Scientology and animal abuse.

The continuing small animal stories.

Subject: Re: Thanks to Bob Minton (SBY)
From: writer@eskimo.com (Robert Vaughn Young)
Date: 22 Jan 1998

As Stacy's husband, I'd now like to add some parts to her story (below) about the Scientology (RTC/OSA) attack on our rescued animals. It is a despicable tactic on their part that clearly reveals their true nature but it came out well.

It was not easy. The stress was incredible because it was no longer an attack upon us. It was an attack on innocent animals, many that would have been killed had we not taken them in. They were not our "children" but it touched that nerve and it caused that distress, which - again - brings it back to the sadistic nature of these people, that they would delight in such pain. (See my post how Hubbard's attitude toward "suppressives" directly parallels Hitler's attitude towards Jews. URL's at end.)

Stacy told it well. But let me tell you some more of it, from my side, starting with an somewhat amusing tale of how I legalized our operation. But it is amusing only because it came out well.

After receiving a citation from Animal Control for having unlicensed cats and a citation from Zoning for having more than three, I had two weeks to comply/respond to each.

The Animal Control ticket is the same as a traffic or parking ticket. It even shares the same form. At the top is a place for the officer to tick off "traffic" or "non-traffic." As with a traffic ticket, one is given the option of pleading guilty and paying the fine (in this case, $50 per instance), pleading not guilty and asking for a trial/hearing or asking for a hearing for "mitigating circumstances." At the end of two weeks, I filed my request for a mitigation hearing. That gave me more time. Zoning regulations citaions allow for extensions. At the end of two weeks, I asked for and got one, giving me more time.

The State of Washington has an excellent record disclosure act (similar to the US Freedom of Information Act) so I began to make requests to areas where I knew there were problems, starting with Animal Control. I requested copies of all files/reports/notes concerning us, our work and any complaints. (The city responded within days, compared to the US FOIA where it can take years.)

In the meanwhile, I collected up letters from neighbors and our veterinarians who had visited our home and people who had adopted from us. They all said that our home was clean, the animals were well cared for, and the idea that we were abusing them was scandalous. (Two who happened to be in media also added of their own volition that they knew of our Scientology work, that this campaign was clearly the work of Scientology, and it was disgusting. These two, as neighbors, had been called earlier by Scientology PI David Lee so they had some first-hand experience.)

With the pack of letters and some other documents (including information obtained under the state FOIA and some news articles about our work and the front page story in the Seattle Times about Scientology picketing our home etc)), I began my visits to City Hall to deal directly with these "complaints." I began to meet with various officials. They were impressed with the our work and I, in turn, began to get some information and some help. (The funniest irony in all this was that Scientology was forcing me to go out and do what I did for the cult: work agencies and the media. That was also where I first learned how to use FOIA.)

With what I had learned directly from City Hall (and from some friends) I also got a criminal attorney who knew city hall, gave him the info and turned him loose to do some calling.

My immediate concern was the threat of a raid for "animal abuse" but, thanks to what I had learned and the work of the attorney, that had been defused. I then turned to the continued safety of the cats. It was clear that even if the whole scene turned around, that we could not stay where we were if we wanted to continue or work. The alternative was to stop our work and get rid of the cats. Our problem was that we could do neither. We did not have the resources for a place adequate for the sanctuary and we did not want to give up before the assault. We had visited Vashon Island and looked about several times as one of the few places near Seattle with lots of open land. But we had a bigger problem. As long as we were in the current house, the cats and the work was vulnerable. I had to remove that threat by making sure we were "legal." But how?

I had an idea: neighbors.

We had lived in that house for three years and had come to know the neighbors intimately. That particular little section was unique. It was on the final dead-end of Beach Drive, filled with beach homes occupied by people who took great pride in their neighborhood. We were close to the entrance of the dead end street so every person down the block had to pass our house to get home or to leave it. Plus our house had a lovely little front patio where we loved to sit and watch sunsets and chat with passers-by.

Thus over three years, we came to see or meet every resident on the street. There were constant waves, hellos, greetings and chit-chats and constant banter of what was happening with whom and we became some sort of nexus for the neighborhood.

