There is so much wrong with this that it’s hard to wrap your wits around.
These Ideal Org Whales have become like the privileged aristocracy of years gone by who sat drinking champagne while the peasants were ground underfoot. They believed themselves superior in every way and acted as such. So too the scientology moneyed “aristocracy.”
These buffoons organized a junket to the St Regis Resort and Vanderbilt 5 star hotel in San Juan to bring their “help” to Puerto Rico…
A little salsa dancing lesson. A breakfast cruise. A bunch of toasts. And dressing up like the old aristocracy. Some help.
And they start by trying to bootstrap themselves onto the efforts of Lin Manuel Miranda to bring Hamilton to Puerto Rico to help raise awareness and money to assist those still devastated by Hurricane Maria. It is an ongoing humanitarian disaster. There are STILL areas of Puerto Rico without power and with destroyed, unrepaired infrastructure.
The whales idea of “real help” is to raise money FOR THEMSELVES to buy a gaudy, oversized building that will never be used. Way to go guys.
They sat there for “photo ops” raising their glasses and toasting themselves while outside the doors of their 5 star accommodations, the suffering went on. They did not give a damn. I doubt they even noticed. They were there for a junket – telling themselves they were doing God’s work to help Puerto Rico. In fact, as they proclaimed this trip helped the entirety of the United States, the whole world even…
The gushing statements at the end from some of the participants really cap it all off. They pat themselves on the back for “really caring” about “salvaging our fellow man”, people who are the “best of the best when it comes to getting things done” and that this “event” “moved a tremendous amount of TA for the USA.” I don’t want to keep piling on here, you can read this garbage for yourselves.
These people are SO deluded and SO out of touch with reality. And oh so arrogantly full of bullshit about their own self-importance.
Really sickening.
This is actually what “fiddling while Rome burns” looks like.
Sorry to post this so late. But I just realized why they are all holding cups and waving them in the air.
Didn’t anyone else wonder about that?
The reason is they are all broke and bankrupt after using all their credit to get more and more money for The Scam and now they are begging for more money so they can eat.
Don’t know why I never realized that before.
People in RPF must act in purpose to get out of jail. It’s a pictured freedom trap. 🙁 must go :). Ron Hubbards pen was a gun pointing on the ones he caught in his trap.
Ron Hubbards pen is a gun still in 2019.
Even worse the gun is being aimed and fired by a RonBot.
Rondroids makes all go right. The cause of their cause is millions, billions back in time.
In all seriousness, I would like to ask the following three questions. The reason I’m asking these questions is because I think the answers will reveal some interesting facts about the current state of The Scam. I hope some of you might try to guess the answers or – if not – at least to guess as to the reasons for asking.
1) Why do you think these people continue to “donate” large sums of money to The Scam like they did on this trip to Puerto Rico? They’ve done it in the past and I expect they will do it again in the future. But why?
2) What do you think would be the minimum amount these people were required to “donate”? Would they all be expected to give the same amount or would each be assigned an individual amount based on their expected income and previous histories?
3) They could have taken this “junket” to many different warm and sunny locations in the Western Hemisphere. Why do you think Puerto Rico was chosen as the destination?
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Unfortunately, the timing is such that I expect very few people will get to see this post because by the time it is posted, most everyone will have moved on to the next edition of this blog. So, I will just explain why I’m asking these questions. At least, I will tell you my guesses to the answers and ask if you agree or not.
1) I would guess the reason they continue to donate “whale-sized amounts” is because they have done this in the past and The Scam has labelled them as some kind of stupid heroic title, such like “Hero of the Ages” of some such nonsense. They know that if they ever refuse a request to fork over the cash, they will be stripped of all their stupid titles and for some reason, they seem to attach much weight and they seem to rely heavily on all those titles to give them a sense of self-worth. In other words, the short answer has to do with “brain washing”.
2) I have no real idea as to the answer to any “minimum amount”. If these people have a million dollars The Scam can identify, I would expect they would try to hit these whales for about $100K every time they ask for a “donation”. By the way, I put the word “donation” in quotes because a donation is supposed to be voluntary and I very strongly doubt these cash gifts are truly voluntary.
3) Why Puerto Rico? I would guess the reason is that it makes for an ideal “cover story”. I strongly doubt these people ever stepped outdoors during the 4 or 5 days they spent in the hotel. If they ever did step outdoors, they would be forced to confront the terrible suffering currently endured by the people there and they may well have suffered some verbal abuse at the hands of these people. Everyone knows the money they brought with them has nothing to do with helping the poor raise their standard of living to even a minimum level. So, it really doesn’t matter where they chose to hold this junket. The important factors are:
. It be held in a place that is warm and sunny.
. The location needs to have recently suffered some kind of geographically-based disaster such like and earthquake or flood or hurricane etc.
. The locatiion must be under the control of a govt. that is friendly to The Scam. The govt. could be a democracy or a dictatorshit or anything really. It matters very little. All The Scam really requires is that the local authorities will provide a minimal amount of protection so that the local starving and impoverished citizens will not attack the visitors and steal their shoes or eat them. (eat the people – not the shoes).
Those are the reasons why I believe The Scam chose Puerto Rico. Nothing at all do with the number of orgs currently standing in that location and nothing much to do with anything else. Just so long as the local authorities could be “bought off” with a small bribe and would provide the whales with a minimal amount of protection so they would not be attacked.
Would anyone here care to post their opinions about the reason why The Scam chose this location?
They join the ranks of millions of people who have been scammed by religious and other cons. Keeping it simple, probably too simple, it’s wishful thinking and a fool and his money are soon parted. There are several more elaborate explanations below and it’s part of the ongoing discussion of the The Prison of Belief.
