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Posted on 04/19/2002 7:17:52 PM PDT by ASTM366
The message was this:
IF YOU RESIST US YOU WILL DIE.
Some citizens didn't like what the FBI did to the Branch Davidian congregation at Mt. Carmel. In response they delivered a message to Federal law enforcement on April 19, 1995 in the form of a truck bomb at OK City.
The message was this:
YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.
Unfortunately, many innocent citizens were killed at OK City.
Koresh could be found to be out and about the town but the feds wanted to make a statement so instead of taking him at some time of little resistance they pushed the issue . This was a janet reno deal. Lon ( the murderer) whoriuchi and his group did their thing and the govt. covered up its cowboy actions.
The Waco Horror:
Ghosts of Waco haunt the ruins
THESE CHILDREN CAN NEVER VOTE AGAINST JANET RENO
-David T. Hardy: An Interview With American Gun Owners' Best Friend ( & Waco )--
FBI, Delta Force, ATF, All fire Shots into Mt. Carmal killing children
Tried it and page can't be opened....will post the actual article then...
This event was probably one of the only things the Clintoon administration did right. Please don't feign "martyrdom" for a bunch of kooks.
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Available online at: http://www.networkusa.org/fingerprint/page1b/fp-megaddo- bizarre.html
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Author: Anonymous Permission to re-post in full has been granted INTRODUCTION
This study exposes the bizarre connections between sources credited in the FBI Project Megiddo Megiddo report. Analysis clearly shows that proven techniques of psychological persuasion, designed to discredit specific sets of individuals, groups, and philosophies, are reflected in the government report.
You'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to open and view the report, however, viewing the report itself is not a prerequisite for this study.
MAKING THE CONNECTION One single URL is HIGHLIGHTED IN BLUE in the entire Project Megiddo (PM) report. This particular link takes readers to the web site of the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance (OCRT). It is necessary to research that site, and the links provided there, and the sources mentioned there, to understand the psychological persuasion techniques used throughout the Project Megiddo report.
The blue URL is: www.religioustolerance.org/cultsign.htm
The OCRT web site is owned and hosted by B.A. Robinson. There you'll find a group of hyperlinks to five different "cult check lists" posted on five different web sites around the Internet. These lists are intended to be used to "identify" religious groups considered, in the opinions of the various respective authors, to be "bad" or "dangerous" cults. The five links included under the heading "Factors Commonly Found in Destructive Groups" are the main focus of the page. These five links are explored below.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Are we already living on the precipice of the Apocalypse - the chaotic final period of warfare between the forces of good and evil signaling the second coming of Christ, as forecast in the New Testament's Book of Revelation?" -Project Megiddo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENTER THE WORLD OF THE BIZARRE We start with the second link on the OCRT web page which takes readers to the web site of the American Family Foundation (AFF). One of the AFF board members, Margaret Thaler Singer, is also credited three times in the Project Megiddo report. Margaret Singer's life work has been in the field of psychology, particularly with regard to the use of "psychological persuasion," which includes everything from advertising techniques, to public relations, to deceptive business practices, to political propaganda, to the torture of prisoners of war.
Psychological persuasion techniques include any action designed to influence a person or group to respond in a predictable, desired fashion. The term "mind control" is more often used when describing the less-ethical forms of psychological persuasion.
Another former member of the AFF board, the late Dr. Louis Joylon "Joly" West, was a long-time professional associate and acquaintance of Singer. Early in his career as a psychologist during the 1950s, Joly West engaged in mind control experiments funded by the Central Intelligence Agency. One of the goals of the early government-sponsored "mind control" studies was to see whether an individual could be controlled to the point where he would do things against his own will, even when the act conflicted with fundamental laws of human nature such as self-preservation.
Under the CIA-backed studies, unwitting non-volunteer human subjects were given LSD to see what "potentially useful" mind-altering effects the drug might have, and whether the drug would be of benefit to the government. West is perhaps best (or worst) known for giving a lethal dose of LSD to a popular zoo elephant in California while working under a research grant. During investigations by the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, chaired by Senator Frank Church, in the mid-1970s, it was revealed that West had been involved in programs which included the drugging of unsuspecting targets, electric shock to destroy memory, and “programming” individuals to kill -- effectively creating human robots under psychiatric, drug-induced control.
West's involvement in the CIA-backed programs, and his connection to Singer, and both of their connections to the AFF and another organization called the Cult Awareness Network (CAN), are important in this discussion.
It is also relevant to mention here that the CAN organization engaged in numerous legal battles with the Church of Scientology (CoS) spanning more than two decades. AFF and CAN both alleged that CoS used coercive psychological persuasion techniques (i.e., brainwashing or mind control) to retain members. The Church of Scientology countered that the psychology professionals on board in the CAN and AFF organizations themselves used "psychological persuasion" techniques to malign certain religious groups in they minds of the public. The CoS also charged that those same individuals additionally promoted the use of psychotropic (mind-altering) prescription drugs to which CoS was adamantly opposed.
Because of ensuing mutual enmity and public animosity between the Church of Scientology and Margaret Singer and Joly West and the organizations with which they were affiliated [CAN and AFF], the CoS expended considerable effort digging into the two psychologists' pasts. In so doing, they uncovered some of the "secret" research engaged in by West including his involvement in government research programs such as Artichoke and Bluebird. The CoS made this information public as it became known.
