(no subject)
Recent events have prompted me to write this post. There has been an increase in interest in both Scientology and Anonymous. But frankly, most people have no idea what is going on and why. Unless you are already involved in this fight that is. A steady backlash against Anon has started. Equating them to nothing more than fanatical psychos with nothing better to do than protest a funny fake religion. The common conception of The Church of Scientology is that they are funny little weirdos who are involved in a religion that has something to do with aliens and has several wacky celebrities as spokespeople. Most people seem to think that The Church is actually harmless. Just a silly joke that should not be taken seriously. I mean no one really takes them seriously right?
The reason Anon uses humor in their attacks is to undermine and de-power but the Church is anything but a joke.
So I am going to give you
What you should know 1-5
1.FAIR GAME.
"Fair Game" is a policy within the Church that spells out how SP's (Suppressive Persons) should be dealt with. An SP being nothing more than a critic of Scientology and the Church. The Church itself has very rigid dogma regarding how Scientologists should see the world from an "us and them" perspective. Scientologists are programmed with this paradigm from the very first orientation video and this model is reinforced constantly. Basically the Church thinks that Scientology is the only way to save the planet and their methods are beyond reproach and criticism. To criticize in any way for any reason in any context is from the point of view of the Scientologist as being "evil".
"ENEMY - SP Order. Fair game. May be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed." Policy letter Oct 1967 L. Ron Hubbard
"the law can be used very easily to harass ... The purpose of the suit is to harass and discourage, rather than to win - if possible, of course, ruin [the target] utterly".
"Anyone who criticizes Scientology is a criminal" L Ron Hubbard 1967
Scientologists see themselves as above the law of any country they are in because they believe they are fulfilling a Divine Plan of sorts and will use any method to scare, intimidate, ruin, and silence their opponents.
In 1970 author Paulette Cooper decided to investigate the Church from within using first hand experience. She signed up and went through several courses. A year later she released the first serious work that criticized the Church, "The Scandal of Scientology". The Church began to formulate "Operation Freak Out". A covert plan intended to have Cooper imprisoned or committed to a mental institution. But even before Freak Out began The Church started harassing and attacking Cooper. They stole stationary from Cooper's office and mailed out forged bomb threats to itself. The Church filled lawsuits in every country the book was published in against Cooper *and even imported the books to other countries it wasn't available in for the purpose of suing her in those countries as well*.(*Superior Court, Docket No. C18558). To date Cooper has been sued 19 times by The Church.
In the spring of 1976, the Guardian Office leadership of the Church (a sort of intelligence agency and legal dept rolled into one) decided to initiate the operation full force with the aim "To get P.C. incarcerated in a mental institution or jail, or at least to hit her so hard that she drops her attacks." The planning document, dated April 1, 1976, declared the aim to be "to remove PC from her position of power so that she cannot attack the C of S [Church of Scientology]."
In its initial form Operation Freak Out consisted of three different plans (or "channels", as the Guardian's Office termed them):
1. First, a woman was to imitate Paulette Cooper's voice and make telephone threats to Arab consulates in New York.
2. Second, a threatening letter was to be mailed to an Arab consulate in such a fashion that it would appear to have been done by Paulette Cooper (who is Jewish).
3. Third, a Scientologist volunteer was to impersonate Paulette Cooper at a laundrette and threaten the President and then the Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. A second Scientologist would thereafter inform the FBI of the threat. USA Vs Jane Kember
The plan was never completed for reasons we will look at later.
Ray Wallis was the author of "The Road to Total Freedom: A Sociological Analysis of Scientology", first published in 1976. After the publication of the book, a Scientology agent visited Stirling University where Wallis was teaching and tried to get him to implicate himself in the drug scene. Subsequently, forged letters apparently from Wallis were sent to his colleagues implicating him in scandalous activities including a homosexual love affair.
In 1976, the Church was found legally liable for the malicious prosecution of an ex-Scientologist named L. Gene Allard who left Scientology in 1969 and was then charged with grand theft. The charge was dismissed, and Allard sued the Church.
l, Lawrence Wollersheim, a former Scientologist, alleged that he had been harassed and his business nearly destroyed as a result of "fair game" measures. During appeals, the Church again claimed "Fair Game" was a
"core practice" of Scientology and was thus constitutionally protected "religious expression"
On 12 May 2007 Journalist John Sweeney of BBC Panorama made highly critical comments regarding Scientology and its teachings, and further reported that since beginning an extensive investigation he had been harassed, surveilled, and investigated by strangers. Sweeney wrote, "I have been shouted at, spied on, had my hotel invaded at midnight, denounced as a "bigot" by star Scientologists and chased round the streets of Los Angeles by sinister strangers. Back in Britain strangers have called on my neighbors, my mother-in-law's house and someone spied on my wedding and fled the moment he was challenged."
