We have begun a new year, thank God.
Though obviously January 1 is not really any different than December 31, it is traditionally a time to look forward to a new year, rather than back at the disaster that was.
It is the day we consider what we hope to accomplish in the coming year and what we would like to see happen.
For me, and a lot of people who come to this blog, it’s a pretty simple answer: end the abuses of scientology, including the barbaric family destruction that is brought about by the policy of disconnection. Of course, this is easier said than done. Scientology doesn’t change easily. Because it is founded on the literal words of L. Ron Hubbard. And those words can only be changed by him and he shuffled off to parts unknown and has not returned. So scientology is frozen in time.
Thus things in Scientology can only change through external pressure. Though scientology likes to believe they are above wog law and want to turn the world into a government and laws of scientology, they have not achieved that and never will. So, they are answerable to the law like everyone else. Well, almost like everyone else. They do a good job of hiding their abuses behind the cloak of religious protection in the US. But even that is not inviolable. And thus there is hope. That with enough voices and enough exposure and pressure on those responsible government agencies there is an end to scientology abusing people and destroying families.
This is the goal for 2021. It’s a long and winding road, but as long as we keep moving forward and don’t give up the end of the road is inexorably getting closer.
Here’s to a new year filled with accomplishments.
Regraded Being will be back tomorrow.
Happy New Year!
This is my first post. I am not a scientologist, but I’ve been following your fight and praying for all of you. You are amazing people. If we, as people, could admit our mistakes and work half as hard to right them this world would be a much better place.
My wish for 2021 is that those Still-In come out of their FOMO fog. I realized recently, the Fear of Missing Out is a tremendous button L. Ron Hubbard discovered and pushed. I think the steady marketing of all that awaits one on the next level, then the next level, and then the next—even though what happened after the most RECENT level is not concretely visible—is part of what keeps people in. A super fear of “missing out” is what keeps many hanging on, accepting the chronic dissonance and wide variations of lies and abuse. Come out of your FOMO.
I think you’re right. Fear of Missing Out keeps people in the cult. And, I think, also fear of having to face having been fooled. I personally forced myself to come to terms with the latter. I forced myself to face it, look at it. Making myself accept that I’d been fooled allowed me to see the good that I got out of being in, out of the auditing and training I received. There was good. Along with the money I wasted on the IAS and Ideal M’orgues and a zillion other scam things, there was good. I accept being fooled and having been a fool. I got my own good out of it all. So as far as I personally am concerned, I’m at peace. But I’m not at peace for the injustice others are suffering. No, uh uh. This fight is not over.
Happy New Year, Mike and Leah and their families, and to everyone here. I’m sure this year is going to be better. I feel it. Possibly another dark month or two, the darkest hours before the dawn, etc., and then things will start to turn around.
Happy New Year to Mike and Leah and their families. Those of us out here count on them to continue and fight this monstrosity that calls itself a church when in fact it is a North korean like dictatorship. I pray it loses its 501C3 status also due its abuses of its members and ex members.
Other reasons to lose 501C(3) tax exemption are the MANY violations of the ’93 IRS agreement Davey agreed to abide by. Have there been ANY refunds of ANY money paid into scn’s coffers that weren’t court-ordered? EVER?
Mike –
Thanks for all you’ve done to move things forward for the subject as a whole, but also for individual victims and cases attempting to make them answer for their abuses! Cheers to you and yours for the new year and that your wife and boys stay safe/healthy from all that’s going on right now! Genuinely appreciate you, Mike!
Well, I’m happy to have 2020 in the rear view and look forward to a pile of wins for everyone here. (Also, I did reach the state of clear according to my Oncologist!)
Congratulations on going clear. Must feel like a weight off your shoulders. Stay well and healthy.
Peggy,
Congratulations on the TRUE state of Clear! May you STAY clear for all eternity. I’ve a half-dozen friends who have passed their 5-year cancer-free celebration. From what I’ve seen, maintaining an up-tone, forward-looking viewpoint helps beat that beast.
Thank you George and Jere. I’m glad I didn’t roll the dice on waiting five years to see if the cancer would not return, and although Chemo isn’t pleasant I opted for it. Still four more years until I reach the magic five but I’m not going to dwell on that, just enjoy what I have now.
It seems to me their income is drying up at an ever increasing rate. I can’t imagine they are taking in much money at all these days.
I am very interested to see what will happen when they have no income. Will they have to sell some buildings to pay real estate taxes?
I’d really like to hear from anyone who has any idea as to what they have to spend on a recurring basis to keep their lights turned on (meaning what are there required recurring expenditures)?
Skyler, I’m sure that their required expenditures FAR outstrip their revenues. 😤
Benjamin Franklin Quotes
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man/woman.
Thanks, George. I’ve copied that to my “quotable quotes” file. Ben was one smart guy, one of my favorites.