The AFF currently includes material on their web site which defends the use of psychotropic drugs such as Prozac, Ritalin, and Luvox. Development of these drugs has roots back to West's early experiments. Within the past ten years, these drugs have been aggressively promoted throughout elementary and junior high schools to the extent that presently millions of children now take these prescription drugs. Many of the youthful perpetrators of horrible acts of school violence were users of prescribed psychiatric drugs.
It was reported that one of the student perpetrators in the Columbine High School shootings in April, 1998, Eric Harris, was taking the prescription drug Luvox which can cause mania.
Many professionals believe that horrible acts of violence by drugged youth will be the long-term consequence of widespread use of prescribed psychiatric drugs.
On November 11, 1999, the Colorado State School Board passed a resolution warning of the possible negative effects of psychotropic prescription drugs on schoolchildren. The vote was 6-1. Board member Patti Johnson drafted the resolution after a number of parents contacted her complaining that they had been "pressured" by educators to put their children on Ritalin.
It was also reported that students at Columbine High had participated in "guided imagery" classes which incorporate hypnosis and "psychological persuasion" techniques similar to brainwashing.
THE ANTI-CULT MOVEMENT
Coincidental to the revelations about West's (and the government's) mind control experiments, another interesting development took place -- numerous "anti-cult" groups sprang up suddenly and began aggressive campaigns to publicly malign, villainize and defame certain alternative and charismatic religious groups. Not surprisingly, the very same organization which had been at the forefront of exposing the government's mind control research, i.e., the Church of Scientology, quickly became the primary target of the most well known new "anti-cult" group, the Cult Awareness Network (CAN).
Anti-cult organizations and their agents (apparently) received funding by charging fees to get people out of "cults;" and such was the function of the original CAN. (Notice we say "the original CAN" -- more on this later.) The process was called "rescue and deprogramming." The process was typically carried out at the request of family members who would contact CAN, who would "refer" the family to a "volunteer," who would then refer them to an independent deprogrammer who actually arranged and/or performed the rescue and deprogramming operations. This "referral" scheme -- which sometimes transpired through the help of "unpaid" third-party "volunteers" -- helped isolate the CAN organization itself from the highly controversial rescuing and deprogramming activity. Nevertheless, in a case concluded in 1997 involving CAN in which their "referral" scheme was relied upon as a defense, the court held that "under Washington law and 42 U.S .C. § 1985(3), referral of a parent to a 'deprogrammer' by an anti-cult group's volunteer 'contact' person is sufficient to establish vicarious liability."
In the early 90s a message was posted in the "alt.religion.scientology" newsgroup entitled: "Memorandum from Jeffrey K. Hadden on neutralizing AFF." (It is now also posted other places on the Net.) This document purports to be a memorandum by and between representatives, sympathizers (and presumed adherents) of various "New Religious Movements" (NRMs). The message contains discussion of plans to "neutralize" both the AFF and CAN. Jeffrey Hadden is a sociology professor who is sympathetic to the various new and alternative religions including the Church of Scientology.
It was not just Scientology and the NRMs, however, who discounted Singer's work.
During the 80s and early 90s, Singer testified as an expert witness on "mind control" in numerous civil and criminal court cases in which alleged cult groups were implicated. Early on, her testimony proved useful in bringing about victories for the parties buying her expertise. However, Singer suffered numerous defeats in court as well. In a number of cases her testimony was rejected by the courts. Most notably among these was the case of Steven Fishman.
In 1990, U.S. District Court Judge D. Lowell Jensen reviewed in detail the history of Singer’s controversial “expert witness” status and barred her from testifying because "The evidence before the court... shows that neither the APA nor the ASA [American Sociological Association] has endorsed the views of Dr. Singer".
Also during the early- to mid- 80s, Singer organized a group of colleagues under the auspices of the American Psychological Association (APA), of which she was a member, for the study of mind control and "deceptive thought persuasion" techniques. Singer's Task Force spent several years preparing a report for presentation to an APA board for review and approval.
In 1986 the APA Board of Social And Ethical Responsibility for Psychology (BSERP) finally reviewed Singer's 69-page "Deceptive and Indirect Methods of Persuasion and Control" (DIMPAC) report. The report effectively attempted to make CAN's definitions of "cults" and "brainwashing" the official APA definition and usage. However, the review board rejected Singer's report, dated May 1987, and in its final analysis the Board stated, in part:
"BSERP ... is unable to accept the report of the [DIMPAC] Task Force. In general, the report lacks the scientific rigor and evenhanded critical approach necessary for APA imprimatur. The report was carefully reviewed by two external experts and two members of the Board. They independently agreed on the significant deficiencies in the report ... The Board cautions the Task Force members against using their past appointment to imply BSERP or APA support or approval of the positions advocated in the report. BSERP requests that Task Force members not distribute or publicize the report without indicating that the report was unacceptable to the Board." Singer eventually filed suit against the APA alleging that the Board engaged in a conspiracy to defame her and to destroy her professional career. After years of court wranglings Singer's case was thrown out in 1992. (Singer v. American Psychological Association, 92 Civ. 6082 (S.D.N.Y.)) But the story becomes even more bizarre. Remember our mentioning the CAN (Cult Awareness Network) organization and the memorandum to "neutralize" it? One of CAN's top choices among independent deprogrammers was Rick Ross who would coordinate the rescue and deprogramming operations. At the time, Ross had been involved in more than 200 deprogrammings.
