Making your resolutions stick

We do it every year, but how many of us actually make those New Year's resolutions stick?

A lot of it comes down to the individual really meaning it when they made the resolution and his or her persistence. Do you really want the thing your are resolving to achieve? Are you willing to persist if you hit a few barriers?

Well assuming you do want it and you are willing to persist then the only way you could fail is if you don't have a workable method of achieving your resolution.

Well, I'm sorry to tell you, but that final excuse for failure is gone because a highly workable way exists for you to make your New Year's resolutions come true.

You can read about it online: Targets and Goals

Apply that and your chances of making your resolutions stick will be much improved.

Scientology: How is it a religion?

JR said in a comment ... it doesn't seem like a "religion" to me. It seems more like a philosophy, or a self-help program. So where does the "faith" come into the equation? (the full comment is here)

Hey JR,

You ask a really good question.

Most people in the West were brought up in the Judeo-Christian tradition and so they quite naturally think of religion in Judeo-Christian terms. This tradition revolves around two fundamental concepts — a belief that there is a personal creator God separate and distinct from man, and that man’s highest activity is the worship, supplication and veneration of this god.

So when a religion comes along that isn't like that, people raised with those concepts have a hard time seeing it as a religion.

Luckily for Scientology there are plenty of existing, recognized religions with long histories, that don't follow the Judeo-Christian norm. In the East there are religions that don't have any god and some that have almost no belief structure. Examples would be Zen Buddhism, Hindu Bhakti, Theravada Buddhism and Jainism. The last two have no supreme being yet predate Christianity by five centuries.

So Scientology is more comparable with Eastern religions than Western religions. In fact most Scientologists regard Buddhism as the existing religion most similar to Scientology, and most religious scholars agree with that.

If you want to get the full concept of what I'm talking about above then there is an entire book on the subject online here:

- Scientology: Theology & Practice of a Contemporary Religion (HTML)
- Scientology: Theology & Practice of a Contemporary Religion (PDF)

Valkyrie and Germany

A fellow blogger just saw the movie Valkyrie and had something to say about its message and present day Germany: Valkyrie

I very much agree with her that a re-evaluation of discriminatory government policies is needed in Germany.

What the world needs now: Spiritual Values

Here is an awesome news story. Not anything to do with Scientology, but a story that shows the sort of spirit that could make this world a paradise. And I'd like you to notice that the people who did it were religious people. Religion, incorrectly and unfairly, gets a bad rap for "causing wars" and other horrors, but the truth is that truly religious people of whatever faith with spiritual values are what this world needs a lot more of.

So now read this heart-warming story: Cheering for the other side

Scientology: Making the able more able

Jim Gatos asked a good question:

Grahame, I just thought of a question.. Hope you can find a minute..

One of L. Ron Hubbard's quotes is pretty profound. I believe it went like this..

"A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights."

My question has to do with those LESS FORTUNATE than those who are "able".. I'm sure I know what the answer will be only by looking @ the volunteer ministers, but here it is....

What about those NOT ABLE?

How does Scientology handle them?

Thanks Grahame. Happy Holidays...

The quote you quoted is from The Aims of Scientology.

The simple answer to your question is that everyone is able to some degree. For example, I have a friend who has a son who is autistic. She has used various Scientology processes and techniques to help him. The kid could talk a little and now he can talk a little more. He could walk with difficulty and now can walk better.

As long as a person is alive and breathing they are able to some degree and we can help them.

I hope that answers you question, and Happy Holidays to you too!

Scientology and Christmas

Scientology is not a spin off of Christianity so Christmas is not a special day as such in the religion. However, many Scientologists are Christians or were raised in the Christian tradition so they celebrate it.

One of the great things about Scientology is the fact that you can be a Scientologist and a member of any other religion. Scientology is not an "exclusive" religion like the traditional western religions - In the west you are a member of one religion and no others.

Scientology follows the tradition of some eastern religions where you can be a member of as many religions as you like because the key thing in Scientology is wisdom. Scientology deals with things that an individual can "take or leave" because it is practical. You can try it out and see if it works or not. So, for example, you can try out the Study Technology that was developed in Scientology and see for yourself if it works or not. Meanwhile, you can believe in God, or not as the case may be, because Scientology doesn't have any dogma on that subject. It leaves it up to the individual.

So you can be a Scientologist (someone who uses Scientology in their life to improve their life and the lives of others) and you can also be a Christian and worship God in the Christian manner.

It's a new concept for the west, but a good one, because it promotes tolerance and harmony and isn't that what Christmas is all about?

Bigotry and Discrimination

This weekend I saw a great movie. It was released in 1947 and is called Gentleman's Agreement. It stars Gregory Peck as a journalist who decides to write his story about anti-Semitism by pretending to be Jewish for 8 weeks.

He encounters discrimination in obvious, not-so-obvious and downright subtle ways. It's a very entertaining movie that avoids preaching but gets its point across.

The main message I got from the movie is that you can't just silently sit by watching discrimination and saying to yourself "that's not okay." You have to actually do something about it or you become part of the problem.

When you hear "horror stories" about how "bad" a group is (whether religious or ethnic) you have to stand up and tell the person spreading the lies to stop. You have to make it clear that you don't agree and that you will not support their hatred in any way.

Another more subtle form of bigotry is disparaging comments or "jokes" directed against people's race or beliefs. Once again, you must not stand for this sort of covert discrimination.

If we were all a bit less reasonable about the ethnic jokes and the religious stereotypes that are promoted by bigots and the media, then this world would be a better place.

Scientology and Aliens

Crystal just posted an excellent article about Aliens and Scientology. I think she tells the truth about this subject very well.

Have a read and tell me what you think: Aliens!

You can read my take on this subject here: Why Aliens?

Latest Freedom Magazine

The latest edition of Freedom Magazine is now available for online reading: Psychiatric Screening: Destroying Lives for Profit.

The magazine contains great articles, I especially recommend the "A License To Print Money" article by Alexander Cockburn, an eye-opening expose of the ties between Big Pharma and the Media.

Scientology is Wisdom: Secrets of the Universe

People have talked about the "secrets of the universe" for millennia. The implication is that there is some deep and esoteric knowledge about the universe that was somehow known in the past and is now either lost or hidden.

I don't know if that is true or not, but I will say that the basic truths about this universe are presented in Scientology. In their raw form they are a bit tough to understand, but when presented in the correct sequence with additional explanation they are not difficult at all.

So, Let's start with the Scientology Logics, which are described as

The Logics form a gradient scale of association of facts necessary to
understand and resolve any problem. They are used to predict behavior and
clarify the entire field of thought. The Logics are a method of thinking and
could be called “how to think.” The basic common denominators of all education
may be found in the Logics.

When I started this blog way back in 2003, I did a whole set of posts based on the Logics. At that time, Blogger didn't have tags so these articles are now hard to find. So, just for you, I am going back over them and adding tags, fixing some formatting and correcting some old dead links. It will take me a few days so, in the meantime, I'll give you some links to help you find them:

- November 2003 (contains the first half of the articles on the Scientology Logics)
- December 2003 (contains the second half of the articles on the Scientology Logics)
If these two are slow to open then another way to get there is to open up "2003" and then "November" or "December" in my "Blog Archive" section.

