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Cult of scientology: testimonies by Kathry Smith - Paul David Schofield & "Girlcat" 18 years member Kathryn Smith, Class IV, OTII tells her story (alley.ethercat.com - March 3, 2009) The other "Kathryn", aka Nancy Many: They did to her what they did to Lisa McPherson The original Operation Clambake presents: Kathryn's Story (Clambake - 2004) Girlcat: Another Ex-Scientology Kid Tells Her Story (alley.ethercat.com - 10th December, 2008) 30 years involved in the Cult of scientology. Testimony of Paul David Schofield (alley.ethercat.com - 28th Nov, 2008) Captain of the Sea Org ? It seems to me Ray Mithoff perjured himself (ARS - May 8. 2009)
Video: Ex-Scientology kids, including leader's niece, share their stories |
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18 yr member Kathryn Smith, Class IV, OTII tells her story Scientology - Through the Door Interview http://alley.ethercat.com/cgi-bin/door/door.cgi?268
1. How did you first become acquainted with the Church of Scientology? Then husband was introduced by his friend and we went to Communication classes. 2. What initially appealed to you about scientology? Being able to get trained to communicate better. Hope that personal problems could be addressed and fixed. The idea that I could help make the world a better place. 3. Were there problems in your life that you thought scientology would address? Personal internal focus I wished to change. 4. Did you see, experience, or hear about things that didn't seem right while you were in the Church of Scientology? What were they, and what convinced you to set aside your feelings? Yes. At first, I thought that maybe these were the right things to do to get rid of reactive mind actions. 5. Why did you choose to stay in the Church of Scientology? Very strong personal committment to work towards making a better world. 6. Were you staff or public? If staff, was it at a mission or an org? Were you ever in the Sea Org or OSA? Which unit? If not on staff, did you ever volunteer to 'help out'? Staff at L.A. Org. 7. Why did you leave the Church of Scientology? Was there a "final straw"? final straw was when my 2nd husband came out from mid-west for auditing and descended back into severe mental illness. he eventually checked himself into USC County Psych Ward for help. The church declared me an SP and stated I must have caused my then husband's problem. 8. Do you think the Church of Scientology needs to change some of its practices? If so, what should be changed? How did those practices affect your life? The horrible extreme punishments meeted out to staff and public perceived as in lower conditions must be changed. The perception that children are 'all suppresives'. The actions that separate us from the world at large. Why can't they be strong and stand up for their beliefs as all religions must do and practice. 9. If the items you listed in the previous question were changed, would you consider rejoining or staying in the Church of Scientology? If so, why? No. Too expensive. Too many alterations of Ron's technology have made his original goals unreachable. DM as he is called, should have been declared an SP years ago. he has ruined the technology. Current church practices bleed money forever from those people who choose to stay. 10. Any additional comments you would like to make? I lost two husbands to the church, both now dead early because of the problems made worse by their treatment in Scientology. I am happy to say that my son and I avoided most of those problems. I did get some help I needed, but at a very high price 2nd November 2008, 09:21 PM Emma wrote: I got an email from the lady (Kathryn) who originally wrote this story. I found I am on your board and people have viewed my story. What is missing is the later PS - My real name is Nancy Many (which (OSA) always knew. in fact they contacted me the day it went up. I have since testified against them in the Lisa McPherson Hearing. Just google my name. I am here to help any one or any family going thru what I went thru. I have done lots of study and there are many holistic helpful ways to help get the person back. E-mail me at Appledo...@aol.com She also added: Can you please add this to the end or beginning of the story. There are too many people going thru or almost going thru what I went thru. And thank you for posting this story here. I do get responses from readers of it on other boards, but never yours. thanks so much, nancy AKA Kathryn http://www.forum.exscn.net/showpost.php?p=167749&postcount=16 http://www.forum.exscn.net/archive/index.php/t-4821.html The original Operation Clambake presents: Kathryn's Story Thanksgiving, 1998 (Updated 1999 & 2004) I was a member of Scientology for many years. The only counseling I ever received was from official, authorized Scientology. A few years ago, at the hands of some of it's most trained members, I went through a devastating experience that left my mind and spirit shattered. I was no longer a whole person. Only now, am I able to even talk about it. Stories like mine are the exception, rather than the rule. However, mine is not the first, nor will it be the last. I am posting this anonymously because I do not wish to be 'outed.' I am doing better, but I need time to continue healing in private. Of Course Scientologists in the Office of Special Affairs International (OSA Int) and Religious Technology Center (RTC) will recognize who I am because it was under their care that this happened. The story I wish to share began almost three years ago in 1996. I did not know it at the time but my saga began eight weeks after Lisa McPherson died on December 5, 1995, in Clearwater, Florida. Several aspects of my story are similar, if not the same as Lisa's; we had the same Scientologist Doctor, we were given the same vitamin and herb concoctions as well as the Drug Chloral Hydrate, and both of us had complete mental breakdowns including hallucinations. Luckily, there were some aspects that were quite different, especially our endings. Lisa and I had both been long term Scientologists. I had spent over 10 years on Scientology staff (the Sea Organization) as a full time employee or staff member in one of their organizations. Several of those years were spent in Scientology International Management (Int.). After leaving the Sea Organization, I spent another ten years as a public Scientologist with varying degrees of activity. While I was a Scientologist, I encountered many conditions and situations within the church that I disliked or disagreed with. However, I rationalized them and placed them into perspectives that allowed me to feel I could and should continue as an active member. I guess I always hoped that these conditions would eventually be changed for the better. By the early 1990's, I found my hopes were wearing thin and my doubts and disagreements weren't so easily put to rest. I took some Scientology courses intending to get these doubts and disagreements resolved. Instead, the doubts got stronger. Towards the end of l994, I received a call from someone at OSA Int. who wanted me to join a new group that "Wolly" had started on the Internet. (Note: "Wolly" is the name that staff at OSA Int. use for Larry Wollersheim, a former Scientologist.) She wanted to know what "Wolly" was up to. I turned her down, saying that I did not know my way around the Internet. However, her call made me curious and I soon learned how to get 'online'. That was how I discovered the Internet. During l995, I found and read many court cases, court decisions, affidavits and press information in support of and against Scientology. While this information answered a lot of questions for me, it neither eased my doubts nor made me a stronger Scientologist. I took a few trips into AOLA (the Advanced Scientology Organization in Los Angeles) and CCLA (the Celebrity Center in Los Angeles) to get some help in sorting out my feelings. These actions did not help either. A few of the points that I wanted sorted out were: a) If Scientology was supposed to clear the planet, how come it cost so much? Most of the people that I knew in the regular middle class world, couldn't afford the lower levels of Scientology - much less the higher levels of "clearing'. Due to its prices, it seemed to be more of an elitist group than one working to help mankind. I knew of one member who had already paid $300,000 and he was being told he needed to purchase another $60,000 to get to the first level above Clear. b) Where was all the money going? Looked to me like a huge portion was going to lawyers to handle court cases to handle the people that were hurt by the exorbitant amounts of money being charged for services. And they needed to charge those exorbitant amounts of money because their lawyers cost so much. c) Was it really a religion? When I first joined I was clearly told that the 'religion' label was used only for tax and legal reasons, and that no one had to change their personal religious affiliation to be a member. During my 20 years as a member, I had only ever been to one Scientology church service. Once I tried to find a Scientology service to which I could take my children. One Scientology organization told me that they held a small service WHILE people ate their lunches during a break in a Scientology Training Course. Another organization spent their Sunday mornings putting on a very large social Brunch, that they heavily advertised and promoted. I did hear that one organization had a service on Sunday nights that was pretty good. So I packed my children up one Sunday night and went. There was one other person standing in front of the building where we had been told the services took place. It was a dark, locked up building. We both went into the main lobby of the building next door. After asking several staff, who knew nothing about a Sunday service, we found one gentleman who casually said, "Oh, no, that was cancelled tonight". End of my foray into Scientology Services for my children. d) If Scientology was a religion, what were the group's beliefs about God. I had thought that my Scientology counseling would bring me a better understanding and a closer relationship with God (the divine, universal, whatever you call it), but here I was 20 years later, having experienced the highest levels of Scientology counseling, and I didn't feel any closer to God. Most of the Scientologists whom I knew personally did not believe in God. But, was