More utter bs from the Ideal Org Hype Machine.
It is interesting to see how they position things. Using a random LRH quote — which either comes from RJ 28 or an SO #1 letter. Clearly some words of expressed support, like “I am counting on you to make Portland the first Scientology city.” This is now turned into a declarative statement that THIS is what LRH wanted. (If so, why in 30 years hasn’t anything been done to make it happen).
Portland is also, of course, the “home” of “our” Religious Freedom Crusade… Yes, it also the home of the Mission that “serviced” Julie Christofferson that resulted in the massive judgment that resulted in the Portland Crusade where people from around the world were asked to contribute to fishing them out of the soup. What a great idea. It ultimately morphed into give to the IAS, give to Ideal Orgs, give to Super Power, give for VM’s to fly to India or Africa or wherever, give for books to libraries, give to send books to “OL’s”, give to “planetary dissemination”, and on and on and on. It can all be traced to this “successful action” that everyone can thank Portland Msn for.
And it has been so well PR’d that they are seeking to have people “give to Portland” again, which makes sense because they truly can claim the title of “home of out exchange giving”.
But let’s not forget, Portland IS “the city that made it possible for every other org.” Huh? Made what possible? Fundraising without delivering any services???
The nuttiness of these items just keeps exceeding anyone’s expectations.
It’s almost like there is an internal game being played amongst the orgs of the RCS — “Who can come up with the most insane statements and present them with a straight face?”
Not sure who is winning, but the competition is FIERCE.
I was in Portland in '85 when Pomerantz put the squeeze on, having us call our parents and grandparents to borrow lots of money, and was the last time I ever contributed toward any similar crusade again. My answering machine became their best prospect thereafter. I was never on staff, so this is all I can contribute the topic.
Around 1990 I went to flag spending for me a small fortune because my org wasnt doing what I needed. I was there for almost 2 weeks and got no auditing. It was a week befor my folder even came back.and I am a patron of the ias. I was certainly reged for more money though. Wasnt flag supposed to be a rocket ride and the friendliest place on the planet. I hope your friend wises up soon.
Flag! The friendliest place in the world? The public were called “pool pigs” the first time I went as public.
Now as I understand it, the Sea Org staff are not to fraternize with “public”. Although they keep the lights on through “donations”.
After I got taken through the FLAG reg grinder from all sides around the same time by the routing-off form, I never went back there again. It could be said that I had been squeezed out of the church by various endless reging tactics. After a while you have no place to go where there isn't a forceably pleading open hand. Then the environment became too financially dangerous and I moved on. I never came into SCN for this BS … wrong purpose.
Mike: Thank you for escaping the cult of evil and speaking out! My heart goes out to you for all that you endured in the cult! I wish you nothing but the best in life – and all the other high ranking officials, ex Sea Org members, staff and public that have left the church and are exposing their heinous crimes! Thank you for having this blog and keeping the news flowing!
The current scene in the Church of Miscavology is that they are 3rd parties to conflict between Orgs and members. They are the source of trouble for all connected to them. I have friends that had a problem with their class 5 morgue – they stayed away for many years. The Sea Org members from AOLA got in touch with them and totally validated their upset and admitted the class 5 morge had problems but AOLA is better because it is an advanced morgue – AOLA told her they would be sending a mission out in a year or so to correct them. Another member from the Class 5 morgue was told the same thing a few years ago.
So the gal is all excited about scientology – she went out to AOLA and put a ton of money on account and got “repaired” – (scientology agreeing with their upset where thought stopping techniques were used to turn her attention on HER) and then she was shuffled into a room where entheta videos (implant) were presented (world going to hell in a handbasket) and why Idle Morgues are now the new solution. She hates the class 5 morgue and all staff connected to it – won’t go back there – but is all excited about Idle Morgues and AOLA now!!
Church of Miscavology ~ the science of spin!
