Someone recently pointed out some of the letters that are on the STAAD website complaining that The Aftermath might cost scientologists jobs.
Among the strange things they accuse us of, this has got to be one of the weirdest.
First, we have never asked anyone not to hire scientologists for any reason nor have we given anyone a reason not to do so.
But more importantly, scientology knows very well that hiring or firing based on religious belief is clear-cut discrimination that is delineated in Federal Law. Scientology knows this especially because various WISE members have faced lawsuits because they have insisted employees study scientology as a condition of employment.
It is an unfortunate by-product of scientology-think to believe that others would view someone as automatically bad because they believed in scientology — because scientology believes people who no longer believe in scientology are automatically bad and should be destroyed.
Here is the letter on their website.
But hold on — what’s this?
Fast Eddie telling Disney they should “cut off their support” of me? Isn’t that just what STAAD is railing against above?
And if that is not clear enough — here is the top of my daughter’s blog page (actually concocted and run by OSA — maybe even Fast Eddie himself) and there is no doubt here. She has two hashtags she pushes #FireMyDad and #FireMikeRinder.
Odd that her hashtags are nothing about what she CLAIMS she is doing — preventing women from being beaten by me. Instead, they are about firing me. I guess the need to stop The Aftermath takes precedence over the need to help women…
Mike, I emotionally shuttle between pity and compassion for your daughter Taryn and outright hatred of her because of her bitter hatred of you, her viciousness and vindictiveness toward you. I have to keep reminding myself that YOU don’t hate her, that YOU understand her and love her and would welcome her back with open arms. Because of my respect for you I’m apologizing for having these very negative thoughts about your daughter.. I know that my attitude is wrong and I should not be feeling such things. I’m working on eliminating these negative emotions about Taryn and in fact about all the cold blooded, vicious Sea Org and Still in “kids” who are breaking the hearts of their ex-Scientologist parents, punishing their parents for their honesty, for their parents’ unwillingness to lie and pretend and be untrue to themselves, punishing their parent for BEING WHO THEY ARE – something that is each person’s God-given RIGHT. I don’t consider myself a Christian but as regarding the calamities caused by Disconnection and those who stupidly, blindly and cruelly follow it, something that Jesus Christ said springs to mind: “Forgive them, they know not what they do.”
Who is Bernardini? What is the first name and how does this relate to the article? What did I miss?
It’s the maiden name of my ex-wife.
Scientology commits the most evil crimes, and when someone calls them out on it they won’t respond in any way, instead claiming the accuser is an evil criminal.
They count on the dumb mainstream media and consumers to fall for the switch.
I had to say something regarding the person who wrote the letter, Jim Kalergis. I know him personally. He has fully corroborated my observation that Scientology leads to insanity and chronic delusion. I was a Scientologist for almost 50 years. I know whence I speak. This is sad, sad, sad. Mike your courage in the face of this evil and destructive cult and what it continues to do is powerful. I’m so proud of you and Leah.
Thank you for what you do and congratulations on the PGA nomination.
Ditto Geoff
He says that what they depict of the COS on the show is nowhere near reality, yet COS will not let anyone appear on the show. You never know, as deluded as he apparently is, he might be on the edge of leaving. Shows and other efforts like Aftermath have to continue.
Also, it was Scientology itself that set up sites on the internet specifically designed to have scientologists’ names come up in web searches, starting over 20 years ago with its campaign to have members set up individual sites to feature their personal involvement in the CofS (in the same vein as the “meet a Scientologist” videos that “now show on ScnTV), as part of the push to get them to install “net nanny” filtering software on their computers – on top of which OSA infamously spammed the a.r.s newsgroup. This was covered in the book Going Clear by Lawrence Wright, and Wikipedia entries explain some additional details:
“In 1996, the church sent CDs to members to help them build their own websites, which would then link to the Scientology site; included in the software was a filter that would block any sites containing material that vilified the church or revealed esoteric doctrines.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scieno_Sitter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_and_the_Internet#Scientology's_online_campaign
While Scientology abandoned the campaign, I believe that I’ve run across some of the individual websites that still exist in some form.
Scientology’s hypocrisies are legion.
I don’t think there are any mor Scientologist online site.
However the Truth About Scientology site has a listng for people who once had such a site. Also, at xenu dot net user Don Carlo has posted extensive lists of names of Scientologists who once had a site. Such lists can also be found at ESMB and WWP.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Scientologist+Online+Sites&btng=Google+Search&domains=www.truthaboutscientology.com&sitesearch=www.truthaboutscientology.com
this is beyond stupid and wow, Jim Kalergis… I wonder if any one of these letter/IG/tweet writing scinos google their own name and come up with seeing their name on any of the activist blogs!
This is all just Scientologys karma coming back on them.
Hubbard actually asks his GO/OSA thugs to cost critics their jobs. Mike and Leah never demanded the firing of Scientologists. But Hubbard actually taught you to do just that.
What is happening to you, you created. And you would accept that if you were responsible and at cause, knowing you are solely responsible for your condition.
You are cause, and now you must experience the effect of that cause.
GO/OSA and Dave:
If you want to know what is in your future simply ask yourself what you have done to others.
What you have done to others is what is happening to you. And it will continue not because of Mike and Leah. That’s the victims view. It will continue because karma is not “synthetic”, karma is not a control mechanism from some implant.
Karma is the law of a action and reaction. It’s quite impersonal and respects no persons. It’s how life works.