that their decision as individuals, or was that due to Scientology's influence over them? I attempted to find out. That was when I discovered the massive editing that had been being done on Scientology materials. The one book in which I found some clear LRH references to the religious basis on Scientology (Notes on the Lectures), I had to buy in a used book store because the Church had "cancelled" it. e) How come there were always these "Enemies?" I had done some projects for both the GO and OSA Int, and during those projects had the opportunity to spend some time with a few of these "SP's" and "Enemies". I did not find them to be the ogres that Scientology portrayed to its members. In fact, most of them knew of some valid point of outrageous Scientology behavior that led to the creation of their discontent or anger. In other words, from my point of view these enemies were being created by the very group that held itself up to be the 'victim'. These were a few of my feelings and concerns, as I wandered about the Internet. Around New Years 1996, I realized that I had to tell my husband how I felt, even though it was a High Crime to tell another Scientologist about one's disaffection with Scientology. I also told him that I might not want to be a Scientologist any longer. He was visibly upset and very clear with me that that would be a problem for him. I knew that if I continued in my current direction, my marriage and children could be at risk. So I stopped talking about my feelings. On Monday, February 5, 1996, I received a call from a member of OSA Int. who I knew personally. She wanted to meet with me. I met with her and her associate in the boardroom of OSA Int. on Hollywood Blvd. To my amazement, they handed me a private E-mail message I had sent to someone several months earlier. Scientology had declared this person a Suppressive Person, meaning that the Church had dismissed him from membership, severed his ties to the Scientology and to active Scientologists, and forbad all Scientologists to have anything to do with him. The person, in his message to me, marveled that I, a Scientologist in good standing, still trusted and communicated with him. I replied that I did not distrust him personally, but that I was concerned about the spies that I was certain that Scientology had positioned closely to him. The two women at OSA Int. never admitted how they obtained my private E-mail message. I told them I was not hiding anything, in that I had signed my real name to it, and knew they had observers and spies everywhere. I also told them about my visits to AOLA and CCLA to try to sort out my thoughts and feelings about Scientology, including some thoughts I had recently resolved. I told them that I disagreed with many of the operations that OSA Int. instigated against its so-called "enemies," as they were unethical. I disagreed with the Scientology mindset, "the end justifies the means," that governed their actions and decisions, including those I had personally been involved in or had personal first hand knowledge of. They really did not seem interested in my point of view, but instead zeroed in on specific names I mentioned, wanting to know if I had talked with this or that person, all of whom, of course, were on their enemies list. They offered to help me sort through my doubts and confusions. They said that a wonderful auditor, whom I had known but hadn't seen for many years, had been studying my folders and that she wanted to help me. I was not adverse to an offer of help, so went in for a D of P interview. Only to find out it was not a D of P interview like any I had ever had, but more like an interrogation. I was asked if I knew people who are off the bridge. Did I know anyone who is an SP? How bout people I chat with? How bout what I think?? I returned home NUMB. I didn't want to talk about it. I knew if I refused their 'handling' I would be declared, and I knew my marriage (and other facets of my life) were at risk if I got declared. That night I happened to get a call from a Scientology friend of mine. She was troubled. Her Org (AOLA) had ordered her to disconnect from her best friend (disaffected as a Scientology member, but not a declared enemy). Her husband told her that if she didn't disconnect, she wouldn't be moving on the bridge and if she was not moving on the bridge, he could no longer be married to her. I felt I was in a similar corner to her and that I had no choice but to appear at the scheduled 'session' the next day. I call it a "session" because it was not an interview; the interview had been done the previous day. It was meant to be an informal interview before the more 'formal' auditing began. The next day the two OSA Int. women walked me back into the auditing room to meet the auditor. They followed me into this tiny auditing room. At first I looked at these three women and their stern faces and wondered if this was about to be a "Gang Bang Sec Check" that I had heard about years ago. But it wasn't, and they soon left me alone with my auditor. What transpired over the next several days was like no "auditing" I had ever experienced. "Grueling" is a word that comes to mind. The sessions were hours long, and went on for several days. I remember on the second day, the auditor had me read these different bulletins to show me that this was truly for my benefit and that these sessions were not meant to be an inquisition or to 'attack' me. The auditor said that she really cared about me and that this was being done to help. But then she would begin yelling at me over something I said or that she disagreed with. For example, I remember telling her about something that I had done to a suppressive person that I considered to be an overt, only to be yelled at. She shouted at me that what I had done couldn't possibly be an overt, that "You can not commit overts on Suppressive People." We had several disagreements about the definition of an overt. I said that I did not agree with the definition, "Greatest Good for Greatest Number," as it had been used to justify a lot of wrong actions I had done. I said that I felt that "Do Unto Others," or 'what goes around comes around' had immensely more validity for me, and I used them to decide if I transgressed. The auditor vehemently disagreed with my point of view as it did not comply with either Hubbard's or Scientology's beliefs and, right in the auditing session, this led to several more yelling episodes. These 'session days' lasted about a week. When I wasn't in session, I talked very little. I felt numb all the time. Although I tried, I could not sleep. I forced myself to eat in order to "pass a metabolism check," the needle phenomenon that shows your body is rested and fed and allows the session to begin. At night I would feel these 'sessions' repeating constantly in my mind. It was like the session never ended. I brought the auditor home with me. She was in my mind, disagreeing with me, screaming at me, and digging into my head. February 9 or 10, 1996 This was the longest session I had, about six hours. I remember desperately wanting to leave. However, I was on one of the upper floors of OSA Int. When I pictured the difficulties in getting past my auditor as well as the hallways and stairs that had cameras everywhere and were always full of staff and security guards trained to prevent "session blows", I ended up remaining. I spent most of those six hours sitting in the tiny auditing room sobbing, or doubled over a trash can with the dry heaves. Sunday night February 11, 1996 I went to sleep. Around 2 AM I was awakened with the cracking of my mind, my self, my soul. I don't know how else to describe it, other than my mind broke. I was driven to do something, but I did not know what. I was yelling at my husband, but it didn't feel as if I was yelling the words. I left the house running. My husband, who was chasing me, caught me before I left the driveway. I paced around the car and tried to touch the trees. My husband calmed me enough to get me back into the house. I was scared to death. Something had happened to my mind and I knew I was now in a different place. My husband called OSA Int. and spoke with my auditor (who happened to be up at 2AM). She spoke with my husband and then myself. All I remember of our conversation was her saying "There is no tech to handle this". I remember feeling as though I was off in the distance, while thinking, "she could at least have lied to me." It was either on February 12th or 13th that someone arranged another auditing session with my auditor. As soon as she started the session, the auditor pulled out the "Security Check Correction List," an auditing action that was supposed to detect and resolve the difficulties so often encountered in Scientology Security Checks. Most of these difficulties were thought to come from one or more secrets that the preclear had not divulged. I immediately felt devastated. "They," (meaning the C/S and Auditor), thought that this problem with my mind was nothing more than a "missed withhold." I knew that this was not what was wrong with me. I also felt that the case supervisor and the auditor could correct what had happened to me and I could not understand why they had not. The auditor talked with me until my "needle floated," and then ended the session. I remember asking her, "But what about fixing what's wrong with me?" She never answered me. I was sent home and told they would call me. Over the next few days, I stayed home. I was extremely anxious, fearful, and unwell. I would try to fall asleep, but would soon be awakened by 'things going on in my mind." It is difficult to communicate what those shadows and demons were. I just wanted them to stop. I just wanted my clarity of thought back.. I increased the dosages of vitamins my auditor had me taking - Melatonin, Calcium and Magnesium, and vitamin B1. However, the condition worsened and I found it harder and harder to maintain my grip on the world. I spend the night of February 13th pacing in the garage so as not to wake any family members. I was trying to keep my racing thoughts calmed down, trying to keep the world from melting around me. At this point, my husband did not understand what was happening to me, and I felt very alone. At 5:00AM, I called another public Scientologist who was both my friend and an auditor. I thought he might be able to give me the help I needed. He was a great comfort; he likened what I was experiencing to a very bad LSD trip