New Independent: Ron Ubaghs (Ordered to disconnect from son and family.)

[Zhongjianren]

New Independent: Ron Ubaghs (Ordered to disconnect from son and family.)


Ron Ubaghs on The Not So Ideal Org

http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/ron-ubaghs-on-the-not-so-ideal-org/

Ron Ubaghs on The Not So Ideal Org

Posted on July 12, 2011 by martyrathbun09| 12 Comments



After eleven years out of the church, my son brought me back into the Seattle org in 2003. I had several amazing years to follow. But by the Summer of 2007, I began to see things going wrong. Fewer people in the courseroom, more pressure to donate to more things, all events ending in fundraising, students trying to avoid regging on their way to course, apparently “awesome” cycles such as completeing The Basics (adding months or years to Auditor training), repeated false promises about the opening date of the new Ideal Org, high-pressure recruiting sessions to join staff with “ethics” overtones, and more.


Well, it all finally came to a head this Spring. I had said to myself I would give the new Ideal Org roughly half a year or so to begin displaying what had been so heavily promised. After about eight long months, I could see things weren’t getting any better. In fact, it was just the opposite. Early on, I had asked about a few outpoints I’d observed:

Is there a place to store my course materials? Is there a refrigerator to keep my lunch in? Is there a place to sit and eat? Is there a place for food-service during events? The answers were all “no”. Each person I asked had some temporary solution, but no one ever said “No, but that is something we will be correcting.”


Eight months after the grand opening, I was ready to deliver M-1 to my twin. Upon requesting a space in which to store my student materials (including my meter), I was told “No, you’re supposed to bring them in with you each day”. I communicated that I often had to park literally blocks away from the org due to the extremely insufficiant parking allotted for the new facilities (mostly being used by staff), and often in the rain (it being Seattle). I’m also 74 years old, with a bum knee. The org, being located amongst a few rather steep hills didn’t help things either. I was informed there might be a place in one of the storerooms on the fifth floor, near the Purif area, where I might store all my materials. I was invited to head up there and check it out.


Oftentimes the two or three, or maybe even four of us in the Public Theory Courseroom on the second floor, wouldn’t have a Supervisor, and a note would be posted at the entrance, telling us to head up to the Academy on the fourth floor for the afternoon. This was actually okay with me, as it meant I would actually be allowed to interact with other students once again, giving star rate checkouts, running drills, word-clearing, etc. But the Sups in the Academy seemed to have different ideas from one another about how the HDA course I was on should be run, and a lot of time was wasted figuring things out there. I’m sorry to report that they never did figure out whether I needed to be supervised while giving Book One sessions as part of the course, or if I could independently audit “walk-ins” down at the Testing Center, a mile and a half away.


Adding insult to injury, an SO member sat me down and personally guaranteed that he could get me completed on the course by the time of the next event that coming weekend. Seeing as how I still had a lot of auditing steps to accomplish, and very little available course time between that time and said event, I’m saddened to say that this individual was apparently more than ready and willing to quickie me through to get the stat. NOT what I signed up for!

All the while, I watched with my own eyes, as the org literally became emptier and emptier, most courserooms not even being used, other than for off-purpose reasons like acting as temporary daycare. I distinctly observed the individuals I’d known for years becoming less friendly or amiable. Not at all what had been promised for the new org. Staff and SO alike, people I knew and had spoken with in spirited conversation on a regular basis, were visibly going down tone. Losing their native enthusiasm. Now mocking-up “ARC” rather than living it. The 800lb gorilla was in the org. The place was dead. ​

​

Just then, my own son, Bryan, was “declared”, mainly for expressing too much counter-intention to all the above and perhaps daring to question upper management and “command intention”, not to mention associating with others who had done the same. Bryan had not received a comm ev. He had never been sent his own goldenrod. He had not been given a chance to defend himself after twenty years of dedication and standing up for LRH and Scientology.​

​

When I was finally pulled into “ethics”, the team there attempted to brief me on the disconnection policy. I simply said there was absolutely no way that that could possibly work for my family. I would not be disconnecting from my own son! ​

​

Ron and Bryan Ubaghs in the 70's



Thus, I was informed I would be declared PTS and would no longer be eligible for services. I told them “Good! I really need a long break from this place”. And out the door I went.


I really love and miss many of the wonderful people I have worked with over the past eight years at the Seattle org. But, lately I had found it increasingly difficult to simply have an open, friendly conversation without touching on something that is so obvious and yet seems only to cause unintended “enturbulation”. When I think of the following LRH writing, I can only hope that many more people will eventually look and see what is really happening.


