Below is the real “ideal org” in the “first clear city”, Portland.
We have earlier reported on the sad state of this org (see here, here and here) — even though it is used as an “example” of how things “boom” in ALL “ideal orgs” the minute their doors swing open. A fairy tale to match the Wizard of Oz, and in many ways the analogy is apt.
What you see is their OWN promotion. Proudly announcing that ALL their “most Dauntless, Defiant and Resolute IAS Supporters” were in attendance. It’s THEIR shots, the best they have, not someone sneaking in for a “gotcha moment” that was taken during a break in the proceedings and the majority of attendees were outside smoking.
So, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I ask you if you can see more than 30 people in this series of photographs published to demonstrate “people pouring in” and ALL their supporters in attendance.
This “ideal org” serves all of Oregon at least (there isnt another org due east until you hit Chicago) which is 3.8 million people. Even if they had 100 supporters pour in for this “amazing presentation from Chairman of the Board” that is 0.000026%.
First clear city? Right.
Flourishing ideal org? Right.
And speaking of ideal orgs — where are they? Everyone is scientology is working exclusively on “building” ideal orgs? There has not been any since Sydney in May. Before that was Taiwan last December (that was purchased by the IAS a decade ago) and previous to that was Portland in May 2013.
In more than a YEAR there have been 3 new buildings opened (and no new orgs).
In fact, if you graph the progress it looks like this:
2003: 3 (Buffalo, Joburg and San Francisco)
2004: 2 (NY and Madrid)
2005: 0
2006: 1 (London)
2007: 1 (Berlin)
2008: 0
2009: 5 (Malmo, Dallas, Nashville, Rome, DC)
2010: 7 (Brussels, Quebec, Las Vegas, LA (redo), Mexico City, Pasadena and Seattle)
2011: 5 (Melbourne, Moscow, Tampa(redo), Inglewood, St Paul)
2012: 10 (Hamburg(redo), Sacramento, Cincinnati, Orange County,Stevens Creek(redo), Denver, Phoenix, Los Gatos(redo), Tel Aviv and Padova)
2013: 4 (Cambridge, Pretoria, Taiwan, Portland)
2014: 1 (Sydney)
Time to bring in Quinn the Eskimo to do an “affluence analysis”… How has Dear Leader cut across the uptrend until 2012? 
Currently reading Wicked.
Too bad all those potted shrubs and Photoshopped people who were there for the Portland opening are gone.
Back @ Pepper (there was no reply button I could use)…
Yes, we were all being trained to be antisocial towards each other, all mini sociopaths in training. I saw it for years, and was pretty able to not take on those qualities as fast as many others but I did start to do it too out of a need to appear “on board” and survival.
It was turning into the norm to yell, invalidate, sling nasty comments towards someone. I saw nice, well-intentioned people take more and more steps towards being complete assholes towards their friends, all in the name of protecting the cause, or the production, or the leaders if the new mini-DMs suspected others of going too slow, not appearing determined, not doing it right, caught smoking a cigarette outside, etc.
At one point I really really really wanted to be a department head of a department I knew a lot about already (goodness knows there was never any time to learn something new). But I also knew that once I was posted there I would not ever get anyone else posted in the department, even thought the already badly backlogged load was too much for just one person to do even on a 4-hour sleep schedule.
Then I knew that once I started failing to get things done in time (targets set by executives who had no knowledge of how to do it themselves and any logical time requirements) I’d get in more and more trouble and would eventually disappear, like so many others I noticed were missing. Including my best friend of that time. Just gone, no messages, no nothing.
Not wanting to find out where they all went, I soon successfully planned and executed my escape. When I went out among “real people” and started to develop new friends I saw how much more of that personality I had taken on–much more than I thought I did. I’m still catching myself doing it, but I’m learning the general social behaviors and consciously using that to shake loose the last remnants of the asshole personality that was so important to display.
Sorry for being so wordy but when I can offer a story or some info that helps expose this group of what has become very dishonest robot morons who deserve to live at the bottom of the kitty box, I grab it!
Thank you gato rojo for explaining it to me. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have to live like that out of necessity but can see how it could happen, for sure. I’m really happy for you that you’re out and can live your own life and be your own person.
I think Scn puts a lot of stress of people. Financially, emotionally, physically. It’s a high demand cult, that drains your joy, energy and peace of mind. It did for me anyway and I stayed in for over 20 years. It takes time to reorient one’s thinking, speech and behavior patterns. Telling experiences helps because you can look at it again objectively and others can also benefit, so carry on!
Thank you, Mike, for having this AMAZING blog. It’s really important. Especially when you are posting the minutes that show the TRUTH of what is happening. Their lies are so big and grandiose with such glossy magazines to go with them that it’s important to check in with reality. Your blog is the first one I go to every day. The financial rape is truly appalling… and just to know that the OT members don’t like all the regging (but do it anyway) is helpful.
When I told the Chaplain at Flag that I wanted my prepayment back and that one of the things that offended me was the constant regging, she got very indignant and pretended to be surprised and said, “That’s not supposed to happen! Regging like that is not condoned.” — or some such BS. I was able to scoff at her comment and said, “Come on. We all know it’s happening all the time. It’s horrendous and embarrassing to be a part of that. Shouldn’t people be paying for services instead?” or some such comment. I would never have had the nerve or clarity to stand and talk back like that had it not been for what I’ve gleaned from your and Tony’s blogs. (BTW – I got my prepayment back. I guess I might be one of the last ones to squeeze that out of Co$. I have no idea how it happened… I just decided that I wanted it back and called almost every day for 6 months. Nice, bright and up-tone. I made it my business and my mission. Strong intent. Thanks to all you on the fringes of the internet here, you saved me tremendous financial peril.)
I hear you, Zana. Very well done!
Zana that’s great on getting your money back! I wish I could, there’s a nice bucket load sitting in my name that can’t be used by any of my family members. Flag has it rigged, you know.
A half empty room watching video of a half empty room.
It is like a coiled snake eating itself.
