For what it’s worth, contact info is as follows:
Council President: councilmember.garcetti@lacity.org
Chief of Police: Contact@lapdonline.org
It should be noted that this is not a unique development. In Clearwater, Florida, the Church of Scientology hires large numbers of off-duty policemen (at a higher rate of pay than their police work) to act as their law enforcement, and have allegedly offered other “perks” to certain officers. The result, as detailed in Xenu TV’s Scientology and the Clearwater Police, is a police force willing to harass and mistreat protestors against the cult while turning a blind eye to the Church’s infamous “bull baiting” tactics. Bull baiting is a Scientology practice to provoke people to anger or violence, and can be seen in the Panorama documentary “Scientology and Me” (at the moment where John Sweeney, after being harassed and followed by the cult for days, snaps and screams at his Scientology “handler” Tommy Davis.)
In the UK, the Church of Scientology has attempted to infiltrate the London Metropolitan Police Force, offering free gifts to selected officers such as expensive meals and film premiers; in return, the police have handed out Narconon (the cult’s drug “rehabilitation” front group) materials in schools, and a senior officer attended the opening of a new Church building in London.
The Church of Scientology being granted any influence over law enforcement is a serious problem; its implications for picketing are therefore troubling.
Links:
- Scientology and the Clearwater Police
- Police officers accepted gifts from Church of Scientology
- Scientologists enlist police to push anti-drugs drive in schools
- Project Normandy documents seized by the FBI
April 5, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Yes, I also hear conspiracy wackos say that the Church of Scientology has “infiltrated” the CIA, the FBI, the IRS, the RCMP, the UN, Interpol, the NSA, the White House, Congress, the Department of Homeland Security, PETA, KFC, and Will Smith.
(Okay, then again, some of that might be true, actually.)
April 5, 2008 at 7:06 pm
You are aware of Operation Snow White, right?
and Project Normandy?
there are some ungrounded conspiracy theories around the CoS, that I would definitely agree with (see, for example, the IRS-Scientology website). However, some of their actions – such as their actions in Clearwater, and their attempt to influence the London police – are well-documented and cause for investigation if nothing else.
April 5, 2008 at 10:00 pm
All that stuff happened before I was born, when an entirely different group of people were running things. Like the fella in Miller’s Crossing says, “I ain’t interested in ancient history”.
April 5, 2008 at 10:15 pm
There is no evidence suggesting Project Normandy was ever dropped; by all accounts, it is still ongoing today, particularly if the allegations that CoS instructed its members on how to vote turn out to be true.
Also, unless you were born at some point before, say, 2006 (London) or 2000 (making of “Scientology and the Clearwater police”), this stuff didn’t happen before you were born. While Snow White may have and Normandy was first known outside the Church at the same time, these activities are ongoing.
- ToX
April 5, 2008 at 11:05 pm
That is what you say. I don’t know whether that’s true or not and I don’t really think you do either. Regardless, it doesn’t affect me or my own personal faith.
If I was Catholic, I couldn’t care less about old rumors of scandals relating to the Vatican. I go to my local Church. That is all.
You folks need to fine-tune your complaints to being specific to DM, RTC, Gold Base, and the Sea Org, instead the generalized attack on “Scientology” in general.
April 6, 2008 at 6:24 am
my complaints are specific to the Church’s upper echelons, in as much as many of the problems can be traced up the chain to the RTC and co. and you’re right that a lot of people confuse the Sea Org for the Church of Scientology in general.
However, like any other power structure, those are the top only maintain their position through the co-operation of those below, whether through money or other means. and incidents such as Lisa McPherson or Martine Boublil see an intersection between the two – her brother, a high-ranking French Scientologist, allegedly helped organise her kidnapping and transport to Sardinia. similarly, the Sea Org’s influence over individual churches is such that the two cannot be separated, although it would be a mistake to identify them entirely.
out of interest, what first interested you in Scientology?
