Scientology has had a horrendous October.

They were convicted of fraud in France and both the St. Petersburg Times and ABC’s Nightline had very damaging reports from ex members who have spoken out.

A multitude of lawsuits are moving forward and the media continues to be a thorn in Scientology’s side.

One of Scientology’s long time members, celebrity Paul Haggis has recently flown the coop and has spoken out. Also many members, and high level “OT’s” have left the cult.

Two new books by ex members have just been published.

Marc Headley wrote “Blown For Good, Behind Scientology’s Iron Curtain” and Nancy Many has written, “My Billion Year Contract“. Kudos to them!

Both Books Available On Amazon.com

Well, November isn’t looking any better for Scientology.

Just yesterday, Australian Senator, Nicholas (Nick) Xenophon has called for a Senate inquiry into Scientology.
 

The Senator presented horrific stories that were sent to him by ex Scientology members, Aaron Saxton, Carmel Underwood, Paul Schofield, Anna and Dean Detheridge and Kevin Mackey. 

Xenophon stated,

 that the ex members claim that Scientology is an abusive, manipulative, violent and criminal organisation, and that criminality is condoned at the highest levels and thatand said he is seeing a worldwide pattern of abuse and criminality.

The Senator’s presentaion was well researched with highlights on the cult’s many abuses and their tax exemption status. 
Click the following links to watch Part One and Part Two on YouTube.
For the transcript listed on the Parliament of Australia website, click here.

A little look into what was said by ex members and reported by the Senator.
Ex member, Aaron Saxton’s who was born into Scientology, was made a security guard for the cult at age 16. His time while in the cult, tells a horrific tale of what Scientology forced him to do or suffer their consequences. 

Aaron said he had to commit many fraudulent acts on behalf of the cult. These acts included coercing Sea Org members into having abortions, family disconnection, he was made to falsify bank records, he blackmailed other members by using their private info from their files, and participated in defrauding of credit cards.

More disturbingly, Aaron had to pull out his own teeth because of lack of medical care. He was also told not to report that a man attempted to rape him. 

A couple of snippets from the Senator’s transcript, (please read the entire transcript):

Aaron said he was so heavily under the control of the organisation’s bizarre power structure he was complicit in ordering the beating of one follower and facilitated the beating of another.

Aaron has now left the organisation and is willing to cooperate with police investigations into these matters. He was born into the cult, and he says he regrets the control it had over him and the things he did as a result.

Ex Sea Org member, Carmel Underwood.
Carmel worked for the cult in Sydney. She was also the financial planning arm of the cult. When she became pregnant, she was pressured to abort her child.

Some snippets on Carmel from the transcript:

She was working for the organisation in Sydney she fell pregnant and was put under extreme pressure to have an abortion. When she refused, she was put on a disappearing program.

Carmel says she chose to speak out because she knows there are many more victims of Scientology many of whom are still caught up in the organisation and are being physically, financially and mentally abused.

Carmel’s husband, Tim, supports his wife’s story and says the couple suffered serious financial hardship because of their involvement in the organisation. He says they were forced to pay more than $100,000 to publicise the organisation and for so-called religious texts and courses.

And finally on to the very sad story of Paul Schofield.
Paul lost his two young daughters while in the cult.

Snippets from the transcript on Paul:

He alleges the cover-up of child abuse by the organisation and admits being part of a campaign to cover up the facts surrounding the deaths of two of his daughters. Paul says his first daughter, Lauren, who was 14 months old, was being babysat at the organisation’s building in Sydney when she was allowed to wander the stairs by herself and fall. She died in hospital two days later. Paul says he felt pressured by Scientology executives not to request a coronial inquiry—pressure he ultimately gave in to. He was also told if he sought compensation from Scientology he and his wife would be ineligible for any other services.

His second daughter, Kirsty, who was 2½, died after ingesting potassium chloride—a substance used as part of a so-called purification program run by the organisation. Under the direction of  Scientology executives, Paul says he perjured himself to the police, and during the coronial inquest, in order to protect the organisation. Under incredible pressure he agreed to lie because he was scared he would be heavily punished by Scientology if he told the truth. It is a decision he regrets to this day.

 

From ex members Anna and Dean Detheridge, taken from the transcript:

claim to have been subjected to physical and mental abuse during their time with the organisation.

From Kevin Mackey taken from the transcript:

Kevin Mackey wrote to me detailing his 26 years of abuse in the organisation.

Once you have taken the bait and become hooked, the real Scientology is presented, very slowly, over years.

This psychological conditioning Kevin is talking about eventually saw him and his wife hand over almost a million dollars to the organisation in exchange for services and products.

Senator’s closing statements to parliament pretty much sums up what anti Scientology protesters and ex members who have spoken out against the cult have been all saying right along:

Do we really want to be funding an organisation that turns supporters into victims in its pursuit of power and wealth? That is why I am calling for a Senate inquiry into this organisation and its tax-exempt status. In the past Scientology has claimed that those who question their organisation are attacking the group’s religious freedom. It is twisted logic, to say the least. Religious freedom did not mean the Catholic or Anglican Churches were not held accountable for crimes and abuses committed by their priests, nuns and officials—albeit belatedly. Ultimately, this is not about religious freedom. In Australia there are no limits on what you can believe. But there are limits on how you can behave. It is called the law, and no-one is above it.

Thankfully, the Australain Police are now taking complaints on Scientology.

Ex members are starting to come out from the veil of secrecy and fight more than ever. Yesterday, it was announced on the Ex Scientology Message Board, that former member Kevin Mackey, (mentioned earlier) is getting together a class action lawsuit along with twenty other former Scientologists.The lawsuit willbe filed against the I.A.S. (which stands for International Association of Scientology) and Super Power. Both are incorporated in California, so that is where the case is being filed. He is asking for any ex members interested in participating in this class action suit to please contact him.

Kevin and other ex members are demanding their money back for contributions that they made. The money they handed over to the cult, did not go where the cult promised it was going.

FYI … The Super Power they speak of is a building attached to the Ft. Harrison Hotel in Clearwater. It is of course called The Super Power Building. (<click to read about it, it’s a real hoot!)

