Rheinischer Merkur
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Scientology: A Banker brings his financial means to bear against the sect
By
Stephan Strothe, Miami April 23, 1998
Bob Minton appears as an intrepid representative of sect victims: He wants to uncover the consequences of a religious philosophy
In large, awkward letters Bob Minton writes his message on a poster:
"Scientology wants your money and your life." Then the 51 year old banker
takes a deep breath, crosses the street with a determined stride, and
begins his one-man demonstration - directly in front of the "spiritual
headquarters" of the Scientologists in Clearwater, on the west coast of
Florida. The sect members remain behind the walls of the former luxury
hotel, "Fort Harrison." But outside, only a few yards from Bob Minton,
Scientology's security officers observe each step of the lone
demonstrator. Also the SAT-1 camera, which has accompanied the crusade of
Bob Minton for three weeks, has, since the arrive in Clearwater,
constantly been in the sights of the sect "sheriffs": armed with cameras
and camcorders, they report each movemnet over walkie-talkies to the sect
headquarters. When Bob Minton, the millionaire, starts a protest
demonstration, the Scientology management in Los Angeles and Clearwater go
to first stage alert. The man with the soft voice and the decisive
appearance fights Scientology on multiple fronts: on talkshows and
presentations, on the street and over the internet, above all with his
millions of dollars.
Enlightenment over the Internet
Bob Minton is not only brave and determined; he is also rich. The banker
from the Boston financial elite earned his millions by helping developing
countries in the re-structuring of their billions of dollars of debt. At
46 years old, he retired, tended to both of his small daughters, and
puttered about his favorite playground, the internet.
That is where computer freak Minton learned how rabidly the Scientology
leadership advances on the virtual battlefield against their critics:
with threats, carrying out searches of homes because of alleged copyright
violations, and costly legal procedures against former members who
disseminate embarassing internal information from the inner life of the
sect.
"I thought we lived in a free country. Who really protects our freedom of
speech?" ponders Bob Minton. Because Scientology is recognized as a
church in the USA, and is therefore widely protected from undercover
police investigations, the millionaire decided to take it upon himself, to
see to it that "the odds are evened up a little bit." Up to now he has
paid out almost 3 million marks ($2 million) for his crusade. Checks for
"a couple of hundred thousand more dollars" are ready to be written.
The Robin Hood of the cult opponents supports, in the meanwhile, a dozen
Scientology ex-members who are at their wit's and financial end in their
years-long disputes with the sect. For two high-ranking
ex-Scientologists, Stacy and Vaughn Young, Bob Minton recently provided a
house on an island in the northwestern USA, so that the couple could
finally have some peace and quite from the persecution of the sect. That
was supposed to be a hideaway for a half a million marks (about $300,000),
over 4,000 kilometers (2,000 miles) away from Clearwater - but apparently
not far enough. Anonymous fliers warn the neighbors of the Youngs of
alleged "publicly dangerous activities" of the former members of
Scientology.
From the material battle against the sect, Bob Minton shifts gears to a
finely-tuned drive in the halls of international diplomacy: at dinner in
New York he meets with Abdelfattah Amor, who, on assignment for the UN,
follows up on the string of accusations of the Scientologists, and
investigates "religious intolerance and discrimination" in Germany.
At least Minton's intervention has not hurt the Scientology opponents. In
his recently released final decision, the diplomat characterized the
Scientology accusation, that the sect was persecuted in Germany with Nazi
methods, as "senseless and childish." True to the simple friend-enemy
scheme of the deceased sect founder, L. Ron Hubbard, Bob Minton's drive in
world politics could only mean one thing: the man has to be an agent of
the German goverment. Nowhere, however, is the deep breath and the deep
pockets of the millionaire feared by the sect so much as on the
battlefield of choice for the sect: in the halls of American justice.
Where the aggressive Scientology attorneys, up until now, have been able
to intimidate through their sheer numbers and a seemingly inexhaustible
war chest, Bob Minton now actually brings about a slightly better balance
in weaponry. His checks help ex-Scientologists who report their painful
experiences, and should have, according to the handbook of the "church",
been silenced. The biggest sin in the eyes of the Scientologists is the
over 200,000 marks ($140,000), which Bob Minton has given, up to now, to
Kennan Dendar's small legal practice in Clearwater. Mr. Dendar is suing
the sect for 144 Million marks ($100 million) punitive damages in
connection with the death of a Scientology member, Lisa McPherson. The 36
year old woman died two years ago under unexplained circumstances after a
seventeen day "observation" by Scientology sect members in Clearwater's
Fort Harrison Hotel.
Records by Scientologists, taken down during her "observation", prove that
Lisa McPherson, in a state of mental confusion, was repeatedly refusing
food and water. She was first brought to the hospital on the seventeenth
day, where she died shortly after arrival. The autopsy report cited the
cause of death as a blood clot which had been loosened by "too much
bedrest and extreme dehydration." Clearwater's district attorney is still
looking into whether the Scientologists must answer before a judge.
The McPherson Case
The death of Lisa McPherson has long been a nightmare for the sect, which
likes to present itself as a beneficial and generally misunderstood
"religious philosophy" in the USA. Because of this, Bob Minton, quite
consciously, shows up in front of the former Fort Harrison Hotel in
Clearwater, where the young lady suffered through her final days. Most of
the time Brian Anderson is waiting there for him. The speaker of the
Clearwater Scientologists compared Bob Minton, in a talk with German
reporters, to a "Nazi who finances anti-Jewish organizations."
American media, which had not published a Scientology story for years,
either out of disinterest, or fear of the suit-happy lawyers of the sect,
have not let the case of Lisa McPherson slip by. The New York Times, the
Wall Street Journal, and several large TV broadcasters have recently been
reporting critically about the methods of the sect and about the man who
fights them so bravely.
Long Arm in the Caribbean
Bob Minton needs courage in this test of power, because the millionaire
and his family have also felt the anger of the Scientologists.
Scientology members demonstrate in front of Minton's city home in Boston's
prestigious Beacon Hill. At a birthday party for one of Minton's
daughters, insulting leaflets with Bob Minton's picture on them were
pressed into the hands of the guests.
Private detectives in the employ of the Scientologists investigate
Minton's relatives and business partners for damaging material. A PI even
finds his way to a secluded country home of the family in the forests of
New Hampshure, where he questioned the town police about the millionaire
in the name of the "church."
The Mintons learned, three weeks ago during a vacation in the Caribbean,
how much money the Scientologists expend in the fight against their
opponents and how long the arm of the sect reaches: upon their return
from the beach, they found leaflets, which accused Bob Minton of financing
"hate and intolerance," on the cars and trees along the boardwalk.
This kind of expenditure only strengthens Bob Minton in his resolve to
lead his battle against Scientology - regardless of how much power, will,
and money this crusade will cost him.
The author, Stephan Strothe, is the SAT-1 America correspondent
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translated by Joe Cisar
original German version at:
http://www.merkur.de/archiv/alt/0000001349.htm
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