Memories, Nightmares, and Reflection by Brian Culkin

 Brian Culkin’s Declaration of Independence was published here on                  23 March 2011.  More detail on the pillaging of Brian Culkin’s personal wealth and attempted robbery of his personal integrity at Corporate Scientology’s “Mecca” was recounted in the St Petersburg Times Inside Scientology: The Money Machine series a couple of weeks ago. Today Brian covers some more thoughts on the subject of Corporate Scientology avarice and its effects on individuals.     

MEMORIES, NIGHTMARES, AND REFLECTION

by Brian Culkin

 

“There is no good calling upon a Martin Luther; their day is over and at bottom it is only the individual’s laziness which makes a man long to have them back, a worldly impatience which prefers to buy something cheap, second-hand, rather than to buy the highest of all things very dear and first-hand.” -Kierkegaard

“There is something good in all seeming failures. You are not to see that now. Time will reveal all. Be patient.” -Sivananda

“And life itself told me this secret: “Behold,” it said, “I am that which must overcome itself again and again.” -Nietzsche

In light of the recent revelations from the investigative reporting by the St. Petersburg Times in which I played a small role, I felt as a contributor to the collective beingness of this blog I should write a small note.

When I left Flag in February of 2010 I was in a place. It was dark. The tangible and potent sense of betrayal, pain, anger, and grief that seemed to alternate in a rhythmic fashion through my soul led me to discover new depths and corners of my being. It was not easy. After only being in for one year, it took nearly that same time to begin to feel any sense of wholeness again.

As I watched the video of myself speaking for the first time, I realized in yet a new context how truly dangerous and inherently malevolent this organization was. I am far from perfect. Far. Very far. But I will say, and anyone who knows me will attest to this, I always try to see the good in people. Even after I left Flag, although I was devastated, I blamed myself more than anything. I ‘pulled it in.’ I ‘was responsible.’ It was from ‘whole track overts.’ I had been trained well, it seemed. However, while watching the video and reading the other horror stories, a new dimension of comprehension emerged that I had never quite grasped before. The almost unspeakable betrayal this organization engages in on a daily basis was understood with deeper implications and a more compelling frame of reference.

Vulnerability is pounced on and exploited.

Basic decency is looked on with disgust.

Sincere happiness and fulfillment is repudiated.

I realized these facets and more as I digested this series and the components that emerged from within it and myself.

And then….. I laughed.

I checked the facebook statuses of several of the “OT 8′s” I met while I was at Flag the day the story broke. I was struck how the leaders of the Flag community made no mention whatsoever of a large scale public series investigating, exposing, and ultimately condemning their church. Their friends. Their existence. Their supposed essence.

No defense was seen. No, “They are lying! Its just not true! We are righteous and noble!” Nothing of the sort. All quiet on the Clearwater front.

Instead, one of the “OT 8′s” posted this the day the series broke on his wall, “So, (wife’s name) and I go to Naples for the weekend as a “get away”. On Sunday, (wife’s name) asks what do you want to do with your free day? I say, “FOOTBALL WATCHING BABY.” She says ,”cool, I will go to the spa for some spa services!” Awesome so far! Then the Bills and Bucs get smoked, I lose the office pool and my fantasy football teams get crunched! All in a span of 3 hours! Afterwards, (wife’s name) is SOOO happy with the spa services! I am at a loss for words on how bad the day went! Woman are smarter than men! This proves it! All I can say about the Bills and Bucs is see ya next week!”

“Intelligence is the ability to recognize identities, similarities, and differences.” -L. Ron Hubbard

Enlightenment: Corporate Scientology Style.

And then….. I laughed more.

My view on Scientology as a whole is still evolving. There are aspects I find profound. There are aspects I don’t care for so much. And I will say matter of fact and unequivocally known in my heart- there is a cogent, tangible difference between Corporate Scientology and the potentiality of the philosophy expressed and applied in the Independent field. I would however like to make it clear to all the individuals reading this blog: I do not need Scientology. I do not need Scientology in the exact same way Scientology is not owed to me. And if I ever do decide to use Scientology again it will be for the sole purpose of the betterment of other individuals and thus myself. I am who I am. With or without.

I would also like to send a direct message to OSA as well: I have zero interest in fighting Scientology. Zero. Less than zero. There are plenty of people to joyfully play that game. I have other things I would like to do with my life, actually. And fighting you is not on the top of my list. Or on the bottom for that matter.

Yet, I was part of a horrendous crime scene that I cannot walk away from in good conscience: Extortion. Blackmail. Theft. And one crime that is not written in any book of law: The attempted rape of the soul.

If I have to go on Good Morning America and further expose your crimes to the world, I will do it.

If I have to endure 10 years of Squirrel Busters at my door before I get what you stole from me, I will do it.

If I have to call the poor receptionist at OSA Flag everyday for the rest of my life, I will do it.

