Dear "Lily"

By Chuck Beatty more
24 August 2006

Source: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion.scientology/msg/5d90dd890dc4a791

Context: "Lily" is an identity posting on the newsgroup alt.religion.scientology, who attempt regularly to confuse newcomers into not finding out more critical materials about Scientology. It is strongly suspected that "Lily" is a member of the Church of Scientology.

Dear Lily,

Well, my thoughts are that you are a well intentioned man or woman living in Austria, which might explain your repeating that you are NOT a Scientologist nor have anything to do with Scientology, because over there the normal middle class person's fear of being in ANY way associated with Scientology is very intense.

I appreciate, and ex Sea Org members who have read your and Truthseeker's posts, who commented to me, appreciate only ONE aspect of your and Truthseeker's posts, which is where you recommend people go to the FBI, go to police, and all the other list of regular authorities.

I thank you for reminding people of doing that simple thing!  That IS the right thing.

I myself was in the Happy Valley RPF (rehabilitation project force, which is the Sea Org's redemption program to supposedly redeem fallen Sea Org members from the top ranks of the Sea Org), and there were long periods of time where daily I contemplated going to the police, and asking for help.

So I can tell you, encouraging the Sea Org members who feel trapped, who are physically restrained, who feel they are being held against their will, I agree with you completely, and I wish the message could somehow be gotten to them.

It IS okay for them to ask for help from the police, if they feel trapped and restrained from leaving.

It is truly one of the most uncomfortable feelings, and I felt it, for months, I was contemplating escaping ("blowing" is the slang word in Scientology).

But I never decided fully to blow because I felt that it was ridiculous and dishonorable.

I felt that instead the church should revise and speed up the leaving procedures.

I tried leaving the first time, Jan 1997 until August 1997, I failed, and decided to stay.

I was convinced to stay, and I regret that I allowed myself to be convinced to stay for an additional 5 and 1/2 years.   (I was almost 7 years on the RPF.)

In my case, in Jan 1997 I was on the RPF, I told my fellow members on the RPF that I wished to leave the Sea Org.  That resulted in a 7 month procedure that I saw I was NOT close to completing even after 7 months.  That of course is ridiculous and extreme.

So it was during this frustrating period of 7 months while I was going through the procedures for leaving the church, that I then began contemplating escaping, and pushing that idea aside, then I contemplated simply openly walking to the security guard who attended the RPF camp, and informing that person that I wished to leave, and just openly leave, but I knew the results of openly leaving would result in my physical restraints most likely, and that a physical struggle I contemplated would then escalate into a fight and then escalate to me requesting help from the police.

So, your encouragement for people to go to the police, for the people who were in situations in the Sea Org (the lifetime staffer bureaucrats who administer the upper structure of the church of Scientology) is relevant.

Let me explain details about life for the people who would appreciate your and Truthseeker's message, the part of the message you spread which is valuable I feel.

It is during the frustrating predicaments and moments when Sea Org members WISH to leave, and are prevented, are slowed down by the bureaucratic rules, it is THERE that the people wishing to leave SHOULD have access to police, so they can complain, and get outside help to get OUT.

I had been in the Sea Org for 27 years, from 1975 until March 2003, and in Feb and Mar 2003, while I was waiting for my final final bureaucratic authorization to leave the Sea Org, I proclaimed I was going to the public library, and I did so.

I mention going to the library, even while I was in the RPF because RPF members are NOT allowed to do such things.  I was allowed, simply because I threatened worse things.  I threatened going to the LA Times newspaper and I threatened seeking a lawyer because I knew it was NOT correct that the procedures for leaving the Sea Org should take that long (I had been waiting over a years, from Dec 2001 until Dec 2002 my second attempt and final attempt to "standardly" leave the Sea Org).

At one of the LA public library branches, where I went daily, with a person assigned to accompany me so I didn't escape (they wouldn't have restrained me physically, they just were with me and would have reported back to the RPF and back to the church security guards had I run off, but I didn't intend to run away since I'd waited months and months through the procedures, so planned rather to complete the procedures), anyways at the library I looked on the internet, first for job information.

Then I started looking at the sites on L. Ron Hubbard, "Ron the War Hero" or something like that.  Critical sites.  Then I saw Arnie Lerma's site.  I dared not look too much at these sites, I thought I will have time later to look at all these sites.

It would have been a chance in a million if I would have found the messages you or Truthseeker post here, which is the point of me saying all the above.

I WOULD have appreciated YOUR post above, only the part of your post where you strongly encourage people to go to the FBI and authorities.

That part of your message truly is good.

However you promote that message, I applaud you for it.

Thank you for that part of your postings.

I believe, from your answers, that you are a well intentioned Austrian middle class person, who like you say, has nothing to do with Scientology, and who only wishes somehow to get the message of common sense, telling those members, like I WAS, like I described above, and I can tell you, if you were in Los Angeles, on a street corner, and you politely and in a friendly helpful way carried a sign or handed me a leaflet with a friendly easily understood leaflet of information on my rights to seek police or other help, in escaping from the restraints of being in the RPF, and if you looked like a decent and kind and understanding person, and you looked like someone who understands compassionately the predicaments of the people who are at times in the Sea Org in these frustrating predicaments, THEN I would have gladly stopped, taken a leaflet from you, and I would have read it, and I might have just walked out, called the police and asked for help.