Scientology is starting to react to the tsunami of bad karma that is heading its way.
What you have done to others will be done to you.
Hubbard duped you and taught you how to be a hostile, non sympathetic punishers of critics.
You sought to break up families, destroy people by lawsuits, seek to destroy the minds of others like Paulette Cooper.
Now you must pay the piper. It’s the law. You cannot change this law with your ineffectual delusional postulates.
Get used to it. It will just get worse.
Your sainted hero Tom Cruise cannot even talk about Scientology because he is hiding from the press. That’s not the presses fault, that’s your fault.
You created this with your hostile philosophy of ruin utterly.
That is the future that L Ron Hubbard has bequeathed you by believing his nonsense that all critics are criminals and must be destroyed.
Mike and Leah are just the delivery system for the fate you have single handedly created by your violent depraved behavior.
Totally agree Brian. The hob nail boot of karma
about to kick the shit out of them was created by Hubbard’s insistences to destroy those that disagreed with him, especially those that told the truth about him like Paulette Cooper, etc…
It won’t be a pretty sight Robert.
The greatest enemy of Hubbard, DM, OSA thugs and Scientology itself is the truth about them.
Strange is it not? That truth is the “SP” of Scientology.
Truth is only the destroyer of lies.
And since Hubbard was a congenital liar, reality and truth are a danger to their very existence.
“And so castles made of sand, fall in the sea – eventually”
JH
Brian,
You are creating the desired effect. After reading your above comment we taped the demented midget stomping around behind his desk yelling: NOT LISTENING!!! NOT LISTENING!!! NOT LISTENING!!! NOT LISTENING!!! NOT LISTENING!!! NOT LISTENING!!!
And yes the camera is behind the desk, otherwise we would only have seen his hairpiece.
My goodness Mike… is STAND a conduit for everything stupid?
The unworkability of Scientology tech/policy is acting like a rabid dog, desperately trying to find someone to bite. They have apparently latched onto you, Leah, A&E etc as a solution for misdirecting all their own lies and criminality. The one basic constant for all things Scientology = someone else is always to blame for anything bad that doesn’t result in free money for them.
It’s it sad that the OSA page against Mike is simply using his daughter’s identity to post religious-based hate. Isn’t that hypocritical of STAAD and its mission? It’s also sad that they assume someone’s identity to use as leverage in their public relations war?! It’s unethical to say the least about the practice, and confirms the fair game policy being used in the 21st century. Then again, I wonder how many times LRH uses the word leverage in Battlefield Earth?!
Heres one thing we know, it takes a former Scientologist to be able to shed light onto the shroud of darkness that surrounds their activity. Well done Mike, Leah, and the Aftermath team.
On a side note, I am saddened to hear about the violence at the Scientology base in Australia (ANSO?) . Nobody wishes violence in any form against anyone involved now or formerly. Sincerest thoughts are going out to those people and families involved.
(Mental illness shouldn’t be politicized, but I am sure this will be in Australia. Similar to post San Bernardino Muslim shooting in 2015)
“Cut off their support of and anti-religious hater?”
Edward Parkin has made the most twisted statement against religious freedom I have ever heard. This one really displays a distorted mind. Scientology is a religion in name only. It was never even intended as a religion. Scientology hides its own nature as Luciferian. Lucifer was not a religious dude. He was a prideful egotist. By some stretch you could call Scientology Occult but it does not qualify as a religion. Hubbard as the anti-Christ planned to let people choose between religion and Scientology. Now we all know Hubbard was just blowing smoke on that one. People like Edward Parkin are sadly submerged in a cult. What Scientologists do not understand is that Hubbard was trashing them on the original OT VIII. He reversed himself and said that they must audit the GE. Who besides me and a few others did that since Miscavige trashed the original OT VIII. Scientologists must know that they have been trashed by both Hubbard and Miscavige. They are both Luciferian. Hubbard was Luciferian to the core. Scientology is not Christian. It is the work of the historical devil.
I believe that “Aftermath” and the rest of us should point out that the only “hate” in this situation is coming from scientology and scientologists. I love it when Leah says that the solution to scientoloy’s abuses is to continue to broadcast the TRUTH. [Without rancor or misemotion.] Pointing out the organization’s(never say church) responses is fabulously effective in showing their malignancy. In fact, I’d love to see an “aftermath” detailing their use of ex-wives and other captive ‘family members’ in attacking you guys and the brave whistle-blowers, particularly the number of times that they put up hate sites BEFORE the ex-members’ stories were shown, that the attacks were always ad hominem, avoiding the truths that had been revealed in the show.
I don’t expect Taryn can ever reconcile with you while she’s in the bubble, which is a bitch for you, but par for the course when dealing with this cult. Keep hitting them with broadsides of TRUTH, damn the charge of ‘ENTHETA’, which just means “anything other than the party line”. It might take decades for the cult to lose its grip on her, but it’ll come. Have faith and never forget to regularly tally up the GOOD you’ve done, all without stooping to their level of viciousness. You’re a good man, Mike.
curious, I googled #firemydad and hit a nonsequitur that railed against domestic violence with an account of the incident that bore no resemblance to the police report. “She” (or whomever) didn’t ‘get’ the irony that the incident was instigated by her and you ex-wife’s accosting YOU at a doctor’s office and that you were simply trying to escape the abuse when she thrust her arm past the door you wanted to open.
