The latest article from Tracey McManus in the extensive reporting she had done on scientology’s land grab in Clearwater. You can see some of her earlier reporting here: Scientology members fuel another land buying surge in Clearwater and Clear Takeover
The recent activities prompted Mark Bunker to raise concerns at the city council meeting which is what the latest story covers. He didn’t get much support.
While some of the city council are willing to acknowledge scientology taking over Clearwater as a “problem” they simply throw up their hands and claim there is nothing that can be done.
This is in fact the biggest problem the city faces. They are investing tens of millions to try to revitalize downtown with their Imagine Clearwater plan and the scientology strategy is pulling the rug out from under them.
The FIRST step they have to take is change the PERCEPTION problem the city has. They are seen as being impotent to the bullying tactics of scientology. Comments like “there is nothing we can do” and “they’re no different from the catholic church buying property” reinforce that image. People will be reluctant to invest money or even visit downtown Clearwater as long as they believe scientology can dictate what happens in the area.
It’s a long road to change the state of downtown Clearwater, but the city has to take the first step on that road by making it clear they are no longer willing to be pushed around by scientology without so much as a whimper of resistance.
The ostrich strategy has not worked. Not doing or saying anything under the misguided notion that doing anything “forwards the narrative that scientology controls Clearwater” is short-sighted and foolish. Scientology has been playing the long game for decades and have nearly accomplished their stated objective of making Clearwater the first scientology city.
Like all bullies, Scientology has created an atmosphere of fear. People are afraid to visit downtown. Politicians are afraid to speak up about them. Scientology targets those who are brave enough to speak, invariably calling them “bigots” and “haters” (Ben Shaw claimed in this article that Mark Bunker is “harassing” them). There are a few voices who continue to try to stir some action: Councilman Bunker, The Tampa Bay Times and Pastor Willy Rice. There needs to be a full chorus. Aaron Smith-Levin is hoping to add to the equation by being elected to the City Council. It’s time more people in this city decided to do the same.
Bullies go on bullying until someone finally stands up to them. It’s never too late.
So what I do not understand is how can residents NOT care who is buying the properties. IF I understand correctly, the land / buildings owned by Scientology or the Scientology groups are tax exempt. EVERY property that they buy takes away tax base from the city which means that a greater portion of the overall tax burden has to be shared by other businesses and or city residents who own properties. Add on the fact that many of the properties are not being actively used and it makes downtown an eyesore that is sucking more tax money out of the city from those who do pay for additional policing etc. as traditionally abandoned properties tend to attract greater incidents of fringe issues. In some cities, there are bylaws in place that say once a property is purchased, the new owner has only so long to develop it / upgrade it or resell it before penalties start to be assessed. Time for politeness is far, FAR over here.
citizens would be pleasantly surprised at what happens to their residential property value if scamology is kicked out.
Poor Clearwater and its residents. The situation won’t/can’t improve until Davey’s body finally succumbs to the indignities he visits upon it.
scientology will never change, CAN never change. Sadly, its past and present actions have bullied Clearwater into giving scn the keys to the city, and whatever else was in its pockets.
Whenever David Miscavige or any representative of Scientology is presenting information if possible the event should be recorded on video and with full audio if possible.
The person should be asked if they accept and support Scientology doctrine and simply asked about a few bits of Scientology doctrine. It can be different doctrine at different times.
Here are a few as examples.
“In the face of danger from Govts or courts there are only two errors one can make: (a) do nothing and (b) defend. The right things to do with any threat are to (1) Find out if we want to play the offered game or not, (2) If not, to derail the offered game with a feint or attack upon the most vulnerable point. which can be disclosed in the enemy ranks, (3) Make enough threat or clamor to cause the enemy to quail, (4) Don’t try to get any money out of it, (5) Make every attack by us also sell Scientology and (6) Win. If attacked on some vulnerable point by anyone or anything or any organization, always find or manufacture enough threat against them to cause them to sue for peace. Peace is bought with an exchange of advantage, so make the advantage and then settle. Don’t ever defend. Always attack. Don’t ever do nothing. Unexpected attacks in the rear of the enemy’s front ranks work best”
HCO POLICY LETTER OF 15 AUGUST 1960 DEPT OF GOVT AFFAIRS Ron Hubbard
Here Hubbard specifically said if attacked to find or manufacture evidence and don’t ever do nothing. Very specific and leaving no room for discretion or respecting legitimate authorities.
