I just read an interesting post on the Leaving Scientology blog, at http://leavingscientology.wordpress.com/
More than $142,760,000 dollars has been raised for the Superpower building. One public recently learned that one reason the Church keeps crush reging for Superpower – even though an official Church spokesperson told the media recently it would cost no more than $90,000,000 grand total in costs to complete – is that Superpower donations have been siphoned off for projects other than Superpower. The Church spokesman
also said that $40,000,000 has been spent so far on the empty shell.
You ever wonder why the Church has let that $40,000,000 building shell languish for close to ten years? There are at least four reasons.
First, they don’t have a clue what Superpower is. See Joe Howard’s piece for details at http://www.scientology-cult.com/super-power.html
Second, it is one more excuse to crush reg huge sums of money that one of their Reges has already admitted is used for other purposes.
Third, there is no OT IX and X on the horizon. And DM needs some carrot to keep the OT VIII’s on the reservation. He falsely leads them on as if Superpower is some next step on the Bridge for them. Future posts will detail how OT IX and X are not even over the horizon.
Fourth, the elaborate groundbreaking and immediate heavy construction activity to build the shell was not done for purposes of getting Superpower delivered in the first place. I participated in the planning of that 1998 groundbreaking event with Tom Devocht, Mike Rinder and DM. The groundbreaking show – with bleachers brought in and packed with Scientologists, fireworks, and other bells and whistles- was put on within a couple short weeks after the Church was indicted for its involvement in the death of Lisa McPherson. It was ordered by DM at great expense for the sole purpose of diverting the public’s, the media’s and the Tampa Bay area population’s attention off of McPherson.
Once the last civil case connected with McPherson was settled in early 2004, the Church really put the brakes on the building, racking up nearly $250,000 in building department fines for not completing the building in a timely fashion.
But the reg machine never slowed down one iota. Already, it has created a $50,000,000 slush fund of DM funny money.
Moving On Up a Little Higher 
Marty,
I always thought that the Super Power Building was a scam from the first rainy night at the Universal Amphitheater when I heard the deception….er..I mean description. It was so not how the Ol’man intended the rundown to be delivered which is covered in RJ 30.
What with special Cornerstone member lounges (gag) and all this statuary supposedly representing the eight dynamics and vestibule that looked like it was designed by Albert Speer (hurl). As far as I was concerned the whole thing was pretentious and gaudy ( like most of these so called “Ideal Orgs” come to think about it). A total glorification of MEST that I told them so, which was the beginning of the end for me, as it seems they didn’t like what I said.
Yet it seems only a few of us thought so because the rest of the audience was clapping like seals at the presentation.
I’m amazed that the scam has lasted as long as it has but, there you go.
RJ – you would puke if you saw the plans for the COB wing – a multi story extravaganza to be built within one of those faux corner towers. He makes John Thain (Merrill Lynch) look like a piker.
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Sounds like it beats the hell out of Tammy Fe Baker’s air conditioned dog house 🙂
(‘scuse me I gotta get some Pepto Bizmal)
Pretentious and gaudy it is, RJ; now you’re talking my language!
Besides everything else, David Miscavige has the worst possible taste! The whole thing is kitsch beyond words. All gloss and no substance. Crass.
LRH had the style to buy St Hill Manor in Sussex from the Maharajah of Jaipur. That’s class in anybody’s language! And starting up his own small navy – one of the most strictly disciplined groups in history! Whatever happened, the guy was a winner; and we look at him with respect. I have a very nice picture of the old man, in his white uniform, on my office mantelpiece; I’ve carried it around since 1977.
What the man did for me, I cannot thank him enough; but not through David Miscavige, who is actively poisoning LRH’s reputation and making Scientology increasingly unpopular in the media.
Love, Robin
PS: Marty, your comment very funny, mate!
A fifth reason is likely that they don’t have enough staff left to fill more than a floor or two, let enough public customers to do more than rattle around in those big empty spaces. By all reports, the “ideal orgs” are looking pretty empty, a highly observable fact that doesn’t bode well for morale.
Great post. I gave it a tweet. So were OT IX – XIV really written by Hubbard? Obviously, I am cynical, but I always imagined that the story that they wouldn’t be released until every Org was St. Hill size was just a cover because there is really nothing there to sell.
