A tidal wave of Shermanspeak engulfed Ventura county as scientology’s Dear Leader yanked his ribbon in front of his latest real estate investment in an industrial area next to a freeway.
The screaming headline at scientology.org is typical:
SCIENTOLOGY IDEAL ORG RISES LIKE A LEGENDARY KING WAVE IN VENTURA’S SURF CITY
And it goes downhill from there.
This is a “Seaside” Grand Opening that marks a milestone for Scientology’s spectacular growth across the Golden State. Growth?? Where? Every org is struggling and there are less missions than ever…
The smarmy surfing language continues: Riding a never-ending swell of expansion… the Church of Scientology cut the ribbon (an interesting turn of phrase, so David Miscavige IS the “Church of Scientology”?) along this slice of surfing paradise.
The first Ideal Org devoted to Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties (and last no doubt — they no longer open any new orgs) opened before an exuberant audience of some 4,000 Scientologists and federal, state and local dignitaries. 4,000? You can count then from the photo’s yourself if you really want to. I take the estimate of 2,000 to be much closer to the truth. Scientology ALWAYS inflates numbers at events. But how many “Ventura staff and public” were there? All this to serve a grand total of 50 people.
It gets positively syrupy-silly as Sherman goes into overdrive:
Stirred by a wafting Pacific breeze, a festive air of accomplishment pervaded the occasion.
Yikes. A high-school english teacher would puke if a student handed in something as corny as that.
But then this is what gushed forth from Mr. David Miscavige, who told the assembled that the wave for which they were waiting was now about to break: “A perfect wave. An endless wave. A wave anyone can ride to higher plateaus of ability and spiritual immortality. But, of course, not everyone knows where the shoreline ends and the ride of a lifetime begins—which is where you come in with an invitation to freedom and a lesson on how to catch that wave and never be the same again.”
That is some seriously tortured prose.
The hype then takes a nosedive as they have to report on the “dignitaries” who attended. It’s a long time ago that the Mayor of Buffalo showed up for an ideal org ribbon cutting, or in fact anyone of any stature in any of these cities where the ribbon yankings are held. And this was no exception.
Councilman Steven Gama, from the City of Port Hueneme, Ventura County; The headliner. Not the Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem of this tiny city. And not the Mayor of Santa Barbara or Ventura.
Sharon Byrne, Advisor to the 4th District of Santa Barbara County; Advisor to? What about the member for the 4th district? Or the head of Santa Barbara County Govt?
John Chavez, Voluntary Agency Liaison, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Liaison? A bit like Advisor it seems.
Barbara Gaughen-Muller, President of the Tri-County United Nations Association. Whatever.
Of course, they talked about Way to Happiness, drug education, Volunteer Ministers and human rights education. Nobody spoke of scientology at the opening of the scientology building.
And that was about all they had to say. Other than a reminder of their “era of explosive growth” with a listing of the other buildings that have been purchased and “opened” that remain empty graveyards. In fact, they only serve as testament to the financial sacrifices of the clubbed seals.
Apart from Inglewood, there has not been a new scientology org opened in California in 40 years. And in scientology, that qualifies as “explosive growth.”
I’m a local. No matter what time of day or night, there is never a single car in the parking lot or even a person walking about the area. It’s strange that they have this huge beachfront monstrosity for no one. Typical govt of the US, money first.
No wonder David needs big buildings, he has short man syndrome.
I wonder about dm’s input into those ridiculous speeches. In poetry it’s called doggerel. High school bad poetry that may rhyme buts overly sentimental horrible metaphors and shallow images that are tooo obvious. 😂😂😂
Big homeless population in Ventura. They need members right? They might be trying scavenge what they can… Just a thought
I love Sherman’s mind-altering purple prose.
If you look at the drone footage down at the bunker, it’s pretty obvious this building was some kind of chemical plant.
The storage tanks are still there in the parking lot, stuck between the freeway and a residential area. I would not bet the soil is free of contaminants.
I don’t know what kind of wave you can surf in there, but it’s probably not the kind that happens on the sea.
I think it’s been reported that the tanks actually belong to a fire department facility next door – but still that shows it’s in a commercial-industrial area, not exactly a desirable location.
Maybe a call to the EPA could turn it into a Superfund site. That would drain the coffers.
The tanks are part of the Ventura City Fire Training Facility and are not associated with the Scientology site,
It appears the Cult is going down the stereotypical Cult path. You know, the crazy cult that moves to a compound in the woods.