“They join the ranks of millions of people who have been scammed by religious and other cons. Keeping it simple, probably too simple, its wishful thinking and a fool and his money are soon parted.”
True, and I was one of them, as were you, as were many of us.
But AT LEAST we caught on, if not immediately, then eventually. At least, however the circumstances varied, at least we opened our eyes, woke up, realized how we’d been scammed, shed our wishful thinking and got the hell out!
If we could do this, so can they!
Seriously – seriously, now, I’m not being funny – are WE who left, so gifted, so insightful, so superior in intelligence, so extraordinarily courageous and intrepid?
With respect, I don’t think so.
I think, simply put, each of us, for whatever reason, decided to leave, and left. Some sooner, some later. But we left.
We each of us weighed and measured the consequences, made the decision to leave, then figured out HOW, and then DID it.
In all seriousness, I congratulate you Aqua, as well as everyone else who finally caught on and made the decision to quit.
Thanks, Skyler. In fairness and with no false modesty, I’ll tell you that it was MUCH easier for me to leave than the majority of Former Ins. The cult had NO leverage on me. I had no loved ones in there. My income did not in the least depend upon the patronage of of my fellow Scientologists. I didn’t plan it that way or take any precautions. It just was that way. No leverage.
That said, I lost a few “friends” of whom I was fond and to whom I was attached. I thought the feeling was mutual but they cut me dead without a word of explanation.
I learned a good lesson from that, from being dropped without a work of explanation, without them ever coming to me and at least giving me a chance to tell my side.
You know, the way you do when you have a friend? “So and so at the org in an ethics cycle said such and such about you; is that true?” But no.
Whatever the org people told them, they believed. God knows what it was. It doesn’t matter. Its not the org peoples’ fault, liars that they are.
Whatever it was, my “friends” swallowed it hook, line and sinker and dropped me without giving me any opportunity to defend myself.
And that, Skyler, is the “love” and “affinity” you can expect from a Scientology BOT.
It hurt for a while but nothing, nothing even CLOSE to the wrenching pain the people on this blog have experienced whose loved ones – children, spouses, sweethearts did exactly that to them.
But that’s what the love of a Scientology bot is worth. Nothing. So good riddance to them. Good riddance to anyone who behaves that way to a loved one. That’s the attitude they deserve and that’s the attitude they understand because they’re worthless, like their fake love.
The whales and celebrity Useful Idiots of scientology are complicit in the horrific crimes of scientology.
They are aiding and abetting a true sociopath.
Speaking of sociopaths I don’t see Fast Eddie or David Misgavich of the Davey Bunch. Wonder where they hide while all this partying is going on? Not even a sighting of second in command Tom Bruise err Cruize? What a bunch of moronic idiots just to keep this post clean
I often find parallels between DM and Adolph Hitler.
Remember how when things started going bad for Hitler, he would almost never let himself be seen in public? I think the same applies to DM. He is too fearful of appearing in public lest someone shouts out, “Where’s Shelly?” He can’t handle that and so he won’t take any chance of that happening. He does not need to appear in public to maintain the Tax Exempt Status and that is the only connection he has to the real world. I strongly doubt we will ever see him in public again.
Well delineated Mike. It indeed boggles the mind, stupidity that showcases itself in such a manner. Scientologists are fools and believe only in fool’s errands. They all seem to get off on some sort of self indulgent group masturbation of some really weird delusions of grandeur. The fact nothing they do helps anyone is lost on them. All they do is to follow & contribute to the lies that help fill the coffers of the church. That is a reality that would devastate every last one of them if they ever bothered to honesty look at themselves. There is no such thing as an honest Scientologist!
As I read through this post, I seriously thought at first it HAD to be made up. Then I realized that these idiots are completely clueless about history and the American Revolution. The revolution was fought to END idiots like this and this cult- tons of money going into the coffers of someone/something that gives no benefit to the people who work and toil, and only benefits the well off and royal. Collecting large sums of money to fund their own interests. The idiots above are having a fine time while the people of Puerto Rico are suffering….right outside the door of their hotel. Yet all they care about is raising enough money to erect a monument to themselves. They are enacting EXACTLY what this country was founded to stop, and yet they revel in their elitism and piss on the poor. Most revolutions were founded in similar ideals- does “let them eat cake” sound familiar? (even though that is a misquote, it describes so well the overwhelming feeling of a revolution that it endures).
Ultimately, these “beings” are so caught up in their own “status” they have become blind to reality. This is narcissism in its extreme- they remind me of shallow, empty shells who have to posture and preen in order to actually feel important. Miscavige has caught on to one of the secrets of the American materialism of the upper class. The bias of ‘new money’ never really goes away- that’s why you see people driving flashy cars, buying McMansions that cost more than they are worth, the ‘keeping up with the Jones’ that occurs when people have no real purpose or fulfillment. Miscavige has sold them on ‘status’ and ‘image’ and they bought into it hook, line and sinker.
The sad thing is that these things will NEVER make them truly happy- that’s why they have a quiet desperation in all of their pictures, quotes and PR. They’ve latched on to materialism by proxy, trying to buy that stairway to heaven, which cant be bought. its just pathetic and sad.
Kat
I found it highly incredible the lady who reviewed the show used it to point to the critics of The Scam and claim they bolstered her opinion that anyone who criticized The Scam was not paying attention. It just seems to me the opposite is crystal clear. It’s just mind-boggling that anyone would find a way to claim these facts support the opposite POV.
Equal parts: hilarious, delusional, disturbing.
