February 28, 1998
Picket report: Atlanta, Georgia
From: wynot@mindspring.com (wynot)
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Picket report: Atlanta, Georgia, February 28
Date: Sun, 01 Mar 1998 06:48:38 GMT
Organization: There is no Central Committee
On this date, several members of a group that does not exist met in
the world's oldest drive-in restaurant before heading up the street to
picket. Present were Laudanum, Mad_Cow, a lurker named Jeff, and
myself. Flyers were shown and admired, as were signs, then we proceded
toward the org. Jeff and me began the picket. I caried a sign that
said "SCIENTOLOGY/DIANETICS BAIT & SWITCH" and Jeff carried the
flyers, which included the Lisa flyer I used in December, a Xenu
flyer, and a flyer containing quotes from Source. (Good job, Mad.)
Mad had a very special sign, and it took him a while to assemble it.
Bristol boards set in something like a ring binder, mounted on a
telescoping pole. Every fifteen minutes or so, the sign would change;
first "ASK ME ABOUT XENU", then "SCIENTOLOGY - WHERE'S THE BEEF?",
then others. Mad_Cow joined us about five or ten minutes into the
picket.
When we first arrived, there were several guys, all young looking,
very square, standing out front of the building smoking. At first they
watched Jeff and me with seeming amusement, but that faded when
Mad_Cow joined us. They then went inside. I noticed a few people
looking out the windows at us, but then they disappeared.
About another five or ten minutes, and Laudanum arrived, bearing two
sturdy looking, but blank signs. We all had fun making jokes about
existential signage, and how those signs would be good for the scienos
to carry, representing all their originality, brains, truthfulness,
etc. Laudanum whipped out a great big magic marker, and soon had
two nicely lettered signs, the first saying "IS YOUR BODY FULL OF DEAD
SPACE ALIENS?"on one side, and reading "SCIENTOLOGY SAYS IT IS" on the
other, and another that read "DON'T SPEND $360,000 ON A BRIDGE TO
NOWHERE".
Now the picket started in earnest, as the four of us walked our signs
back and forth across the street from the org. There is a Mexican
restaurant catacorner to the org, and a good many folks were enjoying
the warm weather by dining on the patio. So we had a nice audience.
Several of them came over during the course of the afternoon, asking
what it was about. We talked with them, and gave out several sets of
flyers.
About half an hour into the picket, the handlers came out. The woman
who wore the red coat last time came, and the blonde with the cute
green camera. They were joined by a new handler. In the course of the
picket, we learned that the lead woman ( the one who tried her tone-40
on me in December) was named Diane, and that her friend was named
Susie. We never did learn the name of the photographer; she did not
seem inclined to talk. Diane immediately tried her 'Magic Voice(TM)'
on me, but this time I was not being non-confront.
"So you're back?"
"Yes I am!" I said.
Well, the conversation degenerated from there... She immediaterly went
to work on the other picketers. It did not do her much good. When she
talked of how c0$ helps marriages, Laudanum asked her about Hubb's
three marriages, including the bigamous one. Diane snapped, "I'm not
talking to you, I'm talking to him!", meaning Mad_Cow. There is much
more to say about our little conversations with the handlers, but it
is late, and there will be better times and places for that.
We ended up with five picketers. Shorty the Lurker showed about an
hour after we started. We had all started to flag a little, but
Shorty's fresh energy buoyed us, and we did another 30 minutes. The
handlers came out again to meet Shorty, and get a couple more photos.
Susie came out by herself this time, and did not seem to have the
heart for more confront. She ended up talking to several of us about
anything but what we were actually doing. I think there may still be a
person inside there; I hope she survives the cult, and comes out of it
a whole person.
There is much more to tell, but as I said earlier... The basics; the
picket began at one o'clock, and lasted 'til two thirty. About a dozen
scienos were seen entering the building, but none came out except our
handlers and their photographer. We took several good pictures, which
will be webbed soon. In all, we had five picketers. On the whole, a
very good picket. We got many honks, waves, and thumbs up from the
passing traffic ( and one finger; oh, well...). We passed out about
fifteen flyers, including a couple to a scieno couple who were having
lunch on the patio, and had to walk right past us to get back into the
safety of the org. Afterwards, the ARSCCATL(WDNE) retired from the
field to a popular local eatery for excellent Cuban dinners.
More later;
wynot
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"But regardless how hard the going is for us critics in the face
of entrenched evil, as Winston Churchill said once that these are
not the dark days, but rather the great days. They are great because
the cult is giving each of us an opportunity to find out the depth
of our love of freedom." - Grady Ward.
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