Denise Brennan
Time and again organized scientology's money and influence is used to defeat a legal action against them (even if such an action is justified). That may be what happened here.
And while this thing about Eastgate is disappointing, it is the truth getting out about them that is more important than even a prosecution IMO.
Scientology completely depends on lies or otherwise hiding the truth in order to exist, much less expand. And, the most potent weapon to use in stopping Scientology and their abuses is clearly the truth out as broadly as possible.I think getting the truth out about Scientology is the most important thing to defeating it, even more important than losing tax exempt status or even getting it banned or a prosecution in this Eastgate matter.
History bears this out.
For example:
(i)Scientology was once banned after an inquiry in Victoria. That was a huge blow to them and it might have put them out of business in Australia!;
(ii)After getting major IRS tax exempt recognitions, Scientology and its then “Mother church”, the Cof S of California, later had their tax exempt statuses revoked. Now all their income in the USA was to be taxed and there would be no tax deductions for contributions to them. The CID and Exempt Org Division of the IRS pretty much figured they had licked Scientology.
Scientology was hated by people high up in both IRS divisions at the National level. Furthermore the IRS took the position that there was huge inurement to Hubbard and Scientology with its "fixed donations" was engaged in commercial, and not exempt, activities. Surely that would put Scientology out of business in the USA!
(iii) In the UK, after its own inquiry, there was a devastating ban that could have financially drained Scientology there and put it out of business. That ban was to prevent foreign workers from coming into the UK to work for Scientology AND to stop foreigners from entering the UK to study Scientology. Surely that would put Scientology out of business in the UK!
(iv) In France the very top dog in Scientology revered by Corporate Scientologists, freezoners and independent scientologists (good old L Ron) was tried in abstentia and found guilty of fraud. That was devastating and could have put Scientology out of business in France.
I suggest that counting on even truly epic wins such as the above for putting Scientology out of business is naive.
For example:
- in Australia not only was the ban lifted by the High Court there but it essentially recognized them as a religion there. A huge turnaround for Scientology;
- in the USA Scientology fought for decades and got even more substantial, even unprecedented, tax exempt recognitions in 1993. Their victory over the IRS was total and they even got the US government to write to other governments proclaiming their recognition of Scientology. Some of the people in the IRS who fought Scientology and thought they had them beat actually applied for and got permanent disability for what they went through at the hands of Scientology. A complete and total turnaround for Scientology;
- In the UK, they also fought relentlessly and got both bans lifted. And in the years they were fighting the bans they got foreign students and employees in anyway with elaborate ruses to hide the fact that they were there to partake in Scientology. Now foreigners can actually get visas to study in Scientology organizations there. Another huge turnaround for the bad guys; and
- in France they carried on and even expanded for a time. Hubbard avoided extradition and hid for the rest of his life while Scientology continued on there.
On top of all that, during the 1980s and 1990s, Scientology had some major civil cases to fight, some of which were potentially devastating. Attorneys Flynn and Leopold for example had huge cases against Scientology and Scientologists, not to mention later potentially devastating cases like Lisa McPherson’s.
They fought all these tooth and nail and either won through sheer attrition or settled and gagged almost all participants.
Later, in early 2000s one of Scientology’s top attorneys declared that Scientology had won the war of the internet waged through the 1990s and had no significant opposition left to fight.
The examples of major wins against Scientology that did not stop them are many. And this includes the largest FBI raids ever in 1977 which resulted in 11 of their people going to jail. They actually managed to expand after all that as well.
This is not to say don’t plan actions and carry them out to stop Scientology and their abuses. Please do! There can be great and epic wins there and surely there will be some.
But also realize that Scientology learned from the above and its corporate structure with the religious cloaking that helps cement it in place is in fact Scientology’s Maginot line. It is designed to be used to fight and defeat all frontal assaults against Scientology, its management and its assets.
With it they eventually defeat most government actions against them. And with it and all their financial and legal assets they tend to win most legal battles.
Most people will never have the resources to take them on and beat them. But their all powerful “Maginot line” can be defeated and that is by bypassing it as a very important strategy.
Most of us do not have the resources to take it head on but in this day of the internet we all can get out the truth.
The way you bypass Scientology’s strength is to attack their weakness. And again their weakness is that they depend on lies to expand or even to exist at any real level.
So the key strategy is just get out the truth in every possible way which results in four bits of hugely important win: 1) staff end up leaving and are not there to support their efforts; 2) their public leave in droves and stop funding them; 3) the "wog" public get inoculated from their lies by getting the truth which substantially stops them getting new employees and paying public to keep their businesses going and 4) local and other governments stop supporting them.
There are great things ongoing now in the government and/or legal arenas that potentially can have a devastating impact on Corporate Scientology. These should all be supported.An example are the Headly and other California employment cases. They have amazing potential impact which could force Scientology to change how they treat and abuse Sea Org and other staff. Yes push it but realize that all the legal loss so far in these cases, has been huge win in such things as Catholic blogs, news and the like to help inoculate future potential employee victims from even going into their employ in the first place.
By gallop poll Scientology is the most hated religion in the USA. And that is because the public constantly got the truth about Scientology and accordingly most want nothing to do with it.
I think that it is likely that most non Scientology-watching public do not know about the bans, this Eastgate matter or most of the legal cases. But they do know “Scientology is crazy”.
The California labor cases are now run by a major plaintiff law firm who is in it for one thing only and that is the money as they ensure no more is published about those cases (such as more wonderful posts by "Blownforgood").
That is fine and that is good strategy for them and I hope they make a fortune but counting on those cases resulting in some huge legal precedent to save staff around the country or at least in California is being hopeful I think.
Odds are Scientology will either win the cases or settle and gag the winners as part of their loss.
Advances in the internet, the sheer number of people with access to the internet and the launch of Project Chanology Anonymous and what followed from it have changed the game allowing individuals with little physical resources to really make a difference by bypassing Scientology’s main defense and attacking its great vulnerability with truth.
While Scientology can eventually take out millionaires or even huge bodies like the IRS, their antiquated “tech” is powerless to stop an uncoordinated bunch of individuals such as found in Project Chanology Anonymous and/or in the general critic community from getting out the truth.
IMO just continuing to get out the truth in every way possible is more important and lasting than anything else when dealing with them.
Don't be discouraged by things like what seems to have happened here or if you are not doing something you consider to be "big" in stopping them and their abuses. Just by getting out the truth and sharing right here we are each of us making a difference as organized scientology continues to implode, more people get free of it and its orgs empty.
It is sad that justice seems not to be done in this matter and I feel very badly for the women who are the poor victims here as scientology seems to wiggle off the hook of justice yet again. But I hope they can find some little comfort in the knowledge that their story is out around Australia and the world and there are at least some others who will not be hurt because they had the courage to come forth and tell their story.
God bless them!