Funds have been collected from members for years through Scientology’s  “Super Power Expansion Project”. Where did all that money go?

The building was supposed to have been finished by the cult years ago. But it still remains an empty shell to this day. As of late March 2009, work on the building which is the length of a whole city block, is still at a standstill; the daily fines levied by the city now total $245,000.
Click here, for more info on why the Super Power Building remains closed by Marc Headley aka BFG which was written almost THREE YEARS ago.

Why Clearwater stands for Scientology’s shenanigans, is beyond me. I would imagine since Scientology has managed to slink their way in and buy up most of Clearwater over the years, (originally came in under a FAKE church name to purchase the Fort Harrison Hotel), that city officials are probably afraid of falling prey to the cult’s litigious nature and fair game tactics. Sad.

So once again America…
Why so lax? What’s it going to take?

The more our government sits idly by and allows the abuses and fraud of Scientology to continue, the more complicit they are in helping them to survive.

Again, as always…
you can believe in what you want, and that is your right. But when there is a continuous mountain of evidence that your “church” is being an abusive and corrupt organization that does not follow it’s own creed, it’s time to reavaluate the reasons why you joined Scientology in the first place.
Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Plain and simple.

If you need help leaving Scientology, or just need someone to talk to:
Call 1-866-XSEAORG.  (1-866-973-2674) This is a toll free call.
Visit the XSEAORG website:
http://www.exseaorg.com/

The people who contacted Senator Xenophon, are all listed on the “ex members who have spoken out” list on the Why We Protest Wiki along with their testimonies, interviews and videos. To view the WWP Wiki  list click here. (Thanks Anonymous!)

Currently, the count on the Wiki has reached 812 names, and it continues to grow.

WOW! That’s an awful lot of people saying the same thing.

How many times can Scientology deny all these claims before everyone including our government, realizes that Scientology is nothing more than an abusive, fraudulent business that is far from credible?

WAKE UP AMERICA!

This has not been the best week for Scientology.

October has proven to be one of Scientology’s worst months in history. Between being found guilty of fraud in France, celebrity Paul Haggis telling them “see yah!,” the ABC Nightline series with Tommy Davis walking out on the interview, the two new books coming out by ex members “Blown For Good” by Marc Headley and “My Billion Year Contract” by Nancy Many, the many new pending lawsuits, their orgs closing left and right, and with many members leaving….. it’s safe to say, it’s not too cool to be a Scientologist right now.

This past Sunday and Monday, the St. Petersburg Times reported on interviews they conducted 
with former members of the cult. Today was their last installment in their three part series. It was the story of a former member, Don Jason who actually had to jump off a ship to try to gain his freedom. We will get to Don a bit later.

The interviews included former member’s accounts of being chased, harassed and followed by private investigators. Ex members explained how they were drawn back in to the cult and convinced to stay, against their better judgment. They thought they were doing the right thing by trying to have a clean slate with the cult, but time after time when they returned, it only made matters worse for them and prolonged their exit. Some members just wanted to simply start their lives over and to be left alone, and they succeeded, but soon they found out they were infiltrated by Scientology plants pretending to be their friends.

The cult hired private investigators to hunt down these members that had left. Once the former members were caught up with, they were convinced to come back and “route out” of Scientology. For more on routing out, click here. These former members were also asked to sign a ”pumped up” affidavit, so the cult would be able to cover their butts if these members were to leave and speak out against the cult.

Well that time has come. Former members who spoke out against Scientology to the SP Times are seeing information which was contained within those affidavits they signed once again.

Scientology spokes-creep Tommy Davis, (actress Anne Archer’s son) has pulled the affidavits out and showed them to the SP Times in the cult’s defense against the former member’s claims and stories. The cult also dug into these former member’s confidential files and put a crazy, allegation-laden, Scientology spin on their information to try to discredit them.

Scientology spokes-idiot Tommy Davis also denied the cult ever hired private investigators themselves, but that the PI’s were hired by THEIR Scientology lawyers. Way to throw your scum bag lawyers under the bus Scientology! What a bunch of cowards.

I would imagine the cult’s top lawyers like Kendrick Moxon, Helena Kobrin and Monique E. Yingling may be getting pretty sweaty palms right about now.

Miserable Kendrick Moxon

FYI… years ago, Moxon’s daughter Stacy Meyer, died at Gold Base in Gilman Hot Springs Ca. She joined the Sea Org at age 16 I believe. She died by electrocution INSIDE an underground transformer vault on the property. The details are too lengthy to get in to. The case was looked into, but not enough in my opinion. No words can describe a person like Moxon.

His daughter was cremated and her ashes were released at sea. Which sounds all too familiar to cult founder and con man, L. Ron Hubbard’s death. Moxon’s daughter’s death remains a mystery, just like other Scientology related deaths that never made any sense. Some day, those who know what actually happened will come forward. Sorry to side track from the SP Times, but now that Scientology has literally thrown their lawyers under the bus, it made me wonder how Moxon will handle these claims by Davis. People would love to hear what Moxon has to say. Isn’t Scientology saying more or less that they are not liable for the PI’s activities that THEIR lawyers hired? Interesting spin.

The St. Pete’s Times had lengthy interviews and also video taped former members while they told their stories. Their body language told me that they were telling the truth. These videos are posted on the SP Times website for all to see.

The name Pat Broeker came up in one of the interviews, and although he declined to be interviewed by the SP Times, this is one man that must have Scientology shaking in it’s boots.

Pat Broeker was L. Ron Hubbard’s personal messenger and was said to be next in line to take over Scientology when Hubbard died. Broeker’s nickname was  ”007″.

Broeker and his wife Annie were very close to Hubbard. Towards the end of Hubbard’s life, Hubbard was staying in a 40 ft trailer in Creston. Some excerpts from the LA Times story The Final Days by Joel Sappell and Robert W. Welkos written in 1990,

From Chapter four:

“The church said Hubbard went into seclusion to continue his Scientology research and to resurrect his science fiction-writing career. But former aides have said he dropped from sight to avoid subpoenas and government tax agents probing allegations that he was skimming church funds.