In the March 11-16, 1981, Danish court case of Jakob Anderson vs The Church Of Scientology of Denmark, ex-Guardian's Office operative Vibeke Dammon testified that the Church did in fact practice Fair Game and had done so in Anderson's case, in an attempt to get Anderson committed to a psychiatric hospital
Maurice William Johnson was a scientologist who resigned in June 1966 and successfully sued for his money back. He told a court that after leaving he had received over 100 abusive letters, many of them using violent language. An article in "The Auditor", a Scientology publication, was produced to the court, stating outright that Johnson was "fair game" and describing him as "an enemy of mankind, the planets and all life."
A long and embittered legal battle between The Cult Awareness Network and The Church left CAN on the verge of bankruptcy. CAN was purchased by The Foundation for Religious Freedom, a known Scientology front group.
Watch as Scientologists begin to infiltrate CAN....
In 2006 independent film maker Brett Hanover made a critical movie about Scientology called "The Bridge". It relied on testimonies from former Church members. Hanover has since removed all mention of the movie from his website and no longer supports it. No reason has been given why but I think we can all assume they he has had the shit scared out of him.
in 2006 Sean Lonsdale was found dead. Lonsdale sat at a street corner in downtown Clearwater FL (the so called spiritual "home" of Scientology) with a sign that said "Cult Watch". The cause of death was apparently suicide from carbon monoxide poisoning. Apparently Sean ran a garden hose attached to his car's exhaust into his bed room window and died in his sleep. I don't know of many people who kill themselves that way, in fact nearly all just sit in their car. Many critics have supposed that the Church killed him.
Scientologist Dennis Clark, head of the CCHR another Scientologist front group, has a long history of physical abuse and assault. He has been caught numerous times on video bumping protesters and stepping on their feet and instigating violence. in 1986 a book called "L Ron Hubbard, Messiah or Madman", was released. According to it's authors Bent Corydon and Brian Ambry, Clark visited their office and when neither one was in Clark pointed to the receptionist and said "You'll do" and punched him in the face.
THIS POLICY AND THESE CASES AND HUNDREDS LIKE THEM ARE WHY ANON PROTESTS IN DISGUISE. IT IS SIMPLY TOO DANGEROUS TO LET THE CHURCH KNOW WHO YOU ARE
In 1968 Hubbard said that "fair game" was to be canceled because it was a "public relations disaster". However dozens and dozens of former Scientologists have claimed that this policy is still very much active and the cancellation was just a publicity ploy. Considering that not only has fair game continued but it has escalated this seems to be true.
2.DISCONNECTION
This is a common practice within the Church in which members MUST sever all ties to friends, family members, or colleagues if those people are found to be SPs or PTS's(potential trouble source). Failure to disconnect from a Suppressive itself becomes a Suppressive Act and failure to do so often results in disciplinary actions that run the gamut of having to be re-trained in "the tech" and pay large sums of money for courses and counseling to The Introspective Rundown (more on that later)
"A Scientologist can become PTS by reason of being connected to someone that is antagonistic to Scientology or its tenets. In order to resolve the PTS condition, he either HANDLES the other person's antagonism (as covered in the materials on PTS handling) or, as a last resort when all attempts to handle have failed, he disconnects from the person. He is simply exercising his right to communicate or not to communicate with a particular person." L. Ron Hubbard
Their are no accurate numbers but if the testimonies are any indication this policy has broken up thousands of families.
3.LISA MCPHERSON AND THE INTROSPECTIVE RUNDOWN
This procedure is allegedly used by the Church to handle a psychotic episode or a complete mental breakdown. The goal is where the person is "looking into one's own mind, feelings, reactions, etc." The end result is "the person extroverted, no longer looking inward worriedly continuously without end."
