From: davidson@sfsu.edu (Daniel Davidson) Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: News on my upcoming disciplinary meeting... Date: 24 Mar 1995 22:50:12 GMT Organization: San Francisco State University Lines: 56 Message-ID: <3kvib4$9vk@news.csus.edu> On Fri, 24 Mar 1995, Ron Newman wrote: > Any news? > March 24, 1995 No, not really... I wrote Mr. True, and asked for a copy of my posting record, but no response yet. It seems when I deleted the articles, the systam also deleted reference to it in my post history. I'd like to get a copy of my history from before I canceled the post, as the history at this site shows the nature of all of my posts, in this case a crosspost. I'm going to sit and prepare my *many* letters of support to present to Mr. Westwood, Coordinator of Student Discipline, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs (fax number: 415.338.0900), who I will meet with tomorrow at 3:00 pm. If y'all want to send him faxes (after all, he is a public official) *please* be polite!! I know, from the email sent to Mr. True, that good manners prevail here... I got a pro forma letter, telling me of the meeting, and a copy of Student Disciplinary Procedures. Since I can document everything that happened, I see little to worry about. However, a plain-English description of the nature of "crosspost" on tin and its innate capacity for problems would be of *great* help... yeah, I realize there's not much time. So, I'm going to prepare my case, tell the whole truth, and hope for the best. I'll post my reaction to the meeting tomorrow or Sat. And to all of you who have taken time to send email in my support: again... T*H*A*N*K Y*O*U ! And to those who are watching the developments of this case, keep watchin'! Very best, Daniel -- = Daniel Davidson = davidson@sfsu.edu When seeing someone lying unconscious on a city street, it is considered appropriate to continue walking, essentially unaffected. ------------------- From: davidson@sfsu.edu (Daniel Davidson) Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: Re: News on my upcoming disciplinary meeting... Date: 25 Mar 1995 01:00:23 GMT Organization: San Francisco State University Lines: 12 Message-ID: <3kvpv7$d8t@news.csus.edu> References: <3kvib4$9vk@news.csus.edu> Errr... I've reschedualed my appointment with Mr. Westwood for 3 pm Friday, 31 March. I've *got* to stop useing that pre-Gregorian calandar... -- = Daniel Davidson = davidson@sfsu.edu When seeing someone lying unconscious on a city street, it is considered appropriate to continue walking, essentially unaffected. ------------------- From: davidson@sfsu.edu (Daniel Davidson) Newsgroups: alt.current-events.net-abuse Subject: Thanks for the letters & support... Date: 23 Mar 1995 03:39:15 GMT Organization: San Francisco State University Lines: 476 Message-ID: <3kqqh3$3e0@news.csus.edu> March 22, 1995 Regarding your letters of support... I want to thank all of those who have sent email to Mr. True to express their views on the Church of Scientology's litigious pressuring of me and SFSU concerning my post(s) on alt.religion.scientology. I know each of you has little time to spare, and that you would take time out of busy days to write in my support is truly gratifying. I am certain that the need to censor the Internet by autocratic, well-financed totalitarian groups like the Church of Scientology will continue. This is only one small skirmish in a much larger conflict over free discussion on the Internet. As I get caught up with my email, I'll try to thank each of you individually. In the mean time, *thank you* from the bottom of my heart. What's the old joke... My cynicism can't keep up with reality... Your letters have served as a palliative for this view. The cyber- community may be the most powerful convocation of people on the planet. Anyway, we'll see. I expect to have details of my meeting with the disciplinary body at SFSU posted by Saturday. Wish me luck! With affection and respect, Daniel Davidson -- = Daniel Davidson = davidson@sfsu.edu When seeing someone lying unconscious on a city street, it is considered appropriate to continue walking, essentially unaffected. ************************************************ March 22, 1995 As you may know, the Church of Scientology is apparently pursuing legal action against me, probably for my alleged act of cross-posting a previously extant post, posted by another party, from alt.activism to alt.religion.scientology. In fact I did not post anything *to the Internet*. I did see a post on another user group, alt.activism, that was previously posted by another party not know to me, titled Secrets of Scientology (long)), and thought it would contribute to the conversation on alt.religion.scientology, discussions largely having to do with Scientology's past and and possibly present criminal