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Scientology Charged With Slavery, Human Trafficking
eldavojohn writes "A formal complaint was filed in California (caged PDF) last week by John Lindstein naming David Miscavige and the Church of Scientology International as defendants. Lindstein claims that for sixteen years (from age 8) he was forced to work as a slave at Gold Base, a secret CoS site run by Golden Era Productions with 'razor wire, security guard patrols, surveillance posts, and three roll calls each day.' The pay was $50 a week. The allegations include 'Violations of wage and hour laws as well as unfair/illegal business practices actionable under California B&P 17200 Et. Seq.' and a complaint under the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution, which abolished slavery. Members of the group Anonymous praised the summons."
Was this a surprise to anyone?
Slaves aren't paid, last I checked. Did he file a 1099?
If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
hell yeah!
weinersmith
Now if we can see a slashdot article saying that they were found guilty and someone went to prison for it... the fat lady ain't sang yet, boys.
Free Martian Whores!
First the Catholics with child rape, now the Scientologists with slavery and human trafficking.
Any wagers on which one true religion will be busted next?
Blar.
Since they are classified as a religion (thanks to infiltration of CoS into the IRS) wouldn't his service be considered 'worship' and 'volunteering'. However it wouldn't surprise me if they actually were actually doing much worse than just killing people.
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
Anonymous is not a group, etc. etc.
It looks like it's just a civil complaint, though. I'd love to see these guys brought up on criminal charges. If this suit makes any headway, I wonder if criminal charges will eventually follow? I can't imagine the DA would refuse to prosecute for slavery. It will be interesting to see what Scientology goodies come to light in the discovery process.
I prefer rogues to imbeciles because they sometimes take a rest.
Really?I thought Tom Cruise would make more... I guess you really can't put a price on crazy though
Authorities released a second statement saying "We're sorry for all the trouble we might have caused Tom Cruise. This was all a simple misunderstanding of the terms "Slave" and "Cult". ......All your base are belong to us."
Of course it belongs. Didn't you notice the reference to "science" in "scientology"? BTW, Scientology liberally uses lawyers and law suits to intimidate and silence its critics - including the on-line critics.
Very often, people confuse simple with simplistic. The nuance is lost on most. - Clement Mok
I think the bad reputation marks against Scientology are getting a lot of press, but in defense of the poor guy getting beat up, are there any good things to say about Scientology?
Scientology has become relevant to Slashdot and its readership ever since CoS removed content from Slashdot under DMCA. It's quote obviously News for Nerds now, and, noting the DMCA reference (and the fact that it's common CoS practice, not a single isolated case), definitely related to Your Rights Online. If it's still not clear, try posting OT-III materials in a /. comments and see how that goes.
Why does it have to be about something online to be of relevance to nerds?
I think the headline is wrong...they usually charge people for services, not vice versa! wtf?
There is no law against working in a compound which has barbed wire. So that sounds like some crap to feed the media.
The $50/week pay could be grounds for him to sue them for back wages, supposing he has proof that he worked more than 10 hours per week and that they only paid him $50 during such weeks.
For the slavery charge, he would need to prove that he tried to quit/leave but was forcibly prevented from doing so. Did he call the police on such occasions?
I'm thinking he may have a hard time proving his case. Accusations alone won't do it; he'll need evidence.
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
For those of you who are interested, you can read the original court complaint filing here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/23175190/Complaint-filed112509
I'm not fan of scientology, or any cult really - but a mainstream organization with illegal work camps? I just never expected that, at all. You'd think the lid would have come off something that extreme some time ago. And what are they even having them do in these camps, build the theta monitors?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Hmmm ...
You don't think a story about a religion that was founded by a science fiction writer, teaches that we are from some other planet and uses something called an "E-meter" to locate and eliminate "engrams" in its followers belongs on Slashdot?
I must be new here.
I don't care why you're posting AC
The Religion of Anthropogenic Global Warming...! :)
As a Californian I wonder how much interest this is going to garner in my home state regarding the abuses of Scientology. On the one hand, my state is populated with pipe dreamers, smoked out idealists, flower children, hippy nutjobs, and all sorts of other forms of extreme liberalism. On the other hand, we have very rich communities like Hollywood, the OC, and Roseville. We also, apparently, have enough orthodox, classic right wingers that we voted down legalizing gay marriage recently. We have farmers. We have students. We have programmers. We have ranchers. We have movie stars. We have one of the most diverse culture mixtures in the world I bet. That's part of why I love it here...
Of course, along with that diversity is an unfathomable tolerance for some particularly poignant cases of stupidity...like our state budget. There is no doubt that the strong and vocal religious groups here in California would raise exception and a helluva kerfuffle over their church being towed to court for slavery. But I wonder if any of those groups see a case regarding Scientology as a threat. After all sometimes the most belligerent opposition to one religion comes from another religion. I have seen folks in Fawkes masks walking around my local famer's market protesting Scientology. However, I have also had Scientologists try to recruit me both in my home town and when I wander the rest of the state. So this will certainly be an interesting case to watch. I hope it garners some attention and noise in this state and, perhaps, even in our country. Exposing Scientology for the cult and crime syndicate it is certainly is, in my opinion, a righteous cause....
Well if there's one thing we Californians know how to do, its garner attention and make some noise. I'm gonna go pop some popcorn...
Motorcycles, Robots, Space Gossip and More!
