[Last time, Val Ross told us about working as a spy at the FBI after its raid on Scientology in 1977. She’s working on a subsequent installment in her tale, but in the meantime sent us this fascinating look at what she’s going through right now.] Since 2013 I’ve been working with an attorney who is also a state legislator. In July 2020, at the height of Covid, I retired. After Covid, when the work picked up again in mid-2021, the attorney got a new assistant who worked really hard at running his business into the ground.
My boss’s last words to me were “you are the best.” I said “aww thanks” he said “no, you are the best assistant I have ever had,” (he’s only 6 years younger than me). That had us both in tears and we were not drunk it was just genuine soppy sentiment. I don’t care who you are or what you do in Scientology, you will never ever hear those words.
Another incredible installment by Val. The contrast between the real world and Scientology is explained in the article. Thanks for sharing and breaking this down.
Beg to differ though, there is a Sea Org retirement program: Work 'till you drop, get a new body, rinse and repeat. For one billion years. No one ever says what happens after that, probably because it is obvious it will never really happen.
I remember Paco Suarez in his declining years at the Int Base. Paco, personal steward to Hubbard and a very good Flamenco dancer. He performed in the Ramona Pageant in Hemet for many years before his body slowed down a bit.
He was the cleaner and I was the messer-up-er in the Hubbard areas at the Int Base. One day I was taking a thermostat apart to fix the wiring, dropping bits of sheetrock dust on the carpet. In one of the Hubbard-designated rooms in the new Music Studio. Paco was there with his dust rag and white gloves, doing the official approved Hubbard method of dusting. With a twinkle in his eye, he said: "I see we're working together again!"
He lived in a little A-frame hut that was in the yard of the Bonnie View house we renovated for Hubbard. Keeping an eye on the place and getting everything ready for Hubbard to move in. Which he never did. Though he was far above us RPFers on the totem pole of the Sea Org, he was unfailingly polite and let us use his tiny bathroom.
Twenty years later, with Hubbard long gone and his dancing days behind him, he was sort of warehoused in the Kirby Garden Apartments. The Medical Liaison Officer may have visited him once in a while to drop off some food, I think, and she encouraged us chronic sickies to go over and give him a touch assist once in a while.
They moved everyone out of Kirby soon after I escaped in 2004, so I assume he was also moved to the Int Base to be warehoused behind the razor wire. Not so good, at least at Kirby you could navigate your walker or wheelchair to the corner store and get a magazine or something once in a while. The Canteen at the Base only has USA Today. No funny pages!
Elder care is an issue everywhere and is probably only going to get worse. There are just not enough younger folks with the heart to care for the elders. It takes a special kind of person to deal cheerfully with the inevitable issues of aging, and it doesn't pay well. Many more of us are going to end up in warehouses of some kind or another.
But the special kind of cruelty that goes with the brutal intolerance of Scientology is so much worse.
For sure Hubbard didn't think of everything for the Hubbard empire's operation and full cycle of the lives of the staffers who weren't going to return to normal life.
So many options that ought to have been taken for that, if they really wished to solve things decently.
a) Cancel all disconnection/SP declares, (revert to just not accepting people for training/processing, as in the A to J era, pre SP declaring).
b) The whole Hubbard 'stats' thing causes really deep conflict with being decent with everyone concerned, and when stats make indecent situations, dump those stats operation.
c) The Sea Org and staffs ought all just dissolve, and let the whole multi echelon collapse, OR if people wish to do the Hubbard pseudo-therapy/exorcism quackery, just form their own groups and make their own decent rules and fair ones.
There's really no fixing the current official Scientology Hubbard multi echelon bureaucratic militaristic totalitarian cult operation.
If people want to do the Hubbard quackery, just get ahold of the free materials, on the internet, read the stuff, and make their own rules.
Hubbard's rules are the road to becoming a nasty cult.
The Hubster didn't see people in any context. They were just potential minions whose function was to cough up money and worship him. Any one who joined staff or Sea bOrg knew that there was no retirement plan or money set aside to help them retire. They are supposed to die in harness and give their all for Lron. All 'employees' of the Clampire knew that when they went in. Well, those above the age of 18 knew that. The 12 year olds didn't even think to ask questions about retiring.
It is 7:30am in my neck of the woods and the Bunker site is down. If we all chant 'Hail Xenu' enough times, it the site will live again. That will be $500 please. 'Hail Xenu....Hail Xenu....Hail Xenu......'
Val, again, I get so much from you sharing your heart and experiences. Though I was never involved, it still hurts me people chose Scientology over family, even after seeing and experiencing how bad they're being treated.
