CCHR - Human Rights Organization Attacks
Its "Enemies"
by Jeff Jacobsen
"I think psychiatry should be outlawed." OVERVIEW The Church of Scientology has taken upon itself the goal of eradicating
psychiatry from the face of the earth. This may seem like a strange
project for a "church," until one reads the thoughts of Scientology's
founder, L. Ron Hubbard. HISTORY L. Ron Hubbard was a science-fiction writer before he started dianetics
(1950) and Scientology (1953). In 1940 he wrote "The Indigestible
Tritan." In a forward to this fictional work, he wrote about psychiatry,
stating "the fact that psychiatry has succeeded in healing but
a small percentage of the known ills of mind rather indicates that the
subject is not, as yet, ready for its place among the sciences for all
its brave effort to style itself." Hubbard bemoaned that psychiatrists
would ignore unusual cases as simply "delusional," and that
"every pioneer of knowledge has been judged 'insane' in the initial
stages of his work." [Unknown Magazine, April, 1940 vol. 3, #2
"The Indigestible Triton" by Renee Lafayette (a pen-name of
Hubbard's)] "After trying and failing for two years The next year, Hubbard was promoting his invention dianetics. This
was Hubbard's unscientific method of handling mental problems. In 1950
Hubbard published the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.
While the methods were an alternative to psychiatry, they could be used
by psychiatry: "While suspending judgment concerning the eventual validity of
the Hubbard had hoped that psychiatry would see the validity of his theories
and embrace dianetics, but instead the opposite happened. "We are not even vaguely propitiative toward medicine or psychiatry,
and we are overtly intent upon assimilating every function they are
now performing." (Hubbard, Professional Auditor's Bulletin no.
53, "Ownership", 27 May 1955) "HOUSE BILL 6376 PASSED JANUARY 18TH STOP GOES SENATE NEXT WEEK
STOP BILL PERMITS ADMISSION OF PERSON TO MENTAL INSTITUTION BY WRITTEN
APPLICATION OF INTERESTED PERSON BEFORE JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS ARE HELD
STOP DISPENSES WITH REQUIREMENT THAT PATIENT BE PRESENT AT HEARING STOP
ANYONE CAN BE EXCLUDED FROM HEARING STOP BILL PERTAINS TO ALASKA AT
MOMENT STOP BILL SETS UP ONE MILLION ACRES SIBERIAL IN ALASKA FOR INSTITUTIONS
LETTER AND BILL FOLLOW WHAT ACTION YOU WANT TAKEN. Even though the majority of Alaskans, churches, and mental health
professionals approved of the bill, Hubbard launched an attack to kill
it, claiming that the bill would create a concentration camp, or a Siberia,
in Alaska, and that any psychiatrist could ship whomever he or she wanted
to the encampment. "But now, if you really want to make one worse, I'm afraid that
you By 1964 Hubbard was accusing psychiatrists of being murderers: "And such a pc must be able to talk before anything else can happen. Pcs can be ruined by someone who doesn't grasp that simple fact. Psychiatrists, failing to grasp it, murdered several million people - so it's no light matter." "...33 1/3 percent of all psycho-analytic patients are said to have committed suicide in their first three months of treatment..." [HCOB of 11 Dec. 1964 "Processes"] Hubbard continued on with his attacks on psychiatry, blaming them for more and more of the universe's ills. "Psychiatry and 'Mental Health' was chosen as a vehicle to undermine and destroy the West!" [LRH ED 55 Int, 11/29/68 "The War"] "The psychiatric bid for total power is well progressed." "They employ terrorism, corruption and blackmail to cow political henchmen. They have taken over education not only in universities but even in the lesser schools and are producing a submissive, degraded generation over which to rule." ["The Planned Revolution" 12 June 1969 by LRH] "I would say that the control philosophies called psychiatry, psychology, and sociology were a failure. Probably the biggest failure of the last two centuries. Isn't it time we got rid of them?" LRH 15 June 1969, quoted in CCHR mailer signed by Cuch Figueroa In 1969 the Citizen's Commission on Human Rights was founded by Scientology
to expose the evils of psychiatry. This commission still works on this
goal (www.cchr.org). "Technology can come from a wrong source. For instance, Leipzig University's school of psychology and psychiatry opened the door to death camps in Hitler's Germany... Not only taking data from wrong source but officialdom from it can therefore be sufficiently aberrated as to result in planetary insanity." [HCOPL 26 Nov. 1970 "More Outpoints"] "Thus, psychiatry is MAKING insane people." [HCOB of 16 July 1970 "The Psychiatrist at Work"] Hubbard ordered that "we assign any case or upset in Scientology to past damaged and interference with the person by medicine and psychiatry" [HCOP of 29 June 1971, "CONFIDENTIAL"] and eventually called for the complete eradication of psychiatry; "Doctors are too often careless and incompetent, psychiatrists
are "There's only one remedy for crime - get rid of the psychs! They are causing it!" [HCOB of 6 May 1982, "The Cause of Crime"] Hubbard's shrillness kept expanding until he was declaring that all of society's ills throughout history are caused by psychiatry; "The greatest crime of our time is the use of psychology and psychiatry to teach little children in schools with them and manufacture crime and a whole world of immorality and unhappiness." [HCOB of 29 November 1981 "Dianetics and Scientology Compared to 19th Century Practices"] "Under the false data of the psychs (who have been on the track
