Senator Seeks Bush-era Truth Commission

Senator seeks Bush-era truth commission | Politics | Reuters:

"A U.S. 'truth commission' should probe Bush administration policies including the promotion of war in Iraq, detainee treatment and wiretapping without a warrant, an influential senator proposed on Monday.

Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, called for the commission as way to heal what he called sharp political divides and to prevent future abuses.

He compared it to other truth commissions, such as one in South Africa that investigated the apartheid era."

Excellent idea. I hope it will push through.

Hilarious Video from Gerry Armstrong

YouTube - Gerry talks to David Miscavige February 5, 2009

Having failed to respond adequately to RoadRunner's challenge about the Affirmations, Amrstrong has now made a hilarious video in which he admonishes Miscavige to publish the original to vindicate him!

"Recently there has been an incredible attack by people who are, I believe without any doubt whatsoever, your agents, your people, certainly who are serving your interests, who are trying to cast some doubts on the authenticity of LRH admissions". [...]

"David, you must! You know that this attack that is going on on me, a pointless but very threatening, very insane attack, you can resolve it." [...]

"you know that Hubbard was involved in your cult, and the admissions contain the admission that he was involved in your cult and that you are involved in your cult"

Besides such statements being nuts, I very much doubt Miscavigue was even of this world in 1946.

Not only does Armstrong urge Miscavige to publish the documents to validade his accusations, he also says miscavige has a responsibility to publish them because "it is the most significant Scientology scripture and will help people go free... free from Scientology and from LRH the slaver and from you the slaver"!

I am sure Miscavige will be deeply touched by such a message... and will come to Gerry's help because of course he is eternally grateful to Armstrong for having stolen $800,000 from the CoS.

Never mind the crazyness of that tape, it is of course praised by Shallonymous: http://forums.whyweprotest.net/15-media/gerry-armstrongs-message-david-miscavige-38519/

"Well Spoken Gerry! I will help to mirror the video. " [...]

"any info on what this "current" attack on Gerry is? " [...]

"i have a suspicion... not entirely sure this is correct but 1-2 weeks prior to this video there was posts on a.r.s showing up doing a piss poor job of trying to debunk the admissions. none of the ones i skimmed were of any real substance... barely more than spam imho."

Mind you, there is at least one anon who is now asking questions. Some snippets:

B: "Also i don't understand why the person, who had sent him the Affirmations would ask him to destroy the copy."

R: "Finger prints. DNA. Litigious, vicious, corrupt organization. What is there to not understand? "

B: "Finger prints, maybe. But DNA doesn't show up in a scan. I mean Gerry could have first scanned the original and then uploaded the scan to the internet to have a definite proof for its authenticity."

I'll be checking the thread to see shallonymous in their stupendous "dox or STFU" farce again later on.


Related blog entries: R-Affirmations-

Compiling Personal Information

More example of the kind of information Anonymous members are compiling about the individually targeted Scientologists (click the link to see the pics):

"ANONYMOUS" IS A GANG OF CYBER-BULLIES AND ANTI-RELIGION EXTREMISTS: ANONYMOUS SINGLING OUT INDIVIDUAL SCIENTOLOGISTS:

"They allege that they are posting the personal data of individual Scientologists in order to "protect themselves from Fair Game and Stalking". According to their own twisted logic, since Scientologists supposedly stalk people (according to Anonymous' mischaracterizations and stereotypes), it's totally justified to stalk them first.

What scares me is that the more paranoid Anonymous members also believe that Scientologists KILL people. Should we then expect Anonymous to start KILLING people? "

Related blog entries: R-InvasionOfPrivacy-

Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder

Beauty is what we make it out to be. There certainly is an intrinsic beauty, I believe, that exists on its own and on its own plane, but here down it only comes out if we project it. It is an outcome of our own being, and only if we are able to make our being radiate will we really perceive it. It's as if there was a sort of light we could project on things that would reveal their beauty to us. Creation is the ultimate expression of beauty, and that says something about the active component that is part of it.