The most powerful beings in this quadrant only drink their champagne if it has been properly “sabered”.
Making the able more able since 1948-1956, and for trillions of years before and after.
Those party photos make it look like they all had a liiiiiittle too much champagne.
This post, event, and joy in recounting the charade make me so very sad. Just overwhelmingly sad. There is so much help needed in the world and this is how these millionaires spend their money.
My sneering contempt for these buffoons and the hideous delusional world they are trapped in is *boundless*.
Interesting these folks who are all “OT something” are so self exalted and full of themselves that they believe they are in some exclusive “Big Being Club” ?? when *the exact opposite* is true. They are all Small Minds trapped in a sick cult that’s draining their assets — and they are the willing duped victims.
Honest to God I cannot believe I am coexisting on the same planet with these scientology bloated FREAKS.
I’ve spent many hundreds of hours, literally, over the last 35+ years reading about Scientology shit — and it never gets old. The level of cult mind fuckery truly beggars belief.
I cannot disagree with anything you’ve said. I truly enjoyed reading your post and must admit to sharing your strong feelings.
I would just like to add something and that would be that even though these people have a great many attributes that we both feel are disgusting, it’s important to keep in mind that many of their attitudes and behaviours have really not been freely chosen by themselves. The brain washing they have endured has a great deal to do with the way they think and behave. I’m just trying to make the point that when it comes to assigning “blame” for the extremely offensive manner in which they behave, a high proportion of that blame has to be placed squarely on the shoulders of the monsters who have developed this scam and who are largely responsible for the damage it does.
Wow.
I still can’t get over how this cult even exists. It’s heartbreaking.
It’s disgusting that these people would think they’re helping the world, when the exact opposite is true.
Thank you Mike & Leah for having the courage of to do this documentary-knowing how rich & evil this organization is.
I think celebrities like Laura Prepon & Elizabeth Moss should be confronted & made to answer questions about this organization that they support. How could they lead others into misery & no one even question how them?
This organization should be illegal. It should be illegal to brainwash others in general. Can’t wait for season 4 in November!
It must be nice to have so much money to spend on a “vacation” to Puerto Rico….to be served champagne & a gourmet meal and ALL you have to do is donate $$$$.
There is no manual labor for the wealthy….they might break a well manicured fingernail or get dirt and grime under their nails. Worse scenario…..a CALLOUS….. Can’t get the designer “work clothes” dirty either….that wouldn’t be appropriate for the wealthy.
Toss a few coins their way (no, not to the poor or needy) but donate it to COS who will spend it as THEY see fit…maybe purchasing another load of that awful Yellow Tee Shirts that say Volunteers?? …& then hand these LOW PAID “missionary volunteers” a rake, a shovel & a few black trash bags while the WEALTHY dine on caviar & champagne & all that other “good stuff”…..all too sad
That makes me think of timeshare sales scams – they may provide a trip and some entertainment, but the real cost comes with the huge amounts they hit you up for.
Having participated in many ideal org fundraising events I know that this is the ultimate addictive endorphin fest. These people with money and very little else pump themselves up while being sucked dry. It’s an addiction, Sad, pathetic and disgusting.
Nailed it, Geoff.
They are Scientology Celeb Wannabees. Every org probably has one or two.. My little org had several. They have money, and they’re nobodies. The cult makes a big deal out them, these Nobodies With Money. The org staff and their fellow parishioners WITHOUT money fawn on them. At these fundraisers, they get lots of applause for “matching” the amounts given by the poor ones or even 5Xing the piddling amounts from the impoverished. Lots of “Whoop whoops”. “Its so exciting! THIS is REALLY EXCITING!”…clap clap clap and more Whoop Whoops. These well-off Cult Nobodies get addicted to the adulation from their tiny group. Within the confines of their own org they are heros. Among at best 50 people, they are bonafide “Celebrities”. Meanwhile, COB relaxes with another scotch and once more marvels, “Is there no end to the stupidity of these people?”
Yep you got that right Aqua. And in the case of Grant Cardone, they are nobodies who think they are Somebody! And he’s got the money to prove it!
I knew a couple who were barely making it and he really needed auditing, was messed up as a case, can’t remember if it was out int or something else, but hadn’t had case clean up for decades and really needed it and it showed. To my surprise at an IAS dinner the couple were called up on the stage and validated for reaching umptyump status in the IAS from their donations to it. I was shocked. I said how did they afford that? My friend said, it isn’t done all at once, and the donations they’ve made for years are all added up to come to that number. Plus if they FSM someone else to give money it counts too. I said, but why are the neglecting their own Bridges to give it all away when they can’t afford to do that? No one had an answer for that. But I think we hit on it here on this blog and article. They do it for the love bombing and the rush they get by being gushed over. The ole “Big Being” speech to them. How sad.
Ah, yes, the “Big Being” speech. They got me a few times with that one, I’m embarrassed to say 🙂 Each time I got the bill, I’d lose the thrill. Eventually the bill blotted out the thrill entirely and they stopped slinging that one at me and switched to the ever-dependable ever fruitful guilt trip.
Yes you got their number down. They did Big Being on me a lot and it worked, and then it stopped working when I heard them do the same close on another guy. I saw him later and said, “So you got the Big Being speech, huh?” He looked uncomfortable and embarrassed that he’d fallen for it. I felt the same way.
That’s so sad to me! All that time and money when they could be out, give of their time and much less money from their hearts and have people accept & appreciate them, be lauded for TRUE good works to help others while not being stretched to the max!
Yes, therein lies the real tragedy; the waste of resources that help no one.