he'd had many years ago. It was a comfort to know that someone had been where I was, but at the same time, I was perplexed as I had not taken LSD. My friend knew the people at OSA Int and promised to find out why they weren't fixing me. It is important to know that during all this time - from the time my 'mind broke' till this day (about 4 days later), I was aware that I had had a breakdown. My mind was broken, and it had broken in the middle of my Scientology Counseling. But I remembered that L. Ron Hubbard had said, "The Way Out, Is the Way Through," and, "What Turns it On Will Turn it off," so I waited for OSA Int. to fix what they had broken. I felt they had the tools to fix my broken mind. But things worsened. It had been days, hours upon hours and I was beginning to feel that they were witholding their help on purpose. I began to get paranoid. FEBRUARY 15th 1996 Someone from OSA Int. called and told me that the case supervisor had ordered I see a Scientology Doctor. I did not have one. I knew enough about Scientology techniques to know that the case supervisor wanted a medical opinion about my condition. By this time I was starting to wonder if Captain Bill (Robertson) was really right after all. Captain Bill was a major Sea Organization Executive. He had gone "off the deep end" back in '82 when he left the Sea Org. He had spun stories of how the higher echelons of the Sea Organization had been taken over by aliens, called Marcabians, from the planet Marcab. I had never given his stories a second thought till now. These OSA Int. staff were acting so cold hearted, they appeared to be 'alien.' What if Captain Bill had been right all along? The doctor I was being sent to was an OT8. Perhaps the OT8's were involved in the alien mind control program and remote viewing?? Perhaps that is how my mind had gotten broken. Despite my fears, I was taken to the Scientology doctor in Los Angeles. She told me to continue with the Melatonin, vitamin B1, the Calcium Magnesium that my auditor had me taking. She additionally recommended that I get some other herbs and she gave me a prescription for Chloral Hydrate. She said that Dr. Denk (another Scientology doctor who had been with L Ron Hubbard when he died) had done research and found that Chloral Hydrate was the best "non-psych" drug that I could use. Over the next four days I continued to deteriorate. I was hallucinating more often. I was pacing. I was not eating. I felt the universe constantly disappearing on me. I found that movement kept the world present, and kept the demons at bay. The only helpful advice that my auditor from OSA Int. gave during this time, was to tell my husband not to let me drive. I felt as if I was on a Ferris wheel. I had periods of partial sanity wherein I would know that I was insane. But these were brief and did not last. Each time I came out of my delirium, I knew the moment would not last and that the frightening power of my broken mind would soon suck me back under. I was drowning, and felt that the people at OSA Int. were watching me disappear. I tried many things over the next few days in an attempt to help myself or get the Scientologists to help me. I spoke with people at OSA Int. repeatedly and even gave them my personal diaries and other personal papers thinking that they might help the case supervisor understand me and what I was experiencing. I told them I was in hell, it was like Dante's Inferno in my mind. I told them I really, really needed them to give me a session to put my mind back together. The only response I received was that my preclear folders were at the RTC (Religious Technology Center) for technical review and I had to wait till they returned before any auditing could be resumed. During this time, I religiously took all medications as recommended. Thinking it might help, I increased the dosages and started taking handfuls of Vitamin B1, but I still could not sleep other than for brief bursts of 30-40 minutes. I would awaken from a dream and think that what I had dreamt had really happened. My husband was not really understand what was happening with me. I was truly alone. I remember once being in my closet in the dark, curled up in the corner, sobbing, hitting my head against the wall. I just wanted my mind back. I remember once my auditor telling me to stop talking to my Scientology auditor friend (the one that wasn't on staff). She said he shouldn't be involved. Months later, I asked my 'FSM" why he hadn't been around during this incident. He told me that OSA Int. told him they 'had it under control' and for him to stay out of it. During the night of February 20th l996, I didn't sleep at all. I was now certain that Captain Bill had been right in his theories or views. The Marcabians had taken over Scientology top management. Captain Bill had told me that the Marcabians had placed (invisible to humans) "tepaphones" on top of the Big Blue Scientology campus in Los Angeles. It was through these tepaphones that they practiced their mind control of the humans. It made sense, that that was how I lost my mind. And it also explained why the people at OSA Int. were so cold hearted to my pain - they were either aliens or controlled by the aliens. It was clear to me that OSA Int had no intention of help. Many irrational things occurred that day.. I was fully paranoid, fully psychotic and hallucinating. I can remember darting across a busy street and arriving in wonder on the other side. I had been so sure I was going to be hit, that I didn't know what to do next. It was shortly after that that I physically collapsed on the sidewalk. I remember trying to get my body up off the sidewalk, but I could not stand, or even sit up. I was now physically out of it, as well as mentally. I was combative. I was rushed by ambulance to the hospital in restraints. My husband showed up pretty soon after my arrival in the hospital. I was so completely out of it, I did not recognize him. Reportedly, my blood levels were crazy and I was dehydrated. My husband brought them the bottle of Chloral Hydrate the Scientology doctor had prescribed. Several of the hospital staff were incredulous at the Chloral Hydrate prescription. "This is what they gave her to get to sleep!!!" a couple of them laughed. I found out later that as the prescribing physician, the Scientology doctor had been called about my collapse and mental state. She alerted OSA Int. who sent people there to prevent a psychiatric admission. After several hours, and with a little coaching, I was able to answer the key emergency room questions - "Who are you?" "What day is it?" And, "Where are you?" The doctors wanted to keep me in the hospital, but allowed me to leave in the care of my husband and I was signed out "Against medical Advice." I had an informal 'babywatch' after the hospital excursion. I say informal, because a) it occurred in my own home, b) the Scientologists who watched me were people I knew, and c) they were not forbidden to talk with me. Once my husband was home, they would leave. February 22, l996 Someone from OSA Int. came to my house to give me a note from the Case Supervisor. I don't remember what it was, but I do remember that it sent me off into a long babbling tirade with the woman who brought it. In addition, the "people" (they were invisible people who only I could see) who arrived with her started a fight with "my people". Needless to say, after that visit my husband was not hopeful of any help coming from the Case Supervisor/Auditing side of things. My husband called the Scientology doctor for some help. Incredibly, he was told there was nothing she could do, as my only relief was in psychiatric drugs and she could not prescribe them. After that, my husband came to me and just held me. He told me that there was no help coming from OSA Int. and none from any Scientology doctors. He said that we were on our own, and that we would come through this together. Even in the turmoil of insanity, I was happy not to be alone any longer. I felt some hope. I remembered the doctors laughing about the Chloral Hydrate, and I felt that we had to do the OPPOSITE of what we had been told. My husband agreed, and I stopped all vitamins, herbs, and medications as advised by anyone connected to OSA Int. Instead I took only aspirin because I had read somewhere that the drug "shut off mental pictures and imagery." February 23-March 1996 Over the next week, I was still did not sleep. The hallucinations and paranoia continued. However, I was no longer alone. The only way I can describe it is that my husband got inside the insanity with me. He saw what I saw and heard what I heard, or, at least, he made me feel that he did. He helped me calm down. At night, when the waves of terror where the worst, he stayed with me. It was as if he created a lighthouse in my shattered and drowning mind, and I followed his beacon back out of the terror. My husband still likens it to the movie "Poltergeist" where the father goes into the "other universe" to rescue his daughter who had been sucked in through the television. That's what my husband basically did, he came into the psychosis, found me, and got me out. Slowly I began to sleep more. Slowly the terrors dissipated. The hallucinations were still there, but they became more gentle. The voices I heard were nicer. During this time period of initial slow healing, no one from OSA Int. called. At one point, I felt an urgent need to get back my books and journals. My husband called OSA Int. and did in fact get bunches of my personal things back. The journals had been opened flat (like on a copy machine) and certain pages (where I mentioned Scientology) had been dog eared. But at least I had my originals back. I remember trying to 'put normalcy there'. In the past I used to get up in the morning, have juice and coffee, and read the paper. So I started going through the same routine - getting up, getting my juice and coffee and opening the paper. Even though I was unable to concentrate and could not read more than a word here and there, I focused on two small statements -"act as if" and "fake it till you make it." I stayed on a newspaper page about as long as I thought it would take if I was really reading it, and then turned to the next one. I was struggling to get my mind back in order and to arrive back in the real world and live day to day.. Every night I slept a bit more, and every day I was a bit better. March 6th l996 I got a call from that auditor friend, the one that