Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: Kim Baker's 3rd declaration (12/1/95) -- full text From: rnewman@cybercom.net (Ron Newman) Date: Sat, 06 Jan 1996 09:48:27 -0500
Kim Baker sent me a copy of her December 1st declarations, accompanying a personal letter dated 21 December 1995. (There is no postmark on the envelope; the nice South African stamps were not cancelled.) Her letter arrived in my U.S. Snailbox on Friday, January 5th. She asks that I post these declarations to the net, and states that
"The signed originals are with FACTNet's lawyers, & Scn has a copy of the unsigned one, together with a letter stating I want no further communication from them."
One of the declarations was laser-printed, the other handwritten. First, the laser-printed one:
1. I make this declaration at the offices of GELB SIMON SHAPIRO & PARTNERS, 10th Floor, 2 Long Street, Cape Town. Besides myself there are present Mr John I Simon, Attorney; Miss Tessa van Deventer, Candidate Attorney, and Miss Anita Katcher, Secretary/Stenographer. This meeting is taking place at my request. I have been invited to bring my own Attorney with me but have declined to do so.
2. Before arriving at Mr Simon's office I have prepared in my own handwriting a declaration which contains all that I wish to say on this subject. I annex hereto marked "Kim Baker 1" the original of this declaration of mine consisting of 4 foolscap pages, 3 of which contain writing on both sides and the 4th page of which contains writing on approximately half the side. The declaration contains 13 paragraphs. It was prepared by me on my own and without anyone else being present. It contains my own voluntary statements. The amendments which appear at various points were made by me and I have initialled each page of the writing as well as the amendments themselves.
3. I have been furnished with a copy of this declaration and of the accompanying declaration marked "Kim Baker 1" which is in my own handwriting.
4. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the aforegoing [sic] is true and correct.
Executed at CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, on this the 1st day of December 1995.
KIM BAKER
All of the following is handwritten -- actually, hand-printed; she does not use cursive writing at all.
The declaration contains numerous strike-outs and insertions; I feel it is important to include these in this transcription as well. I've surrounded all struck-out text by the tags <DEL>...</DEL>, and all apparent insertions (text that is above a caret, or in the margins, or in small print) by the tags <INS>...</INS>. Any spelling or other errors of form below are my own, except where I have indicated their presence in the original text as "[sic]".
The words "KIM BAKER 1" are typed, in double-quotes, at the top of the first page.
1. I am over the age of 18 and am a resident of Cape Town, South Africa. I have personal knowledge of the facts stated in this declaration.
2. I have had some time and distance from the conflict between the Church of Scientology and FACTNet to reflect on the contents of my declarations dated 25th October 1995 and 4th November 1995.
3. In the weeks prior to resigning from the Board of Directors of FACTNet, I was under severe pressure and stress, resulting both from participation in the conflict on the Internet (specifically, the Usenet newsgroup alt.religion.scientology), and due to personal circumstances. This stress was exacerbated by the irresponsible and hate-filled invective on the part of the majority of posters to the newsgroup. The reasoned and more mature critics were a minority. My sense of alienation <INS> and isolation </INS> from all these people, whom I have never met, remains.
4. The factors stated in point 3, in addition to the bomb threat <DEL> made </DEL> against the Church of Scientology, prompted me to resign from FACTNet. With the exception of Malcolm Nothling, I have never met any of the people named in my Declaration of 25th October 1995, which increased my uncertainty on [sic] the correctness of what I was doing, along with the fact that I perceived that the conflict was primarily a United States-based one, and that I in fact had no first-hand knowledge of <INS> the </INS> actual events transpiring.
5. When the news of my Declarations became known to the participants of the newsgroup, I watched in amazement as speculation and opinion were stated as facts, and I personally became a target <INS> for the hatred </INS> of the majority of the posters. The reasoned posters were again, a minority. If anything, this increased my sympathy for the position of the Church of Scientology on the Internet. After a <DEL> week </DEL> <INS> few days of this </INS>, I ceased reading the newsgroup, and have not read it since. My motivation for making this, my third and final statement, is certainly not prompted by a desire to redeem myself in the eyes of the critics of Scientology -- I have nothing but contempt for <INS> the majority of </INS> them. <DEL>, with a few </DEL>
6. Having stated this, I nethetheless [sic] wish to address the Declarations made on 25th October 1995 and 4th November 1995. When I withdrew from FACTNet and the conflict, I had no intention of supplying the Church of Scientology with Declarations which could be used against my former collegues [sic] in FACTNet. Having had some time to reflect on those statements and opinions, I have concluded that many of them are not, in fact, my own. Both Declarations were compiled by representatives of the Office of Special Affairs division of the Church of Scientology, after lengthy interviews <INS> with them </INS>.
