One of our Special Correspondents sent me an excerpt of Miscavige’s only print media interview.
It is of interest for a number of reasons, but most significantly, it makes clear why he is scared of the press. He has no control over revising history with the media as he does with his internal public (try to find an event video in any org on the planet that has Heber Jentzsch or Ray Mithoff in it…. they have been written out of history). There is no mystery why the DVDs of his speeches are guarded like the Crown Jewels and extraordinary measures are taken to prevent anyone from recording what he says, even on a public street).
This excerpt is from the profile by Joe Childs and Tom Tobin that appeared in the St Petersburg Times on October 25, 1998 entitled “The Man Behind Scientology.”
Compare his statements to what has happened since and you can make a judgment as to his sincerity, truthfulness and intentions [boldface added by me]:
After 1993, Scientology was able to channel the millions it was spending against the IRS into projects that had been under way since the early 1980s.
Among them: trying to grow Scientology by attracting new members; pushing parishioners to sign up for ever higher levels of Scientology counseling; standardizing Scientology practices the way Hubbard outlined; preserving and distributing his many writings and lectures, and renovating Scientology’s buildings.
Now, Scientology’s global 10-year plan calls for a mission in every city of 100,000 or more and a church in every city of 250,000 to 500,000, Miscavige said.
In the U.S., Scientology sees opportunity for growth in parts of the country with little or no Scientology presence, Miscavige said. “You go to the Midwest there’s not much at all.”
He also has been trying to improve Scientology’s public image, even as reports persist that Scientology harasses its enemies with private investigators, lawsuits, and tactics such as bad-mouthing targets to neighbors, relatives and business associates.
The image needs work, he said. “Am I satisfied? No. Of course not. Do I think it’s improved? Yes. Do I think we have more credibility than we had in earlier years? Yes. Do I think it should change? I think it should improve. Do I think that’s something that can happen overnight? Not quite.”
Scientologists on occasion had “no choice” but to fight, he said.
“Have they been right every time? Probably not. Should they make as big an effort at mending fences? I think so. … Is there another approach that could have been taken? I think probably.”
“Do I think that we should work with the community or the police or the medical people down there to work out what to do if there’s another Scientologist who needs care and we want to avoid psychiatric treatment? Yes I do,” Miscavige said. “And why is that? No matter what the circumstance … anybody would want to do something to avoid someone dying.”
Miscavige said he usually does not involve himself in local issues, such as which buildings Scientology will buy in Clearwater. Nor was he called, he said, the night McPherson died.
He will, however, stay active on larger matters such as the 300,000-square-foot building Scientology wants to build across from the Fort Harrison Hotel.
Just to highlight a few of the more significant points:
– Less Missions now than 1998, let alone one in every city of 100,000 people.
– No NEW orgs anywhere. And certainly nothing in the “MidWest.” In fact, Kansas City and St Louis, the ONLY orgs in the region have had buildings purchased for years and NOTHING has happened. Same with Battle Creek — not really midWest but close. From Idaho and North Dakota to Oklahoma and Iowa, the heartland of America remains a Scientology desert.
– Just from a fast Google search — there are 141 cities in the US and Canada over 250,000 population. Cannot quickly find this figure for the world, but cities with populations in excess of ONE MILLION (cutting him a lot of slack) is 336.
– Of course, things have really gone much better with no Private Investigators or bad-mouthing happening. There has been more negative publicity about Squirrel Busters and PI’s and stupid lawsuits (Debbie Cook) than ever in history.
– He has of course done a brilliant job of improving Scientology’s public image. It’s at an all-time high, though undoubtedly he would blame this all on the Bitter Defrocked Apostates (BDAs) — and as he operates on that wrong Why the situation continues to deteriorate.
– And finally, he has stayed right on top of the Super Power building — 15 years later he is still “active” on it. Actively suppressing. (If that building opens this year, there should be a statue of Luis and Rocio Garcia erected in the entrance inscribed “Without you, these doors would never have opened.”)
THIS is David Miscavige in his own words. He doesn’t need any BDAs to make him look bad. He has that well in hand.
Miscavage reminds me of a line in PR Series 9.
“Arrogance and force may win dominion and control but will never win acceptance and respect.”
He has dominion and control of the church. And the general public has little acceptance and respect for Scientology.
Applying some policy would do wonders for the church.
Great post! Mike
Mike, thanks for yet another great post, and also I would like to acknowledge the quotes you’ve got on the upper right. Terrific.
Enjoyed these great comments, from “sane in tologists” that you are. Love and peace to you.
“(If that building opens this year, there should be a statue of Luis and Rocio Garcia erected in the entrance inscribed “Without you, these doors would never have opened.”)”
Absolutely! Plus it’s still a big IF they open this year.
He must be frantic, that he comes to a Friday night graduation event to get support.
He fits perfectly the definition of Out of Valence…
Self-centered
adj.
1. Engrossed in self; selfish; egotistical.
Silvia you and Dani both nailed it
When DM is in a room does anyone else actually exist?
No KFrancis, you are right, he is not aware of anything or anybody when he is in the room..his arrogance impregnates de walls and they end so filthy that staff has to work “24/7” trying to clean the entheta out of them, quite something!
And please look at his photo. Young, handsome, arrogant, selfish, conceited. ME! ME! and only ME! The looks of a perfect dictator. And he has worked hard to live up to this image. A sickeningly sick man.
The picture is a classic. And the most revealing picture of his inner nature ever taken.
I would have loved to have thrown a glass of water in his face just then. 🙂
Yes Tony….and said “You Bitch!”