WE OF THE CHURCH BELIEVE…


That all men have inalienable rights to think freely, to talk freely, to write
freely their own opinions and to counter or utter or write upon the
opinions of others…


And that no agency less than God has the power to suspend or set aside these
rights, overtly or covertly.


-The Creed of the Church of Scientology, 1954


It seems that somebody has been playing God, and that thinking and talking freely now only gets you a trip to the Ethics officer. How sad!


Hopefully,


Ron Ubaghs

 

[Panda Termint]

Great report! Thanks for cross-posting it, Zhongjianren.

 

[Zhongjianren]

http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/ron-ubaghs-on-the-not-so-ideal-org/#comment-134463

Bryan U. | July 12, 2011 at 3:11 am | Reply

Well done, dad!

I know this whole scene at the org pretty much sucked for you the last few years. I got you in and so I felt responsible for getting you to two-way-comm with me about your ACTUAL feelings without putting you at risk with the church, until such time as we both knew that you were ready to leave. I guess you’d call that Pan-Determinism.

In a way, Tony DePillips (who you know well and definitely consider a friend), kind of did the same for me a year and a half ago when I didn’t quite know I could really begin to say what I felt.

Lots of people (well, those who are still there, anyway), I’m sure, feel the loss of your consistent presence in the courseroom, always eager as hell to help anyone out with any drill DM could come up with. It never ceases to amaze me how people can toss one of their own under the bus before they’ll even freakin’ LOOK for themselves. I’m sure you’re feeling the same way, as this is all quite new and sudden for you.

But, as you’ll read from these comments, these folks here are REAL Scientologists. Marty has put together a platform for true ethics and justice.

I know you love the tech and still want to be an auditor. I’d guess some of the NW folks you know can assist with that.

VWD!

Love Bryan

 

[Smilla]

I'm glad that he stuck by his son.

 

[Natalie]

This is a family that the cult could not break apart! As a result all are happier and doing much better in life.

Poor guy having to walk blocks uphill with a bum knee because the "Ideal Org" in Seattle didn't consider adequate parking to be and Ideal thing.

 

[TG1]

Poor guy having to walk blocks uphill with a bum knee because the "Ideal Org" in Seattle didn't consider adequate parking to be and Ideal thing.

Now, that's funny, in the ways people outside the Church of Scientology find the Church to be funny.

From a marketing perspective, the Church is living in the Dark Ages. Their insulated-from-the-world, "know best," never-consult-the-peons bullshit is what has brought the enterprise, their staff and their public to their knees.

An ex-Scientologist here at ESMB (Jhongjianrien?) decried recently that even though he was no longer pro-Scientology, he had still nourished some nostalgia for the concept he was introduced to through Scientology -- that being able to confront something as it really is was a good thing.

Yes. Confronting things as they really are is a good thing. It always was, and it always will be. But you can't confront anything if all you do is hide in your cave with the bed covers pulled over your head, going "la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!".

Instead, here's my advice to the members of the church of Scientology, in language they will understand:

Jesus H. Christ, people! Remember TR-zero? Well then, how's about fucking using it and without going anaten! Fucking LOOK!

 

[Rene Descartes]

Further proof that...

that...

that...

Scientology Ethics pulls the crank!

Yeah!

What he said!

Way to go you dad you!

Rd00

 

[Natalie]

For years in the Twin Cities the org didn't have heat for most of the winter, air conditioning in the summer or hot water in the bathrooms. Keep in mind this is Minnesota, where every season is experienced to its extreme. There were times when you could see your breath in the org during the winter, where people got heat exhaustion from being in the stifling hot org.

The big selling point to Scientologist is that with a new shinny building, with heat and air conditioning, the public will know us by our MEST and start to take us seriously. Forget about the fact that they can't pay the heating or air bills that the huge building they purchased will generate.

Once an org goes "Ideal" it is just a big, beautiful, empty building. New public are still creeped out by the hard sell. New public will still use the internet to research their new endeavor stopping it cold right then and there. New public are still blown off because of course supervisors with low ARC and Serv Facs. It's just now all done in the comfort of a beautiful building.

My middle daughter who is now 18 never became a Scientologist. As a young kid she did a children's study course and as a young teen attended several events. She hated going to the org with its downstat premises and a few staff who creeped her out. When I tried to find out why she wasn't reaching she said this "These people can't even help themselves, how can they possibly help me?" She really had a point and saw what I wasn't seeing because I was looking at it through the eyes of someone indoctrinated by cult propaganda. She was looking at it from the eyes of the rest of the world.

Now, that's funny, in the ways people outside the Church of Scientology find the Church to be funny.

From a marketing perspective, the Church is living in the Dark Ages. Their insulated-from-the-world, "know best," never-consult-the-peons bullshit is what has brought the enterprise, their staff and their public to their knees.