I realized this as I was walking yesterday in my neighborhood. Obviously, after many years of living in this environment I supposedly know it. Well... no so... I was walking yesterday in what I would describe as the "spirit of giving". It's just a spirit, and just a name for it, but I use it to describe a state where something emanates from the core of your own being, something deeply creative. Well, it's like it was a new environment. They were thousands things that just appeared as if they were never there before, and yet, of course they were always there. It was almost an enchanted paradise, and yet it just was my own neighborhood which I've known for years... I can only explain this as that something that came out of me was just reflected back and things in my environment sort of "came alive" through it.

I am also reminded of an other event. I once worked in an environment that was not really nice. The offices were a bit old and certainly not up to the standard an upscale office would be. Surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the nicest office I ever saw. Why? Because people were trying to compensate for the grayness of their environment. The kind of stuff they were coming up with were quite amazing. They displayed a lot of creativity and every office you walked into was like a different universe. It turned the whole building as a sort of enchanted paradise too, not because of the building itself, obviously, but because of what people put out to enhance it...

So again, IMHO, we do not need to seek out beauty. It just will come to us, wherever we are, on the condition we can create it - create it through the quality of our own being.

No Privacy for Scientologists

Church of Scientology London: LONDON'S MOST POWERFUL CULT

If you are a Scientologist, then it seems that your privacy right is lifted and that you would be fair game for a group ironically calling itself "Anonymous" to gather your photo and name on the page above.

Anonymous also displays its "Docs or STFU" myth in unwarranted and false assertions in comments such as: "Note: Jett Travolta would be alive today, if he had been 'drugged' (medicated)."

It also displays its tremendous power for researched (Docs or STFU) in its logo:

• "Mind-control" - debunked
• "Unlicensed therapy" - debunked
• "Hypnosis (auditing)" - debunked
• "Stalking" - that's what Anonymous does - witness... the page above among other things
• "kidnap" - that's what deprogrammers used to do, following the same philosophy Anonymous does
• "Attacks on psychology" - that would be psychiatry instead, and so what?
• "Extortion and more" - presumably all the people posted on that page would be guilty by association of extortion and other crimes... including numerous children.

Once more, Anonymous just demonstrates it is nothing to be taken seriously, and that it exceeds in many ways the ugliness it accuses Scientology of.


Related blog entries: R-InvasionOfPrivacy-

Anonymous One Year Later - a Twinkle of What It Used to Be

One year ago, on Feb. 10, 2008, Anonymous members appeared out of nowhere to protest Scientology around the world. The numbers were spectacular. In March, following the prediction of Anonymous that the protests will occur in increasing numbers every month, the amount of protesters were even greater, estimated to around 9,000.

After March, though, and contrary to the Anonymous announcement above, the numbers have been decreasing every month. Nowadays 1,000 would already be a lot.

In this respect, it was interesting to see what would be the numbers for the one year anniversary of Anonymous. For sure, at least some of those who did not protest in subsequent months would come out for this special occasion.

It is not possible to easily follow these numbers anymore. After their stats crashed, Anonymous stopped posting them systematically. Today, to know what the numbers are, one would have the burden of wading through all the posts in the WhyWeBWAA forum, trying to extirpate them from hundreds of infantilic comments, and even so one may not find them reported. I am therefore only taking the reports posted in ARS as a basis for comparison. To date, there are only three:

Manchester:
Feb. 2008: 130
Mar. 2008: 200
Feb. 2009: Manchester, England Feb 7th 2009 - alt.religion.scientology | Google Groups: "about 40 of us"


Phoenix:
Feb. 2008: 50
Mar. 2008: 70
Feb. 2009: protest in Phoenix 2/6/09 - alt.religion.scientology | Google Groups: "9 protesters"


London:
Feb. 2008: 400
Mar. 2008: 725
Feb. 2009: Picket Report - London (UK) - alt.religion.scientology | Google Groups:
"about 25 Anons turned up outside Queen Victoria Street. [...] Then on to Tottenham Court Road, where our numbers went up to about 30.


Total for these 3 locations:
Feb. 2008: 580
Mar. 2008: 995
Feb. 2009: 79 - which is roughly 80-90% down...

Marty Rathbun

Marty Rathbun is now offering alternative services outside the CoS - which is a bit ironic knowing that as Inspector General Ethics for RTC he was responsible for getting rid of all the squirrel groups...

