Washington (the state) residents and anyone near by..

[Voltaire's Child]

Kinda doing this mainly back channel...but if you're local to Seattle and wanna hear some news...I'm working on something...pm me if you think you might be interested. Then, if I've seen ya around quite a bit and am familiar with ya, I'll answer.

 

[SweetnessandLight]

On the Seattle front...I just saw this:

"Rights, Wrongs, and the Church of Scientology

From Marty Rathbun's blog, meanwhile, comes another fascinating development for Scientology watchers.

Rathbun reveals that in Seattle, Scientology will be sponsoring a talk by Kareem W. Shora, a senior policy advisor at the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which is part of Homeland Security.

Scientology's flyer suggests that the event, to be held next Wednesday, will feature Scientology's own "human rights" campaign.

As we wrote earlier, the Scientology campaign promotes the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Eleanor Roosevelt had a hand in developing back in 1948. It's an excellent document, but Scientology's ad campaign promotes it with vague references to problems overseas. It's a slick way to change the focus from rights questions right here at home -- which include allegations that Sea Org members, for example, have been forced to have abortions, that both children and adults work insane hours for pennies an hour in ways that tend to benefit the church and its leaders, and that families are routinely split up under Scientology's policies of "disconnection."

Apparently, Scientology is doing so well at distracting the government with its slick ad campaign, Homeland Security has decided to lend a hand directly.

If any of our faithful correspondents are able to attend the event next week, we'd be grateful to hear how it goes.

UPDATE: Gawker's John Cook is on the case, and finds that the feds won't be taking part in this "rights" event after all.

Writes Cook:

When we contacted DHS to confirm the engagement, and inquire as to why it would be dispatching a federal employee to address an event sponsored by an organization that's the current target of an FBI human trafficking investigation, a spokesman told us in a statement that Shora would not, in fact, be attending.

In fact, Cook writes, it appears that the feds may have realized they'd been invited under misleading circumstances. The request for Shora to speak had been extended by something called "Washington Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster," and it may not have been obvious that it was part of Scientology:

So how did DHS confuse a Scientology invite with a WVOAD invite? Maybe because the president of WVOAD is one David Scattergood of "Church of Scientology Disaster Response." The Washington Church of Scientology did not return phone messages.

Scientology and its front groups. It's like the church was actually trying to confuse people."

From: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/10/scientology_pet_1.php

Godspeed and Good Luck, Fluffy with whatever you're doing!

 

[Voltaire's Child]

Would be good to get something going on this....anyone wanting to check in with me, go for it.

 

[Voltaire's Child]

http://gawker.com/5852250/department-of-homeland-security-staffer-pulls-out-of-scientology-event

 

[Voltaire's Child]

So the church (in Seattle) was having an evening discussion on human rights. (you see the irony here). This was leaked and I was talking to some people about this. So some people I knew phoned all three speakers' offices and two of them bowed out. The Homeland Security guy and the I think Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles. Chase remained, but if she's the person I'm thinking of, she's got a close working connection with the Seattle Org DSA, Ann Ruble Pearce.

But the cult didn't cancel the event. Various people opted not to go and protest, and a friend of mine who really wanted to, could not be there. So last night it was myself and a local Anon.

Before I met up with my Anon pal, I walked around the neighborhood, killing time. The Org's in a funny mixed area with corporations, houses, and apartments. It's right on the edge of Queen Anne which is a large and extremely desirable neighborhood in Seattle. QA has everything from small apartments to multimillion dollar homes and many many fun businesses and restaurants and shops.

Anyway, I wore this cute faux fleece jacket so I could be warm and the Anon could spot me. But the thing that made that possible also made me conspicuous as it is a bright turquoise. So I realized I couldn't walk past the org a bunch of times as I would be noticed.

My first pass through Scn'ists were nodding hello to me. Nobody recognized me though I did see the ED, Mark Arnold, a guy I used to be in the Academy with (cannot remember his name but he had a great sense of humor) and a staff member, Doug Baer.

I finally met up with my Anon friend and we stood across the Org with picket signs. The event did happen, so I assume that Sen Chase was there, though I did not see her.

