Ron Kasman, a longtime Underground Bunker community member and contributor, has written for us about his journey into and out of Scientology, and his life as a comics creator.
I'm pretty sure it was Michael that did card tricks for us at Steven's Creek Mission in around 1974. Someone can correct me if it was someone else.
The most amazing one was a form of "pick a card, any card". Obviously you use a deck that only has one card, but you show a real deck first. Then palm it and offer the doctored deck. Or some people shove a card out slightly from the deck, betting that the shill will pick the nearest card.
He went through a series of tricks that only work if he knows the card, which of course he does. Very entertaining even if you know the trick. Then he threw the deck at the window. (The course room at Steven's Creek had a wall that was all glass.) Imagine our surprise, to go outside and find the chosen card in the bushes! Of course, knowing the card in advance it was easy to leave one outside for the trick.
As naive young Scientologists we all believed that proved that OT powers were real. Stupid, since you could go to a show at the Sands and see the same trick done by a non-OT. Scientology naturally makes you stupid.
Great points. Made me think that a person ought not join supernatural promising groups until they are 30 years old, which by then they ought to have learned NOT to join moon promising supernatural outfits.
Further, Hubbard was in the know on this supernatural powers trick card, which has been in the magicians' decks of rigged card decks for eons of human history.
Youth fall for the supernatural card, the Old Man Christmas, Old Saint Nick, the Santa Claus card, the "god" card, the God card, the supernatural soul flying card.
The human deck of cards is rigged against the ignorant.
Time is the antidote so long as one continues to educate oneself out of the supernatural rigged decks of cards in the world.
I liked Mike, but then, what’s not to like? As with any other Scientologist who makes it on the radar, the fall is inevitable. I guess, in a way, that’s a good thing because they get out. Once a person leaves Scientology, it must be treated like any other addiction. They can’t quit until they want to.
I think it was harder in Mike’s case because he didn’t want to. He still wanted the addiction. I’m glad he was able to peel off enough layers to make himself a life outside of Scientology surrounded by those who loved him. Thanks for telling us about Mike the human, the cousin you loved. May his memory live on through you.
Well said Ron. Mike got his EP of faithful service and like many others was vilified and kicked out for not being high enough or socially placed well enough to blame others for the crimes that his 'superiors' committed. Everyone in the Clampire is disposable, except the Niblet.
The Hubbard script tries to share the Hubbard delusional megalomania mindset, those that adopt this Hubbard megalomania stick, and those that wise up and lose faith in the Hubbard megalomania smartly quit (getting blamed and scapegoated per the Hubbard childish but serious rules to scapegoat and blame them as quitters).
Hubbard gets my blame today, he wrote so durned much, those that falsely put faith in Hubbard to bolster all the bad Hubbard has them doing.
Hubbard's snipe hunting for engrams and body-thetans, that's what you get with the Hubbard "Bridge to Total Freedom."
Hubbard's brainwashing voluminous wordage and lectures rewrites reality in their heads, taking on the adventurous pulp style life Hubbard thought he and they all were living vs real reality.
Xenu and body-thetans talking, just brings it all full circle.
Thanks so much. For sure he was a diehard with brains. The diehards with brains and devotion to Hubbard, are what keep the Hubbard cult going.
Really smart person, really smart.
I wish all the smart persons who somehow were pulled into Scientology, had even smarter wiser persons to have coaxed them NOT to get involved and waste their years within the Hubbard snipe hunting cult (snipe hunting for past lives engrams, and then snipe hunting for body-thetans dropped onto earth by Xenu).
Advanced Organization, where Mike was in Hubbard's words, a "stable terminal" meaning a steadfast diehard, successful (getting the fixed donations for the Xenu OT levels 3, 4, and 5, three of the five Hubbard exorcism steps, in fact pubic outsiders should in their minds, when they hear "Advanced Organization" should think "Xenu's body-thetans exorcism organization"), vital vital staffer, since Advanced Organization Los Angeles, for the decade or more Mike was the donation/fundraiser collector, and adept at the cutting edge money grabbing allowed edge of legality methods.
Because of his personality, and smarts though, I think he didn't have to edge himself into the "crim reg" (this is the word upper paperpusher managers of the bloated Hubbard totem pole of the scientology cult bureaucracy referred to regs/fundraiser-donation collectors who did illegal things collecting the income from members), as far as other era regs who did wholesale legitimately illegal fundraising techniques that doomed Jeannie Sonnenfeld's staff life.