I hope your (past) family wakes up soon and realizes your value to them. I’m sure your current family is as pleased as pleased can be that you’ve NOT returned fire after the hateful things they’ve done to you.
Great point Jere. She and the others travel thousands of miles stalking Mike. They gang up on him, she gets a scratch on her arm sometime by something, and it’s somehow Mike’s fault. Insane.
I doubt his ex or his daughter came up with this fairytale on their own.
You might say “Cathy pulled it in”…(by that I mean her so called injury) To set the record straight….SHE agreed to set this entire scenario in motion. She accosted Mike in a physician’s parking lot during his wife Christie’s pre arranged PRIVATE Dr’s appointment, armed to the teeth with back up COS members who more than likely would have taped the entire goings on had a physical altercation began. .
We heard the taped conversation via John Sweeney’s recording & what WE heard was Cathy screaming and hurling insults at Mike at the top of her lungs. His brother removed Mike’s keys from Mike’s car & tossed them away from Mike’s car preventing Mike from leaving.
Add to that as Mike made a move to enter his OWN car…Cathy blocked his way & that seemingly is when she was “injured”. IF she was so badly/severely injured…WHY did she not wait around for the Sheriff to arrive? Why didn’t ASK to be taken to a hospital where her “spousal abuse” injury could have been photographed & documented legally?
If ANY of this staged event was the truth, WHY wouldn’t Cathy take GREAT DELIGHT in seeing her former husband Mike Rinder handcuffed by the Sheriff & placed in the back of a Police Cruiser to be taken to the nearest Precinct & tossed in a jail cell for “spousal abuse”???
WE know damned well HAD Mike been goaded into a physical altercation “they” would have gotten “their win”…they would have PROVED that Mike IS a “wife beater” & that everything they claim about him is correct.
Kudos to Mike for maintaining his cool during this horrific confrontation.
I knew Jim and Barbara Kalergis way back in the day. I thought Jim was a bright and funny guy. Honestly, I have a tough time understanding where his head is at. It’s one thing when someone you don’t know happily and mindlessly drinks the kool-aid. But when it’s someone you knew, and even admired, it doesn’t compute so well. It’s disillusioning. And it’s sad that Jim hasn’t been able to find his way out.
Maybe Jim continues to believe in Scientology and Hubbard’s cosmology and is defending his religion and fellow parishioners.
Richard, ANYONE who has been in as long ass Jim and has done EVERYTHING on the processing side KNOWS it is a fraud. Jim, is a criminal at this point because he sells what he knows doesn’t work.
You speak to my point. Jim no doubt remains a true believer–in spite of the irrefutable and overwhelming evidence that would bring a reasonable person to the conclusion that the COS is harmful, destructive, and yes, even dangerous. I feel for my friends who remain in, who can not or will not look, see, and act. So sad.
Kalergis is part of STAND, and so clearly a formal part of Scientology’s coordinated propaganda operations:
Jim Kalergis (@JKStandLeague) | Twitter
https://twitter.com/jkstandleague?lang=en
Jim Kalergis – STAND
https://www.standleague.org/blog/author/d5c0DyInTxZ_9mI0Qm7MJQ/
Mike stated this in another response, but there’s the evidence that Kalergis is not just a “parishioner,” but someone working under OSA. We also never see individual expressions of opinion or thought by members, as those are known to be forbidden.
Also, even back in your day, didn’t everyone in Scientology pretty much understand that it wasn’t really a religion, and that labeling it as such was just a legal and financial pretext? Did you ever believe that it was?
Scientology as a religion was a way to keep the IRS and The Establishment off our back. I only met one person who referred to scientology as her religion. I thought that was kind of odd but I didn’t contradict her. I don’t know what the mindset is of current rank and file scientologists. Hopefully they’re not all holy rollers or they’ll never leave. There are already enough religious fundamentalists around.
After I posted my comment above I looked at the Jim Kalergis-STAND link. Here’s one small excerpt.
[It’s not surprising that some mistakenly believe Scientology is a matter of belief. What a person believes is at the center of most religions. Scientology is different in that it’s not about what a person believes that makes them a Scientologist. It’s about what they do. If one learns and applies the tools of Scientology to the betterment of themselves and their fellows, they’re a Scientologist. Because Scientology is not about belief, some parishioners are both Scientologists and members of another religion, one that’s primarily a belief system. There is no conflict.]
I guess Jim ain’t too religious or still clings to the idea that scn is only applied philosophy just as most scientologists did in the past.
I knew Jim well too. And his daughters. I was so saddened to see him being used this way. Or just as bad, spewing such things himself. It’s a sad state of affairs.
And Mike, my heart goes out to you. I can’t fathom the pain of seeing your daughter say such things about you – even if you think it may not be her actually writing them – it’s gotta hurt. You are a warrior and I thank you for the incredible impact you are making daily here and with Leah on the Aftermath. Just watched the latest episode last night – great show! Every time I see you guys take up a new topic it is like peeling the onion, so therapeutic to realize all those niggling thoughts I had over the years were not an overt, but just me spotting the reality of it all. The truth. The emperor has no clothes.
I’m sorry to be posting off topic again. But I had an idea and I’m very excited and enthusiastic about this idea and I need to put it before you to see if anyone else thinks it may have any value in hastening the demise of this horrible scam. I wrote the following without taking much time to edit and revise it. But I just don’t know any other way to put it before the people who matter the most in this struggle – (that means all of you by the way).
