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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, May
9
1
1980
Page 9
"...it's very much different when you are, in essence, volunteering
information in a controlled setting where the agency involved is simply
doing its [lawful] duty to make its own assessment. It isn't trying to
make political capital out of something or trying to make a dollar like
Chodos and Weisman and those people, and to do so without paying any
attention to the rights of the people. They [of the agency] take the
information, they assess it, they evaluate it and they quietly come to a
conclusion. And I'm convinced that if the people are not politically
motivated who are looking at the information, they would all come to the
same conclusion: that everything that has been alleged has been false.
"But we've been protecting a very important principle," continued Mr.
Rader, "and so far we have not had any relief from the Los Angeles Supe
rior Court. And we have come close a couple of times to getting a hearing
in the California Supreme Court. Remember, we are dealing with procedural
issues, not substantive matters."
Mr. Rader mentioned that the 7000 documents are being handed over to the
Attorney General by the court in a piecemeal fashion since each paper has
to be marked for exhibit. He speculated that if the U.S. Supreme Court
decides to hear our writ, it may cut off the whole process before it is
completed.
More Support Coming
Mr. Rader closed with mention that more support is coming to us in this
legal struggle. From- the outset we sought to educate the public about
the real issues and now, he said, "The support is coming in from more
and more people and this is not support that we are going after eagerly
now." Already a couple more organizations want to prepare and file briefs
in our behalf in the next few weeks.
So, while during the early days of the lawsuit we seemed to be standing
almost alone for the principles that so many Americans over the years lit
erally fought and died for, now "more and more people are aware of what's
happening and they are very much concerned, not necessarily for us, but
I do believe they are all good people and I think they are concerned now
for us and also very much concerned about religious freedom in the United
States."