It is my experience that any situation can be resolved or remedied with the right leadership and live communication. This organization has neither. They proclaim the spirit from their teleprompter and imprison their own in secret quarters. They preach the virtue of self-determination while getting approvals from their seniors for the most menial of tasks. They espouse the power of responsibility yet fail to demonstrate any when the lights of the world shine upon them. They claim to have the secrets to life itself locked in their safe and then hide the key away for no one to find it.

The empty buildings and delusional statistics that could not fool a child are embraced by your most enlightened. Virtually every advice by LRH in reference to being true to oneself and observing what you observe are non existent in practice. Even KSW, which axiomatically states that bad PR and attacks from the government only occur from “bad or no results,” is reasoned with. “That doesn’t apply to SP’s” is the new policy.

Shame on you Corporate Scientology for what you have done.

For the abuse to legitimate whistleblowers and critics, for the harassment of your own, for your fundamental disrespect to the spiritual seeker, for the lies, for the theft, the betrayal.

Shame on you Corporate Scientology for what you have not done.

For not making thousands and thousands of Auditors, for not allowing the average individual to move up the Bridge without crushing debt, for not admitting your wrongs, for not putting the philosophy you teach above your shiny, empty buildings, for not being who you truly are instead of the pathetic catering to the world and its pathetic fads.

There is a truth about human beings I have seen: The more one tries to be someone they are not, the less they can change.

There is another truth about human beings I have seen: Every man has a dark side. A side he never shows to the world that only comes out in the depths of his own hell. And if that man can allow that fire to burn down to his very core, something new, even beautiful can emerge.

That does not happen in Corporate Scientology. Because Corporate Scientology is hell.

I am open to communication from anyone. Anon, Indies, Lurkers, OSA.
Brian Culkin
culkin24@hotmail.com
“So long as a man can look into the eyes of his oppressor, he is free.” -Jean-Paul Sartre

Village Voice Interviews Valeska Paris Guider

Learn more about the Corporate Scientology “OT VIII” ship:

The Village Voice Interview: Valeska Paris Guider.

Valeska Paris Guider – More on Human Trafficking

Valeska Paris Guider has added her testimony to the growing body of evidence that David Miscavige runs an elaborate, worldwide Human Trafficking operation in violation of International law.

Valeska Paris Guider on ABC Lateline.

Thank you Valeska for having the courage to speak out, in spite of the reported legal threat.  Corporate Scientology’s response that Valeska breached an alleged contract to remain silent about Miscavige’s serial violations of law is an effective admission to the facts she shares.   Virtually everyone who has witnessed corporate Scientology’s criminality and spoken out have signed their worthless, unenforceable, against-public-policy muzzle contracts.  Dozens in the past two years have been heard.  Corporate Scientology’s response has been to slime the witness with character assassination with no reference to the muzzle agreements.  Now, apparently out of desperation, Miscavige directs the response: “well, they are legally barred from disclosing my crimes.”   Brilliant.  A regular Edward Bernays (nephew of Sigmund Freud and father of the subject of Public Relations).

For more on Valeska and her husband Chris, see The Guiders.

Also see the Village Voice take on this, and its juxtaposition of what was going on in the “fancier part of the ship” while Valeska and others like her were slaving it in the lower decks, Tony Ortega’s take on  Valeska.

Claire Yurdin Goes Independent

Dear All:

I have resigned from the Church of Scientology under its current leadership by writing a letter of resignation to the Ethics Officers and MAAs of all the orgs where I have been on lines since becoming a Scientologist in 1969. I am now an Independent Scientologist.

The letter is below:

—————————-

Dear Ethics Officer/MAA:

I have completed Doubt on remaining a member of the Church of Scientology under its current leadership and have decided to resign as a member of the current Church. Per step 6 of the Doubt formula, I am announcing this to you, the Ethics Officers and MAAs of the orgs where I have been on lines since becoming a Scientologist in 1969. I am now an Independent Scientologist.

Here is my Scientology resume:

• OT 4, mid OT 5
• HDC Class 4 (both pre-Golden Age of Tech, both interned)
• Superliterate
• Minister’s Course, PTS S/P Course; Route to Infinity (Freewinds)
• Range of smaller courses
• Staff admin hatting courses

• Founding staff member of Paris Org (staff there for three years) where I rose to Org officer.
• Staff for one year on NY Day
• Audited for six months at the oldFifth AvenueMission, NYC
• Staff for five years at the Delphian School,Sheridan,OR, where I was a curriculum developer and taught high school French

I felt for a long time that something was wrong, but could not figure out what it could be. I observed a growing number of outpoints. I wrote a report on anything I personally observed that was off-policy or out-ethics. However, I did not look at the anti-Scientology websites, dismissing them as the work of crazies.