Happy New Years to everyone,😃😃😃🎉🎉🎉
Happy New Year,Mr.Rinder,to you and to your family.I realize that the work Leah and you accomplish is an uphill battle,but please keep fighting.Many former Scientology members whose lives were destroyed by this cult depend on you for help in exposing this so called religion.I wish you the best of luck in this new year.
Well, that’s ONE New Year’s resolution already broken: staying away from the scn-watching sites in an effort to lower my blood pressure a bit. After 40 years quit of the organization, I SHOULDN’T remind myself of its pernicious effect on my psyche. That doesn’t do anything beneficial to anyone.
But Jere, then we’d all miss your witty repartee! You & Mark are required reading on the subject! 🤗
Thx, Jenyfurrr.
Thank you Mike for what you have done/are doing/will do to stop the cherch’s abuses.
If only our Congress would address the manifestations of religious abuse (as the abuser) as Australia does. Mike Rinder, as a native, knows their laws better than me but I have picked up on areas that they have tried to address, such as:
The right to be free from religious discrimination can never be the right to discriminate.
Freedom of religion is constrained by civil law
Religion is not an inherently benign activity
The freedom not to follow a religion or all the tenets of a religion
Ron, as a conman, saw the benefits of our 1st Amendment protections and took full advantage so he could use and abuse his followers. To this day.
What I would like to see in 2021 is an end to $cientology’s ability to set “fixed donation” levels for services. No other 501(c)3 tax exempt organization is allowed to do that. They can only ask for “recommended donations”, and have to take what they’re given. As soon as they set a fixed price for anything, it becomes ‘other income’ and tax as to be paid on it.
The IRS violated it’s own rules by allowing “fixed donations”, and I believe getting it rescinded would be easier than trying to kill their exemption completely. Without that ability, their income stream either takes a significant hit. Or they have to start paying taxes on that income if they want to keep the set price structure.
But would taking away their fixed donation scheme actually change how much money they demand and get from scientologists? I can imagine that it would evolve into another scheme of pressuring members, i.e. “Pay less than recommended and see how long you’ll stay out of ethics…”.
I like that, Pick! Never thought about that approach – the more attainable forcing them to follow the same rules as everyone else! Seems to me there could be many relevant parties, local governments, etc. who’d be QUITE amenable to getting a piece of the tax-pie from they gray-area avoidance of taxation by the evil known as co$!
Mike I wish to you and family a super 2021. Same to all the people visiting you blog.
In my opinion the cult can’t keep been frozen and not self reforming if it want keep being still ‘alive’ for some other year before its natural extinction (as it happens for any kind of fascistic group).
But we know it wouldn’t happen. It always reminds me of the sinking Titanic and the orchestra continuing to play as if nothing was happening.
One thing I would like to see is a more broad exposure of the Scientology “arbitration” scam being used to derail lawsuits against them, and pressure to change the law on arbitration.
The State of CA has tried everything to address the arbitration problem. SCOTUS shuts it down every time.
Hip Hip! Now THAT is a sky-high and worthy goal! Here we go!
Federal lobbying by the Church of Scientology International in 2020.
According to Open Secrets, the Church of Scientology International (CSI) spent $40,000 on federal lobbying in 2020. That was the lowest amount since 2003, if not earlier, and a decrease from $80,000 in 2019.
The entire $40,000 was paid to the Mitchell Firm for lobbying by Scientologist Greg Mitchell.
The three issues lobbied on all concerned foreign relations. Specifically, the:
(1) Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act;
(2) crisis in Hong Kong; and
(3) religious freedom situation in Hungary.
The agencies lobbied included the Department of State, the Executive Office of the President, the US Agency for International Development, and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
CSI lobbied on the following Bills:
H.R.6210, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act; and
S.3471116, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
Source — start at:
https://www.opensecrets.org/Lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000048670&year=2020
— and choose category.
CSI was the only federal lobbying client of the Mitchell Firm and Greg Mitchell in 2020:
https://www.opensecrets.org/Lobby/firmlbs.php?id=F223880
Brief Analysis: It was by lobbying in favor of a broad range of religious freedom initiatives that the Church of Scientology gained allies and could more credibly lobby on Hungary where Scientology itself is under attack.
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Thankyou ISOINews for this.
I wonder who in OSA and DSA input the choices, and to what extent Scientology’s contacts, and who the OSA/DSA people’s contacts and allies, also influence the choice of which initiatives to support.
The actual programs step by step, the targets on the OSA religious allies and religious rights programs, I’m sure Mike’s read dozens of such programs in his years in OSA.
There are key OSA and DSA people around the world, in DC, and allies. All targets on programs in OSA filing cabinets or on their computers. Those programs go for approval, through chain of command.
Interesting that they were GM’s only client! Thanks for all that you do to keep everyone in the loop on all things scientology and NOI. May 2021 be a big year of recognition for your efforts!