If you don’t like this idea, I hope you will take into account that I’m trying to help in the struggle to end Scientology. If this idea is no good, then I hope there will be other ideas and more of them coming from anyone else who opposes this dreadful evil. I hope that if we keep more ideas coming, eventually we may find one that will help nail the final nail into their coffin and cause the death of Scientology. OK. Here goes:
I made a few posts in Mike’s blog titled, “The Mike Rinder Problem”, in which I referred to Mike saying that TS (The Scam) had a “lightbulb moment” when they realized they could use the “Ideal Org” concept to generate more money for themselves and protect themselves against losing their tax exempt status at the same time.
In my posts, I offered the opinion there was likely a “lightbulb moment” waiting to happen to someone who was allied with Mike & Leah – someone who wanted to see the end of destructive cults that tear apart families and imprison people (in both physical prisons and mental prisons). Well, I got an idea that may cause the “tipping point” in the struggle against Scamatology and I’d like to share it with you all and see if anyone thinks this idea may have some merit.
By “tipping point”, I mean to say that although Leah & Mike are doing something terrific by shining a light on all of the abuses and misery caused by this scam and no one else has ever before done anything like that, it is conceivable that it could still take many years until we can finally witness the end to this scam. TS could well outlive us all and although I’m quite certain that Leah & Mike are having a wonderful impact by educating the public to stay away from this scam and they are undoubtedly causing a great reduction in the amount of money they can pry away from an unsuspecting public. The reason for that is because by educating the public about the evils of these cults, Leah & Mike are ensuring the unsuspecting public is becoming less “unsuspecting” all the time and diminishing in numbers all the time.
My idea comes from the hope there is a way we can work together to hasten the demise of TS. I’m sure you all have heard of a “Gallup Poll” or other kinds of public opinion polls. I’m thinking, “Suppose we were to pay for the commission of a National public opinion poll conducted by Gallup or the most reputable polling organization we can find. Suppose we have this poll ask a few questions of the American public such as:
1) Do you believe Scientology is really a religion?
2) Did you know the IRS has granted Scientology “tax exempt” status? which means they don’t have to pay any taxes on all the money that comes into their organization?
3) Do you believe it’s time the IRS should review their “tax exempt” status with the idea of re-evaluating that position and possibly terminating their tax exempt status?
If there are any lawyers or politicians reading this (or anyone else familiar with the way the political organizations work in Washington D.C.), I’d really appreciate hearing from you and knowing if you think this idea may have any merit. Could it possibly help hasten the demise of Scientology?
If it turns out (as I believe it may well have) that Leah & Mike’s TV program has educated significant numbers of the American public and the results of this poll are that the public does not believe Scientology is a religion and they do not want them to keep their tax exempt status, then maybe we can publicize that sufficiently such that the IRS and other political groups and politicians can be persuaded to stand up and say, “No More”! No more tax exempt status.
After all, it was quite some time ago that Scientology was granted this tax exempt status and I would guess that many of the people in the IRS who arrived at that decision have either retired or left the IRS by now. There may be a whole new group of people (who have a whole new attitude) running the IRS now and they may be persuaded to take a second look at this tax exempt status.
If nothing else, any time that someone who opposes Scientology has something public to say, they can either begin their statement or include the following into their statement.
“A recent Gallup public opinion poll clearly shows the majority of the American public does not believe that Scientology is a religion and does not believe they deserve to keep their “tax exempt” status and they also believe the actions of Scientology cause great harm to the American public. This organization does not perform any good acts as they continue to say they do. In fact, what they truly do causes great harm to the public and to familes both inside American as well as families in many other countries all over the world.
Scientology is not a religion. They are a business run by intimidation and greed where the people in charge use physical beatings to enforce their need to continue to find ways to get people to give them more money. Money is all they really care about and it is all they really want. That is not a religion by any stretch of the imagination. Everything else about them is just a smoke screen designed to trick people into believing they are a religion that does good works for the public. That is nothing but a complete lie.
It is a great idea. I am trying to get a meeting with my Congressman in the 16th District in Florida.
I’m going to try too get a face-to-face meeting with mine during the shutdown. He’s not just my Congressman but a friend. We are in Washington. I’d like to convince him to watch the show if he doesn’t already. “Aftermath” will do the rest of the convincing for me.
Great! My Congressman, Vern Buchanan, is already against Nation of Islam.
Interesting that the Scientologists are making such statements since I know for a fact a reversal of this happening. When my father, Peter Gillham, was declared, all the Scientologists that were employed by him at the vitamin store were pulled into ethics and told they needed to find work elsewhere or get him to sell his business so they could keep their jobs.
Janice, Good point. It is the pot calling the kettle black. Personally I like the idea of outing people who are Scns. It is tit for tat for them going to all our friends and telling them to un-friend and disconnect from a Scn they decided is no good. And If Scn is a good religion like they insist, why are they trying to hide that they are a Scn and are all upset that future employers would know they are Scns?
I noticed the author of the letter to Disney is Jim Kalergis, a long time Scn who was the FIRST OT VII completion in the world back in the 80’s. Then he, like others, had to re do VII several times. He told a group of us at one of his talks, “I’ve done the entire Bridge at least 3 times over.” His message then was to just suck it up and re do the Bridge when they tell you to.
BUT that tune changed later and he became disaffected and no registrars and no FSM’s or loving wives could get him to go back on OT VII in the 90’s when it was changed again and all people who ever did it or completed that level were told they weren’t done and to get back on OT VII to “audit it to completion for real this time.”