The light first dawned for me with the March 6, 2010 New York Times article about Christie Collbran’s tortuous departure from the Sea org. It is hard to ignore the New York Times. But what truly riveted my attention were links in the online article to the June 21, 2009 articles in the St. Petersburg Times (not a paper I usually read), by Childs and Tobin, interviewing Marty Rathbun and Mike Rinder about their departure from the Church. Rathbun and Rinder were #2 and #3 international executives for years and could not be dismissed. Their revelation that the current head of the Church, David Miscavige, regularly assaulted his staff shocked me terribly, among other things. A few weeks later, Anderson Cooper of CNN (another source hard to ignore) devoted a week to interviewing high-level departed executives on the topic of Miscavige’s propensity for assault. Marty appeared with Anderson Cooper. It was impossible to ignore what these longstanding former executives of the Church said and impossible to ignore Rathbun and Rinder, both highly credible sources.

Going online and becoming a regular reader of Marty’s blog and other websites, I found more and more corroboration from unrelated sources as the development of blogs and websites has enabled people to speak up online at no cost. The increasing number of outpoints I had observed started to make sense. Gaining power by a coup, David Miscavige, who has increasingly revealed himself to be a true Suppressive Person, has eliminated the checks and balances that once existed in the Church and cowed or exiled any opposition he may have had, it would appear.

Outpoints I have noted include:

• There has been an unrelenting campaign to build huge expensive buildings, unwarranted by the size of their field and delivery statistics. {Note: This is especially true in my home area ofSeattle.] These are financed by demanding donations from Church members. This is out-policy. See HCOPL 23 Sept. 1970 Quarters, Policy Regarding on org premises. See HCO PL 24 February 1964, Issue II Org Programming on demanding donations for buildings. These huge expensive buildings are also out-gradient
• The org staffs remain paid a pittance while the head of the Church has a lavish lifestyle and these expensive buildings are built. This is an outpoint.
• Flag has been sending promotions for delivering grades, thereby undercutting the lower orgs, which are supposed to specialize in them. Flag is supposed to concentrate on higher level services. This is out-policy. See HCOPL 23 Nov 1969 Allowed Technical Services
• Flag has been boasting in its promotions of speed of delivery. This is out-policy. See HCOPL 17 June 1970 RB Rev 25 Oct. 1983 Technical Degrades
• I receive floods of email from orgs where I have never been and never will be. I called the central database I/C to ask that I only be sent email from the orgs where I am currently on lines and was told that this would be done. It was not. This is enforced communication (out Code of Honor). (I have marked them as spam in my email program.)
• The Golden Age of Tech was launched, implying that LRH, who spent his life training people and is the source of the subject, had failed to give us the right way of training. This is out-policy. See HCOPL 7 Feb. 1965 Keeping Scientology Working, HCBO 8 March 1962 The Bad Auditor, HCBO 22 January 1977 In-Tech, The Only Way to Achieve It.
• It appears that Miscavige has redefined F/N from what LRH gave us to say that the needle must swing at least three times. This is nowhere written by LRH and is out-tech. Overrun must be occurring on a massive scale. This is out-tech.
• There has been a degrade of study tech in the Basics program, which tells the student look up a misunderstood word in the glossary rather than use a dictionary. This is out-tech.  See HCBO 23 March 1978RB Word Clearing Series 59 Clearing Words
• The runway to auditor training has been lengthened by putting in long pre-requisite courses (Pro TRs,Upper Indocs, Pro Metering, and the Basics, which takes over a year all by itself.) The result is very few auditors trained. This is out gradient and hence out-tech. As co-auditing is the practical means by which auditing can occur on a great scale, the number of people being audited is extremely curtailed.
• Sea Org members have been forbidden to have children since 1986. There has been no family time with existing children allowed since 1987. This is an enforced blocking of a dynamic when LRH stressed balance of the dynamics. See Fundamentals of Thought, Chapter 4 The Eight Dynamics.
• There has been a suppressive application of disconnection, breaking up families. This is a misapplication of PTS/SP technology. This is out-tech. See “PTSness and Disconnection,” Introduction to Scientology Ethics (1998). Disconnection is now being used, in fact, as a political tool.
• The prices for auditing and courses are so high that the average middle income person cannot afford them. This is an outpoint.
• The e- meter, an essential auditing tool, is priced at over $4000 and probably costs about $200 to make. (I thought we were supposed to be clearing the planet.) This is an outpoint.
• The supposed statistics of great expansion from Management are false. One has only to walk into one’s empty local org to see this. This is an out point.
• My OT 5 has been very poorly handled.

The statements of OT VIIIs Geir Isene (http://elysianchakorta.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/geir_isene_doubt_cos_2009-08-07.pdf) and Luis Garcia (http://markrathbun.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/a-letter-from-garcia.pdf) could not be dismissed either. Both Geir and Luis are highly intelligent and credible.