“They alleged that Hubbard skimmed millions of dollars from church coffers while he was in hiding”

“His thin gray hair, with streaks of the old red, hung without sheen to his shoulders. He had grown a stringy, unkempt beard and mustache. His round face was now sunken and his ruddy complexion had turned pasty. He was an old man and he was nearing death.”

Not very glamorous for the revered founder of Scientology. But members of course refuse to believe that any of those reports are true. Hubbard eventually suffered a stroke which left him unable to get out of bed and his speech was impaired. I guess his “OT powers” could not help him.

L. Ron “dropped his body” (kicked the bucket in scio speak)  on Jan 24th, 1986.  The particulars surrounding Hubbard’s death were very mysterious and many thought he may have been murdered. When the Scientology attorney rushed to get Hubbard’s body cremated, the cremation center became suspicious when they found out it was L. Ron Hubbard and insisted on doing blood tests. Vistaril was found in his bloodstream. Vistaril is a pysche drugs, and using such drugs are violently against Scientology’s beliefs. A full autopsy was not performed due to the cult’s claims of it being against their religion. A cover up perhaps?

Odd.. When John Travolta’s son died, he also had a quickie autopsy and the body was cremated 
right away. Very eerie.

Hubbard’s ashes were tossed into the sea from a TINY boat and there were only a few people in attendance. Sound familiar? Both David Miscavige and Broeker where in attendance. And although Scientologists do not make a big deal about death because they believe that a person comes back several times after death… I find it puzzling that the founder of Scientology died in such a mysterious manner and had such a tiny insignificant ceremony with hardly anyone in attendance. Makes no sense what so ever. Another account of Hubbard’s last days can be found here.

Of course Scientology told it’s members that Hubbard dropped his body and went “exterior” (went outside his body) to go study the upper levels of Scientology’s Bridge To Total Freedom, and members of course believed this fantasy hook, line and sinker. Miscavige then took over the cult. Although according to another reliable source, Miscavige had already been running everything four years prior to Hubbard’s death. 

So Pat Broeker is definitely a man of interest, to say the least. He must know an awful LOT of juicy things that Scientology would love to keep quiet.

Another BIG thing that is kept quiet? Broeker’s wife Annie. She supposedly got put on RPF (punishment) years ago and was “straightened out”. People have not seen or heard from her in years. Nobody is sure where she is.

That also goes for cult leader David Miscavige’s wife. Shelly Miscavige. For someone who is the wife of the leader of the ”fastest spreading religion” in the world. *SNICKER*, Where the hell is she? There are hardly ANY pictures of her anywhere and she never attends any of the big  Scientology “Ideal Org” openings or any of the big IAS (International Association of Scientologists) events.

At the very least you would think that cult members would question where she is after all these years of her being MIA. But nope, they just keep their blinders on and keep their eye on the prize. But sadly, there isn’t any prize, only empty bank accounts, ruined lives and sorrow.

If Broeker was to come forward with all that he knew, it would be the icing on the cake. He holds the key to many questions that need to be answered. Another big question… how did David Miscavige actually weasel his way into becoming the cult leader in the first place? Miscavige blackmailing Broeker is a huge possibility. But that was years ago and now Broeker has a lot more leverage. I hope Broeker has some decency left in his heart and comes forward and sings like a canary. It’s time.

Now back to the SP Times….

But wait, there’s more…

ABC Nightline’s, Martin Bashir interviewed Scientology cult spokesman Tommy Davis (son of actress Ann Archer) last night.

He interviewed ex Scientology members Marty Rathbun, Amy Scobee and Bruce Hines. Ex members Mike Rinder and Tom DeVocht although not present for the taping of the interview, did answer questions for ABC. 

Rathbun and Scobee along with ex members Tom DeVocht and Mike Rinder were recently interviewed by the St. Petersburg Times. Their interviews with the SP Times revealed scathing allegations of  the physical and mental abuse of Scientology members  that they witnessed at the hands of current Scientology cult leader David Miscavige. If you missed it, you can watch it here.

Although there was no mention of why cult leader David Miscavige was not present, Tommy Davis did a pretty wonderful job of looking far from credible. You don’t have to be a body language expert to notice Davis’ constant shifting eyes, how he constantly looks away, the fidgeting with his hair, clasped hands, along with his stuttering to know that he was not too comfortable with the questions that Bashir was asking him.

Bashir and Davis discussed a bunch of allegations levied against the cult, including family disconnection within the cult of Scientology’s Sea Organization, as well as a punishment called the Rehabilitation Project Force aka The RPF for short.

It was great that Davis did not deny that there was an actual RPF within Scientology’s Sea Organization, but Davis claims that the RPF is a VOLUNTARY punishment. This statement sent me through the roof.

Davis said that Sea Org members are put on such a punishment if they fail in their duties. What he didn’t mention, was that a Sea Org member can be put on RPF for something as tiny as looking at someone the wrong way. I also would love to know what Sea Org members would voluntarily put themselves on a punishment which involves lack of sleep, low quality food, not being able to talk to anyone, wearing black clothing to further separate you from others, being shamed, ridiculed, and being forced to run everywhere rather than to walk. The RPF usually means that you will be put on some sort of  manual hard labor which can go into all hours of the night and this punishment can literally last for YEARS.

Just one trip to the ex Scientology kids website will validate these claims about the RPF. Or you can pick up books written by ex Scientology members. Books like The Complex by John Duignan and Blown For Good by Marc Headley(which we recently did an article on) are just two examples of ex members shedding more light on this abusive cult. There is also a new book which just came out, called My Billion Year Contract by ex Scientology member Nancy Many who dedicated for 27 years of her life to Scientology.

Nancy’s book title derives from the contract you sign when joining Scientology’s Sea Organization. You must sign a billion year contract with Scientology in order to join the Sea Org. I kid you not. Click here to see an actual copy of Scientology’s Sea Org contract.

So back to the interview….
The ex cult members that were interviewed, dedicated 20+ years of their lives to the cult, and luckilly were able to escape. Although mentally, they are still suffering. 

One of the MANY things I found VERY disturbing about this interview, was the subject of family disconnection within the Sea Org. The mention of family disconnection itself is disturbing on its own.

