Some people argue that L. Ron Hubbard is not responsible for the atrocious behaviour and mistreatment of others which we sometimes see in Sea Org members, and that they are “misinterpreting policy.”

The problem is NOT that policy is not being applied, the problem lies with the policy that IS being applied.

The actual truth of the matter is that whilst the policy may not expressly dictate that Sea Org members should punch, scream at or belittle others, the policy certainly sets the tone for such behaviour, and creates a culture of superiority and intolerance toward others.

Herewith are some examples which prove this point:

Beating staff

Where did David Miscaviage get the idea from to beat his staff? From, “Source,” of course!

Degraded Beings

Hubbard said that 95% of people are “degarded beings.”

“Degraded beings are about eighteen to one over Big Beings in the human race (minimum ratio). So those who keep things going are few.”

–L. Ron hubbard, HCO POLICY LETTER OF 22 MARCH 1967, Issue I, ALTER-IS AND DEGRADED BEINGS.

He also said that people who leave the Sea Org are DBs, i.e. Degraded Beings:

The “Greatest Good”

“When people do start reporting a staff member with a high statistic, what you investigate is the person who turned in the report.

In an ancient army a particularly brave deed was recognized by an award of the title of Kha-Khan. It was not a rank. The person remained what he was, BUT he was entitled to be forgiven the death penalty ten times in case in the future he did anything wrong. That was a Kha-Khan. That’s what producing, high-statistic staff members are – Kha-Khans.They can get away with murder without a blink from Ethics…. And Ethics must recognize a Kha-Khan when it sees one – and tear up the bad report chits on the person with a yawn.”

— L. Ron Hubbard, Introduction to Scientology Ethics

“The sudden and abrupt deletion of all individuals occupying the lower bands of the Tone Scale from the social order would result in an almost instant rise in the cultural tone and would interrupt the dwindling spiral into which any society may have entered.”

— L. Ron Hubbard, Science of Survival

Perhaps one of the more significant policies that determine the general Scientologist’s frame of mind is “The Responsibility of Leaders.”  The essay is Hubbard’s criticism of Simon Bolivar and his consort, Manuela Saenz. He analyses what he feels they did wrong and what they should have done to be successful.

Listen to some of the things he criticized Manuela for not doing:

“…she never collected or forged or stole any documents to bring down enemies…”

“…she never used a penny to buy a quick knife…”

“She never handed over any daughter of a family clamouring against her to Negro troops and then said ‘Which oververbal family is next.’”

He also recommends that those working for a power give that power deniability – the famous “pink legs” quote. And he recommends always “pushing power to power”:

“It may be more money for the power or more ease or a snarling defence of the power to a critic or even the dull thud of one of his enemies in the dark…”

He also has the following policy:

“When you move off a point of power, pay all your obligations on the nail, empower all your friends completely and move off with your pockets full of artillery, potential blackmail on every erstwhile rival, unlimited funds in your private account and the addresses of experienced assassins and go live in Bulgravia and bribe the police.”

Gee, suddenly my PC folders dont feel so “confidential” anymore…

I know, I know, this is all “taken out of context” and “he really didn’t mean it” and “he was only kidding,” and so on. No, re-read the essay. Read it for what it actually says.

The fact is, this represents the exact culture of Scientology, a culture which is steeped in this kind of totalitarian ethics. It is the culture which it creates which is at fault. And the culture stems directly from the policy and writings of L. Ron Hubbard.

Disconnection

Antagonists to the Church of Scientology are declared by the Church to be antisocial personalities, Potential Trouble Sources (PTS), or Suppressive Persons (SPs). The Church teaches that association with these people impedes a member’s progress along the “Bridge to Total Freedom.”

In Introduction to Scientology Ethics, L. Ron Hubbard sets out the doctrine that by being connected to Suppressive Persons, a Scientologist could become a Potential Trouble Source (PTS):

“A Scientologist can become PTS by reason of being connected to someone that is antagonistic to Scientology or its tenets. In order to resolve the PTS condition, he either HANDLES the other person’s antagonism (as covered in the materials on PTS handling) or, as a last resort when all attempts to handle have failed, he disconnects from the person. He is simply exercising his right to communicate or not to communicate with a particular person.”

He defined handling as an action to lessen a situation towards an antagonistic individual by means of communication, and disconnection as a decision to cut communication with another individual.

Hubbard also stated that failure, or refusal, to disconnect from a “Suppressive Person” is a Suppressive Act by itself. In one case cited by the UK Government, a six-year-old girl was declared Suppressive for failing to disconnect from her mother.

