Immediately following the revelations in the recent Tampa Bay Times article by Tracey McManus, scientology launched their version of a campaign to convince the citizens of Clearwater they are in fact good for the city.
They distributed Freedom magazines to people’s doors in the dead of night to try to persuade them the reason downtown Clearwater looks like the set for the latest installment of the Night of The Living Dead movies is not because they bought it up and leave most of the properties empty or massively underutilized, it is because the big bad meanies at the Tampa Bay Times are religious bigots set on the destruction of mankind. That is classic scientology “PR tech.”
And when there was backlash to that effort, they crashed on like proverbial china shop bulls with a stream of announcements promoting events by their front groups to try to garner some goodwill:
The ultimate oxymoron. Scientology awarding themselves for championing human rights. And this one IS in the Ft Harrison. Try getting into this if you are on the naughty list of scientology. NOT “open to the public.”
“Charity potluck” Thanksgiving week. Most churches have Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless at this time. Wonder what would happen if a homeless family showed up for the “charity potluck” without bringing a dish? This is actually a members only “charity”.
Pushing Hubbard fiction at the scientology “information center.”
The BOCK party…
Thanksgiving Grilled Cheese!
Do they really think they fool anyone at this point?
They have some paid surrogates who offer support for their “charitable” activities — though it’s hard to imagine even Katie Cole or Ed Armstrong getting behind a grilled cheese food drive for Thanksgiving (there are more stock photos of turkey dinners than grilled cheese sandwiches — how hard can this job be?)
The real issue is that every citizen of Clearwater knows they are NOT welcome in the vast majority of the properties scientology owns in downtown Clearwater. They cannot walk in the doors of the Ft Harrison or the SP Building or the Sandcastle or Osceola or Oak Cover or Coachman or WestCoast or Lee Arnold building or any of the other downtown properties. They CAN walk into the Peace Memorial Church next door to the Ft Harrison hotel. They can walk in to Calvary Baptist. Or literally any of the hundreds of real churches in Clearwater. They are barred from entering scientology premises. And if they managed to gain special access through the front door, they would be given no unfettered access anywhere.
The bottom line — because scientology doesn’t perform the role of a real church in the community, no matter how much lipstick they try to slap on, the citizens of Clearwater still see a pig that has taken up permanent residence in their parlor. And that pig doesn’t even pay rent. And he makes the whole house smell so nobody wants to come near the place. And now the has grown so big he can’t fit out the door.
Million dollar idea up for grabs: The Aftermath Bus Tours!
A bus tour around downtown Clearwater of the abuses of Scientology. Tourists could get lunch or dinner downtown before or after. Bring in the dollars!
I doubt that sandwhich is Thanksgiving Grilled Cheese. It looks more like, “Crunchy Toasted Cheese and Carpet Sweepings”.
It is the sweepings that give the sandwhich the crunchy composition.
It may seem like drek to you or I, but to anyone who is being bled dry by The Scam, it is a delicious alternative to going to the Blood Bank and donating a pint of blood so that you can buy a coffee.
Fucking Scamology is too money-hungry to give coffee to people who donate their blood in order to enrich this filthy criminal scam.
Mike,
I quite nearly always agree with and approve of what you write on your blog.
That said, with this article of yours – well, I think it crosses a line, that’s all.
It really is insulting and offensive…to pigs.
They are God’s creatures, after all, Mike.
Hey Aqua! LOL! ROFL! LMAO! and one big GUFFAW as well.
You made a funny post, Aqua! Good on you!
🙂 Skyler.
“And now the has grown so big he can’t fit out the door.”
Maybe so. Maybe so.
But he the pig can always be slaughtered and butchered and fed to people who eat that sort of animal.
Personally, I would never want to eat any animal that has spent much time in this scam.
But I would be very happy to see this scam terminated in any way that is legal and results in the Emancipation of all the victims. I long to hear someone speak the New Emancipation Proclomation.
AAMOF, I’d like to suggest that someone more gifted than I maybe prepare that speech in anticipation of the day we drive this Old Scam down. It might begin something like this:
“Four-score and seven years ago a crazy tubby narcisst brought this scam forward onto our land.
Today I stand before you to proclaim the termination of this scam and the emancipation of all of its slaves ….
I think some of the more gifted people here could possibly have some fun with this proclamation.
“Try getting into this if you are on the naughty list of Scientology “.
