All of them, those in power, and those who want the power, would pamper us, if we agreed to overlook their crookedness by wilfully restricting our activities.
Disclaimer: Dianetics and Scientology are trademarks of the Religious Technology Center (RTC.) These pages and their author are not connected with the Church of Scientology or RTC, or any other organization residing under their corporate umbrella.
This site is best viewed using a highly standards-compliant browser
«The goal of the Department is to bring the government
and hostile philosophies or societies into a state of complete
compliance with the goals of Scientology. This is done by
high level ability to control and in its absence by low
level ability to overwhelm. Introvert such agencies. Control
such agencies. Scientology is the only game on Earth where
everybody wins.» — L. Ron Hubbard,
HCOPL,
15 August 1960, "DEPT
OF GOVT AFFAIRS"
(Church of) Scientology
History in Toronto, Part One Reference:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion.scientology/msg/3005bedd49e56d0c SCIENTOLOGY HISTORY IN TORONTO, PART SEVENHandling the MediaBy 1985 the Scientologists had a new problem. Some of the accused wanted to plead guilty and put the problem behind them. Charges were laid on December 1st, 1984; June 26, 1985; and December 16, 1985. On December 13, 1985, Nanna Krogh Anderson, charged jointly with the Church of Scientology of Toronto, appeared with her counsel before Judge L.E. DiCecco. This was 3 1/2 weeks before all accused were scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing. Counsel for the church was not notified by the prosecutor, but was notified by the news media one hour before the hearing was to take place. He was unable to attend in court, and his pleas to the prosecutor to limit publicity were rebuffed. However, the prosecutor undertook to inform the judge of the preliminary hearing scheduled for January 6th, 1986. Anderson pled guilty to unlawful possession of property of a value exceeding $200 knowing that such property had been stolen. An agreed-upon statement of facts was presented by the Crown counsel, detailing Ms. Anderson's membership in Scientology branches in Denmark, England, and Toronto. In a further effort to mitigate the sentence, defending counsel called Ms. Anderson to testify. Her examination-in-chief occupies over 30 pages of transcript, and contains extensive references to the Church of Scientology, its organization, practices, and the manner in which Ms. Anderson ultimately received instructions to commit the offence charged. After the hearings, the judge observed:
"It is a serious matter, there is no doubt about it, Ms. Anderson.
However, through your testimony today, not so much what your
counsel said or what Mr. Pearson said, but your testimony today;
the emotion that you showed to me; the facts that you recounted
to me, I've come to the conclusion that sentence was passed
on you much before today.
I cannot think of a heavier sentence where a mother is deprived from being able to show her love every day to her own child. I cannot think of any heavier sentence than where someone can be put in a position to think that she's an unfit mother when I'm convinced today that you're not an unfit mother but you've been a hardworking member of this community. Whatever you did was because of a particular situation that developed over a period of years from when you were a teenager. We're all aware of the influences that can be made on young minds and the effect that those influences can have on a person throughout their adulthood. Madam, I'm taking the position that you have been penalized sufficiently. As I indicated, the matter of general deterrence, if every person would think and realize what you have suffered, if that is not a general deterrence, I do not know what that could be." [1] The case was widely reported. For example, on CBC-TV "The National News", 10 p.m. December 13, 1985:
Vicki Russel - "It was nearly three years ago that police
raided the Church of Scientology and dragged away a quarter
of a million documents as evidence. The Church and 19
individuals were charged with offences including theft and possession
of stolen property. Police alleged that the Scientologists got
the stolen documents by infiltrating organizations which were
investigating or had information about the Church, and today
in court the first of the accused went to trial and pleaded
guilty to possession of stolen property. Nanna Anderson
said Church officials pressured her to find a job in one of
three places. She chose the Ontario Medical Association, which
was investigating the Church to see if it was practicing medicine.
She told the Court of the hardship she went through in the 17
years she was involved with the Church. She said Church
members pressured her for money and expected her to put in long
hours doing volunteer work. The judge gave her an absolute
discharge."
On January 3rd, 1986, a few days before the preliminary inquiry, Kathleen Lepp, who was charged jointly with the Church of Scientology of Toronto and with members Jacqueline Matz (AKA Baillie), Susan Leah Lemieux, and Michael Symington on count 4 of the information [theft from the Canadian Mental Health Association], appeared with her counsel before Provincial Court Judge R. B. Dnieper. It was Ms. Lepp's intention, apparently, to enter a guilty plea to the offence charged in count 4. Counsel for the church and four of the other defendants sought leave, under section 24(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to make representations to the presiding judge, for an order enjoining the counsel for the Crown and Ms. Lepp from mentioning the names of the co-accused, or directing the media not to publish such names or other information on their alleged role in the offence, until the trial of the co-accused had been completed. Judge Dnieper said:
"The problem before the court is this: we have a collision between
two separate rights. There is the right of a free press
and to be informed by it. To interfere with this is, in
my view, the second most dangerous thing that a court can do.
The most dangerous is to arrogate to itself powers which it
does not possess.
I assure you, I would like to find some way out of this that will satisfy everybody, but I do not see it. What, in fact, is happening here is this: Crown has called the case. Other counsel have stood to address the court. They have no status in the case of The Queen against Lepp. No question of that. If the Crown had called all of the accused, then everyone could have been spoken to at the one time, but Crown did not do this. Crown called Miss Lepp only. The Crown is severing the matter. It is an exercise of Miss Lepp's right to plead guilty when she wishes. ... The submissions made by learned counsel to this court are a motion. I do not believe I have jurisdiction to hear it. ... If I had the power to hear that motion, it is unlikely that I would make such an order for the following reason. I have pointed out that the most dangerous thing a court can do is to arrogate to itself a power it has not received from the sovereign will of the people. The second most dangerous is to interfere with free press. It would have to be made abundantly clear that the value to free publication is so little and the harm to someone else is so great by publication, before I would even consider it. I do not believe that this would be the case, anyhow. ... Accordingly, gentlemen, you have not status in the case of The Queen against Lepp and I am without the jurisdiction to hear any motion such as made before the court. Pray, arraign Miss Lepp." [2] In consequence of this ruling, Clayton Ruby, acting for the Church of Scientology, announced that he proposed to have the matter reviewed by the Supreme Court of Ontario, and "took the somewhat unusual, if not contemptuous, step of serving the learned presiding judge in open court." [3] Despite the protests of Crown counsel, court was then adjourned to permit the judicial review. On January 6th, 1986, the various accused appeared in Provincial Court for the preliminary hearing. The presiding judge ruled that the matter should not proceed until the judicial review was completed. The review was held in the Ontario High Court by Judge Watt. Counsel for Scientology contended that:
Crown counsel acknowledged that the Provincial Court was a court of competent jurisdiction, but argued that the remedy sought was neither appropriate nor just in the circumstances. The Crown also contested the standing of the applicants for the review. The court reviewed the common law and recent decisions under the Charter. It ruled that on April 28, 1986, that Judge Dnieper had erred in law in denying the co-accused status to seek the publication ban. The matter was returned to Provincial Court, to be heard by a different judge. Recall Judge DiCecco's words: "the matter of general deterrence, if every person would think and realize what you have suffered, if that is not a general deterrence, I do not know what that could be." Publication bans and deals in which the accused promise not to mention the role of Scientology eliminate such deterrence. To this day [1995], many of the general public think that only 3 persons were convicted in the Scientology trials. By 1988, four of the accused had pled guilty, and had received absolute discharges. References: 1. Re Church
of Scientology of Toronto et al. and the Queen (no. 6), Canadian
Criminal Cases vol. 27, p. 198. |