Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath

[Grimalkin]

     When I heard of the forced abortions my first thought was to get PP and Zsu involved. They would picket an make hateful sermons, $ci would sue, PP would lose his shit in a delightfully wrathful way......it could go on and on and on keeping each other busy. PP vs. Miscevage.

[DaisyD]

That would be the most productive thing that either one of them ever did. I really want this to happen now.

[SHERA]

On 12/30/2016 at 7:35 AM, Peas n carrots said:

Here is a quick list of $ci books -'in the past few years here has been an explosion

Bare Faced Messiah - Russell Miller
A Piece of Blue Sky - Jon Atack
The Scandal of $cientology (Paulette Cooper's book - out of print and hard to find)
The Unbreakable Miss Lovely - Tony Ortega
Blown For Good - Marc Headley
Inside $cientology - Janet Reitman
Going Clear - Lawrence Wright
Beyond Belief - Jenna Miscavige Hill
Troublemaker - Leah Remini
Ruthless - Ron Miscavige

I'm sure I'm missing a few - these are the books off the top of my head. Each sort of cover a different angle - Leah Remini for a celebrity angle, Going Clear for a comprehensive history, A Piece of Blue Sky for a more Hubbard specific history, Beyond Belief for growing up in $ci etc.

I forgot I read Going Clear. The LRH history is amazing. His marriages, failed WW2 service, joining the cult after the war, and writing the sci fi stories during the depression. 

[purjolok84]

Yes, they do. There are many "churches" throughout Australia, and there is an Australian headquarters in Dundas. A few years ago it was discovered that CoS had a "re-education camp" set up in a home in the suburbs of Sydney. It was uncovered when someone escaped. The camp was actually a prison-like punishment camp where people were sent, a lot of the prisoners were minors as young as eight years old, when they, and I quote, "commit serious breaches of ecclesiastical rules." 
 

Dundas is where Scientologists in Sydney have their Rehabilitation Project Force, or the RPF. Running instead of walking, leftovers to eat, cleaning and study all the time, no talking to anyone unless spoken to, 24/7 until you're considered to have earned your place back. For some it can take years.

Also, in 1965 as a result of the Anderson report, Scientology was banned in Victoria, Australia. As a result, L Ron Hubbard got a lot of followers to move to England. He could contine to make money from them that way.

[nolongerIFBx]

On 12/29/2016 at 3:41 PM, Rachel333 said:

I would love to see someone do this type of thing with IBLP.

People are trying: http://www.youngmanfilms.com/ I think that they just don't have the money or name recognition that LR has to get their story on national TV.

[lilwriter85]

On 12/30/2016 at 7:35 AM, Peas n carrots said:

Here is a quick list of $ci books -'in the past few years here has been an explosion

Bare Faced Messiah - Russell Miller
A Piece of Blue Sky - Jon Atack
The Scandal of $cientology (Paulette Cooper's book - out of print and hard to find)
The Unbreakable Miss Lovely - Tony Ortega
Blown For Good - Marc Headley
Inside $cientology - Janet Reitman
Going Clear - Lawrence Wright
Beyond Belief - Jenna Miscavige Hill
Troublemaker - Leah Remini
Ruthless - Ron Miscavige

I'm sure I'm missing a few - these are the books off the top of my head. Each sort of cover a different angle - Leah Remini for a celebrity angle, Going Clear for a comprehensive history, A Piece of Blue Sky for a more Hubbard specific history, Beyond Belief for growing up in $ci etc.

There is also My Billion Year Contract by Nancy Many. Nancy was in the SeaOrg.

[PennySycamore]

"I don't want to be disconnected from your dog".  One of Aaron Smith-Levin's neighbors to Aaron's wife Heather. Aaron and Heather both left the Co$ after Aaron's mother left.  Aaron's twin brother had left years before.  Aaron and his mom began to have questions after a series of articles in the St Petersburg Tribune.   This is another heartbreaking episode.

[K'Z'K]

Aaron's on the Bunker (tonyortega.org), and he confirmed last week that the neighbor did in fact have to disconnect from the dog. She even put up a solid fence (on orders from the "church") so she wouldn't be able to see the Smith-Levins, human or canine.

Aaron's story was the first of the series that was new to me (I had heard bits of it, but hadn't kept up with things in years). And yeah, it was hella powerful.

Marc Headley reported on the Bunker that his Twitter account went so nuts during and after his episode that he got put in Twitter jail because normally only bots and accounts hijacked by bots are that active.

Paulette Cooper's Scandal of Scientology can be read here: http://www.xenu.net/archive/books/tsos/sos.html 

 

[MamaJunebug]

The bond between identical twins can be so strong … tears in my eyes watching this one. Scientology treats members worse than animals, and all so one man can live in splendor. 