Once I have reviewed all the articles, you will be able to see them here: Scientology Logics.

Enjoy.

Scientology recognized as a religion in Argentina

Scientology has just been recognized and officially registered as a religion in Argentina!

You can read the full story here (in Spanish): Argentina reconoce Cienciologia como religión

Scientology is Wisdom: Ethics

One area of philosophy which has been made incredibly complicated over the centuries is the subject of ethics. Just try and look it up and get a basic understanding of it from an average encyclopedia and you'll probably be left with a big question mark hovering over your head.

Ethics in Scientology is described in a way that anyone can understand and use to improve their own lives and the lives of those around them.

Ethics actually consists of rationality toward the highest level of survival for the individual, the future race, the group, Mankind and the other dynamics [areas of life] taken up collectively. Ethics are reason. Man's greatest weapon is his reason.

Ethics consists simply of the actions an individual takes on himself. it is a personal thing. When one is ethical ... it is by his own determinism and is done by himself.

- L. Ron Hubbard from the book "Introduction to Scientology Ethics"

So ethics is basically the subject that covers what actions one should take in order to survive, not just for yourself, but for all areas of existence.

And by "survive", I don't mean bare necessity. Survival at an optimum level must include having enough of the things one needs to survive and having some reserve in case of emergency. If it cost you $400 a week to live and you make $400 a week then you are living on a knife edge and barely surviving. If you need $400 and you make $4,000 then you are going to be surviving very well.

It is not always easy to figure out what actions you should take in order to survive. How do you know if an action is going to help or hinder? For example, in the current economic state many companies are cutting back on their advertising budgets. Is that going to help their survival or hinder it? That question is answered in Scientology Ethics.

In Scientology we have a set of things called the Ethics Conditions and a formula for each Condition to improve it. Example: there is an Ethics Condition called "emergency" which is the condition where things are either staying the same or are just starting to get worse. Let's say you've been making the same wage for five years and have not had a raise in all that time. You are in emergency. Your wage is actually less than it was five years ago because of inflation: things cost more than they used to but you are not making more so you can't buy as much.

So what should you do?

The steps to take to solve your situation are given in the Emergency Formula, which is a part of Scientology Ethics. This same formula also applies to the business that is starting to hit hard times because of the economic crisis. The formula for that condition will tell the business owner whether he should cut back on advertising or not.

Here we have "accumulated knowledge of life" that was "gained through experience" - which is the definition of Wisdom that I am using.

Further data on Scientology Ethics:

• Scientology is Solutions: Improving Conditions in Life
• Applying the Formula for the Danger Condition to The Economic Crisis

Scientology is Wisdom

So what is "Wisdom" anyway?

Many people have the idea that wisdom is some set of obscure sayings that have a deep and profound meaning that only a chosen few can understand. Like the Zen "Sound of the one hand clapping".

That is not what wisdom means in Scientology. There is nothing in Scientology that is meant to be understood by only a "chosen few". The wisdom of Scientology is for everyone and can be understood by everyone. It will sometimes take a bit of work, but it can be understood and (more importantly) it can be used in life to improve conditions.

The definition of wisdom that I'm using is from the Encarta dictionary and is:

accumulated knowledge of life or of a sphere of activity that has been gained through experience

If you look at that carefully you will see that it not only covers "accumulated knowledge" but that the knowledge was "gained through experience".

The wisdom in Scientology is exactly that: Life has been examined and knowledge has been gained by making deductions based on what was observed and then trying them out to see if they work. The deductions that didn't work were thrown out and the ones that did work were kept and expanded upon.

Let's take an example. The book Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science tells you, step-by-step, how L. Ron Hubbard went about figuring out how the mind works and a therapy to handle psychoses, neuroses, psychosomatic ills, repressions, obsessions, fixations, etc., etc. He observed, made deductions, tried them out to see if they worked, kept them if they did, threw them away if they didn't and refined the workable ones until he had completely workable methods for improving the mind. He spend many years doing this. Now, sixty years later, millions of people around the world use these techniques to improve themselves and those around them.

That is an example of "accumulated knowledge" that was "gained through experience".

More on this tomorrow.

Scientology is ...??

As I've been showing in a series of recent posts, Scientology is Solutions. By that I mean it contains solutions to common problems in life. See my recent posts for examples (Scientology is Solutions).

But Scientology is more than just solutions. It is something that underlies solutions, something that enables you to figure out brand new solutions for yourself, solutions to the problems you face in your own life and that no one may have come up with before. So what is that?

It is wisdom.

A simple word with several definitions. The one that apply here is, "accumulated knowledge of life or of a sphere of activity that has been gained through experience".

The wisdom that Scientology contains is knowledge that is fundamental to life. For example: What is the dynamic force that drives life? If you knew that, you could understand why people do what they do and why you do the things you do.

Other practical questions that Scientology answers are: What causes people to act irrationally? What causes psychoses, neuroses, compulsions, repressions and a whole long list of other mental problems that the human race is beset with?

On a more philosophical level Scientology contains answers to such questions as: What happened before the beginning? What is the highest purpose in the universe? What happens to a person after they die? What is your true potential?

In the next few days, I'll be writing articles on "Scientology is Wisdom", and I'll answer some of those questions.

Scientology is Solutions: Handling Drug Abuse

Scientologists are serious about ending drug abuse. Here is an article about action being taken by Scientologists in France: Scientology Churches in France Cycle Against Drugs.

The materials the article talks about can be obtained here: Foundation for a Drug Free World

Drug Companies are at it again

GlaxoSmithKline has been caught exploiting people in third world countries. Their unethical behavior has resulted in the death of twelve babies. Read the article here: Poor Families Pressed Into Vaccine Trials by Drug Companies; 12 Babies Die

Why Scientology? - A personal perspective

Why do people choose to become Scientologists? It's a question with as many answers as there are Scientologists. It's really a decision that only the individual can make for himself or herself.

Here is one young man's answer to that question: Why Scientology?

Human Rights Day

Today is Human Rights Day and this year is also the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

If you don't know the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), then click on the link to read the abridged version or click here for the full version.

It is important that everyone in the world understand what these rights are and demand that every government in the world follows the UDHR and gives these rights to every citizen. It is only in a world where these rights are known and followed that peace is possible.

When abuses exist there will be conflict. When abuses are gone then only the Hitlers and Stalins of this world will be in conflict and they are a tiny minority and can easily be helped to change their ways and follow the UDHR.

Other links:

• Human Rights Home Page


• Watch the Human Rights PSA videos


• Youth for Human Rights

How to make a million

How do you make a million dollars? It seems that in the psychiatric industry it is quite simple. You make a deal with a drug company or two, you promote their drugs, open up new markets such as children, make very, very sure you don't tell anyone of your blatant conflict of interest then bank the dough.

It has been working for years for many psychiatrists but recently they've been found out.

Here is the latest from the NY Times: Expert or Shill

Here are some other articles on the same subject:

• Pharmaceutical Industry Hustlers
• Feeding on children
• The Truth about Psychotropic Drugs
• Who owns the Psychiatric Industry?
• Generation RX

Please encourage your representatives in Congress to increase the investigations and to bring about legislation to stop these abuses.

