Sent from: Doc Hambone <hambone@io.com>
Not surprising at all that COS would try to set up a front to vacuum in potential strays from the flock. I found a link to the CAN Reform Group, which claims to be a group of former CAN members who are critical of the group. The URL is http://www.theta.com/can_reform/
I punch in just theta.com, and sure enough it popped up as the main page of scientology.org. They really should try a little harder. I should note though, CAN certainly left room for legitmate gripes: some lawsuits were by non-scientologists, many of whom complained that CAN acted as a broker for "exit counsellors", the PC term for deprogramers, who kidnap "cult" members and submit them to more conventional brainwashing techniques (sleep deprivation, being tied to a chair, etc).
There's also the Waco matter - the original ATF search warrant contained some dubious information gathered from CAN deprogrammed informants, and the group lept at the chance to be the official consultant on cults to news and law enforcement agencies.
Some of their staff is a bit suspicious too. CAN included Army brainwashing expert Margaret Sanger and Louis "Jolly" West as advisors. West is notorious for being Jack Ruby's prison shrink, as well as the only man to kill an elephant with LSD as part of his experiments with the CIA's MK-ULTRA mind control program.
Just chalk it up to another case of both sides with dirty hands, and lots of unfortunates getting screwed in the middle. Doc
Dr. Doc Hambone
http://www.io.com/~hambone/
Anathema Enterprises, 2002-A Guadalupe St. #227, Austin, TX 78705
Original file name: [Fwd- CULT - CofS]2
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