Open Letter to Joseph K. Grieboski, Institute on Religion and Public Policy
Gerry Armstrong
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/writings/armstrong-ltr-grieboski-2004-10-25.html
Open Letter to Joseph K. Grieboski
Institute on Religion and Public Policy
October 25, 2004
Joseph K. Grieboski
Institute on Religion and Public Policy
1101 15th Street NW
Suite 115
Washington, DC 20005
Dear Mr. Grieboski:
I have webbed the statement of Professor Alexander Dvorkin made at the
recent forum you and he attended at Rhodes, Greece. Dr. Dvorkin, who
devoted part of his time to responding to a statement made by you,
cites to and challenges you about the Gerry Armstrong case. I am that
Armstrong, and I also challenge you and your organization about my
case.
Dr. Dvorkin says:
[Quote]
Mr. Grieboski says that without freedom of conscience, freedom of
speech and other freedoms cannot exist. But totalitarian cults deny
freedom of speech. After all, religious criticism is also an
inalienable component of freedom of speech and freedom of religion. We
see how totalitarian cults silence criticism of themselves with
endless, grueling court proceedings, so that today in the USA it is
extremely rare that one can encounter in the open press criticism of
totalitarian cults or statements defending their victims. Indicative
of this is the well-known case of Gerry Armstrong, who lost eleven
years of his life in Scientology, for whom a court judgment of a
California court now not only prohibits to speak about his experience
in this cult, but even to pronounce in public words like
"Scientology," "Hubbard," Dianetics" and so forth. For each violation
of this prohibition he is supposed to pay 50,000 dollars. If for a
moment one concurs with Scientology's assertion that it is a religion,
then such a prohibition could be compared to a court order prohibiting
a former Muslim from uttering the word "Mohammed," "Koran" or "Islam."
But if we were to say in this case that Scientology is an
international intelligence organization that uses criminal methods,
then the prohibition is the equivalent of prohibiting the victim of
organized crime group from saying the word "Mafia" or "godfather." And
this abominable judgment was made by an American court and is upheld
by American law enforcement agencies. Is this called freedom of
speech?
At the same time, in the annual reports of the US Congress,
publications by other countries that are critical of one or another
cult are viewed and cited as violations of freedom of conscience.
[End Quote]
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/media/dvorkin-speech-2004-09-29.html
You and your organization clearly support Scientology, and criticize
those countries that oppose Scientology fraud, abuses, criminality and
human rights violations. Scientology, as is also clear, portrays
itself as a courageous defender and promoter of human rights, when the
Armstrong case shows that Scientology is anything but.
Your research associate Kyle Ballard writes this about his project
"The Study of Religious Freedoms in Russia:"
[Quote]
In modern democracies, religious freedoms are fundamental. Thus, as
Russia is shedding its Communist ideology and emerging as a democratic
state, religious freedoms have become essential. With this in mind, I
traveled to Moscow and Nizhniy-Novgorod to attend the Experts
Conference on Religious Freedoms in Russia and to study the position
of religious minorities in Russian society.
My assistant was Alexei Danchenkov, Russian national and a legal
analyst and spokesman for the Church of Scientology. In attendance at
the conference were academics, journalists, state servants, political
advisers, and religious freedoms advocates from both Russia and the
United States. The conference provided an open forum to discuss the
state of religious freedoms in the Russian Federation and allowed U.S.
experts to share the American experience. Moreover, because the Church
of Scientology works extremely hard on religious freedom issues, I was
provided with much information the struggles of religious groups
around the world.
Your board member Lynsey Bartilson, who is identified on your web site
as a "human rights activist," is a Scientologist. She describes
herself on her own web site as "the International Spokesperson for
Youth for Human Rights." She says that purpose of this Scientology
group is: "To teach youth around the globe about human rights, thus
helping them to become valuable advocates for the promotion of
tolerance and peace." http://www.lynseybartilson.com/
The Gerry Armstrong case demonstrates beyond any doubt that
Scientology is not seeking religious freedom, and not defending and
promoting human rights, as the organization publicly claims, but is a
wholesale suppressor and destroyer of religious freedom and basic
human rights.
Scientology seeks to have me jailed, fined and assessed the obscene
amount of $50,000 in "damages" for every religious expression of my
religious experiences, or my religious knowledge, or my religious
beliefs concerning this organization, which insists that it is a
religion.
Virtually all of my religious expressions of my religious experiences,
knowledge, or beliefs for which Scientology wants me jailed, fined and
ruined utterly have occurred in Canada or Europe. What Scientology
seeks is in direct and flagrant violation of international human
rights declarations and charters, which the U.S. lists in its own
"International Religious Freedom Act of 1998:"
[Quote]
(2) Freedom of religious belief and practice is a universal human
right and fundamental freedom articulated in numerous international
instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Helsinki
Accords, the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of
Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, the United
Nations Charter, and the European Convention for the Protection of
Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
[End Quote]
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/laws/majorlaw/intlrel.htm
This same U.S. law, H.R. 2431, states as U.S. policy:
[Quote]
(b) POLICY- It shall be the policy of the United States, as follows:
(1) To condemn violations of religious freedom, and to promote, and to
assist other governments in the promotion of, the fundamental right to
freedom of religion.
