The big announcement has come.
On Saturday, the Orlando morgue is set to open its doors.
Of course, this had to be done in time for Maiden Voyage so there is something to show there. It’s pretty much the ONLY thing there is to talk about with regard to scientology, so they orchestrate the funding, work and timing of the yanking event around Chairman of the Bored’s schedule and the need for video for his “international events.”
Wonder how many “ringer” staff members they will have on hand for the “grand opening”? And as is the norm they don’t announce the presence of Dear Leader beforehand. He lives the life of a drug lord, never announcing his appearances beforehand for fear that people he doesn’t want to encounter may be present.
Of course, Flag and Tampa staff and public will be brought in to make a crowd (Orlando probably could not get 50 people on their own if they were offering $100 to anyone who attends). They can all kiss the ring and tell their COB “Done Sir” in person in exchange for a vigorous handshake and an insincere thank you. Quite a reward for tens or hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars – the right to be in the presence of such KSW-greatness. Because that is all they get as th solace will remain a total failure after the yanking is done.
What will be interesting will be to check this place out in a month. While the video of the grand yanking is being played on the Freewinds, to actually see what the place looks like on that day.
I hear from eyewitnesses the other recent ideal org in Florida — Miami — is a miserable flop. Empty. Dead. Sad.
As of today, Orlando’s Facebook page has a modified version of an earlier promo piece simply saying “Orlando. It’s coming!”
http://disq.us/p/1s5zowv
Over at Tony Ortega’s Bunker yesterday, when the feature was Rod Keller’s reporting about the failure of the org to open on schedule, someone posted that they called the org and whoever answered the phone indicated that work was still going on, and they had no new date for an opening.
Also, I noticed that Orlando has a very new and minimal Facebook presence, besides an old “Orlando Ideal Org” page they seemed to have stopped updating and lost control of back in 2012. There were also no other social media accounts that I could readily find – all of which, appear to me to be virtual requirements for orgs – which is another sign of the smallest and weakest orgs least capable of even keeping up appearances.
Mike, We are an anti-cult organization in Orlando, Florida, we are a legally registered LLC called “Thinking Agenda” we publish an anti-cult magazine on Amazon. We have been following this closely and will make a statement to the press.I agree with most of the comments it will be a dismal failure, with paid people or people flown in. I actually have doubts any press will touch it. We are very overwhelmed with the work you are doing and hope too connect. We also welcome any Floridians to check us out and put in a friend request.
Paul Salerno knows us well too.
Respectfully,
Debra Van Neste
CultsCults.com
where is this in Orlando? I will go take some picture for you in a month, to show you how dead it is.
The Yanker of the Board is running out of distractions…
🙂
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. (George Santayana)
Miscavige certainly is a shrewd character, doing away with anyone loyal to Hubbard.
Anyone who walks out of an empty course room these days while fist pumping “we ARE clearing the planet” is either unbelievably stupid or intellectually dishonest or a liar.
Miscavige doesn’t care about Scientology or Scientologists or failing Orgs. He knows the “hip-hip-hooray” contingency are Simon-Says-Simpleton dolts who can’t think for themselves and he’s using them, PLAYING them with this silly “build it and they will come” Ideal org scam. Any Scientologist that isn’t offended by this OBVIOUS ruse probably deserves it, right Dave? How else do you justify it?
“Any Scientologist that isn’t offended by this OBVIOUS ruse probably deserves it, right, Dave?”
I’ve always thought so.
As soon as I saw it for the violation of policy, as soon as I saw how ridiculous and unworkable “Build It And They Will Come” was AND that LRH policy virtually BEGS that you don’t do it that way – as soon as I saw that I withdrew my support and told anyone who questioned me exactly why.
I thought in that in doing this I was APPLYING correct policy and adhering to KSW!
Pardon my naivete!
My goodness, did staff start to get very concerned about me!
Earnestly, like the fool I was, I showed them policy after policy about why Ideal Org fundraising was doomed to fail. And this was BEFORE I was reading the internet I’ll have you know! Because at the time and for years afterwards, and until just recently, I thought they were honest. So I tried, I really did.
All I got in return were blank stares and “concern” that I needed to “handle my MUs”
“No!”, I would say, “i don’t have MUs! I understand EXACTLY what LRH is saying here! Look! Read it! Read what he says right here! Its YOU who don’t understand!”
