconon program in
the Montville Correctional Facility was terminated.
- On what grounds was state funding or permission for Narconon to
operate in prisons discontinued?
- Were any reports or evaluations conducted into Narconon's activities
and the effects thereof, and if so, what were the conclusions?
F. Delaware (Dept of Corrections): In 1976, Narconon programs in
Smyrna and Georgetown prisons were terminated and an investigation by
the intelligence unit of the state police was carried out.
- On what grounds was state funding or permission for Narconon to
operate in prisons discontinued?
- Were any reports or evaluations conducted into Narconon's activities
and the effects thereof, and if so, what were the conclusions?
G. Michigan (Dept of Corrections): The Michigan DoC put over $120,000
into a Narconon program in the Ionia State Prison between 1977-80,
which was terminated following an exposé by the Detroit News. Michigan
Corrections Dept. psychologist John Hand was quoted as saying that
Narconon was "so misleading as to be termed a con. "
- On what grounds was state funding or permission for Narconon to
operate in prisons discontinued?
- Were any reports or evaluations conducted into Narconon's activities
and the effects thereof, and if so, what were the conclusions?
H. Michigan (Pennfield County Zoning Board of Appeals): Narconon
applied for permission to establish a facility in the town of Battle
Creek and succeeded, despite strong local opposition.
- What representations were made for and against Narconon?
- On what grounds was Narconon given permission to establish its
facility?
I. New York (Dept of Corrections):
- Narconon claims that at some unspecified time in the 1970s, Rikers
Island Institute for Men conducted a study of "81 students who had
started the voluntary Narconon program". Is this true, and is a copy
the study available?
J. Louisiana (City of Shreveport): Dr. Ronald E. Gots, a toxicology
expert invited by the city authorities to review the
Narconon/Purification program following concerns raised by the city's
insurers, delivered a blistering report in 1988 which labelled the
Hubbard program "quackery".
- Does the city have a copy of the report?
- How much money did the city pay for Purification threapy?
- What representations did the city receive concerning the regimen?
- How did the city respond to Dr. Gots' report?
K. Georgia (Bowdon): Narconon attempted to establish a facility in the
town but was rebuffed following resistance from the townspeople and
local media, especially from local Carroll Star News.
- What representations were made for and against Narconon?
- On what grounds was Narconon given permission to establish its
facility?
----------
I'm sure that everyone will agree that this is a pretty comprehensive
list. :-) Obviously, it's far too big for any one person to deal
with, and there are significant complicating factors that need to be
dealt with as well (chiefly the numerous local freedom of information
laws, which require requests to be tailored to local templates). I'm
happy to work out what needs to be requested and how it needs to be
done - but the actual work of sending out the requests and receiving
the responses will need to be shared among several volunteers. More
details in my next post, on how you can help.
| Chris Owen - ronthe...@OISPAMNOyahoo.co.uk |
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| NARCONON EXPOSED: The full facts about the Narconon program |
| http://www.narconon-exposed.org |
Nelson
of helping my fellow man and little did i know it would help me out of the
effects of drugs and a lifestyle I had done earlier. The same crap you vomit
now was vomited in the 70s when I was there. And your type of shit makes it
all the more difficult to get funding and to reach people in need of the
service. Either you dont know what you are talking about or you know it
would help man and do oppose NN for that reason cause you are a psycho. I
tend to think that is the case. Look you jerk why dont you open and run a
center for this type of thing and I will do my best to undermine it for you,
asshole. What do you give money to if anything? Methodone programs? Free
needles? YOU desreve to be in need of their progam and denied its benifits
as some small form of justice for the damages in the lives of people you
have ruined for NN. Not that you have much impact I would expect but I bet
at least a few who could have been helped did not seek that help thanks to
you and ended up worse off in a psych program instead.
Nelson
"Chris Owen" <ronthe...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:f758becc.03101...@posting.google.com...
Zinj
says...
Ummm... Nelson, are'nt you a declared and expelled victim of
this group that you are now claiming is a paragon of virtue,
which everyone should roll over and let stroke our tummies?
I'm tempted to ask you if you're out of your fucking gourd, but,
since it's obvious, I won't.
