"Congratulations Mr. Blüm, on your well
deserved
award of recognition"
How should one deal with Imperialists?
jW speaks with human rights award winner Norbert Blüm (CDU)
Leipzig, Germany
June 11, 2001
http://www.jungewelt.de
Junge Welt (jW)
(The federal parliamentary and former welfare minister was distinguished
with the 2001 Leipzig Human Rights Award on Sunday. Last year it was
handed out
for the first time as the "Alternative Charlemagne Award.")
F: The European-American Citizens Committee is honoring your courageous
appearances as a politician with the Alternative Charlemagne Award. Why
does that take
courage?
Courage - well, yes, I didn't see it so heroically. It's true that the
Scientologists do not exactly deal with their opponents lighthandedly.
They have signed
instructions which include eavesdropping upon and libelling people.
Scientology acts on
people's fears. For instance they threatened me by saying they would
distribute
their dossier on me to television. They've called me all kinds of names in
their
newspaper: the "Rasputin" of politics, for example. But I don't worry
about that sort
of thing.
One only has to know that they are unscrupulous, that they have power
and that they will use any means publicly.
F: Why are there so few politicians, then, who work against
Scientology?
What we are dealing with here is violations of the mind, and those are
not so conspicuous. If they were to break someone's arm then everyone
could
see that, but when the mind is broken, nobody sees that. The
Scientologists' control
is noiseless.
F: What can politics do about that?
I don't support a ban because that would only make martyrs. I believe
that one has to cut the ground from under their feet with information. And
do
it in such a way that their ship will not pull into port in Germany, as
they
have planned.
F: Distributing information takes people.
This is not the old scheme of the poor people being defenseless. Here
even the rich people are at risk. The Scientologists do not target the
recipients of the welfare system as much as they do management levels.
They are looking
for people who want to be successful and who therefore will accept
Scientology's psycho-offerings
without any criticism. Moreover I think students are also at risk.
F: Why?
Because, as a rule, academics want to improve.
F: You have described the Scientologists as new Imperialists. What then
would conventional imperialism be for you?
Imperialism strives for domination. Imperialism as we know it from
history, colonization, deals with the conquest of countries and
populations. This
time we are dealing with the inner life of people. They are not being
bound in
chains, but are being made dependent upon psycho-technology.
F: But advertising also appeals to people's inner lives. Business binds
people as consumers. Isn't that also a form of dependency?
If Scientology were as harmless as advertising, I would have nothing at
all against it. In Scientology, people are made to heel with so-called
auditing, that is interrogation technology. Comparing that with
advertising is
rationalizing it.
F: Isn't it also rationalization, in reverse, to compare Scientology
founder Hubbard with Hitler, as happened on Sunday at the award ceremony?
I do not compare Hubbard to Hitler. I only compare their totalitarian
systems. Scientology's ideology is totalitarian. We, the opponents of
Scientology,
are being compared to Hitler in America because we warn against
Scientology.
The word has to be gotten out - parents, company management, and also
students.
Interview: Anna Lehmann
Norbert Blüm receives Human Rights Award
Former federal minister honored in Leipzig for his
involvement against the Scientology organization
Leipzig, Germany
June 10, 2001
http://www.lvz-online.de
Leipziger Volkszeitung
Leipzig. Things had finally settled down for Norbert Blüm. As
a simple CDU federal parliamentary representative, he is no longer so much
in the
limelight of publicity as he was in the days of being the federal labor
minister.
But yesterday the cameras were again pointed at the 65-year-old man.
Blüm received
the "Leipzig Human Rights Award" in the Old Stock Exchange. He was honored
for
his involvement against the Scientology Organization. Blüm was the
only
federal minister so far who had gotten publicly involved with
Scientology's "new
totalitarianism," as the sect commissioner of the Berlin-Brandenburg
Church, Thomas Gandow,
read in the decision.
Rev. Gandow is a founding member of the European-American Citizens
Committee for Human Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA. This
committee is
active against new totalitarian movements and functions as the body
responsible for the
award. The first of these was bestowed last year. Back then the bestowal
of the
Aachen Charlemagne Award to U.S. President Bill Clinton was met with
protest.
"Clinton had not done anything for the European unification process,"
explained
Leipzig resident Solveig Prass, who is a member of the international
citizens
committee. During Clinton's term in office the U.S. administration even
exerted
pressure on Germany and France to recognize Scientology as religion, said
Gandow.
For that reason the Citizens Committee founded an "Alternative Charlemagne
Award,"
which was presented to the American Robert S. Minton. The millionaire was
recognized for his financial legal assistance to those who had suffered
loss from
Scientology. The "Alternative Charlemagne Award" now lives on as the
"Leipzig Human
Rights Award."
Blüm has already been attacked both verbally and in court by the
Scientologists. So far without success. That never stopped him in Spiegel
magazine, for
example, from accusing the Scientologists of "psychological warfare" or
getting an
order to stop them from running private employment agencies, Gandow
remembered.
He said that Blüm was the only high-ranking federal politician who
had
expressed himself publicly against the religious community. It said in the
award
basis that the the distinction should help support politicians in their
efforts "to
put an end to the human rights violations that are being committed by the
Scientology organization in the USA and in Europe."
Blüm has also looked after the sect's victims. He made contact
with trade companies in Zwickau who had been done out of their money by
Kurt
Fliegerbauer, real estate dealer and professing Scientologist.
Leipzig was chosen by the Citizens Committee from among several
European candidates for the award site. "A totalitarian regime has already
once been brought
to collapse from Leipzig," stated Solveig Prass. For that reason the award
continues
to have a picture of the Nikolai Church*.