I am grateful for my many gains and wins in Scientology and continue daily use of the spiritual and mental technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard.

Should the leadership and direction of the Church change for the better, I would consider rejoining. Please remove me from your mail, email, and telephone lists at this time, however.

———————-

I won’t describe the levels of shock, horror, and personal loss I have felt or the difficulty in confronting all this and arriving at this moment as the participants in this blog are surely familiar with same.

It is beyond pitiful that Miscavige has not been handled internally long ago and that we are relying on journalists and bloggers for information and hoping the FBI will march in to put in ethics on our church from the outside.

I remain devoted to the spiritual, mental, and ethics, technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard.

Once Miscavige falls, as fall he must, the Church needs to be reorganized so such a person cannot again seize and maintain control. As we know, LRH was not a fan of democracy. (“The common denominator of a group is the reactive bank. Thetans without banks have different responses. They only have their banks on common. They agree then only on bank principles,” HCPOL 7 Feb. 1965 Keeping Scientology Working).  Note that LRH wrote that before he developed the Upper Bridge.

Perhaps there could be a convention of OT 7s and above to choose the CEO of the Church. At those case levels, the bank is no longer an issue.  This would be somewhat like the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, which chooses the Pope. All OT 7s and above could be invited. Candidates for CEO position would make a presentation and the group would vote to choose one.  The CEO would report to the OT group regularly and could be removed by a 60% vote of same if need be.

It does not hurt to think ahead a bit.

With thanks to those courageous Independents who have preceded me,

Claire Yurdin (Adams, Luhrs)

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving

Giving thanks to those who share

Through thick and thin

In mirth or sorrow

Rain or shine

Like there’s no tomorrow

Giving thanks to those who care

Through up and down

In health or pain

Day or night

Like your rise is their gain

Giving thanks to those who bear

Through good and bad

In win or loss

Wrong or right

Like your burden’s their cross

Giving thanks to those who dare

Through bright and blue

In fall or rise

Ebb or height

Like your hope is their prize

Giving thanks to those who won’t scare

Through praise and threat

In chains or wings

Low or high

Like freedom brings

Like freedom dreams

Like freedom sings

Like freedom beams

Thanks to those

Who let freedom ring

Happy Thanksgiving

The $100,000,000 Book Con – dox

Gabriel has come through with some documented particulars as to magnitude of the rape, pillage, and plunder of Scientology public by David Miscavige’s “Basics” scam.  Good timing my friend.

One Hundred Million

by Gabriel

After the release of the Basics, this email got posted on the notice board for all mission staff.  Nick Christensen was the mission sales rep at the time:

“Only $2,561,205 left to make $100,000,000 for the year in GBS!!!!!!
Inbox    x
Nick Christensen nchristensen@bridgepub.com  9/19/07          

to ANCHORAGE, Aurora, Baton, Bev, bellevue, belleair, Brand, Buena, chicago, clearwater, Foothills, Houston, CAPITOL, Melrose, NEWJERSEY, neworleans, Scientology, MILWAUKEE, Palo, redwoodcity, riverpark, seattle, Sherman, sanfrancisco, siliconvalley, santamonica

Attention: All Mission Staff

Whoever opens this e-mail should make sure to print it out, make it known to the staff of where the mission stands, and then post it on any and all notice boards that you have to get the staff and your public pumped up to make their target.

Remember each Mission is to make at least 1 full package sale or 2 lecture upgrades. 

If your mission isn’t on the list that means I either don’t have an updated report from you or you are at zero which can and needs to be changed immediately for us to make the $6,000,000 target.

Right now we are at $3,438,795.00 so that is only $2,561,205 left to go!!!!

Here is how it breakdowns down in GBS so far:

1. Los Feliz – $11,363
2. Silicon Valley – $3,700
3. Beverly Hills – $3,500
4. Melrose – $3,000
5. Portland – $2,631
6. Palo Alto – $2,600
7. Milwaukee – $2,600
8. Halifax – $2,600
9. Huntington Park – $ 1,970
10. Lafayette – $1,950
11. New Orleans – $1,900
12. Redondo Beach – $1,775
13. Santa Rosa – $1,756
14. Belleair – $1661
15. East Toronto – $1,500
16. Champaign – $1,500
17. Brand Blvd – $1,500
18. Buenaventura – $1,500
19. Seattle – $1,463
20. Elgin – $1,127
21. Houston – $1,000
22. Riverpark – $1,000
23. Foothills – $800
24. Baton Rouge – $500
25. Sherman Oaks – $500
26. Albany – $450
27. Capitol – $255
28. Clearwater – $200

You guys can do it!! We are counting on you!

ML,

Nick and Marisa”

Bridge Publications only covers the Western Hemisphere.  So that’s $100 million just for the West in one year, not inclusive of whatever New Era was selling.