Hey look Rinder, get your damned ethics in boy. We have a place for people like you and its called The Hole. David Miscagive is a saint. He is the one who discovered the lost tech of Disconnection and oversaw its implementation deep into every aspect of Scientology. Do you know how much confusion there would be if Scientologists could talk to whoever they like? You moron, of course you don’t. Scientologists routinely get down and kiss the feet of the wholey father of disconnection and thank him for removing all that terrible uncertainty, confusion and decision making from their lives. David Miscavige is ALSO the one who discovered the lost tech of Metered Ethics Interviews! Scientologists routinely prostrate themselves before the great man in thanks for this life-saving technology. Now unruly employees and non-compliant underlings can be gotten to toe the line without all that expensive auditing. You don’t have any clue what that is worth to someone like Craig Jensen, but we DO! We are busy creating a Sciendollargy Utopia for David Miscavige so he can carry out his vitally important work in discovering the lost tech of Quickie Grades! His upcoming revelation will revolutionize the delivery of Scientology Grades and make it possible for all the peoples of earth to be audited by the 3 remaining auditors left in the Class V Org network. And you are opposing this? You nincompoop! How else are get going to get the releases stat up? Turn yourself in to the nearest 16 year old kid with an emeter and start confessing your henious crimes. I come out of the hole for 10 seconds and I find you out there enturbulating the great man with your stupid addiction for facts and stats. Well get this buddy, the grade chart completions stat is about to go out the ROOF. One auditors can do 39 grade chart completions an HOUR. Lets see the Indy movement beat that!
Here is an excerpt from a brand new yet to be published interview with Der Leader himself….
“Do I have an ego the size of the solar system? Yes. Am I satisfied with it? No, it could get way bigger and undoubtedly will. Am I delusional? Of course not. I said in 1998 that there would be a mission in every city and right now there are 1,000,000 Scientology missions world wide! Am I having an affair with my secretary? Hey! Did you slip that into my teleprompter?? We agreed no questions about Lou or Shelly!. YSCOHB!! Lou, get my stuff, we are out of here! This interview is OVER!”
🙂 Small correction: there are actually 15 million missions and 3 billion active scientologists in our 18000 Ideal Orgs. We have been building them since 1820.
L O L ! 🙂
“Do I ask myself the questions first so I take control of the conversation? Yes, yes I do.” I am skeptical of anyone who cannot answer a question directly. In my line of work it usually means the person is narcissistic in some manner or mentally incompetent. Or hey, in DM’s case…both!
“And do I ask myself only questions that are easy to answer? Yes I do. Do I do it firstly due to I have to primitive language skills to do and can’t usually to string more than, first of all, 10 words together to on my own, first, without, and to quote, to making glaring syntax errors? Yes I do.
Laughter!
Lol! I love the way you dissect him.
10 year plan…..ummmm…ok.
And what’s with all the asking himself the questions and then giving his answer…is that so he can avoid the interviewer asking the questions that he does not have a “rehearsed” and PR answer for?
Actually, Bela, I think it’s more along these lines, his interviewing himself within an interview article: He knew they would not be asking the questions he wanted to address, to allow for points he wanted to make. Ergo- the only way for him to see those points in the article was: ***to ask himself his planned questions, and then answer his own questions***
There was no other way those points would have emerged. Yet, how stupid does it sound, to the reader, to hear the subject of an interview launch into a series of Q&A’s of himself!! Pitiful. No wonder he hasn’t been interviewed in any press anywhere (besides internal publications). His pitiful display is really that of a degraded being, not a big being. No doubt.
According to sources high up in the Cof$, DM has done the Golden Age of Interviews Course. It is highly secretive training only for expert interviewees with special clearance. According to the rules of the course, the interviewer can only ask specific questions. In order to make sure that only the right questions are asked, DM has decided to ask his own questions.
L. O. L !! Too funny! Very well put, Axiom!
Here’s another way to look at the numbers: there are 25 “primary statistical areas” which, when added together, contain half of the US population of 310 million. A sensible strategy would be to focus on those areas, where you could get the most “bang for the buck” with potential customers for your orgs. There are 299 primary statistical areas with populations over 100,000. If you wanted to have a mission in all of those you would be putting missions in places like Great Falls, Montana, Cheyenne Wyoming, Tullahoma Tennessee, and many other places where I am not too sure the natives would welcome Scientology.
Not only is Scientology a non-presence in the biggest metropolitan area in the US, NY/NJ/CT, but they can only be considered to have a significant presence in 2 of the top 12 (LA and SF); those 12 account for over 1/3 of the US population and probably a disproportionate share of household income (you need lots of rich people to sell low-volume, high-cost services according to the current Scientology model).
As to whether Miscavige was actually was deluded enough to think this was a viable course in 1998 or whether he was just bullshitting I will not attempt to answer.
Given that there is no copper rod seen in this picture, was David Miscavige bringing his two index fingers together to demonstrate another method he employs to bleed off excess OT power?
Wow!…..I wonder what the blast radius is for something like that?
I used this expression before and I think I’ll use it again “Mike you definitely take the gilt off the gingerbread”.
Brilliant post Mike and many thanks to the correspondent who provided info on this. No Super Power after 15 plus years, and less orgs now than in 1998. And public opinion of Scn at an all time low. Wow, Mr Tiny McFists’ stats are in affluence on destruction and obfuscation.
P.S. What is the latest on Luis and Rocio Garcia’s lawsuit against the church?
Jane — see here for Ortega’s report on latest filing in the Garcia lawsuit.