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Fighting good roads and fair weather

Speaking out against Scientology often means putting up with intimidation and harassment

By Barbara Graham

October 3, 2006

San Diego--It was the day before Thanksgiving, three years ago. I was getting ready to go to my parents' house for an early feast when there was a knock at the door. Two guys looking like plainclothes police officers peered through the security screen and asked to speak with me.

They identified themselves as members of the Domestic Terrorism Unit of the San Diego Police Department. At first, I didn’t let them in, as the parrots were loose, and the birds don’t care for strangers.

The men said they were responding to a complaint, adding that they had to respond, and that in no way was I a suspect. They kept repeating this, I suppose, to reassure me that this was just a routine response.

Narconon—not to be confused with Narcotics Anonymous, or NA—is a front group of Scientology that purports to be a drug rehabilitation program. In reality, the organization is little more than a recruitment tool. When you break down the data that Narconon provides, claiming anywhere from a 70-80% success rate, the numbers come out to about 2%, which isn’t much of a success rate. Roughly 10% of people who quit drugs do so on their own, without any help.

Narconon’s drug education outreach was recently expelled from California public schools. Following a review from a panel of qualified medical experts in the field of substance abuse recovery, the organization was found to have provided children with information that was misleading, unscientific, and inaccurate.

Rather than defend Narconon before the panel, Scientologists instead came after me. Someone likely from the “church” of Scientology reported a bogus threat, which mandated a response from the Domestic Terrorism squad. The unit, of course, wasted time and money following up on the nonsensical accusation.

As the detectives stood in my home, a friend apprised the men of my relationship with the cult. The detective then asked why I would speak out against Scientology if I knew reprisals were likely. The answer is, I wanted to warn others about the potential harm of Scientology. Look at it this way: If I knew you were about to step on a rattlesnake, wouldn't you want me to warn you?

Before the detectives left my house, one of them strongly advised me to report cult harassment of any type, anywhere, any time. The other wished me a happy Thanksgiving and told me to save room for pie.

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