According to statements made under oath in a sworn affidavit by another [former] deprogrammer, Mark Blocksom, some deprogrammers use[d] techniques of "sleep and food deprivation, humiliation, ridicule, deprivation of privacy, and in some cases, physical abuse and restraint to accomplish their goal of altering a person's religious views." Later, during a 60 Minutes program, Blocksom [a then-recovering drug addict] recanted on his sworn statement made during investigations into the Jason Scott abduction case.
Also, during testimony in a civil suit filed by Jason Scott against Rick Ross and CAN (brought on after an unlawful rescue operation), a sociology professor from Indiana University-Purdue University, Anson Shupe -- who claimed to have spent 20 years studying CAN -- told the jury that the "anti-cult movement" had a long history of attacking unconventional religious groups. He stated that CAN leaders themselves had a long record of supporting coercive deprogrammings. The irony, he testified, was that in conducting deprogrammings, anti-cult activists use[d] the very same alleged recruitment techniques as the groups they criticized -- "such as depriving individuals of freedom of movement and information."
According to the New CAN web site, on Sept. 29, 1995, the Washington state jury found that, in the Scott abduction incident, Ross "intentionally and recklessly acted in a way that is so outrageous in character and so extreme in degree as to be beyond all possible bounds of decency and to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community."
Very few groups fell outside CAN's scope of interest when it came to "dangerous cult-like groups" (religious or otherwise). Obviously, having a broad definition for "dangerous group" equated with more potential work for CAN's organizers and agents. Former CAN executive director Cynthia Kisser is attributed with a January 1994 statement that if Jesus were alive today, CAN would "take an interest in him because of the great controversy surrounding his fringe activities. ... And I'd send whatever we could find to reporters."
The rescue and deprogramming work proved lucrative. Included among their "targets" were many Christian and bible-based groups and churches. Unfortunately for CAN, it was the "rescue" of Jason Scott from a Pentecostal Christian church that ultimately resulted in the organization's (pseudo) demise.
Jason was already 18 at the time his mother, Katherine Tonkin [remarried after Jason's birth], hired Ross to arrange for her son's rescue. Jason later testified that on the morning the three men assisting Ross grabbed him, handcuffed him, and forced him into a van, he yelled that they had no legal right to abduct him. When he continued to scream, his captors placed duct tape over his mouth. They held him down on the floor of the van, and drove him four hours away to a beach house on a deserted stretch of the Washington coast. Ross contends that while he was present at the abduction, he did not personally participate in the actual restraining.
For five days, Ross forced Jason to watch videos on religious cults and tried to get him to renounce the Life Tabernacle Church. Eventually, Jason responded to Ross and his other captors in the manner they wanted to hear. However, on an occasion when the group went out to dinner, Scott bolted from the restaurant and contacted police.
RECOVERED MEMORY AND RITUAL ABUSE
On a different but related front, during the late 70's and early 80's, other psychologists and psychotherapists began exploring therapies to "recover" suppressed memory. The condition was labeled Repressed Memory Syndrome (RMS). Proponents of RMS therapy claimed that "repressed memories" were the source of mental disorders which could cause functional disabilities for adult victims. The implication was that childhood memories had been suppressed through the use of mind control (type) techniques (either knowingly or unknowingly) and that "unlocking" these suppressed memories would help relieve victims of the symptoms. The often unanticipated consequence, however, was that sometimes criminal charges were filed against parents whose children "recovered" memories of childhood abuse during RMS sessions.
The stories recounted by RMS victims were often horrid. Some of the cases of abuse were colloquially termed "sadistic" or "ritualistic." Another clinical term for this type of abuse is sexual sadism. The term "Satanic" was also used by news outlets and by other parties including some in law enforcement. The most common term now used is simply "ritual abuse."
One highly publicized ritual abuse case was that of the McMartin Preschool in 1983 where hundreds of children stated during RMS-type therapy that they had been abused by the school's owners. The McMartin Preschool case is important to the bigger study of "mind control," and the associated study of "third party apologists" who cover and defend unethical and even criminal activity (associated with repressed memory) by making victims into the objects of public scorn and ridicule. As you will see, this all has connection to the Project Megiddo report.
Early on in the development of RMS therapies, some important and influential people were accused of abuse by their now-adult children. Some of the accusers, as well as some of the accused parents, worked in the field of psychology and other public and professional occupations.
As the various RMS therapies gained in popularity, others in the field of psychotherapy countered that during the therapy secessions the therapists themselves were implanting the claimed "recovered memories." Objectors argued that there was no such thing as "repressed memory" that could be "recovered." The McMartin Preschool case resulted in acquittals based in large part upon this defense, even though there was other evidence which strongly suggested foul play.
Ultimately, as a consequence of the RMS debate, organizations were established whose function was specifically to defend accused parents and to defuse the recovered memory advocates. This was accomplished largely through the discrediting the RMS therapists themselves. But more importantly, the accusers were often publicly villainized and maligned. Detractors also have attempted to rename "repressed memory" as "false memory" in an effort to further discredit the condition.
Margaret Singer was instrumental in forming one such "false memory defense" organization, the False Memory Syndrome Foundation (FMSF) of which she remains an Advisory Board member. As with the others, the FMSF organization was founded by accused parents and other psychology professionals.
Advocates of "recovered memory therapy" viewed the new "false memory" defense groups as merely providing cover for the hidden abuse. One report describes the "false memory movement" this way: "With links to CIA, mind control experts, and accused child abusers, the false memory movement turns 'blaming the victim' into a science."
