Australian Critics of Scientology
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Picket, Canberra, 18-Oct-99

Fier, Mon 18 Oct 1999

Note: text slightly reformatted for readability.


From: Fier@burning.org (Fier)
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Picket, Canberra, 18-Oct-99
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 06:46:24 GMT
Message-ID: <380abb29.8042008@news2.lightlink.com>

Our weekly picket began slowly today, with just myself and Goombaj.  Our other
regular tried to make it by 1pm, but wasn't able to.  Our signs were
"$cientology wants your money ..all of it" "Scientology hates free speech"
"Scientology is a $cam of galactic proportions" and "$cientology - church of
the holy lawsuit" and we handed out around 80 Space alien scam flyers.

	That might seem like not many flyers, but in perspective, there
would have been a good 400-900 people read the signs. I make it a point to
wave it at the many buses passing through the interchange.

        We picketted for 2 hours, and in the last 1/2 hr was when the OSA lady
chose to follow, photograph and eventually communicate with us.

        Goombaj can surely add some data on what she was wasting her time on,
because I didn't go talk to her much.  After she said I was getting personal in
my posts and activities, I requested just one example from "the many occasions"
but not surprisingly she had none.  I am protesting the cult, not the people in
it, I thought that was obvious.  She seemed to overlook the repeated slander
about us by clam-staff, but we know they have tunnel vision.

	One thing I remember OSA-babe saying was "the difference between
our [her] photographs and ours was that she doesn't spread them all around
the Internet, anyway, I asked and obtained her permission for a close shot,
and I can add her to the OSA-babes page(s) now, wherever they reside..?
with a caption "Me big Chief OSA hear me roar" hyuk hyuk.

	The highlight of the day was one young lady.. We first come across
her when she slightly hostilely says 'Havent you got anything better to do?
Why waste your time doing this?" I replied "You obviously don't know much
about the cult, then."  She then crosses the street belittling use of the
word cult, by laughing at it/us.

	We later see her returning past us, she smiles, and enters the
clam-headquarters.  Ahh, so thats why she was the only non-supportive
person we came accross today, she's a clam! we remark to each other.

	A few minutes later, as we patrol up and down past the clam-HQ, she
comes out, and is about to say something or other, when I interjected
"You really should find out more, before you get too deeply involved"
This seems to strike a chord, and she requests a flyer "they took it off
me, and I want to read it" she says, though I dont recall giving her a flyer,
maybe Goombaj did.

        Anyway, "you don't have to believe me, just look for your self, on the
internet and in the library" is enough to send her on her merry way, with some
interesting thoughts, and smiles all round. (She was nice looking too, heh)

        We also intend to edit the flyers, to include a local e-mail address, as
that is most logical, and several people have asked, and we have had to pencil
it on.

        Did I miss something? I always do, in these picket reports.
Ahh well, we can but try.

CYA Next time!!
Fier.
Posting as: Fier@burning.org  Email: eclipse AT dynamite.com.au
"Scientology is evil; its techniques evil; its practice a serious threat to the
  community; medically, morally and
socially." -Report of the Board of Inquiry into Scientology for the state of
  Victoria, Australia, 1965. 

[Demonstrations against Scientology]