Dave Touretzky wrote:

> I think we're going to need an emergency letter-writing campaign.
> These poor folks have no clue what they're inviting into their
> community.
>
> ================================================================
>
> http://www.times-news.com/articles/2005/05/05/sections/top_stories/top03.txt
> Use login: xenu, password: xenu
>
> Narconon coming to Mineral County
> Rehabilitation done without medication
>
> By Bobbie L. Carpenter, Times-News Staff Writer
> Thursday, May 5, 2005 9:13 AM EDT
>
> KEYSER, W.Va. - While researching a paper for her master's degree,
> nurse practitioner Tammy Hansford stumbled across a unique form of
> drug rehabilitation called Narconon.
>
> "My paper was on substance abuse and I had to actually go to a center
> to do research on it," said Hansford, who obtained her master's degree
> this semester. "I went out to Stonehawk (a Narconon facility) in
> Battlecreek, Mich. It impressed me how they do drug withdraw without
> more drugs."
>
> Narconon, which stands for Narcotics-none, is a four- to six-month
> program that specializes in drug rehabilitation without the use of
> medication. Based on the works of American author and humanitarian
> L. Ron Hubbard, patients, at their own pace, exercise and use a sauna
> to sweat out toxins, eat healthy and attend life skill classes.
>
> Turning the patient's mind off the body, therapeutic touch therapy
> also is used to combat leg cramps, nausea and stomach cramps - all
> symptoms of withdrawal.
>
> Hansford plans to bring the program to Mineral County this fall. It
> will begin on an outpatient basis. "We are planning to open between
> September-October at the latest," she said, adding the program will
> later expand into an inpatient, residential facility. "We will offer
> employees a pay raise after a 90-day probation period, health
> insurance and 401K, eventually."
>
> Employees currently are being trained for the outpatient facility that
> will serve 30 patients. The positions will include drug assistant
> specialists, case mangers and employees to operate the sauna and
> conduct course work.
>
> Hansford added that Narconon, a nonprofit program, regularly hires
> patients who graduate from the program to serve in the clinics.
>
> One reason she's bringing the program to the county is she believes
> the drug problem is not being addressed and lacks necessary
> facilities, forcing patients out of the area to get help.
>
> "We really have a drug problem in our community and I know there is
> literally nothing really in this area addressing drug rehabilitation,"
> she said. "It is more in Allegany County. We need something for our
> community. People are going out of town and being put on waiting
> lists." Hansford, who is heading up the project, talked about the
> plans during a public meeting held at Jane's United Methodist Church
> in Keyser last month. Others attending included David Rodgers, a
> representative of Narconon, Mineral County Sheriff Gary White,
> Detective Sgt. James Pyles of C3I and Mineral County Commissioner
> Wayne Spiggle.
>
> Spiggle said the Narconon program yields results and hopes the
> facility opens up in the county and eventually can serve as
> alternative sentencing for drug abusers.
>
> "I certainly hope we have Narconon in Mineral County because its
> approach has proven results that appeal to me especially because it
> gets to the root to a lot of the reason why people turn to addiction,"
> said Spiggle. "Rather than locking them up in jail and then letting
> them out where there's a very high percentage rate of repeat offense,
> we should give them a chance to go through this program. It's not
> going to work for everybody but it will work for some."
>
> He added that Mineral County has a 90 percent repeat offense rate.
>
> White agreed the program alone will be beneficial but the community
> will need the services of all the entities involved to make a
> considerable difference in the rising drug problem. "It definitely
> seems to me like it's a very good program that's going to handle the
> rehabilitation part of it," White said. "But law enforcement alone
> can't arrest away the drug problem. It's going to take substance abuse
> treatment, prosecution and the involvement of everybody in the process
> working together."
>
> To receive more information on Narconon or to volunteer with
> fund-raisers, call Hansford at (304) 726-7137.
>
> Donations should be addressed to the Appalachian Mountain of Hope at
> Keyser BB&T Bank, U.S. Route 220 South, Keyser, WV 26726. Bobbie
> L. Carpenter can be reached at bcarpenter@times-news.com.

Dear Bobbie,

Regarding the Narconon story...this is going to turn into a bee's nest of controversy. And you, lucky reporter, will be in the middle of it all!

You have probably received emails suggesting you visit http://stop-narconon.org and, http://narconon-exposed.org

There is really no excuse for allowing this destructive "rehab project" into your community. With the vast amount of information available on the Narconon scam on the Web, there is no excuse at all. Narconon's drug education program was kicked out of California schools last year for providing inaccurate and false information to school children. A panel of qualified medical personnel evaluated the program and ultimately rejected it. Let me point out that what was rejected were the theories behind the Narconon program. And yet, the Narconon program in practice is still being applied.

It can cause severe health problems in clients due to overdoses of vitamins and long hours in a sauna. http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/detox.htm

It is interesting to note that Michael Jackson lost conciousness during the sauna segment of the program. We don't hear about the regular people who are negatively impacted by this.

Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop was asked about the Purification Rundown, described in a book entitled, "Diet For A PoisonedPlanet," whose author supports L. Ron Hubbard's teachings. Dr. Koop had this to say, ""My recommendation about detoxification is to keep away from it. You don't need it. I'm not sure it does what this book describes. It's dangerous. I don't think L. Ron Hubbard has credibility in the scientific world. The author's suggestions about detoxification can be detrimental to your health. " - C. Everett Koop, M.D.