For people who loved the Advanced Organization older era less pricey exorcism steps, OT 3, 4, and 5 when things didn't cost followers as much to receive the body-thetans first three exorcism steps, the final 6 and 7 exorcism steps one does through the Flag Org in Clearwater; those who loved the stuff, Mike was smart and good enough to have helped a whole lot of people to get those Hubbard snipe hunting exorcism/soul-freeing steps "completed."
Good person, wish his siblings and pre Scientology persons around him could have steered him clear of Hubbard's cult though, and his brains and decency could have been used better for society.
He likely was smarter than any of the managers over him, in his years as reg for AOLA (Advanced Org Los Angeles).
I was just a flakey Flag Course Sup, having heard of Mike from others, and from his wife, Ruthie, when Ruthie did her OEC/FEBC when I was a course sup and word clearer. Today, I see ALL of almost everyone I ever knew in Scientology has a lot more smarts and skill and natural talent than I ever did. Praise to them all, wish they could ALL could have been steered clear of Scientology.
Today, my advice, is get the word out, worldwise, of the Xenu body-thetans secret theory, because if newbies insist on talking Xenu and body-thetans theory (OT 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of upper and secret Scientology are the Hubbard "tech" quackery "handling" to "alleviate" the Xenu engram), Scientology rejects Xenu and body-thetan talking public from participating.
Thus, simplest solution, know and talk Xenu and body-thetans OT 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 explanations to Scientologists, and they are NOT allowed to take you into Scientology!
Xenu does triple duty. Hubbard created the most backfiring word in the future detriment to Scientology.
Know and talk Xenu and body-thetans and Scientology will wilt even faster.
Chuck Beatty
ex cult paperpusher bureaucrats training dept staffer, mainly, in my totally wasted 27 years in the Hubbard Xenu/body-thetans/exorcism-soul-freeing snipehunting operation. 1975-2003
I remember Michael very well. I gladly parted with my hard earned cash when Michael was the registrar. He was very likable. A classic example of a potential talent sucked up, used and tossed aside by an insane organization created by a narcissistic sociopath, the SOURCE L. Ron Hubbard.
From the article it appears Michael was partially deprogrammed. It is a lot of work to keep digging. He spent a fair amount of his life in the rabbit hole. IMO it’s a long term project to deprogram effectively.
I am glad he was able to use his talents to make a good life for himself.
Some 8 years ago Mike Silverman joined Facebook group OUTER BANKS and contributed here and there.
His opening intro post garnered 357 responses, such was his popularity
Karen De La Carriere
Admin
Group expert
· norpdtesSolm ia954512Mhl2720i801c2t101 ·
Good Afternoon Outer Bankers.
Please give a warm welcome to Michael Silverman
Michael Silverman was a Reg. A Sales person. Upper Sea Org Management and Michael always had a love/hate relationship. The public loved him, especially in the lower orgs. Michael always had a smile on his face like he was plotting something great which was about to happen.
He was admired very much by the public in the lower orgs, and the staff as well. He would go on tour and do magic tricks like an entertainer. What management *Loved* was that he effortlessly made money for AOLA. 1970s to 1990s. Though management liked the fact that he made money, they hated the fact that he had a following. He was a very smart, very funny guy, and was always controversial.
He was married to Sea org member Ruthie Silverman (RIP) but she disconnected from him as soon as he got declared.
In 1989 he got the new Miscavige invented "provisional SP declare" which is supposed to intimidate you into being *good* so that it does not become an ACTUAL SP declare. LOLOLOL.
Mike lived through it all, multiple RPFs to tame him down ~~. He did the gory 1993 RPF (the gulag for mind control).
I can state in black and white I loved this guy.
Mike was too much of a rebel or renegade to fit in. He remained his own man, unique, fun, daring, pushing the envelope, even having sex (Lord almighty ~~ forgive us all) when he was on Tour. Can you imagine how criminal an act that is ???? LOL.
In the 1990s after serving some 20 years in the Sea Org and living through the ups and downs Michael was declared a Suppressive person.
Welcome to our SP party on line Michael.
Please give Michael a warm welcome.
+++++++++
The cult had a way to gouge more money $$$$$$ by selling economy "packages"
example: Bundles of intensives purchased in one go, *clear* package, OT 3 package etc.