Money, time, effort that could have provided real help to those in need.
Not to get all 70s on you but wow is that ever bad karma
Never forget the taxman cometh, or, for Scientology, he is forced to take a detour and head for greener pastures.
These whales have enough money to have their accountant(s) carefully plan the tax advantages of giving to Scientology. All US taxpayers are adding a bit into the coffers of Scientology. What may look like a big donation is simply a hocus-pocus switching of numbers that have little or no effect on the massive wealth of a whale. In some cases they might be better off for donating, at least in terms of tax burden.
It is a shameful crime that needs to be addressed. We need a Teddy Roosevelt at the head of the IRS, willing to whip this non-church back onto the for-profit-business tax rolls where it belongs.
So a 5 star dinner on a yacht in a country where some have no electronic and the govt can’t afford to fix that yet? Yeah that’s a good impression. They do this for themselves not for PR. Plus it’s all about money! Cummins and the other dude get a commission so they’re happy. Ironic?
They really DO believe they are the superior beings – “the best of the best.”
AND YET! Their religion that validates their superiority is failing most of those it pretended/pretends to help. These people have no idea nor do they want to know about not only the real suffering going on around them but also the suffering caused by their own church.
To add to their delusion is the fact that their own church is burning (so to speak) and they are playing the fiddle.
Exactly, the uber whales actually make money on this and all the while even a portion of that money could literally save lives all around them!
I’m puertorrican living in the island. Before, during and after Hurricane Maria we never knew there were “volunteers” from CoS “helping” the ones in need.
” They pat themselves on the back for “really caring” about “salvaging our fellow man””
Despite all the evidence to the contrary and how the $cientology fantasy obviously treats people in general – which is despicable to say the least. People don’t matter to the cult at ALL and never have especially once they’ve been mined for all their worth to enrich Miscavige’s coffers. Altruism is not a practiced $cientology concept, it’s an anathema and a false talking tool.
Whales suffer from vain attention deprivation which the cult is all too happy to provide – for a price.
Most of $cientology’s true traits are those shared by a conniving and treacherous evil incarnate supernatural figure – Satan. $cientology wants your mind and soul too. That way lies madness.
Spot on! They truly are an oxymoron in all ways… opposite of science, opposite of church, their “outreach” is anything but… basically one can safely assume that anything they promote a specific way is truly the opposite behind the scenes either by design or motive.
Plus, the orgs represented are the small and failing ones left with projects undone, and long-derelict buildings – like Boston, Philadelphia, and Long Island (which has never even been able to get a building). The fact that those orgs are shrinking and struggling, and unable to fundraise enough on their own – in spite of the fact that they’re in some of the country’s largest metropolitan areas – says a lot about that actual, faltering state of Scientology.
It is interesting to see that Scientology has developed this strange, well-honed fundraising mechanism for their “whales,” which looks more like some sort of private club for the affluent. But that may eventually come back to bite them, as one of the things the the IRS can consider, is whether their operations are really those of a “church,” or indeed more like those of a private club.
By the time they get to “all ideal” in the US, if they ever even do before Scientology declines to the point that fundraising stalls, their overall situation will have deteriorated to about the point where they’ll be facing the problem of how to even keep all the massive, empty facilities staffed and open at all. It’s hard to imagine what the end game is going to look like, given their dogged refusal to face reality, and that they do actually still have a lot of money left.
If the buildings were correctly repaired before they opened, which should have been done with all the money spent, they’ll last for years. A small crew of underpaid staff could do the daily maintenance. Public buildings wear out from constant use which wouldn’t be the case.
Set the thermostat 50 degrees fahrenheit to keep the pipes from freezing. The ten staff members could use space heaters and bundle up. Visitors to the morg seeing staff members wearing ski caps might find that questionable. “We’re being energy conscious and helping prevent global warming.” might be a suitable response.
They compare the founding fathers founding AMERICA to themselves building an empty building?
The delusion is STRONG with this group!
Right? It’s beyond ridiculous. But they don’t see how incredibly asinine that comparison is. And if any of them do, they’d never admit it.
When my work schedule allows, I volunteer at a few homeless shelters in Los Angeles. If I were a $cientologist, they’d claim that my efforts have helped to end homelessness — not just in L.A., but throughout the entire country! LOL
Or you’d be pulled into ethics for wasting your time/energy/money that could go to the CO$ by rewarding a downstat!
How can anyone these days believe in L Con. He didn’t know the first thing about “The Way To Happiness”. Did he every do anything to help anyone? The apparent only close friend he ever had was Mary Sue who he abandoned. Did he every hold a job? His military record showed him to be a Buffoon. He was a heavy smoker and drinker who took pain medication when needed. He certainly suffered from depression, paranoia and died alone when after suffering a stroke was left alone by his doctor, COB and others so they could go gambling. What great regard they had for him…..NOT. His entire life was a mountain of lies.
It seems to really break down the control they hold, once people start to question and begin looking online. Many exes have cited reading about the end of LRH’s life as a motivator to step out.
Once people see how this “church” treated their own mighty founder towards the end of his life, it seems to make them more aware of how they’ve been treated personally for years.
It’s been awhile since I got physically sick while reading about scientology. This took me 3 tries to get through it because it’s so disgusting! Enough said!
The first time I read this edition of the blog, I was puzzled to see references to “Hamilton” and I am embarrassed to admit I had no idea what that meant. So I started to search through the net in an effort to learn something.
I’m honestly worried that if I post some of the things I learned and some of the links I found that many people here will laugh at me and wonder how anyone can be such an ignoramus to never have heard about this play which is apparently very well known.
