New SP Times article: Former Scientology insiders describe a world of coercion

[TEoS]

I've uploaded the video below. Link to SP Times main article in video description:

[video=youtube;KgaX-7fTIJw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgaX-7fTIJw&feature=colike[/video]

Hy Levy lived in terror of what would happen if he didn't make his number, a weekly sales target of $200,000. The money was due every Thursday by 2 p.m.

No excuses.

Often when he failed, his bosses exiled him to the kitchen to scrub pots. Sometimes they made him eat only beans and rice for a week. They publicly humiliated him, calling him a loser, a saboteur. They got in his face, screaming, swearing. You soulless bastard!

He said they used profanity a lot where he worked: the Church of Scientology.

For 16 years Levy was a "registrar" selling Scientology counseling and training services at the church's worldwide spiritual headquarters in Clearwater. He toiled morning to night, part of a team driven by fear and religious conviction to bring the church millions of dollars each week by "closing" people — church terminology.

His second Thursday on the job set the tone for the years ahead. German Scientologist Ulrich Katzschmann was backing off his agreement to buy an expensive counseling regimen. Levy had to change his mind, fast.

Full article: http://www.tampabay.com/news/scientology/article1201166.ece

 

[TEoS]

And another one!

[video=youtube;zMcIFF9Tgmg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMcIFF9Tgmg[/video]

How much do you have in the bank?

"Anywhere else in society … it's a very rude, invasive, kind of offensive question," Brian Culkin said.

Not in the Church of Scientology.

Culkin balked when fundraisers for the International Association of Scientologists questioned him about his bank balance in the summer of 2009. But they kept pressing.

Why don't you just tell us?

What are you hiding?

Culkin trusted his new friends at Scientology's Flag Land Base in Clearwater, so he gave in and told them.

The six-figure sum got the attention of Flag's "registrars," the religious workers who collect payments for church services and solicit donations for Scientology causes. No matter how much he gave, Culkin said they pestered him almost every day to give more. He ended up spending $330,000 on church services and donations during the year he spent in Scientology.

Large groups of registrars for the IAS repeatedly approached him, pressing him to give. Another registrar hounded him to spend thousands on counseling. One day, two church staffers from different departments tugged at his arms in a hallway, competing for a donation.

Full article: http://www.tampabay.com/news/scient...for-answers-found-a-money-hungry-cult/1201168

 

[NCSP]

Wow, the commenters are unusually nasty. (And reckless about using private info about Tobin!). This must be upsetting Scn. a lot! It should, because the articles are great. Pouw admits that reg offices and phones are bugged, but claims that parishioners know about it. Wow!

 

[This is NOT OK !!!!]

Good job Hy!

You were very truthful in your interview and I'm so grateful that you have come out and helped expose the insanity of the registration process for both the public and staff.

I know you well - I have been both beside you as a fellow reg and as a public doing ridiculous things to my credit card limits.

Thank you too - Tom Tobin and Joe Childs.

It's appreciated.

 

[Operating DB]

And another one!

[video=youtube;zMcIFF9Tgmg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMcIFF9Tgmg[/video]




Full article: http://www.tampabay.com/news/scient...for-answers-found-a-money-hungry-cult/1201168

Just amazing! It makes be sick to my stomach! Those vultures!

 

[Purple Rain]

Wow, the commenters are unusually nasty. (And reckless about using private info about Tobin!). This must be upsetting Scn. a lot! It should, because the articles are great. Pouw admits that reg offices and phones are bugged, but claims that parishioners know about it. Wow!

Yes, their jackboots are showing.

 

[Purple Rain]

And another one!

[video=youtube;zMcIFF9Tgmg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMcIFF9Tgmg[/video]




Full article: http://www.tampabay.com/news/scient...for-answers-found-a-money-hungry-cult/1201168

Flag: friendliest place in the world; mecca of technical perfection; run by the most ethical group on the planet. Who wouldn't want what Brian Culkin was having?

 

[Type4_PTS]

Great article!

And yes, the OSA Bot SockPuppets are out in force.

Some of us should go there and leave some good comments!

Link to some good books, articles, White House petitions, etc.

 

[Free to shine]

These two articles are very powerful, thankyou SP Times and thankyou Hy and Brian.

 

[Sindy]

This is a very large series with many, many interviews. Stay tuned.

 

[Sindy]

[video]http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/[/video]

Don't know why I can't get a vid to show here but if you follow this link, there are a couple of other videos.

 

[Purple Rain]

Great article!

And yes, the OSA Bot SockPuppets are out in force.

Some of us should go there and leave some good comments!

Link to some good books, articles, White House petitions, etc.

I've been leaving a few comments, and doing much furious liking and disliking of posts! Wheeeeeeeee!



NB: You do need to register for an account to post, but I think you can click likes and dislikes without registering.

 

[Sindy]

Tomorrow is about the Basics craziness. That ought to be fun.

 

[Purple Rain]

Tomorrow is about the Basics craziness. That ought to be fun.

Yes, the SP Times is a breath of fresh air. They're not afraid to tell it like it is. They're just like, "Yeah, c'mon! Bring it!"

They remind me of The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger The Most Fearless Animal on Earth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg

 

[Petey C]

Poor Dave Foster. 75 years old and still being forced to reg reg reg. I knew his wife.

Is Debbie Cook, CO FSO, the Debbie who used to be in the CMO CW and was briefly married to Allen Buchanan before he bit the dust?

And is Sonya Jacques formerly Sonya Caccavella?

 

[Type4_PTS]

First thing I'm going to do when I wake Sunday morning is to run to the store and pick me up a copy of the SP Times!

I'll try to get some extra copies in case any of you really would like a hard copy.

 

[Type4_PTS]

LOL, I love some of these comments.....like this one:

This cult is like the Mafia, but at least you're paying for protection with the Mafia, Scientology you're paying to see how far you can bend over.

 

[NCSP]

Bump for awesome! (The comment section fight is pretty great. I couldn't resist jumping in myself.)

 

[Sindy]

Bump for awesome! (The comment section fight is pretty great. I couldn't resist jumping in myself.)

I went and read your awesome comments! Thanks They're great.

I like where you say, "Are you aware how crazy this sounds to 99.9% of the population?" or something close to that.

 

[GoNuclear]

Time for an oldie but goodie, considering the topic.

Pete


Registrar
(tune of Candyman)

Who can make the big lies,
Credible to you?
Appealing to your conscience with an urgency or two,
The registrar, the registrar can,
The registrar can ‘cause he pushes your buttons,
To make your church seem good!

Who takes a 401k,
Dismisses with a sigh,
Makes it no more important than a pasture patty pie …
The registrar? The registrar can!
The registrar can ‘cause he tells you all the lies,
That make your church look good!

The registrar will take,
Every cent you make,
With a tech that’s so malicious,
Before you even get suspicious,
You’ll hock all your heirloom dishes!

Mortgage your tomorrow,
For the Scilon dream,
Who makes you get the sorrow while your church gets all the cream?
The registrar? The registrar can, The registrar can!
The registrar can ‘cause he tells you all the lies,
That make the church look good!
And your church looks good.
‘Cause the redge makes his stats look good!