The first step of the rundown is "isolate the person wholly with all attendants completely muzzled (no speech)." Auditing sessions are given frequently, otherwise the person is not spoken to. Auditing is the central practice of Scientology. It is where an Auditor asks the Scientologist a series of questions and makes notice of the reactions and records them. The main tool of auditing is to interrupt the flow of thought in a person. Often as people are being audited the Auditor will stop them in mid thought and ask them, "go over it again". This goes on for hours and hours. This tactic raises the person's level of frustration and emotional and mental tension to peak levels at which point the Auditor will than offer relief for that tension thus anchoring the feeling of relief to Scientology and it's techniques.
"When it is obvious the person is out of his psychosis and up to the responsibility of living with others his isolation is ended." To determine the end of isolation the supervisor in charge case of the person being isolated tests the person's condition by writing a note, such as "Dear Joe. What can you guarantee me if you are let out of isolation?" If Joe's answer shows continued irresponsibility, the supervisor must write back something like, "Dear Joe. I'm sorry but it is no go on coming out of isolation yet," including the reasons of why not. When it is obvious the person is out of his psychosis and up to the responsibility of living with others his isolation is ended
Lisa McPherson was a scientologist who was in a car accident in Nov 1995. At the accident site she exhibited strange and erratic behavior. She was taken to a psychiatric ward for observation and evaluation. At this point several scientologists arrived and demanded McPherson be released as psychiatry was against their religion. She was and McPherson was placed into the Introspective Rundown. This would be McPherson's second Rundown. She was put into isolation for seventeen days and died. At her autopsy it was noted that McPherson had been denied food and water for days on end and her body was covered in what appeared to be cockroach bites. The Doctor who performed the autopsy has of course been sued by The Church.
4.THE SEA ORG AND THE REHABILITATION PROJECT FORCE.
Org is short for Organization. You see it often in Scientology because they love to abbreviate. The Sea Org grew out of the time in which Hubbard was a tax exile, resigned his position in the Church due to numerous controversies and had nowhere to go except out to see and the safety of international waters. But according to The Church this was all so Hubbard could study past life recollections undisturbed.
Today the Sea Org is considered the elite among The Church and are the group that coordinates and controls the various parts of the Church and their various puppet companies and organizations.
from exscientologykids.com
"The Sea Org's organizational structure is an odd mixture of military and corporate management styles, with staff members living in army-like conditions, receiving boot-camp type punishments for misdeeds, and holding militaristic titles within the organization
The huge majority of Sea Org members are the children of Scientologists, or else they are long-time Scientologists who have been in the church for years and years. This is because not everyone is qualified for the Sea Org. If you have ever taken LSD, or undergone psychiatric treatment of any kind, you are automatically disqualified from joining. However, the children of Scientologists are perfect bait for Sea Org recruiters. Scientology kids almost never do drugs, they have never seen a psychiatrist, they already understand the Scientology lifestyle, they're eager to get out on their own in the world, they have no property, no career, and few possessions to worry about, and they are young enough to be susceptible to guilt-trips, group pressure, and grandiose promises.
Critics believe that the Sea Organization is one of the most abusive groups in the world. The abuses that go on daily in the Sea Org are all that more egregious because, due to Scientology's religious status, law enforcement is reticent to investigate. Here are just a few aspects of Sea Org life, taken from hundreds of personal testimonials from ex-Sea Org members, that are decried by critics:
Sea Org members are not permitted to have children while working for the organization. Couples who get pregnant are either pressured to abort the baby, or they must leave. Often, these people have been in the Sea Org so long, they have nowhere to go, no resume outside of Scientology, no job experience, no finances, no property, and no non-Scientology friends.
Anyone who leaves the Sea Org without permission is declared a Suppressive Person by the Church of Scientology, and is ostracized from family, friends, and loved ones. It is very difficult to get permission to leave the Sea Org, and one cannot simply quit and then walk out the door. The "approved" leaving process involves up to 3 years of hard physical labor, E-metered confessionals, social isolation and group pressure.
Sea Org members live in horrible conditions. Unmarried members never have rooms to themselves, regardless of age, but instead live in small rooms with 3-12 other members. Members are often denied proper sleep and are often forced to skip meals because of the pressures of the job.
Sea Org members are denied proper medical care. They are not provided health insurance, are not given sick days, and the Sea Org will not purchase their medicine for them. If a free clinic won't provide the medicine someone needs, the Sea Org management won't shoulder the costs. There are numerous cases of people who have become very ill in the Sea Org, or who had pre-existing medical conditions, and were not allowed to seek medical treatment.
