Another installment from the fertile, juvenile minds of the STAAD League.
One of their “bloggers” has a new take on Leah and me — we are “leeches.”
Here is how Leland Thoburn starts his rant: “Why would anyone devote their life to tearing someone else down?”
Well, funny you ask that Leland. I actually spent nearly 50 years of my life devoted to building up scientology. I was virtually unpaid that entire time, and ended up with no money, no resume and no family when I left. So, unless this qualifies as devoting my life to tearing down the enemies of scientology, or perhaps “tearing down” psychiatry, you have started with a completely inaccurate statement.
As for my subsequent activities, I would not say my life is “devoted” to tearing down scientology, but it is certainly a large part of it. Why you ask?
Well, Leland, that’s simple: scientology is actively harming and abusing people, destroying families and defrauding people out of their money. It needs to be stopped. I am in a position because of my experience and knowledge of the subject (which I would hazard exceeds yours many times over — I know you never met L. Ron Hubbard, have not worked directly for David Miscavige and probably were never even in the Sea Org…) I am in a somewhat unique position to bring those abuses to an end.
Would you ask Simon Wiesenthal why he devoted his life to tracking down Nazis?
Only if you were a Nazi.
Leland then goes on to liken us to “Vlad the Impaler, who believed he absorbed the life force of his victims by drinking their blood,” (aptly describes most IAS Regges I have come across if you substitute money for blood) and “some knuckle-dragger scuttling along behind the first cave man to worship the sun with a rock.” Leah Remini is a knuckle-dragger? I may qualify on this count, but certainly not Leah.
Ridiculous name-calling is a scientology specialty.
But then he says “How colorless, how boring.” Seems pretty colorFUL to me.
And his big hit on Leah is that she was “only one of the forgettable denizens of the primetime sitcom soup” — coming from someone who is not known for doing ANYTHING by ANYONE, EVER this is pretty hypocritical. There are a very small number of people in history who have starred in a beloved, syndicated Sitcom. There are fewer of them on planet earth than even OT VIII’s…
Leland then sails straight into outer space:
“Think of how many hours it took to launch a new religion like Scientology. Billions of man-hours.”
Really, Leland? Billions of hours?
If you want to use that as the measure of its value then just think how many trillions of hours have been spent playing Fortnight… Must be much better than scientology eh?
Finally, here is Leland and his bio from the STAAD page. Obviously an authority on what others should do with their lives. After all, just check out his accomplishments. No doubt he attributes all he has achieved to his application of the tech…
Leland Thoburn … never heard of him or his writing. But I immediately felt betrayed by the misinformation about Vlad Tepes aka Vlad the Impaler. He didn’t drink blood. Leland, being OT8 must have come across something about impaling people in Hubbard’s writings. Oh yes, putting a head on a pike is something mentioned in more than one ethics/justice policy in Scientology, now I remember.
I wonder how many of the 45 years it took Leland to get to OT 8? He’s mentioned in a recent Freewinds magazine: https://tonyortega.org/2019/09/21/the-new-freewinds-founder-l-ron-hubbard-says-scientology-is-supermagic/
Well, if nothing else he has hit the nail on the head concerning STAND’s writers. “Colorless and boring.”
There are two things wrong with that :
1) Hypocrisy – do as I say, not as I do
2) How the f’ing hell do they not see the truth?
I am amazed and confused but having never been a Scientologist maybe I will never understand.
Funny. Ed Parkin & Scientology itself at STAND spends all their time doing evil and has devoted their lives to “tearing someone else down.” That happens when you join the cult and then again after you try to leave it.
You did not leave you RAN AWAY
Coward as always.
Thicketts, what ARE you insanely blathering on about now?
Yes, OSA Troll, Mike ran away. You bet he did. Any sane person would. Don’t be bitter, though. Don’t be envious that Mike has blown the cult. Someday you will too.
Elsewhere you wrote “I have no love for the COS anymore.” If that’s true, I’d think you’d understand why someone would leave, finally getting away when they had enough and had a chance – and that the supposed “routing out” process is a farce, probably particularly so for someone with insider and high-level knowledge of Scientology whose departure could be seen as threatening.
I suppose I should be impressed. This person on the STAAD website actually exists, whereas most of the Scientology defenders online are sock-puppet accounts.