If they exist why not pull one of them out and market it instead of endlessly “finding typos” on older already purchased materials?
Nice website, nice family, Robin.
http://www.lifetech.org.nz/76575/html/page.html
Will Michelle stick to DM once he lost his power position and runs with the little dogs in the low grass?
As the tech is not more as good as under LRH, DM offers kitsch MEST to lure stupid star stuck Hollywood fans to Scientology instead of smart people. LRH got attention of smart people.
St. Hill Manor was classy on the outside and inside. I sure hope DM won’t paint it pink. There are already indicators that he flattened the St. Hill Manor’s appearance with Hollywood Oscar type of statutes.
LRH had taste and wasn’t Disney world type MEST obsessed and rather researched and wrote instead of wasting money for building.
If DM wouldn’t have SCN money to waste, he would be a nobody.
DM is not intelligent. Wasting money to lure in a special kind of unintelligent breed of people who are blended by MEST, what’s intelligent about that? And that is all he did besides being abusive and dishonest.
Without getting his hands on LRH’s work, DM would be probably a Burger King employee.
Pardon my French but DM is a Hollywood-MEST-obsessed WOG.
You told the SP-Times that DM considers himself as the Second Coming. I agree with you. He keeps the “LRH” biographer around for a glorious DM-biography. He doesn’t care about truth or LRH’s legacy. DM is only interested in DM.
Keep the spotlight on DM. Nobody can do it better than you or Mike Rinder or anybody else who worked with him for so long and so close.
Mark Bunker asked: “So were OT IX – XIV really written by Hubbard?”
In a thread about Pat Broeker on ars, Alex wrote: “Pat Broeker ‘left’ after failing LRH’s final mission for him, protecting the upper level research write ups LRH had given him, and losing the only claim to power he had, those same writeups, when Miscavaige tricked Broeker into leaving his ranch in Barstow, and a squad of goons rushed in and seized them. This event more than any other may have solidified DM’s power.”
(This is an interesting story. Anyone know more about it?)
Wow, and here I was all puffed up with pride and teary-eyed when the groundbreaking ceremony was aired! DM is SO going DOWN!!!
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Robin as my wife who’s a Brit would say about Miscavige “All ‘is taste is in ‘is mouth!” 🙂
Mona you put your finger right on it!
I remember the days when we had Nuclear and Quantum physicists , even a few psychiatrists (yes dreaded psychs!) and Rocket Scientists on our lines.
Including all kinds of musicians and other artists.
Now what have we got?
Davy and his faux “Triumph of the Will” stage sets , architecture for the “reich that will last a thousand years” and Tom Cruise jumping the couch!
Hi Marty,
I thought I’d cross post this Knowledge Report to your blog as well because I feel it’s important.
Hope you don’t mind.
http://www.scientology-cult.com/sabotage-infiltration-espionage.html
Right on, RJ
The aesthetic style is Hitlerian!
I joined Scientology because half a dozen of the most intelligent and charismatic people I knew at Oxford University in the late 60s got into it.
Have a great weekend!
Robin
Yeah I’d say the style as tre’ neo-nazi with a mixture of Buffy the Vampire slayer or the Avengers
I mean dig those new uniforms!
You have a groovy weekend too Robin 🙂
Hello Marty,
I have followed the events surrounding Scientology with great interest since viewing the famous Tom Cruise video of 2008. Your blog is helping to fill in some of the missing pieces … thanks!
I cross post some your comments as well at my site, TheNewsFactor.com.
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Hi Marty,
Collecting money for one thing and spending it on another is against the law.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Bakker
Jim Bakker and his wife both went to jail for this exact kind of activity.
I truly appreciate your blogging about the evils of DM and what he’s done/doing. But I would appreciate it even more if you brought this to the attention of the correct authorities so that it could be fully investigated and the Super Power scam could end. I do hope you consider action in this direction.
Patty, I agree with you but I think your statement should be directed to the source of the particulars Marty commented on and reinerated:
Accountability: Where Does Your Money Go?
2009 September 11 by rebel008
This is the first post from ESMB from someone who was at Flag doing super power training.
Apparently Flag is not doing well at training auditors and 90% or more drop out. Hopefully the URL gets you to the whole thread, I might add its long with lots of noise, so those interested are best to just read Flag 2005s posts.
————
http://www.forum.exscn.net/showthread.php?t=6312