Tony Ortega provided a pretty good summary of what happened at Sunday’s Harlem org ribbon yanking at his blog.
My thoughts focus on what was NOT there.
Nobody Important Showed Up
The B team speakers were notable for being nobodies. Back in the day, Charlie Rangel and other prominent people spoke at the NY Org ideal ribbon yanking. Why wasn’t Charlie Rangel at the Harlem church? It would have been more appropriate for him as a champion of the African American community of NY. The people they DID manage to persuade to speak were unknows with the exception of a NY State Assemblyman who sounded like he had been injected with sherman DNA (no doubt his speech was written for him by the sherminator): “I am particularly grateful that of all the places across New York City and the world you chose this community. And we have some fertile ground here. When Harlem moves, the whole world shakes…”
Shelly Miscavige Is Still Missing
This greatest accomplishment in the scientology world – as with everything else over the last 5 years — went down without Dear Leader’s wife and assistant.
At least he pretends she is still his wife, never appearing without a wedding ring on his finger.
Why isn’t she present when the ever present Lou never leaves his side? Don’t dare ask. That is an excommunicable offense in the Kingdom of Miscavige.
No International Executives of scientology
Though these ribbon yankings are, according to the PR of the church, the most important and epic milestones in scientology, there is never a single “international executive” present. No Executive Director International. No President CSI. No Senior C/S International. Nobody. Nada. What, they don’t care? It’s not important enough for them to show up but people from all over North America are expected to attend to demonstrate their support?
The “Int Execs” are well and truly disappeared and fade ever further into the rewritten history of the Miscavige Golden Era of showers.
No celebrities
Unless you count Chili B or Dougie Fresh. Errm not really. Chili is just a full time FSM for the IAS. Dougie hasn’t been heard from for a decade.
There aren’t any other African American or Latino celebrities. So no go there. But that shouldn’t have barred the big shots from attending, it didnt stop everyone else from showing up.
Open to the Public? Not.
While they proclaim they are wide open to the public and “everyone is welcome” – their definition of everyone is “those we find acceptable.”
They talk a big game about human rights and dignity for all, they crow about how they stand up for freedom of speech and religious tolerance. But if you are not one of them, or worse, they suspect you are not in agreement with them, you are persona non grata big time. And they don’t open their doors to the media, or even allow them to attend a ribbon yanking ceremony — they are all liars and cheats.
Wonder how many people one would find in their Community Center and Org if you dropped by today or tomorrow — now that the video circus has left town? A few staff members who have been imported from other cities and that is about it.
No humility
Don’t really expect much (or any) of this from a sociopath. But even for him his arrogant pronouncements have degenerated into parody.
“There is nowhere else like Harlem,” said David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center, and ecclesiastical leader of the Church. “Your renaissance poets, your playwrights, your painters, your authors and musicians—even a mere recitation of the names is humbling: Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, Claude McKay and Louis Armstrong. What else need one say except: ‘Excise Harlem from American history and everything turns lukewarm.’”
What a strange thought… Excising Harlem from American history would not occur to any normal person.
“We are here to celebrate the heartbeat of Harlem, which is also the heartbeat of humanity,” said Mr. Miscavige in his inauguration address. “And all you have to do is press your ear to the ground, and hear it reverberating, over and over: Harlem. Harlem. Harlem. Whereupon, should anyone ask ‘what just happened?’ You can truthfully say: Harlem has been reborn.”
Even stranger. Is he trying to take credit for something here? The “heartbeat of humanity” is a little much even for you Dave. You really do sound like a carpetbagger.
Not much truth
More drivel:
Stemming from Mr. Miscavige’s leadership, the Church of Scientology has opened the doors to more than 50 Ideal Churches—from Los Angeles to Tampa, London to Milan, Johannesburg to Tokyo and Budapest to Kaohsiung. Over the past decade, those openings have driven worldwide expansion for the religion to a rate surpassing the previous 50 years combined.
In their desperation to make Miscavige look good, they continue to ply the bold lie that worldwide expansion “for the religion” has happened at a “rate” surpassing the previous 50 years combined.
When you tell a lie like this, you apparently just keep doubling down on it and eventually people believe you. This seems to be the same strategy every sociopath employs. Make grandiose, unprovable statements about your accomplishments, usually in vague terms, and just keep repeating them no matter how much they are disproven. Eventually your loyal followers will start repeating them as “truth” and convince themselves that anyone pointing out the lies is just trying to “tear down this great man” and is an enemy of the church/state/country/freedom of thought/Constitution/Man’s freedom or whatever.