But when Bashir asked Davis about Sea Org members who get married, (this is where Davis really starts to squirm) and if there are controls put in place on how often members are allowed to see their families, Davis said “there are “specific policies” that  apply to the RPF which governs what they do and what their schedule is“. Bashir then asks Davis how many times in a week would they be allowed to see their family members and Davis said “he didn’t really know off the top of his head“. 

Why would a spokesman for the “church” not know the policies of his own ”church” after being a member of Scientology for practically his entire life? And when Bashir asks Davis what was a fair guess of how many times a week Sea Org members get to see their family members, and asks if it once a week is correct, Davis said “once a week sounded about right“. Davis also said he thought seeing family members once a week was appropriate. LOVELY “church” isn’t it?

Where or where are the family protective services in all this?

If you are horrified, then please also understand this his statement is not entirely true. It’s worse. Some members can go years without seeing their family. Davis is also referring to Sea Org members whose family members are WITHIN the Sea Org and stationed at the same Org. And even then, members still don’t get to see their family. Davis is also not referring to any Sea Org members who have family members that are not in Scientology. There are people who haven’t seen their children in years. The cult fears outside interaction with family members. They fear that family will try to persuade their members to get out of the cult. To cut off members from their families is of course in pure cult fashion.

Sea Org members who are stationed at Golden Era Productions aka Gold Base in Ca., are not allowed to leave that property at all. Hard to believe that this is allowed to happen in the US today. But it does.

Also what Davis said doesn’t apply to many Sea Orgers that have other family members in the Sea Org stationed elsewhere in other countries. Many of these Sea Orgers are not on RPF, they just will never get the chance to see their family period. Members will never be spared the time to do so, nor can they afford to travel on their .25 cents an hour pay. Besides, Scientology is afraid they will flee.

According to ex Sea Org member Bruce Hines, (who was also physically abused by cult leader David Miscavige) gets a little tearful during the interview discussing his past life in Scientology. There were periods of time that he was not allowed to see his son while he was on RPF. He said at times he would wave to his son from afar if he saw him running by. His son was attending the Scientology school near by. Not being able to see you parents is considered child abuse in my book. Thankfully Bruce’s son also left the cult.

Hines also discusses his divorce and how divorce is encouraged in Scientology, and also the disconnection from other family members he still experiences today. How sad is this? 

Another one of the ex members being interviewed was Marty Rathbun. He mentioned that cult leader David Miscavige owned a beagle dog, and that Miscavige ordered a custom made military type outfit to be made for the dog complete with epaulettes. Rathbun also stated that if members didn’t salute Miscavige’s dog, then there would be big trouble. And if the dog barked at any member, than that member was considered to be “out ethics”. Amy Scobee also confirmed this claim . And a little visit to the Why We Protest site revealed a comment by BFG aka Blown For Good, aka Marc Headley, in which he also talks about Miscavige’s dogs. Here’s the snipette from WWP:

In terms of the dog – there was actually at least 4 of them. Safi, Jelly, Lucy and Daisy. Lucy was the one that did the barking at “out-ethics” people.

The dogs DO travel with Dave. They at least went to Clearwater all the time. These dogs make Paris Hilton’s dogs look like ghetto strays. Clothes, special food, People to walk them and pick up their crap and take care of them. Those dogs easily have more money spent on their weekly food than 10 RPFers combined!

So correct me if I am wrong…. but it sounds like Miscavige’s dogs live and eat better than the Sea Org members? And the cult spends MORE money on these dogs then their own Sea Org members?
Who by the way are the very people who have to take care of these spoiled mutts. Talk about utter DISGUST and OUTRAGE.

ABC stated that members of Scientology wrote several affidavits denying that Miscavige was an abusive person and that Rathbun was the abusive person. Of course members and staff will do what they are told to do, or suffer the consequences. Rathbun does not deny that he was abusive, but blames Miscavige for  his actions.

Speaking of cult leader David Miscavige, where is he? He is the current leader of this so called “church”, so why wasn’t he interviewed?

Perhaps his last defensive interview with Ted Koppel back in 1992 was all he can manage with his “busy” schedule.

You would think now more than ever, that Scientology members would want some reassurance from their “leader”. (I use the term VERY lightly)  But Miscavige seems to be MIA. Rumors are, that Miscavige is seeking refuge in Columbia. With all the pending court cases against Scientology, ex members speaking out and with more members leaving, it’s clear that Miscavige is not the “church” leader that he professes to be and is hiding. What could possibly be his excuse for not granting another interview for over seventeen years now? Hiding on Scientology’s Tone Scale is VERY low. *snicker*

Back to wonder boy…

But wait, there’s more…

Scientology’s last remaining sentries are trying desperately to discredit the disturbing, illegal, and immoral allegations being lodged by ex high-ranking officials who’ve finally agreed to speak out against the Church’s leader David Miscavige, but in doing so, the Church is also revealing their own twisted and warped process of terror.

When I first began investigating the Church of Scientology I was overwhelmed with information. The hierarchy and structure of the organization is designed with deception and prevarication at its core. A side effect one might suggest from running an organization designed solely to dupe followers out of large sums of money. When running a ponzi scheme of this magnitude, it’s essential to keep people in line and in check, and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and later sucessor David Miscavige, used fear, manipulation and psychological and physical intimidation to keep staffers close and “on board” with the game plan. And the game plan was to create a world dominate organization which dispensed pseudo-spirituality, while creating billions and billions in profit.

Two names which surfaced time and time again as I researched and spoke with critics and ex-members alike were Miscavige’s high-ranking cronies, Mike Rinder and Marty Rathbun. When I asked my most inside sources how to track these folks down, I was hit with “no way, they will never talk, they know too much and were too deeply entrenched in the most nefarious of Scientology’s illegal actions.”

Time has changed since then, and now with the safety of numbers in their favor and perhaps an internal need to right their wrongs, these two men are speaking out, and even more telling is Scientology’s official response to their heady allegations against Miscavige and Scientology.

From the St. Petersburg Times:

This account comes from executives who for decades were key figures in Scientology’s powerful inner circle. Marty Rathbun and Mike Rinder, the highest-ranking executives to leave the church, are speaking out for the first time….