This was how I tried to get thru. Of course it didn’t work. How could it?
They knew VERY WELL what I was talking about! They understood PERFECTLY. And yet tried to gaslight me into believing I didn’t understand
Fucking criminals. They knew then, they know now. They’ve known all along.
My TRUST in them was what they used to gaslight me. My common sense was telling me it was all wrong, but THEY – these people – were saying it was RIGHT, and I trusted these people. I was susceptible, and they knew I was, because I trusted and respected them, looked up to them.
Now I know them for the craven, knowing criminal enablers of Miscavige that they are and they are a sad and sorry lot, after all.
And it took me a long time to figure them out – years, actually! But I did. Because there’s nothing more challenging then finding a Real Why.
Now they don’t interest me too much anymore. No more puzzle, I’ve got their number. Now I need another puzzle 🙂
I used to daydream about doing this – or something along the lines – pull out all the references this program violated and push back.
Good for you for going for it.
I sat back and asked a few questions and then just went into avoid mode, waiting for this insanity to pass someday. I fought some pretty big fights in the early decades and haven’t wanted to waste time with more goldenrod and all that it entails to hold one’s ground and be right. Ha! Always ended up giving up a bunch of points and doing massive conditions anyway…”while being right”.
I always wanted the top of the bridge too much to let things get fully off the rails.
Anyone I actually talked to or listened to seems to really believe this big swill of lies and hopes. They really do think the Ideal Org will work.
Hence, I do feel bad for the old guard … if only it will help them wake… I doubt it, but for this I do hope.
Thanks for your acknowledgement, Rip. Understood on all you’ve said.
I used to break my brains and try to understand these people I knew – all highly trained, long term staff who had trained me. When they told me I had MUs, I knew it wasn’t true. And I was (and am) a word clearing FREAK. I like clearing words. (To each his own, OK?)
And as for overts and witholds making me critical of the Ideal Org Program, I was also a Data Series completion so I’d ask them if they believed that the ability to spot outpoints meant that nothing could get handled because the person spotting them maybe had overts?
Didn’t make sense. None of it made sense. But it all does now.
They were gas-lighting me.
Pretending to not know what they knew very well. Pretending to not see what they clearly saw, and making it somehow MY problem, MY misunderstanding.
They violated their own integrity doing this. Because these were the people who trained ME.
Sorry for them? No. Not me. Not any more.
They climbed into Miscavige’s dirty bed. Let them sleep in it.
They saw, they knew.. They want/need to stay in the cult, they’ve got their reasons, etc. etc. Good. Stay in it. Go broke. Suffer. Whatever.
Aquamarine you nailed it. The staff and every single coward Scientologist is only concerned with themselves their eternity and less concerned with the actual truth. The entire situation creates an enormous integrity test and all of those cowards and criminals fail right from jump street. Every reg that takes another dollar is a damn criminal because they know they are selling a faulty product based on lies on top of lies on top of more lies. There are so many lies held in suspension in every Scientologists operating system/brain it is no wonder they develop a “third dynamic psychosis”. “Gaslighting” (good word) is the order of the day in Scientology. And even worse, it’s gaslighting under extreme duress. No wonder some people have committed suicide in Scientology, they are faced with impossible scenarios. They believe Scientology is the only way out, except for suicide if they can’t somehow obtain enough Scientology. My old band mate and ex-Sea Org member Gordy Gale shot himself through the skull because he couldn’t figure out his present circumstances. No doubt he was convinced he was coming back. The damage assessment continues and the statistics continue to show a degrading scene. The question is, how much more misery and wasted years of peoples lives will it take?
Beyond tragic, Doug. Some of them have to be really unhappy, living these lies. I know it would make me physically ill. Pretending for a bit is OK and can even be a game and fun, but actually living this way, lying all the time – I could not. Just the concept makes me feel ill and I am ridiculously healthy pretty much all the time.
But what you said: “The question is, how much more misery and wasted years of peoples lives will it take?”
Great question. I don’t know. But something in the New Testament sprang into my mind. H
Jesus was talking to his disciples and urging them to follow him, but to my mind he could just as well have been talking about the meaning of integrity:
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul?”
“…take up his cross…”
Being true to oneself can be very hard.