behavior. The post from alt.activism begins with a commentary written by an ex-member and critic of the church, discussing the Church of Scientology's effort to control the exchange of ideas and information on the Internet. The content seemed relevant to alt.religion.scientology, where enormous heat, and quite a lot of light as well, has been generated in response to Scientology's behavior. So, I hit "x", then "return", and "p" ... And the article was cross-posted to alt.religion.scientology. This, I believe, is the offense for which I am accused. Again, I did not in fact post this article *to the Internet*. Actually, I don't even know with real certainty this is the text the church seeks to suppress, as the church has not stipulated exactly which specific text(s) attributed to me they are referring to. The post from alt.activism titled Secrets of Scientology (long) may in fact be the post in question. This post -- which I canceled from a.r.s upon receiving Helen Kobrin's email, is *still*, as of today, present on alt.activism. This identical post has been present on the Internet on one user group or another for some time. Anyway, I thought to ask if you have any addresses for people or institutions/affinity groups in Australia who may be interested to hear of the details of this case... And I'd be most appreciative for letters to the systems administrator at San Francisco State, John True at jtrue@sfsu.edu, offering him your thoughts on all this. If you could send me a copy, I will take it with me to my meeting with the Director of Student Affairs, where I have been called to a meeting about the church's complaint against me, which is scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, the 24th of March. Evidence indicates that the Church of Scientology is in fact making a serious, well financed attempt to assert a limiting control over the content of public discussions on the Internet. If they succeed, it may well constitute a grave threat to the nature of the Internet itself: the free flow of ideas and information. If access to material *already present* and in the public domain on Usenet and the Internet can be restricted, I believe this would constitute a serious threat to the future of communication within the Internet. The necessity for unimpeded communication between people is a critical requirement for a free society. To protect the free exchange of ideas, asserting the fundamental nature of Usenet as part of the public domain is, in my view, critical. Thanks for your attention... Very best, Daniel Davidson (Background material in a following post) *********************************************************** March 19, 1995 Background Material / San Francisco State University, Daniel Davidson and Church of Scientology Background material on the Church of Scientology's pressuring of San Francisco State University and Daniel Davidson over the cross-posting on a news article from the Internet Usenet group alt.activism to alt.religion.scientology. **************************************** Sequence of events On about 1 March 1995, while reading a Usenet usergroup on the Internet, I noticed a post titled Secrets of Scientology (long). I pressed the return key to see the post, and read a commentary critical of the behavior of the Church of Scientology, and some science-fiction like acounts of space men and volcanos. Having been participating in another Usenet usergroup, alt.religion.scientology, where conversations largely concern the church's proven past and possibly present criminal actions. I thought that the post from alt.activism might be relevant to the discussions. I then, allegedly, cross-posted an article from alt.activism to alt.religion.scientology. On 14 March I noted a post on a.r.s claiming that this post may contain copyrighted material. I immediately posted a new thread titled Copyright violation?, where I said that if I was informed of any copyright violation, I would remove the cross-post from alt.religion.scientology. On Friday 17 March, I received an email from hkk@netcom.com, Helena Kobrin (who appears to be representing the Church of Scientology). The full text of this email is found below. **************************************** Contents: * Text one: The first pages of the post from alt.activism titled Scientology Secrets (long). These were the pages I read, and thought relevant to the discussions on a.r.s. I did read past page three. ** Text two: My offer to remove the post, when another party in the discussions on a.r.s suggested that there may be copyrighted material contained in it. *** Text three: The letter to me from Helen Kobrin , representing the Church of Scientology. **** Text four: The letter to me from John True , Computing Services, San Francisco State University. ***** Text five: My letter to Helen Kobrin ------------------------------------------------------ * One * The first pages of the post from alt.activism ------------------------------------------------------ [begin quoted post * One *] From csus.edu!csulb.edu!library.ucla.edu!agate!spool.mu.edu!cass.ma02.bull.com!replay.COM!no body Fri Mar 17 14:34:01 1995 Path: csus.edu!csulb.edu!library.ucla.edu!agate!spool.mu.edu!cass.ma02.bull.com!replay.COM!no body From: nobody@replay.COM (Name withheld by request) Newsgroups: alt.activism Subject: Scientology Secrets (long) Date: 11 Mar 1995 22:29:39 -0000 Organization: Replay and Company UnLimited. Lines: 3744 Sender: daemon@cass.ma02.bull.com Distribution: world Message-ID: <199503112227.AA28493@xs1.xs4all.nl> NNTP-Posting-Host: cass.ma02.bull.com The Church of Scientology is taking illegal steps to hound its critics, and threatening the internet by its use of forged cancels of USENET posts which it alleges contain violations of its copyright and trade secrets. In recent months, posts detailing serious abuses by Scientologists have been posted to alt.religion.scientology, a newsgroup set up for that purpose. Some posts have been delivered to the net, purporting to describe ludicrous "courses" which the cult is using to gull the susceptible. ************************************************************************* One such course describes a tyrant named Xenu who, 70 million years ago, it is claimed, kidnapped people in spacecraft resembling mid-20th century DC-8 airliners, dropped them in volcanoes and nuked them. An average Scientologist could pay many thousands of dollars, and be subject to months or even years of softening his critical faculties, to prepare him to hear this crap. ************************************************************************* The Scientologists have been issuing illegal forged cancels from netcom accounts. As usual, netcom is doing very little about it. This is stopping some vital information getting through, but some is still making it. Now the Scientologists have obtained warrants and mounted a fishing expedition on one person, and seem set to do the same to at least two more. The information they get from these raids allows them to threaten and silence critics of the cult's many abuses. The scientologists excel in "Dead Agent" tactics--using lies and distortions of the truth to invalidate someone's arguments. In another development, the Scientologists have breached the integrity of the anon.penet.fi server, making the administrator hand over records identifying one of the posters. It is imperative that more people spread the news about this case, and spread the bad news about the cult's evil activities. The freedom of all people is threatened by these abuses. ********************************************************************** Subscribe to alt.religion.scientology. Find out what is happening. Get active. ********************************************************************** Netcom users: ask your sys admin why they are not stopping the illegal cancels being issued by the Church of Scientology's tame poodles. Day of Protest on March 13th, L Ron Hubbard's Birthday. World Wide Web Site http://falcon.cc.ukans.edu/~sloth/sci/sci_index.html Book on the founder of Scientology, L Ron Hubbard. AUTHOR: Miller, Russell. TITLE: Bare-faced messiah : the true story of L. Ron Hubbard / EDITION: 1st American ed. PLACE: New York : PUBLISHER: H. Holt, YEAR: 1988 PUB TYPE: Book FORMAT: x, 390 p., [8] p. of plates : ill. ; 24 cm. NOTES: Includes index. Bibliography: p. [382]-383. ISBN: 0805006540 SUBJECT: Hubbard, L. Ron -- (La Fayette Ron), -- 1911- Scientologists -- Biography. -- "The most horrible thing they have done is to put out hundreds of messages all over the net that say "free phone sex", with the scientologists' toll-free phone number on it: 1-800-367-8788" --an211810@anon.penet.fi "Poor little clams - snap! snap! snap!" --SubGenius Pope Charles of Houston ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From confidential official cult of scientology archives: [for definitions of cult vocabulary and acronyms, see dictionary at end of these files.] [end quoted post * One *] ------------------------------------------------------- ** Two ** The post suggesting there may be copyrighted material in the cross-post, and my response. ------------------------------------------------------- [begin quoted post ** Two **] Message-ID: <3k4992$2qr@news.csus.edu> References: <3k10gk$in9@news.csus.