Words fail.

Strength & courage, Leah & crew!

46 minutes ago, KZK said:

(snip)

 

 

Paulette Cooper's Scandal of Scientology can be read here: http://www.xenu.net/archive/books/tsos/sos.html 

 

Please read it. Ms. Cooper did her thing waaay before the internet. She was thisclose to being pushed to her death by a man who posed as her boyfriend (in reality a Scientologist) and she had to spend tens of thousands to defend herself. She's a true hero and one incredibly brave, strong human!

[Peas n carrots]

There are some interesting podcast/YouTube series as well. I recommend Chris Shelton (who is becoming quite a name in free thinking circles), Steve Mango, and Surviving $cientology Podcast by Jeffrey Augustine (whose wife is Karen La Carriere, ex wife of $ci president Huber Jentzsch).

The proverbial damn has been breached with $ci, and they have been playing whack-a-mole trying to stay on top of all the defectors speaking out. Aaron Levin made a great point yesterday on Tony Ortega's blog on how there are many $ci who aren't actively on course who stay just enough in not to get disconnected from families, so there will likely be a crackdown on those folks to get back on course.

It still amazes me how inflexible this organization is.

[Howl]

9 hours ago, PennySycamore said:

Aaron and his mom began to have questions after a series of articles in the St Petersburg Tribune. 

I find this fascinating.  Someone is having secret doubts and then reads something that lays bare the source of all those doubts.  A tip o' the hat to solid newspaper-based investigative journalism. 

I suspect people work such long hours in Sea Org because the chronically exhausted don't have time or energy to think.  Access to internet and cell phones would be strictly controlled.

Alternately, it is interesting that the people in Leah's documentary just knew they had to leave; it was an internal decision. 

Also, I want to know how the process of being audited changes people long term.  Scino$ have to bare themselves to the auditor, it seems nothing is off limits.  Does that make people more compliant or are more compliant people willing to go through this process? Inquiring minds want to know!  

[MamaJunebug]

@Howl, wrt long-term effects of auditing, it's generally accepted in the activist community that auditing sessions are recorded, the better to control members thru the threat of exposing some things the member would desperately prefer stay confidential. 

$cientology literature refers to the auditing relationship as very "priest-penitent" but IIRC in practice it's been strongly suggested to members that info from the sessions could get out.

Some wonder if holding the cans can, over time, have a physical effect on the body and  its organs. 

Then there's the very real possibility that if a person repeats the same half-truths or outright falsehoods often enough, they'll become some kind of reality. 