“The goal of the Department is to bring the government and hostile philosophies or societies into a state of complete compliance with the goals of Scientology. This is done by high level ability to control and in its absence by low level ability to overwhelm. Introvert such agencies. Control such agencies. Scientology is the only game on Earth where everybody wins. There is no overt in bringing good order.”
HCO POLICY LETTER OF 15 AUGUST 1960 DEPT OF GOVT AFFAIRS Ron Hubbard
Here Hubbard made it clear he wanted philosophies or societies to be in complete compliance with the goals of Scientology. And notably he stated there is no overt in bringing good order. In the context of his other statements in the first entry in this series it is clear anything is allowed to be done to anyone Scientology decrees low tones or suppressive persons, meaning anyone unwilling to comply with Scientology’s authority. Anything including lying to or about them or murder.
“You want to know what happens when you clear everybody in that neighborhood, the only thing that [Scientology] center can become used for is a political center. Because by the time you’ve done all this, you are the government…” — Ron Hubbard. Taped Lecture – 9 January 1962: Future Org Trends.
Hubbard’s goals, Scientology’s ultimate goals, were totalitarian. He wanted his creation to take over the entire world and replace all governments.
“Once the world is Clear – a nation, a state, a city or a village – the Scientology-organization in the area becomes its government! And once this has taken place the only policy accepted as valid is Scientology policy.” — Ron Hubbard. Taped Lecture – 9 January 1962: Future Org Trends.
He here makes it perfectly clear that all laws of any kind, including any on human rights, are subordinate to Scientology policy – his policy, his ideas.
Good idea getting audio/video proof of scientology’s dealings with the City, but they’d find SOME excuse to call it an infringement of their first Amendment rights, somehow trumping the state’s “Sunshine Laws” that they so bully the government with. Mark Bunker can’t communicate to ANYONE without scn’s attack lawyers filing a grievance against him.
I am not a legal expert but in most places some policies, meaning laws in this context, cover what can be recorded. If the government and business leaders simply don’t communicate in any way with David Miscavige or any Scientology representatives unless the communication is legally allowed to GE recorded and shared then David Miscavige will have to play by their rules or not play at all.
In this context THEY can make the rules and HE David Miscavige has to comply.
It would annoy him and put him in a position he does not like.
But further it would put his words out into the open.
The ultimate way to take down Scientology is to expose the two faces.
Alexandria Stein in her book Terror, Love and Brainwashing described how cults usually have doctrine for outsiders and new recruits that is propaganda in her model.
The Way to Happiness is this type of information, designed to make Scientology seem palatable to outsiders and new recruits.
Other doctrine that is more questionable is contained in Scientology and includes many references on the subject of ethics and the treatment of suppressive persons and the interaction with governments, among many topics.
These references are indoctrination in the model presented by Alexandria Stein, intended to influence the true believer.
The way you expose Scientology is to simply document the true history of Scientology, including lies, extensive plagiarism from other subjects, which almost invariably had all failed in their own turn, and the two paths of the propaganda and indoctrination in Scientology.
These two sets of information are both fundamentally divorced from truth and reality, which is easy to observe, but further they directly contradict each other.
This contradiction is a way to show Scientologists that Scientology is not cohesive or coherent as a philosophy, regardless of its inability to survive inspection using scientific method and reality based subjects to evaluate it.
Most people, frankly, don’t have a very good education regarding critical thinking, scientific method, and evaluation of the foundation and claims in a subject.
So, rather than trying to start by overcoming that huge barrier it is often better to pick a shorter route to getting a person to question something that they do understand.
