About the Cult Awareness Network and Rick Ross

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Two of the defendents in the UPC cult deprogramming thing are
the Cult Awareness Network and Rick Ross...  Here's what I found
out about them from --

http://www.shadeslanding.com/firearms/waco.massacre.html#1.4

Richard
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The Cult Awareness Network (CAN) actively urges the press, Congress and
law enforcement to act against any non- mainstream religious,
psychological or even political movement which it describes as a
"cult." After interviewing CAN's executive director Cynthia Kisser, a
reporter wrote: "no one knows how many destructive cults and sects
exist in the United States. Kisser's binder holds 1,500 names gleaned
>from newspaper clippings, court documents and thousands of calls to the
network's hotline. Some of the groups have legitimate purposes, Kisser
says. But her group's efforts show that most, despite wildly diverse
beliefs, share stunningly similar patterns of mind control, group
domination, exploitation and physical and mental abuse." [23] CAN
critics point out that so-called "mind control" techniques are not much
different than the techniques used in education and socialization
efforts used by all schools, churches, ideologies and philosophies.

According to CAN critic Dr. Gordon Melton of the Institute for the
Study of Religion in Santa Barbara, California, CAN has used a number
of means to try to destroy small religious groups: they unsuccessfully
tried to expand "conservatorship" to allow families to remove members
>from "cults"; they unsuccessfully tried to have laws passed against
"cults"; they unsuccessfully sued the American Psychological
Association for rejecting their views on "brainwashing." However, they
have found one successful method of disrupting groups: false anonymous
charges of child abuse. Anonymous reports are legal under current law.
[24]

Priscilla Coates, former executive director of CAN, told reporters, "I
know how these types of groups work and the children are always
abused." [25] CAN has been on a crusade against the Christian religious
group The Children of God, known in the United States as "The Family."
CAN alleges the group practices indiscriminate sex, including with
children. [26] Many Family members accuse CAN of making false child
abuse complaints which have resulted in dozens of arrests in at least
10 countries. Most of the charges are quickly dropped and there have
been no convictions. The Family has demanded a Congressional
investigation of CAN. [27]

The Cult Awareness Network's other successful approach is referring
relatives of group members to "deprogrammers" who charge thousands of
dollars for their services and, according to a former national director
of CAN's predecessor, the Citizens Freedom Foundation, "kick back" some
of the money to CAN. [28] Deprogramming often includes kidnapping
individuals, subjecting them to sleep and food deprivation, ridicule
and humiliation, and even physical abuse and restraint until they
promise to leave the alleged cult. Because deprogrammers usually
involve family members in these kidnappings and deprogrammings, victims
rarely press charges. However, in the last few years 5 deprogrammers
have been prosecuted for kidnapping or "unlawful imprisonment." One
such deprogrammer is Rick Ross, a convicted jewel thief, who has
boasted of more than 200 "deprogrammings." CAN executive director
Cynthia Kisser has praised him as being "among the half dozen best
deprogrammers in the country." In the summer of 1993 Rick Ross was
indicted in Washington state for unlawful imprisonment.

Nancy Ammerman, a Visiting Scholar at Princeton University's Center for
the Study of American Religion, was one of the outside experts assigned
by the Justice Department to evaluate BATF and FBI's handling of the
Branch Davidians. She was particularly critical of Rick Ross and the
Cult Awareness Network. "Although these people often call themselves
`cult experts,' they are certainly not recognized as such by the
academic community. The activities of the CAN are seen by the National
Council of Churches (among others) as a danger to religious liberty,
and deprogramming tactics have been increasingly found to be outside
the law. . .Mr. Rick Ross, who often works in conjunction with the Cult
Awareness Network (CAN), has been quoted as saying he was `consulted'
by the BATF. . .The Network and Mr. Ross have a direct ideological (and
financial) interest in arousing suspicion and antagonism against what
they call `cults'. .