And then the cost of the thing!  As long as I've been reading about this group, I'd never heard the $800/hour fee, nor the requirement to be audited daily.  There's an effect on the pocketbook! As well as on one's mind, trying to make sense of devoting all that time to something  -- means it must be worthwhile, right? It must be good, right?

~~~~

Subject 2: astounded that Leah spent 13 hours of her vacation days at Flag, and was made to stand on street corners w fliers as a child!  She's a heckuva convincing actress --  I really presumed, from her sassy act on King Of Queens and on Cheers, that she was a self-confident, life-loving person IRL. 

I think her daughter is about 12 now -- more the props to her for getting out before that child's life could go down a sorry, sorry path!

[SilverBeach]

@KZK, thanks for the link, I'm going down that rabbit hole now. If only the internet and social media had been around 40 years ago, maybe so many wouldn't have been duped.

[Jana814]

I saw last nights episode. I can see how this guy's mother got sucked into Scientology. Glad he & his family are out. 

[quiversR4hunting]

1 hour ago, Jana814 said:

I saw last nights episode. I can see how this guy's mother got sucked into Scientology. Glad he & his family are out. 

I noticed that too. Also, this is the 2nd or 3rd story of single mom's getting sacked in. The lure of a community helping to raise the kids.

Leah keeps saying many of these people are 2nd and 3rd generation and they are getting out, maybe there is hope for the Gothardites. Or if they continue like the Ardnts and Maxwells they will fizzle themselves out. 

[Peas n carrots]

@MamaJunebug I believe the upper OT level auditing (OTVII/OTVIII) is the $800/HR and can only be done at Flag - so not only do you have the auditing fees but the cost of room/board/travel and not to mention, time as well. Actually, IIRC OTVIII must be done on the Freewinds, so you are literally cornered by $ci with no where to go and usually have to fork over donations to Regge's on a frequent basis. I think it's been quoted to attain OTVIII you are spending a minimum of $250k.

[SHERA]

I just watched the episode. I want to just cry, ok it might be that I'm pregnant with twins. The dog wasn't disconnected is hilarious. The tinted window SUVs remind me of how the FLDS follows people around town.

[Howl]

9 hours ago, SHERA said:

The tinted window SUVs remind me of how the FLDS follows people around town.

When Leah reads Co$ allegations against those who are highlighted on each episode it always reads like bad North Korean propaganda.  It's amazing the extent to which Co$ has developed AND INSTITUTIONALIZED the worst aspects of various cults and political regimes; for example, shunning (disconnection) AND enemy of the state (squirrels).  Although Co$ doesn't kill people en masse (that we know of), descriptions of The Hole make it clear that it's a prison specializing in psychological torture and a re-education camp rolled into one. 

I was watching the current episode last night (Mark and Claire Headley) when hubby came home.  He was thinking, shouldn't they be able to cover all of this in 30 minutes and be done?  Well no.  Each episode has been heartrending in it's own way, clarified what Scientologists believe and what keeps them in and how they come to the conclusion that they HAVE to leave.  It also shows the reach of  Co$, the fanaticism in tracking down and harassing those who have left, and most important, that they are an AMORAL organization.  "There is no unconditional love in Scientology."  The word merciless comes to mind. 

I've read two or three of the books listed above, but's still gobsmacked at what goes on in this "church". 

[Imrlgoddess]

Soooo who's making the special email account to send PP the info?  Come on ya'll, it'll be like siccing the Huns on the Mongols...or whichever awful people from a similar time period....

[Peas n carrots]

I think the good thing about this show that goes beyond $ci is showing how nice, normal, intelligent people can get caught up in a cult. Many people think "psshhww that will never happen to me" or "how can people be so stupid" and this show does a good job showing how it can happen.

[quiversR4hunting]

This quote from the Headley episode needs to be repeated.

12 hours ago, Howl said:

 "There is no unconditional love in Scientology." 

[SHERA]

14 hours ago, Howl said:

When Leah reads Co$ allegations against those who are highlighted on each episode

Have you noticed they are exactly the same for each person? It's getting boring. Can't $ci come up with new false allegations. 

[lilwriter85]

Leah is going to be on 20/20 tomorrow night.

[Howl]

DVR is set to record, @lilwriter85! 

 

The disclaimers (aired three times during each episode?) must have Co$ lawyers wetting the bed every night, because including them closes avenues for litigation -- Co$' favorite cudgel (besides harassing people).  A Co$ Scientology lawyer is going to be on Good Morning America this morning (Friday, Jan 6), I assume in response to Scientology and the Aftermath. I think it's Monique Yingling, but I'll have to wait until the segment airs. 

Rolling Stone magazine has been following along and doing a recap after each episode.  

5 Things We Learned From Leah Remini's Scientology-Exposé TV Show

5 Things We Learned From 'Scientology and the Aftermath,' Episode 2

5 Things We Learned From 'Scientology and the Aftermath,' Episode 3

5 Things We Learned From 'Scientology and the Aftermath,' Episode 4

5 Things We Learned From 'Scientology and the Aftermath,' Episode 5

5 Things We Learned From 'Scientology and the Aftermath,' Episode 6

These are excellent recaps, with some details that I had missed or forgotten. 

Each recap has this disclaimer at the end. 

The Church of Scientology has requested that we include the statement below in this recap:

"Leah Remini is doing this for the money and now tries to pretend otherwise. Ms. Remini is being compensated for this show, just as she profited from her book. In addition, she attempted to extort the Church by first demanding $500,000, followed by an additional $1 million, because the Church invoked its First Amendment right to respond to her false claims with the truth. This shows the extent Leah Remini is willing to go to in order to distort the truth about Scientology.

"Remini has repeatedly disparaged and exploited her former faith for profit and attention through a series of failed publicity stunts, culminating in her reality TV show featuring [former members] who have been telling differing versions of the same false tales of abuse for years." 

From theWrap.com: 

Quote

“Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath” debuted to an impressive 2.1 million viewers on A&E on Tuesday night.

The premiere episode, which scored 913,000 viewers in the key adults 18-49 demographic, was the network’s No. 1 new series launch in more than two years.

 

[Howl]

Just watched the Good Morning America segment; it had a brief clip of Monique Yingling saying she wished Leah Remini would just get on with her life and stop with criticizing Scientology already.  The kindest thing I can say is that Monique Yingling does not have honest eyes.  My understanding is that she is NOT a Scientologist. This clip of Yingling on GMA is related to flogging the episode of 20/20 referenced by @lilwriter85 upthread.  The 20/20  episode is Scientology: A War Without Guns.