Jim would have none of it and refused to get back on it. Secretly I was proud of him for sticking to his guns. He knew the EP he had and he wasn’t going to let anyone denigrate that. He remained steadfast to that idea for many years.
But now seeing his letter, I’m pretty sure he has “been handled” so that he is in the fold and back on the level again and towing the line. So sad cuz he almost made it out. I’m sure his KA drinking wife and kids had something to do with his turn around. Some of his kids are in the SO. And he would lose this family and others if he left the church. My only hope is that somehow he is UTR. But after reading this letter it doesn’t sound like it.
Great points.
Sad to hear of these “OT’s” staying in after going around in Hubbard’s circles. I know of an OT VIII who even has disconnected from his daughter. My experience was similar. I did OT V three times. I got out after OT VIII on the Freewinds. Hubbard was bluffing the whole time. No one could be so stupid to declare himself a Theosophist/Scientologist and a follower of Original Buddhism. Possession is not high on the list in Buddhism. Hubbard wanted it all permanently. Hubbard suffered a horrible death.
?
Man, they are desperate.
This comment is only loosely related to the post.
After being on staff for over 6 years I did find it very difficult to find a job s since even then, in the Mid-80s, Scientology was held in low regard.
I have to confess that eventually I made up my recent employment history for the period with some understanding Scientologists providing me with fake references. Thankfully, I only had to do this once. I do hate things like this.
The Scientology Admin Training I had received was not helpful to me in getting a job. Of course, it is impossible to get a reference from a Scientology Org after you have left because they hate that you refused to re-sign for another 5 years of hassle.
I totally understand. One cannot use volunteer/employment at a scientology organization as a resume point if one where honest.
Here’s the kicker, one Lynn Irons was Mission Holder of SF Mission. In this video of his new company, he never mentions he was part of the SF Mission or his ventures into Russia.
He’s a rhetorical lair. His daughter works for DM as of last account.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaTpmZFNsWs
Yet another management guru pitching his seminars. Believe it or not back in the 1970’s some people who had no interest in scientology as a philosophy or practice paid big money to study the scn Organization Executive Course. I recall two or three of them in various course rooms where I studied. Maybe it continued for awhile and Irons bought it and is now trying to get his money back.
Wasn’t Lynn Irons the Day or the Fnd ED of Tampa Org not too long ago? One of his letters to Miscavige ended up on the internet. In it he wistfully postulates being able to give the Dwarf “a jewel of an org”. Pretty funny. Did he blow that popstand in Tampa finally?
In any event he’s started a new business and doesn’t even mention Scientology at all. Keeping his cult affiliations on the downlow, hmmm? Can’t say I blame him. A number of Still Ins I knew well back in the day, trying to make it in some business or another today don’t mention anything about Scientology or being or having been on staff. These are LONG TERM still ins, die hard KA drinkers who will very likely never leave the cult. And yet not a whisper about Scientology on their social media. Kiss of death. They know.
Add Lyn Irons to the list of people who are Scientologists please. Anyone checking out his new business should know his ties to Scn. Karma rears its ugly head.
It takes him a mere minute and two seconds of talking to reveal himself a Scientologist to anyone who is even marginally aware of the buzzwords, when he talks about the need to “produce enough to get back an exchange of abundance.” And I’m a never-in!
Here’s my issue with these asinine complaints by the Factually Challenged Eddie Parkin (besides the obvious)… According to LRH policy, isn’t Scientology responsible for the problems occurring within the organization and its members? I may be a “Never In,” but I’ve read enough and watched enough to learn that if Scientology and/or its members are facing a problem, then its own policy states that is because the organization and/or individual “pulled it in.” Why blame Mike Rinder and Leah Remini? Scientology “pulled it in.” That’s who is to blame. Or does Scientology policy not apply to Scientology itself?
Well from their point of view not hiring someone based on belonging to their “friendly neighborhood cult” is different from how they view you as a “religious bigot” and attempting to shut down $cientology based on their own reported misdeeds and practices on a cable TV show. (AKA shooting themselves in the LRH foot by their own bad behavior & policies.).
They are not trying to get you fired on the basis of you belonging to a religion or cult but on the grounds you are getting the word out (along with Leah) on their heinous practices which is having a detrimental effect on gaining new members and rapidly losing old ones.
Unless you are saying it’s the same because of your now LACK of belief in $cientology. A non-believer.
As an HR Professional I can tell you it’s a pretty weak argument because the question is never asked as part of the interview process. I’d really like to see them hold that up in court – the biggest “you didn’t hire me” is usually age and race discrimination based on EEOC complaints. I could have a Scientologist at my company and not even known it and it’s extremely rare for anyone to discuss religion – the biggest challenges companies face, ironically, is the #metoo movement and racism. All Scientology does is cry “bigots ” but never once have the come out and shown accountability for their actions i.e. statutory rape amongst one of the leading offenses. If they are worried about branding well then maybe they should come clean especially on the trafficking of children. I guess they are trying to play the Roseanne card and no one is buying it.
They can’t play the Roseanne card because they are not allowed to take Ambien………..
I find that letter to Disney a good laugh. From the date to the content. Anyone who would believe that is crazy. I wonder that since the cult could not get Mr. Walt Disney to join its cult adds to the mix. When i write a letter to a company to complain, i always put my return address or some way for the company to send their response to me. Something to think about on your next fake letter Eddie. Mike, Leah, keep up your work. The cult is really feeling your presence so it will continue to get worse for them. And Eddie, thanks for the morning laugh.