The classic example of the propaganda and indoctrination in Scientology being in obvious conflict is the Posse of Lunatics story put out by Scientology in the Freedom Magazine.
Simply put this was a propaganda piece portraying Scientology as just another religion and the victim of a half dozen or so allegedly incompetent and stumbling and bumbling Three Stooges like people who were in Scientology for decades as Sea Org members at the very highest level of the Sea Org and it portrays the Sea Org as incapable of doing anything effective about them!
It portrays the Sea Org as all too human and vulnerable to deception and utterly blind to incompetence and not evil.
Okay, that was designed for the general public and to the average person who never was involved with Scientology a story of a few people flying under the radar and sabotaging an all too human organization is believable. Sure.
But the Freedom story was of course examined by Scientology cult members and it had a remarkable, historic effect.
See, we were used to dismissing ALL criticism of Scientology as simply lies motivated by hidden crimes that we were used to not facing them and pivoting to criticism of the source, using the genetic fallacy (looking at the genesis or source and not a claim) and not engaging in critical thinking.
So, the official story from Scientology was that the allegedly superhuman OTs leading the Sea Org were fooled for decades by the incompetent fumbling and bumbling Posse of Lunatics!
To understand the problem with this you have to understand that we were taught for decades that the Sea Org was lead by OTs that Hubbard made using some miraculous techniques he supposedly used in his “research”.
These beings were described as more God than human and supposed to have a wide array of powers including telepathy, precognition, telekinesis, mind control, healing, super sanity, superhuman intelligence, and on and on and on.
They were also supposed to have magical technology that they could use to evaluate data, run organizations, find and understand underlying reasons behind conditions and on and on and on.
Now the real problem becomes apparent.
Hundreds, maybe thousands, of Scientologists realized that if these alleged incompetent half dozen Sea Org members were unstoppable and they were allowed to remain in high positions in the highest echelons of the Sea Org then the supposed Godhood of the OTs had to be, well, false. It’s the only plausible explanation.
And when WE realized that the Sea Org has no OTs and no super technology then everything shifts, it certainly did for me.
It makes it possible to reconsider everything from the premise that there are no OTs leading Scientology.
OTs are described as so powerful and invincible that if he had created hundreds or thousands of them and left hundreds leading the Sea Org then there is nothing that is powerful enough to have neutralized them in the few decades since his death.
So the only reasonable explanation for how the allegedly invincible core of a few hundred demigods are now as ineffective and incompetent as us mere mortals is that they never existed.
In other words Hubbard never made any OTs. And once it is comprehensible that Hubbard was wrong about that it is a very short step to realize he was aware of that and hid it. And that leads to seeing that there are no clears and then we can see that auditing is not at all what it is presented as and that the reactive mind, engrams, overts and witholds and all the rest as presented by Hubbard simply don’t exist.
That’s one example of contrasting propaganda and indoctrination. There are many, many, many others.
We can present policies and quotes on the treatment of people against the Way to Happiness and other things and show that Scientology is a dangerous, harmful, abusive, and criminal organization.
I think that the recent meeting between David Miscavige and Clearwater business leaders in which he reportedly complained about being mistreated for years by the government and Clearwater business community really is something that EVERYONE should handle with Scientology!
Simply ask David Miscavige and any Scientology public, staff, and especially Sea Org members “Why is David Miscavige being a victim?”
“What unhandled overts and witholds does David Miscavige have?”
“Is David Miscavige going to stop being a victim and become cause over this situation?”
“What condition is David Miscavige in regarding Scientology?”
“What condition is Scientology in as a group in the Clearwater community?”
I think a very beneficial conversation can commence regarding David Miscavige, his status as a victim, and his ethics conditions on numerous dynamics!
I think we should share this ecclesiastical information with the entire community!