But just in case I’m not the only one who had never heard of Hamilton before, I will post a little info here about it for the benefit of anyone who would be interested to know a little about it. It turns out that “Hamilton” refers to an off-Broadway play (looks like maybe it’s a musical and a comedy as well) that is about Alexander Hamilton and the American Revolutionary War. I got the idea it was largely a comedy. But the thing that people discussed about it – the reason it is a comedy – truly escapes me.
Someone discussed the fact the cast was not all Caucasian and they thought that made it very entertaining. It may be that many of the cast members were non-Caucasian and the play featured modern kinds of song and dance (like hip hop music). I must admit that I’m baffled and I don’t mean that as a kind of insult. I probably just don’t understand the modern references. But then I found a link to one page that seems to be produced by a Scamology organization in which someone who appears to be still-in and is really enthusiastic about that, takes up the fight against people who know about Scamology only from bad places. (you’ll have to come to your own opinions about that). They seem to have a problem with anyone who criticizes The Scam. Anyway, here is a link to the Wikipedia entry describing “Hamilton” and another link to that Scamology web page where you can read about how this person describes themselves as a freedom fighter for disagreeing with people who find any fault in The Scam.
I may have misunderstood much of this. If anyone wants to clarify things and maybe explain things to me, I would certainly appreciate that.
Wikipedia entry – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_(musical)
Warning – the following link points to an opinion written by a member of a Scamology organization. Read it at your own peril. You may wind up busting a gut. This person explains her opinion why people who oppose Scamology are like those people who oppose freedom and democracy (that is just my interpretation and may be all wrong). Some of you will likely find the following site something to laff at. I have to admit that I failed to understand hardly anything found at this link:
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/scientologybeliefs/2017/11/seeing-hamilton-just-wont-shut
I saw the play.
1. It’s not off-Broadway. It’s still playing ON Broadway, toured the country and won a Tony.
2. Lin Manuel Miranda is a national treasure. His efforts to help Puerto Rico are truly amazing.
3. The play itself revolves around Alexander Hamilton and the American Revolution. The themes include how liberty is constructed, how hard it is to truly free oneself from bondage, how much you will sacrifice to your cause.
4. The cast is multicultural because one of his biggest messages is that the US is a nation of immigrants, most of whom came here without their consent.
5. Yep, it’s the hippity-hoppity bippity-boppity. It’s a pretty great hip-hop musical, but it also uses other genres to contrast. King George III is given a very Beatles-esque number, and Jefferson is old-school soul. Hip-hop is used as a signal for youth and energy.
6. It’s also pretty feminist. The most formidable intellects in the play are Hamilton and his sister-in-law, Angela Schuyler.
7. It’s the LEAST Scientologist play ever. It’s about what freedom means to different people. It’s about knowing yourself, not how L. Ron Hubbard wants to indoctrinate you into his ideologies. It’s about love, loss and deep feelings, everything Scamintology wants you to avoid.
Don’t just use those links above. Watch some of it for yourself! https://youtu.be/yvBYOBTkDRk
And yes, I’m a huge Hamilton-head. 🙂
Since I know almost nothing about this play, I’d wager you are correct in what you say. It appears to have started off OFF-Broadway and then went ON-Broadway. I just want to show you why I said that it appeared to be OFF-Broadway and I’m sorry I got that wrong. I wasn’t trying to deceive anyone and make it look like something less than what it is.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_(musical)
In the above link, I found the following under the section, “Opening and box office records”
Hamilton’s off-Broadway engagement at The Public Theater was sold out,[6] and when the musical opened on Broadway, it had a multimillion-dollar advance in ticket sales, reportedly taking in $30 million before its official opening.[99]
By September 2015, the show was sold out for most of its Broadway engagement.[100][101][102][103] It was the second-highest-grossing show on Broadway for the Labor Day week ending September 6, 2015 (behind only The Lion King).[7]
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I must admit it appears I got that wrong. I just want you to know that I did have some evidence it was OFF-Broadway – even though I got that wrong.
P.S. Thank you for providing me with that Youtube link.
lwieland appears to be working on their Steps A thru E. Someone had to really kiss some STAND (actually STAAD) Tuchas.
False equivalency that permeates the tome and I think they just wanted to horn in on the Hamilton bandwagon. Note all of the pro$cieno stories or blogs on that page. I smell a 5 day old clam.
I wonder how the real Porto Ricans viewed the $cieno whales and their 5 star feast? I doubt that they thought well of them.
Delusional ppl! How is it Bethany frankel with her b strong accomplished more in Puerto Rico than these ppl and didn’t look for photo ops! U would think as big as scientology claims to be monies they have/take from members all the help they do and supposedly promote that there would b more out there showing their accomplishments there. What a crock! Mike miss u and Leah thanks for all the good ur trying to do.
Today’s Challenge….. How many times can you find evidence of Photo Editing in the group photo? This is one of their worst attempts….. They need Denice’s seminar OMG.
I hope she covers cut and paste
Good catch – I see some strange signs, though it’s hard to tell for certain. I’ve had a look at a lot of these photos, and sometimes there are seeming anomalies that turn out to be just oddities of the photographic process.
Are there larger versions of the group photos available, to scrutinize more closely?
I read Tracie Newman’s “success story” at the very bottom. Of note was this statement by her: “When it came time for the fundraising event I found myself completely ‘in session’ on the process and man was there TA made on me.” … “The process was run in on me and the Tone Arm went way up…way up!!”
