Laudatio for Dr. Norbert Blüm
by Robert S. Minton
"Once freedom is attained it must be cherished,
nurtured
and protected from those who would strip it away"
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, and especially to you, Dr.
Blüm. It is indeed a pleasure to be here in Leipzig today to address
the
European-American Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Religious
Freedom. Furthermore,
it is my great honor, as the recipient of last year's award, to give the
commendation
speech for you, Dr. Blüm, and to present you with the 2001 Leipzig
Human
Rights Award.
This human rights award began only last year. It was initiated
as the "Alternative Charlemagne Award,"
because
the committee wanted to point out that the European values for which the
original
Charlemagne Award stood could not be reconciled with former President
Clinton's
support of the totalitarian Scientology organization.
When Leipzig was selected as the location for the presentation
of the award, the experience took on added significance, both for the
European-American
Citizens Committee for Human Rights and Religious Freedom and for me.
Leipzig
is the place where freedom was reborn in the former East Germany. We are
standing
in the shadows of the St. Nikolai Church, where the call to freedom in
East
Germany
began with a handful of people, then grew to hundreds and finally to
hundreds
of thousands in the streets surrounding this Stock Exchange Building, all
demanding
freedom. Those events that occurred in Leipzig not so long ago confirm
that
obtaining
freedom is always hard work that requires courage and sacrifice. We also
know
from history that once freedom is attained it must be cherished, nurtured
and
protected from those who would strip it away.
Dr. Blüm, you have been a visionary politician and leader
who has demonstrated a keen sense of history. It was more than 20 years
ago, when
almost all the problems with modern sects and cults were regarded as
purely
individual
or psychological in nature, that you stated we were dealing with a
political challenge.
Many people, particularly politicians in the United States, have yet to
comprehend
your very important message. But it is the duty of all of us here to
follow
your
example and help our politicians to understand the simple fact that
Scientology
is an aspiring totalitarian political movement.
In January 2000, I established an organization called the Lisa
McPherson Trust in Clearwater, Florida. As I have walked through the
streets
of downtown Clearwater amongst hundreds of Scientology Sea Org members, I
have
often been reminded of something that Hitler saw as early as 1929 as being
the
"great thing" of his movement. What he saw as great was the fact that
sixty
thousand
men "have outwardly become almost a unit, that actually these members are
uniform
not only in ideas, but that even the facial expression is almost the same.
Look
at these laughing eyes, this fanatical enthusiasm and you will discover .
.
.
how a hundred thousand men in a movement become a single type." It is at
times
eerie that the Lisa McPherson Trust is surrounded by the Sea Org in
Clearwater,
but it is also a blessing. It is a blessing because our mere presence
undermines
the most fundamental element of this totalitarian entity, namely, the
isolation
of Scientology's fictitious world from reality.
During the 18 months we have been in Clearwater, we constantly
hear Scientology's cries of religious persecution and demands for freedom
and
tolerance. We hear those same cries from Scientology in Europe today. And,
I ask
you who, in 1981, made the following statement: "The enemy of freedom is
the one
who today is himself calling for freedom and tolerance… Such calls for
freedom
are only masks for slavery and terrorism... Even religious groups, or
those
who
call themselves such, could be totalitarian; therefore I hear their
messages of
world government initiatives and world salvation with suspicion, primarily
because
they are connected with efforts for commercial power. We want to remain a
free
society." Yes, I believe we all guessed correctly that it was Dr. Blü
m
who
made those remarks.
These comments of yours, Dr. Blüm, gave new clarity and
introduced a political dimension into the phenomenon of destructive cults.
When
you introduced the concept of totalitarianism early on in the debate about
destructive
cults you enabled your contemporaries to understand that the objective of
these
entities was the transformation and subjugation of human nature itself.
This is
not acceptable in a democratic society, because we can only be equal
members of
society on the strength of our collective decision to guarantee ourselves
mutually
equal rights. I applaud you, Dr. Blüm, not only for being a staunch
defender
of human rights, workers rights and democratic ideals, but also for your
integrity
in exposing Scientology's new brand of totalitarianism, which is cloaked
in
the
sheep's clothing of religion and psychotherapy.
But there is more. Through your example and your protection,
you have enabled others to express themselves openly and critically. The
members
of the committee and I are also grateful to you for being the patron of
the
Eastern
European seminar at the Berlin Dialogue Center in 1996, which played an
important
role in creating awareness of the new threat of cults in the post-
totalitarian
environments of middle and eastern European countries. You have openly
demonstrated
many times that you believe public office and civic involvement belong
together
of necessity, and your involvement and patronage of that seminar was
particularly
important to many of our friends and partners in Russia and eastern
Europe.
And finally, Dr. Blüm, back in 1981 you said, "We quite
certainly agree, whatever our value judgment may be about the new cults,
that
no reduction at all in the guarantee of tolerance in Article 4 of our
Constitution
(i.e. religious freedom) is permitted. We staunchly insist on that. But
I'll add
that any organization that invokes this tolerance for itself must also
respect
the dignity of people and the free development of the personality, as
these
are
founded in the Basic Law… Basic Law also has a third function, because
fundamental
rights are not only to protect the citizen against government intrusion,
but also
the state must protect the individual citizen from third parties that can
harm
the individual's rights -- criminals, foreign attacks in the event of war,
fraud
by commercial enterprises, and even cults… The freedom to profess religion
is
part of the basis of our liberal culture. We do not want this free
environment
to turn into a jungle."
Dr. Blüm, you are a protector of freedoms and democratic
ideals who has distinguished yourself by your selfless public service to
your
country and constituents, by your clarity of thought and your insights
into
the
dangers we face, and your courage in speaking openly about the destructive
cult
issue when no one else was doing so. We humbly thank you with this award,
which
is an expression of our utmost respect for all that you have done to
further the
cause of freedom and to protect the human rights of all citizens.
Thank you Dr. Blüm! |