“…whoever loses his life…will find it.”
Plenty of people on posting here “lost” their lives and have found it.
I think – this is just me, but I think that Jesus was talking about integrity here – knowing what you know and being honest about it.
It is sad that the Still Ins are willing to lie and cheat, and believe that that’s what they MUST do in order to safeguard their eternity! All kinds of ancient wisdom cautions to never do this – never forfeit your soul for anything!
Aquamarine, you are an awesome person! Love ya!
Doug, by DEFINITION a scientologist is someone who is easy to scam and doesn’t/can’t apply logic to life.
Hubbard said a “Scientologist is one who looks”. But looking and speaking about what you observed can get you in trouble in Scientology. Many of us found that out the hard way. Many still in have observed their friends getting declared for holding their position and it creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. No wonder their orgs are empty, they have scared too many people away by their own conduct. Season 3 is coming! Hip hip…..
Give Shannon a call at 646-724-6461 and confirm you’ll be there for the dinner, grand opening and open house so she can get her stat up. Hell, tell her you’re bringing the whole family! It would mean the world to her! Then a big poster for the event follow-up with this message:
Scientology Orlando
Org Empty
Done Sir!
Dump, Sir!
Sports team: Orlando Magic
Morgue team: Orlando Tragic
Morgue team: Orlando Tragic. Yeah, but they say they’re coming back! Oh, who am I fooling. The Tragic will never win a game. That truly is tragic.
And what about ScnTV? Is that failing utterly, and being put on the back burner, or consigned to the dustbin of history?
It will be interesting to see just what is – and isn’t – being featured at the “maiden voyage” events. Will there be some new latest, greatest thing?
Miscavige’s tactic of faking expansion is only to give the Scientology wealthy and super wealthy “whales” the delusion they are part of a “great movement”. But there are a couple holes in the bottom of that boat: 1) New wealthy potential Scientologists and potential super “whales” have full access to the internet (Going Clear, Aftermath, etc..) simply because they are successful business people and 2) Existing Scientology wealthy & whales who do not have free access to the internet but they are no doubt disappointed or frustrated with the lack of “floods of people” entering their new Ideal Org, or Super Power building or any body traffic from TV commercials, etc…
Miscavige has a mirror in his bedroom that makes him look 6 ft tall and makes him look like highly successful leader. Pssst…. Miscavige: no one outside the bubble can see that mirror.
Business as usual I see for the Cof$. Hey, at least they are consistent. Their dismal non-attendance failures for buildings for the IRS strategy of perceived expansion stand as remarkable examples of the most amazing stupidity, both for the Cof$ and the IRS. Scio lawyers are definitely not helpful for anyone’s quest for mental health. Scioland is a lawyer based activity, the only thing spiritual about it comes in a bottle on Miscavige’s desk.
Orlando Bloom starred in Lord of the Rings, Dave’s Orlando is just so much bling.
Scientology is just yesterday’s news. They really don’t have a leg to stand on.
There is nothing like a Dave
Nothing in the world
There is nothing you can name
That is anything like a Dave!
There are no books like a Dave
And nothing looks like a Dave
There are no drinks like a Dave
And nothing thinks like a Dave
Nothing acts like a Dave
Alters facts like a Dave!
There ain’t a thing that’s wrong with anyone here
That can’t be cured by steering them clear
Of surly, paranoid, vengeful, swaggering Dave!
Beautiful MJM! Another South Pacific freak like me.
Thanks Aqua.
For SO members close to COB:
Some entheta evening
Dave will RPF you
Dave will RPF you
Across a crowded room
And somehow you’ll know
You’ll know even then
It’s time to be leaving
Don’t wait till the end
“Some entheta evening”…I can’t stand it. LOLOL! OMG, thanks for my last laugh of the day right now. Good night all!
Would COB actually allow the Clamus Poli to touch him? I have to doubt that. I hope someone can get a recording of the opening day speech. I love Shermanspeak in the afternoon.
“Miami-is a miserable flop. Empty. Dead. Sad.” And…it’s never, ever going to get better. Only worse.
Empty. Dead. Sad…Sir!
That’s what I wanted to hear…or in this case read.
Empty.Dead.Suppressed.Scientology
Thank you SP’s!
Very well done!
Please continue!