[End Quote]
Pursuant to its own law, the U.S. Government should be condemning what
the Scientology organization is attempting to do with me, especially
because Scientology is seeking to deprive me of my religious liberty
and other rights and privileges secured to me by the U.S.’s own
Constitution and U.S.’s own Laws under color of the U.S.’s own law.
Instead, the U.S. Government supports Scientology in its drive to
suppress and destroy basic human rights, including by condemning those
sovereign nations who oppose Scientology’s suppression and destruction
of human rights. Your organization apparently does the same, in
alignment with the U.S. Government’s anti-human rights position and
activities.
As Kyle Ballard observed, Scientology works extremely hard on
religious freedom issues. The Gerry Armstrong case shows, however,
that this "religious freedom" Scientology works so extremely hard on
is the "religious freedom" to suppress, punish and destroy religious
freedom.
Scientology has paid millions of tax-exempt dollars to attorneys,
private investigators and other agents, and organization directors,
officers, employees and volunteers to achieve the criminal and
condemnable goal of suppressing, punishing and destroying religious
freedom. Scientology has paid millions to achieve that shameful goal
in the Armstrong case alone.
Every Scientology or Scientology-affiliated corporation, organization
or entity, and all of their directors, officers, employees,
volunteers, lawyers and agents sign on to the Armstrong contract to
suppress, punish and destroy religious freedom.
People like Ms. Bartilson, who probably have good hearts, but
certainly have celebrity, are used by Scientology as spokespersons for
its "human rights" front groups. As long as she remains under the
domination of the Scientology organization, with its well known cultic
policy and practice of attacking opponents, and even critics, will she
really teach about real human rights, real tolerance and real peace?
As a Scientology representative, Ms. Bartilson is contracted to
suppress and destroy human rights.
Scientology’s ideal for peace is a state in which Scientology and
every Scientology or Scientology-affiliated corporation, organization
or entity, and all of their directors, officers, employees,
volunteers, lawyers and agents can attack, defame, silence, jail,
fine, impoverish and destroy a designated target and he cannot
respond. The Scientology organization even claims that all of those
organizations and individuals have monetarily purchased such a state
of "peace," and use the U.S. courts and the organization’s infamous
"Fair Game" machinery, to collect on and enforce such "purchase."
Ms. Bartilson’s mother Laurie Bartilson was attorney of record for a
number of years in Scientology’s several litigations -- all using the
U.S.’s courts -- to deprive me of my basic rights.
Alexei Danchenkov, elsewhere called a spokesperson for Scientology, or
as the organization so ironically calls its Russian operation, the
"Hubbard Humanitarian Center," is obviously a member of Scientology’s
notorious Office of Special Affairs. OSA has the specific function in
the Scientology enterprise, as directed by enterprise leader David
Miscavige, of suppressing and destroying the religious and other human
rights of the organization’s designated targets.
Mr. Danchenkov is a signatory to your letter of July 24, 2003 to the
US House Appropriations Committee Washington, D,C., and is identified
as "Chief Editor, Freedom Magazine in CIS."
Scientology uses its magazine "Freedom" to attack, defame and
eliminate any opposition to its fraud, abuses and criminality. See,
e.g., these scandalous black PR attacks on me in "Freedom" that I’ve
saved over the past twenty years. "Freedom" publishes typical hate
literature of a typical rights-destroying totalitarian cult.
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/cult/freedom-1985-04-1.html
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/cult/scientology-da-docs.html
I’m sure you can easily see why thinking people would think that
you’re irresponsibly shilling for Scientology, and cults of its ilk. I
still retain a hope, however, that you would attempt to do what is
right, and to speak out against Scientology, which is the religious
persecutor in this paradigm.
I’ll send a copy of this letter to Dr. Dvorkin, Mr. Ballard, Ms.
Bartilson, Mr. Danchenkov, Mr. Miscavige, and to the IRPP general
address. According to Scientology, this would amount to $350,000 in
"damage" penalties for the organization. I’ll also post the letter to
Usenet and web on my site, so if, for example, another seventy
thousand people read the letter, that would be another $3,500,000,000.
Do you think there is any decency, sense or worth whatsoever in the
U.S. courts being used to silence a person whose slightest utterances
of his religious beliefs have such galactic value?
Is this letter not the writer’s religious expressions about a
religion? Is there anyone at IRPP who would come forward to argue that
this letter is not my religious expression of my religious
experiences, religious knowledge and religious beliefs, or indeed
could not constitute religious scripture?
Scientology, after all, pronounces this Hubbard policy letter called
"Battle Tactics" to be "religious scripture."
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/cult/sp/pl-1969-02-16-battle-tactics-reiss-87.html
Are not the words of the victims and targets of these shocking and
criminal war tactics of Scientology just as holy, just as religious,
and just as needful of protection as the "scripture" that makes good
people victims and targets and then victimizes them?