(For those never in Scientology, the term “Tone Arm” or “TA” for short refers to a part of the emeter device —used in Scientology counseling—that registers mental mass according to Hubbard. When this tone arm dial has a higher reading, it is said that the process the auditor is using during the counseling session is having its effect, with the desired outcome of having the person get through the mental difficulties of doing the process accompanied by a sudden lowering of the Tone arm reading and the mental “swish” of feeling a sudden relief for the person being audited.)
Typically, if you’re on the receiving end of an auditing session, and your TA is up (“way up!!”) you are not in a good frame of mind. One feels very uncomfortable, upset, resentful, disagreeable, a doom and gloom sense. Yeah, all that kind of stuff.
But Scientologist are trained to tough it out when receiving an auditing session (which itself costs quite a bit of money) in anticipation of that golden moment when one has a sudden realization of the “true” reason for all those heavy negative thoughts and sensations, and the TA comes down rapidly, and the person feels a wonderful state of euphoria that typically lasts for a few moments to a few days, and—sometimes—even much longer.
Tracie’s success story illustrates what Scientology has come to at this point. It also illustrates why Scientology as a subject and practice has long ago crossed the event horizon and is rapidly disappearing.
Scientology under current authoritarian leader David Miscavige has successfully created in the minds of Scientologists such as Tracie, a false equivalence between a highly personalized one-on-one private counseling session with an auditor, to the experience of sitting in a large room often for hours and hours, with the exits barred by large men, while the group works itself into a frenzy as each person is squeezed to fork over larger and larger chunks of cash, checks, credit card charges, bonds, stocks, 401 K accounts and children’s college savings accounts, ad nauseum.
The common sense (but rarely voiced while in the event) response to such a pitch is, rightfully, “Oh, no fucking way I’m signing over my IRA to you!! It feels uncomfortable that you’re even asking. I’m resenting that you are feeling entitled to even ask such an outrageous question!l” Or some version of that.
The TA goes up…way up!!
Eventually, as Tracie watches person after person give in and thrown in another 10,000.00, 50,000.00, on up, she has her sudden realization that she “needs to take more responsibility” for personally remedying the sorry state of the world in whatever form that had been presented to her earlier in the evening by the wonderful folks running the fundraising event.
She gives in, her common-sense “wtf” response having been rasped away by the relentlessly cynical manipulation she just endured, and she writes the check for half of her 95 year-old mother’s Trust account for which Tracie is the Trustee. (You think I’m exaggerating? Ha! You have no idea!)
So now Tracie has moved from an adversarial stance (“I shouldn’t do this!”) to an ally stance (“Look what I just did everyone!!”) and she is enthusiastically so lauded.
As the evening wears on, and more and more people move from the adversarial side of the room to the allied side of the room, it becomes harder and harder for the remaining Tracies to resist.
It is the most cynical hack imaginable of a human being’s normal desire to be a member of and in good graces with their tribe.
And Tracie has equated the giving in to the pitch (and rejection of her own better judgement and the sudden accompanying relief of gleefully no longer having the pressures of her reluctance bearing down on her) to the TA coming down in an auditing session.
And sure as the sun will rise, her exalted euphoria will vanish when she sees next month’s bank statement.
This scenario described above is one of the key reasons Scientology is disappearing. They are doing it to themselves.
The focus on how much money they can take in each week by Thursday at 2:00 has caused the emphasis to be on larger, more profitable group-crush fundraising over the quiet, one-on-one auditing session.
Scientology will keep asking until there is no more you have left to give, then you will be discarded and the next rube that can cough up more money by Thursday will become the focus.
Or…as usually happens, most people eventually manage to find their way past the barred exits, their “TAs high…way high!!” and never go to such an event again.
But this is what Scientology has become and what “fully participating” has come to mean. The idea of being “in session” with an auditor, in a personal counseling session has, in the minds of the remaining Tracies, been supplanted to mean coughing up more than you should at a fundraiser.
Scientology has been systematically slaughtering the geese that had been laying the golden eggs for all those years. And they know that they’re doing it, Miscavage knows that he’s doing it, because he’s got nothing left to offer. Hubbard is dead, the tech can’t be changed as the times have changed, so grab all the gusto (read: money) that you can!
If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I hope this helped some never-ins to understand a bit better
You’re right Mike, hard to wrap your wits around this insanity! “The show Hamilton really jived with what we are going through as Freedom Fighters building the Org”. Huh??? Oh the whole damn thing makes no sense. Thanks John Doe for your explanation of Tracey’s blurby gobbledegook. They are all wrapped up in the mest universe – like pigs in a blanket.
I think Blinky Eyes Monique sent down some Poison Ling-Ling to fill those commemorative tankards.
Gawd, now I need a shot, and a beer, and a pack of Kools..
Hey Kristin. You shore do have a way with words. I liked your post a whole lot. I quit smoking quite some time ago. But I’d always be happy to help you out with a shot and a beer.
I really appreciate you taking the time to explain this! Thank you.
Likewise Mr. Doe.
I read your entire post twice, John Doe.
You’re dead accurate on each detail.
At the end you state that Miscavige KNOWS that he’s “slaughtering the geese” who’ve been “laying the golden eggs”…”because he’s got nothing left to offer, Hubbard is dead, the tech can’t be changed as the times have changed, so grab all the gusto (read: money) that you can!”
I have long believed this.
He’s long known that the show is over so all he’s doing is milking what money he can from whomever he can, whenever and however he can.
And if someone disagrees and doesn’t like it and stops giving, well, let that person go, and good riddance!
That person’s contribution will mean nothing.
Not gonna give anymore?
So long! Off with you!
Miscavige has nothing to lose by ridding himself of someone, anyone, this way.