Scientology is Solutions: Economic Crisis

If you understand something about the current economic crisis then you can do something about it (i.e., survive it). There is data in Scientology that can help.

First is this definition from L. Ron Hubbard:

Money is an idea backed by confidence

That's an interesting definition, because it tells you how come the Federal Reserve has been able to create money out of nothing for so long and yet it still has value. People have confidence in dollar bills so, despite the fact that the Fed has been printing (and I mean that in the electronic as well as the ink sense) money by the truck load, which under normal circumstances would make the money worth less and less until it became worthless, there are still plenty of people in the world who have confidence in the dollar.

That may or may not last. But it is the key to surviving this current crisis.

For more data on money and finances there are these courses you can take:

• The Dynamics of Money Course
• Financial Success Course
• How to Make Work Easier Course

Those will help.

Film Review: GenerationRx

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I will be seeing it soon at which time I'll give you my own review.

In the meantime here is a review from NaturalNews.com: Film Review: GenerationRx Documents Chemical Abuse of Children by Pharmaceutical Industry, Modern Psychiatry

Scientology is Solutions - Achieving Your Goals

We all have goals, but they are not always easy to achieve. Things can get pretty complex at times and our goals can seem so far away that we couldn't catch a glimpse of them, even with the Hubble Space Telescope.

But despite all that, there is a way to plan out and achieve your goals without needing a degree in rocket science. L. Ron Hubbard developed a complete method for planning, figuring out and carrying out the steps necessary to achieve your goals.

An introduction to this method can be found here: Planning for the Future

Scientology is Solutions: Drug Addiction

For someone who has never suffered the physical and mental anguish of drug addiction, it is easy to say "get over it" or think that drug addicts are weak willed, but anyone who has been in the horrible situation of being addicted to drugs and who has attempted to get free of their death grip knows how hard it truly is.

It's easy to get addicted. There are plenty of ill-intentioned people out there who are only too willing to supply the initial hit that will create a paying customer for life. And whether the drug is illegal or given by prescription makes little difference to the addict for the results are the same, the only difference being who the money goes to: a pusher on the street or a pusher in a plush corporate office.

So what can be done about this world-wide epidemic?

First is to educate children, teens and even adults so they understand the truth about drugs: The Foundation for a Drug Free World is an organization sponsored by the International Association of Scientologists. It's website just got a major overhaul: Foundation for a Drug Free World. They provide a ton of educational materials including booklets on each of the common drugs people get addicted to, and a set of award-winning Public Service Announcements which quickly communicate the truth about drugs.

Next is to encourage kids to take responsibility for themselves and others where drugs are concerned. The "Drug Free Marshals" (Drug Free Ambassadors outside North America) campaign encourages kids to sign a "Drug Free" pledge and to be active, helping their friends stay off drugs.

Next is to help those who are addicted to free themselves. L. Ron Hubbard developed secular (non-religious) methods to help people get off drugs. The largest drug rehab network in the world, Narconon, uses these methods to get people off drugs and gives them the tools they need to avoid being caught in the trap of drugs again. Narconon has the highest success rate of any drug rehab program (Narconon Program Results).

Finally there is warning people of the dangers of drugs prescribed by doctors who have not been honestly informed by drug companies of their horrendous side-effects: Making A Killing (Documentary).

Scientologists are involved in all the above programs. We want to see people live better lives by being free of harmful drugs.

Scientology is Solutions: Your Human Rights

Scientologists want a better world. We try to use what we know of Scientology to achieve that. To someone who understands the basics of Scientology, the need for human rights in this world is very obvious.

When a government feels it has a perfect right to pick up a citizen of another country who is not charged with any crime and transport him to third country so he can be tortured, when slavery is still going on in the world and when other human rights abuses are occurring all over the world, then there is no true security for anyone.

Donations from the International Associations of Scientologists have

• funded Public Service Announcement videos that promote the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
• published educational booklets to explain Human Rights to children,
• funded a world tour that this year alone has covered 174.000 miles and travelled to 57 cities in 45 nations,
• helped build an impressive new Human Rights website,
• helped in getting 570 organizations and governments to work with the human rights program as part of a unified front across 85 nations
• and much more.

So, Scientology not only supplies solutions within the scope of a single individual, but also in the broader scope of solutions for mankind.

Scientology is Solutions: Improving Conditions in Life

Life can see pretty confusing at times. You have a thousand things going on that all seem unrelated and each one appears to require its own solution.

But with a basic understanding of the "States of Existence" and the formulas for solving or improving them, that apparent confusion that is life starts to calm down and become something you can handle and improve.

The article I linked to talks about the different states of existence but doesn't go into much detail, so I'll give you an example: Applying the Formula for the Danger Condition to The Economic Crisis.

Just knowing the states of existence (usually called the "Conditions") so you can recognize what condition some part of your life is in, and applying the formulas for improving each condition can improve any situation in your life and the lives of your family and friends.

Further study:

• How to Improve Conditions in Life Course
• Improving Conditions in Life Booklet (also called Ethics and Conditions booklet)
• Introduction to Scientology Ethics Book (contains all the data on the conditions, the formulas and much more)

Scientology is Solutions: Laughter

There is a great website that posts articles about Scientology based solutions. It is called "Tips For Success" and they have a blog that you can follow.

The latest article fits nicely into my "Scientology is Solutions" series, so I am going to point you at the article: You can Laugh.

Read it and try the solution they suggest for facing problems in life.

They have a great quote from L. Ron Hubbard, that I just had to use here:

"Man, if sane, is a child of laughter." -- L. Ron Hubbard

Scientology is Solutions: People (Who can you Trust?)

People can be a blessing or a bane. There are people who are so awesome that just by being around them you feel good. And there are people who are such creeps that they leave you feeling like someone poured a bucket of slime over you.

How can you predict how the people you come into contact with are going to behave? Which ones do you want to keep as friends and which ones do you want to dump, pronto?

Who do you want to employ and who do you want to lose the telephone number of?

Who can you trust with your personal secrets and who will blab them all over Facebook?

There is a way to tell. It is called the Emotional Tone Scale and you can see a video all about it here: The Emotional Tone Scale.

You can read the basics of what it is and how to use it here: Understanding and Predicting What People will Do.

I've used the tone scale very successfully in my life. I've helped friends solve some pretty rough problems and I've used it to make many wonderful new friends.

Study the tone scale, use it in life and tell me what you found.

More data on Scientology is Solutions: People (Who can you Trust?)

Scientology is Solutions: Marriage

My previous post in this series was about relationships, so for this post I thought I'd move on to a special sort of relationship: marriage.

So what is marriage anyway? You stand before a minister or a priest or a judge or some other official and you say "I do" and then you are expected to stay with the other person the rest of your life. Easier said than done, as many people have found out.

I'll admit that I didn't do very well the first time I tried it. It lasted five years and was on and off happy, on and off unhappy. When it finally ended it was a relief for both of us.

But the second time I got it right - big time! After my first dismal failure, I realized I needed to know more about marriage and how to make it work, so I did some study. One of the things I studied was this: Marriage. I also took this course: Starting a Successful Marriage Course and this one How to Improve Your Marriage Course and How to Maintain a Successful Marriage Course. I wasn't kidding. I wanted a successful stable marriage and I used what I learned to make sure I got one!