Rinder and Rathbun speak:

Now they provide an unprecedented look inside the upper reaches of the tightly controlled organization. They reveal:

• Physical violence permeated Scientology’s international management team. Miscavige set the tone, routinely attacking his lieutenants. Rinder says the leader attacked him some 50 times.

Rathbun, Rinder and De Vocht admit that they, too, attacked their colleagues, to demonstrate loyalty to Miscavige and prove their mettle.

• Staffers are disciplined and controlled by a multi­layered system of “ecclesiastical justice.” It includes publicly confessing sins and crimes to a group of peers, being ordered to jump into a pool fully clothed, facing embarrassing “security checks” or, worse, being isolated as a “suppressive person.”

At the pinnacle of the hierarchy, Miscavige commands such power that managers follow his orders, however bizarre, with lemming-like obedience.

• Church staffers covered up how they botched the care of Lisa McPherson, a Scientologist who died after they held her 17 days in isolation at Clearwater’s Fort Harrison Hotel.

Rathbun, who Miscavige put in charge of dealing with the fallout from the case, admits that he ordered the destruction of incriminating evidence. He and others also reveal that Miscavige made an embarrassing miscalculation on McPherson’s Scientology counseling.

• With Miscavige calling the shots and Rathbun among those at his side, the church muscled the IRS into granting Scientology tax-exempt status. Offering fresh perspective on one of the church’s crowning moments, Rathbun details an extraordinary campaign of public pressure backed by thousands of lawsuits.

• To prop up revenues, Miscavige has turned to long-time parishioners, urging them to buy material that the church markets as must-have, improved sacred scripture.

Church officials deny the accusations. Miscavige never hit a single church staffer, not once, they said.

On May 13, the Times asked to interview Miscavige, in person or by phone, and renewed the request repeatedly the past five weeks. Church officials said Miscavige’s schedule would not permit an interview before July.

At 5:50 p.m. Saturday, Miscavige e-mailed the Times to protest the newspaper’s decision to publish instead of waiting until he was available. His letter said he would produce information “annihilating the credibility” of the defectors. Beloved by millions of Scientologists, church spokesmen say, Miscavige has guided the church through a quarter-century of growth.

Scientology’s response:

The church says that Rinder, Scientology’s top spokesman for decades, is an inveterate liar. In its ethics files, the church says, Rinder admits that he lied 43 times over the years.

“It was a real problem, Mike’s propensity to lie ….Obviously he had an issue with the truth,” said Davis, Rinder’s successor as spokesman.

After denying Miscavige hit him or anyone else, Rinder is lying now, Yingling said. “He left because he was demoted … He is bitter now and he has in his bitterness latched on to the one allegation he so vehemently denied for so many years.”

Added Davis: “One of the things he was known for saying was, ‘Well, if I’m so bad, why keep asking me to do things?’ You know the answer to that question?… The ultimate answer to that question is ‘Mike, you know what, you’re right. Why keep asking.’ And we stopped asking. And then he left and nobody came for him.”

Like the other defectors, Rinder says he’s sure he wrote whatever is in the ethics files, but he says the admissions are meaningless, they were just whatever his superiors wanted to hear. “All of these things were written to try and get into good graces or curry favor.”

Davis said Rinder has not been able to deal with his fall from spokesman for an international church to his current, workaday job.

“Mike left. I think we can all agree he is bitter,” Davis said. “This is a guy who ran with the big dogs in the tall grass … it’s a very exciting life. And now he is selling cars, and it must be a hell of a shock.”

The church released numerous pages of files it kept on Rathbun. Among them: a 1994 letter that said he had completed a Truth Rundown — one of many types of confessionals — and apologizing for leaving the church briefly the year before; three confessions for striking and verbally abusing staff dozens of times; and documents where he admits that he mishandled situations.

In a 2003 document, Rathbun writes a “public announcement” detailing two decades of flubs, including: making himself out to be more important than he was, making more work for Miscavige, mismanaging staff and messing up major assignments, including the church’s long-running battle with the IRS.

Rathbun says he wrote what Miscavige wanted to hear.

The church made special note of an affidavit dated June 6, 2009 — after the Times asked the church about Rathbun — authored by a Sea Org member whose name the church blacked out. She criticized Rathbun for being violent and abusive and playing a role in her family’s recent effort to wrest her out of Scientology.

Rathbun says yes, he tried to help the family, because the woman voiced strong doubts about returning to Scientology.

Like De Vocht’s, many of Rathbun’s confessions are marked by bountiful praise of Miscavige. He writes, for example, that the leader “single-handedly salvaged Scientology.”

Scientology’s international management cadre lives and works on the church’s 500-acre compound in the arid hills opposite Mount San Jacinto from Palm Springs.

Rathbun orchestrated a “reign of terror” there in 2002 and 2003, church representatives say, masquerading as an ethics officer while Miscavige was in Clearwater handling legal and other matters. They say the leader returned in late 2003, summarily demoted Rathbun and began to clean up his mess.

Rathbun says he was away from the base for almost all of 2002 and 2003, handling lawsuits and other sensitive matters at Miscavige’s behest. When he returned to the base in late 2003, he said, it was Miscavige who had established a “reign of terror.”

The church said Rathbun has inflated his importance in Scientology; they say that after 1993, he never had a title.

But in a 1998 Scientology magazine, Rathbun is featured as the main speaker at a major event at Ruth Eckerd Hall attended by 3,000 Scientologists. The magazine said he was “inspector general” of the entity charged with safeguarding Scientology. Also, the church provided the Times a court document from March 2000 that listed Rathbun as a “director” of the same entity.

If Rathbun’s responsibility was as limited as the church says, the Times asked, how did he get people to submit to a reign of terror? Davis, the church spokesman, erupted.

“He’s the one who’s saying that Dave Miscavige beat these people,” Davis screamed. “And he’s saying that Dave Miscavige beat the exact same people that he beat. And that’s what pisses me off. Because this guy’s a f—— lunatic and I don’t have to explain how or why he became one or how it was allowable.

“The fact is he’s saying David Miscavige did what he did … And now I’m getting a little angry. Am I angry at you? Not necessarily. But I’m g– d— pissed at Marty Rathbun. Because he knows that he was the reign of terror.”