But since this group is all about the $$$, that would be a step too far. (Even the whales might be hesitant to fork it over for Ideal Hidey-Holes.) So what do you do? You stay within the city but you move to some deserted industrial park with limited access.
Hope this comment can be helpful to someone still in doubt.
We know that scientology is not democratic. This is a statement from the founder himself. So the idea that you can have your own ideas remains just an idea. Your progresses are based ONLY on how much you’ll keep your head under the sand.
It’s pertinent to ask how come that people moving up the bridge (and perhaps getting more tuned with the essence of what they really are) have serious troubles to think for themself and speaking out if it’s needed. Several have witnessed weird stuffs, harrasments, financial disarters and debts, avalanches of off policies at all levels, deaths (caused by presumption), general threats etc. Enough to wake up and see that it wasn’t exactly the promised land. But all got justified for the sake of the church. And all what you hear is just the sound of silence. One could conclude that it is a bit unnatural. But it has a name: fear. Among other things very essential for aberration.
It is astonishing to realize that people that are clear on the first dynamic (whatever it means) or even Operating Thetans cannot think fully by themself but must silently swallow what they have seen and turn the head in the other side. Let’s be honest what has this to do with case gains? Nothing and you know it. This is gonna SERIOUSLY stuck anyone for a very long time. Money and time are just wasted.
Please give a look at the current scenario and the continued emorragy of staff and public. It is related. In their heart they know that something is wrong and this generates internal conflicts. You can’t audit that stuff. And it has consequences. But please once more just look for yourself.
If you’re seeking for any kind of spiritually keep in mind that: it’s always YOUR own integrity leading to any possible improvement. Obeying to look elsewhere or to shut up won’t do it. You just get stuck. The group or family you are in too. Period
I now read all of Miscavige’s words with HIS inFLECtion.
I recall reading the “Heaven’s Gate” wave to meet the Hale Bopp Comet….that didn’t work out well for them did it?
PS. I gave the best years of my life to the cult for nothing back than just crap and introverting ethics.
But I am not pissed with them. I married twice and now I am supporting an expanded 3 generational family. Most of it is composed by women with balls. Who wants to try the Supreme test for a thetan please come here.
King wave is an Australian term for a sneaker wave. Sneaker waves are unusually large waves that surprise and drown unsuspecting people. Every year we hear about whole families being caught in one of these. It prompts one to adopt the rule to “never turn your back on the ocean” when you are on the beach. Equating Scientology with a king wave is kind of appropriate.
As a connoisseur of truly bad writing, I must grudgingly admire Mr. Dan Sherman. It takes real skill to be that bad. Bravo!
Surfer Dude, he IS tiny; miniscule, in fact, compared to any normal human. With an intellect to match.
Poor clapping clams. Another Mausoleum back in the hinterlands, too far from anything to do any good for anyone. And I believe that those still in, by and large, still have the star-high ideals we once had: to help create a better world, a new civilization. It’s the kid at the top who’s too cynical to do those things which once worked — after a fashion — to create that which the Dwarfenführer stole, then cut down to something the diminutive dictator could handle with his tiny flailing fists of impotent fury.
“All this to serve a grand total of 50 people.” Those 50 people are now ‘staff’ and are required to be there often.
Next up in the Miscavige slight of hand operation is the parking of self driving cars in the mOrg parking lot, just to make it look busy.
OH.MY.GOD! New business model for the very near future: An app that lets you loan your self-driving car to businesses that want to look popular. Your car will drive in to their lot, park for 10 minutes, leave, come back and repeat the cycle all day while you’re at work. More traffic, more pollution, more energy wasteage, more inconvenience for everyone all in the name of deceptive advertising Aaaaaah the dystopia got worse
For a guy of Miscavige’s height, he really seems to like the word “growth”.
And at best, in the scientology world, it is “hoped for” growth for their organizations.
Hmm. Parallels are making sense…
These bogus gremmies and hodads are about to wipe out into the gnarly soup of infinity. Miscavige and his bros may be totally stoked now, but they’ll be bailing out soon enough. And that will be bitchin’.
Another surfer among us 🙂
At this point in the scam being a scamology public ONLY means that, a fool and their money are soon parted.
Wynski:
“a fool and their money are soon parted.”
with NO REFUNDS.
Exactly jere!