From the viewpoint of a never-been-in, the amount of wasted dollars over this long period of time makes my stomach cramp. Altruistic individuals (and even self-indulgent ones) are led to flush hard-earned money down the toilet without realizing their potential of actually effecting positive change in the world. The billion dollars or so amassed can have profound effect on many lives and even the economy of whole communities–not to mention medical research, educational pursuits, and even bringing food, potable water, technology or other economic boosts to third world countries. Or even here in the US where our economic contraction, natural disasters, and other issues are crippling so many. At a minimum, when the natural disasters hit the East Coast and people were left homeless, did Co$ open the doors of their empty multi-million-dollar mausoleums? Nope. They fleeced folks even more (pocketing the $) to send in well-intentioned folks with yellow t-shirts and pamphlets for photo opps. The money and energy donated because of delusional thinking is staggering.
In addition to the waste of dollars on fancy, empty buildings, millions are spent on fair gaming, PIs, lawsuits, and harassment while children residing in the very communities that the orgs are located in are in need of critical assistance.
Consider even this: if people never spent their dollars on Co$ or never “donated” a penny, but instead spent it on sending their kids to school, paying off their mortgage, starting businesses and employing people with living wages or even just being good consumers, the ripple effect that that would have. Not only economically, but in terms of keeping families together, giving their children a solid foundation for life, saving relationships, reducing inner turmoil and stress, and living a peaceful, productive life. They have taken down a tidal wave of possibility and potential and replaced it with a well-lined coffer of a megalomaniac.
It is an act of spirituality to *LEAVE* the Co$. I see no warmth or love from this “religion.” I see destruction and waste that puts its members’ minds and souls through the meat grinder. I am not even going to touch on the many unnecessary deaths (be it from Narconon or other “tech” pursuits). I am not only sad for those who have been or are currently being abused, but sad for the masses that could have been helped. For potential lost. For assistance denied. The scale of the Idle Morgue and Co$ con is beyond a crime. It is a massive dose of evil. And it sickens me that they get tax-exempt status from the IRS.
I love this series of “Expose” type pieces you are doing on the various and fallacious “Ideal” Orgs.
The comment that you make at the end of this post, “Not sure who is winning, but the competition is FIERCE” is indeed a telling statement about the Corporate C of S – and to tell you the truth, this whole competition thing never sat well with me in the first place. After all, Missions and Orgs cater to the needs of specific individuals, communities and/or groups. So how can they compete with each other? It just seems like operating on that basis will always wind up in stat pushes – where true service becomes secondary to things like “money” and “expansion”.
And I’m sorry but even the LRH Birthday game too easily goes in that direction. I say, service the person in front of you, do what your doing while your doing it – and you’ll win every time.
Really, reading this stuff does something to my anchor points, I need a locational.
I remember Portland. And LA. And San Francisco.
Yes, we were out to help save Scientology, forgetting that Scientology was here to rescue us.
Today it’s “Scientology must be contributed to”.
Who was it said, “There’s a sucker born every minute”? Whoever he was it seems he is the only source wee Davey looks to.
Well, I’m at the point now where I say let ’em bleed (the suckers).
Each has their point where they won’t go on with it any longer – even if they don’t, they’ll surely hit a point where they can’t continue to support li’l Davey’s scams any longer.
Gee, looks like I woke up in”no sympathy” this morning!
Phil …… EXACTLY!
Does anyone know if DM knows the actual scene of the Ideal Orgs? Or is he shielded from this information from people who fear his retaliation?
Geir — He knows. At the very least see he sees the stats. All orgs DO still report weekly stats. And though there is no mention of them at his Shermanspeak hypefests, they ARE reported. And he also scans the internet, watching for any and all mentions of himself.
What does Slappy McSavage do when he reads the reports from ex members? Does he go on a rampage – slapping and slurping his Scotch? I cannot imagine David Miscavige can withhold his anger at the total fail of his cult! Is he an alcoholic? Maybe he should check into Narconon where “they will take good care of him”…. :O
I wonder how much staff members are altering the stats too. One of the posts recently talked about the alteration of the BIS (bodies in the shop) stat so that almost anyone could be counted – whether actively on a service or not. I THINK that may have been in the post about Joburg. Also, I know STP (student points) have been counted differently at different orgs. My point is the BIS was so blatantly altered, how rampant do you think Orgs are altering their stats just to get them up and justifying it (completely ignoring the stat definitions)
People who fall for this sort of thing are just hard of hearing. They hear the BS and believe it, but they are not able to hear that giant sucking sound coming from a machine that will coldly suck up all of their and their family’s material possessions with no exchange and no concern for their well being.