had helped me with his LSD story and other actions before my husband understood what was happening. He wanted to interview me and record my experience. I had already decided that I would never "pick up the cans again". However, I trusted him and agreed. I wanted MY point of view documented. I did not want my preclear folders, that Scientology would never permit me to possess, to be the only record of my experience. We met in a private, safe location. Afterward, my friend stated that, as a trained auditor, he could see misapplications and errors in the techniques I had received. His statement didn't fix anything for me, nor did it tell me anything new, but it helped me feel that I had not lost my mind through my fault. Friday, March 8th I got another call from my friend, the auditor. He told me that a woman from OSA Legal wanted me to sign some affidavits. He told me that OSA Int. had originally asked his help in getting me to sign these affidavits. OSA Int. had not cared for my information, and had no interest in interviewing me for my feelings about what had happened. He told me that it was he who had demanded that the interview be done for the record. I was upset. I took the OSA Legal phone number. I was angry that this legal person didn't even have the decency to call me directly. In fact, my husband and I had received NO phone calls on my behalf after the Friday when he realized that OSA and Scientology would not assist us. When I called the woman from OSA Legal, she told me that she had a short affidavit and a longer waiver for me to sign. I told her I wanted copies and the time to read them first. As I talked with her, it hit me that after all I had gone through, this was all I would get in exchange from Scientology. Non-Scientologists had sent flowers and good wishes. Scientology wanted me to sign legal documents. I started to sob and hung up on her. A while later, I called her back and she agreed to mail the papers to me. I was in grief at this turn of events, saddened and deeply disappointed that this was all I would get from my supposed church. My husband, on the contrary, was not sad but incensed that all "these people" cared about was covering their own asses. The affidavits never came in the mail. Even so, I wondered about signing them or not. I knew that if I did not sign them, OSA Int. would consider me a threat and would take further actions against me. Even though I was doing better, I was still unstable and there was a part of me that worried about the alien takeover and those tepaphones the alien Marcabians had placed atop the blue Scientology building. I also knew they could send me right back to the hell I had just climbed out of. March 13th The OSA Int. legal woman called and said she couldn't mail documents, but would like me to read them (in her presence) and sign them. My husband was unavailable that day. The only friend I could contact recommended I sign them so that Scientology would leave me alone. I would not meet the legal woman in the Scientology building. We agreed to meet in a restaurant, but I was too upset to get out of the car and we made it no further than the restaurant parking lot. It was only a bit more than one month from the beginning of my ordeal and only a week since I began to pretend I was normal. Not yet having anchors in to the real world, I was shaky. I sat with her in the car in the parking lot, crying, while she read the two documents to me. She said that normally a lawyer would explain them so I knew what I was signing, but as I was in no shape to go into her building and meet with her attorney, I couldn't. We changed some wording. They called what happened to me my "stressful period." They wanted me to sign that I knew this was not their fault and that Scientology had helped me. The other thing to sign was a waiver, she said it was standard. She said that it is signed my many people every day now. It's a real common act. Everyone leaving staff signs one. OSA Int. keeps them in boxes in a closet in the legal office. They hope the leaving staff never turn into enemies and that these waivers never have to be used, but just in case they get them signed before letting anyone leave the Sea Organization. She agreed to change some wording. She was going to make clean copies and we arranged to meet to sign them. I was about to leave when she turned to me and said "Oh, one more thing, I would like you to sign these on video. That way, if Arnie Lerma ever finds out about this, "we could prove that they weren't signed under duress." The irony of sitting in a car, in a parking lot, with tears streaming down my face, unable to make it into even a restaurant due to the stress I was feeling, was unbelievable. I told her I would not be in her video. My husband was still unavailable. I wasn't sure what to do. I did not want to become involved in a war with Scientology over signing the documents. I just wanted my mind back. I reasoned that if signing the papers would keep them from harassing me (and aiming those tepaphones at me), I should do so and get on with my life. I went back to Hollywood to meet with this OSA woman and a notary public. I picked them up in front of the OSA Int. building and we went around the corner and parked. I signed the documents in my car. I got my copies, which she cautioned me to keep safe and not to show anyone. It seemed as if it was unusual for people to get copies. My husband was not happy, especially when he found out OSA Int. had arranged this on a day he was unavailable. But fine, what's done is done. Life goes on. Life went on. I continued to slowly mend. I remember the end of June, or early July l996, when I felt the 'walls' return to my mind. In those months, I never spoke of what happened, even to my closest friends and family. I did not discuss it even with those who knew what happened. At that point it felt better to just move forward and not think about it. In June l996, a friend told me she had seen my auditing folder at the Advanced Org. I was pleased to hear that at least my folder had moved out of the OSA Int/RTC loop. Calling the D of P, I asked her if there was a note for me from the case supervisor. Not only wasn't there a note, but the interview done by my auditor-friend that documented all the errors was missing. In fact, several things were missing. There was nothing in my folder from the time I had been ordered to see the Scientology doctor - no information about my collapse, or the ambulance, or the hospital visit, or the hell I had been through - zero. It was as if none of it had ever happened. My auditing folders had been "vetted". Any and all incriminating evidence removed. OSA Int. and RTC do not like lower orgs knowing their business. August 14th 1996 I got a call from a very young guy who said he was from OSA Int. He said he wanted to schedule me to come in and complete the auditing action started in February. I was shocked beyond surprise. I thought I wasn't hearing him clearly. Then he said that my auditor told him to call. He said that I "hadn't gotten very far in the program written out for me." I asked him if he knew anything about what had happened to me. He replied just that I had not gotten far and it needed to get finished. I replied that I ended up in the hospital after the last action was done. He batted back my comment as if it was entirely my fault saying, "I've never heard of Scientology giving a bad result." Overhearing the conversation, my husband took the telephone into the other room to have a few words with the gentleman. I don't know all of what my husband said, but the young man never called back. It was in early l997 that I first heard about Lisa McPherson's death. It was very sad, and struck me very hard. Like me, she had been a long term Scientologist. I saw many similarities. When I read the daily notes that her caregivers had written, I understood Lisa's seemingly crazy comments and actions. I knew exactly where she was in her mind. It was where I had been, and it was not a place I would wish on anyone. I did not make a connection between the drugs, vitamins, and herbs that Lisa and I both took until I saw a TV show in the summer of 1997. I had already studied sleep deprivation and its effects on mental stability. After the TV show, I looked further into the side effects of Chloral Hydrate and other pills. I realized I had taken similar medication to Lisa and had suffered similar effects. Only after I stopped taking the medications did I begin to get better. In September of l997 I wrote to David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board RTC and head of Scientology, informing him about my experience and the connection with the drugs and vitamins, as I was concerned that this not happen to another Scientologist. He never responded. I have since shared my story with some close, personal friends. I have changed jobs. I have moved. I am still recovering from the effects of my ordeal. I am not mentally or emotionally as strong as I was. It may take years more, or it may take the rest of my life, but I am so grateful for each day that I wake up breathing, and know the difference between a nightmare and the real world that I used to take for granted. Kathryn 2004 Addition: I had conversations with Greg Bashaw before he died. Our situations were very similar. His death drove me to discover some method to help others traumatized like we were. Standard Psychiatry doesn't understand a Scientology Induced Psychosis, and can easily make things worse. Additionally, people that have been Scientologists have deep phobias against any help from the Mental Health Field. I did discover something similar to the healing I got, and we did successfully use to to help a woman out here in LA. She is now (three years after her ordeal) starting back to work and getting back to a normal life. So, there is help if anyone finds themselves in a similar situation in the future. You can contact me at: SnowShdw@aol.com - Kathryn http://www.xenu.net/archive/personal_story/kathryn.html
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http://alley.ethercat.com/door/index.html
