Whistling into a hurrican or Excercises in Futility

[Clarence Rockaway]

Not to beat a dead horse, since it was already touched upon; but these newbies who before they leave the C of S or just as they do, still believe in the cleanliness of 'command intention', and who are determined to follow standard procedure in decrying 'outnesses' they've encountered in the cult. They actually believe so much in the dreck, er a that is tech, that they believe a (I can hardly keep my chair for laughing), KNOWLEDGE REPORT sent along proper channels has a good chance of righting the wrongs enumerated in the report. In a previous post I counseled tolerance and understanding. But since I enjoy a good joke more than most, let me direct your attention to the very best example of the futility I'm speaking of. This report was written with not only the utmost seriousness, but most likely a conviction, that if all the necessary points were made clearly, and succinctly, and sent along the right channels, it would have the desired effect of reforming the wrongs touched upon. Doncha just love it! Routing sobriety and reform through a maelstrom of frothing madness, psychotic knuckles on the ground lunacy, to socked in enturbulated goblins and ogres of the first water. I refer to a tome called The McDonald Papers, penned by that enlightened soul, Jon Randall 'Randy' McDonald of CCLA. Some of you may recall him. I knew him quite well for an intense period in 1981. For the laugh riot of the age, look up his monumental work, and read with what concise and detailed labor he cites the outnesses he saw in Scn. management. He really seemed to believe that these points were wrong and reprehensible, and that pointing them out would set them to rights. Have fun. Reuben Hart

 

[TG1]

Boy, once you jump out of bed, you just keep on typing, doncha?

 

[Gadfly]

Not to beat a dead horse, since it was already touched upon; but these newbies who before they leave the C of S or just as they do, still believe in the cleanliness of 'command intention', and who are determined to follow standard procedure in decrying 'outnesses' they've encountered in the cult.

They actually believe so much in the dreck, er a that is tech, that they believe a (I can hardly keep my chair for laughing), KNOWLEDGE REPORT sent along proper channels has a good chance of righting the wrongs enumerated in the report. In a previous post I counseled tolerance and understanding. But since I enjoy a good joke more than most, let me direct your attention to the very best example of the futility I'm speaking of.

This report was written with not only the utmost seriousness, but most likely a conviction, that if all the necessary points were made clearly, and succinctly, and sent along the right channels, it would have the desired effect of reforming the wrongs touched upon. Doncha just love it!

Routing sobriety and reform through a maelstrom of frothing madness, psychotic knuckles on the ground lunacy, to socked in enturbulated goblins and ogres of the first water. I refer to a tome called The McDonald Papers, penned by that enlightened soul, Jon Randall 'Randy' McDonald of CCLA. Some of you may recall him. I knew him quite well for an intense period in 1981. For the laugh riot of the age, look up his monumental work, and read with what concise and detailed labor he cites the outnesses he saw in Scn. management. He really seemed to believe that these points were wrong and reprehensible, and that pointing them out would set them to rights. Have fun. Reuben Hart

RH, you nailed THAT one unique extreme insanity of Scientology quite well.

Yeah, I did things like that while still involved with Scientology.

Back then, I still suffered from the delusion that "truth" could and would win out in a group that proclaims to possess a "road to truth". I would sit for hours digging through the OEC volumes or Tech volumes, locating the relevant "references", so that I could present my simple and obvious "report" to these "all-knowing Scientology seniors" who would obviously care and desire to repair the problem. But, they never did. In the end, I would get called into the ethics officer or MAA, and raked over the coals for writing such a "critical" report in the first place! :confused2:

It is such a HUGE smack in the face of reality when one first notices and realizes that the Church of Scientology, the group that one has been so actively supporting, DOES NOT at all care about the truth, and that it will happily run right over you if you do not shut up, stop pointing out some "criticism", and do exactly what they want (in a mechanical, robotic, unthinking manner so typical of organized Scientology).

I know others who at one time had suffered from the same delusion, that he or she could "get it fixed" by writing a well-written KR to top management, only to end up at the end of the whip themselves, often getting decalred if he or she didn't agree to shut up and "play by the rules" (as arbitrarily set by management).

