Mac Stevens' Petition to take responsibility for the crimes and wrongdoings of Scientology

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Scientologist Mac Stevens has posted a first draft of his Petition to take responsibility for the crimes and wrongdoings of Scientology. It is a work in progress, and this post will be updated as he refines it. It is being posted here for greater availability.

PETITION TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR THE CRIMES AND WRONGDOINGS
OF SCIENTOLOGY

Whereas, Scientology groups, Scientology Missions, Scientology Churches, Church of Scientology International, Religious Technology Center, Church of Spiritual Technology, and directly affiliated groups such as ABLE and Narconon ("Organizations") have survived only through the contributions of service and money donations of Scientologists, Church staff and executives, and others ("Supporters");

Whereas, numerous reports have been made of crimes and wrongdoings committed by staff and executives of the Organizations, and/or employees or contractors acting at the direct command of staff and executives of the Organizations ("Perpetrators")

Brief list of crimes & wrongdoings
- imprisonment resulting in untimely death: Lisa McPherson, Uwe Stuckenbrock
- Coerced Abortions
- Splitting up families (Disconnection policy)
- Censoring communication (SO staff)
- slave labor? (RPF)

Whereas, the Supporters, though perhaps ignorant of the crimes and wrongdoings, nevertheless directly or indirectly contributed to them.

Whereas, the Supporters, had they [had their heads out of their, um, out of the sand] were often subject to more than ample reports of such wrongdoings and crimes, but they chose to ignore or disbelieve the reports, and not effectively stop the crimes and wrongdoings.

Whereas, though the Perpetrators are at first glance, not deserving of any mercy, and such crimes and wrongdoings are at first glance heartless and evil, the truth is not so simple: often said Perpetrators were acting based on a supreme trust in LRH and strictly following policies; such trust was reinforced by Supporters giving real wins; such trust was reinforced by Supporters thanking the Management for doing what they do; such trust was perhaps also reinforced by Supporters giving exaggerated wins -- thus the deceit was two-way; and when said Perpetrators violated policy to commit such crimes and wrongdoings, the practice of violating policy was reinforced by Supporters allowing it;

Whereas, we Supporters and former Supporters therefore acknowledge some small, perhaps very small, responsibility for said crimes and wrongdoings; and we wish to be able to make up the damage for that as much as possible;

Whereas, when we consider that had we been in the shoes of the Perpetrators, with the same training, with the same stress, we wonder how much differently would we have acted;

Whereas, perhaps we ought to feel fortunate that the Perpetrators exhibited whatever restraint they did, for surely, it could have been far worse if certain other people had filled their shoes, as we can recall far more destruction committed in far less time by other historical figures in similar situations;

Whereas our first priority is to stop the occurrence of such wrongdoings and crimes, and our second priority is justice, to somehow bring justice by having those responsible make up the damage as much as possible, and we bear no ill will toward the Perpetrators;

Whereas, a man with no hope of a future, is a frightened and dangerous man;

Whereas, we are all better off with the truth coming out, and with the Perpetrators coming out and coming clean, than with some of the Perpetrators hiding themselves and hiding information;

Whereas, coming clean, coming out with the truth, is a courageous act, and worthy of some reward, even for a scum villain; and when done voluntarily and fully, is even cause for some small forgiveness and hope of recovery of the Perpetrator;

Whereas, if there is some reward for coming clean, coming out with the truth, more Perpetrators will do so;

Whereas, the sooner the suppressive policies are cancelled and freedom is restored, the better;

Whereas, any Supporter who does not believe any of the crimes or wrongdoings are factual and that the Organizations are blameless, will therefore have no reason to not be willing to agree to make up some portion of the damage, as it would be zero in his mind;

THEREFORE,

We, the undersigned Supporters and former Supporters, hereby humbly beg to all the Governments and Courts of Earth to make the following bargain:

If the Perpetrators come clean, speak the truth, cooperate fully with all Government investigations into said crimes and wrongdoings, and fully disclose all such crimes and wrongdoings, and

If the Organizations cancel the policy of disconnection, cancel all forms of coercion, cancel all forms of forced interference in communication, cancel all forms of imprisonment, in word and in deed, and

If the Organizations pledge to proceed, if they continue to exist at all, in the more humble role of assistants or freely trading partners with man, and not man's master, and

[ ... What's on your wish list? ]

Then, we, the undersigned, pledge to do our share to make up the damage of said crimes and wrongdoings, each share to be calculated based on the Supporter's knowledge of said wrongdoings, support of the Organizations, and whatever other pertinent factors the lawfully presiding Court deems appropriate; each share to consist of community service and/or monetary contributions to the victims; each share to be no more than a given maximum of time and money, each Supporter prescribing his or her own maximum (below);

Then, furthermore, the sentence of the Perpetrators is to be reduced by an amount decided by the presiding Court, said reduction based on the contributions of the Supporters; said reduction of penalty or sentence to be calculated so that Perpetrators have an incentive to cooperate, yet still provide justice to the victims;

Furthermore, it is not our intention at all to beg for leniancy. On the contrary, we ask for full justice. We are simply asking that some properly calculated portion of the penalty be transferred to us from the legally culpable Perpetrators.

We understand that though there is room for much error and unfairness in this bargain, that there is the likelihood of far more error, loss of life, and injustice in the proposition that we Supporters wash our hands of it and hide while the small minority take the fall.

We understand that this bargain will be messy as some of the Supporters are also victims, but it will be far more messy and secretive with less justice, were we to maintain the anger and hostility we first felt when learning of our betrayed trust.

And we know that some Supporters will choose to not sign this petition. We do not feel any hostility toward them, as we do not know enough to judge their situation. We have signed as if we were signing it alone, based only on our own knowledge. And we know that this is not the only petition possible -- this is just the hastily constructed ideas of one person. Other petitions may be made by other groups of Supporters based on their ideas and this is, of course, entirely acceptable.