1. How did you first become acquainted with the Church of Scientology? I was raised in the church. 2. What initially appealed to you about scientology? Nothing- it was a natural transition due to my parents involvement in the church. 3. Were there problems in your life that you thought scientology would address? As a child I knew nothing else but to believe that scn was the only right way to achieve true happiness and success in life. 4. Did you see, experience, or hear about things that didn't seem right while you were in the Church of Scientology? What were they, and what convinced you to set aside your feelings? All of the money that my parents forked over was mind boggling. The fact that my parents went so far as to move our family to St. Hill to continue their training and get more auditing was pretty radical, in retrospect. Personally, I've experienced some very negative experiences while growing up in the church. Example: I was bullbated by a fat,bearded,chainsmoking older man who did everything he could to unrattle me. Well, He finally succeeded. The man picked his nose and ate it, rolled the snot around in his fingers until I collapsed, crying uncontrollably. He won. 5. Why did you choose to stay in the Church of Scientology? I stayed until I realized the truth and got out when I was in my teens. 6. Were you staff or public? If staff, was it at a mission or an org? Were you ever in the Sea Org or OSA? Which unit? If not on staff, did you ever volunteer to 'help out'? I was never on staff, but grew up in both missions and orgs. I was never in the sea org. However, all throughout my childhood I put countless hours in, washing their walls, painting, cleaning, making old buildings ready to open as missions. 7. Why did you leave the Church of Scientology? Was there a "final straw"? Watching my Mom and how intensely she was brainwashed caused me to leave. My dislke for scn continues to grow as all of the memories come to surface. 8. Do you think the Church of Scientology needs to change some of its practices? If so, what should be changed? How did those practices affect your life? Countless scn practices affected my life- far too many to list. One example: I went to public schools, was a quiet, bookish kid, slightly chubby with mild acne. I was horribly bullied every day of my life. When I told my parents about the constant bullying, they insisted that I say 'thank you' whenever called those terrible names. Well, this obviously only made it worse. The bulliers would do it more saying, 'Look at the fat zitface- she says thank you when we call her names!' So, the tone scale and communication drills did nothing but increase my depression and anxiety as a kid. 9. If the items you listed in the previous question were changed, would you consider rejoining or staying in the Church of Scientology? If so, why? I would never go back to scn. 10. Any additional comments you would like to make? Thank you. Source: http://alley.ethercat.com/cgi-bin/door/door.cgi?265
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Paul David Schofield témoigne après 30 années dans la secte Source: http://alley.ethercat.com/cgi-bin/door/door.cgi?263 Friday, 28th November, 2008 Name or Alias: Paul David Schofield
1. How did you first become acquainted with the Church of Scientology? I was body-routed into Sydney org and did a personality test. 2. What initially appealed to you about scientology? The person who went over my personality test with me seemed to know what she was talking about and she was confident that scientology would help. I thought I had nothing to lose by trying it out so I gave her a small sum of money for some'co-audit' course. 3. Were there problems in your life that you thought scientology would address? Drugs, communication inabilities. 4. Did you see, experience, or hear about things that didn't seem right while you were in the Church of Scientology? What were they, and what convinced you to set aside your feelings? Low staff pay, Nazis at the top of the org, constantly declining stats, injustices masquerading as justice, general blindness among Scientologists as to what was really happening around them - I tried to ignore it as it would all be OK once 'we' had the planet 'Cleared' 5. Why did you choose to stay in the Church of Scientology? The promise of 'Total Freedom' at the top of the Bridge and the dream of a sane planet. 6. Were you staff or public? If staff, was it at a mission or an org? Were you ever in the Sea Org or OSA? Which unit? If not on staff, did you ever volunteer to 'help out'? Syd F staff '79 - 2000. Narconon intermittently 2002 - 2008 7. Why did you leave the Church of Scientology? Was there a "final straw"? Finding out that the Basics Books Donations campaign was either a spectacular failure or a slimy con-job. Australia was supposed to have a set in every public library - when I checked the national library database, there were only 177 books spread over 850-odd libraries. Nothing ccould explain that anomaly in any way but stupid or criminal. 8. Do you think the Church of Scientology needs to change some of its practices? If so, what should be changed? How did those practices affect your life? It needs a total overhaul - something it is incapable of. 9. If the items you listed in the previous question were changed, would you consider rejoining or staying in the Church of Scientology? If so, why? No - it is locked into the insanities of its Hubbard dictates. 10. Any additional comments you would like to make? I still feel bitterness that I spent the majority of my life slaving for a dream that ultimately was a con. I would love to see this idiocy dismantled and all the slaves freed.
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So I came upon this Affidavit of Ray Mithoff, dated 16 July 2002, in which Ray Mithoff states: /===== 4. During my tenure in the Sea Org, I have at times held the rank of captain. While there are and always have been several people who hold the rank of captain in the Sea Org, there is no such position as "The Captain of the Sea Org," nor has there ever been. Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center, also holds the rank of captain. Staff and public Scientologists alike refer to Mr. Miscavige as Chairman of the Board, RTC. http://www.xenu-directory.net/news/images/thecompiler-mithoff_commodore.pdf#page=2 \===== I remember seeing Sea Org rank stuff in one of CSI's filings with the IRS, so there it is, excerpt from a CSI filing with the IRS in 1992, in which the IRS was asking to describe the system of ranks in the Sea Org: /===== There are two systems of rank and rating in the Sea Organization — earned rank or rating and brevet rank. Earned rank or rating is awarded by Officer Selection Boards as covered below and brevet rank accompanies certain high ecclesiastical positions within church organizations and the person who holds that position automatically holds the brevet rank that goes with it. Both systems reflect a maritime tradition in terms of nomenclature and sequence. The Sea Organization’s system of earned ratings range from Swamper, to Petty Officer 3rd Class, to Petty Officer 2nd Class, to Petty Officer 1st Class, to Chief Petty Officer. Its system of ranks (which are senior to ratings) range from Midshipman, to Warrant Officer, to Ensign, to Lieutenant Junior Grade, to Lieutenant, to Lieutenant Commander, to Commander, to Captain. Kr. Hubbard was the only Commodore and there will never be another as this rank is his alone. Brevet ranks are assigned to certain positions within the Church and have the purpose of equating rank and ecclesiastical authority. One holds a brevet rank so long as one holds the position to which the brevet rank applies. The highest ranking officers in the Sea Organization are as follows: NAME RANK EARNED RANK David Miscavige Captain Captain Marc Yager Captain (Brevet) Lt. Commander Ray Mithoff Captain (Brevet) Lt. Commander Mark Rathbun Captain (Brevet) Ensign Mark Ingber Captain (Brevet) Ensign Guillaum Leserve Captain (Brevet) Lt. Commander http://www.xenu-directory.net/documents/corporate/irs/1993-1023-csi-questions-3-3.pdf#page=5 \===== It seems to me Ray Mithoff perjured himself. It looks to me like there *is* a "Captain of the Sea Org" rank, independent of the "ecclesiastical position." That would be David Miscavige. -- Ray Hill
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Roxanne Friend sued the Church of Scientology [Roxanne Friend sued the Church of Scientology (case number BC 018003 in Superior Court of the state of California for the county of Los Angeles). The Church settled out of court "for nuisance value." Roxanne not much later died of cancer, which may have been cured had she gotten medical attention sooner. Roxanne did not because she felt that Scientology auditing could cure any ill.] DECLARATION OF ROXANNE FRIEND http://www.lisamcpherson.org/roxandec.htm I, Roxanne Friend, make the following declaration on personal knowledge except for those statements made on information and belief and as to those things I believe them to be true. I have been told that I am asking the court to determine the validity of Scientology as a religion or the truth or falsity of Scientology's religious concepts. If the above is true, this would include the court's having to determine the validity of Scientology's teaching that human beings are impaired by things called "body thetans" and "clusters" of body thetans that are stuck together on human bodies through no volition of their own. Accordingly, Scientology teaches that these must be gotten rid of, exorcised if you will, through Scientology auditing/counseling called the "Upper Levels." Scientology also states that planet earth, millions or billions of years ago, was originally populated by beings transported here by Xenu of the Galactic Federation. These beings were tortured, frozen, clumped together and electronically forced to reside in various volcanoes. Scientology's beliefs are not the essence of my suit on fraud against the defendant. Is is my contention that Scientology was presented to me as a science. It was my understanding that everything about Scientology could be proven factually in the same manner as a scientist proves a scientific fact. These points are discussed at length in many Scientology publications. The Scientologist is not exposed to the above teachings until long after he/she has been indoctrinated into the - to page 2 - group and subjected to mind control. Thus, for me, it became impossible to see the conflict between the scientific pretenses of Scientology and the "beliefs." 