It was Jim Kalergis who wrote the letter to Disney, not Eddie.
Sorry to disappoint, but the letters that appear on the STAAD website are at the very least coordinated and vetted by OSA (Eddie) though more likely dictated as a form letter by him and sent to people to sign and mail out. Kalergis is a tool.
Okay but I don’t see that as obvious other than the letter is written on a STAAD letterhead.
My understanding is that in the 1970’s Hubbard was ramping up the sea org, maybe or probably to gain dictatorial control over his widespread organization. He failed but Miscavige succeeded over a much smaller group. People who are useful to dictators get special favors.
I don’t know if all of the smears on individuals are a part of STAAD.
The ones that appear on the STAAD website are absolutely part of STAAD and those people are a selected group who are trusted to “deal with entheta”… FOr more details how this works, read some of the stories from Tory Christman who did this sort of work back in the day… Maybe even with Jim Kalergis and some of the other notables (Bill Yaude comes to mind).
Thank you for the information. That clarifies things.
My god. Isn’t it enough that the 10’s of millions of scientologists worldwide are boycotting your show?
Doesn’t A&E realize that that with Mike fired and this boycott ended, A&E viewership will go out the roof?
You make me realize A&E is in a precarious position of not EVER cancelling this show for years to come or $cientology will claim some Pyrrhic victory. I have a feeling though Scamologists will keep providing the necessary foolish fodder to keep doing shows for quite a while longer. They just can’t help their LRH nature like the scorpion & the frog.
Even if OSA and/or Fast Eddie is behind the Taryn Teutsch account, she is a participant. It is her face and voice on the videos although it seems to me that the driving force is Bitter Bernardini. Taryn may be a participant, but I have always felt that she is trapped in this mess and it is very sad. Back in May I wrote about this on my own blog. Then someone told me I shouldn’t feel sorry for her so I tried to change my perspective, but I keep coming back to my original feelings about this situation.
Since it seems apropos this is an excerpt from what I wrote before:
In a cult that prides itself on auditing out the “reactive mind” leaving the person with forced stoicism the fact that Taryn is so publicly reacting to her emotions, even though they are hidden behind the more acceptable guise of defending her mother and Scientology, these feelings must also be terribly confusing for her. Perhaps easier to coat them in the gilding of defense of COS during the auditing process than to face them directly and admit the process is not working.
In watching The Aftermath one immediately understands that Mike Rinder is filled with pain and guilt over the fact that he put his children in Scientology and that they are now estranged from him. He has publicly acknowledged his role in the cult, the things he did and how they affected his family. There is no doubt in the watcher’s mind that given the chance he would give anything for a reconciliation with his children. Watching his demeanor during the stories told by ex Scientology members one catches glimpses of his heart. He wants his lost children back as badly as Taryn wants and needs her father.
Sadly Taryn is caught up in exactly the same thing that she is angry at her father for.
Scientology.
She lashes out at Mike because he was an absent father.
He was absent from her formative years because he was a dedicated and loyal Scientologist SeaOrg member.
Taryn cannot acknowledge this truth because of her dedication and loyalty to Scientology and her Scientologist mother.
Because he is declared an S.P. Taryn is not permitted to sit down with him and attempt to reconnect and heal. If she does, she risks losing all she’s ever known including her other parent.
Trapped on this treadmill with no relief the anger grows and consumes as it is misdirected at her father when it more accurately should be directed towards Scientology.
Scientology created this entire mess and it continues to perpetuate it.
Sadly, tragically, these two broken hearts stand on either sides of a canyon unable to reach out and embrace each other. Unable to love or heal, unable to start again.
Scientology ensures there are no second chances, no forgiveness or gentleness.
The heart breaks for both Taryn and Mike. They need each other. Mike is more than willing to reach out and pull her into his life and heart. But Scientology is the wall of thorns between them.
And so she looks into the camera with eyes filled with pain and convinces herself that she is on an honest crusade all the while burying the truth because it cannot be fixed without loss.
Once again this is the world of Scientology.
The most ethical religion on the planet.
The only hope for mankind.
So beautiful and so poignant. You put this situation into a perspective that we all can feel.
Heartbreaking and true. Come into the light Taryn…Mike will catch you. ❤
Taryn also has an absent mother. She is defending a person she doesn’t know. In Sea Org, your interactions with your parents are very limited, so she probably knows and sees her mother little, if at all.
This is the pure hypocrisy of this whole thing, she is being put in a position where she is forced to claim to pit two people against other who were basically forced to not be around her (or, for that matter, each other very much) during her formative years.
People who read what she says put the overlay of what they believe was a real life childhood with a two parent upbringing.
Taryn was raised and indoctrinated by people who were not her parents for the majority of her life so to be put in a position where she is defending her mother as though her mother was someone who nurtured her is something that somewhere deep down must make her highly uncomfortable.
I hope she someday can shake free of the fear that causes her to feel she has to do what she is doing. There is a better life out here.
Taryn is not a child. She’s a middle aged woman. Fine, she had an “absent” father. Big freaking deal. Cry me a river. Quite well she knows how the Sea Org separates spouses and how her contemporaries raised in the SO hardly saw their parents either. As a Sea Org kid she probably hardly ever saw her mother either. And while we’re on the subject of absentee parents, SHE isn’t even ALLOWED to become a parent. She’d be off-loaded in the twinkling of an eye if she became pregnant and chose to keep her baby. Not to mention how she’d be vilified for “letting down the group.” She is a mature adult. At some point each of us have to grow up and take responsibility for our lives and our conditions and stop blaming our parents.