Like you say, Mike, the BS Beat goes on.
And people need to remember that the lyrics to that original song, “The Beat Goes On” recorded by Sonny and Cher went something like this (I think):
“The beat goes on, beat goes on
Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain,
La de da de de, la de da de da,
La de da de de, la de da de DUMB.”
OK, I admit I changed that last word.
……And lest some forget or never knew that Scientology has seen better time PR-wise, Sonny Bono was a Scientologist and also a US Representative from California in the 1970’s.
Sorry, I missed commenting on a previous thread re Sarge, LRH at the end of his life, and such. I spoke with Annie about LRH and how things were at the end of that lifetime, and her descriptions are not what Sarge’s was. Not to deny Sarge his own viewpoint, but, what Annie told me about LRH at that time was a contradiction to what is related in Wright’s book. I told that to the author too. He didn’t publish that.
Annie had a completely different viewpoint and the image of the man she clearly had, and relayed to me was that LRH was LRH, to the end of that life.
Boy, I sure would like to know the actual truth but we’ll probably only get the couple of viewpoints that are left.. I was quite shocked reading Sarge’s account in the book. I would like to hear Annie’s account too if you’re willing. If it’s posted elsewhere, please direct me to it. Reading Larry Wright’s book, Reitman and others sure paints a different picture of LRH over what we were told by the church. The tech is the tech and unshakeable of the workability there.
There is only one firsthand account you can get. What Larry Wright wrote is exactly what Sarge recounted to me and others. Believe me, he had NO reason to make it up, it broke his heart. The PR line pushed by the church “he causatively moved off to continue his OT research” was causatively derived in order to not upset people and have them leave the church. It was the party line that was worked out and disseminated by anyone who remained IN the party. Sarge no doubt would have given a similar sort of story had he still been in the Sea Org. Sea Org members protect the reputation of LRH at all costs — these days it is the reputation of Miscavige that they lie to protect. There is plenty of other data that confirms Sarge’s version of events rather than the sugar coated one. Think on the fact that there was no “parting message” and no formal turnover of hats or public statement about how things were to go. It’s not that LRH didnt have time to do so — he wrote 10 fiction books in the last years of his life. He was capable of recording public messages as evidenced by RJ 38.
I fully agree, he should be judged by his work. The truth is never a bad thing to know in my estimation, even if it is uncomfortable. Because if you can confront reality you gain a better understanding.
Just saying… Larry Wright gives an accurate account of what Sarge said because it is the same account I have heard from Sarge. Sarge had absolutely no motive to make this up, he had nothing to protect and no motivation to lie. He considered LRH his best friend in the world til the last day of his life and would have done anything for him (except one thing as is described in the book).
Mike, Sarge told me essentially the same thing as he told you and Larry Wright. Super Bowl weekend 2007. That doesn’t mean Annie’s account was not also accurate. Jim’s statement that LRH was LRH up until the end might not have been inconsistent with Sarge’s account. The LRH that Annie knew was probably quite different from the LRH we know in his public lectures. That LRH was certainly different from the LRH I met at WHQ in La Quinta in 1977. I plan to do a painting of what he looked like that summer, which no one has seen photos of but I have a memorable mental image picture of and the world should be able to share it.
Thanks Dan. I agree with you, but that isnt what Jim said. He was responding to my comment about Sarge saying Annie told him something different. I was simply giving my perspective on how you can judge apparently conflicting accounts of things. Would love to the see the painting. I have a pretty vivid recollection of how he looked at La Quinta in 79… Did it change from 77?
“Boy, I sure would like to know the actual truth…”
I personally doubt that Sarge was lying.
Mike,
My take from what Annie told me is that the “final message” was to be the Estate Planning, the Corporate Structure as laid out on savescientology.com. That is, instead of that event that Pat Broeker and DM orchestrated, it should have been a full description of the entire set up, who were the Trustees, what are the checks and balances etc.