We participated in parties at neighbors homes and we gave ours, including a beach party with logs blazing, guitar playing and singing long into the night, neighbors strolling down with bowls of food, a bottle of wine or cheese or snacks and the latest information. People chatted and enjoyed each other. It was community. It was neighborhood.
What a concept! Neighbors!

It taught me something I had lost in the cult: neighbors. In the cult, there is no "neighborhood." There is cult and non-cult. But you don't come to enjoy someone because of "neighborhood." If neighbors are not Scientologists, they are suspect. They are to be watched. You don't trust them. After all, if they won't join the cult, something is wrong. So one smiles but behind the smile is distrust.

Our neighbors had come to learn about Scientology, not because of us, but because of the cult. Our neighborhood had been leafleted with anonymous slimey pieces about us that neighbors brought down in disgust, offering to help and giving us a chance to tell them of our work. Some had been called by the likes of Gene Ingram or David Lee, asking salacious questions. Finally, when we were picketed, neighbors came down and sat on our patio with us, as a show of solidarity. The picketers, in their "knowing how to know wisdom," insulted the neighbors while we sat back watched. Later, neighbors would ask us, "Don't they know how they look and what they are doing?" Even when pickets showed up when we weren't home, neighbors came to confront the picketers, telling them how L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology was viewed on that street and telling them to leave. All the picketers did was more abuse, turning the neighborhood against them by their own actions, which is typical of the cult that "knows how to know."

Neighbors, I thought. They helped before. I'll bet they will help again. They knew about the visits from Animal Control and Zoning. There were no such secrets from friends.

I asked those who had no cats/dogs if they would like to adopt three, the legal limit. (If they had a cat or two, they were asked if they would adopt whatever brought them to the legal limit.) All agreed. I told them which cats they could have and that I would take care of the licensing. I then filled out a license form with their name, address and the names of the cats (with basic descrip like sex/color) and took the stack of applications up to the licensing bureau.

When I pushed a stack of license applications (with rabies certs for each - another task completed) through the window at the girl, she looked at them with a big smile and asked what this was about. After all, not too often that someone comes in with ten or twelve applications. (I forget how many I had.)

"We're just catching up on licensing in my neighborhood," I said with a big smile.

"Why, that's wonderful!" she replied as we started to go through the applications. With each one, I paid the fee and got a little tag for each cat. The whole process took some time.

When I was done, I returned home and on the back of each tag, I wrote the cat's name and the name and address of the owner. That way if someone saw a cat on my doorstep and looked at the tag, they could see who it was licensed to. There were even two licensed to us. (The third for our household was our Golden Retriever, Maggy.) When that was done, each cat was tagged that day.

We were legal. There were no unlicensed cats and we legally had only three. Could I help it if cats licensed to others came through a cat door and into our house?

When it came time for my hearing on the Animal Control citation, I went with more documentation, not to mention the stack of complete licenses. The magistrate was wonderful. She was fascinated with our animal rescue work and the degree of care we give the animals. My $50 fine per cited unlicensed cat (and I was cited for 10) was reduced to $5. My $500 fine was reduced to $50. I happily wrote the check and let the magistrate know where she could come adopt a rescued cat.

Next was Zoning. I called them up and said I was in compliance. The inspector came out and looked. "Whose cat is that?" he asked pointing at one cat in the driveway. I looked at the tag and read off the name. Oh, said the inspector, okay, you pass and you will get the letter soon.

The most immediate threat had been defused, although we still didn't know where we would go. In the meantime, I wanted the world to know what had transpired. I was able to take some time and write that briefing for the Net. As Stacy says, Bob Minton called a few days later.

Despite what the "knowing how to know" gang at RTC/OSA think, it was the first time we had ever spoken or met. I had no idea who he was or what he was about. He said he had read about the problem with the cats and wanted to know if he could help. No, I said, after a few words of polite social chit-chat. but thanks.

He called back a day or two later, I think it was, asking how it was going. We chatted a bit about that and the Internet and ARS and he asked again how he could help. I still didn't know who this guy was or if he was for real. Besides, I was due to go into deposition with the cult in a few weeks and I didn't need complications in my life. I know how they like to run in the plants. (ASIDE TIP: If you ever spot a plant, never let on and never tell the cult how you spotted them. A good rule of intelligence is that it is better to know who is a plant and to leave them in place rather than blow their cover, and start all over. It's easier to keep the one you know.)