Mike, judging by the ChrisMann comments, please please PLEASE keep on posting OTC minutes. They provide HILARIOUS reading into just how crap the situation is in the Church of $cientology.
As well as how utterly deluded the brain-washed still in, still are…
More minutes, please!
Yes, Mike, keep posting these minutes, please, because each such post is a win for our side by virtue of the fact that that it is being leaked in the first place.
And I’m saying this right now from a pragmatic standpoint because as regards leaked OTC minutes, I’m looking from OSA’s viewpoint: “There are VIPERS in our midst!”
I’m thinking that OSA is under intense pressure to find the mole(s), and that with each new leak the pressure on them intensifies.
To that end, I would think that each Flag OTC member, each attendee of these meetings, each up-lines SO recipient of these minutes, their family members, friends, and business associates – these terminals are all on OSA’s radar as possible moles!
“Rollbacks and Sec Checks and Ethics – Oh My!”
“Face-Rippings, Rice & Beans, Lowers – Oh My!”
Nice ripple effect, I would think. That’s my take on it.
I’ve been posting on Mike’s blog almost from the beginning. I think most of the people here are hilarious and I find the comic relief very valuable. Comedy is extremely important when one is confronting pure evil and the subject that you loved, is being dismantled for greed and power. For a subject that I have seen raise awareness, the otc minutes are quite revealing. The problem is the financial rape and pillage of Scngts is ongoing, the squirreling of the tech is ongoing, the misappropriation of funds is ongoing, the interference of families is ongoing, with lots and lots of lying. For those of us who care about the tech and respect LRH this is intolerable. That’s why I’m here and because Mike is really funny and expresses his humor (and horror), in a way that is intelligent and does the data series proud. The multiple viewpoints are truly what an OT needs because there are many experiences that we have not shared, but we have heard, seen, felt or perceived, the creepy shit that was going on but had no data. Contrary to the radical church, every single person is extremely special and valuable, and I want to hear what they have to say, even if I disagree. As a long time auditor, I know Scn can be applied with good intentions, to very good results for people and I want that available for those who wish it. I understand the tech extremely well and find no incompatibility, with revealing the outpoints and evil with excellent humor. It’s time, place, form and event, which is truth and the only thing capable of creating as-isness. The fact that Mike continues to audit the 3D, despite everything he’s been through, speaks to his decency and strength of purpose. This is, in fact, extremely valuable.
As regards (some of) the empty chairs (those with the brochures laid on them) did anyone notice that this is probably the front row and no one wanted to sit there (in an effort not to be noticed). Enforced attendance and then hoping that they can slink away with just 50 bucks donated, or even nothing at all. They’ve probably seen from previous events that those who sit in the front seats get really smashed for “donos”.
By the way, I think we should really just totally ignore troll-type posters. Getting into a firefight or “trying to explain” to them (like I somewhat did) is actually real Dev-T and sidetracking. Perhaps that is their Mission Ops – sidetracking and Dev-Ting.
Ben Klevit- Patron and Cougar Bait.
Chrismann….the fact that Mike posted your comments is proof that his blog is very different from anything you would see in the Co$. It doesn’t matter who the audience is….the mere fact all points of view are welcome should be a refreshing change from the co$ status quo – that is, you are only told what Miscavige wants you to hear. Think for yourself – that’s the message of this blog….imo
btw, it drizzles a lot in Portland. I would think there would be at least 30 people inside who are getting out of the rain.
Which means maybe 2 people showed up for the event and the other 30 are surprised that they are there?
So, 35 new orgs since 2007. How many have shut down? How many countries have now banned Miscavige’s orgs?
No, there is one NEW ORG since 2007. Inglewood. And CC Dallas, CC Las Vegas and CC London (perhaps others) have closed down or been “combined.”
In case Mike’s clarification wasn’t clear, these are old orgs moved into new buildings. Basically, Miscavige has a major repackaging program going on. Repackaged materials, repackaged orgs. He’s just repackaging everything the whole time and selling it with a big “new and improved” label on top. Like laundry soap, only more expensive.
“Like laundry soap” Hah!
They are small children, craving approval.
“Have you been good? Did you do everything we said?”
“YES! YES! Mommy, Daddy – we’ve been SOOOO good, we’ve done everything! We didn’t forget ANYthing! We’ve been REALLY, REALLY good! See? Look! Look!
“Hmmn, well, from what I can see, that seems to be true… yes, it looks like you have indeed been good children…
“So, does that mean we can go for ice cream now?? You promised! You promised!”
“Well, yes, we did promise, so…”
“I want Rocky Road! No-no-no, Mint Chocolate Chip…Hey, but I like Butterscotch!…”
“You’ll all be able to choose your own flavors, children. First, change those muddy sneakers, and then wash your hands”.
“YAYYYY!!! DADDY’S TAKING US FOR ICE CREAM BECAUSE WE WERE SO GOOD! YAYY!!!”
CoS should tell their parishioners if they do everything they are told they will let them play Xbox for 1 hr. It works every time with mine, like magick.
Quick, put your purse in the chair next to you so it looks like you’re saving a place for someone. Ok, now take these flyers and put them on all these empty chairs so people will KNOW that people just left them there while they raced up to sign up for their next status. I’m underwhelmed. So many empty chairs in such a small space.
Shahab finished the B.C., at ASHO and bailed to up North
Business problems and Whale migration. I was one of his little fish for a while
and recall him telling me to keep my BLINDER’s on !!!!.
.Shahab has put on weight and wears glasses , hair gone gray, looks very different than in L.A,
Don’t know what little money making scam he does now but he made bucks getting to
OT 8 selling key chain displays to Liquor stores and gas stations and other off the wall stuff that
where lucrative and some blew up in his face. I’m happy that the Arab has done well, more power to him, David Miscavige success story through and through .
Shahab is not Arab, he’s Persian. Persians don’t appreciate it when people think they are Arab. There is an ethnic difference between the two.
