Sai Slurs, Part Five

Posted: Friday October 17, 2003

Author: Barry Pittard

Email: bpittard@beachaccess.com.au

(The "Exposé Is Over")

For over two years, this statement has been on the Sai Critic website (a site spuriously named to focus the minds of those the Australian Sathya Sai élites call 'waverers' and to give the (untrue) impression that the website is on about critical thought. It was Chris Parnell, former deputy Spiritual Coordinator for Australia-Papua New Guinea, now its webmaster, who - before my Exposé activities became known to him! – gave me this information. He spoke of what he called a 'high-powered waverer's committee' being formed within the SS Organisation in Australia, and how he had been asked to be on it.

My Response: Click Here to view Andries Krugers Dagneaux's comments in which he agreed that the "exposé is over". Andries, an Anti-Sai Activist, also said that everything that needs to be said, about Sathya Sai Baba, has already been told (Ref. 1). However, everything has not been said, that needs to be told, about Anti-SSB Activists and their deception, lies and dishonesty.

In the last five years there has been no additional information furthering any of the allegations of sexual abuse, fraud or murder against SSB. All of these allegations surfaced in 2000 and since then, not even one person with a verifiable name, has come forward with any new allegations or evidence against SSB. 11 years and counting regarding SSB's alleged complicity in the 1993 police shootings, 5 years and counting for alleged sexual abuse and umpteen years and counting for alleged fraud, bribery, etc. Anti-SSB Activists are clinging to their "second-coming" mentality and are relying on unsubstantiated propaganda until the evidence they hope exists, surfaces. They have made no positive progress. As a matter of fact, Anti-SSB Activists are now attacking UNESCO (an organization they used to praise and cite repeatedly) because it seems that UNESCO may be changing their mind about SSB! The article is located at: home.hetnet.nl/~ex_baba/ engels/articles/barryunesco.html

Let us example the situation in Australia alone: Do they think the Exposé is over when their much-touted Sai School at Bonnyrigg in the state of New South Wales has had such difficulties in winning acceptance in the wider community? Do they think it is over when there is a sharp decline in attendance in many Sathya Sai centres, including ones run by Indians and Sri Lankans? Do they think it is over when the Vice Chancellor ordered them out of Adelaide University last April, 2003? Do they think it is over when last month (August) the Katoomba Christian Convention Centre, also after having become better informed, the Director, Mr. Michael Lin, has announced the cancellation of the annual Sai Youth Camp scheduled for October 2003?

My Response: All these things, that Barry Pittard points out, were due entirely to Anti-SSB Propaganda that Barry Pittard admitted to spreading. The exposé is indeed over. Once again, no new allegations of sexual abuse have surfaced since 2000 and no new evidence, proof or court cases have surfaced since that time either! Since 1993, no evidence has surfaced regarding claims to SSB's alleged complicity in police shootings. Despite these facts, Anti-SSB Activists have the audacity to say that people who take a Pro-SSB Stance are misguided and insincere!

A previous blow to them was the withdrawal by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Flinders, in Adelaide too, from the September 2001 Human Values conference at Puttaparthi - an action in which I was also closely involved. Little do they know how many die-hard Exposé activists there are! Ignoring the large numbers of people leaving the organisation, and many others deciding not to join, it has been typical for both leaders and rank-and-file to assert that only two or three people have made the allegations - they like to name David Bailey and Connie Larsson.

My Response: Barry Pittard does not say why the Flinders University withdrew from the conference. Anti-SSB Activists boasted about e-bombing UNESCO and the Flinders University with Anti-SSB Propaganda. They literally emailed them hundreds of times. That is why they withdrew. Click Here to view my article about the UNESCO withdrawal. It is also be noted that UNESCO seems to be changing their position about SSB, as Anti-SSB Activists are now attacking UNESCO Representatives for withdrawing their notice, against SSB, from their site!

The Sathya Sai community’s exposure to the wider community’s moral commonsense waxes ever stronger, and their vexation will cease only when they face the accountability that faces the rest of us in an open society.

My Response: Just as Barry Pittard demands that SSB be held to the same standards that are required of the "rest of us", Barry Pittard must also abide to the very same process (that applies to the "rest of us"), by filing his criminal complaints in a court of law! This shows how Barry Pittards demands one thing from SSB, but turns right around and applies a different standard against SSB. This is hypocrisy, clear and simple.

This fast-traveling phenomenon of exposure has been made possible by the intense, unremitting, organised campaigning of former devotees, often using the Internet. A great deal of Exposé activity has been at the international level - for example, in major world press, television and radio; with UNESCO and UNICEF; with government authorities such as the US State Department and Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Home Office and House of Commons; with several national law enforcement agencies; on dedicated websites; and with an online petition - the JuST Seekers of Truth (JuST) Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/saibaba/. Let us also recognise the importance of grassroots actions. These include:

My Response: Barry Pittard admits, once again, that the UNESCO withdrawal and the negative news about SSB were due to the "intense, unremitting, organised campaigning of former devotees, often using the Internet". This confirms that Anti-SSB Activists e-bombed people with Anti-SSB propaganda and did so unremittingly by employing group thuggery tactics! This was also claimed by T. Ramanathan, who threatened Barry Pittard with a legal suit for harrassment! Click Here to view my article about the dishonest and deceitful petition at SaiPetition.net.

