A funny thing happened to me as I went to post my latest blog entry: I hesitated.
The blog entry in question – the one I’ve been talking about for a week now, which frankly isn’t anything even approaching a big deal – is called The Truth About “Look, Don’t Listen,” and it’s about the true origin of that phrase, its common misattribution, and why it is so odd that the Independent movement should adopt it as a rallying cry.
The blog entry talks quite a bit about Marty Rathbun and the Independent Scientology movement, and that’s what has given me a moment of pause. This whole Squirrel Squad episode has garnered sympathy from a lot of people – including, it seems, me.
I’m not prone to sympathy for former Church leaders who still practice Scientology. Marty was responsible for harassment just like this, and I suppose it serves him right to be on the receiving end. And if he is to be believed, it’s not the first time the Church has sent someone to his doorstep.
Still, it’s clear from the tone of Marty’s voice in his own video that he was shaken. Angry, to be sure, but also startled. That’s what makes this really disturbing. Marty’s a true Rondroid — a tone-40, TRs-in, hyper-focused, LRH-lovin’, on-policy son-of-a-bitch — and yet when four guys in silly T-shirts show up on his doorstep, it clearly rattles his cage. I don’t know why that bothers me so much, but it does.
Another issue is that I don’t want to be seen as piling on Marty along with the Church. I’ve had Indies accuse me of being part of OSA, and to this day I can’t be sure if Marty really believes that (I hope he’s not that dumb) or if he’s just trying to “dead-agent” me (which means he thinks his followers are that dumb). That sort of accusation doesn’t bother me, because anyone who can think logically – my target audience, in other words – can see that I oppose Scientology in all its forms. Regardless, the idea that someone grounded in reality might even perceive me of doing anything that forwards the Church’s agenda makes my skin crawl.
That said, it’s hard to sit here and watch Marty bask in the sympathy, especially when he makes it sound as if he’s winning friends in the media.
Of course, what Marty says is a media victory isn’t necessarily one. Take today’s Marty story, Human Rights Tolerance Award Winner Tom Cruise, which is actually about Tom Cruise’s daughter allegedly moving in with Mom to get away from all the Scientology stuff. Marty sez:
“The Daily, a new internet news medium, just reported that perhaps Tom’s daughter has split with him and the ‘church’ of Scientology.”
That’s not entirely true. The Daily article (which you can read here) doesn’t differentiate the Church from the practice of Scientology; it sounds as if Isabella is trying to get away not just from the Church, as Marty alleges, but from Scientology in general (which, if the story is true, is probably the case – otherwise why go to her non-believing mom?).
In fact, to read Marty and Mike’s quotes, you’d think they were former Scientologists who have left all that bullshit behind. Aside from making Marty and Mike out to be reliable sources, the article is actually a “win” for the anti-Scientology movement; Marty and Mike have succeeded in conveying just how creepy Scientology is.
Marty, of course, is trying to spin this on his own site:
“I have dealt with so many mothers and fathers (Scientologists and non-Scientologists) whose Scientologist kids were turned against them…”
I have to interrupt – this is true, and it’s all down to LRH’s “PTS/SP tech. If someone, anyone, criticizes your Scientology beliefs, “handle or disconnect” – so sayeth Marty’s guru, L. Ron Hubbard!
“…including the wonderful woman whom I am now auditing – that this topic is literally smack-dab in the center of my plate.
“I think it is significant, and ironic in a sense, that Miscavige’s best friend and closest confidant may be experiencing the backfire of this venomous “seize their children’s minds” technique perfected by Miscavige himself.”
Nice try, Marty, but the damage has been done – and I thank you for it.
There is one thing Marty said that really bothers me:
“Fact of the matter is the tactics Miscavige has employed to turn children and teen agers into unthinking and ruthless automatons are chilling. A series on that score will follow as time permits.”
I’m looking forward to hearing exactly what tactics Miscavige has employed, because I’ll bet you dollars to donuts they can be explained by LRH policy. I’ll bet you Marty won’t tell us that. I’ll bet he censors any comments that do. And you can bet that I will use this blog to show you the LRH policies that David Miscavige is following.
You know, I feel a lot better now that I’ve gotten all that off my chest. The Squrrel Squad incident doesn’t change the fact that Marty is still trying to lure people off the path away from Scientology. And it doesn’t change my mission to help ensure that people know better.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to give Look, Don’t Listen a final edit.
ML,
Caliwog
Caliwog's Blog 
I always keep in the back of my mind that ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that Cwazy Widdle Dave and Marty do, think, breathe is straight out of ElRon’s playbook. Each may have interpreted ElRon’s words differently, but they are both members of the same destructive cult.
There are dozens and maybe hundreds of people who’s lives have been destroyed by these two.
With that in mind there is nothing that either can do to the other including murder that would cause the average ‘wog’ to even notice.