Now, having vented my spleen, if Taryn’s name and face are just being used by OSA, if her website is not really emanating from HER, if she herself is not writing all this shit and its some OSA hack, well, then…never mind.
Aquamarine, please know that I say this respectfully to you- Taryn is an adult, for sure but having been raised in the Scientology environment her emotional maturity is questionable. I was never in, but I was raised by an abusive, controlling narcissist who would bestow his love and approval on me when I would say anything negative about my mother and withhold everything except icy disgust when I longed for her. I learned very quickly that if I wanted at least one parent to love me, I’d have to sacrifice the other. Outwardly I complied because I felt there was no choice but inside the burden of guilt over betraying my mother was heavy and terribly hard to bear. Being emotionally abused and manipulated whether by cult or by parent (and in this case I believe that Taryn has felt both between CO$ and Bitter Bernardini) leaves a LOT of fear and self doubt. If it is true that Bernardini was also not around much for Taryn’s upbringing then it adds to the confusion because now Taryn has her mother suddenly paying attention to her and showing her approval. Suddenly Taryn has a “real” relationship with at least ONE parent and believe me, it means EVERYTHING. The fear of losing that is incredible and unbearable. If Bernardini is telling Taryn “your father was never there for you. I was and am the only one who loves you and wants to protect you.” Then in order not to lose the ONE parental relationship she has she will most likely be willing to do or say anything to keep her mother from abandoning her. Added to all the emotional control, Scientology already has a policy of parental alienation firmly in place. Scientology is all she has ever known and the outside world is a horrible place filled with horrible people.
While all of this is, of course conjecture, I believe it is reasonable conjecture. I also believe that deep inside there is a LOT of conflict going on with her.
It is easy to lose sight of the HUGE emotional and psychological impact Scientology has on those who live within it’s twisted, manipulative world. I am often guilty of trying to understand Scientology as a Never In and it just doesn’t work.
I absolutely condemn the false accusations and the lies. I do believe that Taryn is a participant in all of this and she is making her choices. However I believe that those choices are being made under duress, under false pretenses and out of fear.
As I said, I am split down the middle. Her actions are infuriating, frustrating and wrong but I also feel great empathy for her.
JMO here.
Stefani, thank you. Well communicated and poignantly illustrated by your own early (horendous and unspeakably cruel ) parental experience you brought to light a possible key point that never occurred to me.
Of course, due to the demands of Sea Org life Taryn never had a close relationship with EITHER of her parents, and now, via the cult’s fury at Mike because of Aftermath, now a reconnection between mother and daughter has been forged, with total approval from Miscavige and as a result Taryin is getting some attention and approval and even tenderness from her mother. Wow. I get it!
Bashing her father, obediently doing whatever she can to contribute to his downfall – to her mind – a total win. She gets an outlet for the unresolved anger and resentment over her upbringing. She can channel her fury at both her parents safely at her father which in return gets her approval and attention from the cult and her peers. She gets approval and attention from her mother. The more she trashes her father is the more she is “loved”.
OMG I just shuddered re-reading thist because it is so not my own experience but at the same time, yes, I can look from this viewpoint, the viewpoiint of a woman who has now given up on getting love from her father and who is now getting a reasonable facsimile of that emotion from her mother. And its precious, and she’ll do anything, say anything to keep it coming…wow…I get it! And it makes more sense of Taryn’s habitual expression, which to me looks like that of a furious little girl just on the verge of tears. Thank you again, Stefani!
Obviously this is all conjecture but it just makes sense to me. I could be completely wrong and I acknowledge that. But I just cannot help feel that this is the position she finds herself in and it is a terrible one to be in.
I have read your responses on this blog and I have respect for you. I’m glad I didn’t offend you with my thoughts on this terrible issue.
Add to that the possibility that Cathy is ANGERED that Mike “blew” without a word & left her alone their two children to deal with the fall out from Mike’s quick & unplanned exit from COS. I am sure she feels betrayed & abandoned by him & that has been put onto their kids as well.
I can ONLY imagine that Cathy was yanked into the upper management office & DRILLED continually about what “she knew” about Mike’s escape. I am sure “they” beat her down emotionally if not physically….questioning her endlessly about what she knew about Mike’s “blow”. She’s his wife after all, she HAD to know of feel something, right? How could a wife NOT know her husband planned to “blow”. Those questions must have taken a toll on her & the children.
Mike took a HUGE risk, feeling himself endangered that he would be sent far away from family and friends to suffer physical & emotional abuse he KNEW would be aimed at him for displeasing D.M. He had ONE opportunity to get the HELL out & FAST, it was a snap decision, do it now or suffer the consequences that he knew would befall him. Mike left suddenly, without a word to anyone.
Had Mike mentioned anything to anyone, including his then wife Cathy, she no doubt would have done a knowledge report on him & Mike would have been carted off to “The Hole” for months, or years.
Her anger is unfathomable, she feels hurt & betrayed by Mike, not seeing what damage has been done to the entire family by their relationship with COS.
This is the saddest part in all this….as noted so much pain and suffering on BOTH sides, these are wounds that may never heal…and if they do there will always be that awful deep scar……
Sometimes there are no immediate or no answers at all.
