Aquamarine, so it’s the woman’s responsibility to prevent her own rape? Men bear no responsibility for their behavior? Seriously? It takes two to fool around. How about they just say no to fooling around? How about men respect women enough as a fellow human being to stop when she says stop? Why is it always the woman’s responsibility?

The only petition I have seen is for the IRS to investigate Scientology’s Tax Exempt status. You can find it here:

https://www.change.org/p/irs-commissioner-john-koskinen-we-demand-the-irs-commissioner-begin-an-investigation-into-scientology-s-tax-exempt-status?recruiter=71709247&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

“In other words, HAS to be guilty of rape because he’s been accused of it and he’s an incredible creep who supports and is supported by a vicious cult.”

I don’t think anyone here thinks he’s guilty because he’s in a cult. I believe he’s guilty because even though 63% of rapes are not reported, these women reported their rapes despite the fact they would be attacked by Scientology. No one in their right mind would subject themselves to Fair Game if they did not have to. I’m pretty sure that everyone else is thinking something similar.

Aqua I’m speechless. The absolutely undeserved shame your grandmother had to live with is heartbreaking. Truly. She must have been a very strong woman and utterly devoted to her family to withstand the type of village onslaught you describe. I can feel from you the admiration and love you have for a grandmother you never knew. You write of her and make her alive. You’re a credit to her and she a credit to you.

Henni, I have bad news for you. In the USA, most rapists are never charged, let alone convicted, let alone sentenced to prison. What most rapists in this country receive is exhoneration by the police, who believe it’s the rape survivor’s fault, that s/he invited it. The police are generally on the side of the rapist. In 1986, I went through what rape survivors experience to this day. The defense attorney outright told me in court that I had enjoyed it, including being punched in the eye repeatedly. The county prosecutor – who was supposed to be on my side – repeatedly begged me to accept a plea bargain from the rapist for simple assault. I said No over and over and over again. Since the rapist lived nearby and had raped and beaten me in my home, I had to move, and he then stalked me at my new home for seven months, several times a day, every single day without missing one. I had to hide in my new home every single day, and feared for my life any time I had to leave for work or return home, as well as every time I saw him cruise by my home slowly at night or in the daytime.

I did a smart thing. After he raped me, he left. About a half-hour later, he attempted for quite a while (well over an hour) to break back into my residence; I thought he was coming back to kill me. It was then that I did the smart thing: I phoned 911. 911 is recorded – every single call from start to finish. It was the 911 tape that stopped the attempts at plea bargaining. The prosecutor told me that when he played it for the defense attorney, the latter turned pale. His next step was to tell the rapist to plead guilty, because he would certainly be convicted.

He was sentenced to 3 years in prison with time off for good behavior. In all, he served a sentence of a year and a half. That was three decades ago, and I’m still serving my life sentence.

Most survivors will say something similar as far as having to serve for life. Most survivors don’t report the crime. They’re often described in social media as evil people who changed their minds after consensual sex and are now accusing a poor innocent victim. Even their friends may describe them this way. The police usually view the survivors through this lens and many refuse to take the report, or file it in the round file ASAP. If they take it, the prosecutor too often sees survivors, whether male or female, through the same lens of “evil person harming the real victim” and won’t proceed forward. A very small percentage of rape cases result in conviction, and anyone who actually does get their day in court will usually face public humiliation. And almost anyone who proceeds to court must undergo that public humiliation when they are at their most traumatized.

Mike and Leah, thank goodness, don’t treat survivors of rape and other types of assault by Scientologists as something that the survivor deserves, or refuse to believe the survivor. They encourage them to speak their truth and THEY BELIEVE THEM. This is THE most important thing one can do for any rape or sexual crime survivor. They may be the only ones the survivors have encountered who do believe them. Thank goodness they do!

From reading Mike’s blog, Mark/Marty’s blog before he returned to Scientology defense, the Underground Bunker, ESMB, Clambake, talking way back when with Keith Henson (a member of the same geekly circles as my late husband), reading every book on the subject from former Scientologists that I could find, etc., I know a little bit about Scientology for a never-in. I know, too, about the dynamics of power-over in sexual assault and rape. Rape is not about sex. I know most of all about living as a rape survivor and fighting back for those like me.