Well, if you are on Verizon FiOS, then your internet will get cut because it's off-topic!
"Information wants to be expensive" - Stewart Brand, the same guy who said "Information wants to be free"
Scientology has become relevant to Slashdot and its readership ever since CoS removed content from Slashdot under DMCA. It's quote obviously News for Nerds now, and, noting the DMCA reference (and the fact that it's common CoS practice, not a single isolated case), definitely related to Your Rights Online. If it's still not clear, try posting OT-III materials in a /. comments and see how that goes.
Off Topic level III?
faith-based construction end!!
What about child labor laws?
that they'll finally free Katie Holmes!
The war between Scientology vs. The Internet has been going on pretty much since there was an Internet.
The Co$ practically invented the Hipcrime sporgery attack technique that still plagues USENET to this day. It was directly responsible for taking down the world's first anonymous remailer (anon.penet.fi) in 1996, and compromised every user of that service. Its shill legislator got his name stamped onto the Mickey Mouse Protection Act in 1998.
It has been a consistent and implacable foe of the free exchange of information on the Internet for the better part of 20 years, and it will not stop until it - either the Cult or the Internet - ceases to exist in its current form. Anything that could deplete the cult's financial reserves is a priori a good thing for Your Rights Online, and anything that the cult wants is a priori a threat to Your Rights Online.
Asking "What does the Co$ have to do with YRO?" is like asking "What does NSA have to do with surveillance?" Both are threats to your ability to speak freely. NSA may break the law from time to time, but for all we bitch about it, at least it acknowledges the existence of legal restrictions on its ability to carry out its mission. Co$ doesn't even recognize the concept of law, except as a means of filing strategic lawsuits against public participation, or as a means to otherwise harass its critics.
link 1
link 2
link 3
"If you want to control your child, simply break him into complete apathy and he'll be as obedient as any hypnotized half-wit. If you want to know how to control him, get a book on dog training, name the child Rex and teach him first to "fetch" and then to "sit up" and then to bark for his food. You can train a child that way. Sure you can. But it's your hard luck if he turns out to be a blood-letter. Only don't be half-hearted about it. Simply TRAIN him. "Speak, Roger!" "Lie down!" "Roll over!" Of course, you'll have a hard time of it. This - a slight oversight - is a human being. You'd better charge right in and do what you can to break him into apathy quickly. A club is best. Tying him in a closet without food for a few days is fairly successful. The best recommended tactic, however, is simply to use a straight jacket and muffs on him until he is docile and imbecilic. I'm warning you that it's going to be tough; it will be tough because Man became king of the beasts only because he couldn't as a species be licked. He doesn't easily go into an obedient apathy like dogs do. Men own dogs because men are self-determined and dogs aren't. --Official church documents
I got nothing better going on.
So, what you're saying is this thread will be shut down an.....
Gold Base would be a GREAT place for a flash mob. http://bit.ly/4ZyrZz : Replies denote interest.
Why is it that everytime $cientology is posted on Slashdot, some dolt posts a derivation of :
Slashdot should stick to its stated goal of news for nerds. This simply isn't it. It has nothing to do with my rights online or anybody's rights online."
While with an minimum of research, it would be clear that $cientology is well know for DMCA abuses, including ones directed towards the very forum you are posting on?
Sweet Jesus, you are dumb enough to be a $cientologist!
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/scientolulz (there's my two cents... I'm out. :)
Holy happy hippy crap!
I live near this facility (map/image) and it looks more like a gated-resort community than anything. I haven't seen any razor wire, but there are high fences and access is controlled through a gate, and there are cameras on the road and on the fence. For the interested, there is a wiki page that strikes me as being pretty accurate and NPOV.
Forgive my spelling from time to time. I'm often posting during short breaks.
My parents forced me to go to church every week, then sunday school, and during the week I would be forced to work as an altar boy for no pay. All the time I was brainwashed with repetitive prayers and actions. A cult is a cult is a cult. It doesn't matter that here in North America we tend to be fond of a particular one.
Was this a surprise to anyone?
As the submitter, yeah I have to admit it kind of was. This is a really unique opportunity for a case against CoS because normally the cases come from outsiders.
Lindstein was eight years old and says he was forced to work for 16 years. He was removed from school at age 12. Now, if you were removed from school at age 12, you probably aren't very well suited for a high paying job. So you have someone who's lost much of their youth to Scientology and has the motivation to see this suit through to the end.
You see, when you sue or slander Scientology, you might not realize what you're getting yourself into. People end up doing jail for posting verbal attacks on Scientology online. To quote the late L. Ron Hubbard on his policy:
This is the correct procedure: Spot who is attacking us. Start investigating them promptly for felonies or worse using our own professionals, not outside agencies. Double curve our reply by saying we welcome an investigation of them. Start feeding lurid, blood sex crime actual evidence on the attackers to the press. Don't ever tamely submit to an investigation of us. Make it rough, rough on attackers all the way. * "Attacks on Scientology" (25 February 1966)
That's what you're dealing with. That's what Lindstein has in his future. He probably knows it, his lawyer probably knows it. But he will soon be subjected to character assassination, harassment of just barely legal amounts, indirect threats and the same for any family he may have.
So yeah, I'm a pleasantly surprised that such an opportune individual has stepped forward to speak and let us know what Scientology is. Because in so many other cases, the individual has been silenced one way or another. And scientology has refined it's processes to force its members quiet and they have the resources and legal representation to make magic happen in the courts.