We do not easily forgive -- we will only forgive the Perpetrators when, and to the degree that, the victims and/or their families and close friends forgive the Perpetrators. We hope that a bit of compassion from each of us will more swiftly bring freedom to those who feel trapped, expose more truth, and bring more people to a fuller justice than a hostile narrow-minded hunt for the most obvious and easily caught targets, or the driving of those already fearful and desperate into a dragged-out drama ending in a terrifying last stand in which no one wins.

This petition is a statement of purpose, and we may cancel it and replace it with a substantially similar petition and bargain, so as to gain more agreement, but with equal willingness to contribute.

We will act in good faith, if the Perpetrators, victims, courts of justice, and police also act in good faith.


1. Mac Stevens max community service: 500 hours contact information: stevensm@earthlink.net
2.
3.
4.
... (revised and re-worded so as to be inoffensive to the maximum number of Scientologists and ex-Scientologists)

Is anyone still with me? I'll summarize the idea and make some comments.

We give the crooks a break, give them some glimmer of hope that they can again walk free, knowing the damage has been made up as fairly as humanly possible. We take responsibility for our role in the mess.

We far more rapidly achieve the goals of, say, letting the RPF go home for Christmas, and that sort of thing, the goal of getting OSA to quit harrassing -- all that kind of stuff. We relax. OSA relaxes. *I* relax. Anonymous takes off their masks. ChaoticPsychotic gets to visit her mom. We chill out. We communicate more. We get a lot more people out of hiding. A lot more information sees the light of day. A lot more friendships are restored.

In other words, we start eliminating the FEAR from the situation.

When I look at David Miscavige, at the bullying from OSA, at, well, all these destructive policies, I see fear. I think these guys are just shivering, or covertly shivering, looking for some way out. Not just you and I. Everyone right on up to the top. But some of them (speculation here) probably have too many crimes to even consider doing anything but try to hide the evidence. They have no hope. They are goners. So this maintains the suppression and the fear.

Now, I'm guessing that you're guessing, that I really do work for OSA. I don't. But, I am looking out for myself. And I know that many of you are still anonymous, out of, I'm guessing, fear of OSA. This seems like something that might work for everyone, if we do it smart. Don't let anyone off the hook. Just a bit of help and compassion.

These guys are just people. The big bully thugs. The screaming executives. They're just people. How many of them got into this with the goal of suppressing people? They probably want more than anything to join the human race and just be able to talk.

sorry, I'm getting sappy.

Markus Stuckenbrock: Just exactly how bad was Uwe Stuckenbrock's situation?

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There is absolutely no heart and love in this church - Markus Stuckenbrock

The world of Scientology watchers was shocked at the death of Uwe Stuckenbrock just two months ago on October 7. The news was broken by a frantic plea from his brother Markus - Please help me to get more information about the suffering and death of my brother .

Uwe died at the age of 46 from Multiple Sclerosis after a long decline over eleven years. His wife Laurisse left him after he was diagnosed, and the couple were ordered to divorce by head of the Church David Miscavige. She is now a high-powered assistant to Miscavige, accompanying him, among other places, to car races with Tom Cruise.

In the case of other staff members of the Sea Org, people with degenerative diseases would sometimes be off-loaded to a family or nursing home. Uwe knew too much. He was the head of security for the Gold Base (also known as International or INT Base). the West Coast Kremlin of organized Scientology. Here under the thumb of David Miscavige are the offices of the Church of Scientology, its propaganda and intelligence apparatus OSA (the Office of Special Affairs), and its front organizations. It is also the stage for Potemkin village productions of utopian Scientology happiness for Tom Cruise and other celebrities. Uwe knew too much and was kept under tight control of the RPF (Rehabilitation Project Force). until he died.

In the days and weeks that followed Uwe's death, Markus was overwhelmed by the outpouring of sympathy and support for him and his family from Anonymous, ex-Scientologists, and critics. Anonymous Germany contacted Ursula Caberta at the Scientology Workgroup in Hamburg who facilitated communications with German consulates in the US. Activists went into in high gear. Markus asked them to cool it out of respect for his family and until more details became available. Markus' father is an active Scientologist in Stuttgart, and sadly, has dutifully acted out his role to "handle" Markus.

Uwe's death has been confirmed by Markus to be a cruel tragedy of heartless medical neglect by organized Scientology. As he says, "There is absolutely no heart and love in this church." Taking responsibility for the damage caused Uwe and thousands like him is the appeal that Scientologist Mac Stevens has made with his letter to fellow Scientologists written on December 5, the anniversary of the death of Lisa McPherson, the very icon of martyrs to Scientology's medical malpractice. He has followed that up with a Petition to Take Responsibility for the Crimes and Wrongdoings of Scientology, a first draft of which is posted on Ex-Scientologists Message Board. Both documents call on Scientologists and former Scientologists to take responsibility for the damage their church has caused.

Medical malpractice is emerging as a salient issue in calling Scientology to account. Prior to the death of Uwe Stuckenbrock we had the appointment of anti-psychiatry warrior John P. Coale to the Board of the University of Maryland Medical System. Medical Ethicist and physician Howard Brody M.D. PhD. of the University of Texas Branch Institute of Medical Humanities was deceived into an interview by Scientology's anti-psychiatry front group, CCHR (Citizens' Commission for Human Rights) in making their most recent anti-pyschiatry propaganda DVD, Making A Killing. On his blog Hooked: Ethics, Medicine, and Pharma, Professor Brody recently issued a Public Announcement Regarding New Documentary by Scientology-related Group denouncing their deception and intransigence. One can only hope that the Volunteer Ministers descending on Mumbai with 10,000 copies of the Way to Happiness and their touch assists spare its traumatised people the sort of medical malpractice we have seen in the deaths of Lisa McPherson, Uwe Stuckenbrock, and thousands of others.

Medical malpractice ties all of the events together. Markus, who is a medical orderly, exposes eloquently the "arrogant amateurism in pure form" that attended the decline and death of Uwe Stuckenbrock in Just exactly how bad was Uwe Stuckenbrock's situation?