As far as I know, Shahab trained to class 4 and that’s pretty much it. He never did the BC, pretty sure on that. He got into FSM’ing at PAC, and was joined at the hip to Michael Silverman a reg at AOLA. They did lots of screwy cycles using public’s credit cards. I had personal experience with their “ethical” use of such.
Excuse me for called Sahab an ARAB
I will get on my hands and knees on my IAS Scientology
Barfing carpet, face the East and pray to the COB 5 times today.
It’s not necessary to beg forgiveness or pray to the east. Shahab is Persian-Jewish anyway, so he doesn’t subscribe to Islamic practices.
There’s nothing wrong with being Arab either. Persians just don’t like it because they have a strong cultural identity, and are proud of it, that’s all. I’m speaking from personal experience, if you catch my drift.
BTW, I agree with the analogy of the IAS Scientology Barfing Carpet and COB Idol Worship. It is puke-worthy indeed.
He always was a scammer Jose.
OK then, I will rotate my IAS prayer rug towards Pasadena
and beg and writhe for forgiveness pathetically.
LOL!
“…our loyal energy drive leader…” Honestly, could you just puke?
What is Shahab doing up there? Did he move up there to follow a whale migration from Pac? I see he gave some of his IAS commissions (made from fleecing whales) back to the IAS at this event…
Shahab moved up there about 5 years ago. His wife works at Delphi. He’s still making money (has a business) and well, giving it to the church. One of his daughters is in CMO at Flag, too.
Ok, thanks for the info
Hi Mike! Since you mention Chicago, what do you know about the Ideal Morgue situation here in the Windy City? I remember when they bought the building (someone close to me was tangentiality involved in that situation , this was before I knew anything about the Co$, but even then it was odd and funny how the Co$ members acted). I know the building is vacant and racking up building code violations, but that’s about it. Its a pretty big building, maybe they were expecting a “loaves and fishes” type miracle to fill it
Sad to see a lovely old building being ignored and abandoned.
You know about what I know. It’s another of the forgotten “ideal org” buildings that have been purchased and sit rotting, like New Haven, Battle Creek, St Louis, Bulawayo, Plymouth, Sunderland, Birmingham, Harlem, Detroit etc etc etc
Crazy, especially when you think of all the good the Co$ could do with all that money. It would be absolutely fascinating to read a psych eval of the tiny terror, but…enough dreaming…back to reality for me!
Chee Chalker. I went to visit a very good friend of mine from Chicago right before I got declared, knowing that I was going to get declared and that this would probably be the last time I would see her. She is an OT VIII, OT Ambassador. I swore to myself I would not talk Scn. or my sit. She had no idea. It was she who brought up being one of the few OT Committee members left, how hard she worked to do the OT Ambassador Pgrm from the year before, how stupid it was to have bought the Chicago Org in the location it was as most of its parishioners were from the suburbs and the haul into and home was quite a trek for most of the public. Then she practically cried about how long it took them to raise the money for the org and NOW they got another order from Int to raise umpteen million MORE for renovations. She wanted to cry about it I could tell and was drained financially and spiritually. She talked of how the few that were left avoided fundraisers and even the OT Committee members hated them and would remark how they ain’t going to give any more and how people were sick of being regged.
Int Mgmt is stupid and deaf. She personally gave solutions to how and why they should get an org in the suburbs and how to help the staff get there. Ignored – although it was all over for them way before that.
That’s very interesting data, McCarran. Sounds like she’s halfway out the door all on her own determinism. Very cool.
It sounds like it, I know, but I don’t think so. She has adult kids that are married who are in, etc. Plus, she still has her mind wrapped around the concept that Scientology/The church of scientology is mankind’s answer. If one still has that concept going on, it’s hard for them to move out the door.
My daughter lived in Chicago for years. When I went to visit her, she took me by the abandoned library. She was pissed that it had been bought by someone and then just ignored because it had been a perfectly good library. That was in 2009. At the time, I had no clue that it was COS that had bought the building, I found out after I had gotten home. I took pictures of the building with the windows papered over then, one of them of a homeless person with his sleeping bag sleeping in the doorway.
I called her friend who still lives there and she says it is in much worse shape than when I was there. To the best of her knowledge, nothing has been done to it.
As a Chicagoan, I can verify this. Nothing’s been done to this building in the seven years since they bought it. The Artcraft Building is a wonderful old place, and it’s a shame what’s happened to it thanks to the cult.
For a few years running, COS used to announce that the building was opening in the next year. After a while, either they stopped, or the papers just stopped printing it.
What I thought was shameless was the advertising of a staff member becoming a Lifetime IAS Member! So it seems even staff are not exempt from being plundered for this nonsense. I suppose he either has rich parents or joined staff with a few bucks in the bank for those “rainy days” (which will be coming for him), and the IAS Regges “heard about” this. But the details are not important – it is the principle here that staff are not given at least something free, after all they don’t usually get auditing and training with their schedules. This is absolutely disgusting. The poor fool is even smiling about it all in the photo! Silly me – fancy thinking that staff would not need to become IAS members!
Staff are given Staff Membership to IAS while on staff. (at least it used to be that way) Originally (first couple of years) SO Members were given Lifetime Memberships. Those were later revoked and new cards issued for staff only.
I’m sure they also put the tab on the freeloader debt.
So what would be the deal with the dude above then? I don’t think they would have made such a hullabaloo about him if he was just given the Lifetime Membership. It would seem he has paid extra for his “Lifetime” membership.
This must be getting SO OLD. Amazing to me that the kool-aid drinkers don’t wake up and have Miscavige arrested. These people in Portland (and many other places) hear the church bragging about their city specifically and they must notice that is a total lie.
I remember being at one of the first OT committee meetings at Flag where the subject of fundraising for a new building for Tampa was broached. People would raise their hands and say, “We could probably ask blah, blah as his business is doing really well. Or blah, blah, she always gives to the IAS.”