In the meantime, Scientology Church Germany, Inc. has attacked the
human rights award as "cynical mockery of the most elementary basic rights
and of the
East German civil rights movement." Behind the Award stood "a dubious clan
of
fanatical religious discriminators," according to the Scientologists.
Andreas Friedrich
*Nikolai Church: where East German civil rights demonstrators
assembled before The Fall.
Human Rights Award for Blüm
Leipzig, Germany
June 10, 2001
http://www.bremer-nachrichten.de
Leipzig/Goettingen (dpa) Ex-federal minister Norbert Blüm
(CDU) received the human rights award of the European-American Citizens
Committee for Human Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA. The German
politician's
spirited efforts for human rights and religious freedom in the discussion
with the
Scientology organization were honored with the "2001 Alternative
Charlemagne Award."
Norbert Blüm receives "Alternative Charlemagne
Award" for human rights
Leipzig, Germany
June 10, 2001
Remscheider GA
Leipzig (dpa) - ex-federal minister Norbert Blüm received the
human rights award from the European-American Citizens Committee for Human
Rights and Religious Freedom in the USA in Leipzig.
His spirited efforts for human rights and religious freedom in the
discussion with the Scientology organization were honored with the "2001
Alternative
Charlemagne Award." Blüm moreover distinguished himself exemplarily
with his
involvement in at risk nationalities and ethnic minorities, it was also
said.
Blüm receives Human Rights Award in Leipzig
Leipzig, Germany
June 4, 2001
http://www.freiepresse.de
Leipzig (ddp-lsc). On June 10, Germany's former Labor Minister
Norbert Blüm (CDU) will be distinguished with the human rights award
from the
"European-American Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Religious
Freedom in the USA."
Blüm is being honored because of his spirited involvement in the
discussion
with the Scientology Organization and because of his concern for human
rights and
religious freedom, the Citizens Committee said on Sunday.
Blüm was the only German federal minister so far who has had the
courage to gain knowledge of the facts and make a personal effort to
publicly come
to terms with the Scientology Organization, read the basis of the award
decision. His clear words, the award continued, encouraged those people
who had felt
the effect of the Scientology Organization, and he had also set the
standard
for the politics of the day for his fellow politicians. (Internet:
http://www.leipziger-preis.de)
Distinction for Ex-Minister Blüm
Berlin, Germany
May 31, 2001
Bild-Zeitung
For his commitment in dealing with the Scientology organization, former
federal labor minister Norbert Blüm (CDU) is to be honored with the
Leipzig
Human Rights Award. The uncompensated award will be presented at a
ceremony on
June 10 to the 65 year old man.
Blüm receiving "Alternative Charlemagne Award
2001" Leipzig, Germany
February 26, 2001
Berliner Zeitung
http://www.BerlinOnline.de
Leipzig. Norbert Blüm is to be recognized with the
"Alternative Charlemagne Award 2001." The CDU's federal representative in
Parliament is
receiving the award because he has implemented and "championed human
rights and
religious freedom in the discussion with the totalitarian Scientology
Organization."
(KNA)
http://seite1.web.de/show/3A995C03_1.DP1/?id=V10-010226-07960-10
Norbert Blüm receives "Alternative Charlemagne
Award" for human rights
dpa 25.2.2001
Leipzig - Ex-federal minister Norbert Blüm will receive the human
rights award of the European-American Citizens Committee for Human Rights
and
Religious Freedom in the USA. Blüm's efforts in the discussion with
the
totalitarian Scientology organization are being honored with the 2001
Alternative
Charlemagne Award, as stated by the association in Berlin. The distinction
is to be
awarded in early summer at a ceremony in the Fair City.
Movie Presentation
Peter Alexander: "Der Prophit"
June 9, 2001 at 3:30 p.m. in Leipzig
The movie by American producer and former Scientology-Thetan (not to be
confused
with the German hit singer) had his world premiere at the Cannes film
festival.
http://www.theprofit.org
The movie will be shown at 3:30 p.m. at the close of the press
conference (June 9 at 2 p.m.) with which this year's Leipzig Human Rights
Award
http://www.leipziger-preis.de
will be introduced.
2001 Award winner: ex-federal minister Norbert Blüm. Award
ceremony and reception on Sunday, June 10, 2001.
The movie shows the rise and growth of a psycho-cult.
The production was massively obstructed by Scientology. The author,
Peter N. Alexander, is a former management member of Scientology
"The Profit" tells the story of a cult leader and his rise to power -
with the single goal of making profit. In the movie his name is L. Conrad
Powers. Power's way begins with his release from the army after the Second
World War. He
is left without money and joins a Satanic cult. There he finds his wish to
found a
system similar to Satanism, one with which he can actually attain total
control
over men and women but which reaches a far larger market.
Powers runs into research on hypnotic regression, renames it "SciMind:
The Breakthrough Psychotherapy for everyone" and publishes it as a book.
In
this book Powers asserts that he can create the state of perfection: a
human being
with perfect understanding.
The book becomes a best-seller and Powers makes his final breakthrough
in the 1960s: he founds his own religion, the "Scientific Spiritualism
Church." A
famous celebrity joins the group and helps him to succeed.
Very quickly Powers gets in trouble with the tax offices, has to flee,
then develops conspiracy theories. He feels like he's being shadowed and
eavesdropped upon by the government and starts a counter-offensive with
his own secret
agents.
His paranoia climbs from year to year. He disappears, but continues to
lead his church. Now he's giving his lectures by tape recorder. He
succeeds in
expanding his Scientific Spiritualism Church over the entire world. Powers
also
manages to make his original dream come true: he wins total control over
men and
women in that he promises them the secret of eternal life.
Why does Scientology protest against this film? Similarities to
existing organizations, groups and "churches" were intended by the author
of the film, Peter N.
Alexander, former Thetan in Scientology.
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