This afternoon, I made a quick run into the bank and spotted my friend Hans.  Hans is one of the German Scientologists in Clearwater who has been picketing the LMT since Ursula's trip.  This is the second time I've run into Hans and we have always been cordial.

I was waiting for the teller when I spotted him and shouted "Hans!"  He looked around and, spotting me, he smiled.  We shook hands and I told him it was nice seeing him at the City Council Meeting last night.  He said, "We should talk," so I waited for him to finish his business.

When he was done we wandered outside and had a conversation for ten minutes or so.  I started by saying perhaps Mary and he should have mentioned that the Religious Freedom Foundation they spoke of at last night's meeting was a Scientology group.  He said "Yes, Mary discussed doing that.  She must have just forgot."

I suggested that by not saying up front that it is a Scientology group, some might believe it was a case of fraud.  Hans could see how that might be true.  He was unaware that Scientology came to Clearwater under the phony name of United Churches.  This deception angered a lot of citizens of Clearwater and caused much of the distrust of Scientology ever since.

Hans told me that Scientology is well thought of in Clearwater.  I asked if he knew about Operation Normandy and he told me he was aware of it.  "It's ancient history," he said.  That seems to be the party line as I hear that a lot around here.   "Scientology doesn't do that anymore."  I brought up the 1997 Canadian criminal charge and he refused to believe it was true.

Nor would he believe that Scientology tried to destroy Gabe Cazares.  I offered the full story of how Gabe's attorney turned out to be a Scientologist who was later disbarred and he called these lies.  I offered to have him come with me to the trust and I would show him ALL the documentation but he refused to come.

Hans wanted to tell me about Ursula and what a fascist and nazi she is...how Ursula has destroyed many lives.  Hans says he lost everything after a newspaper story mentioned he was a Scientologist.  He told me how he was a journalist who covered the refugees coming from East Germany.  I've heard stories about his status as a journalist but I didn't mention them to him because I have not seen the evidence yet.  I like to know both sides of any story.

He said Ursula is tapping phones of Scientologists and having them followed. I asked him how he and the other Scientologists knew what flight Ursula was on when they met her at the airport?  Didn't they tap a phone or get that info in some other illegal manner?  This set him back a moment.

"We just knew," he said.

"How?  How did you just know which flight at what time?"

"Well, it was on the internet," he explained.

"The fact that she was speaking on Tuesday was on the net but not when she was arriving and on what flight."  I explained how Scientology's Office of Special Affairs does all the things he's accusing Ursula of but he wouldn't listen to it.  He refused to believe Scientology would do anything illegal because they have policy against that.  "The only criminal around here is Minton who is a money launderer," he told me.

I went through the whole Nigeria deal and how David Lebow/David Lee/Robert Clark is the Scientologist PI behind the whole Nigerian scandal and how the Nigerian Senate cleared Bob and how Bob attended the debate but Fashanu and David Lee didn't show up.  Again, he claimed I was lying.

In fact, Hans wouldn't even believe that Jeff wrote his own speech last night.  He was convinced Jeff was paid to get up there and spout the words of someone else.  Who, Hans didn't say but he was convinced Jeff was just a puppet and wasn't behind that speech.

He came back to Ursula and how I brought this woman to Clearwater.  I asked him if Ursula was behind the troubles Scientology was having in Belgium or Spain or in France where they are calling for the dissolution of Scientology altogether.  He had no answer for this.

I told him that we are not against his religious rights but that Scientology has to start behaving like a church and not like the Mafia...then they'd have no problems at all.   He continued to doubt my facts and I offered again to have him come to the Trust and look at all the documents but he wouldn't.  He got in his car and left.

What is so wrong with looking at both sides?  Why not check out the facts for yourself?  Knowing the truth will not affect your wins.  In fact, getting Scientology to reform and behave like a real church will do what a sham front group like the Religious Freedom Foundation will never be able to do...gain your group some respect.

I urge anyone who wishes total freedom to seek out the truth.  There is no bridge to truth.  There is only a roadblock.  You create that roadblock yourself when you refuse to look and listen and think.  True freedom is the willingness to look at both sides and then choose.

Anyone who wishes to view the documentation of the cases I've cited is welcome to come by the Trust.

P.S. Hans told me that Mary DeMoss feels that I am harassing her.  I apologize if this is the case.

Mark Bunker