[VIDEO] What’s Wrong with Scientology, Part 5

There’s Nothing Fair About This Game

There is something very unique to the Church of Scientology that sets it apart from other religions. Like the other policies I’ve been talking about in this series, this is part of the very fabric of the organization. Many Scientologists have no idea that this goes on and would categorically deny that their church does anything like this. However, there is ample proof of it and the church even admits to this. What I’m talking about, of course, is the policy of Fair Game.

Hubbard had things to say about the subject of justice before Scientology even existed, after publishing Dianetics in 1950. But his first real codification of how to go about administering justice was in a now-obscure reference called the HCO Manual of Justice. It was published in 1959 but you won’t find it in any Church policy volumes because it’s a confidential reference.

This manual is not very long but it contains the roots of much of what is wrong with Scientology today. I have a link to it in my notes on this video and it’s easily found on the internet. I highly recommend that you read it if you are interested in how Scientology justice personnel are trained. I’m not an expert on covert intelligence operations, but my take on this manual is that it is a fascinating study in paranoia and how to make illogical conclusions almost 100% of the time.

In the introduction, Hubbard wrote:

“People attack Scientology; I never forget it, always even the score.

“People attack auditors, or staff, or organisations, or me. I never forget until the slate is clear.”

He then goes on to say:

“When things go wrong and we don’t know why already by intelligence, we resort to investigation.

“When we need somebody haunted we investigate…

“When we investigate we do so noisily always. And usually mere investigation damps out the trouble even when we discover no really pertinent facts. Remember that – by investigation alone we can curb pushes and crush wildcat people and unethical ‘Dianetics and Scientology’ organizations.”

Now in anyone else’s estimation, what Hubbard is talking about here is stalking and harassment. But he calls it investigation. And so we see a classic example of re-defining words to hide criminal activities in plain sight.

He goes on to describe how people can be interrogated on an E-meter, which he recommends be used as a lie detector, even though he said in many other lectures that an E-meter cannot be used for such a purpose as it is inaccurate in spotting if someone is actually lying.

Later in the manual, he recommends using private investigators. He says:

“Overt investigation of someone or something attacking us by an outside detective agency should be done more often and hang the expense. It’s very effective. Often investigation by a private detective has alone closed up an entheta [bad] source or a squirrel organisation. In fact at this writing I can’t remember a time when it hasn’t!

“The reason for this is simple. Of twenty-one persons found attacking Dianetics and Scientology with rumours and entheta, eighteen of them under investigation were found to be members of the Communist Party or criminals, usually both. The smell of police or private detectives caused them to fly, to close down, to confess.

“Hire them and damn the cost when you need to.”

So you see, all the way back to 1959, Hubbard had it nailed down that only evil Communists and criminals would dare to ever speak out against Scientology. So according to his logic and what he instills in his followers, if you publicly disagree with Scientology and say so, you are a Communist or a criminal or both. You should see the full list he gives in the Manual of Justice of the types of people he says to suspect.

Amazingly, if a Church attacker actually is a criminal, Hubbard’s handling is not to turn the guy in, but instead he advises to use the data to blackmail them into silence. I find this fascinating. If you got the goods on someone and you really wanted to stop them from continuing to speak out, wouldn’t you turn them into the authorities so they could go to jail? Isn’t that actually what real justice is all about?

Now with this background in mind, flash forward eight years to the very beginning of the Sea Organization and Hubbard’s release of the now infamous policy called “Penalties for Lower Conditions” on October 18, 1967.

In it, Hubbard first uses the term “Fair game” as the penalty for being an enemy. He describes this by saying “May be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed.”

Now if you read this and you remove any filters or rationalizations, what Hubbard is actually describing here is a penalty wherein a person may be beaten, stabbed, shot or even murdered and no discipline of any kind will be enacted on the offender. You can steal his mail, trash his car or burn his house down and the Scientology Ethics Officers won’t bat an eye. You get the idea.

About a year later, due to monumental bad PR from this practice, Hubbard cancelled the use of the term “Fair Game” in a policy he issued on October 21, 1968, CANCELLATION OF FAIR GAME. Notice that this does not cancel the earlier issue which includes the description of Fair Game. He made special note to mention that this did not cancel any policy on the treatment or handling of a Suppressive Person.

So this doesn’t really change or cancel anything.

As further proof of this, fast forward to 1984 when you have the Church attorneys in a court of law defending the use of Fair Game policy as a “core practice of Scientology”. So if you had any doubts up to now that what I’m talking about is somehow old or not practiced anymore or is ancient history, the Church’s own attorneys can prove you wrong.

