While Miscavige spends millions on new buildings, Scientology withers elsewhere
One of the many reasons that we appreciate Mike Rinder and look forward to his recovery is that at his blog he has done such a diligent job over many years documenting how Scientology has been withering away.
Staffing shortages, failed fundraising plans, pathetic turnout for events: Mike has documented it and showed the steady diminution of Scientology’s resources on the ground. There’s just no question that the organization has lost membership even as its leader, David Miscavige, amasses and spends huge sums of money thanks to his wealthy donors.
While Miscavige splurges, the locals starve. That’s the message we’ve taken from Mike’s hard work, and we have another example of it today.
In August 2023, we’re looking forward to Dave opening up another of his expensive boondoggles, the renovated “Ideal Org” in Austin, Texas. Each of these projects costs many millions to produce, and there’s no evidence that they do what Dave promises and brings in a land rush of new interest in the church. But we’ll be watching to see what kind of party Dave throws there on August 26.
Meanwhile, August is turning out to be very different for the small number of dogged volunteers who have tried to keep one of Scientology’s sneaky front groups going in LA. We’re talking about Criminon, and specifically the Criminon Western United States (WUS) office in Eagle Rock, CA.
Criminon provides Scientology materials to prison inmates, part of Scientology’s “social coordination” and “social betterment” campaigns that work through drug rehab (Narconon), school curriculum (Applied Scholastics), and disaster relief (Volunteer Ministers) in order to forward the idea that Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard was the greatest genius who ever lived. But over the years we’ve heard from numerous former members of these efforts who tell us they were always fly-by-night and more for public relations than for improving the world.
Thanks to a tipster, we can watch how things have gone for Criminon WUS in recent weeks, in the form of emails from its director, a woman named Barbara Kalergis.
JULY 15
Subject: postage
Dearest Supervisors
Just sending an update on what has been going on in the office and with Criminon WUS. We continue to get between 20-40 requests for new starts each week. Stats are going between Emer and Normal. This is due to Lessons and Comps. If you don’t do your lessons and nudges Comps go down. Simple. On the finances, I just spent $1510.00 for the maintenance fee and postage for the BRM account. Fees went way up!!! Yikes. Also as you probably know, postage went up again. Each week we spend around $200 for incoming mail and then again around $200 for outgoing postage. I’m averaging. Some weeks higher some lower.
Needless to say if any of you can start donating more than $10 a month, it would help. I ask for help on the finances because we fund ourselves and I have to keep things going. Do what you can.
As always thank you for what you do
ML
B
[We asked former Sea Org officer Sunny Pereira to decode some of Barbara’s language for us: “‘New starts’ is persons who have never done any service yet. ‘Emer’ is an odd abbreviation for emergency, which is when a statistic is equal to or goes slightly down compared to the week before. ‘Normal’ is a small increase in the same statistic. It sounds like lessons is one statistic and comps is another. Lessons would be the sections of a course. They count each section completed as a lesson. Then the whole course would be a comp (completion). For Criminon the supervisor may be operating by mail only. The inmates do the assignments and mail in the results, and the supervisors ‘nudge’ them to keep going toward a completion.”]
JULY 30
Subject: Criminon has to move!!!!!!!
Dear All
I just got notice that the Criminon Office has to move. In 30 days. Needless to say I’m a little panicked.
I need your help!
If you are in the LA surrounds or know business owners (Scn) please put out your comm lines.
We need a room, preferable with toilet access, that is about 300+ sq ft. 15×15 or 20×20.
We pay now $550 a month, plus utilities. I know that is nothing in the real world, but we operate on a minimal budget and most all the monies go to postage and printing. At this point with the FP we can’t go a lot higher than that. Contribution to us is the go button.
I will also need moving expenses. I have a few thousand in the bank but that will be gone for production. This money for moving is separate. I figure 3-4 thousand, with rent and moving utilities and stuff.
One of you can step up to the plate and can be in charge of raising the money. I can’t do everything and most of the staff are baby boomers like me and we will need help (ie, younger people).
Don’t want to come across as a victim, but its a confront… Let’s get it done…text me or email any leads or ideas.
ML
B
AUGUST 2
Subject: update on eviction and help packing up
I have received quite a few comms back on this. Mostly lines that I’m to call. Been on the phone a LOT and so far maybe one office to look at. nothing else so far. I have collected $2000 so far which is great. I’m thinking if we cannot find a space with Scngst. It will cost a lot more…
I will be going into the office a lot in the next few weeks to deluge any unnecessary papers etc. Pack up admin supplies etc. Any help with that you can do let me know. We’re in Eagle Rock
—————
We are having to vacate our office and we need to find a new office location and space. Ideally 400-600 SF. Right now any location within reason. If you have any leads please contact me. We also need some donations to help with the move.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Barbara.
As Barbara herself admits, the amounts of money here are low, even trivial by Miscavige standards. But they just don’t have the funds to keep going at their Eagle Rock office and now have to be out by the end of the month.
We called Barbara and left a message with her yesterday. We were hoping she could help us understand how Criminon could be so starved of cash when Dave is opening a new cathedral costing millions in Texas. We’ll let you know if she gets back to us.
Scientology responds to Leah Remini’s lawsuit
David Miscavige nearly bursts a blood vessel in response to Leah’s new suit. The statement is unsigned, but it’s all Dave…
This lawsuit is ludicrous and the allegations pure lunacy. Remini spreads hate and falsehoods for a decade and is now offended when people exercise their right to free speech, exposing her for what she is—an anti-free speech bigot.
Remini’s complaints are like an anti-Semite complaining about the Jewish Anti-Defamation League for exposing the anti-Semite’s bigotry and propaganda.
Remini’s obsession with attacking her former religion, by spreading falsehoods and hate speech, has generated threats of and actual violence against the Church and its members as evidenced by multiple criminal convictions of individuals poisoned by Remini’s propaganda.
All the while, Remini has profited handsomely from her fabrications, through the sale of hate books, hate podcasts and paid-for tabloid hate television.
Now that Remini’s propaganda has been exposed, Remini has spun entirely out of control by filing a frivolous lawsuit attempting to stop free speech exposing her false propaganda. Remini’s decade of harassment and fabrications are all coming back to haunt her.
If Remini can no longer get a job, she has nobody to blame but herself. Obviously everybody in Hollywood now knows what we already knew: That Remini is a horrible person and toxic to so many who have the misfortune to come in contact with her.
While Remini was in the Church, she had to restrain her antisocial traits. She said so herself—that Scientology was the only thing keeping her “monster” at bay.
The Church is not intimidated by Remini’s latest act of blatant harassment and attempt to prevent truthful free speech. If Remini does not believe in free speech, then she should consider emigrating to Russia.
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I'm surprised that Criminon didn't beg for toilet paper...
For most of Scientology's response to the lawsuit you can simply replace "Remini" with "Scientology" and it works (and usually more accurately matches reality too).