Markus' reporting and explication are so important I am reproducing them here for wider circulation. One really wonders if Scientology celebrities know things like this are happening. It strains credulity that Tom Cruise and Greta Van Susteren do not know what is going on. It is shocking to entertain the notion they know and have completely rationalized patent medical malpractice and neglect, "arrogant amateurism in pure form" as Markus puts it.

Editor's note: I have corrected spelling errors, but otherwise left Markus' text intact

Just exactly how bad was Uwe Stuckenbrock's situation?

Here is what I know about Uwe's Situation in the RPF.
-he blew the Sea Org in 1997 after his wife Laurisse left him because of his MS.
-Laurisse told him not to be so stupid and leave Scientology - then he came back in the hope that she will not leave him. A few weeks later he got the divorce letter - never able to speak to her again.
-he was assigned to the RPF but did not agree with it!(1997)
-we were informed about his MS in 2002 at least 5 years too late!!
-my mother tried everything to help Uwe 2002-2003 with the newest medicine from Germany - but all was blocked from LA.
-they lied to us that they were trying all possible treatments and that he just started a new one and that he will soon show some improvement.The new one was for example just another alternative water treatment with absolutely no effect on his aggressive kind of MS.
-we always had to call him to find out how he was doing. Uwe promised to visit us in 1996. Because he wanted to see his three nieces. I have two girls and my sister one. Then he promised to come for sure in May 1997 - he didn't come and he told us that he can't go because the Sea Org fears that he could blow. We even offered him to pay the flight - but he never came back to his home in Germany.......
-when he was getting worse it was even harder to reach him. Sometimes I called three times before he (was allowed?) called (to call) back.
-my father always told me that Uwe is working on secret material and that this is the reason for this "bad communication".
-I first recognized that Uwe's health is really worse was just after my mother died. She had cancer and it was clear that she will not survive the next two days. So I called to LA and asked if Uwe please could call back in order to speak to her a last time. But Uwe did not call back. I called there about ten times until I was in such a rage that I screamed on them on the phone that our mother is dying and they just give me their bla bla etc. then Uwe called back just a few minutes after our mum passed away. And this was the very first moment I recognized how bad he was doing. He hardly could control his words.
-after this I tried one more year to get information by calling in LA. I only got "good food, nice weather" statements about my brother's situation. And they always promised to keep us informed. But we only got information when we called there.
-I felt so helpless and this made me so angry that I decided to give the responsibility to my father Dieter Stuckenbrock- he was and is still active in Stuttgart Org and so is his third wife Katrin Stuckenbrock. Her mum was in the Sea Org in the US at that time and I thought that maybe this connections will help to get good information and some help to Uwe.
-guess what - my father did not know anything about the severe situation of his son Uwe. But he promised me to look after him and keep me informed.
-he called me once and gave me another "good food, nice weather" information and promised me that the guy who cares for Uwe will keep us informed at least every two weeks. But we never got any information.
- last year my father told me that he visited Uwe in LA it was again the typical all is fine information but in my fathers eyes I could see that Uwe must have been in a really bad condition.
- after my dad called me on October 8. in order to tell me that Uwe has died I was looking for some information about his funeral in LA. And what I found was the letter of the RPF Insider. Before I thought Uwe was a high ranking Sea Org member in good standing - but what I found out by contacting people via internet who lived and suffered with him in the RPF was a total different reality. I was so stupid all those years!
- I started my help thread on ESMB and since then my father visited me four times in order to handle me. I have never seen him so long and so often all of my life. But he only comes to handle me and this is the saddest part of this story. He is not able to see that Scientology has killed his son Uwe and is not able to see that his last son of his first wife needs his love. Much more important to him is still this heartless Church full of Zombies!
-the person who was not informing us was a guy called Allan Poval. As fas as I know he was the person who "cared" for my brother. Well I have to ask: What was his qualification for doing this? And in my opinion he did not do it well. You can tell this to your aunt. They seem to care but they don't have a clue what it means to care. In my opinion it is dilettantism in pure form. I found about 50 other stories in the net to proof this!
-Uwe's wife Laurisse is now DM's secretary and I even found one source in the net where somebody said that Shelly M. was very concerned and angry about the relationship between her husband and Laurisse Stuckenbrock. And as you know she also disappeared.
-my greatest fear is that one of my three stepbrothers will come in a similar situation as Uwe and if this would happen and by then I would have not published about Scientology what I know now - then I'm sure that would make me crazy.

This story is so weird I still can't believe it!

We have to change something right now!

Love

Markus

Markus added further details in a second post.

-we were told that Uwe is not longer able to make a journey with a plane in 2005
-my father asked me what he can do that I stop to investigate this matter:
I told him he can organize all the medical files of Uwe so that I can exactly find out which treatment he was getting in which period of time and what kind of qualified personal was involved.
-This was 9 weeks ago and I still haven't seen one piece of paper. If they have nothing to hide so why are they not able to send this files.

He also made these important responses to other posters, revealing for the first time that he is a medical orderly.

You must know I'm a medical orderly and I'm working with handicapped people for about 20 years now. There are many things even a good guy can't know when he tries to help someone with a severe illness as Uwes MS. For example the proper care of the skin is very important in order to avoid pressure ulcers etc. And above all the blue building was definitely not the appropiate place to live for Uwe! A very very long time not even in a separated room but in mass quarters together with about 50 men. This is what I call arrogant amateurism in pure form. Caused by a man who implanted to his followers that Scientology can handle everything. There is absolutely no heart and love in this church and even common sense was missing completely among the members who observed or were aware of Uwe's situation. For me this is just insane!!

Some of the response posts highlighted the fact that there were humane people helping Uwe within an abusive system. Markus responded:

I did not want to accuse you for posting this. I'm so glad, that Uwe had some people who cared for him in this stressful situation. And I have to thank them very much for doing this. But on the other side I never can understand how somebody could watch something like this going on and not starting a revolution and I will never understand why they did not communicate with us over here in Germany about Uwe's situation.