At this page, http://saiguru.net/english/news/petitionnews.htm SaiGuru.net says, "The JuST petition working group, in consultation with a dozen of the other original signatories in the JuST group, seriously considered the status of exposé dealings with the FBI and the CBI and found that the initiatives taken towards these bodies by various exposé activists have not so far proven effective. No documentation of replies, nor any public statement concerning Sathya Sai Baba or the accusations against him, have been made available anywhere by either the FBI in the USA or the CBI in India. Mentioning this in the international petition would therefore have been counter-productively unconvincing to any serious actors and agencies in the legal and human rights field. The same applies to the High Court judgement in India, where the charges were rejected as invalid, on the grounds that they were made by a person other than any of the injured parties. Documentation of all this only proves unadvised and incorrect procedure on behalf of the injured parties, which the JuST group considered a bad advertisment for the credibility of the petition to authorities around the world." Despite these facts, Anti-SSB Activists boast about this petition and fail to divulge that this petition has even more problems than the ones they are willing to confess to!

:continuing research, documentation, analysis and dissemination which can properly inform those devotees questioning enough to sincerely ask us for information, or view it on places such as the Internet, as well as an international public, civil authorities, religious, social and education institutions which organised Sathya Sai Baba devotees try to cultivate and co-opt, etc.

:informing interfaith groups, local councils, school principals, tertiary institutions and other venue holders of premises where the Sathya Sai Organisation meets or may plan to meet;

:informing eminent or other persons of influence who professional Sathya Sai devotees typically attempt to cultivate and co-opt;

:using television, radio talkback or other forms of radio;

:sending media kits to local, national and international media;

:provision of vital research and resource material to the well-frequented public venues, such as libraries;

:at the same time, abiding by the laws of our countries and, above all, that we refuse to act hatefully no matter what provocations.

My Response: I think Barry Pittard could save a lot of people a lot of time if he simply provided the general public with the proof! Why waste so much time and effort if you are not willing to do what really matters? Like filing a court case against SSB? Or actually substantiating claims with documentation?

Provocations? One thinks of the threat to the lives of coordinators, not least potentially supported by Sri T. Ramanathan in his brutal posting of a private address on the Australian SS Organisation website meant to be known only to small sections of the government and the former devotee's closest kin; of litigation against Exposé leaders; of the constant stream of hatred by some of the more aggressive Sathya Sai Baba leaders and other devotees. All along have we heard, and from many who have recently quit the Sathya Sai Organisation do we continue to hear, that neither Sathya Sai Baba nor the leaders of his organisation do anything to counteract the voices of hate and of the proliferation of Sai Slurs against us.

My Response: Barry Pittard is whining about his personal address being publicly broadcast on the internet. I do not see the problem with this in light of the fact that Robert Priddy is demanding that the only way for people to validate their identities is by giving a full name, address and phone number! Of course, Robert Priddy does not clearly post his phone number or address on his own site! As a matter of fact, Robert Priddy refuses to give out his phone number, yet demands that I give mine! Such shameless and blatant hypocrisy, it is unbelievable!

In the Letters Section at ExBaba.com, there are several instances where Anti-SSB Activists have threatened others with legal recourse. Not only have I been indirectly threatened in this way, Barry Pittard threatened a New York Reporter with the possibility of being sued for millions of dollars! Once again, Barry Pittard pointing out the faults in others, that he has himself! At this site: home.hetnet.nl/~ex-baba/ engels/letters/barrynytimes.html Barry Pittard threatened a NY Times jounalist by saying, "We shall continue to pursue this matter vigorously. Do you wish to be sued for millions of dollars in a single scenario?" I have also been threatened with lawsuits for "slander" by Anti-SSB Activists. Reinier Van Der Sandt has threatened to sue me for copyright infringement, despite the fact that he is the only one who has clearly, and unequivocally, violated copyright laws. These facts are documented on my site, backed up with screen captures and links. Click Here to view my article about very disturbing facts about Reinier Van Der Sandt, the ExBaba.com webmaster.

Fervent devotees of litigation such as Sri T. Ramanathan, Thorbjörn Meyer, Jørgen Trygved, are typical of their counterparts in many other cults, where threats, suppression and kangaroo courts are the order of the day. Their records of sly, manipulative dishonesty are all too known to well-informed present and former devotees alike. To see exposed the blindness, intellectual and moral dishonesty and in fact barely disguised nastiness, any rational person has only has to read Thorbjörn Meyer’s email responses to Robert Priddy, former co-founder and leader of the Norwegian Sathya Sai Organisation: http://home.hetnet.nl/~ex-baba/engels/letters/emailexchange.html. Indeed, the performances of top Sathya Sai leaders regularly perplex so many in the rank-and-file. Of these Sathya Sai Baba hand-picked appointments, one has so often heard down the years typical comments such as "Swami must have his own reasons that go beyond human understanding" … "they have been put there to teach us to be patient and non-judgmental"… "It is Swami coming to us in his Shiva aspect" …

My Response: It is my opinion that Anti-SSB Activists display striking cult-like characteristics. Here, Barry Pittard defines such characteristics as being marked by "threats", "suppression" and "kangaroo courts". Funny enough, Anti-SSB Activists often resort to making threats and suppressing information. Despite Barry Pittard making the claims to there being "over a hundred" affidavits, he suppresses his sources for this information and the proof that they even exist! It is of little wonder that Barry Pittard refers to the courts as "kangaroo courts", as he openly mocks the judicial system he seeks to utilize to bring SSB to justice! Perhaps this is why he refuses to bring all of his alleged evidence to a court of law; because then it would be publicly shown that he has nothing to stand on, and Anti-SSB Activists would be made a world-wide mockery (even more so than they are now)!

If this is a "Divine Organisation" to be in Hell were to be in very Heaven.