Mike, are you going to try? Aw, go on. Give it a shot! Chilli Beans(Chill EB) is going to be performing!
Surely you don’t want to miss that!
These Scientologists just cannot get it into their heads that they are undesirable Satanists.
Satanic, luciferic, yes. But quite altruistic. So altruistic that they hate anyone who is not spending their life like themselves as deeply addicted slaves. Any egoistic person who cares for himself first is a stupid low enemy who must be cleared to a good-doing slave.
Isnt this the program of any group and system?
True, they’ve got this altruism, this concept of sacrificing everything this lifetime for the Greatest Good, etc., but strangely, at the same time, they are extremely selfish as well.
Look how they do each other in!
Look how they justify any outpoint for a Thursday 2PM stat!
No thoughts for how someone may really want to help but really can’t afford to! Screw him or her and the problem this donation creates – I want my stat!
And how they coolly break the hearts of those who love them via Disconnection. No thoughts or compassion for parents, siblings, children. Screw them! My bread is buttered with Scientology! And I’ll get in trouble!
Altruistic?
Yeah, sure, that’s their EXCUSE for their creepy, heartless behavior.
I’m beginning to view these people as enormously selfish and self centered – yes, even the “nice” ones, the ones we’re supposed to feel sorry for because they’re such “victims” – in fact, ESPECIALLY the yellow-livered, nicey-nice types! They’ll lie to you and rip you off and break your heart just as surely as the other, more obnoxious still ins will and it will be MORE painful because, of course, they are so “NICE”.
Yeah, right!
The only way I’ll ever change my mind about the Still Ins is if they have realizations and LEAVE. If they can do that, I’d start trusting them.
Its not too high a bar. The information is all out there. WE had our realizations and left the cult. Why can’t they?
In the meantime, they’re where they belong. Screwing others and being themselves screwed. Living in fear of anyone outside the cult AND living in fear of EACH OTHER in the cult. That’s where they BELONG until one day they decide that they don’t, and leave.
We moved to the Clearwater area (Largo to be exact) in 1979. Shocked, we found the entire city of Clearwater UP IN ARMS!
Why? Does anyone remember? Richard Tenny was the CW City Commissioner, trying to run for Mayor. His program:
“SAVE SPARKLING CLEARWATER, STAMP OUT SCIENTOLOGY!”
Scientology executive, Milt Wolfe called me into his office. He explained to me:
“This is top secret! LRH was going to come on land in GA. He got wind the F. B.I. were there and going to plant drugs on the ship, & arrest Ron. So he and the Sea Org zoomed around to CW, FL and bought the Ft. Harrison Hotel under another name.
So we came here on a lie. Now RTenny is promoting: Don’t trust scientology…the are liars. Vote for me”
As a result we cannot handle this….you need to, Tory. There sre 4 otherbpublic here who hopefully will help you.”
Shocked…..I said “ME?! I’m a new Mom. This town is out of control. What am I going to do???
He: “Go talk to them! We know you can do it”
So I talked to people and they left. I went to meetings. I joined “Save Sparkling Clearwater”. I finally suggested we have a party, and invite them. And no one talks about scientology. Just say I’m a Dr, Teacher, Mom whstever….and then talk with them.
Soon after Richard Tenny lost. I mention this to remind the CW public that WAS A SCIENTOLOGY PROGRAM THEY RAN THROUGH ME!
Did they care about Clearwater? Hell no. They will do *anything* to grt their way. Note: I was in for 30 years. I woke up in July 2000 and literally escaped out, flew from LA, CA to Tampa. The Tampa Police got me out of the Tampa Airport.
Find out about Scientology…it’s WORSE THAN YOU THINK.
I would like to hear more details on this.
Can you post it?
Tory tells her whole story on her You-Tube channel “Tory Magoo 44” check it out. She has very good content and is a great speaker.
I love grilled cheese sandwiches. Fancy ones with expensive cheese and tomatoes on artisanal bread. Cheap ones with American cheese on cheap bread. Unusual combinations and traditional ones, with or without tomato soup. I love them all.
But that Scientology grilled cheese looks disgusting. Is that bacon bits in it? What’s the goop next to it? Making me go “yuck” at a grilled cheese sandwich is a hell of an accomplishment.
That cheese sandwich in the pic looks like white bread and pimento cheese Yuck.