It is to be noted that Markus Stuckenbrock has called for a revolution.

Grovelling before David Miscavige: Chuck Beatty on the Truth Rundown in Scientology's RPF

In the Counterknowledge article by number6 Scientology 101: What is the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF)? prominent Scientology critic Chuck Beatty has posted a comment that deserves to be widely read and not buried so we are reproducing it here.

Besides being endlessly available to all manner of people seeking help and truth, Beatty is a scholar of great intellectual humility. He modestly presents us with a suggested research program on the Truth Rundown in the RPF. In doing so he reveals its shocking core.purpose: tracking down any "false vilification" of David Miscavige and eradication of all such thoughts from the minds of RPF'ers.

Beatty has called for the release of Hubbard's Truth Rundown writings into the public domain for research. 2008 has witnessed many important internal church documents becoming publicly available. We hope the Truth Rundown materials will soon be among them.

Chuck Beatty:

Someone needs to research the "Truth Rundown" which is arguably the most important "spiritual" therapy that one cooperatively delivers and receives with one's RPF partner. This "Truth Rundown" the name broadcasts the irony of it. Hubbard's authorization of such bold names to his spiritual rundowns is classic L. Ron Hubbard. The "Truth Rundown" is second only in such crassness, to another Hubbard rundown called the "Superpower Rundown." But on the RPF, one spends arguable one's MOST concerted redemption focus on the "Truth Rundown." It MUST be researched in detail, someday, and it alone will stand to show just how close Hubbard's Scientology spiritual therapy (fraud therapy) is to brainwashing. I hope to hell someone gets the Truth Rundown writings of Hubbard out into the public domain, and that some advanced Scientology observer does the homework and research.

Most troublesome, is this exact scenario. The Truth Rundown deals with a Sea Org member's false vilification of one of the Sea Org's top ranked executives. In particular, any false vilification of David Miscavige, would be addressed by the person on the RPF.

Realize it is only the top ranked people who have years of dealings with Miscavige, intimate day to day dealings on various Sea Org strategic big and small administrative and otherwise dealings, that a Sea Org member might encounter David Miscavige's irrational and explosive temper tantrums.

Well, if a Sea Org member who was overwhelmed and physically abused by Miscavige were to be sent to the RPF, they likely have some instances of them "falsely vilifying" Miscavige.

But Miscavige deserves to be vilified.

But people are made to do their Truth Rundown therapy processing, and change any harbored ill feelings for Miscavige to glowing good thoughts for Miscavige.

This subject, David Miscavige, he's supposed to be a good guy.

People on the RPF, who have BAD experiences with Miscavige are made to change their thoughts.

This is roughly how the Truth Rundown is brainwashing, in that harbored ill feelings that Sea Org members HAVE (rightly) for David Miscavige are attempted to be "redeemed" out of them, on the Truth Rundown.

Hubbard didn't entertain the thought that he, or that his supreme leaders/executives could be wrong.

Hubbard's extremist therapy processing leads to thought crime eradication, in that a person would have to change their "viewpoint" from a bad viewpoint to a good viewpoint, in order to succeed in completing the Truth Rundown.

This is brainwashing.

Chuck Beatty
ex Sea Org (1975-2003)
I did two stints on the RPF:
Feb 88 - May 88
Jul 1996 - Mar 2003
I loved the RPF hard work, hated the mind f-ing Hubbard fraud therapy

Interview: Michael Pattinson on Scientologist John P. Coale's appointment to the Board of the University of Maryland Medical System

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Governor Martin O'Malley has appointed John P. Coale to the Board of the University of Maryland Medical System. Coale is a high-ranking Scientologist, husband of Fox News commentator Greta Van Susteren, and a class-action trial lawyer who become quite wealthy from "The Tobacco Wars". He also participated in Scientology's lawsuit warfare against Ritalin. Michael Pattinson is a notable Scientology critic who was defrauded of half a million dollars by organized Scientology's psycho-therapeutic malpractice. He knew Coale personally and has graciously agreed to be interviewed by For Great Justice.

FGJ: Thank you, Michael Pattinson, for allowing For Great Justice to interview you regarding Governor Martin O'Malley's appointment of trial lawyer John P. Coale to the Board of the University of Maryland Medical System.

You entered Scientology seeking its promise of psychological healing, personal empowerment, and total spiritual liberation. You left twenty years later, $500,000 poorer, and aware that Scientology's Bridge to Total Freedom is, in fact, a Bridge to Nowhere. In your time as a Scientologist you were John Coale's study partner. Tell us about what he is like as a person and what your experience of him was.

MP: My main experience with John Coale was in 1990 when we were study partners on Scientology's highest training level (technically called New OT8). I observed that John was very purposeful in getting what he wanted from the course and its promised super-human powers. From my experience I believe that John Coale is a deeply devoted and committed Scientologist. His attainment of New OT8 places him at the top of the Scientology pyramid.

FGJ: In her excellent article Scientology's War on Psychiatry Katharine Mieszkowski of Salon has pointed out that David Miscavige, head of the Church of Scientology, has stated that the Church's goals for the millennium are: 1. Eliminate psychiatry in all its forms and 2. Place Scientology at the absolute center of society. How deeply ingrained does this enmity towards psychiatry become in the Scientology indoctrination process? How motivated are most Scientologists to actively work for the obliteration of the mental health professions?

MP: From the time I joined Scientology, and until I left in 1997 I was very familiar with the extensive indoctrination that L.Ron Hubbard (the founder and guru of Scientology) enforced on all loyal Scientologists concerning psychiatry and psychology, as well as the pharmaceutical industry.

In essence, Hubbard hated all these professions with a vengeance and with vitriol. It is a very basic tenet of Scientology that psychiatry and psychology must be utterly destroyed and that Scientology itself must take over ALL of mental health, as well as any government grants that these professions enjoy at present. This is not a peripheral agenda but a basic purpose of the cult. Witnessing their "Psychiatry Industry of Death" museum in Los Angeles is but the tip of the iceberg of this covert Scientology agenda that all Scientologists are expected to fulfill and contribute to. It is a prerequisite for being allowed onto new or higher Scientology levels for every Scientologist to prove active contribution to Scientology's goals. John Coale would certainly be subject to those eligibility requirements.