The Purification Rundown is the heart of Narconon. However, it is also sold to practicing Scientologists as well as being sold under other guises. It is promoted within Scientology's 'Second Chance' front group, which seeks state funding to install it in prisons. It is also sold under the name "New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project," which seeks funding for the Purif from community groups and state government, and targets rescue workers. This front group appeared post-911, when Scientology went crazy trying to jump on the bandwagon promoting itself in an attempt to profit from that tragedy. Communities were flooded with billboards and brochures designed to prey on peoples' fears of terrorism. Scientology representatives called 'Volunteer Ministers' flocked to Ground Zero to disrupt legitimate mental health counsellors before they were kicked out of the site. http://xenu.net/archive/events/20010911-tragedy/

And this brings me to the other issue regarding Narconon and Scientology. Supporters will lie about the relationship between Narconon and Scientology. They say the program is "based on the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard," and is in no way related to Scientology. However, if you look at Scientology's org chart here: http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/organisations.htm

You will see that Narconon is under the control of ABLE, the Association for Better Living and Education, which answers directly to the Religious Technology Center, and shares a place on the board with other Scientology front groups. Furthermore, the courses taught during the Narconon program are identical to the courses purchased by practicing Scientologists. Narconon is nothing more than Scientology in a secular package.

Looking at their claimed success rate of 70-80%, it sounds too good to be true. And it is. By massaging the data on one small study, they chose to ignore the statistic of people who quit before completing the program. In the real world, they would be included as unsuccessful. By including people who dropped out, the success rate plummets to 2%, well below the recovery rate of addicts who quit with no assistance. That rate is around 10%. http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/studies.htm

People need to be informed that this program is Scientology doing business in disguise. If you discount all the happy testimonials produced by Scientologists as to the efficacy of the program, you will find yourself left with very little solid information. Narconon is a cynical attempt by the "church" to latch on to a serious social concern in order to profit by it. Drug abuse, environmental concerns, crime, literacy, these are all issues that Scientology has parasitized with useless front groups which can do more harm than good. You owe it to your community to learn about Narconon from other sources than Scientology promoters.

Those two web sites should get you off to a good start. Many unsuspecting Narconon clients wind up becoming Scientologists. It's a very dishonest recruitment tool, and more than one parent has sent out a drug abuser only to get back a Scientologist.

I have included a .zip file of some other choice Narconon documents from my collection. I'm sure you've heard from several other Narconon critics by now. We are willing to provide you with whatever information we have regarding this noxious, low-down, undercover recruitment tool of the "Church" of Scientology." You need only ask.

And, if you wish to inform yourself about Scientology in general, http://www.xenu.net is an excellent place to begin. Don't forget to visit http://religiousfreedomwatch.org/extremists/index.html Scroll down to see how this "church" deals with people who criticize them. Some "church," eh?

--
--barb
Chaplain,ARSCC

"Imagine a church so dangerous, you must sign a release form before you can receive its "spiritual assistance." This assistance might involve holding you against your will for an indefinite period, isolating you from friends and family, and denying you access to appropriate medical care. You will of course be billed for this treatment - assuming you survive it. If not, the release form absolves your caretakers of all responsibility for your suffering and death.

Welcome to the Church of Scientology."

--Dr. Dave Touretzky
Peter Alexander

Subject: who to contact in Mineral County (WV)
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon
From: (Dave Touretzky)
Message-ID: <427c3abf$1@news2.lightlink.com>
Date: 6 May 2005 23:49:19 -0400

Here's the Mineral County, WV web site:

http://www.mineralcountywv.com

Click on the "County Commission" link and you get:

http://www.mineralcountywv.com/countycommission/index.asp

Mineral County Commission
Mineral County Courthouse
150 Armstrong Street
Keyser, WV 26726

Phone: 304-788-5921 or 301-777-0602
Fax: 304-788-4109
TDD: 304-788-0568
Email: countycommission@mineralcountywv.com

And here are the Commissioners:
Cynthia L. Pyles, President
Janice LaRue
Wayne C. Spiggle

County Coordinator:
Michael C. Bland

You might also want to contact the Mineral County Times-News reporter, Bobbie Carpenter. Her phone is 301-786-4151, fax is 301-786-4157, and email is bcarpenter@times-news.com. Maybe write to the editors too. A list of the paper's various editors and other staff is here:

http://www.times-news.com/contacts/directory.html

Tell them what happened in California. Send them to Stop-Narconon.org Narconon-Exposed.org, and Crackpots.org. Ask them why, if Narconon is so great, it cannot get accreditation from JCAHO, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. (Only one Narconon facility is accredited: Narconon Arrowhead. And that accreditation is by CARF, which is worthless. JCAHO is the gold standard that insurance companies look for. Narconon will NEVER qualify.)

Hearing from one person is good, but hearing from a dozen is likely to have a greater impact. Newspapers don't want to get caught missing an important story. I don't know what the County Commissioners are thinking right now, but if they're like most politicians, they're going to want to be seen protecting their constituents from exploitation, not cozying up to a reviled cult group with satanist overtones.

Who's fronting the money to set up this Narconon facility in Mineral County? Where will the sauna be located, and what medical personnel will be on hand to monitor the "students"? What effectiveness claims is Narconon making to the folks in Mineral County, and where are the data to back up those claism? Lots of questions; let's get some answers.

-- Dave Touretzky: "Time to finish that Kent McGregor fan page." http://Stop-Narconon.org http://Narconon-Exposed.org