Clearwater City Commission Meeting

Jeff Jacobsen
May 17, 2001

Jeff reads a letter from Mary DeMoss, the head of the Foundation for Religious Tolerance in Clearwater. The letter was published in a Scientology's magazine.

In earlier comments before the City Commission, Mary DeMoss announced that her Foundation was formed to create community harmony among Clearwater's Churches yet in her letter to the magazine she admits she uses the Foundation solely to attack the LMT

 

  

Transcript:

My name is Jeff Jacobsen, I live on NE Coachman Road.

I'd like to point out a deception that happened in a city commission meeting last August 17. Mary DeMoss spoke at the meeting and explained that she was creating the Foundation for Religious Tolerance here in Clearwater. She said the goals of the Foundation would be to promote human rights, unite the local religious groups, bring the city and religions together, and help forward the goals of the city.

The most recent Scientology publication called Free Winds has a letter signed M.D. talking about how this person found her home town had some SP's in it. SP's are Suppressive Persons, or those who are harmful to the goals of Scientology. Now to quote the letter:

"I began to attack them. My attacks turned into the Foundation for Religious Tolerance which I founded. This foundation confronts any critics of Scientology and exposes them for what they really are - hate groups."

M.D. ends the letter thusly:

"would you like to know how many people comprise this vast worldwide organization that has the SPs running scared? Just one, me!"

The Foundation for Religious Tolerance claims to be a wonderful organization designed by a Scientologist to help unite the Clearwater community, but in her own words, it is a front group for Scientology to attack its critics. In that case Ms. DeMoss lied to the commission and the people of Clearwater last August 17.

The Citizens for a Better Clearwater rejected a brick order I placed for the new Alley Park. My brick was to say "Remember Lisa McPherson." This was rejected, said a letter from CBC treasurer Doug Williams, because it would cause community disharmony. CBC finally relented and my brick is now in the park, but it gives me pause to wonder just what community Mr. Williams is talking about. Would the Clearwater community be upset by my brick, or could it be the Scientology community he's talking about? What exactly does this episode say about Citizens for a Better Clearwater?

Scientology came into Clearwater under an assumed name, United Churches of Florida. It appears they are still using such front groups to disguise their actions. L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, wrote that Scientologists should utilize such front groups. "The cue in all this is don't seek the co-operation of groups" wrote Hubbard, "just enter them and start functioning to make the group win through effectiveness and sanity." I thought the city should know about this.

 
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