So Lily, thank you if your intent was anything aligning with helping the people who are in the predicaments.

ARS is an advanced critics site.  Some people posting here have been doing battle with Scn for over a decade.

The people who really need your advice, were ME!  About 3 and 1/2 years ago, like I said, had I seen looking like a decent compassionate, smart, understanding and cheerful face on a street corner near the RPF facilities in Los Angeles, and you handed me a 1 page leaflet with a simply written message saying I had a right to go to the police if I felt I was being restrained against my will, or that gave me a phone number for outside advice how to leave the Sea Org more quickly, THEN I would have wished to give you a big hug.

There are a few people inside, who would appreciate that part of your post above, the part that encourages people to seek help from society's institutions that are set up to help people who are in abusive situations.

Not all the Sea Org members find themselves at all times in the extreme abusive situations.  Mostly the abusive predicaments that frustrate Sea Org members come when the Sea Org members asks to leave the Sea Org, and the Sea Org and Scientology rules act as a restraining barrier from letting the person leave within a reasonable amount of time.  These are the times I would have liked to have had someone like you handing me the message you post on the internet.

Glad you respond quickly.  Thanks for your efforts.  The people you wish to reach, I can tell you where they sit, at this minute.  There are always a small group of RPF members who are asking to "route out" (route out is the name of the procedure for leaving the Sea Org, leaving their lifetime commitment to being in the Sea Org).  It is amongst those people who are walking around the hallways which the RPF members are allowed to walk in, in the big blue building in LA. RPFers wishing to leave are seperated most of the time from all staff and the rest of the RPFers.  The RPFers who are wishing to leave, the ones who might be frustrated with the procedures for leaving, like I was, would be the ones you might want to get your message to.

If you or others want to discuss how to get your important advice to those people who need to have the support and advice, that would be a good thing.

Depending on the day to day treatment of the people who wish to leave, those are the people most needing your message.

There are at all times others in the Sea Org, who suddenly "blow" (escape without authorization, without going through the Sea Org procedures for leaving, called "routing out"), and those people also might benefit from your message.

I suggest you ignore the OSA people working here, and repeat the most valuable part of your message, the part about going to authorities, and also I think you should also connect with some of us who are public, who are willing to network the people coming out to their old friends.

That's what I do.

There are OSA people, volunteers, working on ARS and other sites. Sure, and us ex members know who the actual Sea Org people are, Gloria Idda, and others like Lynn Farney, those are two Office of Special Affairs staff right there at the HGB building, which I worked in, on the same floor where my ex wife works today still, Gloria and Lynn will read my and your conversation later today or this week sometime.

I being a former member, all my posts on the internet go into a file, so if they choose to ever take action against me, they have all my public writings, etc., etc.

Realize that the people who worked for the church, for decades, me it was 27 years (my final 6-7 years I spent in the RPF groups), many of us appreciate the small and large parts of the critical internet sites and chat groups for the good information amongst all the other chatter.

The good part of your and Truthseeker's messages are buried though, and I suggest if you want to help get the good message ("go to authorities") across, that you simplify to it.

I coming out, was bewildered by all the layers of conversation on ARS, when I came out.

It has taken me a year, I've met and talked on the phone with dozens of the main critics posting.

It is only after almost 2 years now, of talking and interacting with the dozens of people, do I understand better.

It is confusing, but if you really want to meet the people, I see your circumstances are that you are in Austria, fine, calling me is not an option, but I am free to hear from anyone, at anytime, by email, by phone.

I am known by thousands of Scientologists, because I interacted with thousands during my years working with them.

I'll talk to any of them, and give advice if they ask, or hear their stories, or just say hello.

The people who get to this level of internet surfing, looking on ARS, are pretty advanced.

Clambake is easier, and you will notice that the latest people going public, go to Clambake first, simply because it is easier to get onto ARS and post and chat there.

The people you wish to reach with your positive advice to go to authorities, those people are behind the walls in the RPF groups, and are the Sea Org members who won't unfortunately hear your messages. Only exceptions, like me, where I insisted on going to the library, only I had a small chance of hearing your message, but when I went to the library and got on the internet I had NOT figured out how to get onto ARS.

Helping get a leaflet listing people's rights to go to authorities for any violations like of freedom to leave the church and freedom NOT to be under "watch" or restraints, or freedom NOT to have to suffer through months and months of the Sea Org leaving procedures, THAT would be a positive good thing.  It is psychologically demeaning to have to withstand the months and months of leaving procedures.  I did it twice, and luckily I was successful my second attempt.  I could have "blown", but I wanted instead for the church to revise the procedures, and make them shorter.  Which in most cases I heard after I left, it was speeded up, which I was happy to hear.

The best part of your message, again, is the fact that you call on people to go to society's outside existing institutions for assistance.

I totally agree, because Scientology isolates itself from society's institutions, and the abuses in Scientology's staff hierarchies need at times outside intervention.

Best, Chuck Beatty
Pittsburgh, USA
412-260-1170