FGJ: Knowing both Scientology's virulent opposition to the mental health professions and John Coale from personal experience under what circumstances would it be possible for John Coale to function as a Board member?

MP: There would be, in my considered opinion, a fundamental and toxic discrepancy put into play between Mr. Coale's beliefs and active commitments as a loyal Scientologist and the role of the Board which endorses, supports and expands the uses of psychiatry, psychology and pharmaceuticals.

FGJ: If you had one thing to say to the students, staff, professors and physicians at the University of Maryland Medical System, what would it be?

MP: I would say that the UMMS staff, for their own protection, should do whatever is necessary to bring to the attention of the Board the dangerous potential of a top level Scientologist infiltrating the Center's administration with its hidden and destructive agendas.

FGJ: Thank you, Michael Pattinson.

Michael Pattinson's account of his time in Scientology may be found here.

Katharine Mieszkowski: Scientology's War on Psychiatry

Psych vs Sci
Sigmund Freud goes to guns
against David Miscavige in

Scientology's war on psychiatry

Salon has republished today a remarkable article by senior technology and business editor Katharine Mieszkowski. (Click the title above for full text.) Through datelined July 1, 2005, it could not be more timely, particularly with rise of Anonymous and increasing awareness in the media of the criminal corruption and abuses of corporate Scientology. What she writes is as true today as it was three years ago:

But the Church of Scientology's war on psychiatry is no joke. For decades, Scientologists have maintained that the very notion of mental illness is a fraud. They base this belief on the views of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, who proclaimed that psychiatry was an evil enterprise, a form of terrorism, and the cause of crime. Now, they're attempting to enshrine their contempt for psychiatry in laws across the country. ...

She lays out in detail Scientology's strategy and tactics in its war on psychiatry at the level of communities and state legislatures through its front groups, particularly CCHR (Citizen's Commisison on Human Rights - its anti-psychiatry front), and Narconon (its substance abuse rehabilitation front) since it's ability to do overt political lobbying is limited by its religious status.

She concludes:

Despite the setbacks, CCHR and Narconon continue to promote their programs in state legislatures, schools and the public eye. Ultimately, say Scientology critics, the message is not about medicine or science, which Scientology members consistently dismiss, but the church's messianic fervor to spread its religion.

"Their goal is to take over entirely the field of mental health," says Mark Plummer, a former member of Scientology for 14 years, including eight years in the Sea Organization, what Plummer calls an elite core group within Scientology. "Their beliefs stem from Hubbard's dogma that psychiatry is evil. Scientology teaches that psychiatry views people as 'meat bodies' without a spiritual aspect, and that Scientologists alone should be allowed to treat mental illnesses."

Cult watchdog and longtime Scientology foe Rick Ross [also see the Rick Ross Institute] agrees. "Basically, Hubbard designed Scientology to be the ultimate, if not only way, to address mental health problems," he says. "So psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors associated with mental health are anathema to a Scientologist because Hubbard said so. Psychiatry is outside of the practice of Scientology and the services that it sells."

But you don't have to rely on critics to show that Scientology's attack on psychiatry is part of the church's crusade to rule society. In 1995, David Miscavige, the church's current leader, addressed the International Association of Scientologists in Copenhagen. He told the faithful that the church had two goals as the new millennium approached, dutifully noted by International Scientology News: "Objective one - place Scientology at the absolute center of society. Objective two - eliminate psychiatry in all its forms."

Read the whole thing.

Absolute power has absolutely corrupted David Miscavige, iron dictator of the cult with his own KGB. He is in deadly earnest about wiping psychiatry and all mental health professions from the face of the earth. Mieszkowski takes Scientology's War on Psychiatry seriously, and exposes Scientology's attempts at gaining social power through political lobbying to achieve its destructive end.

A most welcome aspect of Mieszkowski's article is its delineating the political aspects of Scientology's war against psychiatry. She writes:

Jul 1, 2005 | This spring in Florida, where the Clearwater area is a Church of Scientology stronghold, CCHR mounted an aggressive political campaign to keep kids from getting psychiatric care. In the state Legislature, two CCHR-sponsored bills were backed by two Republicans, Rep. Gustavo Barreiro, of Miami Beach, and Sen. Victor Crist, of Tampa. Indeed, as Barreiro told the St. Petersburg Times, Scientologists had even written parts of the legislation. Both Barriero and Crist had been friendly with the church: They were guest speakers at a Scientology celebration where Crist touted the legislation and Barriero gave the church an award for volunteer work following the 2004 hurricanes.

She also writes of Scientology's bringing its celebrity strategy to bear in Florida in an attempt to defeat an alliance of important medical, mental health, and government services organizations:

Scientologists Kelly Preston and Kirstie "Fat Actress" Alley testified in Tallahassee on behalf of their church. At one point, Alley wept so hard -- "This isn't an issue about psychiatrist vs. non, but about the children" -- that she could barely get the words out. "It's tough lobbying against movie stars," says Daughton of the Florida Psychiatric Society. "Some of it was just surreal."

There should be a Godwin's Law that reads "Whoever invokes "It is about the children" in a discussion, loses. "The Children" has become the last refuge of scoundrels. Scientology's invoking them in its war on psychiatry is obscene.

Socially and politically the treatment of children in our society is one of our greatest concerns. Scientology has used both parties for its purposes: Republicans in Florida for its anti-psychiatry jihad, and the Clinton administration, dazzled by celebrity power, to bring pressure on Germany through representations of our State Department. Scientology also won its 25 year war on the IRS in the same administration. It was certainly granted tax-exempt religious status because of the perjuries of David Miscavige , ecclesiastical head of the Church. The IRS was exhausted and budget- depleted by an onslaught of lawsuits. Arguably, the final grant was made though extortion and blackmail.