I hope Lindstein is telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I wish him the best of luck in the courtroom and for justice to be brought against those who forced him into labor and stripped him of his right to knowledge.
My work here is dung.
Look around for COS stories on the internet, and read the comments. You'll find some derivation of that exact comment over and over in every single one of them.
If you know anyone who is trapped -- physically or mentally -- inside a cult like the Church of Scientology, then please contact Rick Ross. The life of the victim may depend on your getting Ross' help as soon as possible.
It sounds like Lindstein was caught in the Rehabilitation Project Force program, which is where Scientology dissidents are placed until they get better, where 'better' is defined by the people who put them there. Gold Base is by no means the only such place people are kept: the first RPF people were on ships, cleaning out the sewage systems by hand. Sort of hard to call the police when you're being held on a ship in international waters...
Nostalgia's not what it used to be.
Dude - there are (and were) cults out in the US today that do much, much worse.
Yes there are, but nothing on the scale of Scientology. The bigger the group the bigger the target, the harder to keep secrets.
That's what I mean by being surprised. A local compound in one city? Zero information coming out of that would surprise me. But again, for something as large and well known as scientology... it is odd to me that this has not come forward before and is being practiced at all. They don't need to do this after all, they are making money hand over fist as it is.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
"You load sixteen tons, and what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Saint Peter, don'tcha call me 'cause I can't go,
I owe my soul to the company store."
That song reflected the reality of tens of thousands of people in Appalachia.
...you are now officially a religion.
Great new book on Evolution: The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins
I think most nerds are interested in a lot of topics beyond computers, sci-fi and anime. Thats the only reason needed. News for Nerds, stuff that matters... thats potentially everything, but with a nerd bias.
In other words, intelligent news.
If you want news about a cute doggy that's adopted a litter of kitty cats, then watch TV. If you want news about a study of inter-species social interactions, read slashdot.
-- Senior Software Engineer, Attorney appearance services, locallawyerapp.com.
You know what forget this 'slavery' crap. He was 8 when he started, it's on page 2 people in black and white. http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/MinorsSummaryCharts.pdf Although I have no idea how the statute of limitations applies for this individual I would guess that they are doing the same crap to other kids.
It's called Rehabilitation Project Force:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rehabilitation_Project_Force
I think http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_versus_the_Internet answers your question.
I'm Rocco. I'm the +5 Funny man.
What are his qualifications, beyond "has been fighting Scientology & cults" long enough to be a self-titled expert? On the website I see no educational background, no references I can talk to first.
I once had the opportunity to read part of the diary of a teenage girl who had been at a Scientology "Base" in Colorado. I don't recall the name of it, or even whether she mentioned it by name (this was 20 years ago). The disruptive, corruptive effects her involvement with this Base and the CoS had on her state of mind were obvious from what she wrote. While I don't recall whether she described any physical enslavement, the mental enslavement was apparent.
Why they're still getting away with it mystifies me; pretty much everyone now knows what they're doing and how they're doing it.
He's two letters away from Rick Roll.
this lawsuit is a bunch of bumblebrush headed for no where but therapy
Principia Discordia.
Disorganized religion. There you go. Read it now, thank me later fnord.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
Indeed, I kept looking - his wikipedia article is very enlightening. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Ross_%28consultant%29
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I find this particular flavor of insanity both sickly-disturbing and somewhat fascinating. That it happens to come from Frank Zappa doesn't validate it for me. He's just a creep who happened to get some spotlight.
I've seen this kind of disjointed writing style appear throughout the cult/conspiracy/fringe-science field and whenever it appears, there seem to be certain features which remain common between each example. That is, it appears to be evidence of a very specific kind of mind problem.
Anyway, it just struck me now that this type of personality would make a great tool in sculpting public awareness. --As I said, there is something very disturbing about this type of writing. It creates, in me anyway, a deep and strong emotional response. I just want to get the hell away from whoever is acting this way. It's clearly an automatic response, probably linked to some sort of disease avoidance. I don't want to catch whatever the heck is wrong with the person writing this way. --And I'd be surprised if this kind of response isn't common among most healthy people.
When grape farmers want to stop birds from destroying their crops, they employ a variety of different deterrents. Everything from scare-crows propane noise cannons called, "Bird Bangers". --Well, anyway, one system which is used employs speakers and the recorded sound of a dying crow. This apparently plays upon an aspect of avian psychology; when birds hear one of their kind howling in pain, they stay away. Human beings, animals that we are, are similarly wired with these deep and ancient response mechanisms. And when it comes to human manipulation, it is a very safe bet that somebody, somewhere with vast resources has probably not only considered every facet of the question, "How to manipulate populations", but has also come up with practical systems employing what they have learned. That is, if I can think it up on my free time, then somebody with a great deal more paid time and resources has very likely gotten there first and is actively using it.
A few damaged humans prodded into the right fields would certainly act as a psychological deterrent to other humans. Or in the case of Zappa and similar, used to pull listeners into darkness. (A great way to subvert the Hippie movement.)
Just a thought.
-FL
Really? It took Wage and Hour to bring down these guys?
WTF?