“Leland then goes on to liken us to “Vlad the Impaler, who believed he absorbed the life force of his victims by drinking their blood,”…”
Leland, what a fuckwit you are!
Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia did not drink blood, that came from a mis-intepreted (either intentionally or otherwise) late 15th Century German poem. Nor, it would appear, did he dip his bread in victims blood either. The poem says that he washed his hands in victims blood before eating but this could also be taken with a grain of salt.
Whatever the situation is it still shows to me that Thorburn is a fuckwit and his reality is as twisted as the cult he has been part for so many decades.
Oops, it’s Thoburn. Can I go home now or should I have another coffee?
After reading the two links to Thoburg’s actual work, my suppositions that he was given a desk job by Slatkin, the Ponzi Scheme felon, and later was likely selling a scam to scammers, was way off base. For that I apologize.
In fact, Thoburg’s actual work record reads worse than my poor speculations. I mean, what manager fires employees for the crime of having cancer? What manager looks for loopholes to deny corporate healthcare to an employee who may already be terminally ill? What manager tries to make their employee move hundreds of miles to a state with much greater cost of living when they are in the midst of mounting medical bills? What manager requires their employee to move to a different state and develop a whole new network of oncology caregivers, far from friends and family, at a time when they most need stable care, and the support of friends and family? What kind of person makes such heartless demands of a sick employee, and for no apparent reason other than pettiness?
Scientology, and Scientologists – always worse than you ever thought was possible.
We all know that the cancer-stricken employee “pulled it in” by being shamelessly out-ethics in some way, so any and all actions to offboard this SP would be 100% Standard Ethics.
Yes, its amazing how Scientologists do each other in, isn’t it?
Talk about vampires!
This is just me but I’m hoping that, unbeknownst to us on the outside, a minimum of 60% of the Still Ins are actually UTR and merely keeping their heads down and going thru the motions while they make their plans to leave.
I’m hoping its about this percentage.
I have no data on which I’m basing this percentage.
Just a hunch, kind of.
Yet if Leah we’re still a Scientologist, they’d be touting her show as one of the best ever on television, but because she’s not a anymore she’s a forgettable denizen of the sitcom soup…🙄
“Formerly an executive at EarthLink Inc.”
Translation: when the infamous Scientologist and later convicted Ponzi schemer Reed Slatkin owned a piece of Earthlink, he possibly found a make-work desk job for Thoburg as a favor to an unemployable fellow Scientologist. No doubt this was Thoburg’s first, last and only time as an “executive”, except perhaps in Scientology, where executive positions come and go with the winds from the RPF.
Now Thoburg claims to be a ‘business consultant”, which probably means he’s trying to flog Hubbard’s W.I.S.E. scam to chiropractors, who are already selling an unproven, unscientific product which always finds a problem (ruin) for which the Chiropractor (and only the Chiropractor) has a “treatment” (tech) that proves to be fleeting in nature, eventually requiring an expensive series of return visits (sign up for the Chiro bridge, if you please).
“Leland has been a Scientologist for 45 years”. Tells you all you need to know.
Oh, and more importantly, Leland was a “research assistant” for Reverend Michael O’Brien at the October 6, 1980 Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures of the Committee on Ways and Means House of Representatives 96th Congress H.R. 4584 And Similar Bills to Authorize Payment of Attorneys’ Fees to Taxpayers Who Prevail in Tax Litigation Against the Federal Government.
Now why oh why wouldn’t he put that on his resume? As a scientologist, you would think that would be his shining moment.
Why not indeed, ValR? And why don’t these fervent koolaid drinkers mention Scientology on the Facebook and Linkedin pages? Of course that question is rhetorical because we KNOW why they don’t mention Scientology on their social media – its toxic and would lose them business!
But but but…Leland did win a short story contest in 2009 – 10 years ago he won for writing fiction. It looks like he can still write fiction. https://jerryjazzmusician.com/tag/leland-thoburn/ Poor guy was “unavailable” when the magazine he won for tried to interview him for a followup story in January of 2019. You would think that a prolific author like that would want to get his name out, but I guess he’s too busy publishing fiction for STAAD to be able to take interviews on 10 year old accolades.