I am only pasting partial excerpts from Part 1 of the series to illustrate what is so obvious to those looking from the outside in. Scientology, despite being run by an evil genius, can no longer continue to defend itself. It’s defectors, risking incriminating themselves for heinous crimes, are coming out and saying “Yes, these events happened. I witnessed them and yes, I took part in them.” Even more ironic, those of us who’ve followed the unraveling have heard these stories retold many times by lesser ranking individuals, and in fact, I have interviewed several of the people who were abused themselves, including Jeff Hawkins, Marc Headley and Maureen Bolstad. Sadly, the stories of abuse are not new to me, but the level of individuals coming forward to lend credibility are monumentally important.

Miscavige’s mouth-piece, Tommy Davis, already known for having a hair-trigger temper and a face which buckles under the weight of his own lies, may finally break down and completely lose it. No one man, despite his fervent loyality, can withstand the pressure of keeping this many lies straight. If men like Rinder and Rathbun are willing to come forward and take responsibility for their part in abusing members and breaking the law, there is virtually NOTHING Miscavige, Davis or Scientology’s billions in ill-gotten gains can do to prevent the flow of truth from spewing forward.

From my perspective, it’s all over but the crying.

Stay tuned for more on this story.

Alleged Child Toucher, Ben Kasle

Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard was once quoted as saying Scientologists “are the most ethical people on the planet.”

Well, that’s a crock.

Looks like Scientology’s “touch assists” mean something else to 21 year old Ben Kasle. It has been reported that he has been charged with two counts of “gross sexual imposition” based on reports alleging the Scientologist had sex with girl who is now 14, which means she was ONLY 13 when the abuse started. Now that’s what I’d call ethical.

For clarification purposes, the legal definition of gross sexual imposition, can be found here.

Ben Kasle, who grew up with Scientology parents, is said to be married to a woman named Angelina, but clearly this didn’t prevent him from sexually abusing a 13-year old girl. Here’s more from a WCPO report:

A man was arrested today accused of having sex with a teenager at the Church of Scientology in Downtown Cincinnati.

Twenty-one-year-old Ben Kasle is charged with two counts of gross sexual imposition.

Investigators say he had sex with the girl who is now 14-years-old.

Police records indicate the alleged offenses happened at the church on Fourth Street between October 2007 and September 2008.

An attorney representing the church says the church is aware of the investigation and is cooperating with police, however, the church has no comment since the investigation is ongoing.

He is due in court on May 6th.

“The church has no comment”. Well there’s a surprise.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first case of a Scientologist accused of such behavior. Ex-Scientology member Tommy Gorman’s wife Jennifer was raped by the number one top supervisor at their Golden Age of Tech, 11 year staff member, Gabriel Williams. Gorman states:

“Gabriel Williams went to jail for about 1 year and we were really disappointed because the DA convinced her to accept a plea bargain because Gabriel plead guilty to two felonies. Jennifer was told that Gabriel would go to prison for sure. He never admitted to rape but pleaded guilty to sexual battery and sodomy.”

You can read Tommy Gorman’s full account of his wife’s attack and his experiences dealing with the Scientology in the wake of this horrifying event, including ongoing harassment of Gorman and his family.

Another disturbing sexual abuse story involving a Scientologist happened back in January 2008. Broadway actor James Barbour was accused of having criminal sexual contact with a high school student who was an aspiring actress when she attended a performance of “Jane Eyre” in June 2001. Here are few snippets from the NYTimes report on the case:

Under the negotiated deal, Mr. Barbour, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, both misdemeanors, in exchange for a promise that he would be sentenced to 60 days in jail and three years’ probation.

“Barbor told the judge that he had oral sex with the girl in his apartment the next month. She did not come forward with her account for several years.

And he has to get permission from the court or his probation officer to participate in shows employing child actors or to give backstage tours to children. He must also attend sex-offender treatment and cannot visit playgrounds, arcades, amusement parks, school grounds or Internet chat rooms frequented by children without permission from his probation officer.

In a signed statement to the police in April 2006, Mr. Barbour said that he was just acting as a mentor to the girl, that he had done no more than touch her knees and kiss her and that he thought that she was 16.

But in court on Thursday when asked by Justice Scherer, “Were you aware of her exact age?” Mr. Barbour replied, “Yes.”

“What was that age?” Justice Scherer pressed.

“Fifteen,” he replied.”

Wait…what? He was “just acting like a mentor to the girl”. Apparently, in a touchy~feely, creepy, and quite illegal sort of way.

The cases I just mentioned are mere slaps on the wrists! These men got away with scarring a child’s life forever which is just despicable!

Major thanks to the folks at WWP, who were able to dig up Ben Kasle’s Scientology completions (as well as some interesting pics and docs *hint,hint*), please pay special attention to the first two courses on his list, we’re sure they served him well!

Based on the information we have, it seems Ben was, or is, a Scientology Minister. Oh, and of course there’s the wife Angelina, who is from Russia. Glad they caught him now before he was able to harm anymore little girls.

Ben Kasle’s Scientology Course Completions:
HOW TO IMPROVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS COURSE – Freewinds 42 2001-03-01
PERSONAL VALUES & INTEGRITY COURSE – Freewinds 42 2001-03-
ABILITY CONGRESS COURSE
COMMAND OF THETA COURSE
THE NEW HUBBARD PROFESSIONAL TR COURSE
HUBBARD PROFESSIONAL UPPER INDOC TR COURSE
HUBBARD PROFESSIONAL COURSE SUPERVISOR COURSE
HUBBARD PROFESSIONAL WORD CLEARER COURSE
HUBBARD PROFESSIONAL WORD CLEARER INTERNSHIP
PTS/SP SPECIALIST COURSE
SCIENTOLOGY ACADEMY LEVEL 0
SCIENTOLOGY ACADEMY LEVEL I
HUBBARD PROFESSIONAL COURSE SUPERVISOR INTERNSHIP
HUBBARD PROFESSIONAL COURSE SUPERVISOR INTERNSHIP
SCIENTOLOGY ACADEMY LEVEL II
SCIENTOLOGY ACADEMY LEVEL III
SCIENTOLOGY ACADEMY LEVEL IV
KEEPING SCIENTOLOGY WORKING COURSE

I DO know that this current arrest is yet another foot bullet and huge “PR flap” (as Scientology calls it) for the cult, who in the past year, has been accused by so many ex-members of crimes and human rights abuses. Truly if you are able to let all the documented cases of abuse and violations perpetrated by one organization which “claims” to be a religion sink into your brain, it’d be enough to make your head spin.