All of the sudden Matt Feshbach stands up and in a very pissed off tone, says “the only way you are going to get people to pay is if YOU pay. that’s right, YOU HAVE TO PAY” He was very pissed and you could feel in the crowd of Flag’s top OTs how few of them had any interest in paying themselves.
Now, 10 years later, I can only imagine how the vast majority of SCN feel about constantly being regged for non-services and re-dos.
Sheldon,
Regarding Matt Feshbach getting pissed off at the public and telling them that they are the ones have to pay in order to get others to pay, he has a point there. If parishioners want to build a new church or expand the one they have, they have to donate to it. This is how churches get built, right?
The fact that people were raising their hands and volunteering others for payment is interesting. It does show that they didn’t want to pay, period. Matt getting pissed may have indicated that HE was sick and tired of being asked to donate, even though he’s donated millions and could easily do so. He would never admit to it but actions do speak louder than words.
Pepper, you are absolutely correct. It was obvious from his anger that he was tired of being the ONE (or the few) that kept getting hit up for donations.
Pepper – one thing I forgot: You were saying that churches are built by donations. That is true of most churches, but they usually don’t also charge big money for their services.
I agree that Matt was tired of being asked for dono’s. But, most of the people in that room had already paid dearly to get up the bridge to OT8. Like I would say the majority of the people in the room had already paid the church at least 200K. I know I had.
True Sheldon, on most churches not charging big money for their services, or enlightenment!
There is a Basilica in my home city that was built in the 1920’s at the cost of 3.2 million, paid for by the blue-collar immigrant families who lived in the area. The Basilica is very ornate and I cannot imagine what the cost to build such a structure filled with all that beautiful art would be today. One single priest raised the money for the Basilica through a letter writing campaign. He wrote most of the letters himself, in addition to being the parish priest. No one’s arms were twisted and most people sent in a basic 5, 10 or 20 dollar donation at a time, albeit on a regular basis. It took 5 years to build, although the priest began raising the funds about 10 years earlier. Today, the parish is trying to have the Vatican canonize this priest for his feat, which is something of a miracle if you saw the Basilica and know that there were no “whales” involved.
The people wanted the Basilica to be built in their city and were happy to contribute, even though they were certainly not wealthy. Thus it came to be. I go to the Basilica when I visit my parents and always think about the thousands of families who built it almost one hundred years ago and it’s still beautiful and thriving today.
What you said about people paying dearly for services and being regged on top of that for buildings made me think of the Basilica story for some reason. I know the exasperation having to pay for the Bridge, which is very expensive, and then be expected to shell out equally as much or even more for donations. I’ve been there too. I know people here are no fans of the Catholic church and this isn’t about that at all. So I hope you understand.
“The fact that people were raising their hands and volunteering others for payment is interesting.”
This is an application of the mi$cavigology where, when a group of people are non-compliant (a unit, a department, etc.) they are all gathered together, reamed out and ridiculed into giving up other people’s withholds. Like what happens in the hole. So in this situation others are withholding the fact that they have money and Feshbach is blowing the whistle on them.
The rest of the theory is that the staff in the group are such a bunch of non-compliant idiots that they MUST have overts, so if you’re not gonna cough up your own, cough up someone else’s that you think you know about. Yeah–really horiffic. (No true time, place, form or event; just eval and invalidation like crazy, really creating bad feelings and breaking up relationships and making each staff member hate the other ones. Very pleasant working environment.)
Hey–it was really cool living at int….all this great new tech was developed there and trickled all the way down the command lines, and it’s now being applied by the public too!!!!!!!!!
gato rojo (red cat) I like it.
Your time at Int sounds slightly antisocial and sociopathic. Ya think?
Pepper, unlike normal churches, this one not only charges for its services, and a premium at that, but it also has a policy to set up a so-called building fund, where a percentage of income from services is saved up until it is possible for a local church to buy a building. I am sure you know that, but it is an interesting tidbit I came across while wearing my hat as Finder of Lost Tech 😉
Dollar – since you are the “Finder of Lost Tech”, I have a had a thought about the whole ‘building’ process for a long time now.
The public buys the buildings though donations and pays for the renovations. Then the whole sparkling package is transferred over to the Landlord’s Office (I think)), where it becomes the property of the CoS (don’t know which entity because there’s so many).
What gets me is this: when the building becomes CoS property, the org then has to pay RENT. On a building that the church never bought in the first place, donated (and renovated) by the public. Staffed by the public and run for the public. I can only imagine what the rent payment might be, but knowing the CoS it would be exorbitant. Also, the org (the public) has to pay all the expenses such as repairs, maintenance, utilities and what about taxes? Not sure on that one.
Although it’s been worked out as perfectly legal, it looks like a corporate, commercial property business venture and certainly not a ‘church’. No one within seems to see much of an outpoint in this though. They are proud to see the CoS “expand”. What a scam.
Pepper, if it isn’t written, it isn’t true. I have not seen a rent contract yet, so I assume the org will merely pay utilities and such.
As to why the building is transferred, it is to ensure the building is safe from the local government. Also, the transferral is based on a secret reference which LRH left in the PDCs because he didn’t have the time to edit it out. That is the one about “When buildings become important to us, will someone blow up headquarters.” (Or something along those lines). Indeed, it required the unique insight of our one and only COB to fully understand this reference. It is necessary to define the word “important” correctly. What LRH meant was that we are to buy buildings and that is absolutely fine. It has nothing to do with being MEST oriented, which fact is already demonstrated by the public so willingly giving away the building the moment they have it. As “we” the public are the church, it stands to reason that by transferring the building “we” are demonstrating that buildings are not important to “us”. I hope I have been able to clear up this slight misunderstanding.
Thanks Dollar, “Finder of Lost Tech”!
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mikerindersblog.org
The point?
I still check to see what you post, but at some point your blog felt too negative.
