Evangelical America: Profiteers at the Pulpit

In terms of religion, I find modern-day TV Christianity to be disturbing on several different levels, being very greedy.

At the top of my list would be Benny Hinn.  His tv programs feature him and others asking for money, over and over again.  I attended one of his healing crusades with a friend and was not impressed.  In a stadium in Minneapolis, nothing about this seemed spiritual.  A large, quiet crowd watched and people were brought up to the stage.  At one point I was so bored and uninspired I went outside to look around the city I had once lived in. 

The part of his ministry I find destructive is the promises he makes are unreasonable.  Do I believe in miracles?  Yes.  Have I seen any miracles come out of this healing ministry? No.  His inaccurate predictions about “God destroying the gay community in 1995″ never came true.  I found this to be cringe-worthy;  what does the rest of the world think of us Christians now?  I don’t want anyone to be destroyed.  The very idea that this would be considered a good thing is disturbing to me.  The story of Sodom and Gomorrah to me was more about sexual immorality, not about homosexuality.  However, all religious writings are open to interpretations.

The worst of all is the target audience: homebound people.  In modern America, we have older people are unable to leave their homes due to illness, location, lack of transportation, among other reasons.  These folks may have mental disorders (Alzheimer’s, agoraphobia, MS, e.g.), and take what’s said on these programs literally.  Many shell out a great deal of money, because a lot of it is guilt-tripping the audience.  

One day, I made myself watch Christian tv programming all day, and in the end  I felt like I had been the victim of a lobotomy.  Some of it did make sense, but it was common sense stuff I already knew.   I came away from it, thinking about money and salvation, what is the relationship with one another?

To me the newest theology contradictory to the Bible would be; prosperity theology.  In the most basic terms, it’s about God favoring people and bestowing on them material wealth.  This is in polar opposite to the practice of being a Monk, a Nun, or a Priest.  It’s called a vow of poverty, which is also known as perfect charity and obedience. 

I can’t pick up a Italian-leather sectional and say “God favors me because I have this”.  That’s not a sign of a miracle, that’s obtaining what you have earned through hard work and responsible spending.  To prove my point, here’s a scripture quote: “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God”.  That’s found at Matthew 19:24   Not to say rich people cannot or do not get into heaven, but they have to walk the straight and narrow.  Also, I would point to one of the Ten Commandments:  “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”  Exodus 20:17   

Is the money ministry breaking one of the biggest laws of the Bible by perpetuating the idea that material things are so important?  How do we, as Christians, define coveting?  If you would like to see the Merriam-Webster definition, click here: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/covet

Does Godliness cause prosperity?  In my opinion, no.  It’s unreasonable to expect material wealth out of something you can neither prove nor disprove.   In literal terms, the Protestant view would mirror my own:  to be charitable to one’s neighbor, thankfulness for what you have already, and prohibits any grief over the betterment of your neighbor’s home.

This brings me to the biggest question of all: how much are TV Evangelists really worth?  How much money do they bring?  How do they live?  Well ladies and gentlemen, I have found those answers.  Let’s take Trinity Broadcasting for instance, they annually generate $200 million.  They do not belong to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, which is a self-regulating watch dog group.  In June of 2007, they purchased the Holy Land Experience for $37 million.  The owners, the Crouches, are paid around $900,000 yearly, and finally the big number, TBN earned $188,152,079 in 2007.  As a final note on TBN, they refuse to disclose their net worth. 

Creflo Dollar hasn’t got a sparkling reputation either, one watchdog group gave him an F grade in financial transparency.  The website can be found here: http://www.ministrywatch.com/profile/creflo-dollar-ministries.aspx   Some of my fellow Christians mind find the site to be useful overall, as it discusses important information regarding church financial records.  You can find the church mission statement also, which I don’t agree with.

With all due respect to my fellow believers, Christians, I implore you to explore your charity or your church before you give.

Blown For Good: A Great First Effort

To the best of my knowledge, “Blown For Good” is Marc Headley’s first book.   As a person that loves literature, this is staying on my book shelves for years to come, and here’s why.