This posting on Ventura is manifesting the very low point of Scientology doctrine. Miscavige has nothing to say that will save Scientology. He is talking about the Ocean and surfing when he should be explaining Scientology. No one can explain Scientology because it is based on secrets and confidentiality. Everyone in the world knows Scientology Xenu stories but the religion cannot explain these in public. If I was in Ventura, I would invent a tomato throwing catapult like the Romans and bomb him with bad tomatoes. I cannot believe that they still listen to him. Someone should be removing him from the podiums.
George stated:
“If I was in Ventura, I would invent a tomato throwing catapult like the Romans and bomb him with bad tomatoes.”
Watch it, guy: That’s threatening bodily harm which they would conflate into attempted murder or worse. Remember that one tomato is a SIGNIFICANT portion of the twerp’s body size and could do SERIOUS damage if it hit anywhere but his head or crotch, where he has no vital organs.
Yup. Mike Rinder’s … ex wife? daughter? has inflated a grazing blow she received during a confrontation in a medical office parking lot they and a bunch of staff went out of their way to provoke (literally: they had to hire a PI to follow him to find him and a van to drive them there) into a “life threatening injury requiring paramedics.” Mike has made a post about it elsewhere on this blog, -including paramedic documentation-.
Given their history of screaming “Persecution!” whenever anyone so much as criticizes them, your ‘throw rotten tomatoes at the bum!’ comment will probably be inflated into a death threat, and will probably be reported to the police. Any sane police officer would likely file it and ignore it; but many LA and Clearwater police receive side-income from Scientology (doing security at their events) and may be influenced to harass you.
If you’re ok with that, then ok. Heck, you may be even able to make them aware of exactly what type of people they’re dealing with.
Laughing out loud
“I’ll throw tomatoes and you’ll throw tomahtoes
You’ll throw potatoes and I’ll throw potahtoes
Tomatoes, tomahtoes; potatoes, potahtoes,
Let’s bump the Old Dwarf off.”
(Sorry, Irving Berlin.)
It’s a deal, LOL
The syrupy CRAP has gotten all over me! HELP!
OSD:
“The syrupy CRAP has gotten all over me! HELP!”
Just go surfing. Hopefully washing that stuff off in the waves won’t be an EPA or other sort of environmental disaster You’ll have the devil’s own time getting the stuff off of your car seats, etc, if you don’t put towels down first.
Well…I’ll try. But, it’s quit sticky.
Yes, it’s a sticky situation.
At our age crap can be a serious consideration to deal with…
Could be a split CPAP accessory, maybe something we forgot about, never noticed, but stood in it anyway. Perhaps some kind and friendly soul just cleaned it up and we’ll never know how blessed we were treated. Help has come full circle and often we don’t want it just out of some long ago urge of a glimmer of abilities assumed that we are still capable of “all nighters.” At least Scientology crap fits into a pretty small, but easily recognized bucket these days – syrup should be saved for pancake use only – thank God for wine, single malt and chocolate – nature’s way of letting us know it still cares.
Help is real, not always recognized, but it always been closer than one thinks. It isn’t, nor has it ever been exclusively “religious”.
I’m sure there are dozens of hungry $camologists who would gladly lick the syrup off you just to get some sustenance.
It will be a ghost town for them. It’s quite possible that there may be protests here. This town has many pride parades and the folks here are very tolerant.
I can see a protest around the building with signs quoting Hubbard:
“Families are bad groups”
“It’s safer to be in bed with a deadly snake than a 1.1 gay”
“Jesus was a pedophile”
“I am the predicted Anti Christ in the Bible”
“All critics are criminals” etc etc etc
All we have to do is quote Hubbard’s own words
Idle Morgues like this new one in Ventura are only a new home for crickets & tumbling tumbleweeds and a lonely but stinky passing LRH wind.
I think RB ought to change the size of his podium to match reality – this tiny little podium to give miscavige the illusion of height. It cracks me up.
Mary Kahn observed:
“– this tiny little podium to give miscavige the illusion of height. It cracks me up.”
I think we all enjoy it. THX RB!
And the “podium” in the Ventura picture may be even smaller, perhaps lower than a meter/yard high.
Talk about false advertising!
It’s the increasingly boufy hair that makes me laugh my azz off!