Who is your intended audience? Whats the purpose? Why do you post everyday? It seems like your intended audience is a small group of guys why like to check in everyday and riff on how stupid the church is. It’s like you are throwing out some chum in the water once a day to the same guys- a group of hobbyist critics. In other words, its not something that would appeal to someone on the fence in doubt or looking for data. I think that guy would be turned off. I also wonder if you make a living from the blog somehow and how the donations are broken down. It just seems like you are somehow obligated to post something everyday. That makes me suspect there are one or two big benefactors who are supporting you through the blog? Do you feel obligated to forward a certain viewpoint? I dont know.
I still have some interest in this stuff and as the years pass I assume I’ll always be interested in how it turns out.
I figured you guys have some things going on in the background. I am guessing you and Marty and some others are involved in all the legal actions against the Church.
Whats going on with Martys suit? Why not talk about that type of stuff? Some in-debth analysis from an expert. You are avoiding a lot of subjects and areas that would be very interesting and instead are posting the same junk everyday. Are you limited in what you you can talk about due to some legal action or some other reason?
This is rambling and the grammar bad. I’m on a tablet and my fingers are big.
Still dont get the point of why you posted the Alexa ranking? Because it went down? (Check out Scn.org that’s now around 57,000 — when there is no “big news” like Leah or Cruise around the volume of traffic decreases here, Tony’s site and on scn.org).
As for your questions, I make no money out of this site. There are a few people who donate, but it barely covers the cost of web-hosting. This is not a money-making activity for me, and I devote a considerable amount of time to it.
I don’t blog about the legal cases, I leave that to Tony. I am a consultant and/or witness in most of outstanding legal cases and it is not a smart thing to blog opinions about the goings on in those cases.
As for why I do it, there are a lot of people who have no idea what is going on inside the bubble of the church. It may be old news to you, but its not for many people. Almost weekly I have people who contact me to let me know they began wondering and then started reading this blog and it helped wake them up. There is a constantly shifting audience and a lot of people who do not post comments but who read. I hear from plenty of them.
This is also a repository of information that is useful as a reference.
Why daily? Because I get so much material that I can only use about 1/3rd of it. I feel almost obligated that if people send me things, I should try and get them onto the blog. I usually cannot afford to spend more time than one posting a day. There is materials for perhaps 3 a day. But I just can’t do it.
You certainly don’t have to read anything here. Nobody is forcing you to click on this site. It’s not like you’re one of those people in India they pay to go on the Scn.org site…
chrismann, It makes sense for bloggers to post daily if they intend to have regular readers.
You don’t have to pretend to wonder about his motives. It’s more than obvious from what he writes what Mike’s motives are. If it’s negative, it’s because the topic is the ruined lives of so many victims of the cult.
” It just seems like you are somehow obligated to post something everyday. That makes me suspect there are one or two big benefactors who are supporting you through the blog? Do you feel obligated to forward a certain viewpoint? I dont know.”
Yes Chris, you hit the nail square on the head. “YOU DON’T KNOW”! Well if you know that you don’t know then why don’t you go away and shut the fuck up?
Mike owes you no explanation at all. It is his blog, he spends his time to post it and moderate it and I wish that folks like yourself would grow a pair and create something of your own rather than carp about what someone else chooses to do. I suggest you take a walk over to the OSA offices and get a real job that suits your the size of your head. I assume they also have a desktop computer with a keyboard that fits your big fat fingers.
Sorry if I over reacted …………… I hate whiners and snivelers and today you sound like one!
I would say the intended audience is mostly ex-staff and ex-public, with many under the radars who are evaluating their own personal scenes and comparing the data they know in the Church to what Mike and the people who make comments are reporting on here, and a very small percentage comprised of OSA of course and also current public doing liability formulas or ethics actions (as they can’t afford to donate their way out of the Ethics actions) who come on here and occasionally drop a few snide remarks and plead that “it’s not all bad” and “what’s the point?” etc.
You probably fit into one of the last 2 categories above, or you just want to stir things up (you hope).
Well, “the point of all this” is that the management and direction of the Church of Scientology has been usurped by a complete loon who has destroyed what was a decent organization that changed people’s lives through the application of the technology it once possessed but has now diluted and sold this technology and the organizations down the river, to become a travesty of what it was originally intended to be. Just take a look at the photos above. This is not even an old ladies’s sewing circle in terms of effectiveness but a pool of bait and fish with big sharks swimming in it taking bites out of them. Take a look at the Master of Ceremonies guy in a suit – would you buy a used car from that dude? Now it could be that you are in one of the photos above? Quite likely.
Your arguments or points are totally unconvincing – we can all read the untruths in them – who do you think you are dealing with? This isn’t Facebook with juvenile morons or current Church public that believe anything they are told or if they don’t believe it they say nothing anyway. Most of the people on here are some of the 50-100,000 or so well-trained Scientologists that have decided that this is not the way to run things. And I doubt that you really believe the points you make above but are just parroting them off as part of some sort of Ethics action, again probably you cannot afford to pay the Ethics Officer off with a nice bribe to IAS.
So, yeah, go and read some other blog. You can get a signature on your Liability Formula now.And you’d better start saving for you next “donation” to IAS.
I was just saying, your stats are going down. Maybe you should dig deeper. Write about your past experiences. Your in-depth opinions on current church news. Whatever. Mix it up a bit. On a scale of interest from 1-100 I’m giving OTC minutes a 3. It sounds like you have an hour or less, maybe only a few minutes to put up something and you feel a need to do it every day. Maybe you could get some help- other contributors or links. I think Cooper wants to write something.
Don’t worry Chris. The stats are on a long term uptrend. Check Alexa again after the next big media story on Scientology hits the airwaves. It is true the general public are becoming less and less interested in the subject.
When I need some help on figuring out how to do my blog I will give you a call for sure.
Foolproof, you are me a couple years ago, but I was nicer about it I hope.
I publicly left the Church @ 2011 and was told I was Declared. There was a video of a computer screen on Youtube that had me as a “Dead File SP”.
I couldnt go back or work for OSA. It would be like crawling back into a thimble.