The two sides of the false memory/ritual abuse debate can basically be broken down as follows: Among the "believers" are people who have been abused and have solid evidence to back up their accusations, plus others who believe they were abused but have no evidence to support their claims beyond their own memory. On the other side of the debate, among the "non-believers," are people who have been accused of perpetrating acts of ritual abuse, plus practitioners of occult religions and apologists for occult religions. Both sides also find among their supporters psychologists and other professionals.
To some, it might seem incongruent for any psychologist to contend, on the one hand, that groups and individuals use mind control and brainwashing techniques for various purposes ranging from "implanting false memories" to cult indoctrination, but on the other hand also argue that "repressed memory" patients could not possibly have been "programmed" to forget horrible experiences. Could it be that the "false memory" argument really is a "cover" just as some victims have contended?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Almost uniformly, the belief among right-wing religious extremists is that the federal government is an arm of Satan." -Project Megiddo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE OCCULT CONNECTION
Any study into the background of Margaret Singer, the AFF, or recovered memory and ritual abuse will unavoidably lead to discussion of occult religions; they are integral to this debate. However, the vast majority of Americans are not at all familiar with occult religious practices. The word "occult" simply means "hidden" or "covered." Practitioners of occult religions openly admit that they utilize "psychological persuasion" techniques to hide and cover some beliefs, actions and practices. This particular kind of psychological persuasion is broadly referred to as "magic" by practitioners. The intended product of "magic" is of course "deception." Magic only works, however, when trust is present. Trust is magic's energizing catalyst. Review of the complete bag of magic tricks is far beyond the scope of this discussion. However, at a minimum, a basic knowledge and understanding of occult "magic" is absolutely essential when studying these groups because they all know and use these very same techniques.
Among the most common "tricks" are the use of distorted truth, serpentine logic, ambiguity, and concealing of key bits of information. Sometimes, these tricks are couched in humor, but not so in the more serious instances. Although "lying" is an acceptable magic trick, accomplished practitioners rarely tell lies which can be disproved through investigation of physical evidence. Masters of occult magic prefer, instead, to take elements of "truth" and rearrange them so as to deceive the observer into drawing false conclusions premised upon twisted fragments of reality.
In the realm of the occult it is totally unacceptable to "reveal" the operational mechanics of any trick. Even if the trick is "figured out," or "uncovered," or the "secrets" revealed, the "truth" must never be acknowledged. Once a magician's trick has been exposed, he has but a few choices: He can lie and say that the observer's conclusions are incorrect; or he can try to misdirect the observer still further. Of these, these almost never work once the innate bond of trust is broken.
Magic deception is not intended to entertain any audience. When practiced by "dabblers," magic deception may provide some amount of sadistic entertainment for the practitioner. But in its purest form, magic deception is used to cover or hide immoral, socially unacceptable, or criminal activity. Use of this kind of "occult magic" to accomplish this objective is really psychological (or spiritual) warfare and is referred to as "black" magic.
The U.S. Army recognizes some occult religions. The Army includes this following description among the practices of one of the recognized occult groups: "In addition to conventional means of influencing the environment about them, Setians also employ "magic," by which they mean universal forces and psychological influences generally unknown to or unrecognized by society." - http://www-cgsc.army.mil/chap/relpractice/other/set.htm When considering the arguments put forward by practitioners of occult religions, and by their defenders, the practice of "magic deception" (or deceptive psychological persuasion) must be considered at all times. Another trait observed in cases where this kind of "occult magic" has been used to hide abuse or to mask criminal activity is that typically one of two possible patterns is almost always followed: Perpetrators and their accomplices will either (a) first victimize, then villainize; or (b) first villainize, then victimize. In either case, the "victimization" process ranges anywhere from verbal attacks, to mental abuse, to physical or sexual abuse, all the way to total annihilation in the most sadistic instances. This "villainization" process is often accomplished through use of "magic" (deception) as described above.
In the sexual abuse cases, pattern "a" is most often observed. As you read on you may recognize places where pattern "b" has been followed. Related to the advent of the repressed memory and ritual abuse cases, in October of 1989, the head of the FBI's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, Kenneth V. Lanning, issued a report entitled "Satanic Occult, Ritualistic Crime: A Law Enforcement Perspective." In it, Lanning stated:
"The fact is that far more crime and child abuse has been committed by zealots in the name of God, Jesus and Mohammed than has ever been committed in the name of Satan. Many people do not like that statement, but few can argue it." http://www.xeper.org/pub/tos/whunt/fbi/lanning1.html This FBI report effectively dismissed charges of "Satanic child abuse" as being fabricated fantasies that do not take place in the real world. This FBI report angered many victims of ritual abuse, some of whom charged that Lanning himself was an apologist for the occult world who had infiltrated the ranks of the FBI and found himself in charge of the very agency that should be investigating the national and international aspects of these ritual abuse crimes. But instead, he appeared to be "covering" for them. Then again in 1992, Lanning issued yet another FBI report on the same subject, this one entitled: "Investigator's Guide to Allegations of "Ritual" Child Abuse." And again this second report repeated many of the same sentiments as the first, and again further dismissed the notion that any "satanic" or other sadistic cults have been linked to ritual abuse (with maybe one exception). This second FBI report further marginalized surviving victims of ritual abuse for which many documented cases exist.