At one point, a gentleman asked us about our signage and said that he "did the basics several decades ago and was now doing the new ones." We were chatting amiably. He really seemed like he'd been way out of the loop, utterly unaware of us evil critics and also seemed like he was just dipping his toe into the Scn'ological waters and had probably not been hassled or treated poorly yet. Newbie student.
Then, my former classmate called him over. My pal and I exchanged glances. We knew what was coming. So the student said, oh, he wants to ask me something. I said, well, he wants you to not talk to us. And off he went.

Other people walked out of the Org looking at us, and at one point someone snapped pix from the org. I could see the flash.

The Org had a van parked in front- Doug's. They evidently always do that when they know protestors might come. It obscures the view a bit.

On my way out, we glanced in the org and saw Ann Ruble Pearce. Looks about the same.

We were out there close to 3 hours. It was nice, though, since the company was so good. I'd picket again with this person any time.

This was interesting. I'd not been out there since I video'd the Idle Org grand opening a little over a year ago. (for those who are new to the forum, my VERY amateurishly shot vids are on my youtube channel claireswazey)

Know Your Human Rights!

You are invited to an evening discussion

on human rights featuring:

Kareem W. Shora, Senior Policy Advisor

Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties,

U.S. Department of Homeland Security;

Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles

speaking on the impact of human trafficking

Senator Maralyn Chase

on the importance of educating

our children on civil rights.



AND

Scientology’s Human Rights Campaign!

This event is sponsored by the Church of Scientology on

Wednesday, October 26th at 300 W. Harrison St.

Reception starts at 6 pm. Program starts at 7 pm.

For more information, contact Ann at 206-284-0604.

 

[Free to shine]

Good one Clare!

 

[Moosejewels]

On the Seattle front...I just saw this:

"Rights, Wrongs, and the Church of Scientology

From Marty Rathbun's blog, meanwhile, comes another fascinating development for Scientology watchers.

Rathbun reveals that in Seattle, Scientology will be sponsoring a talk by Kareem W. Shora, a senior policy advisor at the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which is part of Homeland Security.

Scientology's flyer suggests that the event, to be held next Wednesday, will feature Scientology's own "human rights" campaign.

As we wrote earlier, the Scientology campaign promotes the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Eleanor Roosevelt had a hand in developing back in 1948. It's an excellent document, but Scientology's ad campaign promotes it with vague references to problems overseas. It's a slick way to change the focus from rights questions right here at home -- which include allegations that Sea Org members, for example, have been forced to have abortions, that both children and adults work insane hours for pennies an hour in ways that tend to benefit the church and its leaders, and that families are routinely split up under Scientology's policies of "disconnection."

Apparently, Scientology is doing so well at distracting the government with its slick ad campaign, Homeland Security has decided to lend a hand directly.

If any of our faithful correspondents are able to attend the event next week, we'd be grateful to hear how it goes.

UPDATE: Gawker's John Cook is on the case, and finds that the feds won't be taking part in this "rights" event after all.

Writes Cook:

When we contacted DHS to confirm the engagement, and inquire as to why it would be dispatching a federal employee to address an event sponsored by an organization that's the current target of an FBI human trafficking investigation, a spokesman told us in a statement that Shora would not, in fact, be attending.

In fact, Cook writes, it appears that the feds may have realized they'd been invited under misleading circumstances. The request for Shora to speak had been extended by something called "Washington Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster," and it may not have been obvious that it was part of Scientology:

So how did DHS confuse a Scientology invite with a WVOAD invite? Maybe because the president of WVOAD is one David Scattergood of "Church of Scientology Disaster Response." The Washington Church of Scientology did not return phone messages.

Scientology and its front groups. It's like the church was actually trying to confuse people."

From: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/10/scientology_pet_1.php

Godspeed and Good Luck, Fluffy with whatever you're doing!

I don't want to come off as a conspironut, but the similarities of Scientolgy's modus operandi utilizing bogus front organizations as relates to political infiltration and manipulation is so damned similar to the modus operandi of various radical political bogus front organizations (aka terrorists) that it would be comical if not so dangerous.