An ex-Scientologist here at ESMB (Jhongjianrien?) decried recently that even though he was no longer pro-Scientology, he had still nourished some nostalgia for the concept he was introduced to through Scientology -- that being able to confront something as it really is was a good thing.

Yes. Confronting things as they really are is a good thing. It always was, and it always will be. But you can't confront anything if all you do is hide in your cave with the bed covers pulled over your head, going "la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!".

Instead, here's my advice to the members of the church of Scientology, in language they will understand:

Jesus H. Christ, people! Remember TR-zero? Well then, how's about fucking using it and without going anaten! Fucking LOOK!

 

[Smilla]

For years in the Twin Cities the org didn't have heat for most of the winter, air conditioning in the summer or hot water in the bathrooms. Keep in mind this is Minnesota, where every season is experienced to its extreme. There were times when you could see your breath in the org during the winter, where people got heat exhaustion from being in the stifling hot org.

The big selling point to Scientologist is that with a new shinny building, with heat and air conditioning, the public will know us by our MEST and start to take us seriously. Forget about the fact that they can't pay the heating or air bills that the huge building they purchased will generate.

Once an org goes "Ideal" it is just a big, beautiful, empty building. New public are still creeped out by the hard sell. New public will still use the internet to research their new endeavor stopping it cold right then and there. New public are still blown off because of course supervisors with low ARC and Serv Facs. It's just now all done in the comfort of a beautiful building.

My middle daughter who is now 18 never became a Scientologist. As a young kid she did a children's study course and as a young teen attended several events. She hated going to the org with its downstat premises and a few staff who creeped her out. When I tried to find out why she wasn't reaching she said this "These people can't even help themselves, how can they possibly help me?" She really had a point and saw what I wasn't seeing because I was looking at it through the eyes of someone indoctrinated by cult propaganda. She was looking at it from the eyes of the rest of the world.

Smart girl!

 

[Auditor's Toad]

Seems more and more people are getting wise to the cult.

Isn't it nice of the org staff to behave in such a way as to cause people to wake up faster?

The cult is doing all it can in hastening its own death.

They can't help it.

 

[guanoloco]

For years in the Twin Cities the org didn't have heat for most of the winter, air conditioning in the summer or hot water in the bathrooms. Keep in mind this is Minnesota, where every season is experienced to its extreme. There were times when you could see your breath in the org during the winter, where people got heat exhaustion from being in the stifling hot org.

The big selling point to Scientologist is that with a new shinny building, with heat and air conditioning, the public will know us by our MEST and start to take us seriously. Forget about the fact that they can't pay the heating or air bills that the huge building they purchased will generate.

Once an org goes "Ideal" it is just a big, beautiful, empty building. New public are still creeped out by the hard sell. New public will still use the internet to research their new endeavor stopping it cold right then and there. New public are still blown off because of course supervisors with low ARC and Serv Facs. It's just now all done in the comfort of a beautiful building.

My middle daughter who is now 18 never became a Scientologist. As a young kid she did a children's study course and as a young teen attended several events. She hated going to the org with its downstat premises and a few staff who creeped her out. When I tried to find out why she wasn't reaching she said this "These people can't even help themselves, how can they possibly help me?" She really had a point and saw what I wasn't seeing because I was looking at it through the eyes of someone indoctrinated by cult propaganda. She was looking at it from the eyes of the rest of the world.

This is hilarious and the truth!

If they would just pay people so they wouldn't have to moonlight - immediately a higher quality staff right there. Remember, you get what you pay for so if you don't pay for a staff YOU DON"T GET A STAFF! Look at the Co$ staff...these people effectively drive people away! The opposite of what a staff should do.

Also, quit bleeding orgs for upper org pay. Have a trained and audited staff in a semi-decent premises and things might've been fine.

What the hell am I saying? I forgot about L. Ron Hubbard! It was doomed to begin with.

 

[guanoloco]

From a marketing perspective, the Church is living in the Dark Ages. Their insulated-from-the-world, "know best," never-consult-the-peons bullshit is what has brought the enterprise, their staff and their public to their knees.

Yeah!

Like handing out gobs of promo with out finding survey buttons just to merely report a stat...causes the local community to abhor your (Scieno) very presence.

Paying for all that "promo" to drive good repute and business away!

It's almost as stupid as smoking...paying to get cancer and ruin your health...like heart attacks and strokes...NOT KOOL, L. RON!

(Only smoke in present time!!)

 

[Outethicsofficer]

The real world will inevitably catch up and it is, these 'Ideal Orgs' were never the answer to the C of S's problems, and now they are compounding the intrinsic flaws in what they do.
Good on the Ubagh family.