These two FBI reports are now routinely cited by members of occult religions in defense of their practices. A search of the Web reveals that presently, these reports are found (it appears exclusively) only on web sites belonging to practitioners of, and apologists for, the occult religions, such as the following: Official Temple of Set (a web site operated by a former Army Special Forces officer, both reports, 1 and 2); the Ordo Templi Orientis (a web site which claims to be hosted by an L.A. law officer, report 2); another Temple of Set site (report 1); and, the Occult Institute of Technology (report 1). The only other two places where these reports were located was the web site belonging to former CAN deprogrammer, Rick Ross (report 2); and finally on the web pages of the OCRT (report 2) [Warning: These above sites contain extensive amounts of information on OCCULT religions!]
At least one ex-FBI official, Ted Gunderson, former Special Agent in Charge (SAC) in Los Angeles, has expressed grave concerns over the FBI's apparent official dismissal of these ritual abuse claims; even to the extent of charging "possible cover up."
Heated debate continues between the RMS proponents and its detractors. In many recent court cases it has been ruled that recovered repressed memory may be introduced as evidence.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The 1993 clash in Waco, Texas at the Branch Davidian complex is an illustration of such defensive violence. History has shown that groups that seek to withdraw from the dominant culture seldom act on their beliefs that the endtime has come unless provoked." -Project Megiddo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE WACO CONNECTION In February 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms mounted a raid on the Branch Davidian religious commune in Waco, Texas. Many contend that the raid itself was brought about as a result of the FBI's listening to "cult experts" who promoted the "mind control" theories about religious groups, and who villainized the Branch Davidians.
On February 27, 1993, the day before the initial ATF assault on Mt. Carmel, the Waco Tribune-Herald began a seven-part series on the Branch Davidians entitled "The Sinful Messiah" by authors Mark England and Darlene McCormick. Rick Ross and CAN are mentioned frequently in the series. England and McCormick report in the sidebar in part four:
"Ross said he believes Howell [Koresh] is prone to violence... 'Speaking out and exposing Howell might bring in the authorities or in some way help those being held in that compound through a kind of psychological, emotional slavery and servitude,' he said. Ross said authorities need to understand that Howell is fully capable of violence. 'You could say that it is a very dangerous group,' Ross said." You may also recall that at the time of the Branch Davidian raid Janet Reno claimed to have "reports" from "authorities" which provided sufficient evidence in her mind that sexual child abuse was taking place within the Davidian church. It turned out that none of the charges were ever substantiated. Subsequently, suspicions arose that the allegations of child abuse (if they existed at all) were actually fabricated by "deprogrammers" who had been working with ex-Davidians. The false accusations of child abuse have also been attributed to the original Cult Awareness Network (CAN) and deprogramming consultant Rick Ross, along with another ex-Davidian, Marc Breault, with whom Ross had also worked. There were charges that the CAN organization was advising the FBI on how to deal with David Koresh. The FBI has denied assertions that it received advice from Rick Ross. The FBI's effort to distance itself from Ross, however, could be attributed to the fact that Ross was under criminal indictment for "unlawful imprisonment" in the Jason Scott matter. [Ross was ultimately found "not guilty" on the criminal charges, however in the subsequent civil suit the jury found both him and CAN guilty of conspiring to violate Scott's civil rights.] Ross has personally stated that he was in contact with (ex-)Davidians and their family members at the time of, and prior to, the raid. Ross also states that he was in fact in contact with the FBI during the time frame of the raid and standoff.
David Block, one of the key government informants instrumental in making charges against the Branch Davidian leader, David Koresh, was himself the subject of a deprogramming which took place in the home of the CAN LA representative, Priscilla Coates, just a year before the Waco tragedy.
A Washington based lobbying firm, Ross & Green, (no relation to Rick Ross) also issued an independent report about CAN's involvement in the Waco incident.
Another independent report by Dr. Nancy T. Ammerman of Princeton University includes this comment about CAN's involvement: "Rick Ross and CAN seem to have been major sources for the series of stories run by the Waco newspaper, starting [in] February. It seems clear that people within the ‘anti-cult’ community had targeted the Branch Davidians for attention." This sentiment is also corroborated by a number of other individuals as well. An article on the New CAN web site states that Ross "appeared on numerous television shows claiming that the Davidians would probably not come out willingly and that measures would have to be taken to force them out." Ross denies this accusation, however he does state on his own web site that during the standoff he told the BATF that David Koresh was "heavily armed and might prove to be dangerous."
Rick Ross had also been in contact with the mother of at least one of the Davidian followers during the early phases of the encounter. An article posted on the New CAN web site states that in "The Nation," Alexander Cockburn reports these following words attributed to Balenda Ganem, the mother of Davidian survivor David Thibodeau:
"I'd been in touch with Rick Ross, who was acting as an independent cult 'deprogrammer' and informant to the ATF and FBI. When I got to know him in Waco, I understood he was instigating the most negative aspect of the situation because he wished violence toward David Koresh. He never said he wanted him to be helped out. He wanted him to be wiped out. That is what he told me. He looked forward to David Koresh being in jail, where he would be tortured and raped ... That's when I understood that this man was not working for the greater good. He had a personal vendetta. He wanted a cult leader; God, it was his passion." The FBI reportedly consulted its own behavioral scientists (whose specialty was applying psychology to law enforcement situations) early on in the standoff. The agency apparently disregarded the recommendations of their inside experts, Pete Smerick and Mark Young. The FBI was, however, getting "psychological" advice from somewhere, and it only seems reasonable that they called on outside cult consultants, "experts" and "gurus" for guidance. During and after the Branch Davidian standoff, the American Family Foundation (AFF), and the New York-based International Cult Education Program (ICEP), an adjunct of AFF, played a major role in shaping the public's opinion about the Davidians and Koresh by providing national and international media with their perspective on the group's practices and beliefs. No doubt, this helped influence the outcome of the siege as well as to shape the public's perceptions afterwards.