Yeah. It’d be a hoot to see Davey subjected to the sec checks he so liberally deals out to everyone else. False Purpose Rundown, maybe? (A real one)
Well, I don’t know if most people would understand what the false purpose rundown or truth rundown are but if you merely take basic ideas presented in lots of Scientology references and turn the tables on David Miscavige and present the information broadly it would seem odd to the general public but it might get a few people in Scientology to realize that Scientology is authority based and the alleged principles fall apart if applied to the leaders.
One positive aspect of Scientology establishing itself in Clearwater is that the continuing and increasing concentration of money ( “donations”) and Scientologists in the CW area has most definitely hurt Scn’s expansion in the rest of the USA. As has the promotion of Flag within the CoS as “superior Scientology.” This is true even for the LA area, which has much less Scientologists than it did forty years ago.
Ron himself screwed the pooch by opening the Flag Land Base. Apparently he had mu’s on his own conditions formulas about doing what has been successful . “Ronnie, I want you to look over the affluence formula and tell me what words you don’t understand … Hell, I don’t care if you wrote it or not … Pick up the cans …”
Here we go! Oh, HERE WE GO! Another Mormon/Scientology parallel! Once again, history repeats itself! Look at the parallels:
Then: Mormonism.
Now: Scientology.
Then: Nauvoo, Illinois.
Now: Clearwater Florida.
Once again, a wacko religion comes into a town, settles in then proceeds to carry out a takeover via real estate acquisitions.
So, let’s not take the parallel any further. Do not go to Clearwater and start any kind of periodical that exposes Scientology for what it really is. Else David Miscavige will send in the Sea Org to burn all the copies of the periodical, demolish the printing press and scatter the type in the street. Just like Joseph Smith did with the Nauvoo Expisitor.
On the other hand, if this were to happen it might get Miscavige sent to jail where he would be shot to death by an angry mob.
🎵A poor wayfaring man of grief…………..🎵
Any who don’t know the story should search Navoo Expositor. There’s a nice little wiki on that sad chapter of Americana.
Yep. Guy loses printing shop and has to flee town because he exposed a religious leader’s illicit sexual activities.
I think the city council is well informed about everything and who scn really is.
The cult uses purely mafia techniques (or is it the other way around?). Some intimidation can be very indirect.
It is obvious that many public and government administrators want to retire without problems. And scn certainly creates trouble for those who get in the way of its business.
I’m not talking about waking up in bed with the severed head of a horse, but intimidation, which goes on step by step, until they reach the right level where one will listen to them.
For how certain public administrators and similar things act here in Italy we have a proverb: if the eye does not see, the heart does not hurt.
Just turn your head the other way to not have trouble or responsibility.
They know very well that scn-inc would never forgive them as long as they live. Mafia does the same.
Nicely said, LmR.
Totally agree!!
As long as scientology continues its stranglehold here, Imagine Clearwater is the very definition of “lipstick on a pig”. And it’s very expensive ($100M) lipstick.
It bothers me so much when people say “if the catholic church bought property we would not question it”!
If the Catholic church bought land the city would be able to see that property actually being used! It would be a school, homeless shelter, food pantry, employment center… not an empty storefront. You would see a legitimate religious organization putting the money donated by their congregation back into the city.
“if the catholic church bought property we would not question it”!
Unless and until they saw daily troops of Cardinals parading in the streets, scaring tourists and residents alike. 40 years ago, we staff didn’t WANT to hurt the Downtown area wearing our wearing our white shirt & black trousers, appropriate garb for the climate, but I’m not certain of the current staff and those too-hot, UGLY vests. CAN’T miss them. Their visibility makes up for the paucity of numbers.
It seems like the city council, as a whole, is not sufficiently informed about scientology policies and their organizations’ extensive history of aggressively enacting them.
They are NOT just another church, nor are they a religion in the sense that most people understand one to be. They are a criminal enterprise, conceived with malicious and manipulative intentions. The “church” is run by a narcissistic sociopath and is set up for his inurement.
Hoping that Bunker and Smith-Levin can continue to educate other council members and the citizens of Clearwater about the cult and its true, toxic intentions and actions.