I remember reading this and getting a sort of electric thrill.  “Wow, it’s really happening.  Pubs is going to be able to market the hell out of Dianetics, now, and fill up the orgs and missions!  It’s just around the corner! TV ads, magazines, marketing galore.  We’re going to capture the fabled 5% of the world book market!  Sheer momentum and planetary clearing and all that!”

No marketing campaign.

Maybe there just wasn’t enough money in the “war chest” yet.

But let’s do a little math.

Each Basics Book and Lecture package cost $3,000.

Let’s assume a cost of $1.00 total production cost for each of the 280 lectures in the Basics.  This is actually very high but let’s just be safe in terms of including the price of the binders, supplements, shipping, pay for SO members, etc.

Here is a link that cites industry standard CD replication costs of $.50, and this is if you outsource:

http://www.proactionmedia.com/dvd_media_production.htm

Now let’s add in the cost of each of the 18 Basic books.  We’ll assume a cost of $10 per book, but it’s certainly less than this.  But we’ll wrap into this costs of shipping, etc.

So a full Basics Book and Lecture package costs a maximum of $280 for lectures + $180 for books = $460.

$460 is only  15% of $3000.  At least 85% of Basics sales are profit.

The way the discounts were structured, the distributors of the Basics (orgs and missions) sent almost all of their sales money up the lines to Bridge Publications.

So of this $100,000,000: about $85,000,000 was pure unadulturated profit.

And this was just the beginning of the Basics, in ’07.  This was before the endless libraries and the 16 sets for your garage.  Before Bridge Pubs started issuing official handles on the sales objection “I don’t have enough shelf space.”

No wonder DM could just never get enough.  No wonder nearly every Scientology terminal in existence has been pressured into becoming a glorified Bookstore Officer.

When you add this $85 million profit to whatever New Era has been selling, plus the millions each week that Flag is generating, plus IAS, plus Superpower, plus Idle Orgs, plus tithes, plus film licenses, plus plus plus plus, I estimate that it’s at the minimum HALF A BILLION dollars ANNUALLY funneling through the top.

And yet IAS reges incessantly pitch the newest emergency that requires the exact amount of emergency funding they feel they can extract from you or else the world ends.

The terrified vultures pick and pick and meanwhile high above them the Short Vulture is getting very fat indeed.

I’ll send more data when I can.

ML,
Gabriel

Orange County – Now, For The Rest Of The Story

The following article by Luis Garcia is a follow- up to the several part series in St Petersburg Times, Inside Scientology: The Money Machine.   We are going to be doing a bit of Paul Harvey here.  A number of articles will follow that expand upon themes covered by the Times, but with the rest of the story filled in.  In this case, here is the rest of the story on the Orange County Idle Org fraud that was touched on by the Times.

The Orange County Ideal Org Project; a tale of lies and deception.

by Luis Garcia

First, I would like to acknowledge Joe Childs, Tom Tobin and the St. Petersburg Times for their impressive and unbiased marvel of investigative journalism in the recent series The Money Machine. My hat is off to you, gentlemen.

The rabbit hole is deep and has many twists and turns. I will attempt to shed some clarity and give some additional data on the Orange County Ideal Org evolution. Rocio and I donated the first $100,000 in 2003 that kicked off the OC (Orange County) Ideal Org project. This was announced at a subsequent event with a large attendance, and an additional $340,000 were raised. The project was underway. Other events of all sorts ensued, slowly raising the amount of funds in the pot.

In February of 2006, it was announced that “OC was next.” A mission composed of 3 people arrived. Quentin Tauffer, SO fundraiser extraordinaire came to OC accompanied by 2 women, one doing Admin functions and the other doing Ethics. The first order of business was to issue Ethics interviews summons. Rocio and I were summoned, as well as many OLs and OTs in the field. The ethics interview turned out to be an en-masse rollback. Soon after, a couple of guys were “handled,” and you never heard another peep from them. Now, with all CI removed from the field, the “briefings” could start. And indeed they did! Daily briefings at the Org, where everyone was asked to give and where everyone was asked to get on the phone, go visit people at their homes, businesses, etc., and get them to give as well.

This continued for about a month and most staff in OC and about 30 public were literally working the fundraising drums all day. But it was slow going. The donations were just trickling in. Ed Dearborn confided in me, “the flows are stuck and we need a substantial donation to un-stick them.” You know this part of the story so I won’t repeat it. After we made our donation in March 2006, “because we enthusiastically support our chosen faith,” as spokeswoman Karin Pouw said, it was leveraged to get 2 other individuals to donate large sums for a total of $500,000 each or more. These individuals have since gotten divorced and their finances are in a real mess. Other people also upped their statuses and made large donations. Within 2 weeks all the funds needed to buy the building in Santa Ana, CA had been raised. The flows had been un-stuck.