Sickness is also treated as the fault of the sick person, because Scientologists believe that the only reason someone gets sick is that they are connected to a Suppressive Person. They believe that you can decide not to get sick. So when someone becomes ill, they are treated as though they have done something wrong by not "handling" the situation.
Because Scientology has religious status in many countries, labor laws do not apply to the Sea Org. Therefore, Sea Org members have no protection from long and abusive work hours. Many work 17-20 hours days because of the pressures of the job. Anyone who complains is treated as though they are "not getting with the program", "unethical", or "not on board". There are thousands of minors working under these conditions in the Sea Org.
Sea Org members rarely have more than a few hours off a week. Even during this off-time, they are not permitted to go far from the compound where they live and work. If managements decides that they have not worked hard enough, they are not allowed time off for Christmas, New Years, birthdays or national holidays.
Only married members get rooms to themselves, many children who join the Sea Org marry very young - sometimes at 15 or 16 years of age - just so that they can have a room to themselves.
Sea Org members do not have their own phone numbers (unless they are allowed a cell phone), may not watch TV, are not allowed to own a personal computer with internet connections, and are only infrequently allowed to watch pre-approved movies.
Spouses and family members in the Sea Org rarely see each other. The Sea Org management reserves the right to ship different family members off to work in other countries or areas without any approval from the spouse. Husbands may be sent away from their wives, mothers may be sent away from their children, etc. If the family complains, they are punished.
Families who have members in the Sea Org and other members who are not in the Sea Org rarely see each other. Mothers and fathers with children in the Sea Org may not call them directly, but must call the organization and ask to speak with them.
Letters that Sea Org members write to their families, and letters that they receive from the outside, are screened by Sea Org censors for "entheta" (unhappiness, negativity) before they are passed on. Anyone complaining of unhappiness in the Sea Org in their letters is disciplined, and the letter is not delivered. If a family member sends a letter to someone inside expressing concern about the conditions there, the censor pressures the intended letter recipient to "handle" the sender, often with a monitored phone call in which they are made to say how happy they are, and that everything is going fine.
A Sea Org member commits a punishable offense, they are sent to the RPF, or Rehabilitation Project Force, which is a sort of boot camp for "bad" Sea Org members. People on the RPF may only eat the food left over after the other SO members have eaten, may not speak to a Sea Org member unless spoken to, are not allowed to walk (they must run everywhere), are not allowed holidays, receive even less pay than SO members, and are required to do hard manual labor for long hours. People can be assigned to the RPF for up to 10 years.
Members are put under tremendous psychological pressure. They are expected work as hard as need be without complaint, sacrificing food, sleep, family, and off hours. Often the things they are asked to do are beyond the realm of human possibility, and yet they are criticized for not getting these things done, even when they've tried as hard as they possibly can. Many Sea Org members who leave cite this as one of the most debilitating aspects of the Sea Org - they work and work and work, and yet their boss tells them it is never good enough. Their bosses, of course, are under exactly the same kind of pressure from their bosses, who are under the same from theirs, and so forth."
The RPF is intended to "rehabilitate" members who have not lived up to the Church expectations or have violated certain policies. As part of this program, and in addition to the application of Scientology procedures, members do manual labor tasks around Sea Org bases. The program can take years to complete. Yes, that's right. When you fuck up in the Church you are sent to a forced labor camp.
The RPF project grew out of the Mud Box Brigade aboard Hubbard's personal fleet. Those who pissed off or criticised Hubbard were assigned to cleaning out the bilge pumps and other unsavory tasks aboard the ships.
Their are rampant rumors now with so many people leaving the Church that those in the RPF are not allowed to even see their families
Leaving the Sea Org, even from the RPF, results in what Scientology calls "freeloader debt" or a "freeloader's bill": retroactive billing for any auditing received or any Scientology training received while in the Sea Org, which can run into tens of thousands of dollars.
5.OPERATION SNOW WHITE
Operation Snow White was a program that ran in the 70's that attempted to purge negative accounts of L. Ron Hubbard from various government agencies. This project included a series of infiltrations and thefts from 136 government agencies, foreign embassies and consulates, as well as private organizations critical of Scientology, carried out by Church members, in more than 30 countries.
Scientology operatives committed infiltration, wiretapping, and theft of documents in government offices, most notably those of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Eleven highly-placed Church executives, including Mary Sue Hubbard (wife of founder L. Ron Hubbard and second-in-command of the organization), pled guilty or were convicted in federal court of obstructing justice, burglary of government offices, and theft of documents and government property. The case was United States vs. Mary Sue Hubbard et al., 493 F. Supp. 209 (D.D.C. 1979).
