I mean really, where IS Mark Bunker when you really need him?

To all those who suspected that my encounter with a wild-eyed Scientologist at the Publix supermarket last Sunday was a setup, I'd say what just happened this afternoon should confirm your suspicions.

Another Scientologist just did exactly the same thing at the Grand Prix Car Wash on Gulf to Bay Boulevard!

Maggie (my golden retriever) and I were sitting in the waiting room while my car got washed. I was talking to Vaughn (Vaughn Young, my ex-husband, for those who don't know him) about something he had written.

There were quite a few people in the waiting room, but one woman in particular walked back and forth past me enough times that I took note of her. She was very thin, with a stomach that protruded and a chest that was sunken in, as if she were unhealthy in some way. Her skin was pasty white and her hair, which was kind of a mousy brown, was stringy and not very clean. She was wearing a faded denim jumper. She seemed very hyper, eyes darting around and movements kind of jerky. I made sure to keep Maggie out of her way.

So there I was, talking quietly on the phone, with Maggie sleeping on the floor next to my chair. Vaughn was reading to me and I would make a comment from time to time, things like, "That sentence is too long. I would separate it into two," or, "Oh my God, that's great," things like that.

This had been going on for about ten minutes, my mostly listening on the phone, making a comment once in a while, this woman darting around nervously, other people coming and going as their cars were finished.

Suddenly this woman in the faded blue denim jumper darted over to me. "You're Stacy Brooks! You're Stacy Brooks!" she said loudly.

As soon as she said it I knew it was a repeat of last Sunday's encounter at Publix. I said quietly into the mouthpiece to Vaughn, "I've got another Scientologist accosting me. Listen to this," and I held the phone up so he could hear what she was saying.

"You're conspiring right here!" the woman exclaimed. "I can't believe it! You're conspiring right here at the car wash!" Now her voice rose several decibels: "You're a Suppressive Person! You're a Suppressive Person!"

"Actually," I said, "I'm speaking to Vaughn." Mainly I said this to see if she knew who Vaughn is. I figured if she did, it would be a pretty clear indication that she had been briefed by OSA. Sure enough, she took the bait.

"Poor Vaughn!" she said very dramatically. " You're killing all your loved ones! You're killing all your loved ones! You're a Suppressive Person!"

Of course, by now everyone else in the waiting room had stopped what they were doing to watch this woman rant at me and Maggie. Poor Maggie had waked up when the yelling began and was now sitting with her paw on my knee and her muzzle buried in my lap, obviously wishing this woman would go away. But she wasn't done yet.

I tried suggesting to her that she was being rude to yell at me right in the waiting room of the car wash, but this whipped her into frenzy even more. "You're a Suppressive Person! You're a Suppressive Person!" She kept repeating this like a litany. Then she remembered something else she was suupposed to say. "You need to leave this town! You need to leave this town! Why don't you just leave?"

"And you need to speak more quietly," I suggested, but far from taking my advice, she got even louder. "Leave this town! Leave this town! You're killing all your loved ones! You're killing all of them!"

I guess she realized at that point that none of this was having much of an effect on me, because she suddenly looked around the room and then started for the door.

She turned around one last time. "I can't stand to be in here with you!" she cried, and with that, the Scientologist ran out of the waiting room, jumped into her car, and drove away.

There I was, left in the waiting room with all these people wondering what was going on. I thought they deserved some sort of an explanation.

"She's a Scientologist," I began, and immediately this very nice man holding a small child nodded his head knowingly, "and I'm with the Lisa McPherson Trust." The man obviously knew about the LMT, because he grinned and said, "Ah! Good luck to you!"

Several others nodded at me approvingly, and then everyone went back to their own business.

All in all, I'd say this afternoon's incident made several things apparent:

1) I'm being followed (not that this is any earth-shattering revelation, but it's good to confirm these things every once in a while).

2) Someone in OSA has the idea that I have a button on being accosted by wild-eyed, screaming female Scientologists in grocery stores and car washes.

3) Someone in OSA has the idea that having female Scientologists accost me like this (and note that both encounters have happened when I was alone) will upset me so much that I will somehow rethink my commitment to the Lisa McPherson Trust.

4) Someone in OSA doesn't know me very well. All this kind of thing does is make me more determined to keep on going.

I mean really, it's so incredible. This kind of whacky behavior is such a caricature of what the Church of Scientology is really all about. The LMT couldn't buy this kind of advertising for any amount of money. They expose themselves much better than anything I could possibly do or say. All I did was sit there as quietly as possible so as to allow everyone to put their undivided attention on this woman's incoherent ranting. She did all the work for me. Does OSA really think something positive comes of this kind of thing???