Michael was never a Company man.
He had math capabilities and did workarounds.
No one could ever figure out what he did, dubbed as "Brazilian Arithmetic"
He sold packages that were unsolvable in dollars and cents but the end result was that the pc got MORE hours.Therefore there was *less* regging, and less money being gouged.
He always favored the public. Management was seething (contributed to his SP declare) and Michael had that secret smile on his face.....
Quote:
Michael Silverman
Karen De La Carriere I have to admit that Brazilian math was my secret weapon. Giving the public services that could actually be covered by the money they paid earlier...paralleled "deliver what you promise" and that's the argument I threw at upper management whenever I got attacked (quite often ..)
Thankyou Tony for even allowing this venue to remember the great Scientologists, even the great quitters of Scientology who they became, which is the vast majority, all end up quitting, rightly so.
Michael and Ruthie recruited me for ASHO in 1977 I think it was. I was doing expediter work for SFO Fdn org since I had blown staff and come back to try to work my way back up into good standing. The whirlwind reg tour of Michael and Ruthie blew in and love-bombed me into agreeing to join the Sea Org. Next thing I knew I was in the back seat of my car with a few belongings, quit my job with a note in the door of the shop I worked at and we were headed south to L.A. Much hilarity ensued. Like finding out I shouldn't have been recruited because I still had a freeloader's debt to SFO. And PTS, etc. Got that all cleared up and wound up in Cedars Estates, not ASHO. So was there when the FBI raided and Doug Harlan and I were running through the tunnels with our "Mission" files and briefings and stuff, so we could hide them from the FBI. Hubbard never told the truth and he passed that onto his operatives. If you had to LIE to "make it go right" then you lied your ass off. NOTHING in scientology is true. It is all pretense and sham and self serving grift from hubbard on down for anyone who stays in it for long. The only rules are "get the product" and "raise the stats." Fuck scientology and Hubbard and anyone who stayed past the first big lie that crushed them. Kudos to everyone who has left and spoken out, or just lived a decent honest life. It's 27 years and hundreds of thousands of dollars and dear friends lost that I'll never get back.
I'm pretty sure it was Michael that did card tricks for us at Steven's Creek Mission in around 1974. Someone can correct me if it was someone else.
The most amazing one was a form of "pick a card, any card". Obviously you use a deck that only has one card, but you show a real deck first. Then palm it and offer the doctored deck. Or some people shove a card out slightly from the deck, betting that the shill will pick the nearest card.
He went through a series of tricks that only work if he knows the card, which of course he does. Very entertaining even if you know the trick. Then he threw the deck at the window. (The course room at Steven's Creek had a wall that was all glass.) Imagine our surprise, to go outside and find the chosen card in the bushes! Of course, knowing the card in advance it was easy to leave one outside for the trick.
As naive young Scientologists we all believed that proved that OT powers were real. Stupid, since you could go to a show at the Sands and see the same trick done by a non-OT. Scientology naturally makes you stupid.
Great points. Made me think that a person ought not join supernatural promising groups until they are 30 years old, which by then they ought to have learned NOT to join moon promising supernatural outfits.
Further, Hubbard was in the know on this supernatural powers trick card, which has been in the magicians' decks of rigged card decks for eons of human history.
Youth fall for the supernatural card, the Old Man Christmas, Old Saint Nick, the Santa Claus card, the "god" card, the God card, the supernatural soul flying card.
The human deck of cards is rigged against the ignorant.
Time is the antidote so long as one continues to educate oneself out of the supernatural rigged decks of cards in the world.
Thanks for telling about your cousin, and for telling about him, not about the cult-victim he was for a period in his life.
Isn't that the truth! Great point.
I liked Mike, but then, what’s not to like? As with any other Scientologist who makes it on the radar, the fall is inevitable. I guess, in a way, that’s a good thing because they get out. Once a person leaves Scientology, it must be treated like any other addiction. They can’t quit until they want to.
I think it was harder in Mike’s case because he didn’t want to. He still wanted the addiction. I’m glad he was able to peel off enough layers to make himself a life outside of Scientology surrounded by those who loved him. Thanks for telling us about Mike the human, the cousin you loved. May his memory live on through you.
Well said Ron. Mike got his EP of faithful service and like many others was vilified and kicked out for not being high enough or socially placed well enough to blame others for the crimes that his 'superiors' committed. Everyone in the Clampire is disposable, except the Niblet.
