We answered more "Listener Questions" this week. These are some of our favorite episodes and we really appreciate the questions people send in. This one was especially fun and I think you all will enjoy it. We talk about the last chapter of Hubbard's life which is documented in the Epilogue of Lawrence Wright's brilliant Going Clear. This is an excerpt detailing what Steve Pfauth, one of the handful of people with Hubbard at the end of his life had to say. We talk about Hubbard's succession and mention the issue appointing Pat and Annie Broeker which Miscavige had … [Read more...]
Oh, The Irony
Programming note: Regraded Being will return next week,. Given the events of yesterday with the end of the Masterson Preliminary Hearing (and the news he is going to face trial) I felt it was important to keep that post available. Scientology mouthpiece in Clearwater, Pat Harney, was scheduled to give the Invocation at the Clearwater City Council meeting this week. It is part of a rotational system where different faiths are invited to do their thing. Of course, Pat was at a disadvantage as scientologists don't pray. They don't have any set belief in God, and they certainly don't ask God … [Read more...]
Scientology Tells Another Big Lie or Two
The prosecution of Danny Masterson is becoming a predictable nightmare for David Miscavige and scientology. Forced into making a public statement after damaging testimony in the Preliminary Hearing, scientology resorted to its time-honored tradition and lied. Not just a little lie. A big, bold, easily disproven denial. They rely on the fact that most are uninformed about their actual practices, and that the vast majority of people think when someone makes such an emphatic statement, they could not possibly be lying. Sociopaths use the good nature of the vast majority of people who … [Read more...]
STAND Unhinged and Undone by OT III
As is their modus operandi, STAND goes after any journalist who dares publish anything they don't like, no matter how insignificant or tangential. They do so with a fervor that is comical, reveling in purple prose and what they consider extremely clever put-downs. This one caught my attention. While claiming this reporter had engaged in "prosecutable libel" in her vicious and unwarranted assault, it made no mention of what the supposed libel was (and Martin, perhaps it's news to you that you cannot libel a dead person, something you should know before you spout off about it with such … [Read more...]
Hubbard Doing Hubbard
I happened to notice this statement from L. Ron Hubbard on Tony Ortega's blog (he includes a Hubbard quote each day that Hubbard made on that day of the year in his section "Source Code"). Source Code “We’ve had a little slowdown here recently on research the last six, seven days — I managed to get the show back on the road again — mostly due to the nonsense going on in Australia. The general situation with regard to that is they’re not in any danger or anything like that, they’re just being cross-advised and being generally upset. The government of Australia….Well, these little boys have an … [Read more...]
Disconnection For All
Scientology is making their family and friends destruction tech available to everyone through WISE. Secularizing the "tech" of disconnection is about as grotesque as things get. … [Read more...]
L. Ron Hubbard Racist Statements
A very revealing collection of Hubbard quotes from the wonderful Scientology 101 website. If you have never read the article at the Home page of this site "Scientology 101" I very much recommend it. It is a brilliant summary of MANY aspects of scientology. I mentioned in my post of yesterday Scientology Targeting Black America that I would provide this collection today. I also note that many of these quotes come from a time when statements such as these were far more acceptable and commonplace, but that does not change the fact that society was more overtly racist then. You will note, … [Read more...]
Thought Reform and Scientology
On one of the recent Fair Game Podcast, Chris Shelton recommended Robert Jay Lifton's book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism . Then Mockingbird posted a comment concerning this and I thought it important to include it as a post, as he summarizes the eight criteria for Thought Reform isolated by the author. I should note, there are many excellent articles at Mockingbird's Nest blog. Here is his comment in full. I have highlighted the 8 criteria. Mike Rinder recently pointed out something that most people miss, even experts. He pointed out that the E meter is used … [Read more...]
Looking for LRH Originals — Still
Surely they are joking... People often ask "what do Sea Org/staff members do all day?" Well, this. For years after Hubbard died -- nearly 40 years ago now -- Sea Org members were dispatched all over the world to find everything Hubbard had ever written or said. This was the primary function of Church of Spiritual Technology which was created to "preserve the legacy" of Hubbard's rambling for all eternity. And the first step was to ensure they had everything. This went on for many, many years. Now, 30 years later someone is trying again? Why? Maybe … [Read more...]
Study in Scientology
Recently, some have expressed the view that Leah is incorrect in stating that a minimum of 2.5 hours per day of study is mandated of you in scientology. There have been various people who have commented on this "this is not my experience" and "there is no Hubbard writing that states this." Most of this is missing the point: whether you agree with the mandated 2.5 hours statement, scientology places enormous demands on its membership, far more than mainstream religions. It is the only organization calling itself a religion where there are services that you are expected to show up for on an … [Read more...]