Again to the "Independent Scientologists", THIS sort of crap has ALWAYS gone on in Scientology, and it always will. It is based on attitudes and views forwarded by Hubbard exactly in his organizational policies aimed at "taking over planet Earth" (or else).

You said it perfectly well:

This report was written with not only the utmost seriousness, but most likely a conviction, that if all the necessary points were made clearly, and succinctly, and sent along the right channels, it would have the desired effect of reforming the wrongs touched upon.

Except in the world of Scientology it NEVER DOES!

Why won't it change anything? Because, as RH so wonderfully described, THESE are the sort of metaphorical folks and who receive and read your KR:

Routing sobriety and reform through a maelstrom of frothing madness, psychotic knuckles on the ground lunacy, to socked-in enturbulated goblins and ogres of the first water.

I have not seen a better description of Scientology management, Scientology command channels and "exactly how it works in Scientology", not in quite awhile. VWD!!!!!

 

[Infinite]

Seems to me that the Knowledge Reports system was set up to keep an eye on those who would write them in the first place, as well as monitor the implicated. The Stasi used this system as well.

 

[Clarence Rockaway]

Boy, once you jump out of bed, you just keep on typing, doncha?

Why don't YOU write an article on sarcasm. You seem to be particularly good at it. What's the TG in your nick stand for? Thought Gout?

 

[Gadfly]

Seems to me that the Knowledge Reports system was set up to keep an eye on those who would write them in the first place, as well as monitor the implicated. The Stasi used this system as well.

There is no doubt that the KR system fits in perfectly with "Scientology ethics & justice". The entire purpose of Scientology ethics & justice is to closely MONITOR, DETECT, ADDRESS and HANDLE every single instance of ANY even slight swerving off of the "exactly defined path". The Scientology system acts efficiently and swiftly to detect and remove ALL instances of disagreement and criticism from within its own tightly-controlled environment.

The report system operates on two levels. First, as it seems, it provides an avenue where members can report on other members, bringing disagreements and "out-ethics behaviors" to the attention of the Scientology organization. Second, by creating the illusion that it is good and safe to report on any outness, the dumb and innocent (as I was) will report outnesses of the Church itself, which are NOT viewed as "outnesses" at all, but instead are viewed as "criticisms". In the latter case, you KR yourself!!!!! Unknowingly of course.

 

[SweetnessandLight]

I saw it differently.

Hey, Rocky! (New nickname for you based on your Clarence nick~~~ )

I read that comment totally differently, as admiration for you, done with a humorous banter tone.

WhaddamI, nutz? :confused2:

Funny, I don't know TeeGee and could be totally wrong about this, but I read that statement by them of your posting the OP (Original Post) as admiration or praise for your joining up and making so many interesting, pertinent posts, telling stories and making good points, unlike some other newcomers, who may be more shy, take a while to get warmed up or think of what to say, have less life experiences while in,etc.

I think you have decades worth of stories, experiences, observations and frustrations with COS and Scientologists pent up and ready to write about. Maybe it would be a good venue for you to create your own blog, here or elsewhere, in addition to posting on threads. Just a thought, meant as encouragement for you. We didn't used to have that blog feature before we went through the change.

I guess it could be read as sarcasm, but that didn't even occur to me.

I must be weird...:confused2:

 

[RogerB]

Why don't YOU write and article on sarcasm. You seem to be particularly good at it. What's the TG in you nick stand for? Thought Gout?

Err, umm, TG might just have been referring to the point that you typed right on through without any paragraphs.

Sort of makes what you wrote a wall of words that's a little hard to get through.

There is a valid reason why paragraphs were invented

Rog

 

[Gadfly]

Err, umm, TG might just have been referring to the point that you typed right on through without any paragraphs.

Sort of makes what you wrote a wall of words that's a little hard to get through.

There is a valid reason why paragraphs were invented

Rog

And, that is why when I quoted the OP I took the liberty to ADD the paragraph breaks.

Anyone who writes and posts on ESMB needs to understand that breaking up the post into sensible paragraphs makes it MUCH more readable.