Does anyone have a post to the corresponding story where the D.A. takes some police officers to bust the slave camp up? You know, where people rush up to him and yell "we are free! finally someone to set us free!". Hasn't that happened yet? No?!?! You mean they are just going to let the slaves who haven't escaped rot in there? Oh, the humanity
And in fact, this is even more enlightening - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Scott_case
Yeah, I wouldn't be going anywhere NEAR this fellow.
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So if the defendant is trying to get back pay, then aren't they just going to pull the "freeloader's debt" thing, and sue him for unpaid auditing?
v4sw6PU$hw6ln6pr4F$ck 4/6$ma3+6u7LNS$w2m4l7U$i2e4+7en6a2X h
Fraiser (to Niles): "Remember Niles, that which doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."
Nile: "Yes, but what about the people that don't make it into that second group?"
Geez, Tom, no need to take it personally.
Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
If he started working there with the permission of his parents, and if his "right to emancipation" was not violated, and if he stayed there of his own free will - then there is a chance that the Church of Scientology has done nothing wrong, at least according to a rational approach to what law ought to be.
Government interventionism in private contracts (i.e. minimum wage) and family life (i.e. child labor laws) are socialist bullshit imposed by demagogues in order to legitimize their power!
Here here. I know Rick (personally). While I don't agree with him on all matters, he is a good man and has helped countless people. While he was unable to help my friend (Dawn Ward...she's referred to on his site), I stand by my statements.
No, questioning one's pastor or preist does not send one to hell. There is only one reason anyone goes to hell.
Actually, your link is amazingly enlightening.
In the trial, Jason Scott was represented by Kendrick Moxon, a prominent Scientologist attorney.
In November 1996, the CAN name, logo and telephone number were bought in Bankruptcy Court by another Scientologist attorney, Steven Hayes, whose partner Timothy Bowles had at one time been partners with Moxon.
The Jason Scott case brought about the demise of the "Old CAN", marking the end of the cult wars in North America.[1][2] Controversies surrounding new religious movements have continued, but the debate has mostly moved to other arenas than the courts.[1][38] With the Scott decision, deprogramming came to an almost complete halt in North America,[38][39] and the practice was largely given up in favor of voluntary exit counseling.[40] Following the acquisition of the CAN name and number by Scientologists, a "New CAN" was established with their backing, which serves as an information and networking center on nontraditional religions;[41] it is managed by former opponents of the "Old CAN".
Sounds like if you're trying to escape Scientology, this guy is exactly the person you need to talk to.
Look towards Washington.
and yes I include the President who so self absorbed it has gone beyond dangerous. Worse are his enablers in the press who instead of keeping him on his toes want to lick them
Enough Americans worship freaks that there's big money in the industry of finding and promoting freaks, but Americans in general don't worship freaks. Otherwise they wouldn't be freaks.
There are over three hundred million Americans. That's enough people that even a small minority of freak-worshipers is enough to create a deep market.
That's a very poor argument. You can swap out "church" for almost any other childhood activity. For example, soccer:
I'm not aware of any soccer team that claims to know how the universe was founded, what the afterlife is like, demands worship of deities and threatens eternal punishment for not following their rules. I'm not aware of any soccer team that has tortured and killed those who play other sports and refused to play soccer. I'm not aware of any soccer team that claims their coach rose from the dead and absolved them of their sins. I'm not aware of any soccer team that claims their coach performs supernatural acts. I'm not aware of any soccer team that regards you as an immoral person because you don't share their mythology.
In short, there is a HUGE difference between religion and most other childhood activities.
I actually read the first half of Dianetics during a stint in a county jail, and quite a bit of it made sense.
Engrams, IIRC, are things that have happened to people during their childhood and are repressed to the point that they are damaging. A lot of what goes on in the "auditing" (again, IIRC) is equivalent to regressive hypno-therapy. Breaking down those walls could possibly open people up to entirely new aspects of life, and worlds of possibility.
Of course once the walls are broken down, they lay on the sci-fi-churchy-brainwashing-crapola. That is where I stopped reading.
When wikileaks first got famous in relation to Scientology, I grabbed copies of every available piece of CoS literature that I could download. Upon skimming through it I found there are some methods that seem quite useful as tools for training salespeople.
There are protocols where people train one another, for example one shouts obscenities at the other person nonstop for hours on end, and then the roles reverse and the training continues. Imagine how valuable this could be to salespeople, to make them immune to criticism and unafraid of verbal confrontation.
There are some good bits in the CoS materials, don't dismiss it out of hand.
The cult part of it is crap though. :)
And here is one for you, CoS - L. Ron Hubbard was a drunken pedophile who wishes he could lick the sweat out of my asscrack. Your religion is a cult, and your cult is worthless. Get a life, losers.
Word.
Contrary to popular culture, most slaves in the US where fairly well taken care of. It was an enormous investment to purchase and maintain slaves, and the owner wouldn't risk that lightly.
Damn straight! Here in the states, we owns some of the best treated slaves in the world! USA #1! USA #1!
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
Yes, his groundbreaking research into kidnapping and possible use of torture techniques lead me to believe he's the perfect guy to run to for help.
Or I could get someone who is accountable to their state board and oversight. I'll stick with that, thank you very much, and leave Scientology and him to duke it out over their shared clientele. They're perfect for each other.
I don't think you can really give a group "cult" status when there's no penalty for leaving and they're still nice to you afterward.