She was adamant that LRH intended checks and balances and clearly did NOT want any one person to assume dictatorial control.
I don’t doubt Sarge’s own perception and evaluation of what he experienced from his viewpoint. Annie had a different perception, evaluation and viewpoint. I spoke with her directly about this, as we discussed what was happening at the Int Base and with RTC and what LRH wanted. I asked her about the man, what he was like at Creston and all of this was relayed leaving my own albeit second-hand impression, that LRH was “compos mentis”, that he was cogent, and he had and retained a good forward look. Also, there were anecdotes of him driving his cars around with her “on the lookout” for CHP, them munching cheeseburgers, him working the crew on self-sufficiency with animal husbandry, food culture, and the many chats they enjoyed in his Bluebird jabbing about this, that and anything.
Again, Sarge had his experience. I know he loved LRH. So did Annie. I’ve spoken with several others who were there over those years. My impression from them is not what is relayed in Wright’s book. Wright also got very wrong LRH’s war record which Margaret lays out here http://scientologymyths.com/hubbardww2.htm.
As a musician I had access to tape recordings of LRH working in various studios. I heard the man, from those years. He was alive, in comm, and even cracking wise, while also imparting real KRC on music, recording and whatever else he was involved in.
My conclusion of the being at the end of his life, is that he maintained the states he had acheived and are available with the technologies of Scientology. Without ANY question, and that’s taking in not just Sarge’s or Annie’s viewpoints, but others, who were there, and who confirmed what I personally saw reading, and studying fully what he produced from that time period.
Dan,
Probably THE main reason I was declared by DM is that over the last months I was at the Base, Annie had come a long way to realizing what had occurred and how DM had usurped the Church. In fact, she was pressing him to have her put on the post LRH personally assigned her, the Inspector General of RTC. DM was slithering and sliding on this, with mis-direction about the “IRS” battle, Vicki Aznaran acting up and on and on. Annie was progressively seeing through this.
DM’s answer to ME, was to have me Sec Checked daily under the guise of sessions, which he then read and scoured for anything on Annie. When I got declared, and Annie was intercepted in Boston, my “handlers” in RTC ordered me to write a KR on her and tell them everything she’d ever said to me “from the moment we first met” or I’d be doing A-E “back to the stone age”, “50,000 times” (those words are verbatim).
What I wrote to those “handlers” wasn’t what they wanted. And DM and his ilk had me do A-E for some two decades, never allowing it to finish, and preventing me from seeing Annie again. Miscavige knew she’d told me the facts. He knows what he’s onto is diametrically opposed to what LRH wanted, and communicated to Annie.
Annie’s communication of LRH during those years, is as valid as any others. She was there, every single day, and in comm with him more than any other being on this planet.
Like you wrote Mike, like an internal game played by the Orgs of: , “Who can come up with the most insane statements and present them with a straight face?”
Maybe by now they have a highest ever with all Orgs combined and can even promote it at next “event”!!!!
Completely off the rails really.
SILVIA
Portland in recent history had 3 Orgs(Day, FDN, CC), and now it’s down to one. Just thought I would point that out.
Geez! This just makes me sick and laff at the same time!
“Creating LRH’s dream…”
I am certain that LRH’s dream did not include people giving their hard earned money to a “donate” button, using a credit card, for a friggin building! That is NOT a “true representation of LRH tech and policy” as their promo states.
good point!
You can feel the desperation is their promo “give to Portland Ideal Org TODAY”. Or else…..
Yes, they are reeking desperation. I keep thinking, how much longer can this go on? Mike, again, thanks to you and your correspondents for baring the truth for all to see who have the eyes (and the stomach) to do so. Truth is order, and order is going in, and the disorder is blowing off.