The exposure of Snow White also led to the exposure of Operation Freak Out, which is why the Church was never able to follow up on it's plans with Paulette Cooper.
to be continued
The reason Anon uses humor in their attacks is to undermine and de-power but the Church is anything but a joke.
So I am going to give you
What you should know 1-5
1.FAIR GAME.
"Fair Game" is a policy within the Church that spells out how SP's (Suppressive Persons) should be dealt with. An SP being nothing more than a critic of Scientology and the Church. The Church itself has very rigid dogma regarding how Scientologists should see the world from an "us and them" perspective. Scientologists are programmed with this paradigm from the very first orientation video and this model is reinforced constantly. Basically the Church thinks that Scientology is the only way to save the planet and their methods are beyond reproach and criticism. To criticize in any way for any reason in any context is from the point of view of the Scientologist as being "evil".
"ENEMY - SP Order. Fair game. May be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed." Policy letter Oct 1967 L. Ron Hubbard
"the law can be used very easily to harass ... The purpose of the suit is to harass and discourage, rather than to win - if possible, of course, ruin [the target] utterly".
"Anyone who criticizes Scientology is a criminal" L Ron Hubbard 1967
Scientologists see themselves as above the law of any country they are in because they believe they are fulfilling a Divine Plan of sorts and will use any method to scare, intimidate, ruin, and silence their opponents.
In 1970 author Paulette Cooper decided to investigate the Church from within using first hand experience. She signed up and went through several courses. A year later she released the first serious work that criticized the Church, "The Scandal of Scientology". The Church began to formulate "Operation Freak Out". A covert plan intended to have Cooper imprisoned or committed to a mental institution. But even before Freak Out began The Church started harassing and attacking Cooper. They stole stationary from Cooper's office and mailed out forged bomb threats to itself. The Church filled lawsuits in every country the book was published in against Cooper *and even imported the books to other countries it wasn't available in for the purpose of suing her in those countries as well*.(*Superior Court, Docket No. C18558). To date Cooper has been sued 19 times by The Church.
In the spring of 1976, the Guardian Office leadership of the Church (a sort of intelligence agency and legal dept rolled into one) decided to initiate the operation full force with the aim "To get P.C. incarcerated in a mental institution or jail, or at least to hit her so hard that she drops her attacks." The planning document, dated April 1, 1976, declared the aim to be "to remove PC from her position of power so that she cannot attack the C of S [Church of Scientology]."
In its initial form Operation Freak Out consisted of three different plans (or "channels", as the Guardian's Office termed them):
1. First, a woman was to imitate Paulette Cooper's voice and make telephone threats to Arab consulates in New York.
2. Second, a threatening letter was to be mailed to an Arab consulate in such a fashion that it would appear to have been done by Paulette Cooper (who is Jewish).
3. Third, a Scientologist volunteer was to impersonate Paulette Cooper at a laundrette and threaten the President and then the Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. A second Scientologist would thereafter inform the FBI of the threat. USA Vs Jane Kember
The plan was never completed for reasons we will look at later.
Ray Wallis was the author of "The Road to Total Freedom: A Sociological Analysis of Scientology", first published in 1976. After the publication of the book, a Scientology agent visited Stirling University where Wallis was teaching and tried to get him to implicate himself in the drug scene. Subsequently, forged letters apparently from Wallis were sent to his colleagues implicating him in scandalous activities including a homosexual love affair.
In 1976, the Church was found legally liable for the malicious prosecution of an ex-Scientologist named L. Gene Allard who left Scientology in 1969 and was then charged with grand theft. The charge was dismissed, and Allard sued the Church.
l, Lawrence Wollersheim, a former Scientologist, alleged that he had been harassed and his business nearly destroyed as a result of "fair game" measures. During appeals, the Church again claimed "Fair Game" was a
"core practice" of Scientology and was thus constitutionally protected "religious expression"
On 12 May 2007 Journalist John Sweeney of BBC Panorama made highly critical comments regarding Scientology and its teachings, and further reported that since beginning an extensive investigation he had been harassed, surveilled, and investigated by strangers. Sweeney wrote, "I have been shouted at, spied on, had my hotel invaded at midnight, denounced as a "bigot" by star Scientologists and chased round the streets of Los Angeles by sinister strangers. Back in Britain strangers have called on my neighbors, my mother-in-law's house and someone spied on my wedding and fled the moment he was challenged."