My suggestion is that you and your organization investigate the nature
of Scientology, and that you publicly cease support for Scientology
until you know the nature of what you’re supporting. I suggest that
you locate and engage people who are actual victims of Scientology’s
"Suppressive Person" doctrine, and that you fully and openly
investigate this doctrine, which is key to Scientology’s nature.
If you are satisfied that, having investigated Scientology’s nature,
you and your organization still wish to support this organization,
then shilling or collaboration is understandable.
I look forward to hearing from you, I look forward to your thoughts
about the Armstrong case, and I look forward to a really good debate
about Scientology’s nature.
Yours sincerely,
Gerry Armstrong
#1-45950 Alexander Avenue
Chilliwack, B.C. V2P 1L5
Canada
604-703-1373
E-mail to: Joseph K. Grieboski
Dr. Alexander Dvorkin
IR...@ReligionAndPolicy.org
Kyle Ballard
Lynsey Bartilson
Alexei Danchenkov
David Miscavige
© Gerry Armstrong
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org
Susan
Very well written and, most educational regarding Ms. Bartilson and Mr.
Danchenkov.
Susan
Tilman Hausherr
<ge...@gerryarmstrong.org> wrote in
<h06rn0922in0kh4iq...@4ax.com>:
>Joseph K. Grieboski
>Institute on Religion and Public Policy
I believe that Grieboski is simply a commercial lobbyist but not telling
it. His CV http://www.religionandpolicy.org/show.php?p=3.1.1 tells
almost nothing about himself, i.e. what he has done in his life before
to make money. Except one thing:
Aside from his work on religious issues, Grieboski is president
of Grieboski International, LLP, a consulting firm focusing on
political, foreign policy, and national security issues.
What is also interesting:
Grieboski is also a faculty member of the Boston University
Institute on Religion and World Affairs (IRWA) Seminar "Religion
and Democracy."
The link between Boston University and scientology is well-known
(although no longer existant):
http://home.snafu.de/tilman/bu/index.html
--
Tilman Hausherr [KoX, SP5.55] Entheta * Enturbulation * Entertainment
til...@berlin.snafu.de http://www.xenu.de
Resistance is futile. You will be enturbulated. Xenu always prevails.
Find broken links on your web site: http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html
The Xenu bookstore: http://home.snafu.de/tilman/bookstore.html
roger gonnet
"Tilman Hausherr" <tilman...@snafu.de> a écrit dans le message de news:
acqrn0lqbqiekikte...@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 00:29:28 GMT, Gerry Armstrong
> <ge...@gerryarmstrong.org> wrote in
> <h06rn0922in0kh4iq...@4ax.com>:
>
>>Joseph K. Grieboski
>>Institute on Religion and Public Policy
>
> I believe that Grieboski is simply a commercial lobbyist but not telling
> it. His CV http://www.religionandpolicy.org/show.php?p=3.1.1 tells
> almost nothing about himself, i.e. what he has done in his life before
> to make money. Except one thing:
>
> Aside from his work on religious issues, Grieboski is president
> of Grieboski International, LLP, a consulting firm focusing on
> political, foreign policy, and national security issues.
>
> What is also interesting:
>
> Grieboski is also a faculty member of the Boston University
> Institute on Religion and World Affairs (IRWA) Seminar "Religion
> and Democracy."
>
> The link between Boston University and scientology is well-known
> (although no longer existant):
>
> http://home.snafu.de/tilman/bu/index.html
Good analysis from both of you, Gerry and Tilman.
r
Reposter
Title: Open Letter to Joseph K. Grieboski, Institute on Religion and Public
Policy
Author: Gerry Armstrong <ge...@gerryarmstrong.org>
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2004 00:29:28 GMT
Webbed at:
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/writings/armstrong-ltr-grieboski-2004-10-25.html
Open Letter to Joseph K. Grieboski
Institute on Religion and Public Policy
October 25, 2004
Joseph K. Grieboski
Institute on Religion and Public Policy
Chuck Beatty
> Webbed at:
> http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/writings/armstrong-ltr-grieboski-2004-10-25.html
>
> Open Letter to Joseph K. Grieboski
> Institute on Religion and Public Policy
>
> October 25, 2004
>
> Joseph K. Grieboski
> Institute on Religion and Public Policy
> 1101 15th Street NW
> Suite 115
> Washington, DC 20005
>
> Dear Mr. Grieboski:
> Yours sincerely,
>
> Gerry Armstrong . . .
> > http://www.gerryarmstrong.org
I really am appreciative of your continuing setting of such an
outstanding example of one fighting for their simple right to speak
and write freely, regarding the Scn movement. The ludicrousness of
their legal position trying to silence normal opposition to their
heinious policies you make transparantly clear.
I just read your October 25, 2004 letter to Joseph K. Grieboski of
the Institute on Religion and Public Policy.
Excellent, excellent!
I hope and think you will never give up this battle, until Scn quits
first or it goes under.
That is my hope! You represent something really important, to those
of us who agree with you but who haven't walked as far as you have,
yet.
Best, Chuck Beatty