Missing Ethnicities
Every shot of the crowds in attendance shows they were imported from all over the country. Overwhelmingly caucasian, wide angle lenses and photoshop couldn’t do the trick. So, instead, in each photo they put an insert of head shots of one or two African Americans to try and create the image there were actually local public of the org in attendance. After all, if you are trying to sell the fact that you had to open this new org because of the incredible demand for scientology in this community – you have to have some people there that look like they might be demanding that service. There weren’t any, so they used head shots, one after the other. It’s all smoke and mirrors in the world of scientology.
Just look at these shots (and it’s not all of them) you will find on the scientology website – this crowd is the White Sea:
Not a word of Dave’s Little Shindig in the Amsterdam News. So much for creating an effect.
I wonder if they dragged Pat Harney up from Flog to attend this shitshow. She’s normally the go-to African-American in EUS. Or maybe they thought they didn’t need her since Chili Beans was going to show up. Oh, will she never realize that she’s nothing more than a token?
Speaking of Cab Calloway –
Folks, here’s a story ’bout Davey the Moocher
An unrepentant staff abuser
Golden showers, cash from whales
Li’l Davey has a heart as big as a snail
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi (hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi)
Whoa-a-a-a-ah (whoa-a-a-a-ah)
Hee-dee-hee-dee-hee-dee-hee (hee-dee-hee-dee-hee-dee-hee)
He-e-e-e-e-e-e-y (he-e-e-e-e-e-e-y)
That looks an awful lot like bassist Stanley Clarke in the top picture. (Small pic on top left – Clarke is the one not wearing sunglasses.
That’d be a long shift for Stanley, I guess, since for years he went cool on Scientology. You’d think maybe Chick would show up too.
If that is Stanley, I wonder who his “MAA” is and on which org lines he is, these days.
I’d think Stanley wouldn’t self-censor himself from reading say, “Going Clear…” by Lawrence Wright, all the way to the final pages.
I sure wish a thoughtful actual celebrity Scientologist would take on publicly the material in Wright’s book, sensibly.
It’s disillusioning to think that people like Chick and Stanley would self-censor themselves from reading and publicly thoughtfully discussing Lawrence Wright’s book or Janet Reitman’s book.
Scientology is one of the deepest cons I know. It’s really mind boggling the hold that Hubbard has instilled in others. Granted, it’s a skill though a sick one. The whole charade will one day topple over as it truly is a house of cards.
“….The whole charade will one day topple over as it truly is a house of cards…..”
Their MEST is improving, their uniforms just got a spruce up in LA.
This deflation of the movement is odd.
Lower membership.
But spiffier buildings and uniforms.
I don’t see a sinking of the Titanic moment where the whole thing slips under the surface and sinks.
Too much Hubbard autopilot rules holding it up unseen keeping them paying their bills and keeping up their appearances, even as deflating as they are.
Slow deflation.
Like a pinhole leak in a tire.
Stanley was out for years, and “den dey pulled him back in.” He’s played at the CC Gala recently and he’s all gung-ho again, apparently. Which really sucks.
Why Harlem? We all know the CoS is hideously expensive and according to available demographic information* Harlem is well below the Manhattan household income average ($132,754 vs $55,037 for Harlem and $48,984 for East Harlem). Do they seriously think the masses in Harlem will fill the org, pining for services? I agree with previous posters that the Harlem Org is nothing more than a real estate investment.
*for more on this go to point2home’s website.
Scott, in the 1st world no one (relatively speaking) is stupid enough to walk into a El Con Scamology establishment. It’s an investment as you noted BUT, it is also a way to keep those currently brain washed giving more $ to Miss Cabbage for “expansion”.
Sadly Mike I believe you’re right. Keep the sheeple shelling out everything they have (and more) to line the DwarfenFührer’s already full pockets.
Sigh….
“Miscavige Golden Era of showers.”
Um…okay…
Les, I have been flirting with the idea that our proprietor, being from the Land Down Under and so on, may not know the slang meaning of the expression “Golden Showers”. If not I am not going to enlighten him here. The subject is too delicate for children who may be in the audience.
But the use of that expression does add a piquant air of naughty insouciance to his comments. Especially in the light of certain substance misuse incidents reported at the Budapest opening.
I will admit that if I had not lived in San Francisco for some years in the 70s I may not have been familiar with the term either.
Bruce. You think I just fell off the turnip truck? ?
My thoughts exactly Mike.
Mike has mentioned Golden Showers before on his blog.
Mike may have been born at night….but not last night!
Rinder’s snark is legendary. That man knows exactly what he is doing and saying. Damn am I glad he isn’t working for CoS anymore.
