The STAND League has me on a bit of a roll. This ragtag collection of "defenders of the faith" (some of them no doubt doing an "amends project" for some transgression, others doing it to gain "eligibility" for their OT levels) comes up with the craziest stuff. They try to categorize people by association. When Hollis Jane Andrews tweeted about a crazy list of duties for a babysitter job for a scientologist, she earned the ire of the passengers in the STAAD league clown car. Nobody claimed the bonkers list of demands she included were untrue, they simply went after her as a … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2021
STAND Unhinged and Undone by OT III
As is their modus operandi, STAND goes after any journalist who dares publish anything they don't like, no matter how insignificant or tangential. They do so with a fervor that is comical, reveling in purple prose and what they consider extremely clever put-downs. This one caught my attention. While claiming this reporter had engaged in "prosecutable libel" in her vicious and unwarranted assault, it made no mention of what the supposed libel was (and Martin, perhaps it's news to you that you cannot libel a dead person, something you should know before you spout off about it with such … [Read more...]
Episode 41: Law Review Author Taylor Holley
Leah and I had the great pleasure of speaking to Taylor Holley this week. Taylor is a law student at Texas Tech University who published a legal analysis of scientology's tax exempt status in the Law Review. Taylor has never been involved in scientology, but grew up in Tampa which sparked her interest in scientology. Her paper is a wonderful summation and careful analysis of the law and makes a compelling argument that the IRS should revisit the exempt status of scientology. I wrote about this earlier. I am including her full paper below, as well as a link to it for downloading. I … [Read more...]
Letters to Congress
Leah and I have often responded to the question "What can I do to help?" by saying people should write to their elected representatives to demand action. I have been asked a number of times whether there is a form letter to use. Two people have recently sent me copies of letters they have written that may help. The first is a fairly lengthy, footnoted letter and the author has made it possible for you to download it here including the footnotes. He also graciously provided some instructions and guidance on how to go about this: Hello! Beginning on the next page is a … [Read more...]
The Crime of the Century
Alex Gibney has done it again. This is a disturbing, powerful documentary that everyone in the country should watch. It details how the opioid epidemic was manufactured out of the greed of the pharmaceutical industry (all the way down to CVS). It is truly a horrifying expose. But for scientology-watchers there is a special reason for giving this a look. It shows how those with money to burn are able to buy influence over law enforcement and legislators. It is grotesque, and it is exactly what scientology has done to head off investigations in the … [Read more...]
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You
I have been in touch with Shelley Ashurst today in the aftermath of the recent events detailed here. I want to let everyone who has sent their hard earned money and sincere messages of support that you are enormously appreciated. Shelley, Jean and the rest of the family are quite overwhelmed with the outpouring. I didn't realize until today that Jean is in a hospital that is a 2 hour drive from where Shelley and the rest of the family live. They are burning the candle at both ends trying to organize his care, handle the money and logistics, negotiate the bureaucracy of the hospital … [Read more...]
Regraded Being
A Mother’s Urgent Plea for Help
I usually don't post things like this here, because if I did every time someone asked me, it would be all this blog would contain. But for people I know personally, who have gone out of their way to help me, there can be no hesitation. I know if I asked for help in return it would be given unconditionally. I ask you to read this in its entirety, and if you can help, do so. There won't be certificates or commendations, and you won't be given a bowling trophy or lauded in a magazine as a "humanitarian," but you will have done something to help someone and a family in dire need of assistance due … [Read more...]
You Can “Be It All”
You can almost smell the desperation in this new promotional piece. The "ideal" org in Auckland is clearly in need of staff. They have a handful and are making no progress towards achieving St Hill Size (and thus the "Make-Break point" where they actually become viable). Their newest pitch is pretty pathetic. This is the video they are wanting everyone to watch... It's very short. And very, very amateurish. Certainly not a SuMP production. Their sales gimmick is that you don't really have to give up anything to be a staff member. You can do all these others things … [Read more...]
Some Funnies
A few promotional items sent in over the last week. Of course, it was Mother's Day, which seemed oddly inappropriate to fall on the same day as Dianetics was published, because Dianetics reflects Hubbard's dystopian view of women -- a great deal of the book is devoted to the idea that women routinely seek to self-abort their pregnancies. Somehow, everyone supposedly has these "engrams" from their time in the womb... But it is also a reflection of the decline of scientology that "Dianetics Day" -- once one of the "big" international events where the newest Dianetics sponsored race car would … [Read more...]