From: troutman@teleport.com (Troutman, Defender of Sticks) Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: It's time for Troutman to go... Followup-To: alt.religion.scientology Date: Sun, 15 Oct 1995 23:02:00 -0800 Organization: Stick Defense Central Lines: 157 Message-ID: <45t0k8$grs@maureen.teleport.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: ip-pdx04-12.teleport.com Hey folks, After careful consideration, I have decided to stop posting to alt.religion.scientology. In the grand scheme of things on a.r.s. and in the world of those fighting against the unethical and harsh tactics of Scientology, this is an event of little or no significance. However, I have made new friends here, and I felt that I should at least tell people I'm leaving, rather than just vanishing without a trace. No, this isn't one of my trolls, though it would be a pretty good one. I will not emulate my good friend Robert Marcus and declare, "I will definitely not be posting here again." I might be back someday, but not in the real near future. I have not been threatened or assaulted by Scientologists; they haven't bothered to take the very simple steps to figure out who I really am, and I'm not really a threat to them, anyway, since I have limited myself to lampooning them for the amusement and cheer of those who find little funny about the cult and their involvement with it. I've never posted Fishman, I wasn't able to do any physical protesting, and I'm not privy to any of their dirty laundry that they don't want discovered. Mostly, I'm just out of time. This will seem gratuitous to those who are spending their lives fighting off the cult's goons, but each person needs to do what they can, when they can. I've been spending two to four hours a night, every night, reading a.r.s., slamming my head against the table trying to get out what little humor resides there into satirical posts, and wishing I could get Andy Milne into a room with me to watch him dance, swivel and wet his pants in response to questions. I also want to know, by the way, if he's the thin, nasal-voiced, humorless geek his posts suggest he is; if anybody has seen him, I'd appreciate an email message. Andy, you don't need to respond yourself, 'cause you'd just lie as usual. So anyway, I wanted to apologize to those stronger souls here for wimping out on you. If I get things organized elsewhere, I might come back in a few months, but we'll see. I assure you that I will continue to educate those people around me as to the dangers of Scientology; I am still made uneasy by the number of people I talk to who say, "Scientology? Uhh...isn't that that weird volcano place downtown? Never bothered to find out what they do there." After five minutes with me, they swear bug-eyed that they'll never go near the place, but it's a one-at-a-time thing. It's really effective to say in the space of 60 seconds, "They raided a guy in California. They raided a guy in Denver. They raided a guy in Virginia. They've threatened to shut down ISPs. They framed a woman for bomb threats because she wrote a book. They threatened the whole Internet with lawsuits. They have been illegally canceling other people's critical posts. They have prevented a man from even speaking about Scientology in any way, contrary to his rights in the Constitution. They torture dissident parishoners in concentration-camp-like settings. They have been sued and been found liable in court, but they refuse to pay the settlement." And they call themselves ethical... Before I go, I'd like to reiterate my most interesting observations about Scientology that I have learned not from the other critics here, not from the wealth of information on Web sites, BUT FROM THE FEW SCIENTOLOGISTS I HAVE SEEN POSTING HERE. THIS IS THE EFFECT THAT YOU HAVE HAD. 1. They demonstrated that their miraculous tech, which includes the ability to leave one's body, to implant thoughts into other people's minds, and to modify and control Matter, Energy, Space and Time, somehow falls short of being able to detect dozens of people in the Guardian's Office carrying out flagrantly illegal activities. The Tech also could not detect that Steve Fishman and Larry Wollersheim were flaming maniacs (according to the church) that would undercut the church's foundation of support. It fell short of being able to control the dissidents like Wollersheim, Lerma, Erlich, Cooper, Atack, Koos, RVYoung, Capricorn, dozens of posters in the Free Zone on the Internet, and 28 posters in a.r.s. 2. Scientologists have a penchant for smearing the character of those people they don't like, for whatever reason. They have many reasons that justify this behavior, including saying that such septic dumps are "the truth", but to my mind, it implies a weak will and a poor intellect when a confrontation of facts results in name- calling on the part of the Scientologist. 3. They have an Orwellian gift for reverse definitions. They silence a man's Constitutional right to speak, and declare themselves Freedom Fighters. They lose in court, and declare, literally and verbatim, "Total Victory", even as they appeal the decision. Bald lies and obvious duplicity are defended as the truth. They are "The Road to Total Freedom," while their members' minds are held captive, unable to question the behaviors, technology and people around them. 4. RPF is a harsh punishment for someone who merely begins a sentence with the word, "But..." 5. They experience fear more than any group of people I have been acquainted with. They fear the Internet and what it represents. They fear their leaders. They fear criticism. They fear confrontation. They fear their own existence. They fear the loss of their "scriptures" into the public domain. They fear what their ex-members might reveal about the organization. And they lash out in animal aggression because of their fear, spilling acid and blood, yelling at people in public, raiding homes, smearing reputations, calling people haters and bigots and racists and Nazis and criminals and rapists and child molesters and psychotics out on Usenet. All in the name of "Freedom of Religion," but it is nothing more than a basic, raw reaction to a perceived threat. 6. They have one and only one true freedom. It is the freedom from choice. Their lives and their minds are controlled, rigidly and totally, by the "tech" and the organization that administers it. They are even taught to control themselves, in case the organization must leave them alone for short periods. And because they have surrendered one of the most precious freedoms of all, the freedom to reason, they are enslaved by the chains that they themselves helped to forge. No Scientologist has ever displayed behavior to me that refutes or alters any of these observations. The closest response I would get to these statements that would approach an argument would be, "You do not understand. You should go to an org and get the truth." I have done that. I played a person without money. I was nervously shown the door. If this is the truth, then the truth may be summarized as, "Scientology is interested solely in your money. You are important only as a vehicle to procure it, or as a tool which we may use to procure it from others." If that is the truth, then I wish no part of their reality. My reality contains far more precious things than greed. In closing, I'd like to reiterate my sincerest gratitude and warmest regards and affection to those here who befriended me, and sent me kind words of encouragement in response to my presence and my posts. Though I must leave a.r.s., I would be pleased and more than willing to converse with you via email. I would also like to thank Andrew, Vera, Chris, Helena, Woody, Jet, RonArtist, Robert Marcus, Bob Wallert and Rick Davis (and most recently, DLYNNBLAIR) for helping me to understand what Scientology is really about. When I arrived here, I knew nothing about it. Now I know more than I thought possible, and I and my family are safe from the cult forever. I am indebted to the OSA for that. ...though, not in a way that would give you grounds to collect, so don't bother to send me an invoice... Take care, everyone, especially the Scientologists who read this far. You need good wishes more than most; I will continue to think good thoughts about you, in the hope that your recovery be gentle, or that you never figure it out. -- Troutman, Defender of Sticks troutman@teleport.com