======== Subject: DC Picket report 12-12-99 From: Merkabah Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 20:29:25 -0500 Message-ID: Got there at around 1pm, and Arnie and Bunnyann was already there picketing. Cher and I parked the van and she went across the street to start, while I stayed in the van to do some finishing up on one of the picket signs. Cher started passing out fliers in her wheelchair. I grabbed the video camera, and headed across the street and started the tape a rolling. When I first started shooting, Matt told me that Washington was a one party state and that if I published it anywhere without permission, it was against the law. He was busy talking to Arnie while Thierry spent a few minutes poking the lens and standing in front of me at every turn I tried to do some taping of arnie talking to one of the osa members there. It was kinda funny actually. Thierry wouldn't admit to being an OT though, and he was calling me a moron for a while. It seemed that Arnie was being followed by at least two of them at all times, trying to invalidate him, but it wasn't working. Arnie was even saying that if they wanted to leave, he would help them to build the bridge out of scientology. I went over to meet Bunnyann, and filmed her and Sylvia. Sylvia said there were 5 of us, so Bunnyann asked if Arnie counted as 2 of us :) Matt started reading out of the Scientology book of ethics, and arnie was going on about LRH's sayings and the copyright stuff. Arnie was telling them about their crimes, and the guy just continued to read out of the book. It was hilarious! Thierry was taking pictures every now and then, and I pointed back to Sylvia and Bunnyann talking about her refunds. Sylvia and another guy were discussing about her getting her refunds back. Sylvia walked away at that time. The guy said that she would get her refund back, saying that it was Sylvia's job. He said he was in the org for 15 years, but he never saw or knew Bunnyann. Thierry said he actually don't know who I am and he don't really care, he just thinks I am a nice guy. Then I talked to this guy, and told him my story for search for truth and found them on the internet, and that's why I am there picketing. Tony said something about me recording Arnie's porn movies, and I replied I don't do that and I doubt Arnie has any. He then started saying that Arnie was a pervert, and was describing about where and that Arnie was "trashed" drunk. It sounded very libelous to me. Cher and Bunnyann started talking to him briefly. A person came up asking about who Lisa McPherson was, and he heard both Tom's side and my side of it. He took a flier and left after a bit. Tony actually stepped out of Cher's way so she could hand the flier to the guy. (This report is just a brief summary of what was caught on tape) After a bit there, I went to record Arnie's discussion with Matt and this other guy. The conversation went from OT's to the universe, to "total cause". The guy said they can't fly, or walk on water, unless it's frozen. Arnie gave them a test. He will write 4 numbers on a piece of paper, and put it on the back of his TV, and seal it and sign over the seal. Then, they would provide an OT that can tell him what the numbers were, and he would give them 5 chances to get it right. Arnie said they claim a technology to rearrange the living room, it's not worth $360,000 to learn how to do that. And that if there was one OT, we would not be here. Chaz said he's never heard of that before. The discussion about OT's went for a while. A lady police officer came up, and Arnie directed her to Bunnyann and Cher, where she could obtain a flier. Bunnyann gave her one. Later, Cher said that the lady police officer was shocked at the paper, and that she believed in what we were doing there picketing. They had their own ideas of brainwashing, and the brainwashing discusstion went for a few minutes. I was told that auditing was the opposite of brainwashing. Creating an ingram and then run it out? Arnie said. The discussion went on for a bit about emeters and auditing. We went to lunch. After lunch, Arnie and Bunnyann walked across the org front, on the way to their car, while Cher and I stayed to picket until she ran out of fliers. Sylvia said that she wanted to go back to Christmas shopping, that they called her to come in for the picket. She offered to give Cher a ride home, but Cher told her that I would be doing that. Cher offered to give Sylvia help if she ever wanted to walk out of scientology. Sylvia expressed her thoughts that she did not want to get out of scientology. Chaz began talking about how cheap scientology costs, with it's auditing and marriages, etc. That it was so much better than psychotherapy. Now he says that since I had not been in scientology, that I do not know anything about it, yet I am picketing them by the information I learned on the Internet. Interesting conversation about where emeters came from, but it was avoided very well, that I am speaking "apples and tangerines". Sylvia was discussing this. There was a conversation earlier about Betty Henderson, but they denied ever mentioning her name. Sylvia asked if I was posting this onto "xenutv". I shared my nick on IRC with them at that time. We decided to leave, and Sylvia decided to go back to shopping. Cher and I got back in the car and we left. They spent a lot of time justifying themselves as to what scientology does and what it is, in spite of it's crimes. This was a brief report, and it does not contain all of the information that happened during the picket. The tape was a little jerky, but then again I am not a professional, so I did my best. It turned out pretty good actually.