The forward, written by Mr. Rathbun, demonstrates how vastly different experiences can be in Scientology.  I’ve always said “Experiences may vary”, when talking about religion.  Former and current members of any other religion/school of though/philosophy would tell you the same thing.

The book immediately grabs your attention, with a stark story of escape.  It’s so unfathomable that this is happening in America, it makes you wonder what else has gone on under the radar.  Danny Dunagin, I just don’t know what to even say or think about this guy.  I feel kinda sorry for him, because in YouTube videos he seems tough and girly at the same time.   See also:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHOqzYQHufA , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR7iaOyz3MY&NR=1   I know I shouldn’t because he attacked AnonOrange and other people, but I wonder what tales he would have to tell. 

So, Mr. Headley explains the structure and how he became a Scientologist to begin with.  It’s a lesson that fact can be stranger than fiction: this is not how your average American grows up.  His descriptions of being at the schools, and in particular the Complex evoked laughter at times, deep sadness at others.  At one point, he describes a 8-year-old girl standing in a pot to clean it because she is too small to stand at the sink to get it cleaned. 

In describing life at Golden Era Productions, I was surprised but not.  I knew it was bad, but some interesting details were revealed.  I’d say what they are, but that would kill the surprise for future readers.

The ending made the book impossible to put down.  It reminded me of the ending of “Valley of the Dolls”, just enthralling.  Claire Headley appears in the book at first as a great wife, and in the end you can see how clever and brave she is.  Good prevails over evil, what a story book ending!

I’m hoping Mr. Headley continues to write, he has a natural talent for it.  Here’s my review on youtube, which didn’t convey all I wanted to say:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy8OcoGnHd4   After the holidays are over, I will be getting Nancy Many’s book “My Billion Year Contract”.

The Middle Road: Scientology

Scientology has reminded me of a lot of things, and all I ever read was Dianetics.  It’s not because I’m a Scientologist, it’s by observing the many groups surrounding this semi-mysterious, controversial group.  As someone who tries to study every religion, I find myself on a middle road in terms of opinion.  People are entitled to believe what they want, but there ought to be limits to actions perpetuated in the name of religion.  History should have taught us this.

Like almost every other religion, Scientology has gone under a lot of scrutiny.  I think it is justified and logical, as part of the human reasoning process, we should question the validity of everything that comes our way.  From its inception, it was not well-received by governments because of its activity.  Most famously, Scientology was convicted of making the largest government infiltration in American History.  It should be also noted, that Paulette Cooper and the Mayor of Clearwater were “fair gamed” before David Miscavige came along.   The publication of a book about this was banned because of Scientology lawyers.  Lisa McPherson changed a lot of things, and now reading Marc Headley’s new book, I realize her passing made a lot of lives miserable.  It wasn’t just her family like I thought, everyone but the person responsible got punished, and this makes my flesh crawl.  It’s wrong in so many ways, I have a hard time coming up with words to describe it.  Lisa suffered, her family did, and so did Scientologists.  It’s odd this woman, who cannot speak, still resonates with purpose.

Fast forward past the tax exempt status to January of 2008.  Then Anonymous arrived, like a Calvary out of the dark midst of the internet.  They caught someone smacking a cat against the wall and made sure that person was punished for this heinous act.  Also, our awesome Canadian friends to the north from Anonymous caught a pedophile by using their brains and computers alone.  They went out to protest this semi-mysterious group, and all of a sudden the flood gates opened.  Information from left and right, and I had to buy Dianetics.  I had to know what I was talking about, the fundamentals.  It was boring to me, but someone else could find it interesting.  Anyway, I realize now that it’s a heck of a lot more complicated than that. 

The social structure within is absolutely filled with acronyms.  I’m studying medical terminology, and from this perspective one rivals the others in groups of letters, I swear.  The corporate structure of shell groups is not so amazing when you find out how it’s done.  RadioPaul1 of youtube has done a number of videos on this very subject, of closed down orgs, mailbox organizations, and orgs in strange places.  At the cable store in Hudson Valley, NY there’s a Scientology sign inside a cable payment center.  Scientology reminded me fact can be stranger than fiction.  There was a quote about the tone scale: 

In any event, any person from 2.0 down on the Tone Scale should not have, in any thinking society, any civil rights of any kind, because by abusing those rights he brings into being arduous and strenuous laws which are oppressive to those who need no such restraints.