Oh and he worked for EarthLink. Wow. If that was something I did, I’d be burying it, not putting it on my resume. Are scientologists really that tone deaf? Oh wait, I was one, yes, I was and they are.
Here’s what the ‘Truth About $cientoloty’ completions list has to say about Leland:
“Leland Thoburn in Scientology’s Published Service Completion Lists
The following 5 individual completions for Leland Thoburn appear in official Scientology publications:
Leland Thoburn PTS/SP Course Auditor 326 2005-09-01
Leland Thoburn PTS/SP Course Auditor 327 2005-11-01
Leland Thoburn SCIENTOLOGY 8-80 BOOK COURSE Source 232 2014-06-01
Leland Thoburn NEW OT VII Source 235 2015-02-01
Leland Thoburn HUBBARD ADVANCED SOLO AUDITOR COURSE Source 244 2017-01-01
Note: The dates listed above are the approximate publication dates of the magazines, which may be weeks or months later than the actual date the service was completed.
Leland Thoburn in Scientology’s Publications
No entries were found in my main Scientology Statistics database for this person.
Leland Thoburn and the Clear List
No entries were found in my Scientology Statistics Project Clear List database for this person.
Leland Thoburn and Scientologist Online Sites
My database does not list a Scientologist Online cookie-cutter web site for this person.”
Nothing real recent. Maybe he’s doing some kind of ‘amends’ project.
Mike said: “…defrauding people out of their money.”
Most religious groups ask for money(1). Some go through your wallet (2). Prosperity Gospel types put a vaccuum cleaner hose into your pocket and suck until they get lint (3). SCIENTOLOGY will use that hose to suck out your blood so they can sell it, then, if you let them, will open you up to remove and sell your organs that you don’t need to live. And the ones you do need, if they can talk you into it!
As with many things, $cientology takes things to a whole new level of crazy.
jmsr
(1)Ok, essentially all of them; but the pressure ranges from nonexistent to socially coercive. Gotta fund the organization, don’tcha know.
(2)Many groups, including the Mormons, require that you show them your taxes so they can determine if you’re paying a full tithe (required to get a temple recommend and fully participate in Mormonism).
(3)Too many to count, but they occur more often in poor neighborhoods. As the quote goes, “if you work in a cash-paying business, don’t pay taxes and drive the nicest car in your neighborhood – you might be a drug dealer, but you’re probably a preacher.” Also, if you’re watching religious programming, you’re probably watching one of these prosperity gospel preachers. “Sow a seed of faith!”
James, I dunno. I was a Mormon for over thirty years. I’ve been less active for some time and don’t know what they’re doing now but whenever I was interviewed for a temple recommend I was never asked to show my tax returns. I was simply asked if I was a full tithe payer. If yes, fine. If no, then I needed to work on that. Like I said, I haven’t been active for a few years so I don’t know what occurs now.
I’ve been a member of various churches for my entire life, and I’ve never seen anyone asked how much they are giving. You could be an active member of a church for your whole life and never give a cent, and no one would ever know. (Of course the scriptures teach that everyone should be giving but it’s free-will giving out of gratitude, there’s no predatory fundraising which defines Scientology these days).
I’m confused. Is Sciloonology a “new” religion or is it billions of years old? If all of those past lives keep coming back to serve in the Sea Org, then it’s not “new.” Or is it that it’s “old” when it’s convenient and it’s “new” when it’s convenient-er? (If they can make up words, so can I.)
My stomach always turns when I read their fair game articles. Regardless if I have heard of the person that they are attempting to destroy, the disparaging words, illogical mean spirited analogies and name calling are recognizably evil. I think that the authors must also be damaged in some way by participating in the vile process, especially those that have to speak on camera again family members and friends. It is a sad and horrible practice that reveals the real center of the organization. I am sorry you have to endure this.
You can almost hear the OSA playbook in his words. Act bored! Name calling. Labeling others. Declare your own superiority. They are100% right. You are 100% wrong. I wonder where insulting others lands on their tone scale? They think in terms of opposites…enemies, outsiders, bad people, evil people and they are the “good” ones. It’s like school yard bullying! They hope it lands their “enemies” in fear on their tone scale. I find it reprehensible.