I am from New Jersey right across the river from the City, and this whole event on Sunday has as much impact on the world as a Tabasco Sauce commercial on TV. It’s not for everybody but for those it is for, they think it’s hot. I not 100% certain but pretty sure that New York City has about 2 active C/S’s. 🙂
Go figure. New York City with about 9 million people living in it and 2 Case Supervisor’s. A lot of people may line charge on that and it is quite sad too! 🙂
Now that’s funny! But Mke what were you doing on hat turnip truck? Teehee
Gives a whole new meaning to, “I’m singing in the rain, I’m singing in the rain, what a glorious feeling, I’m singing in the rain…”
Dave’s pissing in the wind alright.
Unfortunately for Miscavige, those who are moving in have already learned all they need to know about the czerch…and will continue to say away in droves.
Question. Does DM use his power for sexual gratification? Most cult leaders do but outside of him.banishing his wife and Lou always being around I haven’t heard much in this vain.
I’ve had a feeling for a number of years that Demento is still hiding in the closet and nothing I’ve seen or read changes that point of view.
He fondles his benjamins while sipping his Macallan.
“The “Int Execs” are well and truly disappeared and fade ever further into the rewritten history of the Miscavige Golden Era of showers.”
The question of where they went and why is the huge electrified elephant in the $cn living room…touch it and die. Ask about where Shelly went and you may very well end up finding out by being made to join her. Run out of money, after being tapped for close to a million dollars, then express your honest opinion about $cn demigod Cruise and…whoosh you’re gone! Lie like a BIG dog on prime time TV about whether it’s official cherch policy to threaten and coerce parishioners with expulsion if they fail to disconnect from disaffected family and friends, then continue merrily along in implementing that policy on everyone but the elites within the cherch.
Just a partial list of the most recent outrageously heinous acts perpetrated by the cherch is enough to cause any self-respecting Scientologist to think twice about her continued involvement with and support of an organization run by a single man under whose authoritarian rule and capricious sadism almost every former top exec has either been removed from post and RPF’ed or blown to save their sanity and control over their own lives.That is, if they were ever allowed a thought of their own on the topic in the first place.
Rigidly self-enforced internal barriers to having those kind of naturally occurring questions arise in your mind are absolutely necessary if you wish to survive your next sec check without having to pay tens of thousands more on your detour away from your continued ascent up the Bridge. Or, if you were unlucky enough to have become one of DM’s duped and DP’ed minions, to avoid indeterminate sentencing in the cherch’s internal gulag.
So, given the gangrenous stench arising from all that, why are all those still-ins not clamoring over each other in a panicked rush to the exits? Cognitive dissonance theory and the almost unlimited capacity for self-delusion among individuals cocooned within an insular group think environment go a long way towards providing an explanation. Well beyond that, though, lies an existential fear, bordering on terror at the thought of losing their “Eternity,” keeps public and staff toeing that evil line and not-ising reality for all they’re worth.
Just as major earthquakes are not precisely predictable, despite advances in our technical abilities to measure the build up of stress along fault lines, the tipping point at which all the decades-long internal pressures building within the cherch will cause it to finally implode and self-destruct can’t be exactly determined in advance. However, that eventual collapse is as inevitable as the next major quake on the San Adreas fault line…and just as overdue!
New York has had a hard enough time in recent history and now Miscavige sets up a new shop there? No wonder they have to doctor the images to make it appear the locals approve. Never been to NY and all my knowledge of it is through others but I do have a good understanding of just how empty Ideal Orgs are, irrelevant of their location.
I can also imagine the response if one asked a bunch of random New Yorkers, “do you know a new Church of Scientology has opened in Harlem? The response would tell you all you need to know. And add to that, Are you aware the NOI is affiliated with the Cof$? and see where that leads.
Being politically as well as religiously correct is about as far from useful as honesty is to Scientology.
Nice write up Mike, covered all bases.
Harlem has been reborn??????????????????????????????????????????
What like Rosemary’s baby?
‘No other African American celebrities’????
Then what do you call Stacey Francis and Joy Villa?
Oh yea, a runner up and a never been
There may have been more African-Americans on the security detail then in the ‘grand opening’. Local clams can expect to be made to go the Harlem mOrg for some of their ‘services’ just to keep the lights on. The NOI are located all over NYC, but many are near the old Mosque #7 where Malcolm X used to preach. That mosque is on 116th Street and is no longer NOI. So there are enough NOI to keep the place afloat, but will they?
Miscavage isn’t wearing his ‘soul duds’. He should be sent home without his supper.
