NY Post 8/17 - Scientology Skirmish at Beep Battle

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Wow! Way to go Brian Ellner!!
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SCIENTOLOGY SKIRMISH AT BEEP BATTLE

By STEFAN C. FRIEDMAN
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August 17, 2005 -- Manhattan borough presidential candidate Brian Ellner lashed out at rival Margarita Lopez in their first debate last night for taking campaign cash from Scientologists, labeling the religious group "a problematic cult."

Ellner, who is openly gay, cited anti-homosexual stances of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in questioning how Lopez could accept more than $115,000 in donations from Scientologists.

"As an openly gay person, I wouldn't knowingly take money from the Church of Scientology — from an organization whose founder thought that I should be taken from society and who preaches conversion," he said. "In my view, it's a problematic cult, at best."

Lopez, who is also gay, countered by saying, "The people who donated money to me have never been asked what religion [they] are part of."

She adding, "I am not going to attack that church or any other church in the United States of America."

None of the other seven candidates would touch the issue that has dogged Lopez for several weeks.

Since June 2004, Lopez has steered $630,000 to the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project, a Fulton Street center co-founded by uber-Scientologist Tom Cruise.

After cash started pouring into the center, Lopez's campaign coffers swelled with donations from Scientologists from around the country.

Lopez last night denied any connection between the Detox project and the Church of Scientology.