In response to the recent revelation that the FBI hid evidence during investigations of the Waco massacre, Singer was interviewed by CBS News correspondent John Blackstone for a September 2, 1999 broadcast. According to numerous Internet sources, Margaret Singer said in that CBS story: "This is just fodder for the conspiracy theorists. [T]his is just what the militia movement needs to say 'we told you so.'"
Ross, like the other groups mentioned, has posted on his personal web site, a list of "bible-based" and "political" groups whose activities he monitors. Not surprisingly, Ross also has groups who follow his work as well.
And guess where the Ross name pops up again in association with the Project Megiddo report? You'll find it on the web page where readers of the PM report are directed for further information on "cults." That's right, on the OCRT "Dangerous Cults" web page there is a link to another web site operated by the Institute for First Amendment Studies (IFAS), where Rick Ross's cult-awareness check list is posted.
And here's what the OCRT host says about the Rick Ross cult check list:
"These early warning signs were prepared by former deprogrammer and current exit counselor, Rick Ross. Ross was recently found guilty of conspiracy to limit the civil rights to freedom of religion of a member of a Pentecostal church. However, the above guidelines appear to have merit in spite of the background of the author." The OCRT web site also says this about the IFAS organization: "They oppose various political activities of conservative Christian groups." And, the "About" page on the IFAS web site itself openly admits that the organization's purpose is to "expose and counter the political activities of the Religious Right." And don't forget, it is the "religious right" that is also the primary target of the FBI Project Megiddo report! As a result of the devastating civil suit during the early 90s, the (original) Cult Awareness Network (and Ross personally) came under court order to pay millions of dollars in damages to the plaintiff in that case, Jason Scott.
But don't think that was to be the end of CAN. Under a court ordered sale, who do you suppose purchased the "Old" CAN assets -- including computer files and membership lists? The Church of Scientology! For somewhere around $20,000 the CoS bought the assets of its worst enemy and set up shop under their old name -- CAN. That's right, the CAN organization did not go away, it just changed owners. The New CAN is now operated by the Foundation for Religious Freedom (FRF), a California corporation doing business as Cult Awareness. The agreement between the Church of Scientology and the IRS, at section VIII 4c, reveals that FRF is a "Scientology-related" entity.
According to a Washington Post article, Jason Scott ultimately settled for $5,000 (in lieu of Ross's $3.4 million obligation under the total $5 million judgment) conditioned upon Ross providing Jason (the plaintiff) with 200 hours of "consultation time." Jason ultimately left the United Pentecostal Church subsequent to the civil trial, reconciled with his family, fired his Scientology lawyers [Kendrick Moxon; et al] and made public statements that he felt he was used by Scientology in the case. Scott then hired a new attorney who had a history of opposing the Church of Scientology and who previously represented the original CAN -- the very organization against whom Jason had just won his judgment! According to the Post article, Scott's former attorney, Moxon, filed formal objections to the settlement claiming Scott had become the subject of "foul play" and that it appeared Scott was "again the victim of a deprogramming."
And figure this out: Not only does the owner of the OCRT web site, B.A. Robinson, direct his readers to the works of deprogrammer Rick Ross, he also directs readers to the New (Scientology-backed) CAN organization as well -- the one which took over the CAN operations. Not only that, the New CAN organization now routinely directs visitors to the web pages of -- you guessed it -- the OCRT for additional information on the "New Religion Movement" (NRM) and religion!.
Robinson also speaks favorably of Scientology on his "Scientology" page, there he states:
"Scientology is an applied religious philosophy that contains methodologies intended to improve life and achieve spiritual freedom for oneself and society." He goes on to make the following astute observation: "So much controversy has been generated by pro and anti Scientology individuals and groups that the truth is impossible to separate from the propaganda. Like many other new emerging faith groups, Scientology has been accused of ethics violations, brainwashing techniques, swindling people, etc. Their opponents have been accused of violating copyright laws, violating the civil rights of Church members by kidnapping, confining and brainwashing them, etc. " Robinson additionally points out that the Scientology-backed Foundation for Religious Tolerance's name, URL (www.religioustolerance.net), and logo are similar to those of his OCRT site (www.religioustolerance.org), but he claims the two groups are "unrelated" except for shared interests.
THE COS CONNECTION
L. Ron Hubbard founded the Church of Scientology. Scientology is premised upon his theory that "mental illness" is caused by a combination of mental and spiritual repression brought about in association with, and as a result of pain. This theory is expressed in Hubbard's book, "Dianetics, the Modern Science of Mental Health." As you might imagine, the "professional" and "accepted" fields of psychiatry and psychology were not impressed with Hubbard's "new revelations" about the causes of mental illness which conflicted in nearly every aspect with traditional academic teaching. In fact, one of Scientology's goals has always been to do away with the traditional teachings on the subject of mental health and replace them with Scientology theory. One of the CoS organizations set up to further this goal was its Citizens Commission on Human Rights. The fact is, Scientology has made great headway towards this goal -- even within government agencies.