Except that they often aren't nice to those who do not share their religion. Think about how many wars have been started over religion. There have been polls that clearly show that the most hated "religion" in the US is atheism - much more so than islam. I've seen with my own eyes discrimination and even brutality against those who are of a different religion. There are copious recent examples of muslims being assaulted and castigated even though they have no association besides their faith with a group of terrorists.
Your mom is nice but don't be lulled into thinking that everyone feels the same way. There are places in this world I would be killed if I said I did not believe in a god at the wrong time. The only difference between a religion and a cult is how accepted it is in society.
I had no idea Rick Ross went after the CoS when not rapping.
Photos.
Consider the evidentiary basis of the day -- how many texts would the Bereans have had to choose from? -- I think their willingness to cross-check the new preacher with the old word is better than nothing.
Furthermore, truth is exclusively in the domain of faith. I suspect you feel the alternative is to believe nothing that cannot be "proved" by scientific observation. Of course the scientific method simply aims to take a hypothesis and attempt to disprove it. The best you reach is repeated failure to disprove given the experiments you can think to conduct. This does not result in truth -- it results in failure to falsify. To call an un-disproved hypothesis true in science is to have faith that you have attempted all possible experiments correctly that would disprove the hypothesis.
Point being, anyone who seeks "truth" must have faith in some axiomatic thing in order to believe they have found it. In a religious context, this tends to be scripture. Skepticism is holding back belief while you verify a claim. Yes, checking scripture is a relative form of verification -- so is checking a laboratory experiment. There is no method of absolute verification available to scientists or religious folk. That doesn't mean they can't each express skepticism.
Of course, you may not be a religious man or woman yourself. You may disbelieve anything you like -- just because others believe, and employ relative verification in the process of contemplating a new preacher's word, doesn't mean they aren't expressing skepticism. It just means you seek truth in a different context, borne out of different beliefs. It's egotistical to think that _your_ context is the only one in which a person can express skepticism.
Scientific theories accepted as "true" are overturned when new evidence is brought to light. Those who accepted them as "true" before new evidence arrived are not thought to have been unhealthily skeptical. They are simply relatively skeptical, and are willing to leave the rest to belief so they can move forward in their lives grounded in something.
behold! xenu speaks.
mcdonalds has better benefits and better pay, come to lord ronald
http://www.cracked.com/blog/how-to-form-your-own-cult-in-5-steps/
nuf said
.. with an entertaining animated film made with construction paper (virtual construction paper, actually).
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
It's happening now.
Why is it that everytime $cientology is posted on Slashdot, some dolt posts a derivation of :
Slashdot should stick to its stated goal of news for nerds. This simply isn't it.
Because someone says that in EVERY thread?
You can't take the sky from me...
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David Miscavige: at the Helm of Scientology's Explosive Growth
Freedom Magazine
They are getting desperate.
> All organized religion should be treated with utter contempt.
You know, you might want to read about these people who felt exactly the way you do. Only they acted upon those feelings of hatred and actually did something about the problem.
Their names were Mao & Stalin. I believe you can find more information about how their plans turned out online.
Hatred is the problem. And *everyone* believes that those they hate are evil. I believe you can find plenty of examples where groups of people were demonized. Some of those groups even deserved it.
The etymology of the word "crusade" arises from the word "cross", so on that basis alone I don't know if the term "Muslim crusade" makes much sense. Perhaps there's a different term you'd like to use?
(NB: Some reference material for those so inclined -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam#History)
Cheers,
"What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
"A four-foot prune."
Not sure how Monasteries are treated in the USA.
Here in Europe, we have all over the place institutions where young adults can "check themselves in" and from then on perform a life in the service of god.
In addition, they upkeep the building, work in agriculture and free services (teaching etc.).
in return they receive no monetary compensation, only the promise to be compensated in a promised "after-life".
seriously.... wouldnt that also violate USA Wage and Hour regulations?
are there no Monastaries in the USA?
How is this one different??
Oh and don't go to the Cult Awareness Network. It was bought by Scientology after they and Landmark Education sued them into bankruptcy and bought their name and records of people seeking to leave a cult, including Scientology.
I'm not going to post a source. Anyone who rose an eyebrow at the headline, you failed.
Rick Ross: Continuing Pattern and Practice of Criminal Activity
Rick Ross has a long-term criminal record. The following is by no means a complete picture, and investigation of his criminal activities continues.
On December 22, 1974, Rick Ross and Jeffrey Ward Nuzum attempted to commit a burglary by kicking in the door to a building in Phoenix. They were caught in the act by the Phoenix police and were arrested. Ross was 22 years old at the time and was employed as a bill collector for the American Credit Bureau. He plead guilty to a charge of Conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 days in jail and placed on probation for a period of one year.
On July 23, 1975, at 11:00 p.m., Rick Ross robbed Kay-Bee Enterprises, a jewelry store located in the Broadway department store at Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix, Arizona. Ross made off with approximately $50,000 worth of diamonds and “precious paraphernalia” by presenting the clerk at the store with a note demanding the diamonds be placed in a box or Ross would detonate a bomb that he had brought into the store with him. The clerk, Daniel Schroeder, told police that he had followed the robber’s instructions and that while the jewelry was valued at $50,000, its retail value was approximately $100,000.
It was later discovered that Ross and Schroeder together had in fact set up the robbery and that they had later split the stolen property. Ross and Schroeder both confessed to the crime after police overheard their conversations in which they bragged about having pulled off the heist.