4. As I stated on page 717 of my deposition, I never accepted Scientology as a religion or belief and I continued to consider myself Jewish throughout my association with Scientology. I was also told that Scientology attempted to gain its status as a religion for two purposes--one being to avoid taxation for the organization and its constituents; and two, being to avoid having to come under scrutiny for its practices of Scientology and the far-out nature of the Upper Levels while I was still a member. 5. I continually and constantly relied on the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, the organization and the classes, auditing and publications of Defendants. This occurred during a period spanning twelve years and eight months from May 1977 to January 1990. 6. Originally, I was given a book entitled Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. I did not know it then, but this book is the basic Scientology text, referred to as Book One, and it is re-read and re-studied throughout the various levels of Scientology. In this book, Hubbbard claims that all his teachings were an exact science. It was this claim that there was an exact science that could be the answer to all mankind's problem that seduced me into Scientology. Hubbard, and the Defendants, also claimed that it was a truth of science discovered by studies based on the scientific method, that unwanted emotions can be cured forever by addressing them psychosomatically with dianetics - to page 3 - auditing. 7. Sometimes it is difficult to address the difference between how I feel now, having left the "church" of Scientology versus how I felt while I was actually going through all this. I have had two years of counseling that has helped to release me from some of the mind control techniques and indoctrination techniques that were repeatedly used on me even during times of sleep and nutrition depravation and during times of great emotional pain and distress such as deaths in my family. 8. While I was a Scientologist, at any points where I would have a thought negatively or critically about a church executive, the organization or the techniques used in Scientology, I would have to squash these thoughts since if I shared them I would be subject to expensive auditing or other disciplinary actions or projects. This is another aspect of the way Scientology controls the thoughts of its constituents. You are trained to only allow certain thoughts or it will cost you time, money and your pride since you will be punished for thinking thoughts that the organization does not want you to think. For example, you are considered and labeled a criminal if you are caught not "keeping Scientology working" and many people were continually indoctrinated into that concept (including myself) by being forced to take a "Keeping Scientology Working" course under threat of being kicked out. 9. After having read the Dianetic book on my own initially, the techniques and goals and products of Dianetics were drilled into my head on numerous occasions: (1) when I took the Basic Dianetics Book course; - to page 4 - (2) on the Hubbard Dianetics course; (3) on the Dianetics Internship which was at the Advanced Organization of Los Angeles (AOLA), a division of Defendant Western United States; (4) on the Senior Dianetics Course; (5) on the New Era Dianetics Course which I took at the Los Angeles organization. 10. The other book that I relied on heavily that also makes repeated representations about Scientology as an empirical science and statements about improvements in health, raised IQ, better relationships and a better, happier life--i.e., that I would get all of these benefits by following Hubbard's scientific studies in his Science of Survival. I had to read Science of Survival three times. Once on my "Potential Trouble Source/Suppressive Person" course in 1977 or 1978. Then I was to re-do this course between 1985 and 1989, at least once at AOLA and on another occasion when I was required to do so by Defendant FLAG. 11. To further show my reliance on the above books plus the numerous people in the organizations who reiterated the above to me, my actions and thoughts were completely attuned to what did Scientology want one to think and do. I didn't do as well as I could have at UCLA because I didn't have time to study since my days were composed of being on "course" in Scientology and getting Scientology auditing. My entire thought processes and life were completely wrapped in Scientology and I did not have a life or thoughts of my own really except what I was trained to think by Scientology and as a result of my indoctrination by - to page 5 - classes and auditing in Scientology, thereby becoming continually reindoctrinated. 12. As I stated on pages 624-630 of my depositions, I believed that Scientology cured illnesses as this was taught to me in Scientology. 13. As I stated on pages 643 and 668, I truly believed it when I was told that Scientolgy was a science and not a belief system. It is only after two years of counseling that I can really even begin to face the idea that the things I was trained to practice as a science was not a science. It is very traumatic to be facing these falsehoods and the detriment the fraudulent claims have cause me. 14. During my relationship with Scientology, I was referred by Scientology to the Shaw Health Center for regular medical treatment. I was told that all of the doctors at Shaw were practicing Scientologists who used Scientology principles and techniques in their diagnosis and treatment. I was consistently dissuaded by my auditors and case supervisors from obtaining treatment from nonScientologist physicians. 15. The "Church" of Scientology forced me to participate in what they are calling religious practices that I myself did not want to participate in. For example, in the spring and summer of 1987 I was given auditing that I didn't want and was not allowed to leave Flag when I wanted to. I was made to stay there for months to undergo auditing that I did not want and even though I told them I wanted to go back to Los Angeles because my father was visiting from the east, I was not permitted to do so. During this time I went from having mono to having pneumonia and getting - to page 6 - very ill. Still, I was made to do auditing and was not allowed to leave. I also missed being Maid of Honor at my girlfriend's wedding because the case supervisor would not let me leave to go to the wedding. The fact that being at Flag was against my will is in my deposition on page 334. 16. Then around October 1988 I was told by Flag staff member Arda Froese that I was ordered by Senior Case Supervisor International, Jeff Walker, to go down to Florida to do a special program he had written. I was then ordered to go back down and do more "Introspection Rundown". At that point I said NO. 17. In December 1989 I went back to Florida for the purpose of doing a process called the Purification Rundown but was again forced to do the Introspection Rundown auditing. I left without Case Supervisor approval which was always required prior to leaving the Flag Land Base in Florida. I left in the middle of the night and took a taxi to a hotel near Tampa airport because I did not want to be on Scientology premises or continue the Introspection Rundown. Also, I made phone calls to the Clearwater, Florida or Tampa, Florida police saying that I was being held against my will. The Scientologists had the phone in my room cut off when I did this. 18. During the period the organization had place 2-5 staff in the room next to mine who constantly watched me and intruded on my life. I had absolutely no privacy. The followed me to breakfast, lunch and dinner. If I tried to talk with police, the switchboard cut my phone off for hours on end which is mentioned in my deposition on pages 471 and 472. The "Church" of Scientology staff members. They refused to allow me even to have - to page 7 - meals with my friends who were in Florida at the same time. Additionally, the organization did not allow me to move around freely as I wished as mentioned in my deposition on paged 476 and 477. 19. After I left Flag without permission in December 1989, I believe the organization then felt it necessary to force me into their procedures with greater force than before. This started with sending several staff members from Florida who came to my apartment in Los Angeles to try to persuade me to have auditing. 20. The staff members of the Florida Scientology organization subsequently drugged me (deposition pages 532-535) with the approval of Flag and senior officials of the "Church" of Scientology. Then they woke me up in the middle of the night (deposition page 511), took me in a recreational vehicle against my will (deposition pages 529 and 540) and subsequently held me in the rv and then in a room in Florida (deposition page 510) for a period totalling about four weeks, all against my will. I made at least two attempts to escape but I was bodily forced by the guards to return. 21. None of the above events happened with my consent. And I was kept imprisoned in Florida even after numerous written requests on my part to the staff of defendant FLAG, specifically my case Supervisor Richard Reese, stating I was being held against my will, that I wanted to leave and that I believed that what they were doing was illegal. See Exhibits 33 and 34 to Deposition of Roxanne Friend. 22. In addition to the trauma of the kidnapping and - to page 8 - imprisonment, the Scientologists took away my privacy. In December 1989 and January 1990, I was spied upon constantly, 24 hours a day. My phone calls were monitored (when I had a phone in December); my comings and goings were reported on; and, of course, in January when I was completely imprisoned, every aspect of my life was under constant surveillance. 23. Prior to the kidnapping, I went to work, kept up with all the other regular facets of life, paid bills, and kept regular and excellent care of my horse. I had a social life, albeit one that was stifled by Scientology control. I went out regularly on Friday nights to dinner and a movie. 24. After I was released, I was unable to function at all. I could not work, I could not take care of personal business matters. I couldn't think properly or have any social intercourse what-so-ever. I was so unbalanced by the experience that I was arrested for an assault and ended up under observation at U.S.C. Medical Center. 25. It is difficult to talk about and describe the feeling of being held by the Scientologists down in Florida. I felt like a hostage or a prisoner. I felt that nothing I could do could make a difference and that I better be quiet so as to protect my self. Today I am trying to pick up and arrange the fragments of my life and go forward. Sworn to under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state of California this 6th day of Decemeber 1991. Roxanne Friend