So to make it easier on everyone, I turned Bob over to Stacy. Besides, she was the one taking direct care of the cats.

In my deposition, they hammered at me with questions about Bob Minton, clearly not believing that we had never spoken or met until a few weeks earlier. (It also made me quite glad I had curtailed conversations with him. It fully convinced me that the guy was on the level as the other side was frothing at the mouth.) They also challenged my remark that he was asking me about ARS. They showed me a post that Minton had allegedly made to ARS offering a reward long before. No, I said, I had never seen it before. (I hadn't.) Well, barfed the attorney, why would he ask YOU about ARS when HE already KNOWS about! I shrugged. How was I to know?

They hammered at our looking for a new place. As I had heard a little bit from my wife, I told them that yes, he had offered to help us with a place. This sent the hired guns over the edge. Rinder went running out the room to make his telephone pee call to you-know-who and then came racing back with notes to fire at me. It went like this for hours. Nothing about FACTNet, which was the reason for the depo. Just Minton, Minton, Minton. As I listened to the ranting and watching the frothing, I quietly thought of two Scientology maxims: "Natter is evidence of missed withholds" and "The TA is moving. Do nothing." (The latter is too complex to explain but Scientology ex-auditors will understand.)

By the end of the depo, there was no doubt in my mind. Minton was for real and he was starting to appear as their greatest fear. Interesting.

Minton did buy a house on Vashon Island but not for us. He bought it for the cats. (As I pointed out to someone else, he knew of me and Stacy and the harassment and never contacted us until the matter with the cats, and that his response was how to help the cats.)

Vashon Island is in Puget Sound, off the Seattle shore and just north of Tacoma. It's about 12 miles long and a few wide and very rural with a wide variety of animals. (The property next door has llamas. Besides horses and cattle, there are wild deer, pheasant, rabbits and ducks. There are also animals rescue groups including one that rescues wolves. Yes, wolves.) So it is populated by people who are very animal-friendly.

The house is on 2.5 acres and belongs to Minton, contrary to what the RTC/OSA robo-drones spew. It was selected because perhaps 45% of the square footage is a semi-finished basement that is perfect for the bulk of the sanctuary work, for that is the function he is supporting. Other space upstairs is also devoted to the sanctuary. There is also a small but well-built barn that can be converted later. There is also other space such that can be easily converted without change to the structure, eg.., an isolation section was created in the large two-car with some 2x2's and sheets of heavy plastic, until we can do something better. A large covered (semi-enclosed) parking port serves as storge for unusual items such as the palette (3000 pouns) of kitty litter (60 fifty pound bags) and the dumpster and other needs. Because the land slopes away, the basement has an open-to-the-air ground side, with a deck above, that is quite large. We've already extended it with a cement pour into a portion of the yard. It will then be enclosed with some wiring so it can be accessed via cat doors to give the sanctuary cats an "outdoors" where then can play safely and get fresh air and sun, and some nice Seattle rain, if they want it.

The location is pretty much in the center of the island, about a half mile south of the King County Police Station. (Great cops on this island!) It is well off the main highway, down a long private dirt road. This helps security and gives future picketers a nice lonely place to march, not to mention a lousy site for line-of-sight stake-outs. The house and grounds already had lights activated by motion-detectors. Our only addition is a rescued dog who made even the FedEx and UPS people nervous, until we introduced them.

The Vashon people are wonderful and we've started having many over to see our work and to get to know us. Some already saw Stacy on "60 Minutes".

As Vashon is accessible only by ferry, it has an up and down side. It provides privacy and security. (The crime rate on Vashon is not-surprisingly low. It is very dangerous for criminals to break the law and try to quickly escape. All you do is end up in the ferry line. And you might not even get on that ferry! It also reduces the outsiders so that they are known and recognized very easily. (Islanders get to know each other. There is a strong network on the island.) There's also a great little newspaper. (smile)

Thus, thanks to Bob [laugh - no, not THAT "Bob"], the cats are safe. We have ended up with more space than before and better facilities to treat and deal with them. We know the cult will try again. They can't stop, no matter how many publics they antagonize because they cannot see that they are their own worst enemy.