Good luck trying to find where it is never mind show up, lol.
Yep. Orlando is close enough to the Tampa/flag area to be regularly exposed as a flop. Not that many Flag public have time to zip over to Orlando to Disney and Universal, and tour the local org… but some do make time… I did. 🙂
What do you bet that Flag doesn’t encourage tours of this org?
……anything to help people wake up. Please.
………
Happy Spring, my fellow friends, today, on this pretty bright sunshiney day, I will again celebrate not worrying about getting further up the bridge and clearing the planet.
That raises an interesting point about why getting (really, making) Orlando “ideal” was such a priority. Not only is it sort of a neat and tidy idea that all the orgs in Flag’s backyard should be “ideal,” but Orlando was actually rather of an embarrassing mess, in really shabby old rented quarters. It was perhaps too much of an obvious reminder of the real state of Scientology revealed by the sad condition of other orgs like Battle Creek and New Haven, and even some of the struggling orgs in larger cities like Chicago.
Yes, Orlando was a tiny empty store-front dump with a couple part time staff.
I can’t imagine any “need” for a big fat building. When the fanfare and push dies away and the trucked in staff all ebb away…. when it settles out and back to what it really is…..
I can’t help but imagine what it must be like to be staff in a joint like that. A couple gum balls rattling around in a giant beer cup.
I lived through so many evolutions of “NOW we’ve got it! We’re on a ROLL and we’re going to MAKE IT to Old Saint Hill size!!!” ….
Decades of Rah Rah and hope. A new film, GAT 1, GAT 2, magic feathers that will lead the world to our door.
When it fails to do the magic thing they all hope…years of telling each other that this will all be worth it when they get the building done….
I’m sorry for them and fascinated. And glad I’m not on staff any longer.
Rip, I commented as I did, after having actually seen the seedy old org for myself.
I get the impression that an ideal org, once it settles back down to minimal operations after the initial push, is supposed to have about a dozen staff between day and foundation. I’m really interested to know, how many staff has Orlando been running with?
Orlando, like the other struggling orgs left that have yet to go “ideal,” really look more like the old missions. Though even of those in their big new “ideal” buildings, most don’t really have more active members or do any more delivery of services than a healthy mission did in the old days, and the few that are larger are more or less equivalent to the largest of the missions in their heyday.
yes, I did get that you had visited the Orlando Org. I did too, but not in the last 10 years. I doubt that it’s ever been too much different than what you or I saw. In my day, our local org had about 22 day staff or 32 foundation staff. Once in awhile there would be surges of increase or decrease of 10-12 more or less staff, but that’s it. Also during that time, there was no such thing as part time staff. You were full time day or foundation, no quibbles.
I was quite surprised when I first started to see/hear/tour other orgs in other cities and to find that they had part time staff on differing schedules.
I’m glad to see it. It shows downward progress towards Goodbye Scn. 🙂
…
Back in the day, I’d’ve decried it all and whipped out all the polices that tell you how to do it right. (fully believing they could fix everything)
But you thought that Orlando had been down to “a couple part time staff”? I was really curious about that.
When I referred to an average “ideal” org being left with about a dozen staff, I was referring to those who I think are full time; the full complement seems to be more like 24 to 30, which I assume includes a lot of part-timers or even just volunteers regularly helping out in some area. And that’s serving an active membership of 50 to 60, plus about as many more who show up for a couple of major events a year and might do the occasional course. I’d really like to get a handle on what typical org staffing numbers are these days, but have seen surprisingly little about it.
Orlando is probably the smallest and weakest of the orgs to go “ideal” so far, and I don’t see how they can support much staffing at all, plus at that they’d need to moonlight or have another source of income to make ends meet. I’m sure that the “postulate” is that going “ideal” will lead to some big increase in their field, but at this point they would probably be lucky to “recover” a couple of people who used to be active.
I love the typo: suck KSW greatness. Just leave as is. It works!
Interesting, the poster states: “keep an eye on your e mail for the official announcement” Uh????
Is it like you noted Mike? Is the sociopath leader so scared that has not told the staff at what time precisely he’ll show up so he can feel alive when flowed of admiration from souls that are blind?
God knows man!
MIke,
You said, ” I hear from eyewitnesses the other recent ideal org in Florida — Miami — is a miserable flop. Empty. Dead. Sad.”
