Dart, I bow to you (an Aikido thing) and I want to acknowledge that I understand what you have communicated about Pedro's character based on his past behavior.
He's been in (and in and out) for a long time. Obviously he did not write the legalese that is that disconnection letter in his own words.
It's given me a thought for a plan to counter-protest, and possibly counteract the disconnection policy currently in place in organized Scientology (bald-faced lie to say it's not, OSA- better to say, "yes, it exists as a current practice in the church, we shun SP's for our own spiritual protection", and let the public opinion chips fall where they may. Think clearly about this.)
I brought this up before in another thread, but think it's worth fleshing out here again, and proposing as a plan of action to others.
How little havingness would someone have to possess in order to be able to be coerced into signing a document like this and letting it be used against your family and friends?
We all know how little Sea Org and staff actually possess or have going for them in life, especially after years in, other than their status and being in good standing in the group, this becomes all to them as they are preserving their eternity and saving the planet (in their own minds).
We have many heart-sick parents who are out of contact with their children (sometimes for decades), old friends who are missing friends, relatives who wonder where their family members are and how they are doing (even to the point of if they are still alive or not), former spouses who were divorced or separated against their will, at the instigation of the "church".
Here's my idea...What if we start a general campaign of reconnection, not overtly forced but on a fairly gentle social gradient, targeting individuals still in who we know have a loved one outside that they have been forced to disconnect from. Angry Gay Pope has done this in his own way, every time he sees the daughter of British Mom or one of her co-workers, he remembers her to Mandy and sends a message that her Mom still loves her, misses her and wants her to get back in touch. I know this is impinging on not only Mandy but those around her.
What if we all, collectively, start bombarding those who have disconnected with comm in the form of friendly letters (we all know how to build affinity and get into ARC with each other), birthday greetings and small presents, mementos, holiday greeting cards, small care packages (especially in the case of struggling staff or SO), newsy notes with cute or funny stories and local news of normal life, inexpensive gift cards or phone cards, pictures, flowers, cute or pretty postcards with cheery, friendly messages, funny or uplifting emails for those online, etc. Not to mention phone calls and direct personal comm, like Pope does.
What if Anon start carrying pictures of disconnected loved ones along with their protest signs during pickets, with messages like "Grandma misses you, please call", or Dad still loves you, get in touch! If donet publically enough to cause out PR, admin will have to allow for some contact and reconnection!
Consider these people as being the prisoners that they are, of a totalitarian and brutally repressive system that ought not to exist anywhere on earth, especially in the United States of America, land of the free and home of the brave. Well, let's try and grant these indoctrinated, frightened, suppressed and controlled fellow human beings a little more mental, spiritual, emotional and social freedom, and help empower them to gain a little more courage and change their lives for the better.
How many times do people blow and are recovered? Knowing that they are wanted and needed and cared about on the outside might give them the strength to resist "recovery".
Sometimes just a little insight can change one's whole perception. Letting in a little light can change and shift the entire scene.
Do you know what every single Ex Sea Org member that I have ever known and personally worked with on assisting them to recover from their cult experience has said to me at some or another, usually said through tears? "Oh, you're being so nice to me", or "Oh, you're being so kind." This for just being treated normally as any decent person would treat another. It goes to show you how starved for normal human contact, affection and friendship these folks are. Many of you have been there as staff or SO and know what I am talking about. Think of all the Scientology suicides! We can do something to help heal these people and perhaps help to speed their exit from the cult.
Something simple...a simple campaign of gentle, kind and friendly confronts of reconnecting with the real world, and people who care about them. Even if they are strangers to us, they are someone else's loved ones who are in trouble and need our help to get out and get free.
We have LOTS of stories of family members trying to get in touch, locate or find word of their lost ones. Countless others of friendships and marriages blown apart by this criminal enterprise. It's not hard to find someone to start with here. Many of you already know of someone. We have it in our power to do something about it, something simple. Simple actions, like making a phone call, dropping a post card in the mail, sending emails, leaving small gifts at Orgs and missions, when coordinated, can have a cumulative affect that is huge. Ask any prisoner of war how much mail from home and red cross care packages meant to them, encouraged them and empowered them to survive.
Make no mistake about this: Becoming enmeshed in organized Scientology is an experience which must be SURVIVED. Many do not survive. If you have, chose to act to make a difference in someone else's life, and make their journey out of the cult and to a better new life easier and faster.
What if outsiders had taken an active interest in Marcus's brother Uwe's case, his whereabouts, his incarceration of the RPF and lack of appropriate living conditions and medical treatment, lack of comm and contact with his family and friends outside the cult? What if there had been a steady flow of interest, practical help and friendly concern for him by multiple strangers, putting pressure on Scientology management and outside authorities to insure his well-being? Might not he still be alive today?
Look, I know many of you may not feel like you are in a position to do this, but for those who are and do feel motivated to try and help those people left behind in Organized Scientology, this might be worth trying. It might be a way to do some good.
Even if letters are screened and packages and phone calls are intercepted and not relayed, it's going to get to someone, somewhere. It will create an effect. Outside scrutiny and ongoing public interest in some individual cases might really literally save someone who is in ethics trouble, physically ill, being abused, locked up on the RPF, or otherwise in peril while brainwashed and under the influence and control of this cult.
Even if it makes trouble, enturbulates, causes pr or ethics flaps, that will help people to wake up and get out, or be offloaded, which is a good thing! Others will witness it and will wake up and get out as well.
It also might break through the mesmerism that the outside world is such a terrible awful place and that wogs are all low-toned, degraded beings. Actually, most people are very caring and concerned once they learn the truth about how Scientology damages it's most loyal servants.
My point is, do this for other people's disconnected folks. It might be easier to handle when it's not a personal connection for you. You guys remember how to acknowledge, how to validate, how to love bomb, don't you?
If some of these squashed people get a breath of fresh air in the form of positive attention, affection and interest from stranger, it might open up a window in their minds, resonate with a former happier life before Scientology indoctrination, give then the courage to start looking at their conditions and blow. Folks might start blowing by the dozens. We know that many (if not most) are disaffected and enturbulated and on the fence now. Let's offer them a hand down off of that fence and back into the real world of freedom and humane, sane living.
Start small, if you don't know where to begin. You can buy packages of greeting cards or postcards cheaply, and it's not hard to find names or possible mailing locations using the information of this and other boards and Internet websites. Just adopt somebody! You could even send them to "any staff member" from a concerned friend. You don't have to sign it or use a return address.
Be creative. Think of how you can help reconnect with someone who may feel all alone in the world, except for their poisonous group. How little havingness, self-esteem or sense of beingness would you have to possess to let yourself be used and abused on an ongoing basis by your group to ensure your eternity?
It's really good sport here and on other sites to ridicule current organized Scientology members and rip them to shreds. I think their "church" does that enough for them, without any outside help from us.
Let's grant these people some beingness. Let's help to increase their havingness just enough that they can conceive of a better life outside the "church" than the one they are living.
It night give them courage. It might give them hope.
It might actually save people's lives. It's a simple idea, a simple plan.
It might work.
It's worth a try, don't you think?
Chime in with names and locations if you know of somebody who needs some love and attention from the world outside of Scientology.