The Hubbard script tries to share the Hubbard delusional megalomania mindset, those that adopt this Hubbard megalomania stick, and those that wise up and lose faith in the Hubbard megalomania smartly quit (getting blamed and scapegoated per the Hubbard childish but serious rules to scapegoat and blame them as quitters).
Hubbard gets my blame today, he wrote so durned much, those that falsely put faith in Hubbard to bolster all the bad Hubbard has them doing.
Hubbard's snipe hunting for engrams and body-thetans, that's what you get with the Hubbard "Bridge to Total Freedom."
Hubbard's brainwashing voluminous wordage and lectures rewrites reality in their heads, taking on the adventurous pulp style life Hubbard thought he and they all were living vs real reality.
Xenu and body-thetans talking, just brings it all full circle.
Thanks so much. For sure he was a diehard with brains. The diehards with brains and devotion to Hubbard, are what keep the Hubbard cult going.
Really smart person, really smart.
I wish all the smart persons who somehow were pulled into Scientology, had even smarter wiser persons to have coaxed them NOT to get involved and waste their years within the Hubbard snipe hunting cult (snipe hunting for past lives engrams, and then snipe hunting for body-thetans dropped onto earth by Xenu).
Advanced Organization, where Mike was in Hubbard's words, a "stable terminal" meaning a steadfast diehard, successful (getting the fixed donations for the Xenu OT levels 3, 4, and 5, three of the five Hubbard exorcism steps, in fact pubic outsiders should in their minds, when they hear "Advanced Organization" should think "Xenu's body-thetans exorcism organization"), vital vital staffer, since Advanced Organization Los Angeles, for the decade or more Mike was the donation/fundraiser collector, and adept at the cutting edge money grabbing allowed edge of legality methods.
Because of his personality, and smarts though, I think he didn't have to edge himself into the "crim reg" (this is the word upper paperpusher managers of the bloated Hubbard totem pole of the scientology cult bureaucracy referred to regs/fundraiser-donation collectors who did illegal things collecting the income from members), as far as other era regs who did wholesale legitimately illegal fundraising techniques that doomed Jeannie Sonnenfeld's staff life.
For people who loved the Advanced Organization older era less pricey exorcism steps, OT 3, 4, and 5 when things didn't cost followers as much to receive the body-thetans first three exorcism steps, the final 6 and 7 exorcism steps one does through the Flag Org in Clearwater; those who loved the stuff, Mike was smart and good enough to have helped a whole lot of people to get those Hubbard snipe hunting exorcism/soul-freeing steps "completed."
Good person, wish his siblings and pre Scientology persons around him could have steered him clear of Hubbard's cult though, and his brains and decency could have been used better for society.
He likely was smarter than any of the managers over him, in his years as reg for AOLA (Advanced Org Los Angeles).
I was just a flakey Flag Course Sup, having heard of Mike from others, and from his wife, Ruthie, when Ruthie did her OEC/FEBC when I was a course sup and word clearer. Today, I see ALL of almost everyone I ever knew in Scientology has a lot more smarts and skill and natural talent than I ever did. Praise to them all, wish they could ALL could have been steered clear of Scientology.
Today, my advice, is get the word out, worldwise, of the Xenu body-thetans secret theory, because if newbies insist on talking Xenu and body-thetans theory (OT 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of upper and secret Scientology are the Hubbard "tech" quackery "handling" to "alleviate" the Xenu engram), Scientology rejects Xenu and body-thetan talking public from participating.
Thus, simplest solution, know and talk Xenu and body-thetans OT 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 explanations to Scientologists, and they are NOT allowed to take you into Scientology!
Xenu does triple duty. Hubbard created the most backfiring word in the future detriment to Scientology.
Know and talk Xenu and body-thetans and Scientology will wilt even faster.
Chuck Beatty
ex cult paperpusher bureaucrats training dept staffer, mainly, in my totally wasted 27 years in the Hubbard Xenu/body-thetans/exorcism-soul-freeing snipehunting operation. 1975-2003
I remember Michael very well. I gladly parted with my hard earned cash when Michael was the registrar. He was very likable. A classic example of a potential talent sucked up, used and tossed aside by an insane organization created by a narcissistic sociopath, the SOURCE L. Ron Hubbard.
