“When they go high, we don’t care.” That’s the extreme scream of fanatical zealots in the Republican party; zealots who don’t bring guns to a knife fight- they bring assault rifles. I used to think that they would stop on their own, come back to their senses as it were… but that aint happening. Kinda like making Jim Jordan feel shame, which won’t happen because that requires remorse, and remorse requires a conscience. He left that in a locker room at Ohio State. A sociopath in public office is a Putin and when a sociopath took an elevator down to a cesspool of American politics, he exploited what was in basement bargain bins- and put America on sale. Not one to turn down an opportunity to take a buck, Elevator Egomaniac moved into the People’s House for the publicity and grift, not to work! The con that sold the snake oil became an “accidental President,” then put people to work for him. We know now how that turned out. But this isn’t about Tiny-Hands-Man; I’m so exhausted of talking about him! This is about the murder hornets he unleashed; anything but playing fair.
America came to be after leaving a monarchy; a country for people to think and live independent of the powers that be. Good intentions were honorable, in theory, but have lacked in practice. Far from being a utopia, at least progress has been made. Yet when the IRS gave in to Scientology, taxes were still collected. Who paid for purchases like four mansions awaiting Hubbard’s return from the dead? Working-class taxpayers. Don’t we owe our kids better than that? Before El Gordo, another mere mortal of a man, a seafaring sociopath wrote Dianetics, which launched Scientology. L. Ron Hubbard (LRH) has yet to move into one of four empty mansions and the man who “owns” them now, David Miscavige, dictates where all tax-exempt dollars go.
Scientology has been exempted from paying taxes since the 1990’s, even though the “Sea Org,” short for organization, within Scientology, manages the behavior of current members and recruits new ones. An IRS boss gave Scientology a get-out-of-jail free card from paying taxes, but a religion gets an exemption status because it’s supposed to use that for a public good; what Scientology uses its vast wealth for is anything but. Full disclosure: I have great disdain for organized religion, but I’m not an atheist and I don’t think of all religions as cults. Scientology is.
I remember a night many moons ago when I was up late, enjoying the quiet hours when kids- and husband- were asleep. Being able to watch whatever I wanted, no sports or Nick at Night, was great, even if infomercials were the only things to watch. (Before Smart TV and streaming.) I remember this night well because of a long infomercial for Dianetics. I was drawn to what it was selling: making the planet a better place and how to become a part of that. There was much on past lives, living forever, blah, blah, blah- but that was lost in the “a greater good” part. That was as far as I got but to this day, I still remember that night. After The Branch Davidians sensationalized Waco, TX, I thought about a certain infomercial and thought: “There but for the grace of God...” I’m happy to say that the only club I joined was Tupperware. I say I’m reasonably intelligent and raised to think independently. My Mom, fairly religious, didn’t try to suppress my questions from the pew and Dad, God-fearing atheist, never encouraged me to rebel against a church he never sat in. So, with curious nature, I’ve been able to wonder about people and places without getting lost in message. But I understand how reasonably intelligent people get drawn in.
People who hear a message, as I did, but join a cult for “a greater good,” aren’t responsible for the malfeasance committed by sociopaths, but are still responsible for swarming like murder hornets. We live amongst nefarious people who manipulate good faith for self-interest of personal wealth and power. When they exploit vulnerability, it’s to use people to do the work they don’t want to dirty their hands over, thus, predators are groomed to attack viciously- like murder hornets. “Fair Game” is an LRH commandment: go after dissenters viciously- no matter what. This is how the Rs operate; attack anyone who disagrees, never talk about what they’re doing, and no lines they won’t cross. “Attack the attacker” is what they’re doing now with the FBI and IRS. Tactics and rage attacks mirror Scientology’s murder hornets, who harass critics in screaming swarms, accusing them of trying to take away their 1st amendment rights. Following what LRH commands, they don’t attack the organization, they attack the individual, as they did in going after IRS employees. To “investigate noisily” is Scientology dogma. Facts be damned. Laws be damned. Hypocrisy be damned. Hard to discern a Republican from a Scientologist. At this writing, Christianity is the one religion politicians reveal with zest, but in the media, I know of one high-ranking Scientologist: Greta Van Susteren.
The FBI raid in 1977 arrested and later convicted Mrs. Hubbard (not LRH) but not just evidence of tax evasion was found; discovered was evidence of how Scientologists “Fair Gamed” Paulette Cooper, that put a target on her and the Wrath of Ron. A fierce critic of Scientology, Paulette Cooper wrote “The Scandal of Scientology;” a powerful read exposing the cult, and she had to live with a swarm of murder hornets until she could take no more. She defended herself best she could, but like Salmon Rushdie, the Fatwah was on. Then came the raid in 1977. The evidence against Scientology as to how they would get Paulette arrested, how she was “Fair Game,” finally exonerated Paulette... but not before she suffered great personal and professional loss.
She isn’t the only one who’s been “Fair Gamed,” yet people need to do their own research; there is just too much in its history for me to write about as a dairy. But after Bill Berkowitz posted his dairy 8-19-22, “The Family Research Council, a Powerful DC Lobbying Group, is a Church? C’mon Man!” I felt compelled to write. Jeff Sharlet wrote a book, “The Family” which later became a documentary (on Hulu), a revelation into the tentacles that influence policies in DC, in complete anonymity. If there is to be real change in this country, to not just talk democracy but actually be one, “Dark Money” has to stop (Citizens United). Like the millions the Catholic Church gave anti-abortion activists to sway a vote in Kansas that was ultimately defeated, twice. Tax-exemption my arse! The People have to make transparency, transparent. We can do this… but will We? “Democracy Dies in Darkness.”