• The “Tone Scale” is Scientology’s measure of mental and spiritual health; p. 145

No Scientologist has ever really been able to adequately explain this quote to me.  I would appreciate it if anyone could give it a shot.

My interpretation would be this: There are a lot of people who are 2.2 on the tone scale, more than most people know.  This would also adjust with changes times, like “The Great Depression”.  You think people weren’t depressed?  Because of these natural fluctuations, I would be innocently assuming that LRH didn’t mean it literally,  but then I read the following:

Unfortunately, it is all too often true that suppressors to a creative action must be removed before construction and creation takes place. Any person very high on the Tone Scale may level destruction toward a suppressor.

• p. 159

There are only two answers for the handling of people from 2.0 down on the Tone Scale, neither one of which has anything to do with reasoning with them or listening to their justification of their acts. The first is to raise them on the Tone Scale by un-enturbulating some of their theta by any one of the three valid processes. The other is to dispose of them quietly and without sorrow.

• p. 170

The sudden and abrupt deletion of all individuals occupying the lower bands of the Tone Scale from the social order would result in an almost instant rise in the cultural tone and would interrupt the dwindling spiral into which any society may have entered.

• p. 170

A Venezuelan dictator once decided to stop leprosy. He saw that most lepers in his country were also beggars. By the simple expedient of collecting and destroying all the beggars in Venezuela an end was put to leprosy in that country.

• p. 171

Scientology is not fluff, butterflies, daydreams, or making shapes out of clouds.  It’s not tea-leaf reading crapola, Scientologists fiercely defend this mode of thought, philosophy, religion.  They are dedicated, hard-working, cut-throat at times, creative, debaters, and I also found they can be great people.

Paul Haggis recently gave up the Church of Scientology after 35 years because of the church’s support of Prop 8.  Sherry Katz and Mary-Jo Leavitt both wrote KRs (Knowledge Reports) that brought for the reality of what it is like to work under David Miscavige-Era Scientology.  It is not an “Ice Cream Social” or anything of the sort.  When Mr. Rathbun, along with other people such as Amy Scobee, Sinar Parman, Jackie Wolff, Gary Morehead, Mike Rinder came out with shocking stories also, of what it is like to serve someone who seems to, by many accounts, has an issue with megalomania.  Beating, unusual punishment, imprisonment is no laughing matter and is completely unacceptable.  You can’t call something a religion to abuse people, religion doesn’t work that way.   These folks had some great words when faced with irrelevant and silly pieces of information the church used to make itself look like the victim. 

Tommy Davis, the newest spokesthing, sent a response to the Times, which is quite telling.  See it here: http://www.tampabay.com/news/scientology/article1012575.ece  My favorite part is where Tommy said Rinder was resentful because he couldn’t roam with dogs in the big grass anymore or some crap like that.  His response was:  “I don’t want to run in toxic grass with rabid dogs”.  I think that was well said.

Tommy Davis, the poor kid.  He’s so bad at being the fall guy, it’s like watching a train wreck in slow-motion.  He at first said:  “I’m not familiar with that material”, to being offended about Xenu.  He also lied about disconnection.  A lady in Scientology had told a recently left OTVIII’s friends to take her off their Facebook.  That’s disconnection, that’s cutting off communication.  Another irregularity which I found to be sad and amusing at the same time:  Sherry Katz is awaiting her SP Declare because it GOT CLOGGED IN THE INTERNETS.  Meaning, her SP declare was emailed to people she didn’t even know.  Disconnection is part of the SP Declare, which you can read about here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SP_Declare#Abuse_of_the_.22Suppressive_Person.22_label