Perhaps Shelly was’nt great enough for the Greatest man inb this universe… I’d really like to nsee that the insane governements of the USA would find such people – like MSH, and noçw, like DM.
Is it really necessary to have photo inserts of black people? Kinda like – “here’s one!” How condescending.
What I also noted was that there were no photos shot from the FRONT of the crowd…which really would have been embarrassing! Errr…no, I think perhaps they are long past embarrassment!
“Why isn’t she present when the ever present Lou never leaves his side?”
YOU DON’T HAVE THE F*CKING RANK TO ASK THAT QUESTION!!!!
😛
No one gets away with this much fraud and deceit with a Happily Ever After chapter.
When it comes down on him and he can’t run anywhere else and NO ONE will believe him…what will he do?
Roll the dice, move your mice.
Int staff member fantasy: David Miscavige loses his voice permanently.
Dave,
According to the vast conspiracy of the internet, your parade and yankings of late have been rained on, pissed on and pig-shitted on. What is next on the agenda for you as you run in the tall grass on fringe of Hemet and stand on your perch overlooking the ghost town of Clearwater? Ever think of opening a Cantina in Cabo with a few dupes? Southern France has been a bit enturbulated recently.
About Harlem: With all of the close ups, why weren’t you and Shelly featured on the Kiss Cam? Still a thorn in your side?
Truthfully, I was in Cabo for a week a few years back. It was a wonderful experience! Oh, yeah, we noted the “bad” part of town, but what city of any note doesn’t? The locals were especially friendly and helpful. That a scumbag from the US needs a place to get away from it all, would you expect him to choose somewhere like Tijuana??? Not a chance.
Keep him away from our paradise in Cabo please!??
The patronizing attitude towards a small piece of American history(Harlem) is so typical of the Scientology mentality. Miscavige is a low class, tasteless wanna be icon. His idea of class is golden pillars and BMW motorcycles. He has no business trying try to add class to anyone’s hood.
And Harlem was a center for prostitution and drugs. Some artists used the clubs to make a living in the early parts of their careers. Miscaviges grandiloquent Sherman speak actually elicits flu like symptoms worthy of a visit to my toilet. Trying to kiss ass to the black community. He is an exploitive tiny tyrant. It’s only a matter of time till is Karma catches up to him. As Tory says “Tick Tock”.
Having grown up in the States, I can concur. Harlem was known for crime, whores, murders and drug addicts. Suddenly it has become a “cultural icon”…please. Unless the whole area has undergone a complete revitalization and refurbishment, it will still be known for these things. Miscavige thinks he can throw a bunch of other peoples money at something like Harlem or Inglewood – and proclaim to be the Great White Hope for the black community sickens me. I hope they trash the place.
Hubbard and Scn are SOOOOO white it’s painful.
Much of Harlem and Inglewood is now filled with hipsters and white people because they could move into beautiful old buildings for cheap that now have been refurbished. when I was going to college in the city in the early 2000’s, many of my (mostly white, upper middle class) classmates were getting apartments there, and many never left. that’s not to say there aren’t still black and Hispanic sections, but more and more, they’re being pushed out with the tide of neighbourhood “revitalization.”
but one has to think that almost anything would be a more worthwhile use of the property owned by COS. I think the neighbors would probably prefer hoovers and drug dealers!
COS makes a habit of buying buildings in areas that need revitalizing. That is one way people become attracted to COS. The area is cleaned up and all of the sudden mostly white people in uniforms are walking around trying to look very uptone. A uniform is meant to command respect. NYC is a major victim of gentrification and Harlem is not excluded from that.
One has to wonder if Mistcabbage and Strump share the same delusional speech writer.
Well, I might suggest if one really wants to get far out that they might try Hil’s turgid speechwriter. 🙂
Another Scam – just like everything emanating from the cult.
I seem to remember either a tape or a bulletin written by LRH where he talks about overts & withholds and how with blacks they are expected and taught to steal and the overt would be failing to steal something. So, one would have to tailor the question in this manner. “Have you failed to steal something?”. I don’t remember the exact wording but this is the totally racist Hubbard at his finest. I’m sure though that DM deleted these statements from LRH’s writings.
I had thought they only dragged out Chill E.B. for a bit of diversity at special events. When i read the bunker post, the fact that he was there, It immediately stood out to me as odd. As a non-american i had to think for a moment before making the harlem connection, but once it clicked i had to chuckle at their tactics.
BLATANT TOKENISM
Uh…. Oh hi everybody. I was just updating my list of reasons why I’m glad I left this stupid religion.
It’s amazing to continue to discover just how much I was willing to “not see” around me while I was focused on this nice juicy carrot that was dangling just beyond my reach.