STAAD and its enablers illustrate the psych concept of ‘projection’. Or as children say, ‘I’m rubber, you’re glue, what you throw at me, sticks to you’.
Why is that most clams leave what appears to be productive work and become ‘consultants’?? Leland Thoburn, your work at Earthlink only qualifies you to print and distribute cds that were thrown out in numbers equal to the number of cds that AOL put out.
Oh, Leland … Actually Leah was a MAJOR television star in a show that ran about a decade … But then again, when does the CoS EVER tell the truth in one of its public pronouncements …
“Why would anyone devote their life to tearing someone else down?”
Well, as far as I can tell LRH’s goal, and now his mini me DM’s goal was and is to take away their will and freedom so they could control their mind and then drain their cult members of all their energy and finances.
EarthLink? I have some cd’s from them in my collection to recycle. Never listened to them though. I had no idea the band was still together,
FYI: EarthLink was an internet provider like AOL, not a band!
Lol, I know. Thanks!
Umm, I believe the comment posted by Cre8tivewmn was utter sarcasm…
@long time I think the cd thing was a joke because they sent out as many cds as AOL. So … yeah. Lots of earthlink cds floating around still. That’s what scientology should burn their precious records on – earthlink cds.
Leeland works with a psychiatrist…
http://www.rom3rehab.com/company
They sell some snake oil exercise bike
Leland’s argument and lies for trying to fire lady for using Federal Family leave act to take time off for breast cancer surgery and Work comp for on job injury disemboweled by judge.
Once again, people who excuse or cover up CoS crimes ARE themselves criminals.
https://casetext.com/case/collinsworth-v-earthlinkonemain
Yes, the Enablers, those goody-goody, nice-nice KSWers are themselves criminals and are, I’ve come to believe, far more dangerous than than the active criminals. At least with them you know what to expect. The enablers, on the other hand, the “nice” the ones on social media and elsewhere who profess “love” and “caring” for their family members yet must “regretfully” disconnect from them until said family members “come to their senses” (read: come back, and once and for all knuckle under to the cult) – until said family members “allow” them to “practice their faith” – God its so sickening – these passive ones, these smug, spineless ones causing so much pain – my contempt for them is as immense as is my admiration for the ones who’ve been disconnected from, the ones who despite living with continual, gnawing emptiness and grief still continue to love, still continue to hope, and still continue to guard their own integrity as precious and not to be sacrificed for any sham, quid pro quo “love” they’d get back by trading it in.
Exactly Aqua.. The “nice” ones that are here to ‘help” are harder to spot.
Arguments are not won by name calling, unless you are in grade school.
When are these Scientologists going to get it correct? They are making these vile statements because their religion is basically Satanic. There was no amount of real effort by Hubbard in forming Scientology. He copied Blavatsky and then copied Satan’s character is Milton’s Paradise Lost. The deceptive nature of the religion is that they show a pleasant exterior face, but underneath they are wicked and seeking only destruction.
After over thirty years out and looking at Scientology in hindsight, it is clear. Hubbard wanted to be the anti-Christ. That is Satan.
George, this is off-topic but in your extensive readings on all things Satanistic – seriously, I’m not poking fun, I’m interested in the origins of Satan/ Devil/ Evil One/Etc as an entity embodying the antithesis of God/goodness/purity/etc – in your readings inclusive of this subject have you found what has been agreed upon as and/or what you believe to be the EARLIEST mention of this basic character that figures so strongly in most established religions? If so, I’d appreciate some suggestions as to what I could read. I have a theory that we humans share a craving to believe that a SOURCE of PURE goodness exists, and that, out of that need, that craving, to believe that something, somewhere is all good, all knowing, all caring, etc. – out of that “purity” of goodness, kindness, concern, etc., there has to be its OPPOSITE, i.e, PURE evil. This is just my own theory, mind you, that we humans all share some degree of this craving to operate on fundamental absolutes like total, 100%, unadulterated good, and its opposite, total, 100% evil, and out of this craving came the entities, the figures, characters, etc., that we can post up there, to represent in actual, viewable form these concepts, i.e., pure good, pure evil.
