Blooms & Barbs; Ron Not to Attend Phoenix Congress
Blooms & Barbs
by Tido Churchill
PHOENIX, 16 May—-I Just can't seem to get rolling on a column this time. We seem to get less and less communication around here, and what little we manage to dredge up is so unfavorable, I dislike writing It up.
Important, of course, is the report that the local newspaper has employed a reporter to write a series of articles "exposing" Scientology. He has been checking the background of Scientology in Los Angeles, Wichita, New York, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. What he finds should make interesting reading— for some persons.
It is reported that Ron was met by the Phoenix reporter when he arrived in Washington (See Cols.2 & 3) and fisticuffs followed. We don't know how BIG the reporter is, or was.
A suit for $9,000 damage to a house in Paradise Valley, Ariz., leased for use as a "clinic"— from which "windows were broken, entire casements tom out, electrical fixtures pulled loose, holes tom in the walls and ceilings", has been filed against L. Ron Hubbard, the Church of Scientology, and others by the Texas owner. The suit charges the damage was done by "deranged persons"; and the house had been leased by "agents" of the Hubbard corporations. Hubbard denied any official connection with the operation of the house.
The only other tid-bit I have that isn't so odorous you wouldn't print it Is that five more persons were "released" recently by the H.A.S.I. (and Just after a staff of 22 had had their pictures printed in ABILITY MAJOR 2.) These were Ken Barrett, Fernando Estrada, Maxine Savant, A1 Ingraham (the man hired to "sell" Scientology), and Don Jensen. According to ABILITY MINOR 4, Barrett, Estrada, and Ingraham were granted a "leave of absence" and are "barnstorming". Maxine quit so she could take all the courses. I have no further data on Jensen, except he was '/the uranium prospector who found the strike that would "amaze even the A.E. C." The last we heard,they were assaying the ore he found for diamonds.
Don Breeding has come up with a simplified version of the E-Meter, which is reported to have Ron's approval.
In ABILITY MINOR 4, the C.A.D.A. was declared legally non-existent. It is reported the members will carry on their work in spite of being un-mocked.
After youfv© left out the bad news, what1 s left is hardly worth bothering with is it? Maybe I should take a "leave of absence".
Ron Not to Attend Phoenix Congress
There'll probably be a lot of vacation plans altered in a hurry June 3 to 6—unless those planning to attend the Fifth Anniversary Congress in Phoenix are satisfied with listening to tapes. In a special Bulletin from the HASI, it was announced May 16, that the Congress is being moved to Washington, D.C., and a "small Congress"—at half price and without the presence of L. Ron Hubbard—will replace the one scheduled for the homeland of the HASI.
The switch in location for the Congress, according to the Bulletin, was made because of "popular appeal" from an "area in which the most Is being accomplished outside of Phoenix". The same schedule of prices originally set up for the Phoenix Congress will prevail in the Capitol City.
Dr. W.H. Young, 1826 "R" St., N.W.,. has charge of reservations for the Washington meeting.
It also was announced that one Advanced Clinical course will be given in Washington, after which Ron will return to the HASI's Pretentious quarters In hoenix.
Scientologists will recall that it was less than 18 months ago that Ron went to Phoenix from his Camden headquarters to give "one" Clinical Course.
(ED. NOTE—Any reference to the Phoenix Congress on other pages of this magazine simply illustrates one point: You can change your mind, but you can't alter the printed page.)
