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This is the Freewinds — It’s Always About the Money

July 15, 2020 By Mike Rinder 42 Comments

What the Freewinds has been reduced to... Hawking virtual seminars with AMAZING (all caps) "new speakers". Though there is not a single new speaker among them? And of course, they are all offering "business" expansion seminars -- they disguise their "learn how to make money" pitches as "expansion." Some talk about "prosperity" and one even explains that you can become the "Master of All Universes." Everything these guys is selling is designed to make it possible for you to pay for scientology. It's expensive. Especially when you get to the highest levels. People need hundreds of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Freewinds Tagged With: Emmet Osborn, Freewinds, Greg Winteregg, Michael Boyd, Ollie Rodriguez, Patrick Valtin, Rafferty Pendery

Let’s Go Virtual OT!

July 6, 2020 By Mike Rinder 47 Comments

The question you have to ask after reading this breathless promo -- why would anyone pay to go to the Freewinds when you can apparently "Go OT" virtually? The second question -- is there any difference between an OT and a virtual OT? Aren't all OT's "virtual" anyway as the state is entirely subjective -- nobody has ever objectively proven that an OT exists. Hubbard's explanation for that was "we don't do parlor tricks." The only time anyone supposedly set out to verify any OT abilities was Ingo Swann and Hal Puthoff trying to turn it into an intelligence tool for the CIA. Nothing ever came … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Freewinds Tagged With: Andrea D'Agostini, Barbara Russell, Bernard Bonner, Emmett Osborn, Freewinds, Hana-li Pendery, Manuela Suarez, Ollie Rodriguez, Rafferty Pendery, virtual OT

Freewinds Trying to Influence Aruban Government

June 1, 2020 By Mike Rinder 45 Comments

The Freewinds is having a rough time of it, rougher than usual in this pandemic. Typically they struggle to get enough people on board to cover their basic expenses, in these times they are having trouble getting ANYONE to show up. Being "off the crossroads of the world" has been one of their sales pitches since they set sail in 1988. It's got a whole new meaning now. Never ones to take something like this lying down, the make it go right Sea Org officers on the Freewinds are trying to get their public to fill out a survey for the government of Aruba. Of course, they want their people to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Freewinds Tagged With: Aruba, Christine McNocher, Freewinds, FSSO

Freewinds Runs Aground

May 9, 2020 By Mike Rinder 71 Comments

They were having a rough time of it even before the pandemic. Lacking paying customers, they had a hard time finding money to buy fuel to move from one port to another. Now they are slipping beneath the waves with hardly a murmur... Their latest promotional piece "Making the IMpossible possible" is offering a "convention" 4 months from now... They don't have people coming for OT VIII (the ONLY feeder for that is Flag and completions on OT VII -- if they get one a week they are excited. If half of them went on to OT VIII right away that would be one arrival every two weeks. And it … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Freewinds Tagged With: COVID-19, Freewinds

About the Worst Thing To Do

April 9, 2020 By Mike Rinder 99 Comments

Scientology continues to demonstrate it's irrational, dangerous attitude towards the current pandemic. They just don't get it. As the old saying goes, even if you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig.  Even if scientology pretends they are totally in compliance with societal norms and expectations (in fact, they exceed them and did so faster and more efficiently than anyone on earth), they just cannot help themselves when it comes to displaying their real "pig." The pressure is still on to "get stats up" -- that will never change. So, these recruiters are feeling the heat to bring … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Freewinds, Sea Org Tagged With: Children, COVID-19, Freewinds, Scientology, Sea Org

Islands of Sanity — In a Sea of Wogs

October 28, 2019 By Mike Rinder 52 Comments

David Miscavige is fond of talking about how his "Ideal Org" program is creating "islands of sanity"... It is prominent in his official hagiography at scientology.org The idea that "OT's" are the ones "changing the planet" and creating "ideal orgs" is a "truth" scientology. It was one of Miscavige's strokes of genius to make the "OT's" responsible for creating ideal orgs. That way, they could not complain that they were not able to do OT IX and X, because Miscavige set an arbitrary that all orgs had to be "ideal" before this could happen (it actually began with all orgs St Hill Size, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Freewinds, Ideal Orgs, OT Committee Tagged With: Caribbean, David Miscavige, Freewinds, Ideal Orgs, L. Ron Hubbard, Puerto Rico, Scientology, Scientology Idle Orgs

More on the “Wog” Face of the Freewinds

August 14, 2019 By Mike Rinder 93 Comments

This is a follow up to the recent post about Carol Miles: The Face of the Freewinds: A "Wog". Valeska sent me this write up with some further information, and it is an opportunity to republish the photo of Carol that was sent in by a reader. Also at the end I have included a comment posted by Jeff Hawkins about how Carol came to be the "Face of the Freewinds". Valeska wrote: Carol was sent to the RPF in late 2008 for being suicidal and having "case on post" and for wanting to leave the Sea Org. This was orchestrated by Lurie Belotti, (RTC Rep Ship) and Sue Price, (CO CMO Ship). She … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Freewinds Tagged With: bryan seymour, Carol Miles, David Miscavige, Freewinds, Kevin Mackey, Lurie Belotti, RPF, RPF ANZO, Sue Price, Valeska Guider

The Face of the Freewinds: “A Wog”

