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April 07, 2008
Scientology, The Hart Hotel, and Bombing for Ron
Fake bombs were found outside the Church of Scientology's small, storefront office on E. Michigan Avenue recently in downtown Battle Creek. Some surmised, placed there by a disgruntled former Scientology Church member, and to coincide with L. Ron Hubbard's (Scientology's founder) birthday.....
Others suggested Church members might have placed the wrapped batteries in a next door Hair Shed (barber shop) trash can as a way to get a bit of news media attention......
Word on the Battle Creek street is that the old Hart Hotel on Washington Avenue -- purchased by the Scientologists nearly a decade ago as a new " Church Training Center" similar to their Clearwater, Fla complex, but never renovated -- is now up for sale.....
We might hope someone buys the Hart Hotel from the Scientologists.
W. K. Kellogg (who originally built the Hotel) would be a bit more at ease in his Oak Hill Cemetery grave.
And Battle Creek might be better off with the Hotel building purchased and put to other uses.
Read the following, true account.
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A friend believes in Scientology. She's moving to Clearwater, Florida to earn “a master’s degree in counseling.”
The degree will cost $30,000 and be issued by the Church of Scientology.
At her current rate of Dianetical matriculation, she’ll finish the 12 Scientology Training Classifications when Americans land on Mars.
None of this may be too important, when the Catholic Church is forking out $2 billion to settle child abuse charges against its clergy.
But from what I’ve read, the Church of Scientology isn’t much of a church, nor have much to do with science.
In church founder *L. Ron Hubbard’s words: “SCIENTOLOGY means only ‘knowing how to know.’
Scientology printed material describes a dystopia nearly as confused and chilling as George Orwell in the novel 1984.
The Scientology Handbook urges apostles to throw away definitions for everyday words and experiences. Reality is replaced with BigBrotherish group-think-talk:
“Word Clearing, ARC Triangles, Tone Scale, Locational Processing Assist, Clearing, Cal-Mag, Overt-Motivator Sequence, Conditions Formulas, PTS Handling, “How to Handle Rumors and Whispering Campaigns,” and (yes) “Battle Plans.”
Excerpt from a randomly selected page of The Handbook: “A workman is not just a workman. A laborer is not just a laborer. An office worker is not just an office worker. They are living, breathing important pillars on which the entire structure of our civilization is erected. They are not cogs in a mighty machine. They are the machine.”
Creepy enough 'newspeak' to have come right out of the TV monitor in Winston Smith's apartment.
As we packed, my friend talked about the next adventure in Scientology – the two-year Florida stint at a **Scientology training center: “We’ll go to classes from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. All I’ll need is a bed and lamp.”
I think to myself: “And lots of checks made payable to The Church of Scientology.”
From out the bedroom, she brings a large, aluminum traveling case secure enough to carry the Queen’s Jewels or Holy Grail.
The case is lined with rich, red velvet. Nestled securely in the middle is the E-Meter – short for electropsychometer, which according to The Scientology Handbook is “a specially designed instrument used by a trained Scientology practitioner for (“auditing”) helping someone locate long-hidden sources of travail. It does not diagnose or cure anything; it simply measures the mental state or change of state of an individual.”
I could use help with “long hidden sources of (personal) travail.”
Just not sure about this E-Meter-thing.
With its several, primitive buttons, the E-Meter resembles an expensive prop from a 1940s science fiction movie. (Ron Hubbard began writing pulp science fiction novels about then.)
“Mine’s a $10,000 E-Meter!” my house-cleaner-for-a-living friend says proudly. “But you can get a cheaper one.”
I praise the sturdiness of the case and the shiny lacquer on the E-Meter’s dials.
“OK if I take a digital photo of your E-Meter?” I ask.
She looks like I’d suggested stripping and a naked pose for Playboy.
Quietly closes the case. Changes subject.
Several days pass, and the E-Meter disappears from the apartment.
I ask again about the E-Meter photo.
“Oh, no, you might use that picture…write up one of your stories for that newspaper,” she says, trying hard to stay conversational in tone.
I respond: “Right. Everything about me is fodder for an article or book chapter.”
She then half points to the book under my arm: “What are you reading?”
“Nothing special. One of Michael Connelly’s detective novels. You like his stuff?” I ask.
My 51-year-old friend smiles: “You know, I’ve never read a novel.”
I wonder if she ever will…as a Scientologist.
* L. Ron Hubbard allegedly defrauded the Church of Scientology of $200 million, The 'faithful' remained true to their Founder. His wife and close associates reportedly led efforts to infiltrate the IRS and destroy records about the Church's finances. Hubbard died in 1986, after years of seclusion at a California ranch.
** The Fort Harrison Hotel/Scientology Training Center is now part of a new $160 million, four-square block Scientology Center, that has taken over the core area of downtown Clearwater. A number of mysterious and gruesome murders and suicides have taken place in the Hotel complex since it was purchased by the the Scientologists, and used as a "dormitory" for Church apostles and students, according to published newspaper stories.
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An online archive of Jim Richmond’s newspaper columns is available at: http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/news/extra/bciq.html
Many of his columns are in the publication: Against The Grain, profiles of people who dared to make a difference.
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