Deposition of Robert Friend, Roxanne's brother http://www.lermanet.com/persecution/robertFr.html
I have 23 pages of an 80 page deposition of Robert Friend, brother ofRoxanne Friend. This is all I have, so I don't know exactly who all these folks are. I assume it's Graham Berry and Scientologist Laurie Bartilson. I don't know who Mr. Wynne is. ------- SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
[starting with page 27] BY MR. WYNNE: Q There came a time at about that period of time when Roxanne was not allowed to be by herself, correct? A That's the kind of question that calls for a short answer to something that really contained quite a lot of circumstance and events. THE WITNESS: Maybe this would be a good time to take a cigarette break if you don't mind. MR. WYNNE: I certainly don't mind. (Recess taken 10:43 a.m, to 10:57 a.m.) BY MR. WYNNE: Q At some time during this general period of time we're talking -- late December or early January '89, '90 -- did some other people come out and start working with you in terms of what was going on with Roxanne? A Oh yeah. Q That was Jim Sydejko? A Yes. Q And Mary Float? A Yes. Q They're both on staff at Flag? A Jim is still on staff. Mary, I presume is still on staff. Q Were they at that time? A Yes. Q Do you know what their posts were? A Jim I know is a class nine auditor. He was Roxanne's auditor. And Mary was, I don't know what her post was actually. She was there primarily to be a female of comparable terminal for Roxanne. Someone awareness. Q As far as you know, did anyone contact them from Los Angeles and request them to come out? A Not that I know of, no, Q Did anyone - Did Warren orally tell you that they had requested someone to come out from Flag? A Not that I remember. Q You didn't personally call and ask them? A No. Q About what time did they arrive? A Just before year end. Q Prior to their arrival had you and Warren and Lisa taken any steps to try to make sure that Roxanne was always accompanied? A Uhm, I think it's fair to say that the answer to that is yes. - I recall going to, making an effort to spend time with Roxanne. For example, she went to her barn quite often. And I remember accompanying her there on two occasions, There wasn't, however, any effort to prevent her from being alone. But it was clearly -- I think everybody was in agreement that Roxanne was in a not fully -- I'm severely agitated state and was trying to think of television or movie type terminology here that I might know. She wasn't fully capable at that point already to take care of herself. Q Prior to the arrival of Sydejko and Float was Roxanne allowed to be an her own from time-to-time? A Yes. Q Prior to their arrival was she allowed to drive in her car? A Yes. Q After their arrival was there a time in which there was a concerted effort not to let her be - alone? A Initially, when they first arrived -- you have to understand that everything that we did, we were all friends of Roxanne, I was her brother. Jim was her auditor, Someone that you develop a ministerial relationship with. This was her roommate. This was a very long-term friend. I'm talking about Lisa and Warren and myself, we were all trying to help Roxanne. The auditor came out to further help Roxanne. So when they arrived they proceeded on the same basis we had been, Rox was -- it was more than obvious that Roxanne was not also there. Yet we made an effort to grant her enough understanding, we were trying to create a very safe environment for her so that continued when the auditors came. In answer to your question, yes, after some paint a determination was made that, no, Roxanne could not use the phone in an indiscriminate manner that was inciting the police, for example, to chase down spurious leads about secret agents and so forth, or calling people all over the country that she hadn't talked to in tens of years, for hours on end. That Roxanne, her -- she shouldn't be driving around. Her driving was very erratic. I drove with her on two occasions and was quite [skip to page 33] you state it to? A I think I made it very plain to Roxanne. I believe I grabbed the phoneout of her hand. Q Did you communicate this to anybody else who was staying there? A Yeah, I think I made it plain to Lisa and to Warren that we didn't, that it was not good for her, that she was feeding her own agitation by making phone calls that, and continually restimulating whatever was going on with her. Q There was also a point in time where she was not allowed to use her car, correct? A Yes. Q Let me try to establish some foundation about talking about time here. Subsequently there was a point in time in which you and some others traveled to Clearwater with Roxanne, correct? A Yes. Q Yesterday Mr. Mareton referred to the paint of time of about a week before that as "the watch." Is that, do you remember referring to that portion of time as "the watch?" A Okay, yes. Q Is that something that you have referred to in the past? A There was a period of about six or so days prior to leaving for Florida where we made every effort to protect Roxanne from herself. That she had gotten herself into such a state that she was, in my opinion and her friend's opinion, was in serious jeopardy, both from her seeming uncanny ability at that time to create confrontation with people she didn't even know, and also because of her erratic behavior of getting picked up by the police, or institutionalized or getting in a car accident. Q During that - For what period of time was Roxanne not allowed to maketelephone calls? A I would say about a six, seven day period prior to leaving for Florida. Q. For what period of time was she not allowed to drive? A Similar period. Q For what amount of time was an effort made to make sure that she was never by herself? A Similar period. Q During that period of time you were staying in the apartment, correct? A Yes. Q Where were you sleeping? A Lisa had an office next door, and I would sometimes sleep in there or sometimes in Lisa's bedroom, on the floor. Q During that period of time Mr. Sydejko and Ms. Float ware present in Los Angeles, correct? A That's right. Q Were they staying over at the apartment or in the office next door? A The office next door. Q During that period of time did Mr. Sydejko write any reports concerningwhat was going on, to your knowledge? A I did not directly observe him write any reports. I would assume he wrote daily, if not more frequent, reports. It's quite serious trying to handle somebody who is psychotic. Q What is the basis of your assumption that he would have been writing reports daily or more frequently? A The basis of my assumption is that Jim is an auditor. He applies certain technology in ministering his craft. The general program of what he's to do is prescribed in effect by the case supervisor. So Jim would never, no auditor would ever go off on their own, willy nilly, trying different methods or techniques to handle a person, to make them feel better, without case supervisor monitoring. Q So you would expect that in the custom and practice - A The normal course of events he would post the case supervisor on any handlings that he was doing. Q Do you know if during that period of time Mr. Sydejko was in communication with the case supervisor? A I do remember specifically that he sent a couple of facsimiles to Flag from the Advanced Organization in Los Angeles. I can -- like I say, I presumed there were regular communications, but I do remember one or two occasions where I myself accompanied him to the Advanced Org so he could send these communications. Q How many times during the watch did you actually go to the Advanced Org? A I remember I believe two times. [skip to page 50] question. I move to -- I didn't move to strike, but I think the question is a proper question as phrased. And I'll ask it again. MS. BARTILSON: I'm going to object as argumentative. Misstates the testimony of the witness. BY MR. WYNNE: Q Roxanne, when the medication was first available to her didn't want to take it, did she? A As I was about to say, your tone has the connotation that she was, had an adverse reaction to the whole question of taking the drug. And I would say her attitude was more of -- I'm not sure that's the answer -- her response was more of boredom. It wasn't, she didn't rale against the idea, she didn't say don't give me drugs. There was no refusal to take it. You know, there was no insistence she did take it. She was not forced to take it. At some point, as I said before, she did not -- as I said, when the drugs arrived she did not take them right away, that is true. Later she did. That is also true. Q There came a point when a decision was made to transport Roxanne back to the land base, correct? A Yes. Q Who made that decision? A The decision was a mutual decision. I believe the suggestion was her auditor's. Q That was Jim? A Yeah. Q When you say it was a mutual decision, mutual between who? A Between the parties involved. Myself. Jim. Lisa. Warren. You know, her friends who were trying to help her. Q During the course of this decision making did you talk to Roxanne about it? A No. Q Was there any involvement with the case supervisor in terms of the making of this decision to your knowledge? A I have no direct knowledge of that involvement. As I said, standard procedure would suggest that the case supervisor at a minimum would have been appraised of that notion. Q About what date, if you can remember, did the trip actually commence? A It seems to me that it was just after New Years. Maybe a day or two after. Q What time of day did the trip commence? A It was quite early in the morning, about 5:00 a.m. or so. It was still dark out. Q The trip was made in a Winnebago, correct? A Yes. Q Do you know whose Winnebago it was? A As I understand, it belonged to a Scientologist who offered to make the vehicle available for this use. I don't know the name. Q At any time prior to the commencement of the trip did Roxanne tell you that she wanted to go back to Florida? A Not to my recollection. [skip to page 57] A I don't know what "authorization" means. It's very difficult to speak to the whole issue of authorization to leave because I'm not entirely clear what that means. And I have no, I have no direct