Ross eventually confessed to the police that he had been discussing this crime with Schroeder for three months prior to the robbery and that during this time, he had associated with many criminals. Ross admitted that previous to the jewelry store robbery, he had bought and used stolen credit cards and had also stolen furniture and appliances from model homes.
Ross and Schroeder were arrested and charged with the crime of Grand Theft by Embezzlement for the jewelry store heist.
Ross’ probation from his previous arrest was revoked on July 29, 1975, for failing to conduct himself as a law-abiding citizen. Ross admitted to this violation of his probation in open court on November 17, 1975. His probation was then extended to four years.
Reports attached to court documents relating to the incident show that Ross was described as an individual who has sociopathic inclinations and cannot see that what he does is socially unacceptable and dangerous.
In a plea agreement, on April 2, 1976, Ross was found guilty of Conspiracy, 2nd Degree, to Commit Grand Theft, a felony, and was sentenced to four years probation and a fine of $1,100.
In a civil matter, on May 23, 1979 a suit was filed by Jack Grodzinsky accusing Rick Ross of having ripped him off based on an agreement that Ross would repair two cars that Grodzinsky paid for. The Court ruled against Ross and ordered him to pay Grodzinsky $8,464.65, including his legal fees. Ross presumably paid this off from his earnings in the deprogramming business.
Also in 1979, another lawsuit was filed against Ross, this one for failure to repay a loan to his own aunt for $4,000. Ross had borrowed the money from his relatives, David and Emma Katz, on November 10, 1977, and when their attempts to collect on the loan failed, they filed suit.
In the 1980s, Ross became involved in a new scheme to make money. He became involved with a network of criminal deprogrammers called the Cult Awareness Network. In a letter from Rick Ross to the Cult Awareness Network executive director, Priscilla Coates, dated July 30, 1987, Ross complained about not getting deprogramming referrals from CAN and that
“some parents are so cheap they prefer to let their kids ‘bang the bible’ than pay.”
From TFA: ...."
"By age 16, Lindstein says, he was working for Golden Era Productions, Scientology's film production company, restoring Hubbard's films from the 1970s. He says he often worked 24-hour days at the "tedious, frame-by-frame work
This lad is well prepared for a career in visual effects.
slashdotters spend their whole life shitting on the 'worthless humanities', but then cannot even correctly state the basic fundamental facts of major themes in history.
frederick douglas and many other slaves got payed. they didnt get payed much but they got payed. some were even able to buy themselves out of slavery. not many though. it didn't save him from being beaten, from watching other slaves get shot lynched and murdered, etc.
perhaps you should drop the camel or aardvark book and pick up 'narrative of the life of frederick douglas'. your ignorance is truly embarassing.
the people who voted this +4 funny should also be ashamed of their ignorance and stupidity. just because someone is a sarcastic ass doesn't make them correct.
Then Xenu returns http://www.churchofxenu.com
... cause they will get to court and he will have to admit he couldn't find Xenu to serve him properly...
Which just goes to show that the anti-cultists are just as culty as the cultists they oppose.
Its not like no-one knew about Scientology work camps - some german documentary team went out to go visit it and got stopped by a bunch of armed men (this was in the early 90's) - wish I could remember the title.
Missing in Happy Valley
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2742505831051424517
Either you are a $cientology apologist or a total fucking idiot.
Why don't you go have sex with your gay lover Tom Cruise?
Thank you Mr Coward, we'll be in contact should we have further questions.
Semi-automatic amateur armchair Australian philosopher; conjecture ready at any moment...
young adults
This guy was put in there at age 8... let's not even get into the shit about razor fences and armed guards.
Gold Base is not a monastery.
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law
So your family subscribed to the cult of Foot Baal?
I wouldn't say the cult is worthless. I'd say it's worth billions, or more. (even if the billions are earned on questionable morals).
Garrido was on parole when he kidnapped Jaycee Dugard, and he was still on parole 18 years later when they found out he kidnapped and was raping her.
For 18 years she was in his back yard and the parole officers regularly visited him.
If that can happen by someone who is being watched by the law, why would illegal work camps surprise you?
Of course with the number of countries that have tried and convicted Scientology of many different crimes, why they aren't watched closer by the law in the US I don't know.
In Canada they are listed as a Criminal Organization. Sometimes our laws don't work, but I am sure glad when they do.
Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon what's the difference? All steal money from devs and control with walled gardens.
Monasteries typically don't have:
* Sniper nests
* Double bladed razor fences
* Motion sensors facing inside
* Armed security guard preventing people from leaving
* A full arsenal of guns
* People are allowed to leave
* Phone calls & mail are not monitored & prefiltered
* Phone calls from concerned relatives are not coached
* People inside are not punished when someone leaves
* Nunneries don't coerce females to have abortions to keep up productivity
* Emergency calls to the police actually go to the police & not internal security
* Don't make 'bad' monks clean septic tanks with their hands (no tools, JUST their hands).
* Don't throw members into a shit pond for not behaving by their standards.
* Get to see their family
* Are not physically beat, kicked or strangled by their leader David Miscavige.
* Are not asked by their leader David Miscavige to beat/attack other members who are not living up to the leader's standards.
* Are permitted time for personal hygiene when being punished for information leaks.