More about the internets, in recent blogs written by Scientologists, I think they perceive Anonymous as a threat or a pack of bullies, which is quite far from the truth.  In getting to know people from Anonymous, they come from almost every walk of life, in all different colors and sizes.  They may make noise, not to be jerks, but to grab attention.  When people like Uwe Stuckenbrock die in the RPF of multiple sclerosis, it’s not about fun and games.  When we find a picture of a man who died in the Fort Harrison Hotel, his skin nearly boiled off his body, the public gets freaked out.  When Tom Cruise went under a drastic personality change in 2004, the world noticed.  I think Scientology’s first big mistake was trying to stop the flow of free information.  One man had said; “The internet will be Scientology’s Waterloo”.  A Dutch woman, Ms. Spaink, was taken to court for 10 years and eventually won her case to post information about Scientology on the internet.  Trying to suppress information makes the public angry, suspicious, and can incite negativity.  Other religions have no problem posting their information for free.

So, I think the main purposes behind Anonymous would be:  stopping abuses, freedom of information, and at least lowering the cost of (or making it free) Scientology.  That’s been my observation.  Some people take issue with the doctrine itself, and what I would say to that is: all religious text is open to interpretation.  However, because of Scientology closing itself off from the world for such a long time, both sides have an attitude of distrust.

Anonymous hasn’t assaulted a single Scientologist, but there are incidents of Scientolgists assaulting protesters.  This is strange and unacceptable behavior as well.  Don’t believe me?  Please have a look at:  Lady protesters from Copenhagen gets shoved http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPBpS-TEjug , a minor in London  getting hit in the face by a handler  http://www.youtube.com/user/trapsicle , the infamous starbucks guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4_b3z2E-0I , Tommy Gorman (Former Scientologist) got assaulted and charges were filed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kpvsB_At_I , news coverage of Nashville assault of college student http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvHpFtjNg_c , the infamous Anon Orange assault at Gold http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTR07SgrXfU , and there are many others.   On the subject of youtube, here’s me:  http://www.youtube.com/user/Shalindriaharam

To date, no one has shown me a video of Anonymous hurting anyone.   They are not a terrorist group or a cult, it’s a loose collection of individuals who find the behavior of CO$ to be unacceptable.  I concur, and the reason they wear masks is so that they are not “fair gamed” and have their medical privacy violated like The Pope  http://www.angrygaypope.com .  The cameras are used as evidence, CO$ likes to make false accusations.

All that considered, I’m on the fence in regards to Scientology.  Dianetics wasn’t my cup of tea, but who am I to judge?  I’d be a hypocrite, however making observations is fair.  Scientology itself deeply needs reform.  Mormonism is a modern-day example of religious reformation, but my favorite example was Martin Luther.  He attempted to reform the Catholic church, that brave soul.  They tried to kill him over it, but in the end good prevailed.  We now have the denomination Lutheranism, which is somewhat like Catholicism, just a heck of a lot less dogmatic.  Today Martin Luther’s observations about Catholicism ring true.

In summation, I would like to refer my favorite David Bowie song, Heroes.   “We can be heroes, even just for one day”. Protesters, Anonymous, Freezoners, Ex Scientologists like Jason Beghe and Tory Christman, Independents, Critics like 13Heathens http://www.youtube.com/user/13Heathens, Writers like Marc Headley (I loved the book) and Paulette Cooper, Apostates like Tommy Gorman, these people are the heroes.  The dethroning of Miscavige should be the primary objective, his behavior has gone too far.  Someday (in a perfect world), I would like to see Scientologists sharing their beliefs in the same manner other religions do.  People fear what they do not understand, this is a big barrier to overcome.  However, it is possible.

A Lifetime of the Paranormal Part 1

If I hadn’t experienced this for myself, I wouldn’t believe a word of it.  My life started in Mundelein, IL.  My parents had moved in after getting married in November of 1980.  I was born September of 1981, so I don’t remember living there.  However, my mother and father both remember something strange happening there.  In the kitchen, pictures of a couple they hadn’t seen before kept seeming to appear out of the wall (or literally the woodwork), and at first they were puzzled.  One day, my mother approached one of the neighbors about it with the pictures in hand, and the person had told her the tenants just before them had a sad story.  The man had killed his wife in that apartment.  Three years later they moved to our house in northern Illinois, Cook County (aka Crooked County).