The keys to a successful marriage are contained in those courses and materials. My wife and I have been married for sixteen years now and we have never had an argument. I know you probably think that is impossible but it is true. We once came close over a game of Monopoly, but it fizzled out. The kids were disappointed, they were looking forward to seeing sparks fly for the first time, so they could say they were there.

More information on Scientology is Solutions: Marriage.

A Question from "Magnolia"

Hey Magnolia,

Thanks for your question. You say: I'm curious by nature. I've been searching for a while sites about Scientology. The majority of them, no offence intended, say it is "trash". I can't help but ask myself "why?".

There are sites on the Internet attacking Scientology, but they are not the majority. I just did a search on the word "Scientology" on the three leading search engines and I found 69% of the sites that came back on the first page of results were positive and 14% were neutral. So that leaves only 17% negative. That is not a majority.

There are millions of Scientologists all over the world who are very happy with their religion and how it helps them in life compared to a small number of very noisy people who attack it. The majority who like it are busy getting on with their lives and helping others. The minority are so consumed with hatred that they spend hours and hours each day spreading lies and distortions.

Here is a video of Scientologists giving their opinions about their religion

So now the question, "Why do they attack my religion?"

There are a several answers:
First is the fact that any religious movement and any group that seeks to improve the world and help their fellow man will be attacked by a small minority of bigots:

• The Jewish religion has a huge website devoted to defending itself: Anti-Defamation League.
• According to the "Watch Unto Prayer" movement the Roman Catholic Church is actually a renewed version of the cult of Mithra and other extremist fundamentalist Christians say the Pope is the Antichrist.
• Examples of attacks on the Internet on well known people.

Scientology is just another group being attacked by the same type of Internet crazies.

There are those who make a living out of attacking new religious movements:

• Article on The (old) Cult Awareness Network
• Why do some people oppose Scientology?
• Anti-Religious Extremists

One of the main methods used by these bigoted extremists is to spread lies about a new religion on the Internet. In a paper presented at the annual conference of the Association for Sociology of Religion (ASR), in Chicago in August 1999, Massimo Introvigne said:

Authoritative scholars of information terrorism via the Internet, such as Denning (1999, 101-129), include "perception management" in their studies, in the form of "offensive operations [which] reach the minds of a population by injecting content into the population’s information space". She lists systematic "lies and distortions", fabrications, hoaxes, social engineering, "denouncement" ("messages that discredit, defame, demonize, or dehumanize an opponent"), and -- strictly related to the latter -- "conspiracy theories". Denning also includes harassment through hate mail or "spamming", and even systematic copyright infringement (90-94). The latter, she argues, may in fact become part of a terrorist "offensive information warfare" when aimed at destroying an organization or corporation through the destruction of copyright as one of its most valuable assets.

The sites you have come across calling Scientology "trash" are using "messages that discredit, defame, demonize, or dehumanize an opponent" as described here.

In the same article Introvigne says:

The Church of Scientology is the subject of the largest number of such assaults.

He describes one of the largest websites that attacks Scientology:

Among hundreds of pages, one can hardly find any reconstruction of Scientology’s beliefs, or a philosophical, or theological, criticism of its worldview.

This particular website also attacks individuals who are Scientologists, attempting to encourage others to discriminate against them:

It is difficult to be amused when reading Hausherr’s Web page laundry lists of individual Scientologists and of "companies and organizations owned or managed by people listed as Scientologists". Some are well-known Scientologists such as Kristie Alley or John Travolta. Most, however, are private individuals unknown to the general public. Companies "owned or managed by people listed as Scientologists" (an ambiguous concept) range from law firms to architects, computer businesses, and to Elvis Presley Enterprises (Priscilla Presley is a Scientologist). Finally, there is a list of "miscellaneous support for Scientology", including both academics and other scholarly "cult apologists" (Hausherr maintains an encyclopedia of cult apologists in the form of a FAQ, and posts it regularly to Usenet groups), as well as others accused of being "soft" on Scientology. The latter include the CNN (accused of having "a long record of supporting Scientology"), the IRS (because of the 1993 settlement), the Los Angeles Police Department, and even a lawyer who actually fought against Scientology but settled in terms Hausherr did not approve of. It is unlikely that CNN or Elvis Presley Enterprises will really suffer from being listed in Hausherr’s Web page. A doctor, dentist, or architect in a small town, or a small business, on the other hand, may be easily discriminated against. If "Scientology is evil", nobody should associate with an "evil" business. And who would want a Scientologist as a doctor or architect if Scientologists are "often mentally ill"? Although no actual violence is advocated, the list, a main feature of Hausherr’s site, becomes in fact a "hit list".

Why Tilman Hausherr maintains his hate site is a difficult question to answer but then hatred and bigotry are difficult to understand in this modern world.

Then there are those who see Scientology as a threat to their livelihood:

• This article talks about the motives behind the attacks of "Anonymous" on the Church of Scientology.

Does that answer your question?

Scientology is Solutions: Relationships

Relationships can be a major source of problems in a person's life and the problems can be as varied as the people who have them.

Examples are endless:

• You really like that girl or that boy but you never seem able to say the right thing.
• You want a raise but don't know how to approach your boss.


• Your spouse and you are having fights and things are looking bad.


• You have kids and over the last few years you have noticed that they are growing apart from you.
• You have parents who just don't seem to understand you.

Is there something that could help you in these and all the other relationship situations you can get into?

Well, luckily the answer is: Yes!

In Scientology the underlying principles of relationships have been figured out and by understanding them you can figure out how to create or improve any relationship. That sounds like a pretty wild claim, but I can tell you from personal experience that it is true. But don't take my word for it.

1. Watch this video: The Components of Understanding.
2. Read this data on Relationships.
3. Try it in your life and tell me what you find

More data on improving relationships: Scientology is Solutions: Relationships

Scientology is ... what?

Recently someone at work asked me "So what is Scientology?' I gave her my usual "short"answer but at the end I could see that it had not really communicated.

The problem with describing Scientology in a few words is the same problem you'd have describing any large subject that doesn't have anything you can easily compare it with.

It's sort of like answering the question "So what is the Internet?" to someone who has never been online. "It's a network of computers." No. "It's this cool way to stay in touch with friends." No. "It's like an unlimited video player." No. "It's like a big book where you can jump from a page to related pages." No.

It's just too big a subject and there is nothing to compare it to.

Same with Scientology. "It's a religion." True, but most people think of religion as praying or singing hymns - not Scientology. "It's an applied religious philosophy." True, but few people in the western world know what a religious philosophy is and almost no one in the west has any concept of a religions being something you can apply to everyday life to handle your problems.

So it is rather a challenge to describe the subject in a single paragraph, never mind a single sentence. But, I have decided to take up this challenge and see if I can use not a single paragraph, not a single sentence, but a single word.

So for the next few days I'm going to be posting about "Scientology is Solutions".

Pharmaceutical Industry Hustlers

Here is a powerful expose that starts:

After twenty long years, it appears that the epidemic in mental disorders in America might be coming to an end. It won't happen because of any great medical breakthrough but rather because the perpetrators of the greatest healthcare fraud in history are finally being exposed.