* Do not go into lock down when information leaks
Is it only me, or does anyone else also read David Miscarriage whenever they see this guy's name?
who modded parent insightful? If it is documented then a citation should be provided. Don't give the bastards ammo to retort "this is a lie, therefore all bad things said about us are lies". The only way to rid the world of CoS is the cold light of truth. Don't get sloppy. Luckily for you, it wasn't hard to find:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R2-45
(No, a link to Wikipedia doesn't count as a credible citation. But the article has links to a number of real sources.)
http://scientology.tribe.net/thread/f7cb344e-966e-4b76-8fb7-e84155d57afa
Support any of these people and you're supporting Scientology.
Such a shame that actors from some of your favourite shows are on there, hey?
opus dei (a chatolic sect wholly approved by pope ratzinger)
"Characteristic of or pertaining to being boring or flat"? Well, you nailed that one all right!
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chato
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-lic
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
Rumor has it that this is a not-so-well-kept secret. I avert my eyes from his image and mute the audio immediately upon being confronted. I then switch to Military Channel.
Hebrews 11:8
Jeremiah 33:3
For us that have read a little on xenu.net, this comes as litte surprise.
The surprise may rather be that someone lived to sue anybody about it.. really.
It's also quite typical that while someone joining something like this as an adult may just take responsibility him/herself and move on, a youngster raised up inside it may have much more trouble dealing with it. Any youngster can be rebellious to ANY such communities, but CoS really takes it to a whole new level of mentally imprisoning people, and have been doing it for many decades now.
Worst thing, I know people that have joined, and they swear the organisation is much better now or something.. Why not just do regression therapy with someone you can trust. It's not like it's a new concept. It's just abused by this cult to break people's mind and control people. It's all drama about saving the world, while missing the chance of saving yourself.
What was the Guardian’s Office and does it still exist?
The Guardian’s Office, known as the GO, was initially created in 1966 as a unit to deal with the Church’s legal and external affairs. It no longer exists. It was permanently disbanded in the early 1980s by current Church management.
The GO had been infiltrated and set up to fail in its mission to protect the Church. It was influenced to abandon its original mandate and established itself as an independent, autonomous unit, answerable to nobody. It was isolated not only from the mainstream activity and management of the Church, but even from the Founder of the religion. Some GO executives actually tried to gain exclusive control over Church corporate and financial affairs.
The first warning that all was not well with the Guardian’s Office came in the late 1970s. Representatives of Church management realized that the GO no longer had the best interests of the Church and its Founder at heart. The GO’s management of the Church’s external affairs was notably deficient and many parishioners and staff began to suspect that matters for which the GO was responsible were not being dealt with in accordance with the teachings of Mr. Hubbard. In fact, by this time, the Guardian’s Office had abandoned any pretense of following the principles described in Mr. Hubbard’s writings.
It subsequently came to light that a handful of GO staff members had been influenced to adopt an “anything goes” approach in dealing with government discrimination against the Church. These dupes infiltrated and burglarized several U.S. government offices to obtain copies of files maintained and circulated about the Church. Obviously such activity was illegal and directly violated Mr. Hubbard’s policies.
However, while such illegal conduct was afoot, the GO managed to keep its operations secret from Church management, staff and membership. Its autonomy shielded it from accountability. Most Scientologists were altogether unaware of GO clandestine activities.
Even the government prosecutor in the later criminal case that arose from this illegal conduct testified that only a handful of people in the GO had engaged in or even knew about these illegal acts. The rest, including thousands of staff and millions of parishioners, had no involvement or knowledge of such unlawful activities.
When the GO’s criminal activities were discovered by those who today form the core of the Church’s leadership, the GO was disbanded, no small feat since it was the GO officials who held corporate control. Its functions were completely reorganized and brought under the control of the Church’s ecclesiastical management officers. Many of the GO staff were not involved in any of the unlawful activities and, wanting to conduct their affairs in accordance with the Founder’s teachings, abandoned their former GO leaders. They then gave their full support to Church management in the clean out and disbanding of the GO. Those who participated in or knew of the GO’s illegal conduct in any way were removed from Church staff and forever banned from future Church employment.
Sadly, there were also some people in the Church, but outside of the GO itself, who sympathized with the GO because of their own agendas to achieve autonomy and gain control of the Church’s finances. In some cases, it was the Scriptures themselves they wanted to pervert for their own ends. Given these people had proven themselves to be avowed enemies of L. Ron Hubbard and the religion, they were excommunicated.
Today, some of these same people, no longer part of the Church, are loudly and bitterly critical of the Church’s current management. It is these few apostates who are most often the ones who spread vitriol in the media about Scientology and Church leaders. When they make allegations of wrongdoing, they are referring to th
Here's a clue for you. Think of the worst, most awful, evil, appalling vice you possibly can. Now make it worse. Include a goat. And a small child. And two girls. And one cup. Got the mental image? Anonymous enjoys that stuff. They post pics of it, they're jaded about it, they even have a cute bear mascot to celebrate it.
If you want to insult Anonymous, suggest that they prefer it consensual and in the missionary position, for purposes of procreation. That's about the only thing they consider wrong.