I distinctly remember mother with a floor sander when I was three years old, and how big the house was compared to the apartment.  I had a big blue room with a huge closet with doors made of mirrors.  My first experience with the paranormal happened in this room.  I was laying in bed, and everyone was asleep.  I remember there was a nightlight, and six or seven tall shadow figures stood over me.  I looked in the mirrors on the other side of the room, and they were in the reflection as well.  No noise was made, nothing was moved, and I wasn’t really frightened.  I was wondering what they were doing there and what they wanted.

Years went by and these sort of things kept on trying to get my attention.  Because of my hearing loss and speech impairment, I had to see a speech therapist.  I also had a tutor.  Neither one of these people ever noted any kind of mental problems such as delusions or any sort of hyperactivity disorder.  The next incident I recall was being alone in the house, taking a shower.  This bathroom was off my bedroom, so I could close my bedroom door and leave the other door open.  The door slammed shut, and everything got cold.  I struggled to get the door open, but eventually I got out.

Later on that year, another strange incident happened.  It was night and everyone was asleep.  I heard this piano out in the living room, playing Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven.  We did not own a piano, and I had yelled for my parents who were upstairs in a loft-style bedroom.  My voice should have carried, but they wouldn’t wake up.  Only after the song was done did the piano noise stop.  As a sidenote, when I was 15-year-old and in Honor’s Chorus, a random band student happened to be playing the same song,  and I had this strange feeling hearing it after all those years.   I was about to sing in front of a couple hundred people, so that could have something to do with it.

My parents had a marriage wrecked by alcoholism, infidelity, and resentment.  I had to stay with my grandmother for a month or so, and staying with her was so peaceful.  We played card games and watched birds from her kitchen window while mom was in rehab.  This was one of the few times I felt comfortable and safe.

Mother made a recovery, and when she came out I was hoping things would be different.  We moved into a tiny farm house that I hated, because she didn’t have much money.  Father was refusing to pay child support because he resented us being so far from him that he couldn’t see me.  In this house, I had disturbing dreams and a feeling an old man was standing at the end of my bedroom (it was shaped like a rectangle, with windows on both ends).  I talked to the home owner years later, and she had relayed to me her father died in that house an old man.  We moved after we found snakes in the basement and other events occurred.

The next place we moved to is a place I consider home, a 4-bedroom farmhouse 15 miles away from your typical Wisconsin rural town (population under 5,000).  The house was old and had a rich history.  It was built around 1910, and the first and original house served as a shed.  According to my research and interviews, 9 people had either died in the house or on the property.  Two had been suicides, two died of diphtheria, four died in a car crash on the property, and one man of old age.  It was located on the knoll of a huge hill, overlooking the valley.  The house was white with black shudders, a decent porch.  It had been abandoned for seven years, which added to the rumors it was haunted.  I was eleven, it was July of 1993.  Mother and I walked through the house, and I didn’t like the upstairs hallway right away.  We found a cow upstairs (the landlord, myself, and my mother), and we just freaked out and started laughing.

I looked around the property a little further.  I was keen on the two horses that were standing in wait at the fence, as if saying; “come on over.”  After all the upheaval and hell, I felt like I was finally home.

During my first few months there, I noticed my precognitive dreams increased dramatically.  I felt like someone was always watching me go up the stairs, so mother would wait at the bottom of the stairs and wait for me to give the “ok” to shut off the light.  I noticed scratching in the wall, which at first we attributed to vermin.  We set up traps and poison, and of course after the time it was abandoned, we found mice and voles.  After 11 years of setting traps, searching the attic, and ripping apart a heating duct, no trace of vermin or birds were found where the noise emanated from.