Me, too, RB. I marvel at it now. And there was so much not to see!
I had it in my head that the people were untrained and that’s why the perverted the subject. It’s not a bad idea, actually. Can you imagine my horror and amazement when I discovered after I’d left that the whole thing was a scam and Our Revered Leader, El Con, was nothing but a druggy, shyster?
“Whereupon” is a word used only by insecure, over-achieving, narcissistic, high-school-drop-out, evil cult leaders.
Poor you…. sigh.
1subgenius, you’ve yet to have the cognition that when COB speaks, jewels roll off his tongue and dazzle us in their brilliant glow of enlightenment.
“Whereupon” is the spiritual form of “then”, just as Epic, monumental and pivotal are spiritual forms of trivial or mundane.
You really don’t expect and exalted being such as COB to use the language of us mere mortals in his quest to free us of our attachment to our MEST possessions.
What are your crimes?
Right observations and notes.
When I first read Tony’s article on Harlem my first thoughts were: ‘isolation, seclusion, hiding, can’t hide’ It was evident the closed doors to anyone who did not belong to the group, the measures to cover the SPs with umbrellas so they could not watch, nor take photos of events; walking on the opposite side walk was unacceptable.
That shows you how secluded the group is, but also the cowardice that surrounds miscavige. He is hiding, afraid, unsure what will happen if someone sees him, running away from others.
Yet, as you noted Mike, the promotion of $cn has been ‘the only technology that could save humanity’. So, why the obsession to hide it? Maybe because is involved in crimes, scams, human abuse, and so on.
And if miscavige’s hair dresser is reading this article, please, change the haircut and color of his hair, it sure looks horrible…oh, maybe that is why he is hiding!
I would say Miscavige is a huge pussy, but that’s insulting to pussies. He’s a weak loser who can only make himself feel big by bullying everyone around him and by being incredibly condescending and fake. the parallels between him and Trump are truly frightening. At least Miscavige recognizes the benefit of being the biggest fish in an increasingly small pond and isn’t actually trying to force himself onto a national stage. be thankful for that small mercy.
He’s more like a shark in a stream.
You said pretty much all that can be said about this, Mike and just to validate a point of yours, I was truly stunned recently when a friend of mine recounted a story about a scientologist who told another scientologist (who is under the radar) that david miscavige is a better leader and manager of the church of scientology than LRH – no disrespect to LRH (he said). (Facepalm)
These events are obviously just for the living dead inside the church of scientology with the hope that He can continue to fool some of the people all of the time.
” These events are obviously just for the living dead inside the church of scientology with the hope that he can continue to fool some of the people all of the time.” So true, McCarran.
“THE LIVING DEAD” now there’s a true heart warming explanation of Scientologists doing their thing.
The longer those silly people adhere to their numbskullology the more impossible it is for them to wake up – the living dead is a good way of describing them. Do they really think that the rest of mankind is that repulsive that they can’t see they are trying to push pooh up a hill with a pointy stick? Guess so…
Oh my, those African-American people inset photos are pathetic. How much more obvious can you be? At least you can count the exact number of them at the event — just add up the people in the insets. Eleven.
Yes but how do you know the black people in the insets actually attended the opening? He could have cut them from a former event from 10 years ago and pasted them into this. We don’t even know if those people were actually at the event.
Cindy, to borrow from Regraded Being’s comment above: What are your crimes? Report to the nineteen year old snot-nosed MAA at your local org and we will get to the bottom of your criticism.
I’m surprised there wasn’t more t utmost from the Nation of Islam. Don’t they have huge numbers in NYC?
Turnout, not utmost. Thank you autocorrect .
Yes, that is a bit suspicious, given NOI’ s initial devotion to the cult early on. I wonder if they’ve cooled off in recent years? Need to go to their website and see if there’s anything there about it.
My guess is that the whales and the NOI don’t mix well, and Miscavige will always default to satisfying the people with money over the people without.
You have to love their isolationism. Invite everyone to a major event?. Not a chance.
PTS/SP Tech? Paranoid and Terrified of SPs.
Besides being an evil cult they are beyond pathetic when it comes to PR.
“There is nowhere else like Harlem,” Correction: “There WAS nowhere else like Harlem,” Today any of dozens of inner-city hell holes could play stand in.
The ONLY reason the Midget purchased there is in the hopes that gentrification will increase the asset value.
Gentrification has already set in in Harlem. Housing prices and storefront rents have been going up just as much as the rest of NYC.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/01/opinion/how-gentrification-is-changing-the-face-of-harlem.html
Exactly my point. That is WHY the purchase a while ago.