(And no, disconnection was not cancelled by Hubbard, as is clearly shown here)

Sea Org Pay

Hubbard instituted a policy stating that Sea org members shall only earn around $20.00 “pocket money” a week.

Even these days, SO members typically don’t earn very much more than that. Note that the pay structure has nothing to do with that amount being all that he could afford to pay them, it has to do with the fact that that is what Hubbard was willing to pay Sea Org members.

Here is a quote from Flag Order 3075-2 “Sea Org Members Basic Allowance”

“It has been longstanding Command Intention that staff in the Sea Org receive a weekly allowance that is sufficient to allow for ‘pocket money’. Therefore, Basic Sea Org allowance is hereby increased to $17.20 per week. This applies to Sea Org staff on full time duty. Those on part time duty receive 1/2 pay per existing policy. This is effective upon receipt and is to be immediately  implemented.”

–-L. Ron Hubbard

And here is another policy regarding Sea Org allowances:

SEA ORGANIZATION FLAG ORDER 732 16 May 1968

(Reissued 22 June 1988. Only change is correction of typographical errors.

Corrections in script.)

ALLOWANCES

It should be plainly understood that the weekly sum given to Sea Org members is not salary.

It is pocket money to keep them in cigarettes and other small expenses.

I, also receiving no salary, have personally borne Sea Org expenses and as recently as May ’68 paid for all the repairs and expenses of Avon River out of my own accounts.

Through the carelessness of accountants and Pursers, no proper receipts and disbursements statements have been made to date and no estimates can therefore be made of what the Sea Org costs a week and what the AO earns. Through this deficiency, no bonus system can be drawn up at this time.

It has for some while been my intention to begin a bonus system which, while not great, would help successful Sea Org members with personal expenses.

Additionally we are earning a whole planet.

A Sea Org member is supposed to get:

*His allowance

*His transport

*His clothes

*His laundry

*His food

*A bunk

*Medical expenses

*His courses

*His grades.

If we can ever get the ’66, ’67 and ’68 receipts and disbursements sums of the org as a whole, a modest bonus system can be worked out as rewards for duties well done and periodically paid.

–L. RON HUBBARD COMMODORE

When Hubbard says he received no salary from scientology, that was untrue. At the very least he received royalties off the books and lectures his staff were selling.

And here is a communication from a Sea Org member which shows clearly indicates how $50 can be seen as fit exchange for even the most sterling work done:

So yes, the reason your staff pay was so shitty is because LRH made it to be shitty.

Just remember the Allocation Form which was done every end of the week, and remember how much money went nebuluosly “uplines.” Then take into consideration that those staff working “uplines” are only receiving a few dollars pay a week themselves, and then you should be able to realise that most of the balance was being used to fund one individual’s very lavish lifestyle.

Don’t believe it? Well, ask for the financial statements which organizations make available to their contributors. Oh I forgot, Scientology doesn’t provide these…

Rewards and Penalties

Hubbard’s attitude seeped into the minds of others, and influenced their own behaviour patterns toward others. Hubbard’s original conditions formulae, although subsequently changed, set a precedent on how staff should be treated.

Here is one example of how Hubbard’s attitude set a precedent for later policies created by Management:

Up until the late 1990′s, each person at the Int Base received 5 cards, called the team share cards. Each of these cards entitled its holder to privileges only available to those that had the applicable cards. If the production statistics for a worker or their team went down, management took a card or two away.

• There was a social card that allowed one to take part in any social events taking place or liberties (a day off every two weeks if approved).
• There was a Bonus card that would allow one to receive bonuses if they were being handed out.
• There was a pay card that allowed one to pick up his weekly allowance.
• There was a chow card that allowed one to be able to eat a decent meal.
• Then the last card was a berthing card that allowed one access to a decent place to sleep.

If you lost your chow card, you had to make do with rice and beans. If you lost your berthing card, you were to be assigned to “pig’s berthing”. If you lost your pay card, you didn’t get money.

If one’s weekly production were to be less than the prior week, a card would be revoked. This would continue week after week until one’s stats went back up. Upon having up statistics, one could request that a card be returned. If one upset one’s senior or the senior was displeased with the staff member or he broke any one of the hundreds of Sea Org regulations, a card could be revoked at any point. It would not be uncommon for Int Base staff members that were having troubles to have zero Team Share cards in their possession.

The system was eventually dropped out of use completely in the early 2000s when most all Int Base staff were assigned lower conditions by COB RTC and all privileges to do anything were pretty much cancelled on a widespread basis.

Although the card system was dropped some years back, the system of privileges and punishments remain. Workers typically get $50 a week in cash on Fridays. To keep up with management production goals, some work up to a hundred hours a week.

