There are a few hotspots currently sizzling in the war against Scientology, and this is a whole new arena for the cult.
Not court, they are quite familiar with that turf. What they're not used to is losing in court and not getting their own way. For years, their legal tactics and shenanigans have served them well. It is entirely possible that some of their tactics were a little less than legitimate.
After all, they've been known to stalk people. There are personal accounts that suggest some even harsher methods were employed, including murder or inciting a victim to suicide. There is a story about Duke, an elderly collie drowned in the swimming pool of a hostile judge. Dead cats have appeared on the door step of Scientology enemies.
Before the internet, they could get away with this behavior, as victims were both isolated and terrorized. Today we are seeing what the internet can do. And some of it's pretty funny, as we receive day-to-day court reports from Tony Ortega's blog, 'The Underground Bunker.'
As Tony's reports demonstrate, Scientology hasn't gotten any smarter. Indeed, it seems that desperation has opened up an entire new landscape of dumbth for them, as the below noodle text shall reveal.
Scientology is battling court cases on four fronts; Narconon, Laura DeCrescenzo in Los Angeles, Luis Garcia and his wife in Orange County, and Mosey Rathbun in Texas.
Each case represents opposition to one facet of the Scientology enterprise.
Narconon, a fraudulent and overpriced "drug rehab" that is nothing more than a recruitment scam for the cult, preying on vulnerable addicts and their worried families. Narconon Trois Rivieres in Quebec was closed by the government. Narconons in Georgia and Michigan are under close scrutiny for a wide range of offenses, from identity theft to fraud.
Laura DeCrescenzo's case addresses Scientology's slave labor machine, the Sea Org. As a child she was assimilated; and as a child she had no choice but to accept this new life of barracks living and work.
Luis Garcia and his wife are suing Scientology over funds they donated that were not used as the cult promised. Money donated to the Superpower Building project in Clearwater, Florida went to buy more property in that town. Donations to an Ideal Org building in Orange County California have not given the promised results; a new and luxurious showplace for Scientologists to assemble.
Saving the best for last, Monique Rathbun is suing the cult for harassment. The poor woman married Marty Rathbun, a former high level Scientology executive. It should be noted that "Mosey" is not and has never been a Scientologist.
Long story short, after suffering constant harassment from the "Squirrel Busters," a group of Scientologists sent out from California to follow, film and harass the couple, the Rathbuns moved to a more rural property with no close neighbors.
Until the guy with the RV parked in the weedy, overgrown lot next door and installed cameras in the trees, pointing at the Rathbuns. That was the final straw. The Rathbuns sued.
This case has been going on and Tony Ortega has been having a field day recording Scientology court shenanigans.
So far, the judge has been treated to a delicious selection of cult lawyers' legal gymnastics. One thing they keep trying to do is steer the case over into an accusation of Marty Rathbun, but they keep getting reminded by the judge that Marty is not on trial here.
Being accused of harassment and stalking, you'd think Scientology would back off from the Rathbun stalking, but you don't think like a Scientologist unless you think more surveillance is the solution. Yep, accused of harassment, they double down.
The other astounding thing is how the cult underestimates the intelligence of us mere wogs to the point that they wind up looking like the stupid ones. Like when the court demanded all the videotapes the cult had of the Rathbuns. They submitted a clip of Mosey pulling into her driveway. In turn, the videographer submitted the tape from which the clip was taken. The clip Scientology, Inc. was trying to pass off as the whole thing.
Boy, do they think we're dumb or what? There is nothing as delicious as a judge, slowly steamed on a bench.
There are a lot of issues demanding attention today, and the Scientology thing is circling the bowl, swirling ever closer to extinction. If DeCrescenzo wins her case, it opens the doors for every poor kid forced into servitude in the Sea Org to sue for reparation.
If Luis Garcia wins his case, it will open the doors for every victim fleeced of their savings to buy real estate for the cult.
And if Mosey Rathbun wins her case, it opens the door for every poor mutt ever followed by some Scientology asshole to sue the pants off them.
In a world where assholes are winning and the planet is losing, at least this is some demonstration of the universe restoring balance by eliminating a blight on our society.
We have one message for David Miscavige, the head of Scientology.
Tick Tock, DM...Tick Tock.