The final irony is that this all came about because of the cult. We would never have met Bob, in all likelihood, had it not been for them. Bob Minton had been around for awhile yet our paths did not cross until they attacked and threatened our animal rescue work. Like an angel, Bob Minton appeared only then. All he asked then - and since - is that the animals be safe. Warped RTC/OSA minds like to think differently but that is what distinguishes them.

I would like to extend Stacy's offer in another way. Should any of you be in the area and like to visit, please do. (We already had our required plant visit but feel free.) You can meet the cats and see the work we are doing and see what the cult wants to destroy. It will let you see the true face of the cult in another light.

And we will have a web page soon - with photos - so you can see the sanctuary and the animals that were saved. Again.

Best wishes from us and all the furries...
Robert Vaughn Young

Postscript:
My credentials can be found in an article I wrote for Quill, the magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists, which is archived at
(http://www.scientology.no.net/archive/media/young-quill.html)
Other posts I have made about Scientology and its criminal Dept 20 are at:
(http://www.entheta.net/entheta/1stpersn/rvy/) and
(http://www.islandnet.com/~martinh/rvy/rvy.htm).

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Subject: RVY dog stolen, injured
From: writer@eskimo.com (Robert Vaughn Young)
Date: 7 Feb 1998

Yesterday (Friday, Feb 7) as I was returning from Germany, after testifying before the Federal commission, someone stole one of my dogs, beat it and dumped it several miles north of my home. The dog was found, blood dripping from its head and mouth, struggling to make it back home. He was taken to a vet and he will be okay.

This follows an anonymous hate campaign leafletting of my island, attacking me and my wife and our animal sanctuary. (More on the outcome of that and the island's strong support in another post.)

The mafia-like message to me is quite clear so let me give one in return: I cannot prove who did this but anyone who would physically injure an innocent animal as part of a threat or order it or condone it is a sick criminal. You have done nothing more than strengthen our resolve. We will not "shudder into silence." Quite the opposite, you sick scum. Watch.

To begin with, I am turning this and other information of attacks on me and my family over to the authorities as evidence of hate crimes, which are covered by federal and state statutes. I have not turned it over to them in the category of "hate crime" but there is now a clear pattern and it has moved into physical violence. It is no longer hangup calls and the like. It is sick, violent physical behavior which might be directed at me and my wife and that is when the authorities are interested and I am giving it all to the local, state and federal authorities.

To whoever did this/paid for it, you are seriously sick.
To whoever works for them, you are working with seriously sick people.

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Subject: News Story About Harassment of the Youngs
From: sby@eskimo.com (Stacy Young)
Date: 17 Feb 1998

Here is the text of an article that ran on the front page of the February 4 edition of the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber, our weekly newspaper (it ran with a huge photo of Vaughn and me with several of our cats -- Alfred, Rachel and Charlotte):

CAT LOVERS TARGET OF ANONYMOUS FLIER

Cat lovers say the kennel is clean, animals are loved

By Gerrit Koepping

Island animal lovers are rallying behind Robert and Stacy Young, days after an anonymous flier alleged the Youngs brought an "illegal and diseased" cat kennel to Vashon.

The couple operated a cat sanctuary for years out of their West Seattle home. In 1996, Stacy received an award for her "outstanding service to companion animals" from the Progressive Animal Welfare Society.

About two months ago they moved their operation to Vashon and have been remodeling a house as a cat sanctuary.

Vashon Island Pet Protectors board member Anne Nanthrup said she has been at the Youngs' home a couple times and disputes any allegations of mistreatment.

"I can highly recommend the Youngs as animal lovers," Nanthrup said.

Two other VIPP members have visited the home and have to the same conclusions, she said.

"They are two of the good guys," Nanthrup said.

FLIER SAYS...

The flier alleges that the Youngs have between 200 and 300 cats but that a final tally is hard to determine "because of all the births and deaths from disease."

A Beachcomber reporter was given a tour of the Youngs' house and a nearby barn and saw no more than 50 cats. All of them Stacy Young knew by name.

Fair Isle Animal Clinic veterinarian Don Wolczko said the flier seems to be aimed at garnering an emotional reaction.

The flier asserts the cats have FIP " (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) which is also known as AIDS." It goes on to urge anyone with a cat to get themselves and their pet tested.

But FIP is a completely different virus than FIV, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, Wolczko said. Furthermore, there has not been a single case of a human contracting HIV or FIV from their cat, he said.