Here is a communication from a Sea Org member showing how “Pig’s Berthings” were used:

Obsession with “Enemies”

In 1960 Hubbard proceeded to establish “Special Zone Departments” in all Scientology® organizations to co-ordinate the efforts of Scientologists to infiltrate society. Two months later this Department was incorporated into the “Department of Government Affairs.” Hubbard wrote:

“If attacked on some vulnerable point by anyone or anything or any organization, always find or manufacture enough evidence against them to cause them to sue for peace. Peace is bought with an exchange of advantage, so make the advantage and then settle. Don’t ever defend. Always attack. Don’t ever do nothing. Unexpected attacks in the rear of the enemies’ front ranks work best.”

Hubbard, HCOPL, Dept of Govt Affairs, 15 August 1960.

This was subsequently changed by Corporate Scientology as follows:

“If attacked on some vulnerable point by anyone or anything or any organization, always find or manufacture enough threat against them to cause them to sue for peace. Peace is bought with an exchange of advantage, so make the advantage and then settle. Don’t ever defend. Always attack. Don’t ever do nothing. Unexpected attacks in the rear of the enemies’ front ranks work best.”

The reason for the change is obvious: what Hubbard was advocating was illegal. However, even changing “evidence” to “threat” only makes the policy slightly less unsavory.

Also, the sentence  ”find or manufacture enough threat against them” doesn’t make grammatical sense. If Hubbard wanted to use the word “threat” in the first place, he would have said “threaten them enough to cause them to sue for peace,” not the convoluted sentence we have above.

Handling Criticism

L. Ron Hubbard, A MANUAL ON THE DISSEMINATION OF MATERIAL, 1955:

“The purpose of the suit is to harass and discourage rather than to win. The law can be used very easily to harass, and enough harassment on somebody who is simply on the thin edge anyway, well knowing that he is not authorized, will generally be sufficient to cause his professional decease. If possible, of course, ruin him utterly.”

Wow, so much for what Hubbard wrote in his PR article “What is Greatness?”

On How to Lead Others

“A forceful or commanding presence is vital to obtaining compliance…”

On How to Treat Children

In this next policy Hubbard orders the use of child labour.

A “WQSB” stands for Watch, Quarter, Station, Bill; which is basically a list of all staff members and their assigned duties for a particular occasion.

In this policy he suggests that children should be locked up:

Hubbard is reported to have locked children up in the “chain locker,” which is basically the room where the ship’s anchor chain gets wound up and stored. This room is generally pitch black, smelly, and filled with stagnant water.

Here is another policy written by Sea Org members that reflect Hubbard’s general attitude toward children:

Heavy Ethics

Hubbard’s focus on how bad people are, conditions, Suppressive Persons, ethics etc. led to policies such as this one being instituted:

(Note that O/Ws stands for Overts and Withholds, which are basically transgressions of an ethics code)

Sexy Servants and Overboarding

Hubbard’s Commadore’s Messanger lady servants commonly wore very short, revealing dresses during their daily duties of putting on his coat or catching his cigarette ash in an ashtray etc. Here is an interesting memo alluding to this  :

“We will receive a visitor today at approximately 0900 hrs. This man may wish to visit the tween decks. The following are to be done first thing today: No-absolutely NO sexy mini dresses or hippy type clothes.”

In the same memo we get to see what Hubbard deemed to be a good method of punishing people. Although this time the order was not given by Hubbard himself, he is the one who instituted and recommended it as a method of punishment:

“B. HAYES is docked 2 weeks pay and ordered overboard.”

By “overboard” is meant that the person would literally be trown overboard into the harbour water where the ship was docked.

SEA ORGANIZATION

Stupid Wogs

Hubbard referred to non-Scientologists as “wogs” and often told how stupid they were.

L. Ron Hubbard defined wog as:

“A common, everyday garden-variety humanoid … He ‘is’ a body. [He] doesn’t know he’s there, etc. He isn’t there as a spirit at all. He is not operating as a thetan.”

Here is another policy detailing L. Ron Hubbard’s propensity to call others “stupid”:

“Oh”, you might say, “how do we know that these policies are not fraudulent, and that they have simply been made up so as to smear the good name of L. Ron Hubbard?” Well, look around you in the orgs at the manner in which Sea Org members treat others, and that should be answer enough for you.

What is perhaps the most frightening about many Scientologists who are confronted with the above facts, is that they do accept it is true, but don’t care. They just don’t give a fuck.

As Gandhi said, “means are, after all, everything. As the means, so the end.”

Those who don’t care for these things, who say “as long as the technology works,” have long since lost themselves. They no longer know what “spirituality” means, and have forgotten that the real value, and true beauty of life, is the people they share it with.