In the March 11-16, 1981, Danish court case of Jakob Anderson vs The Church Of Scientology of Denmark, ex-Guardian's Office operative Vibeke Dammon testified that the Church did in fact practice Fair Game and had done so in Anderson's case, in an attempt to get Anderson committed to a psychiatric hospital
Maurice William Johnson was a scientologist who resigned in June 1966 and successfully sued for his money back. He told a court that after leaving he had received over 100 abusive letters, many of them using violent language. An article in "The Auditor", a Scientology publication, was produced to the court, stating outright that Johnson was "fair game" and describing him as "an enemy of mankind, the planets and all life."
A long and embittered legal battle between The Cult Awareness Network and The Church left CAN on the verge of bankruptcy. CAN was purchased by The Foundation for Religious Freedom, a known Scientology front group.
Watch as Scientologists begin to infiltrate CAN....
In 2006 independent film maker Brett Hanover made a critical movie about Scientology called "The Bridge". It relied on testimonies from former Church members. Hanover has since removed all mention of the movie from his website and no longer supports it. No reason has been given why but I think we can all assume they he has had the shit scared out of him.
in 2006 Sean Lonsdale was found dead. Lonsdale sat at a street corner in downtown Clearwater FL (the so called spiritual "home" of Scientology) with a sign that said "Cult Watch". The cause of death was apparently suicide from carbon monoxide poisoning. Apparently Sean ran a garden hose attached to his car's exhaust into his bed room window and died in his sleep. I don't know of many people who kill themselves that way, in fact nearly all just sit in their car. Many critics have supposed that the Church killed him.
Scientologist Dennis Clark, head of the CCHR another Scientologist front group, has a long history of physical abuse and assault. He has been caught numerous times on video bumping protesters and stepping on their feet and instigating violence. in 1986 a book called "L Ron Hubbard, Messiah or Madman", was released. According to it's authors Bent Corydon and Brian Ambry, Clark visited their office and when neither one was in Clark pointed to the receptionist and said "You'll do" and punched him in the face.
THIS POLICY AND THESE CASES AND HUNDREDS LIKE THEM ARE WHY ANON PROTESTS IN DISGUISE. IT IS SIMPLY TOO DANGEROUS TO LET THE CHURCH KNOW WHO YOU ARE
In 1968 Hubbard said that "fair game" was to be canceled because it was a "public relations disaster". However dozens and dozens of former Scientologists have claimed that this policy is still very much active and the cancellation was just a publicity ploy. Considering that not only has fair game continued but it has escalated this seems to be true.
2.DISCONNECTION
This is a common practice within the Church in which members MUST sever all ties to friends, family members, or colleagues if those people are found to be SPs or PTS's(potential trouble source). Failure to disconnect from a Suppressive itself becomes a Suppressive Act and failure to do so often results in disciplinary actions that run the gamut of having to be re-trained in "the tech" and pay large sums of money for courses and counseling to The Introspective Rundown (more on that later)
"A Scientologist can become PTS by reason of being connected to someone that is antagonistic to Scientology or its tenets. In order to resolve the PTS condition, he either HANDLES the other person's antagonism (as covered in the materials on PTS handling) or, as a last resort when all attempts to handle have failed, he disconnects from the person. He is simply exercising his right to communicate or not to communicate with a particular person." L. Ron Hubbard
Their are no accurate numbers but if the testimonies are any indication this policy has broken up thousands of families.
3.LISA MCPHERSON AND THE INTROSPECTIVE RUNDOWN
This procedure is allegedly used by the Church to handle a psychotic episode or a complete mental breakdown. The goal is where the person is "looking into one's own mind, feelings, reactions, etc." The end result is "the person extroverted, no longer looking inward worriedly continuously without end."
The first step of the rundown is "isolate the person wholly with all attendants completely muzzled (no speech)." Auditing sessions are given frequently, otherwise the person is not spoken to. Auditing is the central practice of Scientology. It is where an Auditor asks the Scientologist a series of questions and makes notice of the reactions and records them. The main tool of auditing is to interrupt the flow of thought in a person. Often as people are being audited the Auditor will stop them in mid thought and ask them, "go over it again". This goes on for hours and hours. This tactic raises the person's level of frustration and emotional and mental tension to peak levels at which point the Auditor will than offer relief for that tension thus anchoring the feeling of relief to Scientology and it's techniques.