I had witnesses to my plight later in life.  A friend was staying over one night, when around 3:00a.m. in the morning, a ceramic unicorn flew about 7-8 feet across the room and shattered when it smashed on the wall.  I turned on the bedside lamp immediately and there were no animals in the room, and my friend was deeply startled.  The most positive thing to come out of that experience was that I was validation.  Many children/teenagers/adults that have these experiences crave validation, witnesses.  Nothing is worse than feeling like you are completely and utterly alone in a fight.

All these things said, around that time I started to study various religions, starting with Paganism and Abrahamic religions.  At some point, a friend and I discussed occult practice and came to the conclusion it would be interesting to study.  During this time things got worse.  Could have been hormones, could have been timing.  One day, I was cleaning and packing to go to Illinois.  I looked at the desk and there was a spoon on it, I was reminding myself to take it downstairs.  I turned around and a split second later, it flew off the desk and to the other side of the room. 

That same year, I made my first art sale.  My room was meticulous, and I set the check out to celebrate my success with friends.  I went to get ready to go out, and the check disappeared.  No one else was living on the second floor of the house at the time, and no one else was home.  I stood in my room alone, thankful I had money saved from my job to go out.  Before I left, I made an announcement out loud.  “Whatever or whomever took my check off the bed, I want it returned there before I get back.”  When I returned a day later, the check was on the bed.  I checked with my mother and future stepfather, neither one of them had seen the check or had been upstairs.

Tragedy struck in 1999, when two family friends died of a drug overdoses within 30 days of each other.   Both deaths were accidental and my mother had a difficult time dealing with the loss of her best friend.  So, she asked me to engage in a practice called automatic writing.  This was very easy to do, almost too easy.  She asked questions and I wrote the answers with my less dominant hand, while in a trance-like state.  Nothing incredibly spectacular occurred, aside from confirming both our thoughts.  What happened two weeks later is something I’ll never forget.

I have an addiction to candles, so I had one lit on the dresser one night. Generally I’m careful, however this night I forgot to blow it out.  There was a poster hanging by the dresser, and the tape came off the wall.  As I was falling asleep, I heard my friend’s voice loudly say “dammit”.  I opened my eyes and no one else was around or up.  I got up and before I blew out the candle, I looked at what I had done.  To my horror, I realized I could have burnt down the house.  I told this story to my mother the next day, and she was shocked.  Jill (the friend)had a dream the house burned down because someone left a candle lit. 

After high school, I went to trade school and worked for a while.  My new profession was boring, so I decided to move away and attended Job Corps.  I moved to one of the oldest centers in the United States, in the middle of nowhere.  That was a great experience.  I think it deserves its own post.

Standing Up to Bullies

There are times in everyone’s lives where we have been bullied.  Whether it’s a racist landlord, a perverted boss, an angry co-worker,  an alcoholic relative,  a fellow student, or maybe someone who was trusted.  Part of growing up is growing a backbone, which to me doesn’t necessarily mean do the same back.  A good friend once told me, ”what you allow to remain will continue”.  I’m learning this more and more as the years go by, and how to stop bullies in their tracks.

My secret trick is to do the exact opposite back to them, or ignore them.  Nothing angers a bully into doing something stupid more than not being paid the attention they believe they deserve or crave.  When someone is ruthless to you, don’t do it back.  Sinking to their level is what a bully wants, because bullies are secretly miserable people who put on facades.  They hide behind false bravado, lawyers, muscles, or anything they can do to put up a defensive shield. 

Bullies will cross all of our paths, and the one thing that can be learned is that he bullied often become bullies themselves.  It’s a defensive reflex to do something equally horrible or worse to someone who has tried to push you around.  However, this accomplishes nothing but feeding animosity and true discontent.  The feeling of having revenge, I have found, is futile.  It is short-lived and only makes things worse in the end anyway.

After having learned this, came a rushing feeling to not caring what others think.  Standing a little straighter, extending olive branches when applicable, and knowing when to burn bridges is the freedom I found in overcoming bullies.  For anyone reading this is being bullied, I hope you know you’re not the first or the last. 