Ex-members are speaking out and filing lawsuits, people are writing books and Scientologists are leaving in droves. As we reported here, ex-Scientologists Marc Headley is coming out with his book, Blown For Good which details his eye-witness accounts of major abuses as a 15-year member of the Sea Organization, including violent attacks at the hands of church leader, David Miscavige (who’s also Tom Cruise’s best friend).

There’s also a fantastic book out now by John Duignan, called “The Complex” whom we also interviewed for our Glosslip Radio show. You can listen to Marc Headley’s interview here and John Duignan interviews here.

Another major blow to Scientology’s increasingly tainted reputation was an expose done by Nathan Baca of KESQ TV. Baca presented some very damaging news reports on Scientology’s Golden Era Productions compound( aka Gold Base in Gilman Hot Springs/Hemet, California.)

Nathan’s bravery and excellent reporting was instrumental in cult’s spokesperson Tommy Davis admitting the story of Intergalatic Warlord Xenu in OT III, which is one of the levels on Scientology’s Bridge to Total Freedom which we like to call: the Bridge To Nowhere.

Baca’s ground-breaking reports have helped to further unravel more of Scientology’s enigmatic back story, as well as, insight into the abuses which have alleged to occur at the secretive, highly guarded desert compound.

The group Anonymous continues to protest and and chip away at Scientology with monthly protests and “flash raids” WORLD WIDE. They are a thorn in Scientology’s side, and it hurts so good!

Perhaps the most baffling part in this bizarre vortex of secrets and abuses committed by this cult, is our government’s complete lack of interest in shutting them down. In Europe, many countries, including Germany and France, have attempted to ban the group, which many foreign officials deem as a fascistic and elaborate ponzi scheme. Their efforts to do so have been hampered in part, due to our own government’s meddling (claiming religious persecution, as IF) and of course, famous members of the cult like Tom Cruise and John Travolta pressuring the powers that be to stay out of their “church” business.

It has become obvious to us here at Glosslip, the final unraveling of the Scientology will have to come from ex-members and the general public’s continued pressure and exposure, as the authorities have proven themselves to be either useless, or in cahoots with Scientology officials.

We encourage all victims of Scientology to step forward and report the abuses to law enforcement, only this continued pressure will bring about change. So many fear leaving the church out of concern to their family members and loved ones still trapped inside. But like so many corrupt organizations throughout history, the only way to stop the abuse is to be brave enough to speak out. If you or someone you love needs support in leaving Scientology, please call this toll-free number for help 1-866-XSEAORG.

There are those who understand and can help you be free. To read actual stories from ex-members go to www.exscientologykids.com

(posted by Queen, edited by D)

The Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, Florida was established in 1926. Its Mediterranean Revival style with marble floors and exquisite furnishings made it Clearwater’s most luxurious hotel back in its day. Rich with history, the Fort Harrison survived the Great Depression and World War II.

Eventually it was repurchased by Jack Tar Hotels in 1965, and was called the New Fort Harrison Hotel and this is where the Rolling Stones wrote “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”. Little did the Stones know back then, how those lyrics would ring so true today for its current occupants.

The hotel fell in disrepair in the 1970’s, and in typical Scientology style, the cult type skulked into town in 1975 under the name of the United Churches of Florida and snatched it up. Unethical? Maybe, but considering “Scientologists are some of the most ethical people on the planet” as stated by founder L. Ron Hubbard, what did you expect?

The Fort Harrison hotel is the spiritual headquarters for Scientologists. It supplies lodging, courses and auditing for those who wish to climb the upper levels to what is referred to as Scientology’s “Bridge To Total Freedom”, or what we educated people refer to as the “Bridge To Total Bankruptcy.” It also houses Scientology’s Sea Org members and staff. The Sea Org is Scientology’s para military branch which is alleged to engage a slave labor force and is currently at the center of a major lawsuit brought by ex-member Marc Headley.

Today after a year of renovation the 82-year old Fort Harrison had a 40 million dollar make over. It brags of marble floors from Spain gold leaf moldings, fine rugs imported from South Africa, three restaurants and a Crystal ballroom.

Interestingly, Scientology has announced that the hotels three restaurants and the grand ballroom will be closed to the public. This contradicts earlier claims by Scientology officials during construction:

Church staffers made thousands of custom wood and plaster moldings at Scientology’s local wood mill and workshop.

The hotel has three restaurants — none of which will be open to the public, despite what the church previously said. The ballroom won’t be rented out for weddings either.

And the hotel won’t be hiring because it is staffed by members of the Sea Org, the legion of uniformed church staffers who dedicate their lives to Scientology.

Members of the general public can walk into the lobby for a look, but ultimately this hotel is for Scientologists only.

“This is a religious retreat,” Davis said. “That isn’t to say that people can’t come in and look at the beautiful building. It’s open to the community, but it’s not open for business.”

Did you get that? So the “church” got a go ahead to proceed with these extensive renovations on this hotel, which is central to the Clearwater downtown area, but they didn’t hire any outside contractors and have no plans to hire anyone outside to work at the hotel AND the hotel is not open for use by the community. BUT, the public IS welcome to come in and look around. I’ll bet they leave with a lovely parting gift: Scientology pamphlets and a coupon for a free “personality test.”

Unbelievable. Audacious. Outrageous.

This hotel is for Scientologists only, a group which has taken over this town like some kind of creepy, free-will sucking zombies. As we mentioned earlier in the article, the town of Clearwater was initially skeptical about the new arrivals when they bought the hotel under false pretenses back in the 70’s. A little research on Clearwater and Scientology will yield a slowly turning tide of acceptance towards these strange outsiders, which may have more to do with the large influx of Scientologists to the town, than any real understanding of the group’s purpose or intentions. More from the SPTimes article:

But wait, there’s more…

Most people haven’t heard of Marc Headley. He’s not a celebrity, but he has met Tom Cruise. In fact, Tom audited Marc during his Scientology training courses at Gold Base. Tom may not remember Marc, but he’ll know him soon enough.

