Senate Candidate Jeff Stone and Scientology

This article first appeared on DailyKOS in June, 2009

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone has a hard row to hoe in his bid for the Senate seat being vacated by Dennis Hollingsworth. His GOP opponent is rumored be Joel Anderson, R-Alpine.

Mr. Stone has attracted the attention and ire of online activist collective Anonymous, whose battle against Scientology has been well publicized.

In October of 2008, Mr. Stone introduced an ordinance which would curtail picketing around residences. Ordinance 884, it turns out, was introduced by Stone at the behest of the Scientology organization, which maintains a compound in his jurisdiction. Indeed, Mr. Stone's personal attorney Sam Aldahef also represents the Scientology interests in Riverside County.

In a recent series of articles from the St. Petersburg Times, several high ranking Scientology defectors discuss beatings and other abuses perpetrated by the top of the hierarchy, to include assaults perpetrated by David Miscavige, current leader of the organization. These abuses occurred at the compound in Jeff Stone's baliwick.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/article1012148.ece

On another front, three former members who worked at the compound, known to Scientologists as "Int. Base," are suing the organization for compensation for decades of hard work at an estimated .36 cents an hour!
Marc and Claire Headley, and Laura Decrescenzo have written of their experiences. Mrs. Headley and Ms. Decrescenzo's complaints also include coerced abortions. Workers at this Scientology base all belong to the Sea Org, a paramilitary group that does not permit members to have children. Mrs. Headley had two abortions at the demand of Sea Org management. Ms. Decrescenzo, who joined at age 14, was forced to have an abortion at age 17.
http://www.xenu-directory.net/accounts/20080829-decrescenzo-laura.html
http://infinitecomplacency.blogspot.com/2009/03/11-claire-headleys-lawsuit-abortion.html
http://infinitecomplacency.blogspot.com/2009/01/marc-headleys-lawsuit.html

Pictures of "Int. Base," also refered to as Gold Base, show knife-like security spikes on the inside of the fence surrounding the compound. There are also pictures of a "sniper nest" up in the hills behind the base. There are motion sensors and security lights, all with the apparent purpose of keeping people inside.

Jeff Stone was made aware of all this, yet he refuses to listen to anyone but the Scientologists who have his ear. He claims to be a champion of free speech and women's rights, yet he declines to address the horrific abuses going on right under his snout in Riverside County.

Curiously, the reason Jeff Stone introduced Ordinance 884 was in part by a booklet provided to him by Scientology. The booklet attempts to portray the anonymous protesters as a fearsome terrorist organization that indulges in criminal, racist behavior. The problem is, the booklet is misleading, as only one segment of anonymous, Project Chanology, is actually protesting Scientology. This booklet produces "evidence" consisting of posts, pictures and writings by anonymous posters on the internet who have nothing at all to do with Project Chanology.

Stone has equated anons with the KKK, despite the fact that Chanology is made up of people of all races, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs, united to end the human rights abuses of the "church" of Scientology.

Stone has refused to answer questions, such as "Who provided you with this booklet?" That question was answered by cult spokesman Tommy Davis, in an interview with Nathan Baca of KESQ Palm Springs, an ABC affiliate. KESQ ran an excellent series focusing on Scientology in Riverside County, its influence, and its attempts to curtail the right to free speech via the ordinance that Jeff Stone supports.

http://www.kesq.com/Global/category.asp?C=162474


Stone stubbornly continues to insist that anonymous are terrorists and a threat to his special constituents whose victims are held behind security spikes. Not surprisingly, Scientologists have been donating to his campaign fund.

Anonymous does not have unlimited amounts of money, nor does it have any power but the power of individuals banded together as one voice. That voice is being heard, and more ex-members of Scientology are now able to speak out without the burden of fear Scientology once held over them.

One new site, ex-Scientology Kids, contains the stories of children raised within the cult. Many of their stories are disturbing and upsetting, but they are important for just that reason.
http://www.exscientologykids.com/voicesinunison.html

Mr. Stone has been made aware of these stories, many of which happened at Gold Base, yet still, he chooses to do nothing.

Child labor, slave labor, beatings, maltreatment, prisoners held behind razor sharp blades, and Stone, that "champion of human rights," refuses to take action.

The Stones are a prominent bunch in Riverside County. Sheriff Sniff owes his appointment to Stone. Lori Stone, his sister, purports to champion women's rights as a volunteer in organizations dedicated to women's issues. She, too, refuses to look at the abuses perpetrated behind the security spikes. Stone's son works in the District Attorney's office.

It's no wonder that several members of the Sheriff's Department acts like Scientology's tame lap dogs when protesters come to visit. It's a nice, incestuous little deal Scientology has crafted for itself in Riverside.

However, all of these issues are going to come out when Stone gets his campaign rolling. His campaign kickoff event attracted some of the same people protesting Scientology's human rights violations. They videotaped a man who asked questions while his passenger videotaped the encounter. He later videotaped the license plates of the protesters' cars. The driver claimed to be working on Stone's campaign, but in today's Board of Supervisors meeting, Stone refused to answer any questions about him.

In order to win the Senate seat, Jeff Stone must first win over San Diego County. This means he will have to attend events in a county where anonymous has a strong presence. Anonymous will be present at every event. They will distribute information about Stone's seeming love affair with Scientology, as well as information about the destructive, humiliating abuses supported by Jeff Stone. This is one of the pieces of literature in our arsenal, a small booklet to counter the one currently being distributed by the Scientology organization:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T2JIZROI

Wherever Jeff Stone is, anonymous will be there. If it's a private fundraiser, they will be outside with signs. His opponent is going to be very well informed about these issues.

Anonymous is a collective with a lot of talent and skill. They are helping the Persian protesters keep the internet lines open and information flowing. And they will bring all these skills to the table to make sure that Jeff Stone fails in his attempt to take that Senate seat.

If there's one thing we don't need more of, it's politicians who pander to destructive, criminal enterprises masquerading as religions.