From the article it appears Michael was partially deprogrammed. It is a lot of work to keep digging. He spent a fair amount of his life in the rabbit hole. IMO it’s a long term project to deprogram effectively.
I am glad he was able to use his talents to make a good life for himself.
Some 8 years ago Mike Silverman joined Facebook group OUTER BANKS and contributed here and there.
His opening intro post garnered 357 responses, such was his popularity
Karen De La Carriere
Admin
Group expert
· norpdtesSolm ia954512Mhl2720i801c2t101 ·
Good Afternoon Outer Bankers.
Please give a warm welcome to Michael Silverman
Michael Silverman was a Reg. A Sales person. Upper Sea Org Management and Michael always had a love/hate relationship. The public loved him, especially in the lower orgs. Michael always had a smile on his face like he was plotting something great which was about to happen.
He was admired very much by the public in the lower orgs, and the staff as well. He would go on tour and do magic tricks like an entertainer. What management *Loved* was that he effortlessly made money for AOLA. 1970s to 1990s. Though management liked the fact that he made money, they hated the fact that he had a following. He was a very smart, very funny guy, and was always controversial.
He was married to Sea org member Ruthie Silverman (RIP) but she disconnected from him as soon as he got declared.
In 1989 he got the new Miscavige invented "provisional SP declare" which is supposed to intimidate you into being *good* so that it does not become an ACTUAL SP declare. LOLOLOL.
Mike lived through it all, multiple RPFs to tame him down ~~. He did the gory 1993 RPF (the gulag for mind control).
I can state in black and white I loved this guy.
Mike was too much of a rebel or renegade to fit in. He remained his own man, unique, fun, daring, pushing the envelope, even having sex (Lord almighty ~~ forgive us all) when he was on Tour. Can you imagine how criminal an act that is ???? LOL.
In the 1990s after serving some 20 years in the Sea Org and living through the ups and downs Michael was declared a Suppressive person.
Welcome to our SP party on line Michael.
Please give Michael a warm welcome.
+++++++++
The cult had a way to gouge more money $$$$$$ by selling economy "packages"
example: Bundles of intensives purchased in one go, *clear* package, OT 3 package etc.
Michael was never a Company man.
He had math capabilities and did workarounds.
No one could ever figure out what he did, dubbed as "Brazilian Arithmetic"
He sold packages that were unsolvable in dollars and cents but the end result was that the pc got MORE hours.Therefore there was *less* regging, and less money being gouged.
He always favored the public. Management was seething (contributed to his SP declare) and Michael had that secret smile on his face.....
Quote:
Michael Silverman
Karen De La Carriere I have to admit that Brazilian math was my secret weapon. Giving the public services that could actually be covered by the money they paid earlier...paralleled "deliver what you promise" and that's the argument I threw at upper management whenever I got attacked (quite often ..)
Fly high Mike, one of a kind..RIP
Excellent tribute Ron.
Thankyou Tony for even allowing this venue to remember the great Scientologists, even the great quitters of Scientology who they became, which is the vast majority, all end up quitting, rightly so.
Great thanks Ron and Tony.
Yes, thanks to you both
Michael and Ruthie recruited me for ASHO in 1977 I think it was. I was doing expediter work for SFO Fdn org since I had blown staff and come back to try to work my way back up into good standing. The whirlwind reg tour of Michael and Ruthie blew in and love-bombed me into agreeing to join the Sea Org. Next thing I knew I was in the back seat of my car with a few belongings, quit my job with a note in the door of the shop I worked at and we were headed south to L.A. Much hilarity ensued. Like finding out I shouldn't have been recruited because I still had a freeloader's debt to SFO. And PTS, etc. Got that all cleared up and wound up in Cedars Estates, not ASHO. So was there when the FBI raided and Doug Harlan and I were running through the tunnels with our "Mission" files and briefings and stuff, so we could hide them from the FBI. Hubbard never told the truth and he passed that onto his operatives. If you had to LIE to "make it go right" then you lied your ass off. NOTHING in scientology is true. It is all pretense and sham and self serving grift from hubbard on down for anyone who stays in it for long. The only rules are "get the product" and "raise the stats." Fuck scientology and Hubbard and anyone who stayed past the first big lie that crushed them. Kudos to everyone who has left and spoken out, or just lived a decent honest life. It's 27 years and hundreds of thousands of dollars and dear friends lost that I'll never get back.