a long time and are the sole cause of decline in this universe) both
pain and sex are "The psychs should not be let to get away with 'treatment' which amounts to criminal acts, mayhem and murder. They are not above the law... They should be handled like any other criminals. They are at best dramatizing psychotics and dangerous, but more dangerous to the society at large than the psychotics they keep in their offices and looney bins because they lie and are treacherous." [HCOB of 6 May 1982 "The Cause of Crime"] L. Ron Hubbard died in January of 1986. He left behind his anti-psychiatric rants that the Church of Scientology and the Citizens Commission on Human Rights continue to obey as scripture. SCIENTOLOGY CONTINUES THE ATTACK In 1994 CCHR sponsored a book titled "Psychiatrists: the Men Behind Hitler." This laughable treatise states that; "...all the atrocities and mass murders that Hitler inspired can
only be understood if the researcher starts with the assumption that
behind Hitler stood certain manipulators who not only encouraged the
brutalities, but actually 'justified' them." The book's major thesis is that psychiatry caused the holocaust by giving Hitler and his henchmen the necessary foundation for their actions. "Psychiatry under the Nazis was more than an obedient servant and an executioner. It was a co-conspirator and co-initiator, if not the major force behind a staggering portion of genocide." [page 71] This psychiatric influence still exists today, and has its tenticles all over the world; "Perhaps the most powerful of these enclaves is in the United States, where psychiatry influences many of the institutions that are simply taken for granted: politics, education, health and the court systems. The result of this unfortunate influence can be found by a quick glance around our nation's cities and towns: dramatic increases in illiteracy, drug abuse, crime, teenage pregnancy, poverty and insanity. All concurrent with the presence and expansion of they psychiatric influence." [p. 223] And here as well, the call for eradicating psychiatry rings through: "In any place that these ideas [of psychiatry] have taken root and been practiced, progress and well-being have steadily declined. The example of the men behind Hitler is reason enough to become extremely vigilant against any infiltration of these ideas into any part of society, and justification to stamp out where it currently exists." [p. 365] Meanwhile, CCHR continues this drumbeat to destroy psychiatry; "Be part of the team that is taking out psychiatry!" [CCHR mailer Dec. 7, 1993, signed Don Gershbock] "Psychs are the major source of planetary suppression; they and this program must be stopped." [CCHR mailer 15 Sept. 1993, signed Steve Manuels] "We know psychiatrists create insanity, war and crime." CCHR mailer April 1995, signed Jan Eastgate] ...the psych industry has been bleeding the life and sanity from our country." [CCHR mailer June 1995] "It is obvious that psychiatry as an industry has fully infested
English-speaking countries and a good portion of the rest of the world." "The time to put an end to psychiatry and it's criminal practices is NOW!" [CCHR mailer, copyright 1998] "Get rid of the psychs! That is just what CCHR is doing." [CCHR mailer "Stop Psych Experiments on schoolchildren!" copyright 1997] Even Scientology's own CIA, the Office of Special Affairs, got in on the act; "'Psych Buster' t-shirts with the infamous 'Psychiatry Kills' message written clearly for all psychs to see are available from the Office of Special Affairs for $10.00. Send your size and check to the address listed below." [OSA Newsletter, July 9, 1986] At one point CCHR tried to be magnanimous and give psychiatrists an out: "Dear Doctor X, At the Citizens Commission on Human Rights we are currently gathering
information and documentation of abuses, harmful treatments, and violations
of human and civil rights. We fully intend to push for the prosecution
of psychiatrists who have been involved in such violations, under whatever
laws may apply. David Miscavige, current head of Scientology, explained on ABC's Nightline program that Scientology was at war with psychiatry; "But to understand what this war is, METHODOLOGY The method and types of attack from Scientology on psychiatry follow the pattern set down by L. Ron Hubbard in the "scriptures" he left behind. For instance, in explaining how to stop attacks (as, for example, psychiatric associations speaking against dianetics) he explained to "1. Locate a sourse of attack on us. 2. Investigate it. 3. Expose it with lurid publicity." [HCOPL of 25 February 1966 "Attacks on Scientology"] Certainly psychiatry was seen as an attacker; "Nearly all the backlash in sociecty against Dianetics and Scientology has a common source - the psychiatrist-psychologist-psychoanalyst clique." [PAB #62, 9/30/55 "Psychiatrists"] The famous "Fair Game" tactic was simple. If someone is declared an "enemy" as all psychiatrists certainly are, they are "fair game. May be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist... May be tricked, sued, or lied to or destroyed." [HCOPL 18 October 1967 Issue IV "Penalties for Lower Conditions"] Hubbard's Guardian's Office, which had 11 of its leaders (including Hubbard's wife) serve time in federal prison for infiltrating the U.S. government, had directions on how to attack psychiatrists: "b. General scene: a psychiatrist who has instigated attacks on