"When it is obvious the person is out of his psychosis and up to the responsibility of living with others his isolation is ended." To determine the end of isolation the supervisor in charge case of the person being isolated tests the person's condition by writing a note, such as "Dear Joe. What can you guarantee me if you are let out of isolation?" If Joe's answer shows continued irresponsibility, the supervisor must write back something like, "Dear Joe. I'm sorry but it is no go on coming out of isolation yet," including the reasons of why not. When it is obvious the person is out of his psychosis and up to the responsibility of living with others his isolation is ended
Lisa McPherson was a scientologist who was in a car accident in Nov 1995. At the accident site she exhibited strange and erratic behavior. She was taken to a psychiatric ward for observation and evaluation. At this point several scientologists arrived and demanded McPherson be released as psychiatry was against their religion. She was and McPherson was placed into the Introspective Rundown. This would be McPherson's second Rundown. She was put into isolation for seventeen days and died. At her autopsy it was noted that McPherson had been denied food and water for days on end and her body was covered in what appeared to be cockroach bites. The Doctor who performed the autopsy has of course been sued by The Church.
4.THE SEA ORG AND THE REHABILITATION PROJECT FORCE.
Org is short for Organization. You see it often in Scientology because they love to abbreviate. The Sea Org grew out of the time in which Hubbard was a tax exile, resigned his position in the Church due to numerous controversies and had nowhere to go except out to see and the safety of international waters. But according to The Church this was all so Hubbard could study past life recollections undisturbed.
Today the Sea Org is considered the elite among The Church and are the group that coordinates and controls the various parts of the Church and their various puppet companies and organizations.
from exscientologykids.com
"The Sea Org's organizational structure is an odd mixture of military and corporate management styles, with staff members living in army-like conditions, receiving boot-camp type punishments for misdeeds, and holding militaristic titles within the organization
The huge majority of Sea Org members are the children of Scientologists, or else they are long-time Scientologists who have been in the church for years and years. This is because not everyone is qualified for the Sea Org. If you have ever taken LSD, or undergone psychiatric treatment of any kind, you are automatically disqualified from joining. However, the children of Scientologists are perfect bait for Sea Org recruiters. Scientology kids almost never do drugs, they have never seen a psychiatrist, they already understand the Scientology lifestyle, they're eager to get out on their own in the world, they have no property, no career, and few possessions to worry about, and they are young enough to be susceptible to guilt-trips, group pressure, and grandiose promises.
Critics believe that the Sea Organization is one of the most abusive groups in the world. The abuses that go on daily in the Sea Org are all that more egregious because, due to Scientology's religious status, law enforcement is reticent to investigate. Here are just a few aspects of Sea Org life, taken from hundreds of personal testimonials from ex-Sea Org members, that are decried by critics:
Sea Org members are not permitted to have children while working for the organization. Couples who get pregnant are either pressured to abort the baby, or they must leave. Often, these people have been in the Sea Org so long, they have nowhere to go, no resume outside of Scientology, no job experience, no finances, no property, and no non-Scientology friends.
Anyone who leaves the Sea Org without permission is declared a Suppressive Person by the Church of Scientology, and is ostracized from family, friends, and loved ones. It is very difficult to get permission to leave the Sea Org, and one cannot simply quit and then walk out the door. The "approved" leaving process involves up to 3 years of hard physical labor, E-metered confessionals, social isolation and group pressure.
Sea Org members live in horrible conditions. Unmarried members never have rooms to themselves, regardless of age, but instead live in small rooms with 3-12 other members. Members are often denied proper sleep and are often forced to skip meals because of the pressures of the job.
Sea Org members are denied proper medical care. They are not provided health insurance, are not given sick days, and the Sea Org will not purchase their medicine for them. If a free clinic won't provide the medicine someone needs, the Sea Org management won't shoulder the costs. There are numerous cases of people who have become very ill in the Sea Org, or who had pre-existing medical conditions, and were not allowed to seek medical treatment.
Sickness is also treated as the fault of the sick person, because Scientologists believe that the only reason someone gets sick is that they are connected to a Suppressive Person. They believe that you can decide not to get sick. So when someone becomes ill, they are treated as though they have done something wrong by not "handling" the situation.