The undated picture he uses on his web page features him together with Jason Beghe. Some estimate that picture from 2005, but it may well be a recent one as Jason Beghe was the one to announce the departure of Rathbun from the CoS in Jun. 3, 2008:

GREAT NEWS!

I spoke with several VERY RELIABLE sources this weekend who say they are in contact with Marty Rathbun. He is very much alive and very happy! Apparently, he finally left for good due to his disgust with DM’s treatment of staff.

Marty is a great guy, a smart guy and a tough guy. Even if he isn’t nessasarily on ‘our team’, we are certainly fortunate that he is not on ‘their team’. I applaud his courage and integrity for leaving and wish him all the best with the rest of what I hope is a very long, rewarding life…..

You can also check the ARS thread about it (in which a critic demonstrates the "we-do-not-hate-Scientologists" moto with the remark: "Maybe the world will get lucky and Rathbun will choke on a shrimp and die"), the OCMB thread and the WhyWeBWAAA thread.

Rathbun was also spotted in Sep. 2008 as running the Barack Obama’s South Texas campaign branch.

http://rathbunmark.topcities.com/

I was a member of the Sea Organization for twenty-seven years. I learned how to audit and troubleshoot virtually any technical problem at every level of Scientology. For years prior to leaving the Church I was regularly called upon by its top-ranking members to resolve its toughest and, in many instances, most high profile cases.

Having dug myself out of the dark pit where many who leave the Church land, I began lending a hand to others similarly situated.

A lot of folks seem to be suffering from the inculcated idea that once they depart or cease to slavishly follow every arbitrary dictate they automatically forfeit any spiritual gains they may have attained along the road. Natively conscientious as most beings are, such an evaluation can begin a pernicious dwindlng spiral of self-invalidation and unhappiness.

I understand this phenomenon and the internal dichotomies extant within the organization that bring it about. In the process of reversing the decline in myself and in others certain lessons were learned that might be of some assistance to those who have experienced the same.

I offer a simple program of rehabilitation of previously recognized abilities and education on universal truths and principles of spiritual growth. I do not offer a substitute for Scientology nor am in competition with the Church. I am only offering to share all the skills I have learned – from a wide variety of sources - to help those in need who once formally participated in Scientology but who now hold no hope nor intention of ever seeking help from the Church.

My services are peformed in a relaxing, bayside environment with unlimited space and fresh South Texas air. Reasonably priced accommodations – which include plenty of Southern hospitality – are conveniently located within a short, pleasant walking distance.

My services cost whatever you think they are worth, within your means, after completion. I ask that you pay me one-half of whatever you determine that value to be when you head back home. Then, if after a month you believe your original estimation was correct you can send me the other half, or not. It is entirely up to you.

Related blog entries: R-Rathbun-

Scientology Goes NASCAR

A Dianetic racing car team has been active in Switzerland over the last couple of years. You can check out their detailed web site (in French) here: Dianetics Racing - tout sur les courses de voiture.

It seems now that one Kenton Gray is seeking to replicate the experience at the NASCAR level. I don't know if that team has a web site yet.

ABC News: Scientology Goes NASCAR With Dianetics Race Car:

The venture is called "The Dianetics Racing Team," named after the best-selling self-help book written by the movement's founder, science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.

Kenton Gray, a California race-car driver who has said Dianetics helped his life and driving performance, will head up the Dianetics team.

"It's markedly improved my focus and my consistency," said Gray in a statement. "Through Dianetics I've handled stress and increased my performance and ability to compete -- both on the track and in life."

Gray finished first in five regional races over the last year and ranked in the Top 5 in dozens of other races.

[...]

The team is hoping to spread messages of Scientology through weekly tours on the track, although it will compete on the local circuit, not NASCAR's premiere national events.

[...]

NASCAR did not address the idea that it now has a controversial new participant in its very successful money machine.

"We're not going to comment on the sponsors that the local weekly tracks secure," Kerry Tharp of NASCAR.

Imaginary Friends

It's true, I believe. Sometimes children have "imaginary" friends that in fact are real but they stop seeing them after adults put them down for it.