the org via police and press. Pyschiatry was the gremlin in the closet that could be pulled out and blamed for any bad thing. When the Toronto Scientology office was raided by the police in 1983, Scott Carmichael, spokesman for the church, declared that ''Psychiatry has raised a hue and cry against our religion ... and we cannot help but wonder if they do not lie in the background in this incident.'' [UPI March 4, 1983] When the IRS went after Scientology for exemption issues, Davide Miscavige - current head of Scientology - linked the attack back to psychiatry. [David Miscavige's IAS speech, 8 October 1993] Obviously, the operating word from Hubbard was "attack,"
and this is just what Scientology has done and does to psychiatry. "Have your rights been violated by psychiatrist John
G. Clark? The reader was invited to write to the Church of Scientology, Boston.
Dr. Clark was an outspoken critic of religious cults. RESULTS OF THE ATTACK One of the worst results of CCHR's actions is that people who take
their message to heart will stop listening to their psychiatrist or
psychologist, and may stop taking prescribed medication or treatment,
even though CCHR has no medical staff or training to make the medical
claims they do. Theres far more [violence] in this society than any other The non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs kill more Americans every People who are under a psychiatrist's care and on medication prescribed for them can be influenced by such statements, even though Mr. Clarke has no medical background to make such claims.
Hubbard claimed that he had developed some techniques in 1973. The
breakthrough, he declared, "means the last reason to have psychiatry
around is gone." [HCOB of 23 January, 1974R "The Technical
Breakthrough of 1973!"] This technique, known as the Introspection
Rundown, would provide an alternative for society to handle psychotic
problems. A "rundown" in Scientology is a series of prescribed steps designed to produce a certain end result. These steps involve "auditing", which is looking back through a person's past to find some memory that is causing the person present time problems. The Introspection Rundown is designed to handle a psychotic break or mental breakdown. The theory of the Introspection Rundown is that if you can find what caused the person to become introverted and psychotic then you can handle that cause and break the psychotic episode. The first step of the rundown is "isolate the person wholly with all attendants completely muzzled (no speech)." [1] Auditing sessions are given infrequently to search for the cause of the psychotic break during this rundown, otherwise the person is isolated in complete silence. "When it is obvious the person is out of his psychosis and up to the responsibility of living with others his isolation is ended." [2] The supervisor in charge of the person being isolated tests the person's condition by writing a note, such as "'Dear Joe. What can you guarantee me if you are let out of isolation?'" [2] If Joe does not answer in writing satisfactorily, the supervisor must write back "'Dear Joe. I'm sorry but no go on coming out of isolation yet.'" [2] Of course, "this will elicit a protest from the person" [2] but the rundown is not over until the supervisor concludes that Joe has recognized what caused his psychotic break. Once the rundown is over, if the person is a Sea Org member (the elite corps that signs a billion year contract with the church), he/she is put on the RPF - a sort of manual labor detail, and is "told to make good." [3] Hubbard wrote that "This Rundown is very simple but cannot be flubbed, as that will compound the errors and cause further introspection in the pc." [1] In other words, this process if done incorrectly could actually make someone having a psychotic break get worse. Handling the Rundown "is very precise and even touchy business. There must be no mistakes and you cannot be heavy-handed on them." [3] What right does the church have to incarcerate mentally unstable people? What training do they have to prevent injury to the unstable person? What recourse or input does the person incarcerated have? What critieria are used to decide that the isolation is no longer needed? What training do the supervisors get to make such a decision over the length of someone's incarceration? How many people have gotten worse instead of better? What happens if a person never gets better, since Scientology considers psychiatry to be quack science? How long can isolation be maintiained? Months? Years? On December 5, 1995, Lisa McPherson was dead on arrival at a hospital 45 minutes north of Clearwater Florida. According to the coroner's report, Lisa was underweight, severely dehydrated, and had bruises and bug bites. Lisa's last address was listed by the police as 210 S. Ft. Harrison in Clearwater Florida, which is the Fort Harrison Hotel, a Scientology property. Lisa had been a