Young people have been bullied to death (literal suicide) for their weight, social status, economic status, ethnicity, beliefs, and almost any other small part of a person.  One girl in England who was 13 years old killed herself after being picked on mercilessly for her weight.  I will never forget her face, she looked like a cherub.  There was nothing wrong with her.  I, for one, wish this issue was addressed more often than it is.

Thank you for reading

Alcoholism/Social decline in Wisconsin

Being a Wisconsin native, the past few years of economic decline has lead to social decline.  Friends from the Milwaukee area have told me of entire unemployment benefit checks going to binge-drinking fueled by lay-offs.  I’ve noticed more kids talking to me about abuse they suffer at the hand of their alcoholic parents, noticed the bars have been more filled with people, drunken driving is on the rise, and more are homeless in my beautiful state I begrudgingly call home.

This was no more evident than yesterday evening.  My fiance`s mother was over at 9:00 p.m. to wish me a happy birthday.  About 10 minutes later, my landlady and her drunken-cohort (a neighbor) came up to the apartment to threaten to kick me out because I have friends that come over.  My 71-year old landlord told me that because I had a black friend that I am “peddling drugs”.  I have a clean criminal history, never tested positive on a toxicology screen, good work history, and a fairly good reputation.  By the time everyone had left, I realized that by association, I was a victim of racial stereotyping.  I am so offended and alienated, I would rather stay in a camp ground in a tent than be here. 

In many ways I’ve noticed that when the economy is in ruins, people don’t have as many “things” occupying their time, therefore they start to nit-pick each other to death or drink.  Both have a social impact.  Another good example is my front yard.  In the past two years, 4 signs have been knocked over by drunken-drivers and a young man died after driving drunk into a tree at 5:00 a.m.  Friends have been fired from my company for pettier things than in the past, and unemployment is a factor into all of this.  When people have less responsibilities, they generally act that way too.

With all that said, I cannot wait to move.  I hope I can remain gainfully employed.

A Letter to the President

 

Dear Mr. President Obama

 

My name is Jessica, I’m from Wisconsin, and I am worried about the state of affairs in Scientology. I know it is controversial, and we all want to enjoy the freedom of religion in America. However, I write to you today because of the things I have observed as an critic of Scientology. I would like to begin with Gold Base in Gilman Hot Springs, California. This place is surrounded by numerous motion detectors, cameras mounted in trees, speakers meant to drown out the sound and discourage protesters, and the most disturbing are the large spikes on the top of the fences that face inward. They do resemble knives in their size and shape. If you do not believe me, please visit www.angrygaypope.com and look at all the pictures this man has of this place. He stands from the road and can see the spikes. In this place, there is a organization headed by Scientology, the Rehabilitation Project Force. People live in horrible conditions, with less than $20 a week in salary for 12-hour work days. Sometimes they have to work seven days in a row. A man, Uwe Stuckenbrock died in this place of Multiple Sclerosis. He couldn’t even talk and he wasn’t admitted to the hospital. This is human slavery sir, and I don’t think this should be tolerated on American soil. If you want further proof, look at their social security payments. How are these people going to retire? If they want to leave, some do so under duress. There is this thing called a “freeloaders” debt. They have to work off their “religious services”, or be bullied into paying thousands of dollars for “religious services”. There’s is also an “Eagles Nest” overlooking the property. This can be used to keep an eye on followers so that they are not slacking off. Even more disturbing, this could be used to shoot people with a sniper rifle. An Armenian arms dealer has been connected with Scientology and was sentenced to 20 years in prison for dealing arms. Artur Solomonyan was here on a “religious workers” visa from Scientology, then convicted of terrorism. There have  been reports  from Ex-Scientologists that they have more people working for them that are here illegally from other countries. Homeland Security needs to check the documents of all religious workers.