SoMa Scientology Mission: Scientology 8-8008:

"I started crying (in a good way) when he said that our imaginations as a child are real, it's our own universe. And how we sink into agreement with the physical universe due to people invalidating our views and imagination. I remember sitting on the swings when I was five and having a conversation with two people that my older babysitter couldn't see. She invalidated me and got mad because I was giving them more attention then her. I had a really magical life up until that point."

Sanctified Snake Oil and Anti-Cultism

AntiCultControversies : Message: Sanctified Snake Oil and Anti-Cultism:

"There is an article (and also a book by the same title) by Susan Sarnoff entitled Sanctified Snake Oil that is about what can happen when advocates of various causes get carried away and distort things to fit a cause. Sarnoff makes no mention of cults or anti-cultism, but what she wrote seems to fit some of what I see going on in some circles. I posted the article in the Files section of this list serv if anyone is interested in reading the full article. Here is how Sarnoff describes the “Snake Oil Paradigm”:

****begin quote (Sarnoff, Sanctified Snake Oil, p. 397, 1999, Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Services)

THE SNAKE OIL PARADIGM

1. Frame the subject so that it cannot be opposed.

2. Once the issue is defined, stretch the concept as broadly as possible in order to:
a.) Increase the size of the “target” group;
b.) Make the problem appear to be universal;
c.) Make the problem appear to be of crisis proportions.

3. Consider anyone who resists identification with the target group to be “in denial,” in order to:
a.) Define all “sufferers” as in need of “treatment;”
b.) Make treatment seem more effective because many of the treated will not suffer from the problem or will have a mild, easily treatable degree of the problem, and non-improvement can be blamed on denial.

4. Identify “poster children” who “suffer” from the problem but are appealing to the public (e.g., completely innocent and in no way responsible for their circumstances).

5. Use anecdotal evidence (preferably about “poster children”) and single, dramatic cases to publicize the problem.

6. Use biased or “cooked” data — if forced to present any statistical proof of the problem.

7. Confuse goals and processes.

8. Confuse satisfaction with effectiveness.

9. Ignore unintended consequences and never admit that they might emanate from the “solution.”

10. If criticized for any of the above, attack the opponents instead of their positions.

THE SANCTIFICATION PARADIGM

MEDIA

1. Write “human interest” stories on single, extreme cases, suggesting that they are “typical” of the problem.

2. Publish statistics without consulting source data or confirming accuracy.

3. Oversimplify complex issues and policies.

4. Publish the results of research studies without discussing the methodology of the research (e.g., samples, controls).

5. “Bury” corrections and retractions in back pages and small print.

End quote********

Sound familiar, anyone?

Monica

Give and Get

Giving is the real joy in life, and the best we could ever give to someone is giving of ourselves. If we can achieve this in our work, in our relationships, in whatever we do, then we'll be truly happy. It's also infinite. There's never an end to the joy of giving. It carries true meaning, and creation is its ultimate outcome.

Getting is nice too, for a while, and we should not prevent us from getting. But it has its limits. After a while, the taste we found in those things we valued is not quite the same, and even the best things on earth are never enough, never satisfying, we'll always want something different. Getting should be a consequence, not a goal.

We often think that if we get rich and can do what we want, we would be happy. That's true, but only for a while. Eventually, it would still depend of what we do with it. Those who have learned to give of themselves in whatever situation they are in, rich or poor, are ultimately more happy than those who always seek to get, rich or poor. Sometimes, the small things in life are what really matters.

There's never an end to the opportunity to give, because we always "have" with us what we need in order to do so: ourselves.

Email 3

I received so many positive, encouraging, and interesting e-mails over the years because of my website that I wanted some day to make a page about, but never got around doing it. Plus there is the problem that I would not post them without permission first.

OK, here is a sequence of mail exchange with one person. I received the permission to post them but anyway will remove the name and address, really... I just don't feel comfortable posting such information.


Thu, Mar 13, 2008 at 4:01 AM

I have been reading your web page on Scientology for a while now along with other sites on the internet. For right now I just want to acknowledge your work and to tell you I find your viewpoint a very sane one and thank you for the information you have put together. I will communicate more at a later point in time. I would appreciate a reply to this email just to make sure it got through. One quick question - are you familiar with Brian Ambry and the critiques he has written on Scientology?