You have asked one of the biggest questions in the universe. However, there are sources that I have studied which shed light on it. I have been studying religion for over fifty years so I do not remember all of the sources. About three years ago I hooked up with several religious scholars who suggested I read Blavatsky. She wrote two Books “Isis Unveiled” and “Secret Doctrine”. I read both books and all of her writings which add up to over 6,000 pages. Blavatsky is Occult but she deals with a major part of the question in regard to the origin of good and evil in the universe. The earliest references are in Hinduism, but Blavatsky claims to go earlier with special texts she discovered in Tibet. Very few accept her on this point but it is there. The earliest credible source of information is in Zoroastrianism. This study is complicated but factual and you see the line in Persia. Hubbard claimed that the Chaldeans were first . They were early but they focused on Astrology. Mark Twain wrote a book on Satan which I mostly read but the title escapes me. However, the greatest source of information on Satan is Paradise Lost by Milton. I read the Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinus while in college. He was very bright and discusses the issue extensively. One of the other great sources is Kabballah, but it is all very disputed. You get various versions of ancient texts which do not follow a pattern in Kabballah. In the 19th century in France, there were hundreds of books written on this subject. You can take your pick. Most center on the “black and white” problem which is key in this study. One side says you need black to get white (Satanic) or you need white to get black (God). At any rate, any serious study of Satan shows Scientology to be satanic itself. There is no escape.
Yesterday I read your blog and I was surprised again at what SOME people post. I did respond when somewhat wanted Veterans Day a Scientology Remembrance Day. Really!?! In my opinion, most of the responses were belittling to members of the “flock”. Over time of reading the blog, I read over and over how those still in are “stupid, white haired, clubbed over the head, assist with the abuses, etc. Okay, so now their older and realize their lives were lived in a “lie” but if they see material like this, why get out? Feeling they won’t have exes support. I thought of what is called “fair gaming”.Beating them down til they do what ex-Scientologists want and they then leave the church? Just yesterday’s blog shows you the ridicule. I honestly believe ex-scientologists are trying to support others but I cannot understand the “how” it’s being done. Mike and Leah you have opened the door for Scientologists to leave the cult. You have informed the public of the abuses within. Mike, your stats on members, Orgs, etc have to scare Scientologists. I read your blog for those and the abuses being prosecuted. Leah and yourself and others have done so much to end the self destruction of still-ins and I do hope and pray you continue the fight But, I worry sometimes about the posts that people see degrading current members. Sometime even harder, where readers know that it’s coming from people who were In ( and “yes” some comments are in fun and I get that, humor helps. Also comradery between the bloggers is nice to see. Just wish there wasn’t so much negativity to those in)
Hello Shereefe. If you will check your post from yesterday, you will see that I apologized and admitted the error of my ways. I just didn’t think things through before I posted.
If there was a way to retract posts on this blog, I would certainly have retracted that post.
Best wishes to you and to all the veterans who have sacrificed so much to protect the liberties that all people of the free nations enjoy as a result.
Shereefe,
You brought up some good points. I’d like to respond. I can only speak for myself.
Some of the anger and sarcasm you read here is frustration at watching people doing themselves in.
Its like watching people close to you who keep taking drugs, and feeling helpless to help them.
Its like having a friend with black eyes or bodily bruises yet she denies that her husband is beating her up, or worse, makes excuses for his beating her and won’t seek help or talk about it. You know that by staying with him and allowing this behavior she is, effectively, slowly killing herself. And you feel helpless to help.
With me, no small part of it has stemmed from total bewilderment as to how the Still Ins can’t, don’t or won’t see what WE saw.
Now, I have been among the worst of those here with bitter sarcasm and caustic, make-wrong humor directed at the Still Ins.
(Forget “among the worst” – probably THE worst).
With me, having no one I love in the cult, not suffering personally from Disconnection, the sarcasm and anger at the still ins has mostly stemmed from the above 2 points, i.e, “How can they continue to allow themselves to be abused this way?” and “How do they NOT see what is so freaking OBVIOUS? What is WRONG with them?”
PARTICULARLY has “How do they NOT see?” been a brain-breaker for me.
The good news is that the answer finally came to me.
“What is WRONG with these people?”
Unfortunately, nothing.
NOTHING is wrong with them. They DO see what we saw. They’re NOT “blind”. Even if they don’t read the internet, THEY SEE PLENTY!
Well, then why don’t they leave, if they see all this, one can ask.
