Scientology v. The Internet: the battle continues

"If you imagine 40-50 Scientologists posting on the Internet every few days, we’ll just run the SP’s right off the system. It will be quite simple, actually."

Scientology GO/OSA cultist Elaine Siegel announces attack on the Internet

This isn’t new, but they are still at it, as seen in this recently liberated email concerning methods of mitigating possible damage from Panorama's latest Scientology documentary "The Secrets of Scientology"

(SP = Suppressive Person - anyone critical of Scientology.  Scientology also teaches that SPs are generally intollerant and will seek to destroy anything good in the world. See here - if you dissagree with Scientology, you are antisocial personality and are no better than Hitler.)

"Power and Religion"

Image via Wikipedia

Power and Religion, the blog of an ex-scientologist who desperately needs the money the church in Atlanta admits that it owes her, for servies paid for in advance, but has avoided repaying. This is in contravention of it's agreement with the IRS which is part of the Church of Scientology's luxurious tax free status.

You may ask why someone who has left their religion would expect to have any of her donations (or whatever you wish to name them) returned, but if you are genuinely curious, please read her blog. She is not alone, there are many who don't even try to get back the sums they are owed, because they simply cannot face going up against the juggernaut of Scientology.

I find the title curious, but I take it to mean that with power comes responsibility, and the so-called-Church is ignoring the latter.

Cutting out the CoS rot?

This is a very interesting website. Scientology Cult :

"We are a think tank of loyal Scientologists formed around the recognition that Scientology’s problems trace directly to the hidden corruption and criminality of David Miscavige, the self-appointed dictator who subverted Scientology.

Our purpose is to provide transparency to all sides and thereby bring Scientology out of its own Dark Age and into present time where it belongs ... our only pledge is to observe and state what we have observed, do what we can to help and support those abused by Miscavige and bring about a reformation of the subject to its real purpose -- giving people greater freedom in their lives."

I'm no fan of Dianetics or Scientology (I've read about four self-help books and that was four too many for me) but some people do benefit from applying Dianetics or courses such as the Communications Course to their lives. How much would it achieve to tell them "You have to stop thinking in terms of thetans and engrams and stuff now, its all a crock of bad Sci-Fi"? About as much good as telling a Christian not to pray anymore because God was made up based on some egotistical little desert deity from a few thousand years ago.

What can, should, and I hope will change, is the cult itself. I would like to see the followers of Scientology prove that it has any hope of achieving it's goal: "The attainment of complete and total rehabilitation of man’s native but long-obscured abilities that place him at knowing cause over matter, energy, space, time, form, thought and life." (Official Cult "What is Scientology?" website) That last part about being "at knowing cause"over things pretty much means being in control of them.

I will remain skeptical however. The creators of the website seem to want to free Scientology from its current leader, clean out the corruption, and go back to practicing it as it is written in the Source documents. However, as well as all the lovely stuff about making the world a better place, LRH also wrote such orders as:

“If attacked on some vulnerable point by anyone or anything or any organization, always find or manufacture enough threat against them to cause them to sue for peace.”
Source: “Dept of Govt Affairs", 15 August 1960

"The vital targets on which we must invest most of our time are:

(T1) Depopularizing the enemy to the point of obliteration.

(T2) Taking over the control or allegiance of the heads or proprietors of all news media.

(T3) Taking over the control or allegiance of key political figures.

(T4) Taking over the control or allegiance of those who monitor international finance and shifting them to a loss precarious standard"....

"the WFMH, [World Federation of Mental Health] the NAMH [National Association of Mental Health] These are the groups I want destroyed."

• From Scientology's Secret Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter of 14 Jan. 1969, " Seized by FBI agents in the largest FBI raid in history (from Factnet.org)
  

Also this:

“Did you ever read poor old George Orwell’s 1984? Yes, yes, that’s wonderful. That would be, could be, the palest imagined shadow of what a world would be like under the rule of the secret use of Scientology with no remedy in existence.”
L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology
Philadelphia Doctorate Course Tape 20

And:

“MAKE MONEY. MAKE MORE MONEY. MAKE OTHER PEOPLE PRODUCE SO AS TO MAKE MORE MONEY.”
Source: Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, 9 March 1972, MS OEC 384.

I'm not at all sure Scientology can survive as a transparent organisation. Undercover operations, secrecy and lies seem to be all part and parcel of what L Ron Hubbard intended. Anything transparent, honest, open (and cheaper) would not be Scientology.

L Ron Hubbard's Tone Scale

"In any event, any person from 2.0 down on the Tone Scale should not have, in any thinking society, any civil rights of any kind." - L. Ron Hubbard, Science of Survival, 1989 Ed., p. 145

(Wikipedia entry on the Tone Scale, google "Scientology Tone Scale" for a variety of other explanations.) Anxious about anything? (Your position on the Tone Scale maybe?) You are at 1.02. Grieving the loss of a loved one? You are at 0.5, and don't expect sympathy, that is at 0.9 on the scale.