Reply:

Thanks for your mail and kind words. I saw mention of Ambry but never actually got to have a look at his work. It's very extensive. I quickly scanned through the manual and my first impression is that it's too far fetched. Sleep deprivation in the SO cannot be likened to Russian style torture, and the RPF seems to be interpreted according to Stephen Kent, whose work as been already challenged by better studies. Of course you can always find parallels because two totalitarian system will have parallels, especially when interpreted through an extreme critic, that would make the totalitarian org even more totalitarian. This being said I have not read the whole thing so this is a quick impression.

Thanks also for your comment on gays and scinenos. Interesting... [Refers to another mail]

Fri, Mar 14, 2008 at 11:57 PM

Brian Ambry was a close friend in high school back in the late 60s who introduced me to Scientology. As a science fiction fan I had read about Hubbard and my initial reaction was negative. I spent much of the time that I was at college reading Scientology books and going back and reviewing the press coverage on it from 1950 onwards. Most of my college papers dealt in someway with Scientology and I tried to contrast it with other religions and psychological systems. In 1973 I dropped out of college and in 1974 I joined staff and I was made ED Comm NYF first working for Colin Thorne and later Wes Beacher. I routed off staff after Wes was taken off by the SO in 1977 (I got a good look at SO craziness while on post). I became interested in the theories of Lyndon LaRouche and after reading the Liepzeg Connection I developed a communication line with Paolo Lionni who was part of the leadership strata of The Delphi School in Oregon. I met with him while he was visiting NYC with the headmaster Alan Larson and eventually I wound up joining staff at Delphi in 1981. Lionni became interested in LaRouche and some LaRouche material got into the The Leipzig Connection (there is a footnote somewhere in the book referencing LaRouche). While I was there I worked for Paolo Lionni part time as administrative assistant and part of the time on the boiler room crew that would harvest the forest for fuel for the boiler. Sundays I got scullery duty in exchange for not having to go on outings with the kiddies. Before Lance Klass (co author of the Leipzig Connection) left Delphi he trained me as the school librarian.

There for all I know I might still be except that the missions were in a state of muted rebellion against the CoS due to the suppression that they had be subjected to. Somewhere a novel concept of management got adopted centered on the theory of de-dinging by mission heads - dinging was considered a form of other intention suffered by said leaders from

their ungrateful staff who then got rebuked in a manner that would make the most gung-ho SO officer proud. Rather than go into agreement with this pschosis I routed off staff. Ironically the SoC a few months later came down hard on Delphi/Martin Samuels and Lionni and the others wound up doing conditions until they got rehabbed into being loyal CoS adherents once again. Lionni who had picked up smoking again when the de-dinging campaign began died a year later of lung cancer (he chose not to go through the standard medical treatment). I sort of think he died as a result of compromising his reality as much as he did of cancer.

That was the end of my involvement in the CoS. I attended some event in NY announcing the formation of the RTC and the fine folks who run it. By this time Brian Ambry was doing a large amount of research which he shared with me. He went out to California from New Jersey and got involved with the Riverside Mission and with the book that Bent Corydon was writing. I am not really in comm with him anymore but he did send me the Brainwashing Manuel manuscript as he was in the process of editing it. His outlook is more harsh than mine which is harsh enough but I balk at defining the CoS as a criminal cult that brainwashes its adherents. I do not support the Anonymous declaration to destroy the CoS (the you tube video was as nuts as anything the SO could come up with) and I dislike the entheta that gets spewed out by many of the anti-Scientology posters on the internet.

I will send you more comments at a later point. I wanted to introduce myself and sort of set forth my credentials. I really don't pay much attention to much of the commentary on Scientology - unless you have done time as either a staff member or auditor (the academics are a different matter) you really can't comment on Scientology with any credibility.