Scientologist from the age of 18 to her death at age 36. Lisa was put on the Introspection Rundown. To begin Lisa's story; on November 18, 1995, Lisa was involved in a minor car accident. She was apparently not hurt, but she got out of her car and took all her clothes off and seemed mentally unstable. She was taken to a hospital where she was physically evaluated as being unharmed, but the hospital wanted her to be psychologically cared for. However, some Scientologists arrived and stated that Lisa did not believe in psychiatry, and she checked out after a short evaluation and left with the Scientologists. She went with them to the Ft. Harrison Hotel for "rest and relaxation" according to the church, but church logs from Lisa's stay there from November 18 to her death December 5 show differently. Some logs are missing, and a high ranking ex-Scientologist has written an affidavit in which he claims that the church has in the past destroyed documents that might get the church in trouble. The family of Lisa McPherson is now suing Scientology and individuals involved for wrongful death, while Scientology claims it did nothing wrong toward Lisa. However, Lynn Farny, an official in Scientology's legal department, said in a police interview; Q. Have you changed the procedure as far as parishioners or staff who have psychotic breaks, how those people are now handled? Are they handled at the Fort Harrison? A. They were never supposed to be handled at the Fort Harrison, and
that's been reiterated. They're not supposed to be there, they're supposed
to be somewhere out in the countryside or something like that. On November 13, 1998, Scientology was
indicted
on 2 felony charges in Lisa's death. On June 12, 2000 the criminal
charges were dropped against Scientology because (so the prosecutor
claims) the medical examiner could not be counted on to confidently
testify, even though the criminal charges were abuse of a disabled person
and practicing medicine without a license. "I understand that the Introspection Rundown ... includes being isolated from ... family members, friends or others with whom I might normally interact.... The Case Supervisor will determine the time period in which I will remain isolated, according to the beliefs and practices of the Scientology religion. I further specifically acknowledge that the duration of any such isolation is uncertain, determined only by my spiritual condition, but that such duration will be completely at the discretion of the Case Supervisor. "I accept and assume all known and unknown risks of injury, loss,
or damage resulting from my decision to participate in the Introspection
Rundown and specifically absolve all persons and entities from all liabilities
of any kind, without limitation, associated with my participation or
their participation in my Introspection Rundown." While Scientology spends a good portion of their energy attacking psychiatry, it may be well for them to look within. I have compiled 32 cases where individuals have allegedly been held against their will in incidents related to Scientology. [http://www.lisamcpherson.org/cos/hr_abuse.htm] IS CCHR A HATE GROUP? We have Scientology claiming to be at war with psychiatry. We have
Scientology claiming that psychiatry caused the holocaust, most crime
and social problems, millions of murders, terrorism, insanity, immorality,
and more. We have Hubbard's claim that psychiatrists have been around
millions if not billions of years causing the decline of countless cultures
throughout the universe. CONCLUSION The Citizens Commission on Human Rights enjoys tax exempt status in the United States. This tax exempt organization seeks to emasculate the psychiatric profession and replace it with an irrational, unproven process invented by a science fiction writer. They seek to persuade people to ignore their psychiatrist's or counselor's advice, enticing some to forego proper medical advice and treatment. They attack an entire profession with bigoted unsubstantiated claims. By these actions and teachings CCHR harms society. ADDENDUM In July of 2000 I was living in Clearwater Florida, home of the spiritual
headquarters of the Church of Scientology. I worked for the Lisa
McPherson Trust (LMT), which was a group that tried to expose the
dangers of Scientology and help those who have been harmed. At one event
Mike Krotz, a friend of some ex-Scientologists, was videotaping outside
the Trust in case there were any problems. Dennis
Clarke, local head of Scientology's Citizens Commission on Human
Rights, walked by Mike in the parking garage where Mike was taping.
Mike taped Dennis walking by and going through a door to the steps.
Suddenly, Dennis turned around, told Mike to stop taping, and punched
Mike.
http://www.lisamcpherson.org
- the Story of Scientologist Lisa McPherson copyright 2004 by Jeff Jacobsen
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David Miscavige, current head of Scientology |
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L. Ron Hubbard was a science fiction writer |
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Lisa McPherson |
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Dennis Clarke of CCHR |
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part of CCHR's exhibit |
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