Clearwater, December 1998

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Subject: New England Picketer Returns
From: heldal@online.no (Andreas Heldal-Lund - www.xenu.net)
Date: Sun, 06 Dec 1998 03:54:50 GMT
Message-ID: 3669ff34.95408355@news1.c2i.net

(FORWARDED PICKET REPORT:)

Andreas, thank you for posting my previous picket report to alt.religion.scientology. Could you please post this one? Thank you.

In support of the activists seeking to tell the truth about Scientology, today I donned my costume once again and headed to Newbury Street in Boston to pass out flyers. I think this costume must restimulate some long-buried engrams or something: once again there was nary a body router in sight. Indeed, my entire leafletting session was spent in peace with not the least sign of Scientology...except for one instance. It was a fun time.

In fact, the worst resistance I faced came from a local policeman. About twenty minutes into my leafletting session, a police officer approached me and said I couldn't pass out flyers there. When I said that this was free speech and I was in a public place, he said no; I had to go to Boylston Street because of the zoning laws, and he wouldn't let me pass out flyers for "religious" reasons either. I didn't object, not wanting to cause a fuss, and headed off to Boylston Street, where I spent an hour walking the length of the street (with its busy holiday shopping traffic) passing out flyers. After a little while, however, I approached another pair of police officers for a second opinion, and they said that as long as my leafletting was non-commercial, then yes I could go back to Newbury Street. And so I did. I suspect the first police officer probably thought I was a Scientologist, trying to pretend I wasn't. Be that as it may, the time passed without incident.

As for the people I met, most of them were friendly. The teenagers who took my leaflets seemed to heartily agree with me, as they said to each other, "He's right - Scientology *does* hurt people!" And when I gave a flyer to one pair of middle-aged women, one of them gasped and said to her companion, "I know what this is all about!" And she proceeded to tell her friend all about the war on the Internet. The whole time I was out there, I got similar reactions from people. One guy wanted to know how Lisa McPherson died, and when he pressed me for more information, I just told him "It's on the Net."

Of course, there was one moment when, as I was busy passing out leaflets left and right, one guy with a long black coat took out a camera, flashed a quick snapshot of my face, and kept on walking. Too bad my whole head was covered by a mask...but it made me chuckle, because it showed that my efforts had not been in vain. They knew I was there, but they still don't have the courage to confront me.

On the other hand, the costume drew onlookers like a magnet. In the course of two and a half hours of leafletting, I went through about four hundred leaflets. What's more, most of the people who took my leaflets and glanced at them tended to keep them. I noticed *very* few of them discarded on the sidewalk or in trash bins.

I was expecting to deal with my own personal handler, but I guess that will have to wait until next time.

(END PICKET REPORT)

Best wishes, Andreas Heldal-Lund
Operation Clambake: www.xenu.net - SP4 & Adm. TOXE CXI

"Throughout history it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph."
- Haile Selassie

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Subject: FWD: From a Clearwater picketer
From: heldal@online.no (Andreas Heldal-Lund - www.xenu.net)
Date: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 10:45:58 GMT
Message-ID: 366cb14f.7998030@news1.c2i.net

(POSTED TO THE GUESTBOOK AT OPERATION CLAMBAKE:)

Name/Nick: Clearwater picketer
I [took] part in my first ever picket yesterday at the Ft. Harrison. Im a local and was so proud to stand with so many great people that I met. It really opened up my eyes to all that we are fighting against. Many locals fear going near the Ft. Harrison, but I finally decided to stand up for what I believe and do not regret it in anyway. As people went by on their Saturday walks, many grabbed a scientology shirt and sign and joined in and that was so great to see. Too all that I met yesterday, I was almost in tears listening to your stories, and will think about you every day. To the man from Denmark that I spent alot of time talking with, I hope that you are doing well and hope to speak with you again. Keep up the fight!!!! I have to say, I had to laugh when a sea orger pulled up in a rental van and tried to back into the garage and hit the post with the van. Even the cops laughed. (END POST TO GUESTBOOK)

Best wishes, Andreas Heldal-Lund Operation Clambake: www.xenu.net

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Subject: Re: PICKET POSTS HERE
From: heldal@online.no (Andreas Heldal-Lund - www.xenu.net)
Date: Tue, 08 Dec 1998 07:39:25 GMT
Message-ID: 366cd659.36697066@news1.c2i.net

Some posts to the Operation Clambake guestbook:
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Message #2 (02:40 08/12-98)
Name/Nick: Clearwater Picketer
Well, for my picket update. As the vans filled with the droids went by, I could actually see them peering from the little space they could see though and reading them. I can only hope that one of them took it seriously. They decorated all their scieno vans with huge christmas stickers so no one could see out or in, and actually had the nerve to pipe christian christmas music out of the garage. I was constantly followed by a tiny scieno man with a camara, who at one point was taperecording my conversation with a police officer, who also, comenting later, thought he was a joke. Finally, I asked him to smile and pose for my picture album! I asked him to pose with my picket sign, but that he did say no to. Each car that drove by clapped, and gave us a thumbs up, and people joined us throughout the day. We went to the side of the building and actually talked to one (well a one sided conversation) as he stared at us through the palm leaves. The entire city was with us ,apparent from the yells of "good job" and " Im with you all the way. They covered the entire buildings windows, but you could still see them "peering" out. When we left, we offered the scieno with the camera our sign to carry, and he replied, just throw it in the garbage. HA! Rinder paced back and forth every hour or so in the garage looking totally pissed! By the way, the passerbyers really took the sign someone had of the autopsy pictures to heart. One woman said she had no idea how horrible her death was. Alot of people who did not know now do!! And said they will come back next year and bring their neighbors with them.

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Message #3 (00:25 08/12-98)
Name/Nick: a local

I was at the Clearwater picket & candlelight vigil on Saturday. It was fantastic!! Very good local tv coverage as well. Thank you to all of the kind peolpe I met- I'll be back next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Message #5 (19:55 07/12-98)
Name/Nick: isis
PICKETERS: Thank you for your reports. I was unable to attend any pickets because of my job obligations but, I was with you in spirit and thought about you, cheered you on and thought of Lisa and her family the entire evening. Aching to hear more. Thanks again for the reports and for being there. (END NEW POSTS TO GUESTBOOK AT OPERATION CLAMBAKE)