Drone footage of the “Grand Photo Shoot” over at the ‘Bunker’:
https://tonyortega.org/2020/02/24/drone-flyover-saturdays-scientology-ideal-org-opening-in-ventura-california/
Drone flyers count was roughly 1,800 seats and around 200 standing. The two ladies who spoke are legit, but uneducated about $cientology for sure. I posted some info about them over on the ‘Bunker’.
Acquisition of real estate isn’t real growth.
So Der Fuhrer actually showed up! Did he get served? Still think having one of those public “dignitaries” who were onstage with him could have been bought to do it.
OK, Califirnia, but when do we get an Ideal Idaho? That’s the question that haunts my days and my nights … Are the people of land locked Boise somehow not worthy of total freedom because of the lack of surfing in their domain? Do Boise-ites not bleed when shot with a slug from a 45? Do their body thetans not go into restim by reruns of Battlestar Galactica starring Lorne Greene?
And though I would be deeply embarrassed to say I was from Rhode Island or Delaware … should they too suffer the eternal indignity of remaining throughout time as UN-ideal?
Joe, get your priorities straight. Montaña must go Ideal before Idaho. Nothing against those spud-head wogs in Idaho, but Montaña was the stomping ground of our Founder in his youth. L’il Ronnie was brought up on his grandfather’s ranch that covered fully a quarter of the Treasure State and this is where he busted broncs, engaged in blood brother ceremonies with the local Natives, earned his Eagle Scout badge and rolled his own fags whilst shooting wolves. He was also kicking some O’Brien boys asses on the side, which formed the basis of our sacred Ethics Tech. Oh ya, Leon Brown got his ass kicked too.
Apparently there is not only no Ideal Org in Montaña, there isn’t even an Ideal Mission or Ideal Field Group, Ideal LRH Childhood Home/Museum or Ideal Shadowy Front Group. Keeeerist, I’d bet there isn’t even a single Scientologist living there, and that’s a goddamn shame.
In fact, if I recall correctly the closest Scientology anything to Big Sky Country is some super seekrit CST base somewhere in Wyoming. And nobody even knows where that is except for some unemployed suppressive bloggers on the fringes of the internet who divulge this stuff.
I think the powers that be should get their shit together and Word Clear ‘Treasure State’ and send their very best Reg and Recruiter to Two Dot, Montaña and get busy finding an Ideal Property to buy and start fundraising immediately. For what? Who cares. Just get the cash flowing IN. NOW. Montaña is full of untapped resources (raw meat with credit cards).
Oh no no no! It already broke my heart to know that lrh ever had anything to do in or near my beloved Flathead Valley & Kalispell! There are so many great things about MT (which is why we want to leave Southern Cali and move up there near some extended family) but one of them is NO org ANYWHERE!
Ideal Idaho? Are there more than 5 scientologists within an hour of Boise? I could say the same about Pennsylvania, I suppose, but the tiny franchise just outside of Philly got “promoted” to Philly’s “org”, then an “ideal” org in one of the biggest white-elephants in the metro area. If they transferred all orgs’ staffs to it, they’d still be rattling around inside a ginormously large space AND be able to berth them comfortably, it’s *THAT* big: Each of the 15 floors is a full block in size. But it violates all sorts of city codes even before they start, and some of those violations are expensive and tough to correct. It was a white elephant before they bought it, it’s even worse since the real estate bubble burst, something Dwarfenführer could care less about since he’s skimmed and squirrelled away enough cash for his purposes already. Any more, and it’ll be more a liability, something through which he could be found and attacked — if he hasn’t already amassed THAT amount already.
Almost fifty years ago, I walked into the 5th Avenue Scientology Mission in New York City. There was a large picture of Hubbard on top of the Tone Scale. They had something to sell. They sold me hope for about $120,000. After completion of OT VIII in about 1988, I saw for myself that Hubbard had nothing to sell. Hubbard was basically not educated. He tried to hijack Buddhism and meld it into Scientology past lives theory. In OT VIII, Hubbard claimed that Original Buddhism and Scientology were perfect together and far superior to Christianity. Hubbard used outdated, mistranslations of Buddhism to support his thetan theory of past lives. Original Buddhism would not support the thetan theory at all. In fact, the opposite case is true. Hubbard did not understand the Vedic hymns or the Upanishads. Hubbard actually was more Hindu than anything else. As Stephen Kent has observed, the basic doctrine of Original Buddhism is “no self”. If the thetan existed, it would thus be the largest liability possible. So Miscavige tries to sell a mixed up religion with no real essence. The people attending Ventura a simply falling for a large scam.
