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Jeff Jacobsen's
speech to Clearwater City Commission
8/17/00See LMT Media's video of
this event here.
My name is Jeff Jacobsen, I live at X.I moved to Clearwater in May after having come here
previously to picket against the Church of Scientology.
I didn't know how far Scientology's influence has spread in this
community just from visiting once a year.
But I've seen the influence now.
Scientology gets away scot-free after the death of Lisa
McPherson, while critics of Scientology are enjoined from even walking
on certain sidewalks in Clearwater.
A Scientologist hits a critic's video camera with a hammer and
the police do nothing. A
picketer is assaulted not once but twice by a Scientologist, and despite
the assaults being on videotape from different angles, the Scientologist
is not arrested.
The city officials seem hell-bent to treat Scientology
as just another friendly property owner, albeit one with $40 million of
property in Clearwater, a large portion tax exempt.
Yet in return, I've
counted 18 security cameras on Scientology property aimed at Clearwater
citizens on the city sidewalks and streets.
Motion sensors protect both the Ft. Harrison Hotel and the
staff's housing at the Hacienda Gardens.
If the Clearwater/Scientology relations are so good, why the
security cameras, the motion sensors, the security guards everywhere?
Why the paranoia about Clearwater citizens walking by?
Now just a few weeks ago a German official from Hamburg
came to town. I was at the
airport when about 30 Scientologists greeted her with shouts of
"Nazi Go Home!" and attempted to manhandle her.
I was there when the Scientology attorney came demanding that she
be deposed in a case she has nothing to do with at the exact time she
had already scheduled a news conference.
Ms. Ursula Caberta has gone home after having been viciously
treated by Scientology, and let me assure you that the European media,
starting with Der Spiegel, have already begun to paint Clearwater as
German-hating and nuts. I
suspect you are going to be seeing fewer German tourists around here
now, thanks to the actions of Scientologists.
The death of Lisa McPherson and other serious actions
by Scientology hasn't seemed to bother the cozy relation Clearwater's
officials strive to have with Scientology.
Maybe when Europe's tourists boycott our wonderful community, the
hit in your pocketbooks might wake you up to reality.
If you�d like to view any of the videos I�ve
described some of them are available on the internet at lisamcpherson.org/LMT.
Thank
you.
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