You likely saw the videos on Tony Ortega's site of the 2 guys ("Reckless Ben") who went into LA Org with hidden cameras. In that last video towards the end you witness the desperation of the regges to get $15 from them. It is really pretty pathetic. This is the "largest Class V org and 'model' ideal org" and they are spending time to try to convince this kid to get $15 right now with every sleazy tactic there is. I didn't think it could get more pathetically desperate than that until this recent Facebook posting was sent to me: First, I assume "Betsy" is an org staff member who is … [Read more...]
Thursday Funnies
The new look Crossed arms are so 2019. Holding an empty 3 ring binder is the new thing. Sure says "determined" to me? Here today, gone tomorrow Just look at ANY of the ideal orgs that have opened and see how many of the people they touted beforehand are there today. Most of these people will never actually start, they just agree to sign up to be left alone for a while. Big Ben! That's a lot of "secular" stuff for an organization that claims to bring more people onto the Bridge than anyone else on earth... The Year of Bahamas … [Read more...]
Correlation Without Causation
Scientology loves to claim they are responsible for "Clearing the planet" and “bettering society” -- proclaiming they are "slaying the four modern horsemen of the apocalypse, drugs, illiteracy, criminality and immorality." They routinely take credit for all sorts of things: reducing crime in Colombia by 50%, increasing literacy rates in third world countries, eradicating gang violence etc. They find a statistic and then claim “we handed out 74,000 copies of WTH and the number of divorces in Denmark is lowest in a decade. ” It is clear (in their minds) that this is incontrovertible evidence … [Read more...]
Memorial Day Disgrace
See the excellent piece at Tony Ortega’s blog this morning concerning L. Ron Hubbard’s stolen valor. I was sent a couple of promotional items from this year that have a different focus. Many will find this just as crass as the fake medals and war hero status of Ron the War Hero. This day is supposed to be about remembering those who have fallen, but any excuse to get some suckers in so they can be victims of some good old fashioned “hard sell” is an opportunity scientology does not want to miss. So, on L. Ron Hubbard Way today, in solemn commemoration of his war hero status, kids can … [Read more...]
Thursday Tragedy
It seems inappropriate to run the Thursday Funnies this morning in light of the events at the Inglewood Ideal org last evening. Tony Ortega, as he always does, is keeping up with the story and you can follow the news at his blog. He does a great job of sorting the bs from the real facts. Someone being killed, wherever it occurs, is horrendous and tragic. The circumstances of this death remain unclear, and somewhat mysterious. Either the person who was shot by police is someone who had contact with scientology and was upset about something they had done or were doing, or the person had … [Read more...]
The Failed Inglewood “ideal org” Experiment
Well, I guess the great social experiment of bringing scientology to the "African American cultural epicenter" has failed. Problem is that virtually everyone they could persuade to take services in this place are imports from other orgs and they repeatedly show their graduations and completions featuring a host of clearly non-locals from CC Int and elsewhere (see latest example below). The strategy of opening Harlem and Inglewood took a HUGE hit with the death of Isaac Hayes. He was the impetus for these orgs even exiting in the first place as he repeatedly harangued Miscavige about the … [Read more...]
The Biggest News Since The Last News
Pasadena and Inglewood have been avoiding the heat. All the attention and effort has been on LA Org and Valley (apparently Orange County doesn't qualify for anything....) So it's being turned up. Suddenly, out of the blue, they are going to be "St Hill Size." Anyone want to bet that the plan is to send Sea Org teams into these orgs? I don't have the report from the briefings over the weekend yet, but this is the "pilot" that was done in LA Org. I can imagine Miscavige railing about the "useless, unutilized Sea Org members" at Int and at the HGB and in CLO WUS and so they are going to be … [Read more...]