What scientology is willing to promote gets crazier and crazier by the week. They are beginning to read like Weird Al Yankovic parodies. The ramblings are virtually incomprehensible. And it appears they don't even read them with any perspective about what they actually SAY before they send them out to the world. As long as they are over-the-top and kowtow to Dear Leader Miscavige they are good to go. With success stories like the one below, I don't understand why anyone bothers spending the time and the money to go to the "top of the Bridge"? This guy, who is an OT VII and "old" Class VI … [Read more...]
The Missing St Hill Size Orgs
In March 1982, with great fanfare, L. Ron Hubbard issued a "game" to all scientology orgs. They were to 5.4X their stats and "achieve the size of old St Hill." When this was accomplished, Hubbard promised the staff would not only be well paid, "International Management" would send them a "Universe Corps" team so all staff could "go OT" in their local org. This was a really big deal -- these were the "buttons" of staff. It was impossible to live as a staff member without additional income and it was even more impossible to save enough money to travel to an AO and partake in OT levels. Life as a … [Read more...]
Scientology’s Freedom of Speech: Out of Both Sides of its Mouth
"Amendment 1: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Scientology is fast to claim protection under the First Amendment to the US Constitution -- when it serves their purpose. Either to avoid responsibility for their actions or to try and claim some PR points as "champions of human rights." (See Freedom magazine as Exhibit 1) Yet they are not so quick to a … [Read more...]
The Birthday Event
Things seem to be falling apart at the seams in LA. Traditionally, there was a single March 13th event for all of the LA area -- including Orange County and the Valley. It used to be held at the Shrine Auditorium, but that became embarrassing as they couldn't even fill the lower level, let alone the upper. So, they moved it to the Dolby Theater. Capacity 3400. Now they have shifted it to the "Ray Dolby Ballroom." Capacity 2000. But it seems they are having inordinate difficulty filling even that venue (this is not much bigger than the Flag auditorium...) in the home of the … [Read more...]
Regraded Being
Thursday Funnies
Still crazy after all these years SO #1 letters as inspiration? Even in this day and age? Wow... Tampa Org is "out of PT" Can you imagine the model ideal SH size org is not in PT and needs to do the SRD? Says a lot for the state of the non-model, non-ideal, non-SH sized orgs everywhere else. Our birthday gift: Planetary Dissemination a reality! Yessirreee... Does this person REALLY think that everyone hasn't yet figured out that this whole set up is being paid for by Miscavige as a pet-project boondoggle to use up some of that cash he has been … [Read more...]
Channels Onto “The Bridge”
Scientology repeatedly denies this, but here it is in black and beige. The "Director of Clearing" of the Portland "ideal org" is proudly announcing how the "4D campaigns" (anti-drug, education, WTH, human rights, Volunteer Ministers) are really "dissemination tools" to get people into the org so they can be "closed" to buy scientology books and services. They are even conducting a seminar on "how to disseminate with these campaigns." The truth is these campaigns are ONLY supported for two reasons: For photo ops to try to present the image that scientology is selfless and provides … [Read more...]
Real Humanitarians
I attended a Sunday Service and Naming Ceremony at the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Clearwater last weekend. It was an interesting experience. At the door, they give you a little program of what the service will contain. Below you will see the front and back page. I include it here because it gives some idea about the beliefs and practices of the "UU's" (which is how they refer to themselves). Here is what struck me: It was their normal Sunday Service. About 250 people were there. Their church was built from scratch, funded by donations from members. It is functional. … [Read more...]
Fundraising Forever
What you see below are 4 letters asking someone in Clearwater for money for Orlando "ideal" org. All 4 of them were put into one envelope. Apparently the Orlando org does not have enough money to mail 4 separate letters. Nor do they have money for letterhead. Or anything but the cheapest paper and envelopes. Yet, after years of begging for money and failing, they were just given a new building. A building they don't need. A building they cannot afford. A building they couldn't even fill if they took everyone who has EVER been on staff and everyone who has EVER taken any scientology … [Read more...]
The OT Hype
A lot of this promotional item is pretty familiar territory. They tend to recirculate the "wins" because once you start saying "this handles everything in the universe forever" it is really hard to follow it with anything "less." So, every success begins to sound familiarly absurd. Just a few comments on this one in particular: if it were true that you handle "anything" with Solo NOTs "for eternity" what else IS THERE? Why would anyone then need to do OT VIII? Or more to the point -- why would anyone need to do Super Power or the Running Program? Much less Student Hat, Purification and … [Read more...]