One of the appalling features of corporate Scientology is its abuse of children. Children of the staff and management and the Sea Org, that silly and deadly paramilitary fake navy, are subject to such terrible abuses that all of Scientology's major facilities would be locked down tomorrow by state child protection agencies in California and Florida.

Why don't they? Inertia. because we are not bringing pressure on them. Fear of the kind of celebrity power of Scientology being brought to bear that Mieszkowski writes about. But mostly because of corporate Scientology's successful program of skillful religious cloaking.

Ex-Scientology executive Lawrence Brennan was in charge of designing and putting that program in place. In his important affidavit he lays out the elements of the program like commissioning clergy and scholars to write articles averring that Scientology is a religion, labeling its medically and psychologically dangerous practice of junk psychology interrogation called auditing as a "religious service" and thus tax deductible to the "parishioner" making a "fixed donation" for these (expensive) "religious services".

Since Catholic religious orders are exempt from labor, social security, and minimum wage laws, Scientology deliberately started calling its elite staff and management organization, the Sea Org, a religious order to avoid these laws, as Brennan has exposed. Catholic religious life is built on fraternal love in a community vowed to a simpler life to be free of encumbrances to live the Gospel. Religious cloaking in Scientology has created a cadre of slaves in the Sea Org.

It is here among the children of Sea Org members that abuses occur. Education that consists solely of indoctrination into the thought of L. Ron Hubbard; separation from parents for weeks and months at a time; separation from siblings, parents, and grandparents through the Church's cruel and heart-breaking practice of primitive religious shunning known as disconnection. Children as young as four have been locked up:

The four-year-old boy could no longer cry. He had been nearly 48 hours in the chain locker of the flagship _Apollo_ and his entire body was aching from his efforts to chip off rust. His knees and hands were raw with cuts and bruises. His voice was raspy from crying, and he was desperately afraid.

Teenagers have been forced to get married because they had a crush on someone. Some have had to endure the trauma of their parents being forced to divorce by head of the Church and Tom Cruise's best friend, David Miscavige. Former Scientologist Dennis Ehrlich wrote of the experience of one of his children growing up in Scientology;

My youngest child nearly died shortly after birth because of scientology's distrust and unwillingness to get competent medical care for members. She spent the first several years of her life in a Sea Org nursery. I used to wonder why she would cry hysterically each morning when she was deposited in the facility. It was staffed by children, usually 12 to 16 years old, from the Cadet Org. The nannies had no sense of hygiene, and the children often suffered from infections, illnesses, fleas, lice, scabies or crabs. During all of this, I was so focused on my job in the Sea Org -- Chief Quality Control Officer in the brainwashing factory -- that until one day when I was changing my child's diaper and saw little white worms wiggling their way out of her anus, I didn't realize the abuse going on. Shortly after that I left the cult. But the image of those worms exiting my infant daughter still haunts me, just as the image of the twisted, forgotten children in the movie, Mondo Cane, seared into my memory. It will for all time serve as a reminder to me of the neglect and abuse to which I subjected my own flesh and blood in order to "clear the planet."

That is what corporate Scientology does to children. Scientology's war on psychiatry is not only on psychiatric medications for children and adults. It is against all of the mental health professions including those that aid and protect children. Scientology's war is not just against psychiatry. It is a war against children as well.

I applaud Mieczkowski's taking Scientology's threat to society seriously. I hope other journalists in the blogosphere will follow her forthright lead now that Anonymous is expanding public knowledge about corporate Scientology's abuses. I also hope her article portends more writing and agitation about this very real social threat. I hope that public opinion will eventually force government action to call to account for great justice the Church of Scientology as presently constituted.

We all stand to lose in Scientology's war on psychiatry.


























Credit: Dr. Lilly von Marcab, Psychiatrist

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END STRESS TESTING: A SPEECH FOR THE 9000 ANON MARCH

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For Great Justice supports the E-Meter Initiative that has arisen out of the excellent research and impassioned writing of Dr. Lilly von Marcab. and aims at petitioning the government to end stress testing by Scientology. The issue of non-compliance of e-meters with Food and Drug laws is of lesser importance compared to the perjuries of David Miscavige, the religious cloaking and tax exemption issues, along with recurring human rights violations in the Sea Org. However, it provides leverage with our government regarding administrative code violations that will keep another spot light on the Church of Scientology with the public.

Secular use of the e-meter in public stress testing is illegal according to the 1971 ruling of Judge Herhard Gesell. It provides ample material for the signs, banners, and fliers of Anonymous. Anonymous may well shut down stress testing by its street raiding and internet activism alone.

The relevant part of the ruling is below the speech.

Here is a suggested speech for the Over 9000 Anon March in Washington DC, calling on the government to end Ending Stress Testing. This first National Anonymous demonstration takes place this Saturday, July 19, 2008. at the reflecting pools and the Lincoln Memorial, "amid teh monuments of awesome."

End Stess Testing: A Speech for the 9000 Anon March on Washington, DC

Standing here amid the great institutions
that guarantee and sustain our our freedoms,
we petition the President, the Congress, the Justice Department, and the Food and Drug Administration
to investigate and remedy Scientology's gross and continuing violations of the laws that protect us from
their fraud, deception, and medical quackery, which have claimed thousands of victims.

We ask you to enforce our present laws.
We ask you to end a practice that has deceived thousands of hapless victims,
damaging, ruining, and destroying their physical, psychological, and financial well-being.
,
We ask you to enforce Judge Gesell's ruling in our Federal Courts and
end illegal stress tests in the public square with the crude lie detector known as the e-meter.
We ask you to reaffirm the Court's condemnation of this device as scientific fraud and medical quackery.

Daily, illegally, and fraudulently, hundreds of Scientologists present themselves to the public as secular diagnosticians
and purport to diagnose and treat individual's neuro-physical, medical, and psychological condition of stress.