> Listen you asshole. I was 18 or so when I joined NN staff just for the sake
> of helping my fellow man and little did i know it would help me out of the
> effects of drugs and a lifestyle I had done earlier. The same crap you vomit
> now was vomited in the 70s when I was there. And your type of shit makes it
> all the more difficult to get funding and to reach people in need of the
> service. Either you dont know what you are talking about or you know it
> would help man and do oppose NN for that reason cause you are a psycho. I
> tend to think that is the case. Look you jerk why dont you open and run a
> center for this type of thing and I will do my best to undermine it for you,
> asshole. What do you give money to if anything? Methodone programs? Free
> needles? YOU desreve to be in need of their progam and denied its benifits
> as some small form of justice for the damages in the lives of people you
> have ruined for NN. Not that you have much impact I would expect but I bet
> at least a few who could have been helped did not seek that help thanks to
> you and ended up worse off in a psych program instead.
> Nelson
Zinj
--
ScientologyŽ - Deliberately killing no more than 0.5 percent of
its members since 1953
Reposter
Title: Narconon/Purification: A Call To Arms [2/3]
Author: ronthe...@yahoo.co.uk (Chris Owen)
Date: 14 Oct 2003 11:59:23 -0700
steff0re...@s.netic.de
> Listen you asshole.
Maybe you are the asshole?
I don't need to avoid to hurt you, isn't it. Just as verocious, as you
are defending this program, you leave out the fact for others and what's
left of yourself, that the program leads hardcore into the believe-system
of L. Ron Hubbard, and that exactly this fact isn't mentioned at all.
I do not believe, that someone can absolve Narconon, and stay out of
Scientology. So Narconon is a recruitment front door organisation of CoS.
It's great, that the Hubbard organisation is trying to rescue succumbing
members of society, isn't it. I wonder why? Because an insane society can
drive the sane nuts, and make them taking drugs? So it mustn't really be
the low-tones, that take drugs? There is something to it, in percentage.
Much more likely the main reason, to have this organisation is, that it
acts as an instrument to sell CoS to society with acceptable truth
attached.
Charity and all that.
I don't know, how far this is from what you were raised to believe, but
there was a time, when opportunism was a bad word.
Scientology educates people not only into opportunism, but in a
totalitarian believe system, out of which to escape is very hard.
Much, much harder, then getting away from drugs.
And I do know, what I am talking about.
The body of CoS eminates about the same spirit of individualism, than
IRS.
And it's rules are stricter.
Oh, and so your indignant whine here can tell us only, that you are a
Scientologist, who was hooked in a specially affording matter.
Scientology saved your live, or isn't it that, what you say?
>I was 18 or so when I joined NN staff just for the
> sake of helping my fellow man and little did i know it would help me
> out of the effects of drugs and a lifestyle I had done earlier. The
> same crap you vomit now was vomited in the 70s when I was there. And
> your type of shit makes it all the more difficult to get funding and
> to reach people in need of the service.
Oh, but that's good.
You try to sell people help, but it's only help, to get rid of one's own
decisions and soul, + time or money. Have you ever heard Hubbard mumbling
about god?
Something for the idiots, god? Are you a god, yes? And only that?
>Either you dont know what you
> are talking about or you know it would help man and do oppose NN for
> that reason cause you are a psycho.
The Battlefield earth definition, or wich one?
>I tend to think that is the case.
> Look you jerk why dont you open and run a center for this type of
> thing and I will do my best to undermine it for you, asshole. What do
> you give money to if anything? Methodone programs? Free needles?
You, on the other hand, deliver the solution, to lick Ron's ass, is it
that, what you offer?
Of course, one can get sober by touching walls etc, true, but what is the
price? 300 000$ for a bridge into nowhere? Read fellow OTs' reports on
the substance of the end piece of it.
Or a one billion years contract of voluntary slave work?
Expensive? Asshole? You?
>YOU
> desreve to be in need of their progam and denied its benifits as some
> small form of justice for the damages in the lives of people you have
> ruined for NN. Not that you have much impact I would expect but I bet
> at least a few who could have been helped did not seek that help
> thanks to you and ended up worse off in a psych program instead.
> Nelson
Look Bud, and whatever that 'Psych' program might be, you don't care. So
much for your objectivity.
steff
Tilman Hausherr
part 3.
--
Tilman Hausherr [KoX, SP5.55] Entheta * Enturbulation * Entertainment
til...@berlin.snafu.de http://www.xenu.de
Rule, Lord Xenu
Lord Xenu rules the waves
Knights of Xenu never shall be slaves
Find broken links on your web site: http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html
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Warrior
Tilman Hausherr says...
>
>Did anyone get part 3? I don't want to read part 1 & 2
>if I can't read part 3.
It hasn't been posted yet. I think Chris intended to post it;
I heard he has had computer problems.
Warrior - Sunshine disinfects
http://warrior.xenu.ca