Ken Rose

Former scientologist.

For instance, we were declared to be Suppressive. One day nobody we had known for many, many years would talk to us. Were they all simply exercising their individual liberties? Or were they acting out of fear... the fear of being similarly put in Coventry and denied this most fundamental freedom?

The world we woke up to this morning is not one which is dominated by scientology. But it is one in which people have, indeed, become reluctant to exercise the freedom of speech on the subject of scientology. Among those who are most reluctant are former members. For they know the church's actual position on this freedom. They know that declared SP's do, indeed, become Fair Game (meaning that they can be lied to, cheated, embarrassed, attacked or even destroyed by other scientologists).

Former members, particularly those who have been declared Suppressive Persons, know what all this is supposed to purchase: the silence of those who would be critics of scientology. Some of us were raised with the notion that "I might not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

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