During the entire time while L. Ron Hubbard was in charge, the Church of Scientology stayed in a continual state of battle with the IRS. Newspapers and magazines reported that Scientologists had "infiltrated" the IRS and had passed inside documents and files along to the organization. At the heart of the battle was the issue of whether CoS was a "religion" and whether or not it would be awarded tax-exempt status. The CoS filed literally hundreds of lawsuits against the government during this period.
Meade Emory served as Legislative Counsel for the Joint Committee on Taxation of the U.S. Congress from 1970 to 1972, and was an Assistant to the Commissioner of IRS during the years 1975-1977. Those years are significant because those are the very same years during which IRS documents were (allegedly) stolen from IRS offices by an IRS employee named Gerald Wolfe, and passed secretly to Scientology's Guardian's Office (Hubbard's inner staff). As a result, the FBI raided Scientology headquarters in 1977, leading finally to the dissolution of the Guardian's Office, and to the arrest of Mary Sue Hubbard, L.R.'s wife.
Subsequent to L. Ron Hubbard's "departure," and after his surviving wife was removed from her position in the organization, the Church of Scientology was eventually granted its IRS tax exempt status. But only after it's assets were acquired by new owners operating under the corporate name, Church of Spiritual Technology (CST).
In the early 90s, a very odd thing transpired; a "secret" agreement was signed between the IRS and the CoS, at which time several million dollars changed hands. Some contend that from that point forward, the CoS became itself a front organization for as yet undefined managers with odd connections to the IRS. Ex-members of the CoS contend that since the disappearance of L.R. Hubbard, some "outsiders" have, altered Hubbard's original works (Ron Hubbard hated the IRS) so as to make the CoS much more "tax friendly." In fact, the CoS has even instituted a new office within the church called the "Tax Compliance Office" whose purpose it is to make certain that church members comply with tax laws in accordance with the IRS agreement.
It has been revealed through public documents that Meade Emory left the IRS and became a co-founder of "Church of Spiritual Technology" (CST) which now owns all of the CoS assets and rights to Hubbard's works. This effectively means that, for all practical purposes, Meade Emory -- the former IRS officer -- is now co-owner of what is collectively and colloquially referred to as "The Church of Scientology" and its many branch organizations. Meade Emory is not a Scientologist.
There are also others -- outside the inner circle of mind control enthusiasts -- who have provided independent critiques and reviews of Scientology.
BACK TO THE ORIGINAL OCRT "DANGEROUS CULTS" PAGE
We started this discussion with the link to the OCRT web page to which readers of the Project Megiddo report are directed. So far, we've only scratched the surface into the sordid pasts of Singer, the AFF, and the IFAS. Before we go on to the other OCRT links, it should be noted that the AFF site has an index page for "cult-like" groups. As you navigate through the links, notice that AFF has NO information at all on any Satanic cults, nothing about Witchcraft, and Paganism is not even listed. The AFF site does name over TWO HUNDRED "bible-based" groups with "cult-like" traits. Notice too that the Occult page actually links to an occult web site, which is atypical of other groups listed there.
Also, the AFF web site states that New Age Movements "are not cults," and it has a rather enticing exhortation on the history of astrology. In fact, the AFF Astrology page looks more like an advertisement than a review. According to the AFF essay, astrology's popularity is due to its "uniquely personal aspect."
The AFF site also has a "Links Page" which (in most cases) links readers to the web sites operated by the groups which are identified as being "cult-like." Unlike the others however, the "Patriot Movement" link directs readers, not to any patriot web site, but instead to the web pages of the organization that has made millions of dollars through sales of materials which villainize and demonize the Patriot Movement; the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
THE OTHER OCRT LINKS
The third link on the OCRT page is to a report by James R. Lewis entitled "Safe sects? Early warning signs of 'Bad Religions.'" The name "James R. Lewis" also pops up on the New, Scientology-owned CAN web site where his report on "controversial" or "dangerous" groups is posted. Lewis also is listed on a couple of the New CAN web pages as a source for additional information on the "New Religions Movement" (NRM).
In addition, Lewis is closely associated with the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), a New Age and alternative religion apologetics organization of which Dr. J. Gordon Melton is a board member. The OCRT web site likewise links to material on the CESNUR web site, including that organization's posting of the Project Megiddo report. CESNUR has offices around the world and works with NGOs and international organizations on behalf of new, alternative religions.
The fourth "cult check list" link is to material by "P.E.I. (Isaac) Bonewits," a professing Neo-Pagan and Witch apologist. The Bonewits site is so flagrantly anti-Christian we do not even care to cover it here. Bonewits contends that the title of his "cult check list," the ABCDEF survey, (The Advanced Bonewits' Cult Danger Evaluation Frame), was intended to be "humorous," but yet the FBI directs members of law enforcement there for another list of "indicators" of cult-like activity. Readers of the ABCDEF survey may find that it appears to be more the work of backwards engineering than any kind of scientific evaluation. It appears that the ABCDEF author merely took Christian church dogma and drafted a list around his perception of those practices.
And the last of the five links to which the FBI has directed readers of the Project Megiddo report is that of the "Global Ideas Bank" which posts New Age "ideas," such as one proposing the establishment of a "cashless society" and one discussing "abortion as a sacrament."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The last book in the New Testament of the Bible designates Armageddon as the assembly point in the apocalyptic setting of God's final and conclusive battle against evil." -Project Megiddo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONCLUSIONS In this report, we covered the five "connections" for source information on "dangerous cults" to which readers of the FBI Project Megiddo report are directed through the OCRT web link.