Because well he knows that he’s going to lose that person anyway!
He’s going to lose everyone anyway. Its only a matter of time.
Fundraising for Fake Help IAS and the Incredibly Shrinking Ideal M’Orgs is just a profitable and painless way to pass time before the inevitable failed end is crystal clear to EVERYONE.
What Miscavige and his attorneys know that the Still INs don’t is that the game is already over and has been for at least a decade.
Great post, John Doe.
Great post, John Doe and Aquamarine. “…Miscavige KNOWS that he’s “slaughtering the geese” who’ve been “laying the golden eggs”…”because he’s got nothing left to offer, Hubbard is dead, the tech can’t be changed as the times have changed, so grab all the gusto (read: money) that you can!” I would like to add to that that Miscavige knows he’s got nothing left to offer the still in masses: the tech can’t be changed or updated, there is no OT IX to roll out, and the parishoners are leaving in droves.
The end game is already over and has been for at least a decade, And Misavige has billions to escape with and live on to the end of his life. But who to bequeath it to when he dies? He has no real friends or family now that he has banished all of them. He’ll amass more money than he can spend and you can’t take it with you. In the end he’ll die alone and in misery with no one around for comfort. And karma may kick in in his afterlife; let’s hope so.
Thank you, John Doe. This comment was a great read for me, peeling another layer off that onion.
The way you explained the euphoria–all of it.
Thanks again for such an insightful comment.
This is True!
Another part of auditing was called a “line charge”. This is an uncontrollable period of laughing or crying after which the person feels great relief. A lot of people probably “line charged” after they split, hopefully with some relief.
Richard, that’s actually catharsis – which Hubbard stole from early psychiatrists!
“In psychology, the term was first employed by Sigmund Freud’s colleague Josef Breuer (1842–1925), who developed a cathartic method of treatment using hypnosis for persons suffering from intensive hysteria. While under hypnosis, Breuer’s patients were able to recall traumatic experiences, and through the process of expressing the original emotions that had been repressed and forgotten, they were relieved of their hysteric symptoms. ”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharsis#Therapeutic_uses
Hubbard, however, failed to take into account the lesson that Breuer, Freud and others eventually learned that though catharsis produced those sometimes impressive effects, which often left people feeling superficially better, it turned out that in the long term it was ineffective at producing significant, lasting change in most cases – leading to Scientology now failing, as members finally figure it out for themselves over time:
“At first, Freud was an enthusiastic proponent of hypnotherapy. He “initially hypnotised patients and pressed on their foreheads to help them concentrate while attempting to recover (supposedly) repressed memories”, and he soon began to emphasise hypnotic regression and abreaction (catharsis) as therapeutic methods. He wrote a favorable encyclopedia article on hypnotism, translated one of Bernheim’s works into German, and published an influential series of case studies with his colleague Joseph Breuer entitled Studies on Hysteria (1895). This became the founding text of the subsequent tradition known as “hypno-analysis” or “regression hypnotherapy”.
However, Freud gradually abandoned hypnotism in favour of psychoanalysis, emphasizing free association and interpretation of the unconscious.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnosis#Sigmund_Freud
PM – Okay but I was looking at it as an occasional occurrence in auditing, not something that was sought after.
People who were never in a cult look at the overall picture of Scn and understandably question, “How can they be so foolish, gullible . . . etc.”. Using the Scn definition, a person who “line charged” in a session usually had discovered and resolved a life issue, sometimes major, which could cement them in the idea that that Scn was the right path for them.
I don’t know Mike… they all look SO happy….I think I may go back…..
Oh, I’m definitely going back! I mean, look at those happy campers! Hey, Andy! Are you with me?
I’m there too. Can’t wait for the amnesia to become permanent.
That’s my life’s dream. Permanent Amnesia.
All Ideal Fools of the USA
The one who is happy about this charade is miscabage, all this means more money for him and another building for his real estate’s business.
The motivation from the 15% is very strong. As an FSM, I earned money doing very, very little. Once the lower level people come on board, they search for a comfortable FSM who just feeds the BS. These FSM’s are really not that dedicated. They simply discover early on that it is a hell of a good way to make money.
Witness Kathy Fechbach who rock slammed all over my meter. She wanted to keep up with her rich husband. IRS should audit these people every year.
George, great point about how the FSM commissions drive things. There should not be any commissions permitted in relation to “religious” non-profit activity, and prohibiting that abuse is one of the sensible things that would knock a leg out from underneath Scientology’s scams.
The paying of FSM commissions for getting people to buy courses or auditing makes Scn a business. The IRS could start their investigation with that first.
Cyndi, unfortunately there’s a precedent in that commissions are allowed in non-profit fundraising – leading to many scams. You might think that “religious” groups would be held to stricter standards, but if anything the political trend at moment is to give them virtually free reign, without accountability.
PeaceMaker, if you were to actually study the US Const you would KNOW that congress CANNOT make laws regarding that for religions.
Wynski, that’s arguable.
Government can make laws and regulations affecting religions, or else they could literally get away with murder.
And Government can determine what constitutes a religion, or else every group, organization, and corporation could claim the status and it would become meaningless.
One of the well-established principles of the IRS’ designation of religious groups for purposes of tax exemption, is the prohibition of inurement and undue benefit. I don’t necessarily see why that, or other principles, couldn’t be used to forbid commissions on religious donations.
Peace Maker, thank you for more information about donations and commissions on said. And you shed some light on the Constitution and laws they can and can’t pass too. I like that you can add to or correct someone’s post without making an ad hom attack on the poster, unlike some here. So your name, Peace Maker, is truly apt. Thanks.