Through the lure of free stress tests on street corners, at malls, and in subways
thousands have been seduced deeply into a cult of greed and power
to their physical, psychological, moral and financial ruin.

Protect the vulnerable, as you are sworn,
from all of corporate Scientology's forms of interrogation,
mind control, and junk therapy.

We ask you, our government and servants of the People, to restore our confidence in the laws meant to protect us from this fraud and deception.

We pray you may be moved by truth to act for great justice.

*************************************************************************************************************

Anonymous will be present at the Mall bearing their awesome flags, banners, and signs in their hundreds if not their thousands. Most certainly more than 9,000 anonymous will be present in spirit, their eyes glued to monitors and their fingers hovering over keyboards from Sydney to Munich to San Francisco.

Among the Anonymous will be proud /b/tards from 4chan, who rallied their comrades from the chans and launched this extraordinary internet and street insurgency; channers of all sorts; a core of Anon's indispensable trolls; and anons from ages thirteen to eighty-three who have joined the Anonymous Insurgency "for lulz and great justice".

Among the revered and beloved veteran anti-Scientologists attending and speaking are -

Dawn Olsen of Glosslip.com - tireless pursuer and propagator of the truth through columns, podcasts interviews and important interviews.

Tory "Magoo" Christman - the rickrolling sweetheart of Anonymous who has slap fight scars to prove it

Graham Berry - the extraordinary and courageous anti-Scientology lawyer fair gamed by lawfare.

Mark "Wise Beard Man Bunker" - Anon's favorite TV talking head. "His words are wise. His face is beard."

Boris Korczak - the favorite spy of Anonymous. As a former CIA Agent who infiltrated the KGB and survived an assassination attempted assassination by poison, he is an estimable ally in the struggle with the Church's ruthless and immoral Office of Special Affairs.

Arnie Lerma, a source of knowledge and wisdom of all things anti-scientology. He is a living example of the belief that "unearned suffering is redemptive."

From the 1971 Ruling of Federal Court Judge Gerhard Gesell

An E-meter shall be deemed to comply with the Act if and only if it is used, sold or distributed upon specified conditions.

The device may be used or sold or distributed only for use in bona fide religious counseling. No user, purchaser or distributee (other than the Founding Church of Scientology or an ordained practicing minister of the Church) shall be considered engaged in bona fide religious counseling unless and until such user, purchaser or distributee has filed an affidavit with the Secretary of the Food and Drug Administration stating the basis on which a claim of bona fide religious counseling is made, together with an undertaking to comply with all conditions of the judgment so long as the E-meter is used.

The device should bear a prominent, clearly visible notice warning that any person using it for auditing or counseling of any kind is forbidden by law to represent that there is any medical or scientific basis for believing or asserting that the device is useful in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of any disease. It should be noted in the warning that the device has been condemned by a United States District Court for misrepresentation and misbranding under the Food and Drug laws, that use is permitted only as part of religious activity, and that the E-meter is not medically or scientifically capable of improving the health or bodily functions of anyone.

Each user, purchaser, and distributee of the E-meter shall sign a written statement that he has read such warning and understands its contents and such statements shall be preserved.

Any and all literature which refers to the E-meter or to auditing, including advertisements, distributed directly or indirectly by the seller or distributor of the E-meter or by anyone utilizing or promoting the use of the Emeter, should bear a prominent notice printed in or permanently affixed to each item or such literature, stating that the device known as a Hubbard Electrometer, or E-meter, used in auditing, has been condemned by a United States District Court on the grounds that the literature of Dianetics and Scientology contains false and misleading claims of a medical or scientific nature and that the E-meter has no proven usefulness in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of any disease, nor is it medically or scientifically capable of improving any bodily function.

The effect of this judgment will be to eliminate the E-meter as far as further secular use by Scientologists or others is concerned. E-meter auditing will be permitted only in a religious setting subject to placing explicit warning disclaimers on the meter itself and on all labeling. The Government has requested an opportunity to show that complete forfeiture and destruction of the E-meter is required, but the Court has concluded that however desirable this may be in the public interest, the Court is without power to so order in view of the protections afforded claimant and others similarly situated under the First Amendment.

Here is the entire ruling.

***

WILL SCIENTOLOGY FAIR GAME ANONYMOUS IN CANADA'S HUMAN RIGHTS TRIBUNALS?

***

Canada's Human Rights Tribunals are a fair game dream machine for the Church of Scientology. One wonders why its Office of Special Affairs (OSA) has not begun to use them in its lawfare campaign against Anonymous, the anti-Scientology free speech movement made up of 10,000 high school and college students world-wide.

Canada's Human Rights Tribunals were established as informal administrative hearings with the laudable purpose of protecting poor minorities from discrimination in employment and housing. They are now being used to prosecute hate speech crimes and have become the greatest threat to freedom of speech in Canada.

The cases of Mark Steyn, Ezra Levant, and Pastor Stephen Boissoin illustrate the tribunals' jihad against free speech. Steyn and Levant were charged with Islamophobic anti-religious hate speech and Boissoin with homophobic hate speech. Boissoin's sentence forbids him from ever making a disparaging remark about homosexuality anytime, anywhere including in his sermons and on the internet.

Commenting on the Boissoin sentence, former Executive Gilles Marchildon of Canada's leading gay rights organzation, EGALE, wrote Freedom For Each is Freedom For All. He recognizes both the viciousness of Boissoin's homophobic stance and the tribunals for the destroyers of human rights and free speech they are. Steyn and Levant are conservatives and widely disliked on the left. Steyn was charged for publishing portions of his book America Alone that raises alarm about the encroachment of Shariah law in liberal democracies through suppression of free speech. Levant published the famous cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that created a furor of reactionary Islamic rage when first published in Denmark.