I beg to differ . . . ANY Org that is a FLOP, EMPTY, & DEAD is, absolutely, NOT “SAD” . . . On the contrary, it is a reason to REJOICE and be JUBILANT !
ALL Org’s, whether “ideal” or not, SHOULD be FLOPS, EMPTY, & DEAD . . . Now, THAT would TRULY be “IDEAL” !
Dave F.
Well that’s the best news from Miami I’ve heard in a while. Hip, Hip …….. (silence)
Story over at ‘The Bunker’ today about a “mom” who suggested her 16 year old daughter be recruited by the Sea Borg. Daugher is supposed to now become a receptionist at the Orlando ‘Ideal Morgue’.
With a few exceptions for kids who actually WANTED to join the Sea Org, it is otherwise a convenient dumping groundfor Scientology kids whose irresponsible piss poor parents blew all their money, or never made any in the first place, and as such could not afford to educate them and or get them set up for independent financial adulthood/ OR they were too cheap or selfish to do so, and the cult made them right for this by assuring them that higher education is a waste of money..
I’ve listened while such parents bragged about their kids signing a Sea Org contract as a fulfillment of “whole track purposes” from infancy.
Listening to this always made me slightly sick and even angry.
Even then, as a die hard cultie myself, I’d think, “Well, that’s certainly convenient for you, isn’t it, that whole track purpose of your kid’s? Given that you’re barely scraping by, never keeping a job more than a few months at a time! Especially since you’ve lived in 4 places in the past 5 years!” That’s what I’d be thinking while they fished for compliments about their kid going into the SO.
What I’d actually say to them would go something like this: “Well done on making this go right on all dynamics!”
And they’d beam their agreement,, and then their 16 or 17 year old would be handed over, and gone.
How I wish today I hadn’t been phoney with those parents. How I wish I’d told them what I was really feeling about their pushing their kids into the SO with all that Whole Track Purpose Bullshit.
That instead of obliging them with the praise they sought, I had told them flat out my honest opinion of what they were doing including all the cynicism fueling it:
Let me say it now because its bothering me. I can be good at being phoney but I hate being phoney. I know its stupid and too late and all that but let me say now what I should have said then to these bragging idiot parents::
“You know what? I think you’re full of shit. I think you just want to get rid of your kid in an acceptable way because you’re broke and worried you’ll never get up the bridge yourself. So your solution is to dump your child in the Sea Org so that you don’t have to be a responsible parent anymore. Plus you’re getting the highest praise from everyone for your parental hat-dumping. which is despicable. So, let me tell you what I think. I think what you’re doing SUCKS and that YOU suck!”
Ok, I feel a little better now. Maybe I’ll get another opportunity.
Let’s see, which place shall I visit when I’m in Florida next month, Orlando Org or Disney World? Hmmm, let me think…
Go and check it out the Orlando Idle Morgue MjM! Let us know what you find.
My wife and kids opted for Disney World. Family rules!
Yes it does. Have a great time! My wife and I have been there twice.
What was wrong with it the first time?
Nothing! We just love Disney.
🙂
Oh, hell, OSD! Some trip that would be:
“Mommy, what’s that funny looking thing?”
“That’s called an e-meter, honey. Stay away from it.”
“Mommy, why does that man over there look so sad?”
“He’s called an auditor, honey. He practices a science that isn’t real. You kids keep away from him.”
Way away from them. Don’t ever make eye contact with them. They’ll give you their thousand yard stare and you might burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Do you want to visit reality or Disney World?
I think Disney World would be more real.
I don’t know, I hear Orlando org is pretty Mickey Mouse.
ROTFLMFAO! Nice!
That may be, but at least at Disney World when you’re taken for a ride you can eventually get off.
ROTFLMFA! Now that’s some funny shit!
Yea. Never, never land. The only way to get off is to get out.
It will be interesting to see exactly how big a fail the Orlando opening is. I was surprised to see so few Scientologists in Orlando, because I thought more would have over time moved to Orlando from the Clearwater area as people got different jobs, etc. But my best guess is that there are about 30 Scientologists in the greater Orlando area. That’s down there with Albuquerque, Kansas City, and Detroit, but probably ahead of New Haven and Battle Creek.