August 11, 2019 By Mike Rinder 118 Comments

For many years in the early 2000's, the "face" of the Freewinds was Carol Miles, the "Executive Officer"/"Public Officer." She was the face and voice (with a wonderfully genteel english accent) of Freewinds promotional videos. She narrated tours of the ship and appeared at the end of each Freewinds video  with a pitch for people to come and partake in the Freewinds experience. There has been some earlier commentary on the internet that mentioned Carol. She disappeared from public view around 2007 (like me), and as with Heber, Ray Mithoff, Guillaume Lesevre and so many others, nobody … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Freewinds Tagged With: Carol Miles, Freewinds, public relations, Rikke Jenssen, Scientology, Sue PriceValeska Guider, Valeska Guider

Freewinds Flailing

June 23, 2019 By Mike Rinder 55 Comments

The Freewinds will be empty again by tomorrow. Dear Leader's annual scuba diving holiday Maiden Voyage celebrations have come to an end and everyone is heading home with their new "OT Ambassador" orders (which are the same as last year -- collect money for Ideal Orgs and IAS). The "OT Base" that sails "off the crossroads of the world" reverts to its real status "Ghost ship sitting at dock off the crossroads of the world." Bouncing between Curacao and Aruba, she is a cruise ship without a cruise. And without passengers. In their desperation, they hold all sorts of oddball "conventions" … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Freewinds Tagged With: David Miscavige, Freewinds

Cruising The Caribbean?

May 19, 2019 By Mike Rinder 39 Comments

Usually they do not promote their travel plans. But here we have the next few months -- offered up in the hope as a sales pitch like this is Royal Caribbean or Carnival. But all is not quite like the real cruise lines offer when they say "explore the islands." It starts out sort of "normal" looking in the first 3 weeks of July -- probably after they get an infusion of funds from the Maiden Voyage in June, so they can afford fuel. And perhaps because Mr. Miscavige likes to extend his stay from the annual Maiden Voyage vacation into an extended scuba diving experience. But three weeks, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Freewinds Tagged With: Freewinds

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Important Reading

Troublemaker - Leah Remini
Ruthless - Ron Miscavige
Going Clear - Lawrence Wright
Bare Faced Messiah - Russell Miller
Counterfeit Dreams - Jeff Hawkins
Blown For Good - Marc Headley
Abuse at the Top - Amy Scobee
Unbreakable Miss Lovely - Tony Ortega
The Church of Fear - John Sweeney
Fair Game - Steve Cannane
Inside Scientology - Janet Reitman
A Piece of Blue Sky - Jon Atack
Beyond Belief - Jenna Miscavige
My Billion Year Contract
Escaping Scientology - Karen Schless
Commodore's Messenger - Janis Grady
Commodore's Messenger - Book II
Scythe Tleppo - Nathan Rich
Expert Witness - Jesse Prince
Perfectly Clear - Michelle LeCaire
Ron the War Hero - Chris Owen
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What do you want to know about #scientology? @LeahRemini and I are planning more Listener Questions on our #FairGamePodcast. Please try to avoid asking Qs we have already covered in the first 3 Listener Q&A eps. Give them a listen before tweeting your Qs. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-scientology-fair-game-68514402/episode/episode-13-listener-questions-part-1-72761556/

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Latest on Scientology coverage. The benefits from an ‘open and transparent’ parliamentary inquiry. Plus the charity regulator weighs in. https://www.theage.com.au/national/benefit-to-open-and-transparent-scientology-probe-20210408-p57hhs.html

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What does #scientology really think about God —right from the horse’s mouth. It’s not what they try to tell the world in order to seem normal. https://www.mikerindersblog.org/scientology-vs-god/

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Recent Comments

  • Skyler23 on Regraded Being: “The only problem with that is he may actually kill someone one day out of anger that their stats were…” Apr 10, 22:28
  • I Yawnalot on The Year of Target Attainment: “Never thought of reverse engineering OT7. Yeah, kept me off the booze too. Made up for it now though. Satan,…” Apr 10, 21:11
  • I Yawnalot on The Year of Target Attainment: “Well I sure know of one, “on OT7” that will never complete – me. It’s incompletable anyway, it’s based on…” Apr 10, 21:07
  • Valerie Feria-Isacks on Scientology vs God: “As an ex-SeaOrg who’s nominally Taoist these days thank you for bringing this up succinctly ✌️” Apr 10, 20:17
  • Stat on The Year of Target Attainment: “L Ron Hubbard’s formula for “clearing the planet” was increasing the Theta within the “Entheta to Theta Ratio”. Almost 70…” Apr 10, 17:17
  • George M White on The Year of Target Attainment: “In 1987 I started Solo Nots at the Sand castle. They were talking about 10,000 on the level and that…” Apr 10, 16:09
  • Skyler23 on Regraded Being: “Yes. I also think they should be bound in a a hard-covered or leather-covered book so they will live for…” Apr 10, 14:29
  • Richard on Scientology vs God: “I was worried that I might need to pull out my demo kit and clay table to understand exactly wtf…” Apr 10, 11:47
  • Peridot on Scientology vs God: “@ToddCray Thank you. Precisely. I was thinking similarly reading the misguided, strident and confident remarks of Jim Meskimen. Ugh. He…” Apr 10, 11:09
  • mwesten on Regraded Being: “Aka people who talk to gods/spirits are mentally ill. Says his therapy erases mental illness. It doesn’t. Claims spirits must…” Apr 10, 09:10

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