Yes, the truth IS going in. People are lurking. I lurked for years on Marty’s blog until I had the courage to post, albeit under a handle, but still, it was a big deal for me when I first posted on there and now here. People ARE waking up. I did. I withdrew my support. I don’t believe that I am atypical. There have to be many more like me, in various stages of awakening to the truth of having been caught in the theta trap of a vicious greedy cult disguised as a caring religion,
Truth will continue to go in, and eventually it will blast thru the RCS;s armor plate of money and mest.
“I withdrew my support. I don’t believe that I am atypical.”
No you are not. I’m doing the same. Can’t “come out” fully yet, but I’ve withdrawn all support for this madness.
…they are reeking desperation. I keep thinking, how much longer can this go on?
It can’t go on much longer, unless DM elects to open his vault of reserves, and begins subsidizing these failing orgs. The plain fact is, they have no customers. At least not enough to be financially viable – and that’s across the full breadth of the organization.
We’re seeing the wall-climbing desperation come out in all of these ludicrous fund raising schemes. And they’re going to become even more ludicrous in months to come, until finally, few (if any) will be able to ignore the elephant in the room any longer. One by one, the faithful are opening their eyes and distancing themselves from the reeking pall of death that permeates the temples to Miscavige.
Soon enough, most orgs and management areas will be staffed by no more than a few psychotic hold outs, hiding behind locked doors, and chewing their fingernails to the quick. The phones will go dead. The lights will go out. One morning, the plywood will appear on all the windows, and the grass will die.
1. This link is a brief article discussing the basic details of the two building purchases in Portland in 2008 and 2010 by the Church of Scientology: http://portlandpreservation.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/church-of-scientology-purchases-sherlock-building/
2. The Church purchased the Stevens Building in 2008 for $5.3 million. This was to be Ideal Morgue Portland. The Church then decided this building was too small to hold services in after the purchase. Why the Church did not think about this before spending $5.3 million is left unexplained. Needless to say, the building must have had lath and plaster crimes against David Miscavige.
3. The horribly downstat and suppressive Stevens Building is now on the market for $4.35 million, a $1,000,000 loss to Portland area Scientologists: http://www.butlerbrokers.qwestoffice.net/Stevens%20Building%20For%20Sale%20Package.pdf
3. The Church purchased the Sherlock Building cost $6,400,000 as a replacement for the Stevens Building.
4. To make matters worse, local Scientologists in Portland must now raise $5 million to renovate the second building.
The numbers for the Portland Ideal Org Scam add up this way:
1. The Stevens Building cost $5,380,000 in cash and is being sold at a $1,030,000 loss.
2. The Sherlock Building cost $6,400,000 in cash.
3. Remodeling is at least $5,000,000 or more. The Church has been paying Nova $1,000 – $2,000 per square foot for remodeling. More than new construction or even luxury improvements at a five star hotel.
The Portland Ideal Org will therefore cost local Scientologists:
$5,380,000 – loss on the Stevens Building
$6,400,000 – purchase of the new Sherlock Building
$5,000,000 estimate to renovate the Sherlock Building
Total: $16,780,000 to open Ideal Morgue Portland.
*****
And then of course there will be little or no money for upkeep after the Idle Morgue is opened.
Jason Barclay blew the Sea Org six months ago. He was in charge of maintenance at the Complex in Los Angeles. This is a 60,000 sq ft facility and he was given about $400 per week for all maintenance. This is a shocking .066 cents per square foot for maintenance!
Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) shows that commercial real estate owners spent an average of $1.80 per square foot for maintenance.
The bottom line:
The Ideal Morgues vastly overspend on renovation.
The Ideal Morgues vastly underspend on maintenance once they’ve been opened.
This is why Ideal Morgues become filthy and unkempt once opened. Why bother to open Ideal Morgues if they become grimy and under-maintained? That certainly will keep Tom Cruise and his friends away in droves!
Excellent post, J. Swift. Ideal Morgues are actually welfare. David Miscavige is a completely undeserving, criminal welfare recipient.
The Pasadena Ideal Morgue opened in July of 2010 with a total cost of about $25,000,000. The purchase was just under $10,000,000. Then the org sat empty for about 3 years, since Int Management couldn’t get around to finishing the renovation plans, so no firm numbers could be obtained on the renos costs! Property taxes cost $60,000 per year, since the C of $ was not inhabiting it and therefore the tax exemption did not apply. After grueling months of fundraising, the final dollars were obtained. Craig and Sally Jensen probably put in about 75% of the total 25 million.