Read it and make up your own mind: Pharmaceutical Industry Hustlers – Part I

Feeding on children

Psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Biederman has been in the news quite a bit recently. First we learned that while championing the use of powerful anti-psychotic drugs on toddlers, he was accepting over a million dollars from drug companies without disclosing it (Harvard Researchers Face Heat Over Drug Company Payments).

Now we learn:

Newly disclosed court documents portray Dr. Joseph Biederman, a leading Harvard child psychiatrist, as courting drug company money by promising that his work at Massachusetts General Hospital would help promote the use of antipsychotic drugs for youngsters diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

We also learn:

In one 1999 e-mail, a Janssen employee seeking to make sure Biederman receives $3,000 that the company owes him writes frantically to his superiors: "Dr. Biederman is not someone to jerk around. He is a very powerful national figure in child psych and has a very short fuse."

Does that sound like a man dedicated to the furtherance of science or a money-motivated ghoul feeding off a sector of society that is least able to defend itself against such abuses?

Read the article and make up your own mind: Papers reveal push on drug firm funds.

Other related articles:
Congressional investigation of Harvard psychiatrist

Generation RX

It seems that Scientologists are not the only people who recognize the dangers of psychiatric drugging of children. A new movie, GenerationRX, by critically acclaimed director Kevin Miller, examines the "mass abandonment of medical ethics, and the routine betrayal of an entire generation" and investigates "collusion between drug companies and their regulatory watchdogs at the FDA and focuses on the powerful stories of real families who followed the advice of their doctors - and faced devastating consequences for doing so."

Here is the trailer:

Cute Story About a Cute Girl

It seems that even a 2-year-old can have a big impact on the world. According to Forbes magazine, Suri Cruise is the most influential tot in Hollywood: Suri Cruise Voted Hollywood’s Most Influential Celebrity Tot!

Grand Opening of SoMa Mission's New Location

The Church of Scientology Mission of SoMa, in San Francisco will be having its ribbon cutting in early December.

The details are given on their blog: Grand Opening Celebration!

Psychiatrist Radio Host Has Drug Company Ties

A psychiatrist who is the host of a popular radio show on health, and who promotes drugs as the preferred treatment, has been exposed as receiving at least $1.3 million in the last few years from drug companies without disclosing it to his producer or his listeners.

Dr. Frederick K. Goodwin has been exposed by Senator Charles E. Grassley as part of Grassley's ongoing investigation into conflict of interest amongst the nation’s leading researchers and doctors. He is comparing their conflict-of-interest disclosures with records of actual payments from drug companies. And he is finding that the records often conflict, sometimes starkly.

The full story of this psychiatrist and his selling of his professional soul to drug companies is given here: Radio Host Has Drug Company Ties

Making a Killing, Part 10

Part 10 of the documentary:

Scientology and Germany - Latest News

The German government's announcement last week that it is dropping its attempts to ban the Scientology religion in Germany is something that could probably have been predicted by simply looking at the history of such attempts.

In his 1974 book "The Hidden Story of Scientology", investigative writer Omar V. Garrison says:

I have read through thousands of pages of transcripts covering such hearings, official enquiries and parliamentary debates in the U.S., Australia, South Africa, Rhodesia, New Zealand, Canada and Britain. Yet in not a single instance that I have been able to discover have any of these lengthy proceedings produced a shred of evidence that Scientologists or Scientology's founder have been guilty of anything actionable under the criminal or civil laws of the countries conducting them.

The inquiries in South Africa and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) were conducted by repressive, apartheid governments, and even they couldn't find anything wrong.

I'm not familiar with the Canadian investigation, but as far as I know the inquiry in New Zealand was probably the quickest and most honest of them all. The New Zealanders found one minor policy they didn't like so the Church canceled it.

In Australia, in the late 1960's an inquiry in the state of Victoria banned Scientology. But in 1975 after many years of legal attempts to right this blatant wrong, the Supreme Court of Australia fully recognized Scientology as a religion and the ban went the way of the dinosaur.

In the UK in the early 1970's a government inquiry resulted in a ban on foreign Scientologists entering the country. No evidence was ever presented as to why such a ban was put in place and after a decade the ban was lifted after demands were made in the House of Commons for the evidence to be made public.

In Spain, an investigation went on for seventeen years and resulted in full religious recognition just last year.

The US government has the record for the longest history of harassment and bogus investigations: after 35 years of "investigations", which included infiltrating agent provocateurs into the Church, attempting to plant false documents and other illegal activities, the IRS fully recognized every Scientology Church and related organization as religious, public benefit organizations.

So, now it is Germany's turn. After eleven years of wasting tax-payers money while they spied on the Church in Germany, they have found that the Church of Scientology and its members have not been guilty of doing anything wrong. (For the history of this up until 2003, scroll down to "fact sheet".)

You can probably see a repeating pattern in all this:

1. Accusations are made.
2. Measures are taken or investigations are instigated.
3. After many years, and millions of taxpayer dollars, marks or euros being spent, no wrong doing of any kind is found.

Because governments are limited in their activities by the law, eventually the fact that no evidence of wrong doing exists forces them to stop their harassment and remove the false reports they have been gathering and disseminating.

Unfortunately this is not the case with the Internet. Accusations can be made, lies can be told and no one has to prove it in a court of law, so the lies can go on forever. Entities such as "Anonymous" can gather supporters based on accusations backed by nothing that would stand up in a court of law and the poor dupes who believe them then go on spreading the lies and getting themselves into trouble.

Hopefully, this article will be instructive to people who have been duped and will help them to re-examine their ideas about Scientology and perhaps they will begin to use the requirements of legal evidence as their yardstick when examining information they encounter about Scientology, the Church and Scientologists.

More Information:

• Scientology: Religious Recognition


• Official Recognition of Scientology as a Religion


• What Religious Scholars Say About The Scientology Religion


• Governments and courts of countries worldwide recognize the religious character of the Church of Scientology


• What is Scientology? Religious Recognition

 

Making a Killing. Part 9

Part 9 of the documentary:

Making a Killing. Part 8

Part 8 of the documentary

Making a Killing, Part 7

Part 7 of the documentary

Hope for the Congo

Amidst the confusion of the fighting in the Congo it seems there is a ray of hope. It is mentioned in an article in the New York Times, although the journalist probably didn't even realize it. See paragraph 3: Confusion Reigns on Congo’s Front Line.

There is a tenuous cease fire in place at the moment, so let's hope that The Way to Happiness can help spread some calm in a place where it is sorely needed.

Making a Killing, Part 6

Part 6 of the documentary

Traveling down the Amazon

Nowhere is too remote for the Scientology Volunteer Ministers. The Amazon Goodwill Tour is certainly proof of that.

Having travelled through Columbia and Peru they have now reached Brazil: Scientology Volunteer Ministers Amazon Goodwill Tour Arrives in Brazil

Making a Killing, Part 5

Part 5 of the documentary

Making a Killing, Part 4

Part 4 of the documentary:

Making a Killing, Part 3

Third part of the documentary:

Making a Killing, Part 2

Second part of the documentary:

A note for Truth

Some guy calling him/herself "Truth" is whining about me not posting or answering his/her comments/questions.

Well, firstly "Truth", you should have read my commenting guidelines because your antagonistic tone violated them. See my Rules.

