A Family Member Speaks Out

Date:	20 February 2001
To:	Webmaster
From:	Ron Watson
Subject:	Request for publication

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to you with a request to publish my story on your web site.

It is the story of my mother, Ida Mae Camburn.

My mother has been actively engaged in attacks on my chosen religion, Scientology, for over 25 years. Throughout this time, she has justified her attacks by claiming that Scientology caused a breach in our relationship, deliberately forcing me to disavow our relationship. In actual fact, the truth is much the reverse. While I had some indications that this has been going on, I have deliberately kept quiet over the years, not wishing to make things worse and hoping she would stop after a while. After all this time, I have finally decided to make a public statement and reveal the truth about this situation.

I became interested in Scientology in 1972. Unbeknownst to me, sometime in 1973-1975, my mother started to “investigate” Scientology. Apparently, someone put her in touch with people in the anti-religious movement. These people in turn gave her considerable false information about Scientology. She never spoke to me directly about her opposition to my religion or how she came to hold that opinion. She has never asked me if any of the things she believes are correct. In other words she presents herself as being “concerned” about me, but she never spoke to me about her concern even to this date, and I am almost 59-years old. The truth of the matter is that she never cared about me but she insidiously attacks my religion.

Sometime in 1973 she began imparting this false information to my then wife in such a way that my wife never told me where she was getting the information, but just objected strongly to my having anything to do with Scientology. This led subsequently to our divorce. My mother would have everyone believe that Scientology was responsible for the divorce when, in truth, it was her meddling and behind my back communication with my ex-wife that was largely responsible for our being unable to sort things out.

In 1976 or 1977 she began telling everyone in my family that I had been “brainwashed” and that I would never be able to work again. I am a computer programmer and began the most successful and lucrative part of my career in 1977. Over the last 23 years I have owned and operated three successful businesses and made enough money to semi-retire well before age 60.

She also told everyone in the family, including my children, that I had been “brainwashed” in such a way that I could subsequently “brainwash” them, just by talking to them, and neither they nor I would know it was taking place. Needless to say, that made communicating with my children more than a little difficult.

Last summer I initiated an email conversation with mother in hopes of patching things up. Following is a summary of that conversation.

I wrote the first letter when I found out she was giving room and board to Keith Henson who, from what I could discover, appeared to be a pretty unsavory character, regardless of any attacks on my religion. To this she responded with a brief note essentially telling me to mind my own business.

On 11 July 2000, I wrote to my mother expressing my concern for her sharing quarters with Keith Henson. She responded to this on 13 July 2000, telling me to mind my own business and with references to hate web sites and accusing me of various non-existent “failures” in the past.

On 15 July 2000, I wrote again, answering her charges and expressing concern for her safety in the company of Keith Henson. She responded to this, more or less, on 16 July 2000 by sending me a copy of a very hateful posting written by [former anti-religious extremist].

On 24 July 2000, I wrote to my mother suggesting that the previous response didn’t really count because it was not anything she said, just a copy of someone else’s hateful ideas. I got a brief message back on 26 July 2000 about how she was too busy to respond.

On 28 July 2000, I wrote to her a fairly long letter, addressing some of the points raised in [former extremist’s] letter. On 30 July 2000, in response to this, she sent me a copy of another hate posting, this one from Jesse Prince.

On 2 August 2000, I responded to this by complaining that she wasn’t really answering my letters when all she did was forward hateful writings by someone else. Also, in the days following, I called the manager of the facility where she lives to make sure she was doing fine. It is very unlike her not to speak for herself, and I was concerned that she was not being allowed to or was in some danger from Keith Henson, who was staying with her at the time.

This elicited a very antagonistic response from her on 14 August 2000. She took violent exception to my calling the manager and accused me of suggesting she had had an incestual relationship with her father – complete nonsense and untrue. I never even heard of this alleged incestual relationship and to this date I am wondering why she brought this up.

I responded to this on 18 August 2000, attempting to set the record straight on what she referred to in her letter. She never responded to this.

On 2 September 2000 I obtained a copy of some chat logs (IRC) and spent several days going through them. I later found out that this IRC channel was created by a very good friend of my mother and an associate of Willis Carto and renown holocaust denier.

On 6 September 2000 I sent her an email taking exception to her fondness for communicating falsehoods about me in the above mentioned chat channel and complaining about her unbridled support for Keith Henson and the others, despite their continued illegal activities.

To this date she has not responded to this either.

Throughout the communication, I tried to maintain that my concern was, first and foremost, for her safety and comfort, and the possibility that my children and grandchildren, when visiting her, might be exposed to danger from these people – especially when I learned that one of them is a child molester. It is clear to me that she labels anyone who opposes Scientology as a “friend” regardless of any other attributes they may have, and anyone who supports Scientology, or even fails to attack it, as an “enemy”, not to be believed or trusted in any matter.

I am searching for the truth and to set the record straight as to who actually alienated me from my family. I intend to continue investigating her activities through FOIA submissions to various agencies to find out exactly what she has said about me to them. I will report my findings here.

Sincerely yours,

Ron Watson