April 6, 2008 at 12:42 pm
In the USA, 11 members of scientology were convicted of infiltrating and spying on a government agency and attempting to influence decisions about its tax status. Also google operation snowwhite. This group is not a religion, it is a money making machine/cult. They believe the spirits of dead space aliens are clinging to us, casuing out problems, becuase they wewre blown up by Xenu the space lord in volcanos 75 million years ago, with the help of evil psychiatrists. Only by paying thousands of dollars for auditing and special courses can you be free of these beings and become “clear.” Their formal policy of “fair game” as stated by Hubbard, gives scientologists permission to use and abuse anyone who is not a scientologist, and even to fabricate things that will destroy their reputation. Stop this cult.
April 8, 2008 at 1:01 am
“If I was Catholic, I couldn’t care less about old rumors of scandals relating to the Vatican. I go to my local Church. That is all.”
Most of the Catholics I know were appalled about the abuse committed by priests and the concentrated effort made by bishops to cover it up.
So your analogy fails on every level but the one you intended: to act as a misleading non sequiter that would lead us entirely off topic. Scientology has obviously made a dedicated effort to take over the US government and seems to be applying a similar method to local governments. Since you are funding this activity when you pay for your auditing courses {or are you purging body thetans by this stage?} you are partially responsible for this.
Saying that you go to your church does not exonerate you as the money you give them does not stay local but is collected centrally. David Miscavige is either ignorant of where his organisation is spending large sums of money {unlikely} or else is ordering or allowing it. In the latter instance his involvement in an effort of a religious organisation to take over law enforcement and the legislature of an avowedly secular system of government is obvious. Money that his church’s parishioners have given for services is being spent upon hiring the police and he has allowed this to happen {if not demanded it}.
Attempting to divide the two is highly disingenuous.
April 8, 2008 at 2:47 am
I’m simply speaking my opinion. That is all. Sorry if you think that’s an attempt to “lead you entirely off topic”. I don’t care what YOU want to talk about, I’m here to talk about what *I* want to talk about.
I said IF I was Catholic, how I would feel about Catholic scandals. I couldn’t care less what your own Catholic friends said or did, but thanks for sharing.
And I wasn’t seeking to be “exonerated” from whatever pathetic nonsense you’re charging me with, you who don’t know me at all but are comfortable with judging me and my religion.
April 8, 2008 at 5:44 am
I’m simply speaking my opinion. That is all. Sorry if you think that’s an attempt to “lead you entirely off topic”. I don’t care what YOU want to talk about, I’m here to talk about what *I* want to talk about.
Which involves telling the Temple’s priest what he should and shouldn’t talk about. So fair’s fair, you tell him he’s talking about the wrong stuff and I’ll tell you why I think his content was relevant to issues you argue are unrelated.
I said IF I was Catholic, how I would feel about Catholic scandals. I couldn’t care less what your own Catholic friends said or did, but thanks for sharing.
But it’s an interesting point. I know of Catholics who protested their own church about the child abuse horrors. As far as I am aware no Scientologists have done anything similar to that, even over cases such as Lisa McPherson I can’t say I’ve heard much internal dissent rumbling. Have you found any objections being raised by Scientologists internally? I mean no organisation set up by humans is going to be perfect, we’re flawed beings, although benign.
Is there much in the way of self-critiques that go on? As far as I can tell it’s all defend-defend-defend, it doesn’t seem like anyone’s really subjected it to much in the way of analysis. Nobody really seems to be that critical of it who’s still a part of it, while the same is not really true of any other Church I know of. From Russian Orthodox to Roman Catholic there are always some bad words within from someone or other.
And I wasn’t seeking to be “exonerated” from whatever pathetic nonsense you’re charging me with, you who don’t know me at all but are comfortable with judging me and my religion.
I’m not judging your religion. I’m judging your payments to an organisation that has involved itself with the systematic exploitation of the vulnerable. Assuming you pay, that is. Are you a part of Sea Org?
I’m sorry if I presumed. It’s quite possible that you are Sea Org and thus serve instead of paying. I hear that you only have to pay when you’re with them when you try and leave. A “Free-loader fee” I believe it’s called? For being in breach of that billion year contract.