The couple say the fliers are part of an ongoing effort by the Church of Scientology to silence their criticism.

Both Robert and Stacy Young say they are former members of the church and they continue to be vocal critics. She recently appeared in an episode of 60 Minutes about the church.

"They're attacking the cats because they know how horrifying it is for us," Stacy Young said Monday.

The flier was distributed on Sunday, days before Robert Young says he was scheduled to testify against the church in Germany.

Scientologist Linda Ciotti in Seattle denied Monday the church is involved with making or distributing the flier.

"I'm the director of public affairs. If the church were to do something I would know," she said.

She said she is not familiar with the Youngs.

"I've heard the names but never had any dealings with them," she said.

On Sunday, two teens were handing out the fliers at Thriftway until a store employee told them to stop. He said the young men told him they were paid $10 to hand out the fliers by a man they had never met.

Islander Jolene Lamb said she saw a man in his 40s putting fliers on car windshields in downtown Vashon on Sunday.

Lamb said she approached him and asked for his name. She said he refused to give her his name but did say he was doing it for his mother and that she also wanted to remain anonymous.

"If you can't back it up with your name, it isn't worth nothing," Lamb said she concluded.

Lamb said she gave the man her name because she stood by her words.

"He was a total chicken as far as I was concerned," Lamb said.

The flier also alleges the couple received 10 citations for "illegal actions" while living in West Seattle.

Seattle Animal Control Officer S. Williams confirmed Monday there was an investigation into their facility after several complaints were received.

Investigators went to the facility and the animals appeared healthy, Williams said.

The couple did receive 10 citations for not having some of the cats licensed, Williams said.

They Youngs provided The Beachcomber with a stack of letters from their West Seattle neighbors who vouched for their care of the animals.

"The claim that their animals are abused or living in unsanitary conditions is one of the most scandalous accusations I have ever heard," wrote Joyce Russo.

Another neighbor, Jennifer Moran Callan, complained of the harassment the Youngs had suffered and mentioned anonymous fliers making false statements about the Youngs.

"It has completely opened our eyes to how easily unsubstantiated lies can be circulated," Jennifer Moran Callan wrote.

The Youngs said they moved to the island to avoid the harassment they suffered in West Seattle. They said they feared that the cats would be harmed.

INVESTIGATOR

Buyer's broker Emma Amiad said a few weeks after the Youngs moved to the island, she was approached by a private investigator from Los Angeles who asked about the Youngs and what they planned to do with the property.

The investigator asked if the Youngs knew anything about "deprogramming," Amiad said.

The investigator refused to say who he represented, Amiad recalled.

The same investigator asked permission to get into a county equipment yard next to the Youngs' house, said Jim Didricksen, King County Public Works Road Division Supervisor.

Didricksen told the man he needed to go through proper channels.

The man didn't say why he wanted to get into the yard, Didricksen said.

Ciotti, a director of public affairs for the church, said she has never heard of the private investigator that reportedly talked to Didricksen and Amiad.

The private investigator did not return two Beachcomber phone calls.

While the Youngs say the flier was upsetting, they say it will not dissuade them from their plans to turn their home off Vashon Highway into a sanctuary for abandoned and mistreated cats.

The following is a guest editorial that ran in the February 11 edition of The Beachcomber, the week after the front-page story:

ANONYMOUS FLIERS DON'T FLY

I was one of those islanders handed the bogus Public Health Notice about Robert and Stacy Young's animal sanctuary Sunday, Feb. 1.

As I was in a hurry to get to "My Fair Lady," I didn't even glance at it.

Hours later, still humming tunes from that marvelous production, I came across the wretched paper.

What an abrupt change of mood. Not even knowing at the time the true situation of the Youngs, I spotted misinformation right and left.

Although I am not a native islander, I've certainly lived here long enough to know that no matter how passionately we may feel about an issue, no matter how desperately we might want to bring attention to it, we would never resort to tactics using the cloak of anonymity.

I commend Jolene Lamb for confronting the person passing out the fliers.

Real Vashon Islanders who give you information they care about put their name and telephone on it and usually invite you to a meeting.

I say without clear identification of the author or authors -- put it in the garbage where it belongs.

-- Jennie Hodgson, member of the Vashon School Board