There was a Victory celebration type event held, where contributors received commendations and leather jackets. The ED, Ed Dearborn, announced to an audience of over 400 that fundraising had officially ended. The renovations would be funded with the proceeds of the sale of the existing building in Tustin, CA, as at that time, there were interested buyers for it offering around $5 million.

Parishioners celebrate the end of fundraising in OC

Commendations given by Quentin Tauffer

The $250,000 leather jacket

 

Renovations were to start immediately! There were just a couple of little hurdles to overcome first, though.

CSI (Church of Scientology International) had retained a company by the name of Staubach on a global basis, to locate, negotiate and conduct the purchase of buildings. The building for OC had been located and negotiated by a parishioner. There had been no brokers involved, which was a plus often aired at briefings, I mean think of “all the commission money we are saving!”

Although Staubach was not involved at all in the locating or purchasing of the OC’s Ideal Org building, they sent us a bill for their commission nevertheless: $160,000. We couldn’t of course go to the seller after the transaction was finalized and tell him to pay a commission to a broker that was not even present during the transaction. So we had to pay it. And we couldn’t go to the public and tell them about this lunacy either.

So just a few short weeks after it had been declared that “all fundraising had ended,” the ED announced we needed to raise $160,000 to “pay the architect and get him started.” This money was raised in a few weeks.

Staubach’s commission was paid. Karin Pouw’s statement “all donated money is spent carefully and efficiently” is perhaps an inaccurate statement. Who ever heard of a real estate buyer paying a commission to a broker for not working the deal? Indeed, only in the COS’ world of efficient economies.

The second hurdle was that right after the purchase, the last tenant’s lease had just been renewed “by mistake” for another 5 years by the DSA Orange County, Marie Murillo. After this little oversight was recognized, Marie Murillo and the then FBO Ian Faulkner, went to meet with the tenant to see what it would take to get him to move. The tenant was no dummy and he had informed himself very well as to the nature of his new landlord; and having found that the church of Scientology was engaged in an “unprecedented period of expansion” buying prime real estate all over the world like there was no tomorrow, he said it would take a cash payment of $450,000 plus 3 months of free rent and 3 months of free utilities. Now, this is when Mr. FBO, Ian Faulkner, put his foot in his mouth, and said something along the lines of “we could do that.” You see, for Mr. Faulkner to comply with his orders and “handle the tenant and get him to move” only meant extracting a few hundred thousand dollars from back-broken parishioners. No big deal. It’s very easy to spend somebody else’s money.

When he hit a wall in trying to raise this much money, again, after only a short while of having announced “no more fundraising,” I got a call with a request to help them negotiate with the tenant.

As you can imagine I was dealt a bad hand. The tenant, based on Mr. Faulkner’s confident response in their first meeting, was now licking his chops and very much looking forward to his big pay-day.

I met with the tenant multiple times and used all my business skills to get him to abandon the idea of $450,000. This process took me 5 months, all the while incessant queries and orders from the office of the Landlord Int kept coming down, such as “what’s the hold-up? We need to start the renos! Pay him! Get him out!” This was a top priority cycle. The tenant was holding up the Ideal Org in OC. Unthinkable!

I got the tenant to agree to a cash payment of $175,000 and a short period of free rent. He moved out in May 2007. I don’t quite remember how this money was raised, I mean what shore story was used, but the public were definitely not told that we paid $175,000 of their money to fix a little mistake on the DSA’s part. I received the following email from Mark Pisani, from the Int Landlord’s Office:

From: Mark Pisani [markpisani@scientology.net]

Sent: Friday, March 30, 2007 10:42 AM

To: Garcia. Luis

Cc: Dearborn, Ed; Murillo, Marie

Subject: Tenant termination agreement

Luis -

I have attached an agreement form that was drafted by the church’s real estate attorneys at JMBM Law firm. It was written for another org but I changed the dates here. Correct the dates as needed to suit your needs. 

Obviously, stay in close comm with ED and Marie (as you are doing this for them).

ml, Mark

I was given commendations and I also received the following email from OC DSA, Marie Murillo. She knew I would be going to Flag soon for a refresher, and she thought this might help me with my perceived transgressions:

From: marie [mariemurillo@yahoo.com]

Sent: Friday, May 11, 2007 11:56 AM

To: Luis Garcia

Subject: report

 Solo Nots DoP (for Luis Garcia)                                                          May-11-07

 DSA OC

 Re: Luis’ participation on handling the remaining tenant of our new Ideal Org.

 Dear Sir: 

 This is to clarify a bit more Luis’ help on the above cycle as the commendations that both the ED and I wrote on him only mentions the final product and not necessarily all the work involved.

 Our building had a remaining tenant that had just renewed another 5 years lease right after we bought the building. They occupy the space which is at the corner of the building. This is going to be Div 6 as it is the only area in the building that has windows to the outside and therefore the most exposure. At the beginning of this cycle they demanded $450,000 plus 3 months free rent and free utilities. We simply could not afford that and the cycle ended right there.