Marc Headley is a former Scientologist who worked at the Hemet, California desert compound called Gold Base. For 15 years, Marc worked long hours at the 500 acre guarded facility, also referred to as Int Base, or International Base. Marc was a member of the Church’s paramilitary group called Sea Organzation, or Sea Org. Sea Org members are recruited from within the organization’s ranks of poorly paid workers and volunteers, they are made to sign a “billion year contract” and are often forced to live away from family and friends doing the type of manual labor typically reserved for slaves, inmates of illegal immigrants.

It is at Gold Base, where the now infamous story of the “flowered meadow for Nicole Kidman” occurred. As the story goes, Scientology President David Miscavige forced Sea Org members to work round the clock creating a flowered meadow for Tom Cruise and his second wife Nicole Kidman to frolic in, simply because Cruise mentioned it to Miscavige as a fantasy he had for the two.

To understand what drove Marc Headley to confront one of the most litigious organizations in the world, you must understand Scientology’s leader David Miscavige. What Miscavige lacks in size (he’s reportedly only 5′2″) he makes up for in blinding fits of rage. Perhaps driven by a deep-seated insecurity, Miscavige uses his power and rage to intimidate and “motivate” those beneath him.

Unfortunately for Miscavige, he underestimated one such subordinate.

Reports of Miscavige abusing Sea Org members are nothing new. Glosslip detailed such first-hand accounts in our interviews with former members of the group, including Jeff Hawkins, another long time ex-member who was also physically abused by Miscavige.. When we interviewed Headley, he corroborated Jeff’s claims, stating he witnessed Miscavige abusing members during his time at Int/Gold Base. Here’s an excerpt of that Glosslip interview (full transcript here):

Well, from the time I showed up at Golden Era Productions in 1990, I had been there maybe a few months when I saw David Miscavige physically beat somebody up. And that was in 1990. So it’s not like this just developed over the past five years, there’s a pattern going on.

All the way up until I left in 2005 I’d say that I saw David Miscavige physically strike somebody or slap as you say or punch in the face, I’d say I witnessed myself at least thirty different occasions, myself. And I heard from other people second hand many more instances that occurred. That was the turning point was for me. In late 2004 I was walking through the main factory facility with David Miscavige and I had made a smart-alec comment in response to one of his questions, apparently he’d not had a good day already and my comment was not well received and he proceeded to unload on me.

He punched me in the face at least ten times and my glasses fell off, I was thrown up against a desk unit, a counter top, and that was the moment right then when I realized I could go no further down than this, to be beaten by the leader of my so-called church. What else could I do that could get me in a lower status than that? And I decided that I would strike back. As soon as he saw that in my eyes, I was grabbed and escorted out of the building and made to take a walk for about an hour or so. He sent several people off to console me, that he really shouldn’t have done that and he was really sorry. While I was being escorted out of the room I heard him say to his staffers, “He was going to hit me back”.

And I thought to myself, “Do you know what? I really was, I really was going to hit you back”. At that point that I started figuring out what I was going to do because I wasn’t going to be staying there much longer. And in January 2005 I left. A lot of people, a lot of Scientologists think that Dave Miscavige is the savior of the church and all those things that he’s done have kept it alive, basically the reason they are still around. That might also be the reason why they’re not going to last, because of the crimes, the physical violence, the emotional and mental torture, that he puts people through, its mind-boggling.”

Marc has written a book titled “Blown For Good” detailing his experiences inside the cult and what has happened to him since he left in 2005. Marc has been fair-gamed (a tactic of intimidation Scientology officials claim they no longer use) and he has been disconnected from family and friends (another tool used to keep ex-members from talking about the abuses they suffered). Marc has many grievances against the Church of Scientology and has a pending lawsuit which is set to blow to lid off of the super-secretive organization. We will be doing a multi-part series on Marc’s allegations against the Church of Scientology in what we believe will be the most damaging blow to Miscavige and his followers since the infamous Time Magazine article titled “Scientology, Cult Of Greed” hit newsstands in 1991.

For those who don’t believe a so-called “church” is willing to break laws to keep its secrets in tact, we offer a police report from the Riverside County Sheriff’s office, detailing Headley’s escape from Gold Base in January of 2005. For a recounting of that day, click here for an excerpt from Marc’s upcoming book.

POLICE REPORT AFTER THE JUMP.

But wait, there’s more…

Angry Pope Anon calls out to Scientology Org in Los Angeles. I believe I spotted Tory Christmas and Marc Headley towards the end of video confronting “still in” Scientologists. Los Angeles doesn’t mess around, they take it to the streets. See more pics below from Theda Bara:

Tory’s SP letter

Guy Fawkes — Always a sexy look.

Tory and Mark sitting in a tree, SP, SP, ING

Scientology Destroys Families. Period.

Glosslip Radio is extremely excited to have ex-Scientologist Marc Headley back for a second interview.

Marc, who spend 15 years in the Church of Scientology’s Sea Organization is working on a major project which will intimately detail his experiences within the church and working closely with RTC president and Scientology leader David Miscavige.

The last interview we did with Marc has reached legendary status, having over 12000 people listen to the show. Tonight’s show will focus on the Scientology cruise ship, the Freewinds and the current scandal surrounding they cover-up attempts by the Church regarding a massive asbestos contamination on that ship. For coverage of this story, see Glosslip’s reports.

But wait, there’s more…

In our continued coverage of the astounding interview we did with ex-Scientologist and Sea Org member Marc Headley, he revealed David Miscavige, RTC President and head of the Church, was directly involved in the cover-up of Lisa McPherson’s death. Lisa, a young and pretty Scientologist whose death in 1995 rocked the Church of Scientology, has since become the poster child for the alleged abuses leveled at the Church.

The story of Lisa’s death is incredibly tragic. Not simply because we see the face of vibrant, beautiful young woman cut down it the prime of her life, but because for all intents and purposes, her death was completely preventable. Here’s a very brief summary in the interest of time, but I encourage anyone interested to do more research about the events surrounding Lisa’s death:

But wait, there’s more…