The SS Obergruppenfuehrers of Milestone Two strike again. Dead Agenting Mike? Oh, come on. Like that will ever work. Not even OSA was able to do that successfully, and they had an ex-wife to work with. No, Mike isn’t “pure” by your standards anymore, Chris. Live with it.
Oh, and as for the intended audience, don’t forget us never-ins from the critic community. Mike’s info is pure platinum for all of us.
Espiando you’re way off. Are you the guy who said I should be eliminated by any means neccesary on Tonys site?
The Alexa stats probably dont mean much. The bulk of it is probably people searching your name after they see you on a show or something.
Since the subject came up, I would like to invite the readers to consider sending Mike a donation for the Blog. If this Blog has helped you, or it you just enjoy reading it and appreciate it, then making a donation in any amount would be a good thing to do.
Mike obviously spends a lot of time working on the Blog and is committed to bringing information to the public. He is also a generous host and gives lots of room for people to express their points of view. He’s not living an extravagant life style or getting rich from doing this. We don’t all agree on everything here and that’s fine. There still is a common ground to be shared.
I love to read the posts every day. Interesting stuff, and lots of my friends are here. It’s a social thing man.
Overrun, it was for me too. Either I’ve moved on or the blog changed. Its probably me. I guess it appeals to a specific group- people who are upset about the church/Scientology.
“Either I’ve moved on or the blog changed.”
Hi Chris – if I may, I would like to say that it’s probably both. Life always changes, and so do people. Nothing stays the same forever. A simple wisdom I tell myself when I get in a dark place that gives me hope (not saying that’s where you are though). Change can be a good thing, so I don’t have any problem with where you’re at. I’ve been there too and back again. It’s been a process for me anyway.
BTW, I know you are not an OSA troll because I remember you posting here many times in the past.
Sorry you feel obliged to troll here chrismann. No one asked you to read this. Oh WAIT!!!! OSA did. Mission not accomplished. Go back home to your yummy rice and beans.
PS when you post mike’s alexa stats, you are being unfair to Mike’s readers to not post your beloved cult’s alexa stats and wonder why more people care about his blog than scamatology can get even when they click farm a few thousand visits a day. Of course, that would expose more of the scamatology lie, and you might even be forced to look at the fact that more than twice as many people read Mike’s blog than read COS drivel, and that includes the fact that approximately 5-10% of the people “reading” the SCN site are paid from India and paid to do so on any day.
Unlike Mike’s blog, Mike doesn’t get paid for his blog, like he says, nor do any of us get paid to read it. Too bad the people milking people for their last penny try to perpetuate the lie that people trying to expose the con are getting paid for it.
Go. Away.
Are you now or have you ever been a Scientologist?
Let me ask you this. Why do you care? There are so few people in the Church and they are there by their own continuing decision. No new people are coming in. Scientology.org is only slightly more popular with young people than genital warts. I was on staff and we had for years virtually no new people coming in. What new people did come in were crush regged and smothered with phone calls and letters and promo and regging events until they left. They have some buildings, but it’s a small group. Considering you are not a Scientologist why do you think you are so passionate about this subject?
chris, I notice in your long-winded review of Mike’s site you used the word ‘guys’ a lot. I just want you to know and make it clear that there are MANY women, some of them disconnected from their children, who are pissed off at the abuse, the pain and the misery this “church” had heaped onto people.
And we aren’t going anywhere.
Amen sister! From another gal….
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=you%20guys
chrismann,
If you’re not OSA, what is your real beef with Mike Rinder, exactly?
I’m evaluating that you have a beef because the tone of your comm to him is very 1.1. Criticism is OK but yours kind of “seethes”, you know? “Snide” would be the word. That’s my eval of your comm to him. Feel free to correct me if you think I’m mistaken.
To continue, I think its safe to say that nearly all of us reading and/or commenting here have beefs with the Church of Scientology.
I’d say every one of us wants this conscienceless, greedy cult masquerading as a religion to fail, and to fail sooner rather than later, but better later than never.
Now, accordingly, I’d say that every one of us reading and posting here appreciates Mike for what he is doing on a number of levels to make this happen, and to that end I am very glad that he posts an article every day.
I check in here at least once a day, out of pure enjoyment for the way Mike writes up the information he is able to provide. I enjoy reading Mike’s airing of his opinions because they are what I consider informed and well articulated. He knows what he knows and doesn’t pretend to know what he doesn’t know. I respect that. I also enjoy my fellow blog posters’ comments. I have good R with this group. We can agree, we can disagree, and when we disagree it is on the merits, without cursing or personal attacks. That fits right in with my concept of what discussion, debate and 2 way comm should be.
crismann, this cult is imploding. Maybe not as fast as I would like, or possibly as fast as YOU would like. But the implosion IS happening. Think of a tree that is still standing, yet leafless with its roots loose, dried up and dead. The tree is still standing but one day there’s a storm, and a strong wind topples it. The lifeless roots just couldn’t hold this tree in the ground. That’s an apt metaphor for this “church”. There is, every day, less and less LIFE in it.
If, like many of us, you have a major beef with the CHURCH of Scientology, then, be patient, because it IS dying. Not Scientology philosophy, but the organization. Now, if, like us, you WANT that, then be glad, and I would also suggest that you give a hand to MIke Rinder for what he has done and is doing, on this blog and elsewhere to contribute to this motion.
On the other hand, if you’re OSA, or just trolling for the hell of it, then, as Roseanne Rosannadanna used to say, “Never mind”.
Aquamarine, I can see that one or two of my comments could come across like that, but the longer ones I don’t see how me trying to clearly communicate what I think is wrong with the blog is 1.1
Can’t reply to your troll to me and not that it is any of your f***ing business but I was SO, GO B1, more tech and admin trained than I care to admit and well audited to boot. Ex hubby is prominently listed on Scientology Enemies list and my clear number was issued when LRH was alive and it meant something and is below 10,000. No one has ever bothered to infoem me that I’m not in good standing. I’m sorry you’re bored watching lies unravel. Just read something else.