NO! Laws against murder are NOT laws governing religion. OMG, that was hilarious though. Just study the document and SCotUS case law.
But, DO continue with the stand up material.
Wynski, then where do you draw the line?
There’s ritual sacrifice in various religions and traditions, and, of course, infamously, blood atonement in Mormonism. Clearly, government can outlaw and punish killing of any type, even if the victims are willing – unless you think that’s indeed unconstitutional overreach. That may be the extreme example, though the next step down from it is the more relevant issue of religious groups effectively imposing indentured servitude or even slavery on members, as in Scientology’s Sea Org, and whether that should be prohibited – but that’s an issue for another time.
Back to more mundane matters, given that government has some power to regulate the activities of religious groups, unless you take a bizarrely strict constitutionalist stance, why can’t the role of legislators or the IRS extend to prohibiting fundraising commissions within tax-exempt religious groups, particularly as an extension of the established principle of prohibited inurement?
Can you cite a SCOTUS case relevant to your position?
INCORRECT Cindy. Even The American Red Cross pays commissions to people based on donations brought in. Where did you get that disinformation from?
George… Do you believe the meter works? Do you believe that rock slams are a real needle motion that indicate hidden evil purps?
In stripping away the cult mind conditioning, I constantly uncover concepts that I am unknowingly still holding as valid in some way. It can be disheartening to me when I find that I don’t shake off the “gut feeling of belief” even after I’ve isolated it, recognized it, and have rejected it on a mental level.
I deal with it (so far) by forgiving myself, putting it mentally in a quarantined jail, headed for execution whenever possible in future.
“Welp, that fucker’s in pretty deep, guess I’ll have to just keep working at it”.
……
(and I’m a fan of yours, happy you’re out and helping by posting)
I don’t know much about him but is that Tom Cummins clown sane ?
Super CREEPY that Tom Cummins! He looks like The Joker, psycho sociipath. Ewww..
It recently dawned on me how many scientologists have that weird, creepy look, much like Dead Elron.
And to think I probably used to look like that myself! So glad I’m out.
That Cummins guy does look weird and creepy. That very wide, false grin. Its not a genuine smile. It doesn’t reach his eyes, which are blank and cold. Creepy, yes. I thought I was the only one who thought this!
“in session on the process”…….of….fundraising?
I’m so grateful to be free of this group.
“The entertainment was nothing short of the aesthetics band”. ‘Scuse me?
Glad it wasn’t just me who thought that very same thing.
Sooo sickening, they wallow in luxury all the while plotting how they can con people, who are barely hanging on, out of every last penny. It is a slap in the face of the Puerto Rican community. What did they do to help? NOTHING!!! So angry!!!!
“We’re here to make the able more able”, and other such expressions. If those people out there are still suffering, then clearly they are not very able, and there’s nothing Scn can do for them. No case gain. They pulled it in. Obviously, they have O/W’s … I can only begin to imagine the justifications they’ll come up with if confronted with the dichotomy described above.
Hey Mike, what a shame you couldn’t post any videos of Tiny Tony performing on stage in those “entertainment extravaganzas”. I have a feeling they would have provided a whole lot of laughs.
But what about Tiny Davie? Why wasn’t he shown? If those whales are going to engage in fundraising activities, don’t they want to see where their funds are going?
I started to read some of their quotes until my breakfast burrito started coming back up. How can these people be so out of touch and actually believe the bullshit they spew?
Here is one of the reasons-as the Baxters in one of the pics once said they would rather be big fish in a small pond than a minnow in the world.
@Badafuco,
Because it is the price they pay the cult for being made to feel loved, admired, treasured, respected and important.
The key phrase here? “Made to feel”
Because the cult and its bots don’t love, admire , treasure or respect them.
CO$ doesn’t love, admire, treasure or respect ANYBODY.
Its like this:
In the Church of Scientology, you are either USEFUL, or you’re not.
That’s the simplicity of it.
Are you useful?
If you are, OK, we’ll “flow” you love.
For whatever reason, if/when the usefulness stops – be it the giving of money, or being staff in an org or in the Sea Org – once this usefulness stops, YOU ARE NOTHING.
Of NO value as a being. You’re not contributing the way you’re expected to contribute? You have questions, disagreements? You want to have SOME say over your own life choices?
Well, OK. say Sayonara to the “love, loyalty, respect and admiration you were getting. All of this will vanish!
Those spigots pouring those emotions out will get shut off FAST.
The cult and its bots will turn their backs on you without a qualm.
Do they hate you? No, not particularly. They may like you. But they’ll turn their backs on you and make you a non person from that point on.
There is no love from these people, once you are NO LONGER USEFUL.
You don’t exist anymore. You’re a non-person. You can live or die and it won’t matter. You’re no longer useful. THAT is what matters. And its ALL that matters. Simple, really.
So these people keep giving and giving and giving (their money, effort, time, etc.) because underneath they KNOW that the love and approval of the group will INSTANTLY cease if their giving ceases.
PS: And these people are SO desperate for love and approval that they’ll accept this fake love and fake approval and fake respect and admiration from their group. Possibly they never experienced REAL love and authentic admiration from anybody. Possibly no one ever respected them just for being who they are, so what they get from the cult looks real and is precious to them.
Ideal Fools.
Words fail me as I try to explain the depth of embarrassment that flows through my veins as I try to come to grips with the childish insanity that these people display. Here in Aus. we call them, ” oxygen thieves”.
Great comment! ☺
Yes, indeed!
By the way, I never realized you were from Austria. So nice to have a wide variety of opinions on this blog.