And, really, I very much enjoyed and appreciated the opening post, and I wanted it to be read.

 

[Clarence Rockaway]

Err, umm, TG might just have been referring to the point that you typed right on through without any paragraphs.

Sort of makes what you wrote a wall of words that's a little hard to get through.

There is a valid reason why paragraphs were invented

Rog

You're right of course, but I can't manage the cursor. As an example, I wrote a poem in the Leaving Scn. column and couldn't get anything to line up. I can't find those cute icons that roll around on the ground kicking or any but those on this page. I'm not computer literate. I can't do links, or put movies on the page, or make words huge. Or get a picture for my avatar, or anything but what I do. People suggested that I send Oprah Winfrey my letter to her on her site. I didn't know how so I asked Arthur Dent who suggested it. I got silence. I asked some paranoid ESMB who lives in Tucson who contacted me, if she might know how. And she dropped me like a hot rock. I sent you a PM about something wondrous that happened to me, as you were recommended as the best terminal, and you never answered unless it was to carp about my lack of paragraphs. Oh well, at least I have Sweetness and Light in my corner, who is an angel. I'm going to talk to her now. Bye. R.H.

 

[Clarence Rockaway]

Re: I saw it differently.

Hey, Rocky! (New nickname for you based on your Clarence nick~~~ )

I read that comment totally differently, as admiration for you, done with a humorous banter tone.

WhaddamI, nutz? :confused2:

Funny, I don't know TeeGee and could be totally wrong about this, but I read that statement by them of your posting the OP (Original Post) as admiration or praise for your joining up and making so many interesting, pertinent posts, telling stories and making good points, unlike some other newcomers, who may be more shy, take a while to get warmed up or think of what to say, have less life experiences while in,etc.

I think you have decades worth of stories, experiences, observations and frustrations with COS and Scientologists pent up and ready to write about. Maybe it would be a good venue for you to create your own blog, here or elsewhere, in addition to posting on threads. Just a thought, meant as encouragement for you. We didn't used to have that blog feature before we went through the change.

I guess it could be read as sarcasm, but that didn't even occur to me.

I must be weird...:confused2:

You're not weird you're wonderful. Maybe I was wrong about TG1. Thanks for all the validation. I was wondering where you were. You hadn't posted for a while. Glad you're back. The message board without you can be grim. affectionately Reuben

 

[Voltaire's Child]

Seems to me that the Knowledge Reports system was set up to keep an eye on those who would write them in the first place, as well as monitor the implicated. The Stasi used this system as well.

Yeah!!

Doesn't it remind you of Soviet Russia?

 

[RogerB]

You're right of course, but I can't manage the cursor. As an example, I wrote a poem in the Leaving Scn. column and couldn't get anything to line up. I can't find those cute icons that roll around on the ground kicking or any but those on this page. I'm not computer literate. I can't do links, or put movies on the page, or make words huge. Or get a picture for my avatar, or anything but what I do. People suggested that I send Oprah Winfrey my letter to her on her site. I didn't know how so I asked Arthur Dent who suggested it. I got silence. I asked some paranoid ESMB who lives in Tucson who contacted me, if she might know how. And she dropped me like a hot rock. I sent you a PM about something wondrous that happened to me, as you were recommended as the best terminal, and you never answered unless it was to carp about my lack of paragraphs. Oh well, at least I have Sweetness and Light in my corner, who is an angel. I'm going to talk to her now. Bye. R.H.

Well, RH, You're like the rest of us when we first came here, and again with this new board.

Incompetence is no excuse for being incompetent.

What you do is fiddle with things and you find out. Indeed if I remember correctly, there is actually (or was on the old board) a how-to-do things write-up.

But I see you tend to take things negatively instead of positively That part I highlighted above in red, is an example.

It's not the way to make friends. Nor get any help

And you may not have noticed I'd been out of the country and posted several times before going on the issue of time constraints due to business and travel.

R

 

[SweetnessandLight]

Yes, Fluffy, it does! OR maybe North Korea, Communist China, the Khmer Rouge or Hitler Youth kids reporting on and turning in their parents and other relatives...