I am currently reading Raven, the story of Jim Jones, written by Tim Reiterman, a newsman who was there during the massacre. He says:
“But what remains is one abiding and cautionary truth: People who surrender their worldly resources, their offspring, and the most basic decisions in their lives to a man, a cause, and an organization, do so at their peril.”
Chris Mann wrote: “Why do you care? There are so few people in the Church and they are there by their own continuing decision.”
Some people care because their family members or friends are still wasting their lives, fortunes and futures supporting Dave’s con. I care because I spent most of my adult life in the church and it has helped to form how I operate and respond to the world.
I follow the news on many disparate topics, on Hamas and statins and the new iPhone specs, but usually none of them are as interesting to me personally as reading this site or others, or listening to the Supporting Scientology podcast.
I think Chris would like to see a revitalized Scientology scene, and is frustrated by the free flow of information which does not spare LRH or the subject from critical examination. I think that he and M2 are trying to keep alive the idea that Scn would have had no problems had it only been properly applied. And that it it is not too late if only we of the diaspora would put our shoulders to their wheel and not allow the consideration of certain truths that tend to get in the way of that goal.
I wrote the “Supporting Scientology* podcast. This was carelessness rather than, I hope, a Freudian slip.
I was referring in fact to the “Surviving Scientology” podcast which consists of fascinating interviews with people who have lots of insider stories.
http://www.survivingscientologyradio.com/
In order to label sometimes we have to make wide assumptions
Thanks very much for your comments Chris Mann – they are indeed informative and useful in belying your agenda and in allowing Mike the excuse of clarifying, once again, his. Good to know.
Yeah, Chris, I am the guy at Tony’s who says that you should be destroyed by any means necessary, along with your Milestone Two buddies. Do you have an issue with that?
“Considering you are not a Scientologist why do you think you are so passionate about this subject?”
How could I not be interested in a bloody, greedy, totalitarian mind control cult with global domination aspirations founded by a hypnotist/sci-fi writer/Thelema magician for the sole purpose of making him not just a mere god but a god-maker!
Are you kidding me!? You can’t make that stuff up!
You couldn’t be more wrong. I’m a never in and I come here every day to read Mikes blog for the TRUTH about this cult. This is a True Crime going on that involves the destruction of human lives. I have a feeling that the number of t those who follow this information is huge. And Mike is doing a great service to those who have suffered or are suffering.
Well, stock up on popcorn. LOTS of it. With all the money the IAS has stashed (along with any of LRH’s overseas $), DM can play this game for a LONG time. Scn is already dead. That is plain as day to anyone who had access to fairly accurate stats back in the day (60’s-90′) and can compare to today’s. Unless DM outright shoots someone (and gets caught) he’ll sit at the top and play money games until he dies of old age.
Potpie,
Loved Dandy Don, but when it comes to describing a game that’s obviously over, nobody could match Lakers announcer Chick Hearn:
“The game is in the refrigerator, the door is closed, the lights are out, the eggs are cooling, the butter’s getting hard, and the Jell-O’s jigglin’!”
Good one, War Horse, except the refrigerator has no power so the eggs are rotting, the butter is melting and the Jell-O is running all over the place.
Ah yes….Chicky Baby. Then there is Vin Scully,
two of the best.
My fav Chick line…..he bunny hopped through the pea patch.
Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Denver, Sacremento -Are any of them really Ideal Orgs if few or no one is training or auditing?
If I go to McDonalds and they can’t serve me a burger and fries then why am I there?
To become a humanitirian?
To suck up to He who it always sucks to be!
“Time to bring in Quinn the Eskimo to do an “affluence analysis”…. How about calling him: “Quinn the Ideal Org Chimp”.
Dandy Don Meridith would sing when an NFL
game he was announcing was not close……
“Turn out the lights….the party is over”
Hey Dave, Now that it is evident that you have shot your wad all over GAG II, are you going to have an anticlimax with a Sea Org Day at Int?
they’re burning the walls to heat the house.
it can only end one way.
Yes it’s over, call it a day
Sorry that it had to end this way
No reason to pretend
We knew it had to end some day
Yes, it’s over, the kicks are gone
What’s the use of tryin’ to hang on?
Somewhere we lost the key
So little left for you and me
and it’s clear to see that it’s over.
The chips are down,
pity all our bridges have tumbled to the ground
Whatever scheme we try……..let’s face it, why deny
It’s over.
Nicely done @WhiteStar
It looks like there are about 60 chairs in the room, and they are not all filled. Pathetic indeed. And quite a few faces there that look most unimpressed about having to be there and being subjected to yet another night of fundraising.
Sad…just sad that anybody at all even pitches up for these “events”.
I saw on some of the faces ‘Trapped’.
A few others emanated “fucked …….. yet again”.
A guess – by 2012 you have Debbie Cook’s e mail; Marty’s blog is divulging abuse after abuse plus exposing many other issues of people leaving. Miscavige feels threatened and desiring “revenge” of these apostates plus has to “prove” that all is fine and expanding so HE goes full blast opening Orgs in 2012 to “prove it” while attempting to make Marty and others very wrong.
Super Power Building opened when Luis Garcia kept pushing the lawsuit and the Scn lawyers who, despite their dishonest approaches, could not get rid of the lawsuit as DM ‘demanded”, so HE goes and opens the SP building to “prove” expansion and make the others wrong.
Now, if you try to “prove” something to another you are effect, definitely unsure and terrified of the truths being exposed. Add to this the sociopathic mind HE operates on and you have, indeed, a very poor and suffering soul still attempting to ‘prove’ he is right. Ain’t funny actually.
You hit the nail on the head, Silvia. What a spot on analysis.
If we know how David thinks and acts, we can “run” him. We can be cause over him and he will produce more and more shit. So more and more Scientologists will wake up and he will make even more mistakes, until no one is there….
Sorry for my english, but I’m Swiss 🙂
Your English just like your logic is perfect Malgin 🙂
Hoi! Da isch nuuet falsch mit Dim Aenglisch. S’isch ok Schwiizer zi….
