David Miscavige, Scientology's boss since Hubbard died in 1986, is just as gargantuan a liar and just as conscienceless. Miscavige's and Scientology's aggression and sociopathy are not limited or restrained by conscience, but by their fear of public exposure, opprobrium and criminal prosecution.[16]
A "racket," as used in the title of my talk, "Scientology: the Dangerous Environment Racket," is defined as "a usually illegitimate enterprise or activity that is made workable by coercion, bribery, or intimidation; a system of obtaining money or other advantage illegally, fraudulently, or undeservedly usually with the outward consent of the victims." This is what the Scientology cult is and does.
In its use of threat to make itself workable, and to obtain money, or other advantages -- such as time, cheap or free labor, intelligence (the espionage kind), false testimony, injustice, fanatical allegiance, complete submission, silence, etc. - Scientology is similar to what is known as a "protection racket."
This is from Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia:
A protection racket is an extortion scheme whereby a powerful entity or individual coerces other less powerful entities or individuals to pay protection money which allegedly serves to purchase protection services against various external threats.
Those who do not buy into the protection plan are often targeted by criminals. These crimes are typically thought to originate from the organization itself. When a person or group refuses to pay for protection, word is put out that they are outside of the local organization's protection (these organizations often exist in the absence of a trusted police force) and that the person or group in question is therefore free game for freelance criminals or the organization itself."
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard identified people outside his organization's protection plan with the more common term "fair game." "Free game" and Scientology's "fair game," are in fact identical.
The cult is a powerful, global entity and Hubbard was a power-mad individual, as is Miscavige. They have coerced billions of dollars and unconscionable advantages from countless less powerful entities or groups and individuals.
Scientology and Miscavige put the word out officially and publicly on orders or fatwahs called "Suppressive Person Declares," that the people they can't shake down or shut up are outside their protection and fair game. Most of Scientology's and Miscavige's orders to the organization's hired professionals or its own enforcement or intelligence personnel to fair game Miscavige's enemy targets are issued in secret and unpublished.
The term "dangerous environment," in the title of my talk, "Scientology: the Dangerous Environment Racket" comes from founder Hubbard, and appears many times in scripture. He made it a key precept in what is known in Scientology as the "Suppressive Person" or "SP" doctrine. My wife Caroline Letkeman and I have a website, "
suppressiveperson.org" dedicated to exposing and opposing this doctrine.
Armstrong, G. (2009) Scientology, the Dangerous Environment Racket. suppressiveperson.org. Retrieved from http://suppressiveperson.org/spdl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=544&Itemid=68.