Fantastic description. I fully agree. Having done meditation what you say is fully correct. He keeps the other self alive. A trap.
It amazes me that Miscavige is still paying for the Shermanator to write his goofy speeches. The first time Sherman spoke at Flag (almost 20 years ago) most were laughingly entertained thinking it was some kind of a joke. Who was this weird looking, weird speaking, over the top, non Scientologist, being brought in to speak about Hubbard? It some how fits with the unreality that exists within the Scientology bubble.
Yeah, I mean they couldn’t drag Kirstie 70 miles up the coast? It’s not like she’s busy doing … you know, ACTING. And would it kill Travolta to appear? I thought he was a SCIENTOLOGIST. At least get Mr. Jesse Ventura up there, the man they named the freaking city after , instead of those bozo nobodies. *I spent a year in total in Ventura. It really is a wonderful place. The official name of Ventura is actually The City of San Buenaventura.
Pay? Does he get paid?
Mat, MustSavage isn’t paying ANYone ANYthing to speak of — unless you consider room & board + SOMETIMES up to $50/week “payment”/salary. It’s hardly enough to keep those silly “uniforms” semi-presentable.
I thought Dan Sherman was a Scn public? Is he not even a Scn?
He is OT 5
Maybe he can’t fire him, Matt. Knows too much? And Sherman is not Sea Org so he can’t be disappeared either. No leverage? Of course I don’t know. I’m totally guessing.
Well I don’t know if it is because I am dealing with you guys since some time and this is turning me into an SP or what else, but all this “explosive growth” begins to disturb me.
You know I just don’t want start howling like mad every time I find that they have openned a new ideal org. And DM said that they will make unprecedented expantion. My neighborhood won’t appreciate.
They haven’t opened a new Ideal Org, Loosing. They’ve relocated a small, existing ORGanization into a new and larger building. Same organization, new building. Underneath the deceptive lies and fanfare is a relocation, not expansion. No need for you to howl. The ones who should be howling are the Still Ins.
Thanks Aqua. Yes the same heated soup but given like a new dish.
LoosingMyReligion: IF you were in the organization, or had any connection to them, you WOULD be considered an SP for even “associating with the likes of us — even if you never ever said a bad word yourself about the multi-national corporation masquerading as a religion. Just talking to us would be sufficient.
Okay. I was just making some humor here. I was a dedicated SO member for about 15 years, I landed also in the rpf, I know how it works and I know very well what I am doing.
I would like to advice the people visiting this blog to spend some time to read ‘a letter from Garcia’. You can find it here. It is quite enlightening to those who may have still some uncertainty.
Yes! Letter from Garcia is what got me to start looking. Also letter from Debbie Cook. Those two were very instrumental to making me think and look and eventually leave.
Debbie Cooke was CO$’s Paul Revere.
Yes, Debbie Cooke was the Cof$’s Paul Revere. Well said, Aqua.
Shows the current state of scientology – they can’t get any major celebrities or politicians to show up at an “Ideal Org” opening in Southern California, which I believe has the largest concentration of scientologists on the planet (if you include the Int base, Pac Base, HGB and all the service orgs in SC). Nancy Cartwright showed up, but most people outside of scientology probably wouldn’t recognize her since she mainly does voice over work. Could it be that no one wants to be publicly associated with scientology? Methinks so.
I can almost bet that the ‘perfect’ wave would be an invented OT Level.
It is miscabage’s main interest to keep the wealthy donors giving lots and lots of money… miscavige would increase his wealth, power (???) and influence by manipulate them by doing an invented OT Level.
We shall see.
Silvia, I agree that we’ll see an invented “new” OT level as soon as Dwarfenführer needs another little fish to dangle in front of the clapping seals’ noses to get MORE money flowing into the coffers which only he controls.
IMHO, I don’t think he can come up with an OT level beyond 8 or he already would have. He’s just milking the scam for as long as he can before he retires to an island with no extradition and easy access to his off-shore accounts.
Miscaviage is not a creator, he’s an editor and he’s run out of LRH material to re-release.
Well the invented OT level worked for Rey Robles, so let’s see if Miscavige follows suite.
DM is Fists in fury.
You mean those tiny little fists? Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! He couldn’t squash a fly! EVERYTHING about the Dwarf is SMALL. Very small. He’s a punk.