It's painful to me that this kind of activity is being allowed by us all to persist in America, where we allegedly value personal freedoms from totalitarian coercions like this...

words fail me.

 

[SweetnessandLight]

Re: I saw it differently.

You're not weird you're wonderful. Maybe I was wrong about TG1. Thanks for all the validation. I was wondering where you were. You hadn't posted for a while. Glad you're back. The message board without you can be grim. affectionately Reuben

Thanks, Reuben! I couldn't get the my posts button to work on a computer I was using...frusterating! It was hard to find all the threads I was posting on from where I could get to. Kinda got a little lost for a while there. I can't explain it other than the buttons got compressed and overlapped on the screen, and I couldn't push the my posts button...(it was a little screen).

I think I can help with parts of this...I have trouble using computers too...have learned everything I know by the bumble around and learn method. It's not pretty but it works o.k. for me, mostly.

To make a new paragraph, I actually just make a line break (add more white space).

Like I just did up there. It does help to break up a big bank of text and make it easier on the eyes. Reuben, like Gadfly, I also want people to read what you have to say, it's important! You've got a lot of good stuff to share with us.

I don't know if you are using adaptive technology, like Dragon naturally speaking, or just typing on a keyboard. But to make a line break like I just showed, (adding a line of white space which works for me like a new paragraph), just hit enter (the Enter button) twice after you finish a sentence.

That drops whatever you are typing down two lines. The enter button is usually the long or bigger one on the very right hand side of all the letter keys, in the middle, or nearby.





Don't leave a lot of white space because people will be annoyed that they have to scroll down too often to read what you write, and will give up and go away!

I wonder if your computer has a mouse or not. If it is a laptop, using the mouse like controls there are sometimes very difficult for me. My fingers don't always work right. Otherwise, if it is a mouse that you put your whole hand over, plugged into the computer with a cord, then I can help you with learning how to use the mouse to control the cursor.

Sometimes it takes people time to respond to individual comm here. I know it's hard to wait when you are eager to talk with people. I know I am not on the computer every day, others are also busy with things like work, school, travel, family life, etc. I find it really helps me to be patient with people, and give them the benefit of the doubt when I don't hear from them for awhile, or if something seems amiss, hard as it is to do so sometimes.

As for writing to Oprah, well that's a good idea. I think she was going to put an email address up on her website as she quit her show. Maybe I'll mosey over and check it out. Posting links to things is really helpful for me, too, and I appreciate folks who take the time to do so.

Oprah has not been very responsive to Scientology outpoints, due to currying favor with her Scion celeb friends. However, since this recent arrest in Australia of a COS executive who covered up child molestation for the COS, maybe that will shake her up/wake her up some more. I sure hope so.

She sure is in a good position to help out journalistically with exposing the truth about the cult of Scientology.

Be back if I find a good link or email for her.

 

[MrNobody]

You're right of course, but I can't manage the cursor. As an example, I wrote a poem in the Leaving Scn. column and couldn't get anything to line up. I can't find those cute icons that roll around on the ground kicking or any but those on this page. I'm not computer literate. I can't do links, or put movies on the page, or make words huge. Or get a picture for my avatar, or anything but what I do. People suggested that I send Oprah Winfrey my letter to her on her site. I didn't know how so I asked Arthur Dent who suggested it. I got silence. I asked some paranoid ESMB who lives in Tucson who contacted me, if she might know how. And she dropped me like a hot rock. I sent you a PM about something wondrous that happened to me, as you were recommended as the best terminal, and you never answered unless it was to carp about my lack of paragraphs. Oh well, at least I have Sweetness and Light in my corner, who is an angel. I'm going to talk to her now. Bye. R.H.

Well, your Editor is probably set to "* Basic Editor - A simple text box"

To change that, click on "Settings" in the uppermost, rightmost corner of your ESMB window. This will open your "Settings window"

In the left pane, you'll find "General Settings" Click on it to open the "General settings" window.


Scroll down until you see "Miscellaneous Options"

Below "Miscellaneous Options" you'll find this:

Message Editor Interface:

* Enhanced Interface - Full WYSIWYG Editing
* Basic Editor - A simple text box
* Standard Editor - Extra formatting controls

Now select * Standard Editor - Extra formatting controls.