I think you have been having a ‘twinge’ of conscience, something that a $cientologist neither has nor wishes to. When dealing with people who destroy other people’s lives on a regular basis, there is no room for a conscience. Let the squirrels fight it out, and the chips fall where they may.
What bothers me about the whole squirrel squad thing is that it is being spoken of as if it is of comparable magnitude to what was done to someone like Paulette Cooper, or Gerry Armstrong, or, or, or. What about what was done to David Mayo? What about the raids on Dennis Erlich? And that isn’t the end of the list.
I understand Marty being rattled. However they are not IMO incidents of comparable magnitude.
Outstandingly good point.
ML, CW
Putting aside your thoughtful comments re the conflict in finding sympathy for Marty where his ex Holy Corporation attacks him with the same tactics he otherwise endorses when historical revisionism demands, I just want to add one more subtle dishonesty in Marty’s post on Tom Cruise’s daughter, found in the introduction:
Though the above is technically true, it would have been far more accurate for Marty to have acknowledged that the story consists almost entirely of allegations made by Marty. Which, to be sure, is obvious enough to most readers I’d think; but it still indicative of Marty interest in selling outweighs his interest in honesty. There was no story here until Marty picked up the phone and decided to plant these allegations (which he can be sure wouldn’t be dignified by a response from Cruise or Kidman), yet Marty spins as if he was a bystander.
Also, am I the only one icked by Marty divulging this information about Cruise’s kids? Both Cruise and Kidman have been pretty protective of their privacy and neither are public figures. I realize it’s not medical information Marty’s decided to divulge so there’s no real legal implications, but how is this story not gratuitously needless? It seems as if Marty gave zero thought to how this planted story might affect those kids, so long as it annoyed DM. Enjoy your Big Win, asshole.
Yeah, Tikk – I too am icked.
Hadn’t joined-the-dots on that one. Thanks tikk.
Have you seen Marty’s latest post? He’s finally made someone a Real Clear(tm)!
Now he can get working on those pesky Body Thetans.
I’m squicked out by dragging any underage person (I believe she’s 17) into a pissfight. And this one’s especially unjust – she’s also a child of an obviously unpleasant divorce, which brings its own set of insecurities. It’s rough enough being a teenager without being turned into a public pawn in other people’s battles. He’ll deny it all day long, but Marty knows damn well that poking sticks at this will stir up press. And in this, too, he’s a slave to “LRH tech” – I’m sure he believes it’s “the greatest good for the greatest number of dynamics.”
Life isn’t strictly binary, and it’s quite possible, even human, to be both sympathetic to people being harassed and critical of their actions (as long as you’re not practicing Scientology!) “Standard LRH tech” drove both sides of the debacle – Marty had no more ability to close the door and call the cops than the goon squad did to refuse Miscavige’s orders and leave him alone. And the way everyone struggled and failed to maintain “tone 40” is just another sign of slavery. What truly free person takes their code of acceptable behavior from a destructive, drugged out dead psychotic manipulator? Personally, I feel sorrow for EVERYONE who believes in Hubbard’s bullshit.
Hubbard was a greedy calloused maniacal despot who ruined every life he came near with his hypnotic bag of tricks.
All his ex wives(including foolish Mary Sue whom he set up for jail time) and abandoned children whom he failed miserably to provide for are clear evidence of that he was in his own words out of “Science of Survival” a despicable cur.
With people without self repsect like Marty still at his feet after a shameful death idolizing him shows the extent of how the hypnotic trance he has laid in these lost souls.
Marty gets these preclears to pay and go in session to create things in their minds that weren’t there to start with and then later when these suckers realize they are making the shit up they are now clear!
What does that tell you about Marty and why he flinched from the Squirell Busters.
This reminds me of a time when I heard one con man tell another conman who was poaching on his turf ” Hey I’m working the marks on this side of the street” That’s really all I see here.
Oh Yea SF,
He put his “Clear” right on display in the front window for all to see.
“Look at what a great auditor I am, come on down to Casablanca spend a few bucks and I can make all of your troubles disappear and you too can become a CLEAR yessireebob”
Eventually he will have gone through all the butt kissers from his blog-roll,he is going to have to start working on the public at large.
I wonder when Marty will start advertising his “services” in the local Penny-Saver.
ttfn
Except he can’t “go through” his followers. His bridge likely has no more of an end point to it than the official CoS one. There’s always more auditing to do.
It’s very clear he has no idea how to market to anyone who isn’t already sold on Scientology.
“Tone 40” only works if you have the entire organization at your back and whomever you are using it on knows it. It does not work on non-scientologists. Mostly, we are like LOL Whut?
I believe Marty is typical of most Scienos. He’s only a “tough son of a bitch” if he has lots of back-up. One on one he’s a pussy.
<100 comments so far on the Isabella Cruise post, so I'm guessing his followers didn't like it much either.
ML, CW
And/or he is not posting the negatives.