My boss’s last words to me were “you are the best.” I said “aww thanks” he said “no, you are the best assistant I have ever had,” (he’s only 6 years younger than me). That had us both in tears and we were not drunk it was just genuine soppy sentiment. I don’t care who you are or what you do in Scientology, you will never ever hear those words.
"You do it one kindness at a time" is perfect wording for how to create a better world. Well done, Val. Enjoy your re retirement!
Ah, Val, this is so lovely! I especially like that you found a replacement who likes to give presents!
Another incredible installment by Val. The contrast between the real world and Scientology is explained in the article. Thanks for sharing and breaking this down.
Val, speaks to our hearts again. Just amazing.
Beg to differ though, there is a Sea Org retirement program: Work 'till you drop, get a new body, rinse and repeat. For one billion years. No one ever says what happens after that, probably because it is obvious it will never really happen.
I remember Paco Suarez in his declining years at the Int Base. Paco, personal steward to Hubbard and a very good Flamenco dancer. He performed in the Ramona Pageant in Hemet for many years before his body slowed down a bit.
He was the cleaner and I was the messer-up-er in the Hubbard areas at the Int Base. One day I was taking a thermostat apart to fix the wiring, dropping bits of sheetrock dust on the carpet. In one of the Hubbard-designated rooms in the new Music Studio. Paco was there with his dust rag and white gloves, doing the official approved Hubbard method of dusting. With a twinkle in his eye, he said: "I see we're working together again!"
He lived in a little A-frame hut that was in the yard of the Bonnie View house we renovated for Hubbard. Keeping an eye on the place and getting everything ready for Hubbard to move in. Which he never did. Though he was far above us RPFers on the totem pole of the Sea Org, he was unfailingly polite and let us use his tiny bathroom.
Twenty years later, with Hubbard long gone and his dancing days behind him, he was sort of warehoused in the Kirby Garden Apartments. The Medical Liaison Officer may have visited him once in a while to drop off some food, I think, and she encouraged us chronic sickies to go over and give him a touch assist once in a while.
They moved everyone out of Kirby soon after I escaped in 2004, so I assume he was also moved to the Int Base to be warehoused behind the razor wire. Not so good, at least at Kirby you could navigate your walker or wheelchair to the corner store and get a magazine or something once in a while. The Canteen at the Base only has USA Today. No funny pages!
Elder care is an issue everywhere and is probably only going to get worse. There are just not enough younger folks with the heart to care for the elders. It takes a special kind of person to deal cheerfully with the inevitable issues of aging, and it doesn't pay well. Many more of us are going to end up in warehouses of some kind or another.
But the special kind of cruelty that goes with the brutal intolerance of Scientology is so much worse.
For sure Hubbard didn't think of everything for the Hubbard empire's operation and full cycle of the lives of the staffers who weren't going to return to normal life.
So many options that ought to have been taken for that, if they really wished to solve things decently.
a) Cancel all disconnection/SP declares, (revert to just not accepting people for training/processing, as in the A to J era, pre SP declaring).
b) The whole Hubbard 'stats' thing causes really deep conflict with being decent with everyone concerned, and when stats make indecent situations, dump those stats operation.
c) The Sea Org and staffs ought all just dissolve, and let the whole multi echelon collapse, OR if people wish to do the Hubbard pseudo-therapy/exorcism quackery, just form their own groups and make their own decent rules and fair ones.
There's really no fixing the current official Scientology Hubbard multi echelon bureaucratic militaristic totalitarian cult operation.
If people want to do the Hubbard quackery, just get ahold of the free materials, on the internet, read the stuff, and make their own rules.
Hubbard's rules are the road to becoming a nasty cult.
Val very down to earth story and example of being a loving, caring human being. Thank you.
The Hubster didn't see people in any context. They were just potential minions whose function was to cough up money and worship him. Any one who joined staff or Sea bOrg knew that there was no retirement plan or money set aside to help them retire. They are supposed to die in harness and give their all for Lron. All 'employees' of the Clampire knew that when they went in. Well, those above the age of 18 knew that. The 12 year olds didn't even think to ask questions about retiring.
It is 7:30am in my neck of the woods and the Bunker site is down. If we all chant 'Hail Xenu' enough times, it the site will live again. That will be $500 please. 'Hail Xenu....Hail Xenu....Hail Xenu......'
Val, again, I get so much from you sharing your heart and experiences. Though I was never involved, it still hurts me people chose Scientology over family, even after seeing and experiencing how bad they're being treated.