Last step: Scroll down to the end of the page and click on "Save Settings".

If you've correctly done everything I just explained, you should now have all the nice control buttons and icons. Play around with them, get to know them, and use the Preview button before you hit send, to make sure your post or PM looks just the way you want it to. If you're OK with what you see, click Submit.

As for the chapters: If you hit enter once, a new line is created, the cursor jumps to the new line. Everything that was right of the cursor before you hit enter, will appear in the new line, right of the current cursor position. To have an empty line as a separator between two chapters, you'd have to hit Enter twice.

HTH (hope this helps), MrN

 

[Gadfly]

Here is some interesting history that some may or may not already know.

As with so many things in Scientology, the "history" and "theory" of the activity is FAR different than how such things came to be used in the Church of Scientology.

Somewhere Hubbard talks about life on a ship - on a "sea-going vessel". He explains how it is no easy life, and that ones LIFE can depend on how well or not well one does his job (there were no "hers" onboard at this time period Hubbard was describing). So far, Hubbard was probably quite correct. When a storm came, and if you didn't know your job (such as locking down the hatches, tightening up the sail, gathering up ALL loose items on deck, etc.), well, you could very well end up DEAD! For the situations Hubbard described, it was truly a "life or death" situation.

He went onto explain how on such a ship each crew member (i.e. team mate) would watch out for slips, errors, mistakes or poor performance of each other, because the lives of each other depended on each other. They didn't have KRs, but they WOULD (or so Hubbard claimed) confront others personally and with no backoff to correct "out-ethics" behavior that could eventually harm the rest of the team.

So, Hubbard went from the ideas of ships and crew members and extrapolated THAT somewhat sensible idea to his own "group" with teammates. There were flaws in doing so. First, of course, Hubbard brought the "live or die" and "we must survive or else" attitude from the ship experience, and tied THAT into his own SEVERE "live or die in the attempt" attitude inherent to "all-or-none" KSW #1.

Second, you are NOT ON A FUCKING BOAT! I think what Hubbard may have really needed was for someone to just snap their fingers and say with good Tone 40, "Ron, get into PT"! Or, have him apply the CONFUSION FORMULA and "find out WHERE you are". Because, Ron, dear old buddy, you are/were most certainly NOT ANY A SHIP! Wake up! But, apparently he wanted to be on a ship so badly, that he went on to create the "sea organization". If he couldn't be on a ship, well, he would bring the ship with him!

Anyways, the ideas of "taking care of each other to the better the survival of ones fellows" morphed into "writing KRs on each other" as a way to "correct" ones "teammates" and "help them remain at the top of their game". Very strange how THAT sort of sensible notion changed into an almost Nazi-esque form of covert spying and reporting where even children "expose the faults of ones parents" (i.e. the "Hitler Youth").

Scientology can be SO VERY WEIRD, because too often some idea DOES SORT OF "make sense", at least on some level and in some context, but when taken out of the original context and placed within the framework of the Scientology organization, it gets downright INSANE!

 

[Dulloldfart]

Personally, I was quite impressed with the theory of KRs that Hubbard put forward in that Knowledge Report PL. The idea of the goals and mores of a true group being forwarded by each group member and not left to some senior made a whole lot of sense to me.

Example, in a family, if one of the kids sets light to the garden shed and nearly burns the house down, is another one of the kids who saw it happen "a snitch" and to be looked down on because he/she admits to the parents what happened?

As I see it, the problem is not with the theory of the system, but with sociopaths making use of such a system, and of course I include Hubbard in that category. I imagine the system was abused from the outset (being charitable and taking it at face value, so "abuse" means not use it as written). I wonder if it could ever work in practice in any other than a small group of relatively sane people.

Paul

 

[GoNuclear]

Here is some interesting history that some may or may not already know.

As with so many things in Scientology, the "history" and "theory" of the activity is FAR different than how such things came to be used in the Church of Scientology.