Needless to say there was no way that those tenants would not be handled regardless how much this would cost us, as it jeopardized the renos and the opening of our new org.

I worked with Luis on this since October 2006 or so. He helped me review the lease and found different areas where we could be asking the tenants for insurance that they did not provide and other items that were important to us and could also help them change their mind about leaving.  I was in constant communication with Luis at that time. This cycle of reviewing the lease was a many hours cycle as it involved legal aspects that Luis had to research.

Luis got them to agree to leave for $175,000 which is considerably less than the original $450,000 amount.

I want to add that at some point I had to leave for Flag as I went there to finish OT-7, since that moment Luis took over the cycle fully which allowed me to not have any attention units on this while I was getting thru the end of OT-7. He was in comm with me but took full responsibility for the cycle.

This cycle was priceless for my org as with the tenants there for another 4 years we would not be able to open the Ideal Org.

I knew that Luis had taken the last few months to dedicate himself to get thru the level, he took off work and any other activities that did not consist of getting in session and was working on getting done with OT-7, regardless of this he answered to my request for help on a cycle that was of great importance to the org and made the time to do this. I truly appreciated this.

This is true,

Marie Murillo

DSA OC

We were now ready to start the renovations. Were we? Nope. The real estate market had just started to falter and the $5 million buyers were no longer there. We could only get $4.5 million or so.

So at a new enthusiastic briefing, an audience of not-so-enthusiastic parishioners were told that… $500,000 more needed to be raised.

Fundraising events, raffles, barbecues, bake sales, and even poker games in the name of the Ideal Org have run ever since. And let’s not forget “events” such as “Bowling for OC’s Ideal Org” or “The Pirates of the Caribbean Fundraising party,” or “the OC’s Ideal Org golf ball drop.” Yeap, numbered golf balls were sold and dropped from a helicopter on top of a golf course hole. The ball that went into the hole first would win its proud owner a TV set! As you can see all very on-policy Scientology actions.

OC’s Orange County Executive Director, Ed Dearborn, setting the bowling example, leading his flock to a Cleared OC.

Freewinds’ Registrar Gavin Potter, double hatted as Ideal Org’s pirate, telling “enthusiastic” parishioners to “donate or else!” “Rrrrrahh!”

New FBO Kirsten Krieger (center) watches intensely as a player says “all in.” A symbolic moment indeed, as many have said the same words in the COS: “ALL IN.”

Orange County’s ED, Ed Dearborn, addresses the parishioners at “The Most Uptone Fundrasing Event Ever!” Yes, this was the actual name for it. Note how parishioners “enthusiastically” fill the first two rows of chairs.

Orange County’s ED, Ed Dearborn, explains to a group of “VIPs” that the Pro-survival thing to do is to fork over their retirement funds.

Four recent fundraising events held by OC. Same faces in all photos, half or so of the people are staff. Orange County reached ST Hill size, for real, in 1986. I know, I was there. Where is all the OC public?

OC’s Roll of Shame. This is the list of everyone that has donated to the OC’s Ideal Project. Note the name “Luis & Rocio Garcia” are missing at the top.

As time passed, two things occurred: 1) the price they could get for the existing building in Tustin has been steadily declining. All they can get now is $3 million, IF they can find a buyer. And 2) the price for the renovations has been steadily increasing. When I asked the ED, Ed Dearborn, about this he said “all that stuff from Gold was very expensive.” The target to be raised became a moving target. First it was $500,000, then $800,000. Then $1.2 million, then $1.6 million, then…

In January of this year, I received the following letter from the Orange County OT Committee:

 

“It IS happening!”

 
This is a brief accounting summary of the project as I understand it:

1. Building purchase price: $6.2 million. April 2006.

2. Commission paid to Staubach: $160,000.

3. $175,000 paid to tenants to get them to move.

Add to this the lost of rental income for the last 4 years: $8,000 per month, 48 months = $384,000. Moreover, the lease would have been up by now, so the $175,000 tenant pay-off could have been saved. But hey! The renos had to start yesterday! “Pay him! Get him out!”

4. Now, the letter above says $1.3 million was raised in the last 6 months (more like in the last 5 years, since 2006).

5. “Management made an award of $1.2 million.”

6. So that leaves a mere $2.7 million more to be raised by LRH’s birthday (March 2011). And that is if the damned target stays put for a while! I’m telling you, this target has had legs for the last 5 years!
7. But let’s not forget the $3 million they will hopefully get from the sale of the existing building. Back in 2006 they had multiple offers for around $5 million and they turned them down.

Do the math, and this 100 year old, asbestos-ridden, 42,000 sq. foot building is going to cost a total of $14.7 million ($350/sq. ft.).