Because Scientology has religious status in many countries, labor laws do not apply to the Sea Org. Therefore, Sea Org members have no protection from long and abusive work hours. Many work 17-20 hours days because of the pressures of the job. Anyone who complains is treated as though they are "not getting with the program", "unethical", or "not on board". There are thousands of minors working under these conditions in the Sea Org.
Sea Org members rarely have more than a few hours off a week. Even during this off-time, they are not permitted to go far from the compound where they live and work. If managements decides that they have not worked hard enough, they are not allowed time off for Christmas, New Years, birthdays or national holidays.
Only married members get rooms to themselves, many children who join the Sea Org marry very young - sometimes at 15 or 16 years of age - just so that they can have a room to themselves.
Sea Org members do not have their own phone numbers (unless they are allowed a cell phone), may not watch TV, are not allowed to own a personal computer with internet connections, and are only infrequently allowed to watch pre-approved movies.
Spouses and family members in the Sea Org rarely see each other. The Sea Org management reserves the right to ship different family members off to work in other countries or areas without any approval from the spouse. Husbands may be sent away from their wives, mothers may be sent away from their children, etc. If the family complains, they are punished.
Families who have members in the Sea Org and other members who are not in the Sea Org rarely see each other. Mothers and fathers with children in the Sea Org may not call them directly, but must call the organization and ask to speak with them.
Letters that Sea Org members write to their families, and letters that they receive from the outside, are screened by Sea Org censors for "entheta" (unhappiness, negativity) before they are passed on. Anyone complaining of unhappiness in the Sea Org in their letters is disciplined, and the letter is not delivered. If a family member sends a letter to someone inside expressing concern about the conditions there, the censor pressures the intended letter recipient to "handle" the sender, often with a monitored phone call in which they are made to say how happy they are, and that everything is going fine.
A Sea Org member commits a punishable offense, they are sent to the RPF, or Rehabilitation Project Force, which is a sort of boot camp for "bad" Sea Org members. People on the RPF may only eat the food left over after the other SO members have eaten, may not speak to a Sea Org member unless spoken to, are not allowed to walk (they must run everywhere), are not allowed holidays, receive even less pay than SO members, and are required to do hard manual labor for long hours. People can be assigned to the RPF for up to 10 years.
Members are put under tremendous psychological pressure. They are expected work as hard as need be without complaint, sacrificing food, sleep, family, and off hours. Often the things they are asked to do are beyond the realm of human possibility, and yet they are criticized for not getting these things done, even when they've tried as hard as they possibly can. Many Sea Org members who leave cite this as one of the most debilitating aspects of the Sea Org - they work and work and work, and yet their boss tells them it is never good enough. Their bosses, of course, are under exactly the same kind of pressure from their bosses, who are under the same from theirs, and so forth."
The RPF is intended to "rehabilitate" members who have not lived up to the Church expectations or have violated certain policies. As part of this program, and in addition to the application of Scientology procedures, members do manual labor tasks around Sea Org bases. The program can take years to complete. Yes, that's right. When you fuck up in the Church you are sent to a forced labor camp.
The RPF project grew out of the Mud Box Brigade aboard Hubbard's personal fleet. Those who pissed off or criticised Hubbard were assigned to cleaning out the bilge pumps and other unsavory tasks aboard the ships.
Their are rampant rumors now with so many people leaving the Church that those in the RPF are not allowed to even see their families
Leaving the Sea Org, even from the RPF, results in what Scientology calls "freeloader debt" or a "freeloader's bill": retroactive billing for any auditing received or any Scientology training received while in the Sea Org, which can run into tens of thousands of dollars.
5.OPERATION SNOW WHITE
Operation Snow White was a program that ran in the 70's that attempted to purge negative accounts of L. Ron Hubbard from various government agencies. This project included a series of infiltrations and thefts from 136 government agencies, foreign embassies and consulates, as well as private organizations critical of Scientology, carried out by Church members, in more than 30 countries.
Scientology operatives committed infiltration, wiretapping, and theft of documents in government offices, most notably those of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Eleven highly-placed Church executives, including Mary Sue Hubbard (wife of founder L. Ron Hubbard and second-in-command of the organization), pled guilty or were convicted in federal court of obstructing justice, burglary of government offices, and theft of documents and government property. The case was United States vs. Mary Sue Hubbard et al., 493 F. Supp. 209 (D.D.C. 1979).
The exposure of Snow White also led to the exposure of Operation Freak Out, which is why the Church was never able to follow up on it's plans with Paulette Cooper.
to be continued