I’m trying to understand, but I just don’t get where the “charity” part comes in for the CVC Charity Potluck. Are the people who come going to be “regged” until they pony up a contribution to a “charity”? I looked at the website and although it mentions tickets, it says it’s free to attend and there’s no mention of a charity. Not even a request to bring a can of food, or a mention of matching contributions. What am I missing?
Great post today.
That “human rights” event will likely be staffed by the human trafficked labor of the Sea Org. If the people of the area fully understood the human cost of Scientology’s activities and the widespread abuses inherent in making all of it possible, I don’t think anyone would attend anything.
Beautiful last paragraph, Mike. Just perfect in it’s truth. But sad. It makes me angry that these charlatans continue to get away with this joke of a “church”, abusing the protections afforded true churches and not truly providing anything for the community’s needy. The saddest thing is that the sheeple don’t know they are being led by a charlatan. Thanks for another great blog post. (Oh, and you left out a word in your last sentence I think – “pig” – might wanna tuck that in there. ;))
Some know and don’t care. Most don’t want to know.
I know…it’s just sad. To be so controlled you don’t even want to look, or can’t bring yourself to… I remember when I first looked, after first stumbling upon an article in the news. It was hard. But then I felt a sense of freedom. I read some more stuff and doubts I’d always had resurfaced and things began to make sense and then I had to talk to my husband who I knew had similar but unvoiced feelings. Then I was thankful I’d never gotten my children on course. Honestly I feared the Sea Org regs too much. I read here every day Mary and every time I see your name I think about your son and hope he somehow has a realization and comes back to you. (((Hug)))
“Do they really think they fool anyone at this point?”
I seriously doubt that most people who are trapped in this scam spend much time thinking about the consequences of their actions because they are far too busy dealing with the mental consequences of those actions.
What consequences? For the most part, I suspect those consequences are all about fear.
Fear of being compelled to come up with large amounts of money in short order to pay for auditing as well as other services that are the result of sec checks or attending the RPF. Any time someone who is a member of this scam expresses the slightest disagreement with the policies, they are compelled to undergo auditing – which in these circumstances are essentially forced interrogations. What is even worse, people are compelled to pay for this auditing and it’s not cheap. It is very expensive and people are compelled to find the money to pay for it in short order.
The other big fear is the loss of friends and family members as a result of disconnection.
These fears are extremely real and the consequences are extremely painful.
Allowing this scam to exist is very much like having medieval torture chambers alive and well in the 21st century.
P.S. I wrote a much longer and more detailed post but sadly, I erased it by mistake.
So, if it shows up later, I just want you all to know what happened.
There’s also something called “moral injury.” Most people are traumatized by doing something they know, deep down, is wrong. When someone isn’t (like LRH), that’s because there’s something horribly wrong with them in the first place.
If people who leave Scientology don’t deal with their moral injuries, I think they’re very likely to either fall into another cult or back into Scientology’s clutches. They’re certainly going to have difficulties. Mike and Leah seem to be grappling with it well. My theory about Marty Rathbun is that his moral injury was extreme — and since he didn’t deal with it, it broke him.
Hello Lliira. “Moral injury” is an interesting concept.
I’ve never considered such a thing before. But I can certainly see the merit of your POV.
Thank you for putting that forward. I’m thinking other people will find that an interesting concept to consider.
Lliira – I looked moral injury up. Yes of course, us xscientologist or any cult followers, would have trauma and a complex PTSD from such.
And yes, it didn’t effect LRH because him controlling our thinking was not against his morals of course.
And something I want to point out about some x scientologist – many do not remember these things happened. This may be a current ok way to at least operate and get a job to survive but at some point, as memory returns, the PTSD/ThursdayOCD/scentedproducts/whiteglove/inspections and other inlaid fears and biases need to be handled.
Just understanding some of it is helpful. Thank you for your post.
Skyler,
Good insights there! I wrote a little bit about that fear:
https://markfretless.blogspot.com/2019/09/once-upon-time.html
If you( or anyone else) decide to read it, let me know what you think of it, please…
Cheers!
I have not finished reading yet but paused to tell you that I truly did enjoy your insight as to the “Bridge” in Scamatology. Namely that unlike real bridges, people do not go “across” that bridge but instead they just go “up” that bridge.
The insight there is that This Scam is never finished with you. Once they know your name and phone number, they will never let go of you until your dying day (or preferrably until their dying day).