knowledge of Roxanne prior, this time period you're talking about -- her visit in, perhaps it was November and December of '89 -- of her not being allowed to leave or being prevented from leaving the land base, since my understanding is she did in fact do that. BY MR. WYNNE: Q Do you have any knowledge of circumstances under which when you arrive at the land base you have to surrender any airline ticket you're carrying? MR. BERRY: Same objection. MS. BARTILSON: Same objection. Vague and unintelligible. Who do you mean when you say "you?" Are you asking the witness if that's ever happened to him? A That's not a standard practice and I know nothing about it. BY MR. WYNNE: Q The trip began early in the morning on about January 2nd, correct? A Yes. Q Who went on the trip? A Jim Sydejka. Myself. Warren. Roxanne. The other girl who came from Flag. And another staff member, I believe also from Flag. Q When you say the "other girl who came from Flag," are you referring to Ms. Float? A Yes. Q At some point prior to the trip another staff member from Flag joined you in Los Angeles, correct? A That's true. Q Was his first name Phil? A I'm not sure. Big guy. Kind of overweight a little bit. Q What was his post at Flag? A He was security personnel. Q Were you told anything about the purpose for his coming to Los Angeles? A. That his purpose was to help us with the cross country trip. And I was told that he had experience in dealing with psychotic people in the past. Q So it was your understanding that this staff member was actually there to help out on the trip, correct? A Yeah, definitely. Q Do you remember when he arrived? I'm asking that in terms of the number of days before the trip actually commenced? A Maybe two days or so. Q Did he undertake any particular security procedures while he was present in Los Angeles? A No, not really. Q During that time, during the watch prior to the trip was Roxanne ever physically restrained from leaving the apartment? A I know for sure I restrained her on one occasion. Q. Did anyone else restrain her from leaving the apartment? A I remember Jim, I believe, Jim Sydejko blocking the door on one occasion. Q Did the other male staff member from Flag ever physically restrain her from leaving the apartment? A My recollection is that he was, Roxanne wasn't aware of his presence until we actually made the trip. Q Had he been present in the apartment? A I don't recall. Q Did Jim ever tell you that he had requested this other staff person to come out? A I don't recall. Q Do you remember anybody else, of the people involved, telling you that they had made the request that this other staff member come out? A No recollection. THE WITNESS: Cigarette break? MR. WYNNE: Sure. MS. PLEVIN: We're close to lunch hour, maybe we should go a few moreminutes and break for lunch. (Recess taken 11:55 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) [skip to page 63] MR. BERRY: Do you have the original there? MR. WYNNE: This is not the original, this is a full-sized xerox of theoriginal. We have the original in the office. I'm looking at it and itappears that all the handwriting has been reproduced on the standard sizecopy. MR. WYNNE: Do you want to compare? MR. BERRY: Not at the moment. I would like to see the original, but notat this second. MR. WYNNE: I'll ask you to look at the page, looks like that? THE WITNESS: (Complying) BY MR. BERRY: Q Do you know whose handwriting that is? A No. Q Did you have any discussion with any of the other people who traveled back to Flag concerning the use of a mummy wrap? A I don't recall. Q Did you have any discussion with any of the people who traveled back to Flag about the possibility of using physical restraint to keep Roxanne going on the trip? A Yes. Q Who was that discussion with? A All of the people involved. Q So was this one discussion with the group? A No, there were actually, as I recall, several discussions; how we would get her into the Winnebago, how we would act during the trip. Q What was the substance of those conversations? And if it's necessary for me to break it down, let me know. But I think probably you can summarize what those conversations included. A I think the basic substance was that there was the overriding intention that Roxanne not be allowed to run off. We discussed how we would walk from the apartment building to the Winnebago. Keeping someone behind herand in front of her and someone on the side at all times so that she wouldn't go running off. And we discussed that in the Winnebago someone would sit near the door so she wouldn't go running out of the Winnebago. Q Did you have any discussions about the [skip to page 68] Q Emotionally, how did she appear to you during the course of the trip? A At times excited, at times sad. Most of the time sort of like far away. She had a lot on her mind. Q Was she crying at any time during the trip? A I don't recall any time of her crying. Q Did the other people who were traveling leave the Winnebago from time-to-time? A Yes. We made periodic stops to get food for the group. Q After you arrived in -- strike that. After you arrived at Flag was Roxanne then taken inside? A What do you mean "taken inside?". Q Taken inside the Flag building or - strike that. What happened after you arrived at Flag in terms of where Roxanne went, as far as you know? A We went directly to an apartment where Roxanne could stay and continued to be watched and isolated so that she wouldn't have anything that would restimulate her or feed this psychotic break. Q How long did you stay in Clearwater? A About three weeks I believe. Q You were present in Clearwater during that period of time? A I was there the whole time, yes. Q Did you see Roxanne during that period of time? A I saw Roxanne on one occasion that I recall. Q Where did you see her? A At the apartment. Q About what point in that three-week period was that? A After, I believe it was about after two weeks, I was led to understand that Roxanne had been complaining that she didn't want to be there. And there was a last sort of effort to get her to try and have auditing tohandle the psychosis. Q Who told you that she didn't want to be there? A A staff member whose responsibility deals with ethics. Q Do you remember that person's name? A No, but I remember who she is. Q Who is she? A She at that time was the director of inspections and reports. A blonde haired lady of Scandinavian origin. Q Was her name Barbro? A Barbro what? Q Just first name, do you remember? A I don't recall. Q Aside from that one visit you didn't see Roxanne during the period of time that you were at Clearwater? A No. As I said, the intention was to keep her without anything torestimulate her. And I was, you know, the people who were with her werepeople she didn't know is my understanding. Q Did you speak to her case supervisor. during that period of time? A It is not general procedure that one talks directly to a casesupervisor, and I've never spoken, that I recall, to Roxanne's casesupervisor. Q Did you talk to anyone else who was involved in Roxanne's staying there except for Barbro? A I was in communication with the president of the Flag Service Organization from time-to-time. Q Who is that? A I can't remember her name. Q What did she tell you in the times that you spoke to her? A Mostly those conversations concerned my parents who were, wanted to know how Roxanne was doing, what was wrong. And I spoke to my parents. And also the president of the Flag Service Org spoke to my parents. Q At what point was that that you spoke to your parents in terms of three week's stay? A I think I spoke to them shortly after we arrived in Florida, within a day or two. And maybe once or twice over the next two weeks. Q Where you initially talked to them in Florida, what did you tell them? A I basically explained what I've explained here, that the purpose of the watch was that -- first off, that Roxanne was quite psychotic, which I believe they were aware from her phone calla. That the purpose was to create an environment where she could calm down and hopefully snap out of it and not be off running around where she could get herself into trouble. Q Did your parents give their permission for Roxanne to be at Clearwater? And I'm talking about during these telephone conversations when you werein Clearwater? A There was no, there was no -- the subject of permission never came up. Q Did you discuss prior to the trip, with either of your parents, the fact that Roxanne was going to be transported back to Florida? A It's possible. I don't recall. In essence, you know, I feel like ifthere was, this issue of permission, it was me who gave that permission. Iwas involved in what occurred from beginning to end. Q At some point were you presented with a bill for the cost of thetransportation? A No. Q Do you know if either of your parents were presented with some kind ofbill for the cost of seeing to it that Roxanne was transported to Florida? A Not that I know of. Q After your three-week stay in Clearwater, you then traveled in the Winnebago to Massachusetts? A Yes. Q Who traveled with you? A It was me, Roxanne and just two ordinary junior staff people. Q Did you - Were you ever presented with a bill for Roxanne's stay atClearwater? A I was asked to contribute money to auditing that Roxanne might get if she ever snapped out of it, and -- but I was not presented with any bills. Q You were asked to make a contribution? A Uh hum. THE REPORTER: Is that a yes? A Yes. Q BY MR. WYNNE: Q What was the amount of the contribution that you made? A I didn't make any contribution. Q Were you asked to contribute some particular amount for future auditing? A Yes. Q What was that amount? A Five thousand dollars. Q Who asked you for that? A The registrar. A registrar at Flag. Q Do you remember the name of that person? [end of page 73]
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Ex-Scientology kids, including leader's niece, share their stories Growing Up Scientologist - Why she left
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LA SCIENTOLOGIE DANS LES MÉDIAS
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Un must: "Ron Hubbard, le gourou démasqué" Ce livre de Russell Miller révèle la face cachée de la scientologie. On y découvre un Ron Hubbard, malade, mythomane et poursuivi par la justice. Il est disponible en format pdf ou html sur notre site. Nous avons également publié une version résumée.
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