(Hi! There is nothing wrong with your English. It’s ok to be Swiss…)
Greta, another Swiss
Your English communicates clearly to me, malgin 1. I hear you. What you’ve described is exactly what’s happening.
Sounds good, malgin1
Thank you all. We are working to delay the opening of Basel Org. This increases pressure, resulting in errors. In Basel there is a citizen movement that protested against the new Org and I support it.
“Donations went like crazy” Yeah crazy is a great choice of words for this…
But Mike you are completely missing the point. This is a David Miscavige built “Ideal Org”. Twenty whales in a room is 100% doing cutsie fundraisers IS the ideal scene that all of scientology is striving to achieve. Portland has made it!!!!!!!!!
And the thing that is so cool about this is that it is also most other peoples “ideal scientology org” as well.
“Cutsie fundraisers”.
Dressed up as chickens, pirates, or even just in street clothes, jumping up and down with excitement about how much money they’re giving, while watching their event videos, how Miscavige must deride these unfortunate men and women.
Its really a shame for them that inevitably they will need to grow up – again.
I say, “again” because they did grow up once, but at some point as regards the Church Of Scientology, they decided, for whatever reasons, to become children again – children who believe whatever their church tells them is true or not true, children who must do as they are told – or else.
+1
I, +1 Peppers +1 of your comment and I +1 your comment as well. I have seen the adults stop thinking for themselves and go with hubbard BS. And in the end, I have seen them harmed for doing so.
What cut across Miscavige’s uptrend managing up to 2012 obviously was the OSA staff not doing what they should have done to stop the entheta spreading that Miscavige then had to deal with.
And, superpower building opening, whoever wasn’t handling that opening also drew Miscavige’s attention to deal with it, distracting him from the Ideal Building growth trend!
Now that Superpower Building is such a success, Miscavige can get back to the old international Ideal building strategy.
Or maybe the Texas suit that will inevitably sock it to Linda Hamel, might have his attention riveted still!
that legal distraction of the Narconon suits also might be weighing on Miscavige’s noggin!
Again, my analysis point is OSA, they are just not doing their job!!!!
COB is distracted off of the building growth strategy, which is also a PR handling all its own, in his mind!
Miscavige is such a big being, he needs MORE help! Who wants to help him? He’s stretched so thin!
I’ll help him……down the hall, out
the door into a police cruiser.
Wasn’t 2012 the year the Garcias filed their lawsuit (or does it just seem that long and it was early 2013)? ANYway, when you’re getting sued for fraud for the pretty buildings, it’s harder to pool the wool over sheeple eyes.
Are even half of the seats filled?! People must have blinders on the front of their eyes not to see this contraction and believe its an expansion!
Dang,
I should have been there for the photo op …………….since that is all it is about.
Yo Dave, you big massive humanitarian that exists only to bring planetary salvation to all,
How about getting your International Association of Shitheads to assemble some sort of response to the situation in Nigeria. Perhaps you could get some of your most OT of all OTs who have completed Sooper Powerz and the vaunted Cause Resurgence Rundown over to Lagos with some TWTH booklets and set up a purification center to at least show that THE MOST ETHICAL GROUP ON THE PLANET ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT WHAT GOES ON IN THE WORLD. I know your Cult has a solution for everything.
Whaddya say? Or have you heard about ebola with all the pizzazz around your Ideal Morgues and how your cult is so busy saving everyone and everything in sight?
OK. Time to get your sorry ass into action for a change and get some of the millions of yellow Cult Member shirts over to Africa. The Worldwide Call to Arms went out this morning as best as I can determine.
Coop, I vote to send all the IAS members & volunteer “ministers” to Nigeria to meet with Boko Haram to hand out TWTH booklets. I’m sure with the “tech” they can turn this vicious, killing machine of a group into pliable sheeple who will clear Nigeria in no time! Make sure they know that they have to stay there for, at least, 10 years. This is not just a photo-op.
First glance at the top photo, I thought
why are they showing people lined up at a
deli counter waiting to order?….further inspection
brought me back to my senses.
At the end it says Portland finished with its highest
amount of funds raised for a MV event…..so where
are the numbers??? That is a pretty general statement
that the sheeple probably won’t notice or will certainly not-is.
That Arezzini fellow is well dressed. Kinda looks like a
upper pin level Amway distributor pumping up the crowd
with every new pin level crossing the stage. Scientology
has turned into a bunch of Amway copycats…..possibly
a new name would be Amwaytology or Scienamywaytology..
something new and catchy.
It does not appear that they have much attention on training
and processing, so why keep the name.
Amway would be offended. It at least pretends to offer a product.
Looks like they’re booming. Planet Earth can sleep safely tonight.
🙂
The Portland Ideal Org may be very nice and well appointed throughout with the finest furnishings but, if it were me, I would step off the yellow brick road provided by the IAS and give Ronit Charny a call instead.
Ronit is the strongest and time proven auditor in the Portland area by far-As a Class 9 she has seen and done it all at Flag. So to the Oregonians I would say, save yourself a fortune in donations and reach for a pro that lives just minutes from your Org., if you really want standard Scientology.
Delusion. It’s what scientologists feed on morning, noon & night. Seven days a week. It’s a diet of pure fantasy.
Oh dear, Mike. If you are going to use Oz as an analogy, you should do it properly. Remember, you have to put on your (green) glasses before you can enter the Emerald City. Only they can protect your eyes from the dazzling experience.
DollarMorgue, I beg to differ. Green glasses would pass the emerald glare with no attenuation. What you want is magenta glasses. Magenta glasses would block the green light since magenta is the complement to green. Green glasses are green because they block every other color but green.
Or if you will, rose colored glasses would work. That would make it all lovely.
Ah, Portland. Are you so dangerous that COB had to wear a bullet-proof vest to open your Ideal Morgue?
It was a reference to the book 😉
Rose coloured glasses are de rigueur in the CoS.
Is there a man behind the curtain?
Yes, and he’s standing on a chair.