"There are only two answers for the handling of people from 2.0 down on the Tone Scale, neither one of which has anything to do with reasoning with them or listening to their justification of their acts. The first is to raise them on the Tone Scale by un-enturbulating some of their theta by any one of the three valid processes. The other is to dispose of them quietly and without sorrow. The sudden and abrupt deletion of all individuals occupying the lower bands of the tone scale from the social order would result in an almost instant rise in the cultural tone and would interrupt the dwindling spiral into which any society may have entered. It is not necessary to produce a world of clears in order to have a reasonable and worthwhile social order; it is only necessary to delete those individuals who range from 2.0 down"
-L. Ron Hubbard, Science of Survival, p. 170

Don't have nightmares. Scientology isn't in control yet.

"Somebody some day will say 'this is illegal.' By then be sure the orgs [Scientology organizations] say what is legal or not." - L. Ron Hubbard, Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, 4 January 1966, "LRH Relationship to Orgs"

Scientology makes you nervous.

On Twitter - all the clam news, freshly baked. The latest: Journalist's discomfort in Museum of Ron, "the landmark location of the first Church of Scientology where writer, explorer and founder L. Ron Hubbard worked from 1957 to 1960 and established a legacy that increasingly influences human rights, religion, literature and education." Not always by socially acceptable (or legal) means.

Edit - I just found another example of Scientology making one's shoulderblades itchy. This time, its a blogger who went for a job interview at Narconon, not knowing it was a Scientology front-group.

Scientology = Bad Eggs?

http://forums.enturbulation.org/15-breaking-news/german-anons-attacked-eggs-13375/

"Well the protest on may 10th went well and we head a great spirit going. Then it started raining eggs in MUNICH! EGGs thrown from accross the street(where scientology was having an information booth.)"

The thread goes on to discuss the possibility that this is a sign of communication breakdown within the cult, which in turn could be another sign of its imminent collapse. Or, that it could simply be one stressed Scientologist feeling his way of life is under threat. Also, egg jokes.

Certainly this behaviour will make it more difficult to insist that they are a peaceful, rational group of people who just want to make the world better. Probably the egg thrower wasn't obeying church orders, but if the Tech is so good at "clearing the reactive mind" how come this guy reacted so strongly? (Needs moar TRs? Pay up sonny.)

Anonymity, Paranoia, Courage

On March 15th 2008 I attended the Ides of March Anti-Scientology Protest. Only the second protest I have ever participated in, it was much more fun than the first. (Being too chipper when talking about war in Iraq was unlikely to endear me to anyone.)

It took a whole day beforehand for me to analyse my reasons for going, how I would deal with unpleasant problems if they arose, whether I would be able to protect myself from being identified, and how I would feel if I failed and was fair gamed. In the end it was the thought of how I would feel if I didn't go and it turned out to be a huge sucess that got me into the car that morning with my disguises, flyers, and camera.

I was well covered up by the time I got off the train. I put on shades and a fedora in the toilet just before the station, and they made me look like a C-list celebrity trying not to be recognised. I felt silly but it was either that or the fear of being photographed as I met up with the other Anons, and my identity being deduced at some point in the future. I decided to live with the embarrasment rather than risk finding out about Fair Game first hand.

It was quite a walk to the Org, as it is not in a central location. I was looking for suspicious people to begin with. It is a pity my paranoia dipped once we arived, at least two photographers were taking pictures through telephoto lenses from the other side of the junction while one of the Anons talked to the police. I took my own camera out (nobody else had theirs out yet either) and as soon as I lifted it up, the photographers made their exits. Sadly my camera was too slow to be useful as anything but a deterrent.

My paranoia was rampant after that. For about an hour I was making what I hoped were sotto voce humourous faux-accusations of Scientology involvement about anyone who passed, especially if they didn't smile. Fortunately most people did. I was convinced for a few minutes that a couple of people accross the road, one a photographer, "had to be" Scientologists. I even accused the poor guy of looking like my ex-boyfriend's brother. Then the girl smiled. Did that dissuade me? No.. she had to be a "Scilon", just not very good at the stoney faced "Paddington Bear Hard Stare" they all learn on the TRs. Well, I was wrong. I spotted a notepad and all of a sudden she transformed from Scilon to a well meaning student reporter in my mind.

She was actually the local newspaper reporter. I spoke to her for a few minutes while I was getting some photographs of my own from the opposide side of the road. She had written about the local Org before, when it opened the previous summer. She told me she had insisted her name not be put to it (because she knew all about the Fair Game policy) and the same was true of the lovely article she wrote about our protest. I'd be willing to bet that she wouldn't have written so freely if her name had to be on the report.

Critics of Anonymous say that masked protesters don't have the courage to put their name to their opinions. It is more a case of learning from the bad experiences of people in the past, who have spoken out about Scientology's hidden crimes and been the victim of harrasment, trumped-up lawsuits, and other cruelty.

Ironically, the only person to come out of the Org office denied being a Scientologist. How's that for having the courage to stand up for your beliefs?