About 5 months later the org was way behind on their electric bill, which was around $8000 per month. (This bill alone was more than the rent the org ever paid in previous buildings, and that was always a struggle to handle!) There were numerous broken mosaic tiles on the main floor, showing shoddy workmanship and no maintenance. Many other areas started to look worn.
I believe that the wealthier staff members are subsidizing the expenses, as it’s impossible for the org to be selling enough services to pay for its basic costs. And, this org is smack in the middle of Old Town Pasadena, with thousands of people walking around on a busy night. Yet when one drives by, there is not a body to be seen in the public areas. I suspect that the Div 6 personnel sent out to body route and survey public in their ridiculous uniforms are practically jeered off the street, since Scientology’s PR is at an all-time low.
God, the uniforms. Leave it to COB to make the staff of all Ideal Orgs look like servers at The Olive Garden. Someone clearly knows the difference between stylish and lame, because someone makes sure CMO and RTC uniforms look hip, while service org uniforms are super lame. So it’s got to be intentional. If I walked into an org and someone walked up to me in one of those ridiculous black and gold vests and the black and gold tie, I’d probably hand him my keys to go valet my car.
They are so NOT in touch with the Orgs’ fields.
Yeah, the Pasadena org is in one of the greatest locations an org can be in. Forty years ago, it would have been packed. Today? People don’t want what the Church of Scientology is selling. They don’t want to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the privilage of turning over their complete lives to a Soviet type of slavery (which will include which friends and family one is allowed to communicate to). In fact, people wouldn’t walk in these “churches” to get thought controlled and life controlled for free.
“God, the uniforms. Leave it to COB to make the staff of all Ideal Orgs look like servers at The Olive Garden.”
Laughter!
I had no idea they were bringing in that kind of money. I used to go buy toilet paper for the Org when I was onlines at PTLD/PTLF . The Org must be booming like crazy now.
Very nice folks there. Very PTS 🙁
http://www.savescientology.com
Handle or disconnect
That came from a program being ran in the org in 1971, per the signatory, authored by LRH. The target was, as I recall, “Give them the motto, ‘Portland the First Scientology City”. I wish I could recall the exact percentage… I can find out, I imagine, if I am lucky enough to track down an old friend The target was to get 1% of the population of Portland into the org on service lines and that would give us that designation. So, no, it was up a few gradients of “officialness”. I used to push that button pretty hard when I was staff there from 1971 to 1979, but we didn’t ever come close to that target.
It is interesting to note that there was an evolution there, where there was first a day and fdn org, then the org and a COSMOD mission. Then the mission became a CC. Then the org day and fdn collapsed and then the org and the CC morphed into one organization. Whole lot of collapsing going on. This all in the last 10 years or so, I think.
Not sure now, but a few years ago there were still a few execs there who were there during COSMOD’s biggest eras… they must be spinning when they look at this sort of thing going on. These execs have no excuse: they have seen and done better. They know better than this.
I was there around the late 1970s when the COSMOD mission was in full swing and the org was full. Cripes, COSMOD probably produced more WDAH in a week than the current idle org does in a year. But Martin Samuels got disappeared and 30+ years later they still can’t produce what that “SP” could.
This is just another BS…they always use LRH in order to suck people money…thats all.
Not real help. Just a fucking building. Where is the IAS money? Super Power money? Author Service money? not to mentions the millions of dollars that Flag FSO have…..
In Larry’s book, he mentioned Julie Christofferson originally wanted a $30K refund. It seems pretty extreme for that to escalate to the full blown Portland Crusade, I’m sure the airfare alone would have exceeded the refund amount. Only under DM’s capable hands, as he was ultimately in charge for the All Clear, which never happened.
Sinar, you are absolutely right. dm and his nazi minions are so incompetent that they always pay way too much. In the case of Debbie Cook, they could have not paid a penny by not doing anything. They ended up paying a lot.