Despite that, I was going to answer them. Unfortunately you posted a ton of questions and I have a life, which means I have a limited amount of time to answer your questions. You may not realize it but to give a proper answer can sometimes require research to give accurate information or can require digging around to find the correct url to link to. So when you post 6 comments containing 15 questions and a whole lot of statements/assertions that each require a response, then you are asking me to devote hours and hours of my precious time to someone who is clearly opposed to me and my religion.

So you will just have to chill and be prepared to wait until I get the time to answer them.

Of course, now that you have made another antagonistic comment today about the fact that I haven't yet answered your earlier antagonistic comments/questions, I'm debating whether to just click the "reject" link on them all.

Hmmm ... I'll give it a couple days and see if I feel like answering them then.

P.S., If I misinterpreted your comments as antago when they were not meant that way, then sorry, but try reading them from my viewpoint and I think you'll find that they come across as very unfriendly.

Making a Killing, Part 1

This is the first part of a frightening documentary, but a documentary you need to see.



A user calling him/herself "Truth" asked why the Citizen's Commission on Human Rights would be interested in prescription drugs. This video is the answer.

Scientology Materials Guide Chart

You can get a free Scientology Materials Guide Chart (click here: Dianetics and Scientology Materials). The Guide Chart shows you everything that is available to study in Dianetics and Scientology and the sequence in which it should be studied.

For beginning books that I recommend, just look at my side-bar, or click here: Basic Scientology Books.

Another Criminon Success

Criminon's results speak for themselves:

When I first begin these 7 courses I didn't feel a whole lot of confidence in myself, now 4 courses later I can proudly stand up and say I'm a changed man!

I'm no longer "thinking" about helping myself become a better person. I'm doing it! Those around me see the changes in my everyday attitude. These courses are helping me to help others over come obstacles and addictions.

Recently I had another inmate come to my cell and ask me if I was the "Criminon dude" everyone is talking about. When I told him I was, he held his hand out and when we shook hands he said to keep on helping these "cats" because they really need the kind of caring, understanding and willingness in their lives I've been showing them. He then asked me if he could maybe get the address to "Criminon" so he could take the courses for himself.

With tears in my eyes I gave him that address!

If anyone ever has doubts about these courses, just ask an inmate that's had the world turn its back on him and see the look in his eyes. You'll find your answer. I will always help those who have a willingness to change.

An inmate from Arkansas

In case you didn't know, Criminon (which means "no crime") is an international non-profit public benefit corporation dedicated to addressing the causes of criminality and restoring the criminal’s self-respect through effective drug detoxification, education and common sense programs. By making them responsible for their actions, people under the Criminal Justice system can become ethical and productive citizens. Criminon uses secular methods developed by L. Ron Hubbard.

First pictures of the new Mission of SoMa

The first pictures of the new premesis of the Church of Scientology Mission of SoMa are now on the web!.

These are very nice looking quarters. They've done a great job.

Check out the pics: Photos of New Space!

Scientology & Dianetics Holiday Catalog

It is easy to buy Dianetics and Scientology Books this holiday season. Everything is available online. A fellow blogger posted this great article giving all the data and links you need to find what you want:

2008 Scientology & Dianetics Holiday Catalog « Scientology Organizations Around the World

You may notice that I also have some links to basic and intro books in my right-hand sidebar, just in case you want to go directly. If you want to browse you can click the link to the article or you can try this one: Scientology Books.

Prescription Drugs Kill 300 Percent More Americans than Illegal Drugs

Here is some more data on the problem I posted about earlier (Prescription Drugs More Deadly Than Cocaine, Heroin, Amphetamines). This new article has more data from more sources showing that we have an epidemic of prescription drug abuse and addiction.

A report by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission has concluded that prescription drugs have outstripped illegal drugs as a cause of death. An analysis of 168,900 autopsies conducted in Florida in 2007 found that three times as many people were killed by legal drugs as by cocaine, heroin and all methamphetamines put together. According to state law enforcement officials, this is a sign of a burgeoning prescription drug abuse problem.

...

According to the DEA, the number of people abusing prescription drugs in the United States has jumped 80 percent in six years to seven million, or more than those abusing cocaine, Ecstasy, heroin, hallucinogens an inhalants put together.

Prescription Drugs Kill 300 Percent More Americans than Illegal Drugs

New Dianetics Site for London

London, England now has its own Dianetics website. You can find it here: Dianetics London.

For those of you who are not familiar with Dianetics here is one description of it that I like:

There's been a discovery about the human mind that is so simple, so incredible and so powerful that it makes psychiatry, psychology and self-hypnosis obsolete.

A nice simple, to-the-point definition.

MC Lyte talks about Scientology

MC Lyte was interviewed in the latest Celebrity Magazine. Check out my article on the interview: MC Lyte Interview. She had some things to say that are inspiring for anyone (not just Scientologists).

Scientology Mission of SoMa has moved

Here is some news for anyone who lives in San Francisco, the Mission of SoMa has moved to a new location.

They'll be posting pics soon put in the meantime you can go visit:

We have moved!!

They have a map and everything you need to locate them.

Foundation for a Drug Free World

The new website for the Foundation for a Drug Free World is awesome. That's the best word I can come up with, anyway.

It has an amazing "Flash" home page and a superb video channel.

Check it out.

Meet A Scientologist

I just found a new area in the Scientology Video Channel called "Meet A Scientologist". It has fifty interviews with Scientologists from all walks of life and from many different countries.

They are very cool videos that will introduce you to Scientologists and tell you who we are and what sort of lives we lead.

(Update 9/12/2010:) Here is a direct link: Meet A Scientologist

The Truth about Psychotropic Drugs

There is a new video on psychotropic drugs, such as antidepressants, the effects they have and the huge profits they make for the psychiatric and pharmaceutical industry.

The video features interviews with psychiatrists, psychologists, medical doctors, former drug sales reps and others. The truth about these drugs is exposed.

If you know someone on these drugs or who is thinking of starting on these drugs then please have them watch this video.

Watch every chapter, especially the last couple which tell you what you can do about it.

Making A Killing: The Untold Story of Psychotropic Drugging

Past Philosophers and L. Ron Hubbard

Here is a cool article I found called Past Philosophers and L. Ron Hubbard.

Check it out and then get the free eBook that is offered. The best way to investigate a new subject is to find out for yourself. Read what it has to say and try out the methods it offers for a better life. If they work then you will know for yourself.

Win from a Criminon student

A friend of mine is a correspondence course supervisor for the Criminon program. She just shared this win from one of her students. He is serving time and took the course while in jail. His win was from the Personal Integrity Course:

In the past I've done wrong and hurt people and justified it by saying look what people have done to me. I'm being punished for that now. But now I have learned to make decisions thinking of others first and taking responsibility for my actions. So I don't make the same mistakes now. This course has helped me fine tune and explore how to be a better person and avoid overt actions against society. - TB, Florida

It's great to see another human being helped to free himself of his past and gain the ability to move on to a better future: better for him and for society. Yes, criminal rehabilitation is possible if you have effective methods with which to help them.

Charity Concert raises nice chunk of change for Air Ambulance

I wish I'd been there.

