>I got to Denver the first time during the summer between soph and junior yr of college. Selling books door to door. Which lasted for all of 2 weeks. Then I just hung out in Denver for a week before getting a kitchen job in Central City, at the time a tourist trap mountain town. Now a gambling spot.
>
>I used to wander around Denver a little during those first weeks and I was so happy to find this group of people who were so willing to talk to me and help me, etc. Jews for Jesus.

Hey, you coulda got 'love bombed' by the Unification Church <s>

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>>Naaah, I figure the only people who could care about Scientology that much would be former Scientologists <g> I have known my share of them ( I would consider 1 more than my share ) from my San Francisco days. I've read Dyanetics and I suppose it would be impressive if it were the only book you had ever read <s> Seems to appeal to intelligent people with little education who are not widely read. LRH was a genius at synthesizing everything from a freshman philosophy course and presenting it as revealed truth to those who had never taken philosophy 101. Cliches and timeless nostrums recycled as original insights and wrapped in a personality cult by a science fiction writer. Just don't see the attraction. But I do know some folks who decided to lock horns with them and became 'fair game'. Not pretty. Kind of a litigious fatwa.
>>
>>Werner Erhard's spinoff EST (Erhard Seminars Training) was like the Trotskyite defection from the ACP <g>
>>
>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erhard_Seminars_Training
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>>As I said in another message, if you wanted to get laid in SF in the 70s you often had to be willing to listen to an incredible amount of bs about 'The training' <g>
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>>"Those who can be made to believe absurdities ... "
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>>
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>>>Are you part of ?Anonomous? or whatever they are calling themselves, the anti-Scientology group. I saw a fairly big protest group on Hollywood Blvd yesterday referencing something like Nexus.com/org, a website detailing the truth about Scientology. I forgot to write the url down thou. But it does seem like this group is comprised of some vicious attack dog types, so this could be an interesting battle.
>>>
>>>>>>>>If I can sneak out after curfew and avoid the helicopters and police dogs I hope to be able to make to the Canadian consulate to seek asylum in a more enlightened society where this kind of atrocity could never take place.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Pray for me ...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>You sound just like the people of the religious cult that inhabits most of the area out here in the Middle-of-Nowhere. They were big supporters of the Branch Davidians, are big John Birchers, and are constantly looking for UN spies..They are serious about it here..
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I went to college in the 60s in Licking County, Ohio, whose congressman was John Ashbrook, the ranking R on HUAC. It was also the HQ of the local John Birch Society and there was a huge billboard I passed every day that said 'Save our Republic - Impeach Earl Warren ! ' <g>
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>>>>>>I'm pretty conservative about a lot of stuff but the Birchers are always a good reminder not too take myself too seriously <s>
>>>>>
>>>>>You got that right. I used to get a kick out of some of the JB Society crap I'd see when I lived in MA - You'd get to hear broadcasts on the radio and everything. It was so paranoid it was funny!
>>>>>
>>>>>Then I moved out here to the Middle-of-Nowhere where the largest part of this town belongs to a church that belongs to the Society of St. Pious (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_St._Pius_X) that thinks the Pope is a communist working for the UN. Scary bunch.
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>>>>Cleveland has a local branch and a strong Opus Dei presence as well.
>>>>
>>>>I really like fringe groups and read up on them a lot. There was a great book back in the 50s called "Pawns in the Game" by Wm Carr that was a Bible for those folks who thought the Birchers were Stalinist dupes <g> Very easy book to find in Central Ohio <g>
>>>>
>>>>One of my favorite crazies has always been Lyndon Larouche
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>>>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_LaRouche
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>>>>And he's still around. I hope he surfaces at some point in this Presidential year ( the Democratic Convention would be nice <s> ) Definitely worth a look. My dream is a debate between him, Ross Perot and a representative from the Scientologists.