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: davidson%@orion.sfsu.edu X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Grady Ward (grady@netcom.com) wrote: : Helena K. Kobrin has warned us not to repost these documents : as it will irreparably harm the Scumologists. That I can : believe -- who would continue to pay money to these algae-feeders : after reading this third rate Xenu crap? Really? I guessed this stuff was public domain! Since it didn't get canceled by the (likely) Church-sponsored canceller when it was on alt.activism, it seemed clear that the Church accepted it as part of the public record. Well, I wouldn't condone the missuse of copyrighted material! If a legitimate representitive from the Church of Scientology contacts me in a verifiable manner and asks me to remove it, I'll very likely comply. *Especially* if I'm provided with evidence indicating that the text, which has been all over the Internet for awhile, is not in fact part of the public domain. -- = Daniel Davidson = davidson@sfsu.edu When seeing someone lying unconcious on a city street, it is considered appropriate to continue walking, essentially unaffected. [end quoted post ** Two **] ------------------------------------------------------ *** Three, email from , Helena Kobrin, representing the Church of Scientology ------------------------------------------------------ [begin quoted post *** Three ***] From hkk@netcom.comFri Mar 17 10:04:51 1995 Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 09:20:04 -0800 (PST) From: Helena Kobrin To: davidson@sfsu.edu Subject: Copyrighted materials Dear Mr. Davidson: I represent Religious Technology Center ("RTC"), the owner of the confidential Advanced Technology of the religion of Scientology, and the holder of exclusive rights under the copyrights applicable to the Advanced Technology materials. Among these copyrighted and confidential materials are the Advanced Technology materials of certain levels known as "Operating Thetan Sections I, II and III," "the L Rundowns The L-12 Rundown Step 6," "NED for OTs Series 1, 34, 35, 36, 43." We have been informed that you have posted substantial portions, and in some cases the entirety, of these copyrighted, unpublished works onto the Internet without the authorization of our client, who, of course, would not have given such authorization had it been requested. Your action violates our client's legal rights in that it is the unauthorized making of electronic copies of the copyrighted material and the unauthorized disclosure of trade secrets materials. These actions constitute violations of the United States Copyright laws entitling our client to damages, an injunction, and impounding of materials and equipment used in perpetrating the infringing acts. It is essential that you take immediate and effective action to remove the unauthorized copies from the Internet, and that you refrain from any repetition of this or similar acts in the future. I will expect an immediate response from you with a statement of your willingness to comply with these demands. If you do not comply immediately, I expect to be authorized to initiate legal action to compel compliance. Very truly yours, Helena K. Kobrin [end quoted post *** Three ***] -------------------------------------------------- **** Four, email from John True, , San Francisco State University Computing Services -------------------------------------------------- [been quoted post **** Four ****] From jtrue@sfsu.eduFri Mar 17 13:42:07 1995 Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 13:15:37 -0800 From: John True To: davidson@sfsu.edu Subject: Student Discipline Charge March 17, 1995 Daniel Davidson Please be advised that as Executive Director of Computing Services, I have filed a Student Discipline Charge against you with the Office of Student Affairs for violation of the Student Conduct Code (Title 5, California Code of Regulations). This action is based on a complaint that you posted substantial portions, and in some cases the entirety, of copyrighted, unpublished works onto the Internet without authorization. John True ************************************ John True jtrue@sfsu.edu Computing Services San Francisco State University ************************************ [end quoted post **** Four ****] ------------------------------ ***** Five ***** My email to Helen Kobrin, ------------------------------ [begin quoted post ***** Five *****] To: Helena Kobrin Subject: Re: Copyrighted materials In-Reply-To: Message-Id: hkk@netcom.com: Please be advised that upon reading this unverified email, I immediately canceled a crosspost from alt.activism titled "Scientology secrets (long)". This post was not posted to the internet by me. I resent and condem your attempt to restrict the flow of information -- already extant on the Internet -- from one newsgroup to another. Assuming you are in fact a representitive of the Church of Scientology, I ask that you stop interfering with my right to read and make editorial comments on material already extant on the Internet. Daniel Davidson [end quoted post ***** Five *****] >>> END OF BACKGROUND MATERIAL <<< March 19, 1995 davidson@sfsu.edu -------------------