McManus will probably play a pivotal role in an ongoing community discussion about this issue, as a journalist who knows the group’s history and can continue to enlighten her readers about it…
It’s telling that Tracey’s beat is scientology and downtown Clearwater. The two are inextricably linked after 45 years, or should that be 45 tears? There’s certainly been enough of them shed by the locals.
scientology’s assertion that it’s a church is the “BIG LIE”‘ repeated often enough and loudly enough, people will start to believe it’s true — until they look at scientology’s ‘good works’™. There’s a lot of chaff to separate from anything truly considered “good” by the reasonable man standard.
“there is nothing that can be done.” The end, you can’t stop any clam from buying up any property they want. But please call it out and expose the new version of ‘Operation Normandy’.
The only thing that Clearwater can do is use their redevelopment funds in areas away from the $cieno blight. That concert park and farmers market place is a great place to start.
Expanding into the “beach” area might work. scns hardly EVER get out to see the beach. *I* only got to the beach twice in 5 years, and then only at night in an attempt to seduce a girl after work. Almost worked, once.
This phenomenon is one of the most frustrating aspects of exposing and/or working with the church of scientology. This group holds up expansion for the City of Clearwater and if it thinks that cowering in the face of scientology will help its cause, then they need to look at the last 45 years and what the church of scientology has done for the City of Clearwater other than avail itself of City services.
The City of Clearwater has no real/honest relationship with the church of scientology. Imagine Clearwater will waste money until it can “imagine” itself without the crappy influence of this “religion” in downtown Clearwater.
Amen Mary! We need to elect Aaron for city council! He and Mark can help educate the mayor and the other council members on what’s really good for the residents of Clearwater. News Flash- It’s not looking at possible land swaps with the scientologists. 😠
Intangible when started losing value , tangible kicks in.
Companies signing superstars for publicity, moving to new and expensive locations, hosting costly conventions and conferences etc etc etc
It’s called enforcement in marketing terms and for sage & pundits, it’s a begging from losers for “a” chance.
Every man made product, scam and trend has a life cycle, it has to end either quitely or with showoff.
Let it have the Final count down, it’s written on the wall
scn not only holds up expansion, it rolls it back on whims of the Dwarfenführer®.
The problem is that Clearwater TRIES to have a “real/honest relationship with [scientology]”, while scientology has no concept of what real and honest are; they deal primarily in lies, from scientology’s earliest beginnings through today and tomorrow.
The city is at a severe disadvantage as it’s dealing in good faith while Davey & his minions have no compunction against lying to forward his hidden agenda which doesn’t need or particularly want Clearwater to be flourishing.
We lived at 1100 apex and because we were not Scientologist we were bullied, threatened, to the point where we were told to leave. As along time resident of pinellas county we thought we would give downtown clearwater a try and be apart of the revitalization. We started our business there rented warehouse space. Unfortunately, the Scientology building and the people we endured was scary to the point where I became fearful. I have much more to share if you would like to hear from me my contact is below .
Danielle
7274636101
Danielle, please contact Mike Rinder or Tony Ortega and tell your story. It is important to the life of Clearwater.
Zee,
I heartily co-sign your request that Danielle share her story!
Cheers✌🏾
I also lived near downtown and most of my neighbors were Scientologists. I was also harassed, followed, had photos taken of me at my pool, and nearly deliberately hit by bicyclists as I was walking down my street’s sidewalk. We finally sold our townhouse and moved across the causeway to escape the lunacy.
Vital that this story is told. We need to know what things are like in Clearwater.
Even more vital is that the Clearwater residents know the true stories. scientology’s loudly-proclaimed cover story is all lies that almost sound reasonable to ME, who was there in the beginning when we snuck in under the cover of darkness and a lame “shore story” that was blown in mere weeks, it was so transparently false.
Good luck Danielle. I hope OSA doesn’t use that contact info to make your lives even worse.
(Oh, S**t! I hope I didn’t give them any ideas, there.)