This is two Sundays in a row now. I hope they keep this up every week. Each time it happens it gives a few more Clearwater citizens a chance to see the true face of the Church of Scientology. Not a pretty picture.

Stacy

From: "Xemu X. Xenu Jr. - Xemu's Briggades" <Xemu@NOSPAMRochester.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Mark Bunker misses another golden opportunity
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2000 17:15:41 -0500
Message-ID: <88pp270233p@enews3.newsguy.com>

;-) Way to go Stacy!!

When this kind of thing reaches number three it is beyond coincidence and worthy of a national news story. Remember to ask politely for a name... 'Well thank you. Have we been introduced? Would you care to talk, say, over coffee about this? I think we should talk about this calmly. Please, lets sit and talk."

From the looks of her acumen she is perhaps working off a doubt formula and has by that edict to 'strike an effective blow against the enemy.' Remember she is under the spell of being convinced that she is 'saving the planet'. She isn't evil, per se, she is under the command of 'Wheezy' (most likely) and will not actually harm you.

Because she is running a scripted op make sure that you don't fall for the trap of trying to manipulate her too much. You no longer have to doubt the source of these attacks since they have 'surveyed the public for the 'exact wording' of the attack' and it is designed (although incompetently) to 'destroy your public personae - go easy on them. Be friendly. Think of them like a cousin that you haven't talked to in years that is mad because you didn't make it to their graduation party or something and they hold a (temporary) grudge. The key to the trap is you (or any from LMT) and how you respond.

Get some poetry for Bob. No more Rambo movies for any at LMT. ;-) Take walks. Read less ARS. Take it easy. They will come to you. When I was in Hawaii the phrase, Hi Cousin! What's up?, seemed to be so disarming and casual. They won't know she isn't your cousin but you treat her like family the next time they send one after you.

Remember the crowd will be polite, even to the $cientologist, if you were the one to leave first. Over time as the incidents are in the papers and on national TV the public must always hear from the witnesses that you were a model of sincerity and kindness.

This LMT thing will work but all and I repeat all frustrations that the cult heaps on you (All LMT people) has to never show in response to the continual abuse. Just document them one by one, as you are, and be ready when the time comes. Perhaps you can get one of those tiny spy cameras to add a picture to your reports. Perhaps someone on ars has one they could lend for a few months to the LMT. (But don't tell us, I don't want to know <wink>)

I think when others have referred to the situation as a 'war' you should agree with the reality that it is a war of patience. The effort is to now get you into a restraining order by showing that you somehow are an incendiary personality that incites scientologist females into a dangerous fervor and have engaged in hysterical shouting matches in public. Get lots of sleep. Take your breaks. Have fun.

These special ops as you know are all documented and carried out on command. They are not random acts. The hope is that you remain composed. Their plan is to frazzle you into an outburst or to use foul language.

Don't act, you aren't that good at it. (sorry not even Travolta is either) Remain calm and offer to talk and work out your differences so others can see and hear your sincere efforts. Eventually as the workload and stress of too many 'all hands' and 'reduced rations' gets to someone in the information center a report or two will be leaked to the LMT.

Avoid the games conditioning responses and remain interactive with the current attack and measure your response to the person that is attacking you publicly. Don't 'act' humiliated or surprised by the attack. Remember you knew that some day you would meet cousin ____ and she would deliver that load she has been carrying just for you. She is say like family, you want to reach out the her, and well some cousins need a friendly offer of coffee or a friendly chat.

Remember to try to get under surveillance cameras in the mini-marts. Keep them in sight from time to time. Ask from time to time if the cameras in the stores also record sound. Be prepared to stand with your back to the camera so that the attacker will be forced to face the camera. . . . . The casual movement to the camera's view will be an act but all else mustn't be, cuz you don't come over well on camera when you act. (most of us don't it isn't personal just avoid it)

The footage of a finger waving verbal attack is very striking. Remember to use open palms, friendly gestures, casual posture, there is a whole 'tech' to non-verbal communication that all at the LMT should read and be ready with once the attacks are potentially caught on film. The judge will not know that he is watching but he will know that he sees a person that is being attacked and they do not appear in any way to be provoking a continuance of the attack.

Have Fun!

I'm jealous that I can't have as much fun as you are going to have thrown your way in the coming days.

Xemu X. Xenu Jr. aka Vernon D. Cain Jr.