Reply:

Wow K..., thanks a lot for this detailed introduction. You have quite some background. I must say I pretty much agree with all you wrote down there. Hear you soon again. Bernie

Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 5:03 AM

I think it was Kent that used material from Bent Corydon's Messiah or Madman as a basis of his evaluation of RPF. I read both his and the Italian's studies. Yes, every group winds up with some kind of system of handling out ethics. However the idea of RPF is based on the idea that it is a final chance for people too messed up (rock slamming degraded beings) to be handled any other way. The Church is thus being benevolent in allowing these wretches to co-audit their way out their condition. In actual practice it seems that if one stays long enough in the SO one gets RPFed in the same way that lots of staff get to work their way through the conditions over and over again. After a while it just becomes something to be expected.

I think two things are going on with this. One is that groups dramatize stuff just like individuals do and heavy ethics is a dramatization and a control mechanism. This is where Brian Ambry's analysis is important. The Church uses the RPF as an in-house construction crew and since they are constantly expanding their facilities using the RPF rather than outside contractors saves them a ton of money. Now, one has to buy into this reality for it to work, one has to accept the condition one is assigned. Lots of people will accept a condition as a result of psychological intimidation and as the price of remaining a member of the group. The more closed a group the more unhinged behavior becomes possible. While I don't think Class IV orgs fit the definition of a "cult" I think that the SO may well make the grade. Now, "cult" is a loaded word - I use it more to describe a way in which certain groups are structured in which the members relate to one another in certain ways - looked at it this ways lots of groups can be considered cults which are not normally considered as such ( the US Marine Corp for example). Anyway, time is up and just wanted to resume this discussion - been reading your blog and many of the links you have provided.

Reply:

Nice to hear from you again and thanks for reading my blog. Initially it really was something I started more for myself so I could track off the news but it turned out to be somewhat more interesting to do than my web page, partly because of the up-to-date synchronization with current events and because of the interaction aspect. I now try to reserve my web page for more detailed and synthetic articles like I am gradually doing for the Magoo page.

I think it may be interesting to publish on my blog this e-mail exchange, or part of it, but I would not do it without authorization of course, especially since it contains personal information.

Let me know what you think of the idea.

Thanks,
Bernie

Tue, Jan 20, 2009 at 9:22 PM

Hi Bernie

You can post anything I send to you. I find myself often thinking about Scientology and Hubbard and so I think it would be helpful to write them out - sending any such ramblings to you would be therapeutic - for me anyway.

Thanks,

Freedom of my Mind from Your Mind

Anti-Cult Controversies: More Information Control from Steve Hassan

Monica reports that she has been banned from the new forum of Steve Hassan, "Freedom of Mind" - Oh the Irony... Freedom of Mind...

Human Trafficking

I wanted to blog about that but Monica as now made a post that basically say what I wanted to say so I'll just copy/paste :-)

AntiCultControversies : Message: Allegations of "Human Trafficking" in Scientology:

Here is a website that is a good example of the problem I am having with some of the claims being made by ex/anti-Scientologists.

http://www.exposescientology.com/humantrafficking.html

Here, they are accusing Scientology of practicing "human trafficking", a very serious offense that involves slavery of people, usually people who were in extremely vulnerable positions to begin with, such as people from third world countries living in extreme conditions of poverty. People are either kidnapped and forced to work as slaves or prostitutes or they are lured into a situation under false pretenses and then forced to stay and work. This is a very serious international problem.

However, is Scientology practicing this by recruiting people into the Sea Organization? That seems to me to be a stretch, yet in this discussion, one person even went so far as to allege the practice is widespread in every Scientology org. People can go to this link and witness what happened when I and a few others tried to challenge this:

http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?t=29678

It is interesting to see how they take certain parts of official definitions of Human Trafficking out of context and try to apply it to Scientology. If criteria were that loose, however, I wonder how many mainstream organizations would also be in trouble.

Monica

Jodhi's No Speak Scientology Policy

AdelaideNow... Jodhi's new pet project

Jodhi Meares, ex-wifes of ex-Scientologist James Parker, will not say whether she has been doing Scientology or not:

The notoriously private bikini babe refused to speak about claims she has spent the past year being audited by the controversial Church Of Scientology.

"I'm sorry, I don't like talking to the papers," she said politely.

Poor thing had her dog die recently. As a friendly dog myself, I can only have empathy for her, especially after see a couple of pictures from this albums: Jodhi Meares struts her stuff | AdelaideNow:




Relate blog entries: R-packer-