From the outset bloggers on the left led by Glenn Greenwald, (The Noxious Fruits of Hate Speech laws) have recognized that, as much as they despise Steyn, their own and everyone else's right to free speech is at risk. In fact, David Bernstein reports that University of British Columbia Professor and Marxist, feminist, and multicultural activist Sunera Thobani, a native of Tanzania, faced a hate-crimes investigation after she launched into a vicious diatribe against American foreign policy. Noam Chomsky has agreed on the anti-free speech nature of the tribunals. The entire center-right blogosphere is up in arms. A liberal and a conservative member of Parliament have each introduced resolutions to mitigate some of the deleterious effects of the tribunals. The Supreme Court of of Canada has also recently taken a more liberal updating and expansion of the realms of speech permissible without penalty of libel.

Still, the attitude of the tribunals has not changed. Charges against Steyn were dropped. The judge sniffed that, though Steyn was guilty of hate, prosecuting him was beyond the mandate of the tribunal, mostly because the case involved him quoting himself. A principal investigator for the tribunals has said, “Freedom of speech is an American concept, so I don’t give it any value.” So it looks like more suits are coming.

For Scientology as for reactionary Islam the main attraction of the tribunals is that they are outside the legal system and lack its safeguards. There is no discovery and no trial by jury. Truth is no defense if you are accused of hate speech. The complainant merely has to feel disparaged, offended or hurt. All his costs are borne by the tribunal. The defendant bears the cost of lawyers for his legal defense, even if he wins, along with penalties and fines if he looses.

In the kangaroo court process of the tribunals, corporate Scientology would have a case to make on the grounds of anti-religious hate speech, though no one but Scientologists believe Scientology is a religion. "Hate speech" here meaning "speech I find disparaging and insulting even if it is true." If that sort of disparaging speech is a crime, Anonymous stands gleefully guilty as charged. The image board culture of Anonymous also provides a deep well of suitably shocking anti-PC offensiveness guaranteed to give the vapors to the tribunals' prissy guardians of PC righteousness.

Given the draconian Boissoin sentence, one win against Anonymous would be sufficient to silence all of Anonymous in Canada. No disparaging remarks about Scientology ever? From Anonymous? lol. Relentless and hilarious disparagement of corporate Scientology and its vicious litigiousness and dirty tricks is the heart and soul of Anonymous. This is why among other things it would be stupid for OSA to go to the tribunals. There would be an enormous outcry from Anonymous, the entire anti-Scientology movement, and their sympathizers.

Public opinion, however, has never been anything corporate Scientology thought it couldn't manipulate or intimidate. It is also busy shoring up its inter-faith alliances with its fellow travelers and useful idiots. It wants to form an alliance against anti-religious internet hate crimes to silence Anonymous and the entire anti-Scientology movement. The tribunals afford a way for the Church to play the persecuted religious minority aggrieved by the hateful signs, leaflets, posters, videos, and photoshops of 15-year old boys living in their Mom's basement.

With the out-of-nowhere appearance of the Anonymous Insurgency a mere six months ago, a paradigm shift has occurred in the relationship of Church of Scientology to the anti-Corporate Scientology free speech movement. The previous calculus for the cult was easy: Maximum prosecution by OSA in the courts with minimal exposure in an easily intimidated media. Now, as the extraordinary Gerry Armstrong says in his interview with Dawn Olsen, every move of corporate Scientology is watched and immediately reported on the internet by Anonymous.

OSA has not understood the paradigm shift. It continues to display its traditional broad range of immoral and unethical means of lawfare against its Number One Enemy, Gerry Armstrong, now a fugitive in his native Canada. Armstrong fled enforcement by a court in Marin Country of a gag agreement with the Church of Scientology that is a dream for those who want to punish the likes of Mark Steyn, Pastor Boissoin, and Sunera Thobani. Armstrong must pay $50,000 per recipient for anything he says in speech or writing about Scientology even if it his own personal experience. If he so much as mentions the word Scientology to an audience of 100, he is penalized $5,000,000. No wonder he fled.

Corporate Scientology is beginning its lawfare against Anonymous with low-level legal scare tactics. There is no indication that OSA will do anything other than what it has always done. It will lumber along raising legal pressure as it always has, smearing reputations and engaging in character assassination all along the way. It does not realize that things have changed and that reaction to any action grows exponentially on the internet.

OSA is deluded, as is head of the Church, David Miscavige, that they can control everything including the internet and public opinion. Public opinion is increasingly, if not yet completely, shaped by the internet. In its 13 year war against the internet, corporate Scientology's blunder of suppressing of free speech on YouTube ignited the Anonymous Revolution. I don't think the Church of Scientology would do anything different if the scenario were replayed. The same deluded mindset continues to operate. Which is to say, I think OSA just might well try to use the Canadian Human Rights tribunals to silence Anonymous, in spite of the fact that there are 10,000 anons watching and publicizing every move they make.

If that happens, the possibility of joining Anonymous to a broader cross-ideological free speech coalition arises. There are several free speech movements operating in parallel: the anti-reactionary Islam free speech movement; the anti-Political Correctness free speech movement, and the anti-Scientology free speech movement. An Anonymous show trial for anti- Scientology religious hate speech would bring these currents together as allies.

There will also be enormous opposition. Reactionary Islam, the PC establishment, and corporate Scientology are formidable adversaries, and odd bed fellows. They each find things quite appalling in the other. Reactionary Islam and Scientology are doctrinally homophobic, and share urgent dreams of world domination justified by any barbarous means necessary. PC has turned a blind eye to reactionary Islam's homophobia, Antisemitism, and disenfranchising of women's rights in the interest of PC class warfare.

All three of them are united in their desire to impose an ideology on all of society and to do so by repressing free speech. In Canada the PC tribunals and reactionary Islam have made cozy bedmates. Corporate Scientology is busy creating alliances with religious groups and heightening its image as a persecuted religious minority.

Will Scientology fair game Anonymous in Canada's Human Rights tribunals? I think it probably will. I don't think OSA realizes the game has changed. It will do what it knows how to do and has always done. Sooner or later it will try to fair game Anonymous in the Canadian Human Rights tribunals.

Watch out, OSA. It's a trap.

***