 

Also note that New OT VIIIs Marty Prince (Cramming officer), Yvonne Prince (Senior C/S) and Marie Murillo, (DSA) have recently “come on board and are now in charge of the fundraising.” What about their posts?
But wait! There is more. The building does not have it’s own parking lot. The lot across the street is used by government employees during the day and it’s pretty full. That leaves the 2-
hour coin meters on the streets… if you can find one available. Genius!

The building has sat empty since that last tenant left in May 2007. Events are not even held there anymore. The neighborhood it is in, is not precisely Beverly Hills. All businesses have bars and security doors in the storefronts. Some poor staff members have had to spend every single night there since 2007, to keep it secure.

 

Now, who shares my opinion that LRH would probably not approve of any one point above, let alone all of them combined?
I hope this finds you well, and I hope this helps shine some light on OC.

Best,

Luis

 

Some Perspective – Scientology Titanic

I sometimes get annoyed by the a=a mentality of some attackers out there that attribute behavior to me or friends of mine because “look at what the church of Scientology is doing now.”    Hey, we’ve copped to some rather fanatical stuff; but 2011 is not 2001 is not 1991. Some people lose sight of the speed with which Miscavige’s dwindling spiral psychosis has spread throughout his cult.  That thought occurred to me while reading the stories of Bert Schippers and Lynne Hoverson and Rocio and Luis Garcia in the St Petersburg Times.  Reading the knowledge reports on these four people posted on the St Pete Times website prompted this post.

Knowledge report on Lynne and Bert.

Knowledge report on Rocio and Luis. 

While reading those reports, I took the viewpoint I had in the year 1999 while holding the post of Inspector General RTC (before Miscavige’s severe psychotic break described by me in an older St Pete Times interview, segment titled Miscavige’s Spiral of Violence).

The woman writing the report on Lynne and Bert would have been the immediate subject of an ethics investigation on my watch.  Bert and Lynne would have been apologized to in writing.

As to Ed Dearborn, he would have been comm ev’d off of post in a heart beat, and it would be years before he’d ever muster the chutzpah to beg to be on staff again.

If anyone believes the cult has not seriously deteriorated in the past ten years, you are either plain misinformed or are severely deluded.

What we are witnessing here is the Titanic redux, plain and simple.

Miscavige’s Super Ponzi Scheme

The St Petersburg Times has pretty much proven what we have been saying here for years now, the Super Power building is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme, or as Luis Garcia put it “a cash cow.”  See Monday’s lead article, POWER PLAY.

Please also see the editorial published by the Times: IRS Should Review Scientology Tax-exempt Status.

The Corporate Scientology WEDGE

Here is yet more evidence that David Miscavige’s obsession with splitting married couples for the purposes of empowering his own criminal self has made it clear on down to the local organizations of Scientology.

Please watch the video, The $350,000 Wedge. 

Also, please read the “Knowledge Report” of Orange County Executive Director Ed Dearborn that Luis Garcia refers to in his interview.

Note the routing and the designated carbon copy recipient:

“CC: SOLO NOTs MAA FSO”

In David Miscavige’s New, Golden Age of Tech for OTs, the line is real simple.   If you do not bankrupt yourself for his off-policy, off-purpose, self-empowering and self-aggrandizing schemes destructive to the forward progress of Scientology – why then, you are routed OFF your spiritual route to visit Miscvige’s “MAA FSO.”   MAA stands for Master at Arms, a fancy name for Ethics Officer.   The MAA’s in Miscavige’s new Golden Age of Tech for OTs line possess the following qualifications:

a.  Never went to college, and preferably dropped out of High School.

b. Never held a job, never paid rent, never balanced a bank account.

c. Never had a life outside Corporate Scientology.

d. Never studied Scientology, philosophy or organizational policy.

e. Drilled to be arrogant and haughty and to hold adults in contempt.

f. Drilled to threaten one’s immortal future by wielding the title MAA FSO to extort money in sums beyond the means of the parishioner to pay.

g. Indoctrinated by “Scientology schools” and their Kool Aid drinking parents to believe that David Miscavige is infallible, senior to L Ron Hubbard policy, and that they must worship worthy their adopted Fuhrer.

The snot-nose robot MAAs FSO are roughly equivalent in mentality, compassion, and understanding to Hitler’s Nazi Youth.

And with those qualifications David Miscavige empowers them to hold the immortal future above people who have dedicated decades of their lives to forwarding the aims of Scientology.   In my opinion, it is an epitome of REVERSE Scientology.

Thank you Rocio Garcia for handling that wonderful husband of yours.  Even though they whacked you for a considerable sum of money along the way you ultimately proved yourself more strong, more wise, more ethical, more OT, and more valuable than David Miscavige, Ed Dearborn, and all of the Nazi Youth combined.  You triumphed – and you and Luis are continuing along that line.