Anyone who is coping with surviving rape, sexual abuse and/or rape when a child, and/or an abusive relationship of any kind, you’re welcome to get in contact. I would like to offer you a listening ear, a shoulder if you need it, empathy because I’ve been through every bit of that, someone to have your back, and belief in what you’ve gone through. If you’re dealing with these experiences because of Scientology, Mike and Leah are the best folks to contact. For anything else, or extra help of any kind, I offer myself as a laywoman who has been there.

Lance, that was a video by Karen de la Carriere, who is well known in this movement. Interesting coincidence, I watched the same video last night. All kinds of details I hadn’t known about Jo’berg sec checks. Quite gross! Yikes!

Tasha, thank you for so gently addressing Aqua’s posts. And to Aqua, that is quite a horrific thing your grandmother went through… Your account of it was compelling and I could sense the love and respect you have for her.

To all here, I encourage you to read this because it’s not widely known:
http://www.pandys.org/articles/revictimization.html

The point I raise is this: When we read about adult women coming forward — realize the amount of courage it takes to speak out about sexual assault, and PLEASE realize that it is often NOT THE FIRST TIME this happened to her… or him.

If it happened in childhood — and repeatedly occurs in adulthood…trust me, it’s more than most can handle. It’s a curse–like living with a target on one’s back.

We want to know why… Why did it happen to me, my sister, mother or daughter? Statistics are that one out of three women is raped in their lifetimes). It’s someone we know.

To address it, we/they sought spiritual help….. Now, think of the magnitude of betrayal; the specious mind-f**k and “victim blaming” leveled by the cult towards these women… Their trauma exploited for financial gain…now, add spiritual and financial rape to the equation…

Get the picture?

We all handle trauma in different ways. Sometimes we don’t understand how someone can lash out and “protect the perpetrator.” Yet, this happens all too often.

The rape victim does not want the rapist to “get in trouble,” which is among the top ten reasons they do not report to authorities.

I know, it makes no logical sense but it’s a fact.

I hope this helps.

Thanks, Spike, secret and Tasha, for reading this! And, Tasha, thanks for your kind response. I too believe that this type of victim shaming still occurs even today. I also understand how you’d think I have little empathy due to some of the things I write. You’re not the first person who has told me that. I wonder about it myself sometimes. I do have the ability to separate “myself” sometimes. Hard to explain. You’re very kind, Tasha. Peace.

Doing my favorite pastime of reading your good messages, and watching the interviews and information on my computer.

I ran across a woman who was in the cult for quite a while it seems. I do not believe that she was from America, but was so interesting that I have to share with you and hope that you can find it.

Her story was that she was forced to have an audit over and over again (13 times) so that Scam-oh-golly-gee could get something really, really bad on her. She would give some information of being late, or asking a wrong question, but the person doing the audit wanted something really big, so that Scam and company, could hold it over her. Finally she got what they wanted, and said “OK, I am going to come clean, and tell you my deepest secret. I found a lab where they had a “death ray” that would go to outer space, and I (big sigh) turned on the ray, and blew up several planets.” This woman said the auditor’s eyes got really big and was amazed and pleased that she had finally gotten something really big on this woman (and of course would not be punished for not being able to get a dark secret from her). The upshot was that the auditing ended as they now had something to use against her.

Oh, this lady said it cost her 50k for the privilege of being yelled at day after day.

This might be something that everyone might look at, when the cult can show that an SP can and has done this or that and has signed that fact, or they have a record of the interview, be it on paper files or a video. Their practices of documenting is wrong, their cult is wrong, and they have hurt way too many people. Time for the end of this cult.

As Leah said in her interview: “You just sign anything that they put in front of you, and you don’t get to read it.”

Lance Caldwell.

I watched the interview of Leah finding out the top secret message of the story of Xenu again. You can see all the videos on your computer. I noted that this program alone has 1,113,999 hits. Is the message getting out? I would say that it is. Good Job Leah, Mike, and all of your brave guests. Looking forward to October 10th for the new season. I am sure that DM has had a popcorn machine put in his office so that he can watch the “Aftermath” programs in style.

Lance Caldwell.