Somewhere Hubbard talks about life on a ship - on a "sea-going vessel". He explains how it is no easy life, and that ones LIFE can depend on how well or not well one does his job (there were no "hers" onboard at this time period Hubbard was describing). So far, Hubbard was probably quite correct. When a storm came, and if you didn't know your job (such as locking down the hatches, tightening up the sail, gathering up ALL loose items on deck, etc.), well, you could very well end up DEAD! For the situations Hubbard described, it was truly a "life or death" situation.

He went onto explain how on such a ship each crew member (i.e. team mate) would watch out for slips, errors, mistakes or poor performance of each other, because the lives of each other depended on each other. They didn't have KRs, but they WOULD (or so Hubbard claimed) confront others personally and with no backoff to correct "out-ethics" behavior that could eventually harm the rest of the team.

So, Hubbard went from the ideas of ships and crew members and extrapolated THAT somewhat sensible idea to his own "group" with teammates. There were flaws in doing so. First, of course, Hubbard brought the "live or die" and "we must survive or else" attitude from the ship experience, and tied THAT into his own SEVERE "live or die in the attempt" attitude inherent to "all-or-none" KSW #1.

Second, you are NOT ON A FUCKING BOAT! I think what Hubbard may have really needed was for someone to just snap their fingers and say with good Tone 40, "Ron, get into PT"! Or, have him apply the CONFUSION FORMULA and "find out WHERE you are". Because, Ron, dear old buddy, you are/were most certainly NOT ANY A SHIP! Wake up! But, apparently he wanted to be on a ship so badly, that he went on to create the "sea organization". If he couldn't be on a ship, well, he would bring the ship with him!

Anyways, the ideas of "taking care of each other to the better the survival of ones fellows" morphed into "writing KRs on each other" as a way to "correct" ones "teammates" and "help them remain at the top of their game". Very strange how THAT sort of sensible notion changed into an almost Nazi-esque form of covert spying and reporting where even children "expose the faults of ones parents" (i.e. the "Hitler Youth").

Scientology can be SO VERY WEIRD, because too often some idea DOES SORT OF "make sense", at least on some level and in some context, but when taken out of the original context and placed within the framework of the Scientology organization, it gets downright INSANE!

Having read the genuine HubTurd bio's, as in the Bent Corydon book and Russell Miller book, there are two phrases that would describe HubTurd's Navy days ... one is "Buddy Fucker" which is obvious enough, that the other one is "check valve". A check valve is a type of valve in a piping system that is akin to a diode in an electrical circuit, i.e., it ensures flow in one direction only. A synonym for "check valve" would be "a one way muthafucka". I can remember my division officer inquring about a report that I had given to another officer to forward to him, since my div. officer was going to be his watch relief back aft. He never got the report. His comment was "That explains it, you attempted to enter the system downstream of a check valve!" Usually "check valve" was a name given from one non-com to another, but, the term was used by officers from time to time as well.

One time, long after the Navy, when I was doing customer service, one of the fellows who was calling in for customer/tech support was an electrical engineer, and was getting no satisfaction from the fellow that was supposed to be helping him. After letting him vent for a few minutes, I figured a bit of humor was in order to difuse the situation, so I paraphrased what my Div. officer said ... "Sir, what can you expect when you attempt to enter the circuit from the wrong side of a diode?" He got a good laugh out of that, and I was able to resolve his fone problem quickly after that.

Back to the point ... there is something to be said for the challenge of going out to sea as far as building a real team spirit. Even the HubTurd mentioned something about thriving in a challenging environment ... but that has to be built upon (gag, wretch, scienospeak) "a high ARC environment". It is impossible to have a "high ARC environment" in a system where everybody is KR'ing everybody else ... it destroys trust. That and the face rippings, lower conditions, constant fear, etc. There was something I understood instinctively about joining staff, even at the local mission, that caused me to shy away from that, even when asked once to sign on. I never could have done staff, it would have been a total ruin for me. By then the whole Scientology thing was increasingly pukesome anyways.

Pete

 

[Gadfly]

By then the whole Scientology thing was increasingly pukesome anyways.

Pete

PUKESOME! I love it. What a perfect term to describe the "whole Scientology thing".