Anony-Moose
Patron
This was noted on OCMB recently and I thought it was really funny. It is a tiny excerpt from all the Scientology legal docs that they presented to the IRS for their tax exempt case:
http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?t=32404&sid=c1d83e48ae02e9e5c883a49033ec44e5
Yes the "voluntary membership" part is really funny too- considering you cannot do any Scientology services if you are not an IAS member. But the voting part?!
Now I am a member of a few legitimate non-profits. And every year or so I get a packet in the mail and it has all the information in it regarding the elections of the board members. It has the picture and statement of each person running for the position. Everyone is encouraged to vote and participate. One of these non-profits has thousands of members. It has a big annual meeting day you can attend with hotdogs, contests and music to encourage people to come out and vote for their board members.
Now I'm a card carrying lifetime member of the IAS since the 70's (still am! ) and I have never been asked to vote for a board member ever, anytime, never. How do you suppose they fake these elections? Has anyone here ever voted for any IAS Board Members- ever? In all these years of attending church services and events, I have never even heard of any such elections. And I know they have my correct address! They have sent me daily mailings to every address I've ever lived at. So what up IAS? Maybe our resident Scientology trolls (IAAS, X-X) can clue us apostates in on this. Seekrit handshakes for seekrit elections we were all held out of? Or maybe we were supposed to just "mock up" these elections, because we're Scientologists and we operated above the MEST Universe? :wink2: Do you suppose the IRS added a special clause for Scientology in its prolific codes about mocked up elections?
With all the budget shortfalls in every level of government right now, it's a shame the IRS cannot do simple discovery and realize that the corporate "non-profit" structure of Scientology is all smoke and mirrors. Like, phone up a few random IAS members and ask them if they ever heard of any elections.
Maybe a good journalist could pick up on this and do a story. The public would be horrified to find out about this with all the budgetary shortfalls going on right now. I wonder what it is costing the government every year to let Scientology keep its non-profit status?
As discussed in CSI’s Form 1023, IAS is a voluntary membership association formed to promote and preserve the Scientology religion worldwide. IAS is not part of the Church of Scientology hierarchy. It has its own separate board of directors elected annually from among its members, and it functions autonomously from CSI and the rest of the hierarchy.
http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?t=32404&sid=c1d83e48ae02e9e5c883a49033ec44e5
Yes the "voluntary membership" part is really funny too- considering you cannot do any Scientology services if you are not an IAS member. But the voting part?!
Now I am a member of a few legitimate non-profits. And every year or so I get a packet in the mail and it has all the information in it regarding the elections of the board members. It has the picture and statement of each person running for the position. Everyone is encouraged to vote and participate. One of these non-profits has thousands of members. It has a big annual meeting day you can attend with hotdogs, contests and music to encourage people to come out and vote for their board members.
Now I'm a card carrying lifetime member of the IAS since the 70's (still am! ) and I have never been asked to vote for a board member ever, anytime, never. How do you suppose they fake these elections? Has anyone here ever voted for any IAS Board Members- ever? In all these years of attending church services and events, I have never even heard of any such elections. And I know they have my correct address! They have sent me daily mailings to every address I've ever lived at. So what up IAS? Maybe our resident Scientology trolls (IAAS, X-X) can clue us apostates in on this. Seekrit handshakes for seekrit elections we were all held out of? Or maybe we were supposed to just "mock up" these elections, because we're Scientologists and we operated above the MEST Universe? :wink2: Do you suppose the IRS added a special clause for Scientology in its prolific codes about mocked up elections?
With all the budget shortfalls in every level of government right now, it's a shame the IRS cannot do simple discovery and realize that the corporate "non-profit" structure of Scientology is all smoke and mirrors. Like, phone up a few random IAS members and ask them if they ever heard of any elections.
Maybe a good journalist could pick up on this and do a story. The public would be horrified to find out about this with all the budgetary shortfalls going on right now. I wonder what it is costing the government every year to let Scientology keep its non-profit status?