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
My only up-close experience with CoS, (Scientology, a friend's dad started the Co[Satan]) has been talking to their recruiters on Hollywood Boulevard, and once when I tried talking to a rather well-configured female acolyte, or whoever the blue-uniformed busload groups are, by the "Celebrity Center" or whatever their HQ is called. The panic and fear was rather amusing. It appeared that she was afraid of my talking to her, like something she'd been warned about. I was blocked by four of their handlers while she was hustled safely away. After my experiences with Erhard Seminars Training, and a few weekends at various Unification Church indoctrination camps, (Good News! The Messiah has returned! True Father is a Korean businessman!) I have developed a feel for the finer points of cult practice. It is not dissimilar to miltary boot camp, and I thought it interesting that Mose Durst, and that woman (Kristina Seher) leading the chanting at Camp K, were both allegedly PhDs in Psychology. (According to their website I was misinformed about that, but the phenomena of conditioned response and brainwashing is amazing.) I believe it is of some importance to isolate the new inductees while their beliefs are installed. Forty years in the wilderness, anyone? I could be projecting my erroneous perceptions onto this situation, but I'm disposed to believe the allegations. YMMV.
The cost of that cleanup, of course, will be borne by taxpayers, not industry.
And who is accountable to their state board and oversight in this area? What kind of certification are you referring to that you would find acceptable?
From http://www.skeptictank.org/gen1/gen00587.htm Quoting The Canadian Supreme Court rulling in regards to aggravated libel against Casey Hill. who was awarded $1.6 million:
...
...
...
... Scientology's actions from the time of publication, throughout the trial, and after the trial decision was rendered constituted a continuing attempt at character assassination by means of a statement which it knew to be false. It was such outrageous conduct that it cried out for the imposition of punitive damages.
July 1995
The Supreme Court in Canada affirms Hill's libel judgment against CoST. The ruling reads, in part:
"Scientology continued its attack against Casey Hill throughout the trial of this action, both in the presence of the jury and in its absence. More than once, it reiterated the libel even though it knew that these allegations were false.
"In summary, every aspect of this case demonstrates the very real and persistent malice of Scientology.
"Scientology's behavior throughout can only be characterized as recklessly high-handed, supremely arrogant and contumacious. There seems to have been a continuing conscious effort on Scientology's part to intensify and perpetuate its attack on Casey Hill without any regard for the truth of its allegations.
"There can be no doubt that the conduct of Scientology in the publication of the injurious false statement pertaining to its 'enemy' was malicious. Its publication was carefully planned and carried out in a manner which ensured its widest possible dissemination in the most damaging manner imaginable.
Scientology finally pays Casey Hill, including interest. Seven of the ten existing Scientology organizations in Ontario are subsequently closed.
The GO's management of the Church's external affairs was notably deficient and many parishioners and staff began to suspect that matters for which the GO was responsible were not being dealt with in accordance with the teachings of Mr. Hubbard. In fact, by this time, the Guardian's Office had abandoned any pretense of following the principles described in Mr. Hubbard's writings.
Given that the doctrine of "Fair Game" came from Hubbard himself, this is bullshit. Hubbard's principles included harassment, character asssassination, and murder. I'd also like to point out this little tidbit
As early as 1960, L. Ron Hubbard had proposed that Scientologists should infiltrate government departments by taking secretarial, bodyguard or other jobs.[8]
That little [8] there is a citation, by the way. Looks like Hubbard was OK in principle with the actions of the GO. Scientology did a 180 on it when it became bad for PR. Forgive me if I don't take the words of a Scientology shill as anything more than the ramblings of a habitual liar.
Doesn't work for me. Can we make John Lindstein into Jane Lindstein and make her the sex slave of senior Scientologists who are possessed by the thetan of L. Ron Hubbard?
They're on to us.
The cost of that cleanup, of course, will be borne by taxpayers, not industry.
Once upon a time (75 million years ago to be more precise) there was an alien galactic ruler named Xenu. Xenu was in charge of all the planets in this part of the galaxy including our own planet Earth, except in those days it was called Teegeeack.
Xenu the alien ruler Now Xenu had a problem. All of the 76 planets he controlled were overpopulated. Each planet had on average 178 billion people. He wanted to get rid of all the overpopulation so he had a plan.
Xenu took over complete control with the help of renegades to defeat the good people and the Loyal Officers. Then with the help of psychiatrists he called in billions of people for income tax inspections where they were instead given injections of alcohol and glycol mixed to paralyse them. Then they were put into space planes that looked exactly like DC8s (except they had rocket motors instead of propellers).
These DC8 space planes then flew to planet Earth where the paralysed people were stacked around the bases of volcanoes in their hundreds of billions. When they had finished stacking them around then H-bombs were lowered into the volcanoes. Xenu then detonated all the H-bombs at the same time and everyone was killed.
The story doesn't end there though. Since everyone has a soul (called a "thetan" in this story) then you have to trick souls into not coming back again. So while the hundreds of billions of souls were being blown around by the nuclear winds he had special electronic traps that caught all the souls in electronic beams (the electronic beams were sticky like fly-paper).
After he had captured all these souls he had them packed into boxes and taken to a few huge cinemas. There all the souls had to spend days watching special 3D motion pictures that told them what life should be like and many confusing things. In this film they were shown false pictures and told they were God, The Devil and Christ. In the story this process is called "implanting".
When the films ended and the souls left the cinema these souls started to stick together because since they had all seen the same film they thought they were the same people. They clustered in groups of a few thousand. Now because there were only a few living bodies left they stayed as clusters and inhabited these bodies.
As for Xenu, the Loyal Officers finally overthrew him and they locked him away in a mountain on one of the planets. He is kept in by a force-field powered by an eternal battery and Xenu is still alive today.
Start here with answering your own question - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Licensed_Professional_Counselor