Orlando could be the first example of a “quickie” Ideal Org, with a building bought on the cheap and with relatively hurried-up renovations (Kansas City has had their building for over a decade, as have Plymouth in the UK). If they’re buying buildings on the cheap these days, that sure sounds like they’re getting money from Int Management rather than fund raising.
Here’s the post I wrote in February about it: http://www.reasoned.life/2018/02/ideal-org-orlando/ . Note that we have changed the name of the blog from JohnPCapitalist.com since it’s not just my blog anymore — we’re trying to add more authors. We call it “reasoned.life”, because that’s what we’re trying to do: think with reason and logic about major life issues. Scientology will always be the core of what we do since we’ve spent thousands of hours researching it, but we’ll expand to other dangerous groups like the Nxivm cult in New York, and in the distant future, to other things as well.
Expanding your interests is a prudent move IMO. Scientology has shrunk to the point that the trivialities that they do does not make for much reporting. SOB just does not seem to have any spirit left in playing Hubbard’s game. And that is a good thing.
Good job, John P Capitalist. And keep posting here cuz I for one love reading your posts.
” If they’re buying buildings on the cheap these days, that sure sounds like they’re getting money from Int Management rather than fund raising.”
John P.
I think the days of Ideal Orgs being paid for with fund raising from ‘public’ are done. The Valley mORGue should have been done quickly given the ‘largest concentration of $cientologists on earth’ but it drug out over years with a painfully slow $$$ extraction process. In the end I think Bart must have given most of her eternity to git-er-done.
Meanwhile, Dildo Dave has to have a couple new ones each year to parade out for His Maidan Voyeur so watch for smaller, cheaper and emptier versions since He will increasingly be coughing up savings to make them happen.
Org costs will be increasing, new public will be decreasing and the need for ever more Idle mORGues will continue. Maybe Dave is going to make a jump to hyper space and man his mORGues with AI bots complete with emeter checks and Ess Pee declares.
Yo Dave,
We out here on the fringes have the tech to create Ess Pee robots. Let’s see if You can find em good buddy!
Here is an idea how much impact Scientology TV is making right this month in Florida.
Even worse than New Hampshire if that is possible.Flat down and horizontal.
https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%201-m&geo=US-FL&q=scientology%20tv
I looked at this link. What is it? Is this some outside tracking of TV ratings? I’m not “clear” lol….of what I’m looking at. Thanks!
Way to go, xenu’s son! You just revealed the location for the next ideal org!
By launching into more public media spaces, they are opening themselves up to measuring tools they don’t control.
The CultShoppingNetwork app only has 10k, let that sink in, 10k downloads and only 1500 positive reviews.
Straight up growth? Fastest growing religion? Millions of members? ROFL Right…If they were Pinocchio, their nose would put the timber industry out of business. And $CN can’t saw the thing off in private anymore. Public media response is PUBLIC and MEASURABLE.
In contrast the Wikkan spellbook app has 500,000 downloads and 3559 positive reviews. Best estimates are 300k to 800k wikkans in U.S. with approx 1500 self identifying Wikkans listed in U.S. Airforce. There are enough $CN in the armed forces for the VA to NOT list a headstone for them.
https://www.cem.va.gov/hmm/emblems.asp
$CN can’t generate 3% of the interest for its main app that ONE of the apps for a fairly obscure religion with less than a million members has generated.
I saw the stats. Not looking to good for the cult.
Given the following:
1. There is no growth of membership.
2. There has been a plateau in giving, considering that funds from Co$ are being used to finalize the Morgues that locals can’t raise.
3. The Toxic Dwarf (TTD) has set the continued growth of buildings as the measure of the success of $cn and his dictatorship.
There is a finite time left for this to continue.
The artificial illusion of growth is not sustainable.
The questions I have are:
1. How many uncompleted Morgues are left?
2. How many total can be built? (Unannounced or new Morgues to extend the fundraising/construction/ribbon cycle)
3. How many years of this stage of the con do you think TTD can keep going?
4. Will he ride the present course of action to bankruptcy?
5. Or do you think he has another plan of action to create ‘success’ once the Morgue building cycle drains too much cash?
In response to question 5. Chris Shelton discusses this in his Q&A video that he posted yesterday (#156). It’s the second question.
Thanks!