Right now in Comal County, Texas, the stalking and harrassment of ex-Scientologist Marty Rathbun and his wife, Monique, who was never a Scientologist of any kind, is being actively defended under the same arguments by the Church. It is a matter of court record that both Scientologists and hired private investigators carried out extensive surveillance of the Rathbuns for 4-6 years.

The Church attorneys argue that this practice of Fair Game is a constitutional right guaranteed by the First Amendment as a reflection of their freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

Now technically speaking, standing outside someone’s house and calling them names all day is protected free speech under the US Constitution. So is standing outside a funeral with signs reading “Thank God for Dead Soldiers” and “Fags Doom Nations”. Just because it’s within the literal interpretation of the law does not make it right or decent or civil. In fact, “disgusting” is more the word that comes to mind.

But if this were just a free speech issue, I wouldn’t be making this video. Scientology takes this practice of Fair Game far beyond free speech. In just this most recent case with the Rathbuns, it’s again a matter of court record that they received threatening anonymous phone calls, were followed anywhere they went when they left their home, information about visitors to their home was published on the internet, Scientologists literally tried to pick fights with them and antagonized them verbally in person, and they found hidden surveillance cameras pointing to the inside of their home.

They finally got up and moved to get away from the harassment, only to be followed by Church operatives, who continued the surveillance. According to the testimony of one of the Squirrel Busters, all of this was done specifically to “make their life a living hell”, which you’ll recall is exactly what Hubbard directed be done in his Manual of Justice back in 1959.

When the church formally attempted to have the Rathbun’s suite dismissed, the judge shot them down in flames and made many interesting points in his written judgement. Amongst them was the point that the Church’s free speech defense was on very thin ice and did not really hold water given the fact that actual physical pain and suffering resulted from the Church’s actions.

Freedom of speech ends when real harm to its intended victim begins. This court case is making it clear that this activity on the Church’s part is not going to be tolerated in the courts any longer.

Pat Broeker is a name from Scientology’s history that most won’t recognize now. He was a top church executive in the 70s and 80s who worked side-by-side with David Miscavige until shortly after Hubbard’s death in 1986. Broeker was ousted as an executive.

What was revealed two years ago was that private investigators Greg Arnold and Paul Marrick were paid somewhere between $10-12 million dollars to follow Pat Broeker for 25 years and report on his every move personally to David Miscavige.

I could go on for literally hours citing example after example of how the Church has practiced Fair Game policy over the last fifty years. It is well documented all across the Internet. I’ve spoken personally with many people who right now have various Fair Game activities being directed against them, including attempts to directly stop their business activities and means of income, which is illegal. The history of the Church in this matter speaks clearly: careers ruined, relationships shattered, bank accounts gone bust and lives destroyed.

As Hubbard said, it is required that you “always even the score.” This sounds more like revenge, not justice. And when you see enemies in every single person who ever speaks badly about Scientology, then I guess you get a very inflated idea of what that “score” adds up to.

It’s not a question of “Is the Church of Scientology doing this?” There is no question about that. Just ask anyone in the upper levels of the Office of Special Affairs or the people who are paid to defend the Church.

The question is “Now that you know about it, what are you going to do?” By being a Scientologist and giving money and support to the Church, you are funding these Fair Game operations. If you ever wondered where the money you donate is going, ask yourself who pays the 17 lawyers who are actively fighting as I speak for the Church’s right to stalk, harrass and ruin not only its former members but also anyone connected with them. Each of those lawyers cost at least $500 an hour and they have been on the case full-time for months.

Who pays for the private investigators to carry out noisy investigations?

That money didn’t grow on trees. If you ever gave money to the Church, it came from you.

It may have been possible in years past to claim plausible deniability. The Office of Special Affairs works overtime to try to keep the Church’s members deaf, dumb and blind to what it spends the majority of its time doing. But the blinders need to come off.

If you truly support the idea of bringing real freedom to everyone, it starts by granting each person the right to think and speak and write what they choose, in such a way that it does not harm others. As I mentioned in Part 4 of this video series, the Creed of the Church of Scientology is supposed to guarantee these rights to every one, regardless of whether they are Scientologists or not. Publicly, the Church of Scientology is a big supporter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

There’s a big difference between talking the talk and walking the walk.

So you have to decide what you really believe in and what you are going to stand up for.

If you agree with the church attorneys that Fair Game is a “core practice of Scientology” then I supposed you consider your money is well invested. But if you see what I see and feel as I feel, then perhaps you might reconsider your position.

Thank you for watching.