The L. Ron Hubbard Foundation and the Church of Scientology held a charity concert at Saint Hill Manor in the UK, featuring musical styles ranging from the rock of Edgar Winter through the pop of Kate Ceberano, the Jazz of Elena Roggero all the way to the jive of the Jive Aces.

There were more than 1,500 there enjoying the concert and giving their support, including Mayors, District Council Chairmen, Town Councillors, and community leaders from all over the South of England. Also attending were representatives from a wide variety of embassies, including from Cameroon, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Fiji, South Africa, and Liberia. Other guests flew in especially from all over Europe and as far away as the United States and Canada.

The beautiful Kelly Preston hosted the event and presented the check for £50,000 to Sussex Air Ambulance.

You can read more about it:

• Kelly Preston Hosts Sussex Charity Concert


• Saint Hill Gala Charity Concert 2008 (with videos)


• Scientology Gala - 12th Annual Charity Concert

How Drug Smart are you? Take the Quiz.

It's a short quiz but I wonder how many of you will know the answers.

The article is by the Community Drug Education Programs Coordinator for the Church of Scientology International, a lady who is very well informed in this area.

So, read the article and take the quiz and learn some interesting facts:

Scientology Churches Support Drug Prevention

Boston "Anonymous" leader in trouble with the Law

Thanks to Louanne for bringing this to my attention. It seems a "leader" of "Anonymous" in Boston has to stay away from Church of Scientology buildings or face prosecution for "disturbing an assembly of worship and disturbing the peace."

Apparently Gregg Housh entered the Church wearing a Guy Fawkes mask "disturbing the proceedings and alarming those inside." Now, to put it in simple terms, he is sort of "on probation" for a year and has to stay away from Church buildings in Boston. For all the details:

Scientology Protester’s Case Continued Without Finding
Church of Scientology owns Boston Anonymous

One last comment. I find it abhorrent that these Anonymous guys go around violating Human Rights (specifically the right to freedom of belief) while wearing the Guy Fawkes masks worn by the hero in the movie "V for Vendetta".


In the movie, "V" fights against an oppressive government to bring rights back to the people. (One of the two rights highlighted in the movie is freedom of religion.) Anonymous on the other hand fights to take rights (and specifically freedom of religion) away from people.

In the words of Shakespeare (and as used by "V" in the movie to characterize one of the bad guys): "And thus I clothe my naked villany, With odd old ends stol'n out of holy writ, And seem a saint, when most I play the devil." (From Richard III - I recommend the play to all members of Anonymous. It describes very clearly how your "leaders" are using you.)

Life as a Game

When one is mired down in the sometimes titanic struggle of existence, he is apt to discount the fact that there is joy in living.
L. Ron Hubbard from the book The Problems of Work

When the stock market is crashing, when the financial markets are melting down and when the press is gleefully bombarding us with bad news, it is difficult to realize that there is joy in living. So what can you do about it?

One datum given in the book "The Problems of Work" is that life is a game. "A what?" You exclaim as you stare at the pile of bills on the table. "Is that some kind of sick joke?" No, it is a sober fact because:

A game consists of: Freedoms, Barriers and Purposes.
There are many more complicated factors involved in games, but these are all listed in Scientology.

Just stop for a moment and examine your life.

• Do you know what your Purposes are?
• Do you know what the Freedoms are that help you to achieve your Purposes?
• Do you know what the Barriers are that get in the way of achieving your Purposes?

If you knew these things, not only would you have clarified your own life, but you would have gained a valuable tool that you could apply to every area of your life.

Example: someone is giving you a hard time at work. What is the game he is playing? What are the Freedoms, Barriers and Purposes that he is involved with? How come he thinks you are a Barrier?

"The Problems of Work" contains more data on games and how they apply to life as well as a ton of other extremely useful tools for living. Get it today! The Problems of Work

Anonymous hacker faces up to 10 years in prison

Earlier this year the Internet entity that calls itself "Anonymous" launched attacks on Church of Scientology and related websites in an attempt to take them off the Internet. This type of attack (called a "ddos" attack) throw so much bogus traffic at a website that it can't display pages for legitimate users. These attacks originate from hijacked computers. The attacker manages to install some "trojan horse" software on someone else's computer and then uses that computer for these attacks, sending spam, etc.

So who or what is Anonymous? Its ranks range from the criminal to the immature. If you ever wondered where all that spam comes from that advertises drugs or who it is that creates viruses and spyware that forces you to install anti-virus software so your computer isn't hijacked and used for promoting drugs and porn or for launching ddos attacks, then there is a high probability the source is a member of Anonymous.

You can see that people who make their money from drugs and pornography are not going to be very happy with an organization that promotes a drug free and moral lifestyle. And that probably explains why the attacks earlier this year were not only against Church sites but included the Foundation for a Drug Free World, Youth for Human Rights, Citizen's Commission on Human Rights, The Way to Happiness Foundation, Narconon, and others similar groups.

The activities of the Church of Scientology and its members cuts into the income of these people, and they don't like it. The hard-core criminals of Anonymous recruit help from the ranks of the gullible and hateful. They spread black-propaganda against their intended victim, the gullible fall for it and the hateful see it as a great excuse to express the hatred that boils inside them.

So, what has been the outcome of these attacks? Well, all Church sites and the sites of related groups were back up and running, some within hours some within days, and the attacks, being criminal actions, are being investigated by the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

The people who carry out such attacks really believe they are "anonymous" but the apprehension of Dmitriy Guzner for his part is these attacks shows that this belief is fallacious. You can read what is happening to Dmitriy here, New Jersey Man Charged With Attacking Church Of Scientology Websites In The Name Of ‘Anonymous’ and here, Hacker Admits to Scientology DDOS Attack: Faces up to 10 Years in Federal Prison.

The investigation of these attacks is not over. I look forward to seeing more criminals apprehended.

Scientologists are not breaking any laws by following their religion, but those who attack them for their beliefs are committing crimes and will face the consequences.

What can you do about the current financial mess?

When you are bombarded by the bad news from the media regarding the egregious behavior of the leaders of the financial industry, the corruption of politicians and the prospects for the next depression, it can all become a bit overwhelming.

After all, you're just one apparently small cog in the great wheels of this world. What can you possibly do to make a difference?

In fact there is something you can do. You can bring financial stability to the area you can control. For example, you can bring sanity and stability to your own finances.

For help in doing this, I recommend the Financial Success Course.

Who owns the Psychiatric Industry?

Who owns the psychiatric industry? When you see the statistics of how much money the pharmaceutical industry pours into it then the answer becomes obvious: Big Pharma.

Here is another article that demonstrates that the psychiatric industry is not there for the benefit of people, but for the benefit of psychiatrists' pet theories and for the profits of Big Pharma: Psych Drug Handbook Written with Drug Industry Ties.

Not surprisingly we find that over 50% of the psychs who are creating the next edition of the "psychiatric bible", the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), receive money from Big Pharma.

Also, as the article points out, The conflicts of interest inherent in the DSM go beyond financial connections to drug companies, Grohol warned."Remember, many of the experts chosen to sit on these committees are the same professionals who have made their livelihood studying these disorders," he said. "Nobody's career is going anywhere if the disorder they've dedicated their life to researching is suddenly downsized or kicked out the DSM altogether."

Read the article and make up your own mind.