“How many years of this stage of the con do you think TTD can keep going?… Will he ride the present course of action to bankruptcy?”
Bankruptcy seems unlikely given how much money CoS has. I often wonder when DM will cut and run. He’s shown that there is no limit to his willingness to falsify stats, and the minions have shown that there’s no limit to their credulity regarding those fake stats (their accounts about how this ideal org strategy is on the verge of saving the planet defy belief!). But Aftermath is getting a 3rd season, Scientology TV is out there and recognizable as a glorified YouTube channel, and the lawsuits keep coming. I think if Rathbun hadn’t sold his soul, we might have seen an end to it already. But I think we’ve still passed some critical mass of critics & burned former minions that will at some point so diminish DM’s returns and so increase his risk that he’ll take his hoard of loot to some country from which he can’t be extradited. I wonder if he’s even now selecting which unlucky minions he will take with him when he goes. Meanwhile, he seems to enjoy the status that his artificial self has within the bubble.
I wonder what country would take him? I suppose at first glance it would be one that is cash strapped and currently I think the US is nearing the top of the pile measuring total debt (public and private) relative to GDP. But being able to print the reserve currency out of thin air is saving the day.
No such luck for Dave. All He has left is the excess blubber he can carve off His whales and most of the Cult’s public are looking like skeletons these days. But lifer staff like Mike Ellis seem to be doing OK! Wonder how he does it on rice and beans?
He’s a big bean and makes it go rice.
There are times I wonder if the Dwarf might be a true believer. If he rides this path all the way out to the destruction of the available finances, he believes.
Perhaps it is my own wishful thinking, wanting to see him huddled in a bunker somewhere, desperately trying to maintain the vestiges of Hubbards work after everything has fallen apart.
Kyle, to begin with, Scientology appears to be slowly – maybe even not all that slowly – losing members, so they’re building on quicksand. But, even if they’ve declined 40% in the last decade (say, 25,000 down to 15,000) and that rate continues, they’d still have around 5,000 members left when Miscavige would be about 80 years old.
To answer a question of yours, in a Scientology PR piece shown here a while back, they were claiming two “ideal” orgs under construction – Orlando and Detroit – and 14 more to go. They seem to have been completing projects, and having openings, at the rate of about 4 per year in the US, so at the current pace in about 4 years they would be done, and that would also be the case in Europe.
The remaining orgs are the ones that are small and weak, that haven’t been able to complete fundraising on their own and in many cases are stuck with decaying old buildings that they bought to renovate a long time ago. St. Louis has apparently recently given up on the building they had bought and now plans to just renovate their existing building (which is less than half the size of what an “ideal” org is supposed to be), and I think we’re likely to see more of that, including the possibility that the remaining projects will take more than 4 years to complete.
That leaves the question of what Miscavige does next – assuming that things aren’t falling apart completely by then. My guess is that Scientology will make some of the most viable missions (often those with the most outside support to get by on, like Kirstie Alley’s in Wichita) into either “ideal” missions or some new, smaller version of “ideal” org, combined with new projects abroad where they might even find some fresh “raw meat” not aware of Scientology’s reputation, and where costs to build something would be very low.
My guess is that unless some outside force, like government action or lawsuits, or some other unexpected circumstance, causes a drastic change, that things are likely to continue on more or less as they are for the rest of Miscavige’s life. “Ideal” orgs would just dwindle to one or two dozen members – the “ideal” org scheme puts them in a position (at least the ones who didn’t already own their own building) where they don’t have any outside financial obligations except utilities payments, though they would end up having to go “out exchange” with Scientology’s international landlord and be allowed to effectively use the buildings for free.
Scientology orgs and missions have slowly been slipping into being subsidized in various ways, first by staff who accepted essentially going unpaid and instead relying on moonlighting or spouses to pay their actual living expenses, then with members being asked to help with utilities and “emergency” expenses (something that I suspect is more widespread, than has been reported), and finally now with some effective subsidies orchestrated by international management. I’m also suspicious that Miscavige may have bailed out some orgs in dire straits, such as about to lose properties to back taxes, with any such payments likely structured as “loans” that will never actually be repaid (but that can still be counted in his stats as “assets”), and I expect that more and more of that sort of thing is going to go on, perhaps carefully hidden behind the scenes.