The answer is, “Because they haven’t decided to leave.”
Excluding the UTRs who are “in” and just pretending for the time being, excluding this group, the for real Still Ins haven’t reached their tipping points yet.
Each of us has one, for toleration of lies, toleration of injustice, toleration of abuse.
Its fair to say that, however their situations in the cult varied, every Ex Scientologist reached his or her own, personal tipping point in the cult, decided to leave, and left.
Some here made this decision and acted upon it at ENORMOUS cost to themselves, emotionally, mentally and financially. But made it they did.
The UTRs have already HAD their tipping points and are going thru the motions of being Scientologists, keeping their heads down and their mouths shut and their eyes and ears open while they rearrange their lives so as to extricate themselves from the cult with the least possible damage to their lives.
Indeed, some of the Thursday Funnies Loons we lampoon here may be UTRs. Its possible. Not the mega donors but possibly some of those in the group pictures could be just posing.
But the for real Still Ins are seeing everything we saw, experiencing just what we experienced, but have not reached their tipping points yet, that’s all.
If and/or when they do, they can, as we did, decide to leave, and once they decide to leave, they can, as we did, figure out a way. There’s nothing we did that they can’t do.
Lastly, I’ll share with you that once the answer to this puzzle appeared to me, I felt a lot better! More relieved. A LOT less confused, resentful, helpless.
Credit for this (excuse the Scientologese) COGNITION of mine goes to Malcolm Gladwell for “The Tipping Point”. I missed reading it when it came out. Terrific book!
The Still Ins are NO different from us. They SEE what we SAW. They CAN decide, as we decided. They CAN leave, as we left.
If you’ve managed to get this far, thanks for reading, Shereefe!
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of allegations of abuses committed by the church of scientology and yet ones never see a scientologist have a meaningful discussion about any alleged abuse. People in the real world don’t need to know the tactics of scientology to form an opinion of how absurd people like Leland sound but because of people like you and Leah, the real world not only scoffs at its absurd “defenses,” they now can point and say, “Oh look, Leland is applying ‘Always attack; never defend.’ that Hubbard guy told them to do.”
The church’s tactics only work on people who are still in this mindset and that number is slowly fading. Keep up the good work Leland. You are doing more to inform others than you realize.
I am pretty sure Leland’s son’s name was Kenny. I was told a couple of years ago Kenny committed suicide. It’s sad. This man is very gone.
‘His writings have been published in numerous magazines and literary journals, including Foliate Oak Review, Writers Journal, Feathertale Review, Calliope, Vocabula Review and others.’
With references like these, how could Anyone take this joker seriously?
Watch out, COB, here’s your replacement ! ! !
You beat me to it, Belynda!
“Foliate Oak Review…Feathertale Review…”
So much for the mass media portion of his literary credentials.
Another indoctrinated victim by the cult of scientology, poor little bastard.
He has no personal opinion, just follows the jargon of scientology ‘defensive’ tactics, which basically is only lie, after lie.
Look Leland, keep a daily reading of this blog so you can really get the facts about the abuses of the cult that has brainwashed you and also read today’s Tony Ortega blog, there you have a perfect example of how destructive scn is.
Problem is they are not ALLOWED to read anything about Scientology on the internet etc. Anything critical of Scientology is forbidden. They are not allowed to investigate, think for themselves and make up their own minds. They may be curious but are far too afraid to take action.
When I was still with my Scientologist boyfriend I tried to read him something about Xenu and he absolutely freaked out telling me to stop and saying he couldn’t listen to it. If he hadn’t been driving I swear he would have covered his ears with his hands! This being a very intelligent, successful man. Absolutely anything I had researched and tried to share with him was dismissed with, ‘that’s bullsh-t’, ‘just people trying to discredit the church’, ‘you make things up’, etc.
I see myself as a Christian but I sometimes question things and then I do research. I also read other books for understanding. This is a part of educating yourself and finding out if what you believe in is viable. I can then choose to accept or reject other opinions. The operative word here is ‘choose’. Scientologists have to blindly obey and this is reinforced with fear. They cannot choose.
So, yes, there is information out there but they are too afraid to access it.
WRONG isitworthit,, people like Leland are allowed to read the internet stuff