This is an interesting perspective.
Though one of the first things I did was write to her and say I wanted to speak to her and Taryn and Benjamin and wanted them to come visit where I was at the time (staying with Ronnie and Bitty Miscavige who were our long term friends in the SO — Bitty was one of Cathy’s closest friends since the days of the Apollo). Her response was succinct — “Fuck you. I have filed for divorce. I have told the kids.” It was memorable for its pithiness.
I have NO sympathy for Bitter Bernardini. I believe that she is hand in glove with Miscavige in this particular campaign against Mike and I think she’s enjoying it.
My sympathy, albeit tinged with frustration, is for Taryn. I’m split right down the middle with sorrow for her predicament in being stuck between her mother, CO$ and all she knows and her father on one side and frustration and exasperation on the other for her stubborn inability to even give Mike a chance. And I think that is Bernardini’s doing, too.
Mike, I feel that nothing you could say or do would satisfy her….she is a woman scorned. She is going to stay IN to SPITE you & if that means turning your kids against you, she’s done that as well. Confronting you in the physician’s parking lot was rubbing salt in the festering wound…she IS determine to get back at you one way or another…the children are her PAWNS.
She will continue to keep the kids brainwashed & convinced that you left because you had no love for any of them. Anger and bitterness has consumed her…any good she had in her is more than likely long gone.
I am sure of one thing….D.M. will keep a watchful eye on her & even if she wanted to blow…she’d be unable to do so. I am sure the kids have minders too. No doubt Taryn is beyond help as she has been filled with rage & hate by Cathy. What other reason could their be for a young woman to be so bitter.
Hard enough being a Sea Org Parent…let alone the KID of a Sea Org parent who has blown. Even if COS went down the drain….it would be a monumental task to fit the puzzle pieces together.
Needless to say, I do hope & pray that at some time in the future at least ONE if not BOTH of your older children realize what a wonderful caring loving man you’ve become…once your OWN eyes were opened….maybe their eyes will be opened someday too.
My God, good fucking riddance to Cathy Bernadini. Smartest thing Mike ever did was blow the cult and dump that deranged witch. IMHO.
And Balletlady (tender-hearted Balletlady, whose posts are always so kind and caring) whilst you’re feeling badly for the former Mrs. Rinder, keep in mind that she didn’t let any grass grow under her feet carrying a torch for Mike. The ice-water in her veins melted sufficiently so she could marry her current husband #3 (or is it 4?), a Sea Org guy whose Admin Scale presumably got a pass.
Thank you my dear friend Aqua…You ARE a jewel of a friend!
It’s not that I feel “bad” for Cathy, it is IMHO looking at it as she is vindictive because she was “left behind” & once Mike left, Cathy was probably held under even stricter “handling/minding” because of Mike’s former high position within. At that time, even if she wanted to “blow” she would not have been able to do so, they were watching her like a hawk for any sign she was about to leave as well. Thinking also, how Taryn & Benjamin might have been under even tighter scrutiny about them trying to escape too.
Yet hindsight is 20/20…as Mark Headley mentioned if he HAD tried to plan his escape WITH Claire…she might have reported him beforehand, since HE mentioned she’d done K.R’s. on HIM in the past. He had a motor scooter & given ONE chance to blow…he did..alone since that was a PLANNED escape once the opportunity arose, he had his motor scooter etc ready.
Fortunately for them, Mark & Claire found a way to get Claire OUT as well, with that eye Dr appointment & they were able to be reunited & happy.
Mike’s “blow” was obviously NOT planned out…he was under extreme duress fearing for his OWN safety & knowing what would happen to him since he displeased D.M. Mike had NO IDEA he was going to blow that day….he left with the clothes on his back and whatever money he had in his pocket…enough to contact Tom D to ask for help. We know he would never have been able to “blow” had he mentioned even one word to Cathy, she would have reported him.
However, I can only imagine the fallout for Cathy when “they” could NOT find Mike Rinder…D.M.’s ire must have been unfathomable as in SOMEONE is going to get the shit kicked out of them for this…HOW did THIS happen? Leading uo to what Cathy might have been exposed to afterwards as noted above…them “drilling” of how could she not know etc….it must have gone on and on for days.
Yes Cathy remarried…. a “like minded individual” who is willing to bend to the will of COS & give “it” his all. If they are happy locked within the compound & living that life…than good for them…they deserve each other. She also might have married him to spite Mike as in “SEE…I CAN find someone who wants to be in this with ME”…..whew…again good for them.
Meanwhile, Mike has reviewed his past errors, beaten himself up to the point of nearly being bloody by removing those rose colored glasses & SEEN & regrets wholeheartedly what he has done to others under the authority of COS.
Mike was fortunate enough to have found love with Christie, they’ve got a sweet family together & after what they’ve both suffered through….BLISS at last!
Thanks, Balletlady. Along with Stefani, you also have opened a window and let in some light, so to speak. I was not taking into account how very hard the cult must have been on Bernadini after Mike blew. Maybe they did blame her and what do I mean maybe? Of course she got hell afterwards. But then, the abuse she no doubt endured due to Mike’s blowing, the unfairness of it, the injustice of blaming her for his decision should have shown her just how batshit the cult was and why he was right to blow. I’m going to go out on a limb and opine that if she had loved Mike she would have understood why he blew, and not blamed him. If she had loved him his suffering and abuse at DM’s hands would have distressed her immensely and she’s be secretly glad that he had escaped.