 

 The next issue is abuses by David Miscavige. In a Tampa Bay Times article, ex-members have told stories of horrible abuses by this leader. There were stories of him choking, kicking, punching, and humiliating staff members. There are also stories about him encouraging violent behavior among his juniors. Please see the article “The Truth Rundown”. One woman told a story of being screamed at by over 300 of her peers for not producing enough e-meters. Also, the e-meters are supposed to have warning labels that they are not meant for any medical use. There have been several youtube.com videos showing the warning labels missing. I will be contacting the FDA regarding this issue. I will also contact the AMA over the fact that two men’s medical information was released by churchworker Muriel Dufresne. She is a criminal who broke the HIPAA Act and told Riverside County Sherrif’s deputies that they were HIV positive and that she thought they shouldn’t be there because of their “medical status”. I do not have HIV or AIDS, but I find this to be infuriating. Being religious doesn’t give you free reign to break whatever laws you want.

 

 

There’s also a great deal of concern about the critics of Scientology (portion ommitted for privacy reasons) I cannot reveal my name for fear of my own personal saftey. Personally, Scientologists on the internet have threatened to “get me on the streets”, rape me, and get me locked up in a looney bin “like Paulette Cooper”.

 The state of health and whereabouts of other Scientologists have been called into question. Heber Jentzsch has been missing from public eye for a good five years, and no one has heard if it he is still alive or dead. He was last known to be at the Gold Base in Hemet in the SP hall, sleeping under a desk. Mrs. Shelly Miscavige has been out of the public eye for at least 3 years. She is not pictured in Scientology events, which has changed. There’s many other families who were denied the right to speak to their daughters in particular. This is a very disturbing trend. Maureen Bolstad hasn’t seen her twin sister in years, and has been denied the constitutional right of free speech to actually send her a letter.

The subject of human trafficing is being brought up at the Marc Headley lawsuit (Marc and Claire Headley Vs. Church of Scientology) and has been brought up by former Scientologists and critics alike. There are remote sites such as Trementina, the Ranch in Creston, and Petrolia (a large underground vault in Northern California) are the places we know about. Currently, another underground mine to store “spiritual information” is being built in remote Wyoming. Why do they need all these underground, remote facilities? This information is enclosed in glass, written on platinum, steel, and gold. When news stations try to get near these places, they are always met with avoidance. The very minimum amount of information is given and journalists are discouraged from going near Scientology sites or asking questions.

During the making of documentaries and news coverage such as BBC’s Panorama, A&E Investigative Reports, Journalists from Time Magazine, among others have reported getting harassed, followed, and intimidated for their reporting. Two women that are free speech advocates/activists would be Lirra Bishop and Julie Waltz. Other People have spoken to the County Board of Supervisors about concerns that residents at Golden Era Productions do not vote for some strange reason. Also, a man was assaulted by Scientology guards had spoken to police about the incident, they refused to press charges even though there was sufficient video evidence.  All their “No Trespassing” signs are not legal, therefore completely invalid.

I have been thinking and meditating on the matter of Scientology ending, and they aren’t pretty thoughts at all. Basically, it could be numerous human catastrophes. That’s why I’m writing you this urgent letter. You see, my first concern is people of the church, OTs in particular. Of all the levels of Scientology, OTs seem to have the highest suicide rate of anyone in the church, aside from those being pressured for money.  And with the idea of reincarnation, some may harm themselves in the church fallout. Think of all those people that have no job skills, far from family, in remote locations (like Trementina), with over 20 years in the church. Some may have mental breakdowns. Also, there’s DM and his croonies. I’m worried for critics because devoted Scis might do like the people did in Jonestown. With the malignant personality that David Miscavige possesses, he might hurt people.

We all know he is capable and willing. Many things are common with Jonestown. If you want to prevent another catastrophe like Waco, Jonestown, Heaven’s Gate, and the Solar Temple suicides, you’ll have the right people questioned, Mr. Miscavige thrown in federal prison for breaking labor and civil rights laws, and raid all bases of Scientology. When people are kept as slaves, this is intolerable.  Absolutely intolerable and bordering on unfathomable. But it’s very much a reality you need to have looked into. Even ex-Scientologists who were once high-ranking officials seem scared for the safety and well-being of their fellow Scientologists. Don’t wait until this gets out of hand.

This is part of the letter I’m sending the president, along with other state representatives, lawmakers, human rights groups, and many others.

 

 

 

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