Economics by L. Ron Hubbard

My friend Peace (The Life Repairman) just wrote on his blog about an article on Economics by L. Ron Hubbard. I just read it (the LRH article) and it is awesome. It was written in 1966 when another empire (Britain) was hitting the financial skids and it describes a very similar situation.

The article demystifies much about economics, for example:

1. An INFLATION exists where there is more money in circulation than there are goods.
2. A DEFLATION exists where there are more goods than there is money to buy them.

So what do you think the current mad creation of money by the Federal Reserve is going to produce?

Another quote from the article, which is referring to Britain in the 1960s, but is very pertinent to the current situation in the US:

A very proper course for the country would be to abandon the empire no citizen of that country cares about any more, cutting off all its support and defense funds for lands that hate the British anyway. Then, or at the same time, engage upon a furious research program to discover how to produce food enough for its people, let down all its trade barriers, cancel the projects that make income tax vital and prosper beyond all imaginings.

Ever wondered what the real differences are between capitalism, socialism and communism? Well this article will tell you in very understandable terms and I think the answer will surprise you.

There is a lot more said in the article. You can find it here: Economics by L. Ron Hubbard

In these troubled times ...

In these worrying econimic times, when the US Government is setting the printing presses running 24/7 to produce another trillion dollars worth of worthless currency, individuals in our society are probably worrying about the future and what they can do to give themselves some security.

The book "The Problems of Work" by L. Ron Hubbard gives you the tools you need to gain that security.

After reading several of the frightening articles about the current economic situation, the inept actions being taken by the US Government and the criminal actions being taken by the Federal Reserve and associated banks, I decided to read this book again.

After the first chapter I breathed a sigh of relief because there is a way to not become the effect of the economic insanity, and the solution for the individual is contained in this book.

Well, I opened my big mouth

I opened my big mouth and whined about the stupid "bailout' in my post "Congressional IQ". So Jim Gatos called by bluff and asked what should be done about it. Well, in order to have the right to whine, one must also have some suggestions to fix the thing he is whining about, so here is my reply to what Jim asked. You can read Jim's comment here: Jim's comment and here is my reply:

Hey Jim,

For more on what is causing this financial meltdown watch this video: Money as Debt

You asked, "first is what should be done, and secondly is what can the country do to make sure this mess doesn't happen again."

Interestingly there was a law that could have prevented this sort of thing from happening. It was called the Glass-Steagall Act and it prohibited investment banks from acting as commercial banks. Investment banks (which make speculative bets) could not own commercial banks (which accept savings deposits from customers) and so depositor's savings would not be put into risky investments.

The Glass-Steagall Act was made law shortly after the Great Depression and was meant to help stop another such depression. The Act was repealed in 1999 after the banking industry poured $200 million into lobbying efforts to get rid of it. See this article for much more data: The Con In Central Bankers' Confidence. A fascinating (though scary) article which explains a lot about how we got into this mess.

Your questions are tough to answer. Here is what I'd do if I were in a position of power: I would apply the "Danger Formula" - a part of Scientology Ethics. Here are the steps of the formula (in quotes) and what I would do. My suggestions are based on the little data that I have on this mess. I'm sure people who know more about it could come up with better ideas.

Also the actions I suggest to take are my suggestions only and have nothing to do with my Church. The Church of Scientology does not get involved in politics or government.

"1. Bypass (ignore the junior or juniors normally in charge of the activity and handle it personally)"
I would bypass the financial institutions which brought this about. The next step of the formula gives what I'd then do.

"2. Handle the situation and any danger in it."
There are a couple of ways this could be done.

a) To handle the "credit crunch": the government could set up its own agency to give loans to businesses and individuals. They already have the SBA in place so its role could be expanded.

The rules for qualifying for a loan could be set to the same rules as the average bank followed before the craziness hit.

Once this agency starts giving out loans, following reasonable qualification requirements, it is likely that banks would start to follow suit and lend out on similar terms. Otherwise they'll go broke because no one will be getting loans from them.

Also the government could mandate the rules banks must follow to decide who can get a loan. This will bypass the psychotic pendulum swing that went from "Yes I will give your pet duck a loan" to "You need a credit score of 25,000 to qualify for a $10 loan".

The end product of these handlings is that loans will start to flow again but following sane loan qualification guidelines.

b) To handle the problem of homeowners not being able to pay their mortgages: one handling would be to allow them to change their mortgages from 30 year to 40, 50 or 60 year mortgages. This would reduce their monthly payment and allow them to stay in their home and allow banks to keep the house on their books as an asset.

I'm sure the bright boys and girls in the banking industry can think of other solutions. So people who made dumb mortgage choices (with the help of unethical banks) can keep a roof over their heads.

c) To handle the problem of banks with worthless "assets" on their books. With steps a) and b) underway the housing market should be starting to recover. So the value of houses will be better. The banks should fix up foreclosed houses so they can be sold - perhaps at a loss but at least at a price in a recovering market. They could also offer longer-term mortgages so more people can afford to buy with less chance of being unable to pay three or four years down the road.

"3. Assign the area where it had to be handled a Danger condition."
Tell the financial sector that they are in trouble and better get their act together otherwise they'll be out of a job and in even bigger trouble.

"4. Assign each individual connected with the Danger condition a Personal Danger condition and enforce that they follow the formula completely, and if they do not do so, do a full Ethics investigation and take all actions indicated."
(The steps of the Personal Danger Formula are similar to the steps here. If you want to know more then buy the book Introduction to Scientology Ethics)

First, every individual in the sectors of the financial industry where this happened have to write up, in exact detail, the crimes and other unethical actions they did or were involved with. If they do an honest job of this then the penalties will be lessened. If they don't and their activities and crimes are found out later then the penalties will be increased. Then they do the steps of the Personal Danger Formula.

I'd also have further investigations carried out based on what came up in these write-ups. All crimes found would be made public and prosecuted.

I would also have a major investigation convened into the revoking of the Glass-Steagall Act. Every politician who voted for its revocation, every lobbyists who lobbied to have it revoked and those who funded them would be looked into. Everything found would be made public and all crimes prosecuted.

"5. Reorganize the activity so that the situation does not repeat."
I would disband the Federal Reserve and put the country back onto the Gold Standard, initially. On a longer term I would find another standard to use that reflects the productivity of the country rather than how much gold we have in reserve. For example, use the GNP as the basis for how much money we can allow in circulation. We produce a billion dollars worth of product then we can issue that many dollars.

I would make the issuance of money follow the Constitution.

I would abolish income tax and replace it with a national sales tax. This would encourage people to save and would only tax them when they spend.

I would figure out a way to phase out the fractional reserve system of banking and get to a much more rational system that doesn't cause inflation and the sort of crash we are experiencing.

"6. Recommend any firm policy that will hereafter detect and/or prevent the condition from recurring."

Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act.

Add learning about money to school curricula: its history, how it is manipulated, how the fractional reserve system was used by bankers to amass huge personal fortunes and power, how the Federal Reserve system brought about the current mess, basics on how to stay solvent, how to balance your check book, etc., etc. That way future generations won't get fooled again.

There are probably lots of other things that can be done, but this is not my field, so I'll leave it up to people who know more about it.

So, Jim, that's my suggestion.