7. In the Declaration of 25th October, the specific points of concern are:
8. I do not believe that "FACTNet's only real purpose is to destroy Scientology." In fact, I believe that it was formed to provide support and help to people suffering emotional distress as a result of participation in New Religious Movements.11. Malcolm Nothling is indeed a litigant against the Church of Scientology, but what is not mentioned is the vital work he does in assisting the police combat the very high crime rate in South Africa.
15. What is omitted from this paragraph is that Malcolm Nothling specifically stated that he distanced himself from the bomb threat, and from any violence toward the Church of Scientology.
17. FACTNet's concentration of the conflict on Scientology occurred only after the raid, out of necessity.
18. I was a member of the Board of Directors of FACTNet for under two months, and therefore am not qualified to comment on FACTNet's activities since inception.
19. Vaugh [sic] Young is not a FACTNet volunteer insider -- he provided assistance with media relations when requested to do so, and acts as a consultant to FACTNet from time to time, but has no status as an "insider."
21. Taneli Huuskonsen posted publically [sic] that she intended $2000 to be transferred to Dennis Erlich for use in his case -- it was clear that this money was not intended for his personal use. In addition, I never personally saw any postings from Dennis Erlich of the "upper level" copyrighted materials -- I only saw commentary on them by him.
25. The primary purpose of the forming of the United Free Zone Fellowship <INS> (UFZF) </INS> by Joe Harrington was to provide spiritual counselling to people experiencing distress as a result of leaving the Church of Scientology.
26. The ministers of the UFZF, of which Arnie Lerma and Dennis Erlich were only two, actively provide support and spiritual counseling to distressed former Scientologists. I have first-hand knowledge of this, since I was ordained as a minister myself. I have since left the UFZF. Many people, upon being expelled from the Church of Scientology, are then denied access to the means with which to practice their religion, which places them in a position of either having to abandon practice of their religion, or be forced to return to the Church under the conditions enforced by the Church, known as "Steps A - E." This situation leads to the extreme distress and upset <DEL> experienced </DEL> <INS> expressed </INS> by many members expelled from the Church of Scientology. I personally <DEL> remain </DEL> <INS> am </INS> a declared "Suppressive Person" <INS> expelled from the Church, and can personally testify to the distress this causes </INS>. 35. Without any reference to the Upper Level materials, there exists a definition i the Scientology Technical Dictionary of the "R6" Bank, which clearly <DEL> rega </DEL> states that Christ, and the crucifiction [sic] are "implants" -- <DEL> fa </DEL> images forced into the memories of spiritual beings. <INS> There are other points with which I disagree as well. </INS>
8. On the basis of the points mentioned in paragraph 7 above, I wish to repudiate the Declaration signed by me on October 25th, 1995, in its entirety. <DEL> I signed </DEL> At the time I signed this document, I believed all the statements to be true. I did not have sufficient time to reflect on them, and due to my <INS> extreme </INS> emotional instability at the time, I had not considered the implications of signing them.
9. I have no wish to comment on any aspect of my interviews with the representatives of the Office of Special Affairs, since I agreed that those discussions would remain confidential. I do wish to re-state that I was not paid any money to sign the Declaration, nor was I at any stage working for <DEL> them </DEL> <INS> the OSA </INS> as an "operative" or "agent" of any kind. I have, as a result of those discussions, terminated my conflict with the Church of Scientology, and remain satisfied with that decision <INS> as the correct one for me, personally </INS>.
10. I nethetheless [sic] wish to apologize to my former collegues [sic] in FACTNet, and to the other individuals named in the Declaration, for the distress that <DEL> these </DEL> <INS> this </INS> document<DEL>s have </DEL> caused them.
11. With regard to the second Declaration dated 4 November 1995: I repudiate this Declaration in its entirety, since a series of misunderstandings occurred, and in fact, I had no wish to make an issue of the misunderstandings which occurred at a time of intense stress to all parties concerned. I apologize to both Mr. Simon and Ms. Deventer for <DEL> this and state that I mis-interpreted </DEL> <INS> the mis-interpretation of </INS> their motives.
12. I have compiled this, my third and final declaration, myself, of my own volition and <INS> in my own </INS> time and have merely formalised it through an attorney.
13. I have personally incurred severe emotional and psychological damage as a result of the events of the past few months. For this reason, I have no wish to communicate further to any of the parties involved in this conflict <INS>, or be used by any of them to further their own agendas </INS> -- not the Church of Scientology, nor its critics. This is my final statement on the subject.
I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America, that the foregoing is true and correct.
Executed this ______ day of November 1995 at Cape Town, South Africa.
KIM BAKER
-- Ron Newman rnewman@cybercom.net Web: http://www.cybercom.net/~rnewman/home.html