What we found was that the first "cult check list" is posted on the web site of the admittedly counter-Christian IFAS group where readers find the article by 'deprogrammer' Rick Ross who was convicted of unlawfully detaining a Pentecostal church member. Secondly, we reviewed the AFF organization which defends use of mind-altering drugs, posts friendly articles on astrology and New Age, and has among its most prominent board members mind control authority Margaret Singer who has a history with connections to CIA-backed drug-facilitated mind control experiments. The third link we reviewed was the report on "bad religions" by James R. Lewis whom, we saw, has connections to the new Scientology-backed CAN organization and to international New Age apologetics organizations such as CESNUR. The fourth link was to the Pagan/Witchcraft material by Isaac Bonewits. And, the fifth and final link was to the New Age "Global Ideas Bank" with articles that promote a cashless money system, mock Christianity, and one that even mocks the sanctity of human life itself.
Amazingly, all of the above sites -- each of which evidences its own particular brand of intolerance -- are linked from the web site purporting to stand for religious tolerance!
A separate article looks into the intolerant material posted on the OCRT site itself. http://www.networkusa.org/fingerprint/page1b/fp-project- megiddo.html
Of course, this document does not begin to go into the motivations behind the other known contributors to the Project Megiddo report, such as the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). However, information is available on their involvement from a number of sources including; WorldNetDaily, The New American, and The Freedom Corner.
So, judge for yourself the value of the "authorities" credited in the Project Megiddo report. But if you take anything at face value -- just as it is stated -- you may be playing into the hands of some well known mind control operatives -- those who are considered among the best in the field at getting people to respond to input in a predictable, desired fashion. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDENDUM After much research into the subject of "recovered memories," it is clear that many of these cases represent occurrences of abuse that were not brought to light until much later in life -- for any number of reasons. It also appears that there are many false accusations of abuse, sometimes attributed to "recovered memories." Some of these false cases incorporate far fetched accusations which appear to have been introduced purely as a cover for actual crimes. The bottom line is this: If you believe that "memories" can be "falsely implanted," then you must also believe that memories can be altered or even erased. You can't logically have one without the other. If the latter is true, then it is reasonable to believe that those individuals who are familiar with the process, and who use it, would try to cover up the this reality.
None of the links provided in this article should be considered endorsements. Readers are urged to check into every single source or "authority" cited either in the Project Megiddo report, this report, or referenced on any of the pages linked from this report. These groups can be very, very deceiving. Look at what each one says on the subjects of "recovered memory," "ritual abuse" and "Satanism" (for example) and then weigh their comments against your own beliefs. Or, pick some other issue that is important to you personally and see what they have to say on that subject. Look for contradictions, such as: Do they publish a list of "groups" in a way that leads readers to believe these are "cults;" and at the same time preach "religious tolerance"? For further research, do a search on the Internet for each individual or group, and search www.dejanews.com to see what others are saying about them. Find out what organizations the individual (or group) is associated with. Evaluate each item of information with a healthy degree of skepticism until you are able to satisfactorily form your own final conclusions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER REPORTS ON PROJECT MEGIDDO -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Making of Project Megiddo Megiddo This is a two-part study entitled The Making of Project Megiddo & The Secret Agenda to Destroy Christianity in America. It delves into the FBI's Project Megiddo (PM) report and into the writings of the three primary outside authorities who, it is believed, were relied upon for the report's support material.
PROJECT MEGIDDO & RELIGIOUS inTOLERANCE MEGIDDO There is good evidence showing that sources relied upon in the Project Megiddo assessment had preconceived political, social and religious notions of their own which are unfavorable towards the groups now implicated in the final report. Many of the very same kinds of negative statements expressed about certain religious groups in the writings of the cited authorities are now reflected in the FBI study. This revelation alone brings the credibility of the entire report into question.
SHOULD WE KNOW MORE ABOUT PROJECT MEGIDDO MEGIDDO This report takes the reader through a series of excerpts from the various "religious tolerance" sites linked from the FBI's report to reveal the underlying hatred towards Christians and the innate disdain for Christian beliefs exhibited by these individuals.
RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE - A FRONT FOR HATE Part 1 - INTOLERANCE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED covers the pages belonging to the web site whose URL address is provided in the FBI report. It explores many of the relevant OCRT essays to reveal how "religious tolerance" is really just a front used to disguise hatred towards Christians. As you will see, in the view of some of these espoused "religious tolerance" advocates, there is only one religious group that should be called a "cult" and that group is comprised of all prophecy-believing Christians, which they mockingly call the "Apocalyptic cult."
Part II - THE LINKS THAT BIND cover the other four web pages a person is directed to by following the URL link provided in the FBI Project Megiddo report. The web page found there, the OCRT "cult behavior check lists" page, includes links to still other religious hatred front groups.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are some external links to additional articles on Project Megiddo and "religious tolerance":
Criminalizing Dissent; The New American http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/1999/12-06-99/vo15no24_dissent.htm
Project Megiddo FBI Report - Reactive Megiddo; by: Dr. A. H. Krieg http://www.freedomcorner.com/ megiddo_reactive.html
Change Agents Address Hate; The WINDS http://www.thewinds.org/archive/government/hate_groups06-98.html
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