The cost of believing in that stupid bridge just keeps going up and up and up.
The amount of reading you are expected to do and the cost of the books just keeps going up and up and up.
The amount of money and the number of ways you are expected to give them that money just keeps going up and up and up.
Your personal depression and psychotic fear just keeps going up and up and up.
There is simply no escape until you escape or you die or they die. My choice would be for them to die – hopefully after some kind of “trial” (not necessarily the kind of trial launched by some kind of legal court – after all … Mike and Leah put these bastards through a tremendous “trial by TV” that was likely more strenuous than most legal kinds of trials.
The message is that once they have you, Scamology never lets you go until one of you dies or you run out of money.
Actually, they don’t care if you run out of money. When you do, they just go through your credit. But when you can no longer get any more credit with which you give them money, then they no longer care about you.
Hmmm …. I wonder if The Aftermath Foundation might be interested in setting up some kind of business that would give victims credit and lead them into bankruptcy so their credit rating is ruined so that The Scam will let them go. Then, they could return all the money – except for a very tiny percentage to compensate for their service – so their credit rating would be restored and they would be free from The Scam. ……. I wonder.
Dang! I wrote a post a few minutes ago in which I said, “There is no escape until you escape”.
Ooops! I meant to write, “There is no escaping their clutches until you either blow or one of you dies.”
Is the CoS trying to “out-create” their bad PR and The Tampa Bay Times article and Tracey McManus with their goodwill campagnes?
And what’s this repeated “… we want to make sure you are the first to know!”? Some urgency or desperation?
———————-
They are barred from entering scientology premises. And if they managed to gain special access through the front door, they would be given no unfettered access anywhere.
I’m just waiting that they open some doors to their buildings and do controlled tours, just to make you wrong. Maybe they have muffins, too.
If they do have muffins they’ll probably charge you for them.
Pluvo,
You know that they are predictable, robotic followers of El Rum Blowhard’s sociopathic policies…
Fakers and Liars. Always. Per Policy.
Hip, hip, hooray!
That pig is way too cute. What the citizens of Clearwater see is a snake!
“Thanksgiving Grilled Cheese!” Mmm, my favorite: Velveeta.
My local Episcopal Church provides a Thanksgiving dinner to anyone who walks in the door — two days before Thanksgiving so as not to conflict with the other big free dinner in town. I’d go so far as to say that just about everyone who wants one can get a free Thanksgiving dinner in this country, provided by groups that don’t have a lot of money – while this abominable “cherch” with money to burn, gives away absolutely nothing.
Shame on you, Nancy Cartright and all your whale colleagues, whose dollars keep this horror show going.
At this point she’s Nancy CartWRONG! She’s put me off The Simpsons for a mighty long time now. It’s sad she has access to such a cash cow like the show’s she’s on, only to give it to such an unworthy & wasteful cult cause instead of legitimate ones.
Kudos to your Episcopal church for providing this heartfelt and loving service!
I love Danish Havarti cheese for making grilled cheese sandwiches and cheeseburgers.
This is weird. It’s like they think that people outside their control don’t see the empty buildings, don’t know that the cult isn’t doing a thing for the community except creating a problem for their city (or what used to be their city). There is no return of any value to anyone except the cult. It’s becoming a ghost town as far as the average, tax paying citizens are concerned.
According to Chris Shelton, there is a method to the madness. When Scientology becomes insolvent they simply sell all the real estate and Miscavige pockets the proceeds.
I never thought of that Alcoboy. Devious! Yet that makes sense. It’s all about money and DM.
Chris Shelton was certainly not the first to figure that out.
Chris has no idea of the assets available. There will be no insolvency. The interest alone annually from the stashed cash would top $100,000,000.00
If they become insolvent? Can a church actually declare bankruptcy? It would be interesting to see how a bankruptcy judge would distribute their assets.
I might have to attend that Bock party!! Lol. Great blog as usual, Mike!!
Michelle, I saw you at the Bock Party! However, there was NO FUCKING ALCOHOL! What fun is that! I’m so bummed out, Michelle.
“Lipstick on a pig?” More like trying to put lipstick on ole dead liver lips himself. It’s just stinkin’ up the place.
Stinkin’ up the place for sure. Especially Hubbard’s nasty, rotting teeth and foul breath. EWW.