Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: Why I decided to leave Scientology From: alerma@nospam.bellatlantic.net (arnie lerma) Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 17:36:00 GMT -------- Why I Decided to Leave Scientology I was once a true believer. I was convinced that Hubbard had all the answers. Then I met, his daughter, Suzette Hubbard, she changed everything and for this I’ll be forever grateful. I was stationed in New York City at a facility called FOLO EUS, which means Flag Operations Liason Office United States. Flag is the name of the management body in Scientology. That Stephen King called his satanic personality in his TV miniseries and book THE STAND the given name of "Flagg" was no coincidence I think. When, for instance, filet mignons would be shipped to "the old man", that is what we used to call Hubbard, not even we would know where he was, we would pack the steaks in dry ice in Styrofoam coolers and deliver them to a secret location called RONY, while our local staff were eating rice and beans. RONY was an acronym for Relay Office New York, it was I believe in the Bronx or in Brooklyn. Seems Suzette Hubbard had been transferred there. This was in 1976 or so close to the end of my career in Scientology. One day, one of the fellows that delivered materials for forwarding returned from RONY and mentioned to me that Suzette Hubbard wanted to meet me. Seems, some months previously I had sent a letter to ‘the old man". At the time, the person running the letters unit was Suzette Hubbard. In this letter I described a technical idea that I thought might have great merit if we had the money to finance it. Suzette was forwarded this letter as no one understood what I was talking about. Seems neither did Suzette, and this is what she wanted to ask me about. I agreed to meet with her. Well, needless to say, I was impressed with the lively, intelligent, green eyed offspring of the old man himself. In some ways I felt when talking with her that I was talking to a kindred spirit, for which we each found so many commonalities. In short, we both would look at each other and hear violins start playing. We began secretly meeting and ‘dating’. Some time later she was transferred from the secret facility in New York and back to "flag" headquarters in Clearwater Florida. Around this time the food at FOLO EUS got really bad, - we were served rice and beans often. I would save up my ten dollars per week pay, and would go out occasionally and eat a steak. On one occasion this steak was large, and very tasty. However I got very ill, and ended up hospitalized after the intestinal pain became so great that I lost control of my bladder while lying in my bunk. The pain didn’t scare me, that scared me. I ended up taking a leave to get my health back and resolve the situation, finding out from a doctor that my body had lost its ability to digest food. When presented with a large serving of meat, I could not digest it. If one doesn’t digest ones food, it will rot on its way through and poison you. I still take digestive enzymes to this day when eating a big meat meal. Anyhow, I had some time off from being a sea org member, and made a little money selling metal sculpture mobiles in the village, in order to pay off my medical bills and get my health back. After Suzette was transferred back to Flag we corresponded, and planned to elope. I took some of the money from selling metal sculpture in front of the San Marco cafe on Bleeker street, caddy corner from the Village Vanguard. One of the people that stopped by admiring my work was Calder’s daughter. But that is for another story. I remember it was the first slushy snow in New York city that winter, and the snow had just started to turn dark from the city grim. I caught a flight to Tampa and was picked up by one of those white vans that Scientology uses to ferry people around to this day. As a visiting Executive Sea Org member on leave, I was allowed to stay at the Fort Harrison building. Suzette and I sneaked off to the Clearwater court house around the corner and got a marriage license, we also visited a local doctor for the required blood tests. The law in Florida states that one must wait 48 hours after getting a marriage license before performing and consummating the marriage and registering it as legal. Suzette was getting daily auditing. One of the questions at the beginning of every one of these sessions is the ‘secret getting question’ "Has anyone almost found out something about you" Well... Suzette gave it up. She spilled the beans during her ‘confidential’ auditing session. I found myself with 5 sea org members holding me in the room I had been staying in. A short time later I was brought to a room with a chair and a light bulb, nothing else, it was like a Nazi interrogation scene. Two fellows came into the room and the door was locked. I was then questioned for a considerable length of time. I do not recall the details of what was discussed. I was under considerable emotional duress at this time. I do recall the conclusion, the offer if you will. It was an offer of "safe passage out of the state of Florida with all body parts still attached" if I told Suzette that the wedding was off. It was during the realization of just how far this organization would go that I made the decision to get the hell out at first safe opportunity. So I played along, I told Suzette it was not going to happen and watched as she cried. I could do nothing considering the circumstances. I shortly returned to New York and got together enough money to get my old Volkswagen van running that was parked at now ex-Scientologist David Culver’s house in New Jersey and I called my mother and told her I was coming home to think about life for a while. The point of all this, is that in a way I was lucky. Suzette used to ask me, "Aren’t you afraid of my father" - and I would think "why would I fear the most ethical man on the planet?" This was the external SHOCK necessary to break me out of the trance induced by L. Ron Hubbard’s elaborate showmanship. At times I feel those ten years were a complete waste. However, had I not invested that time chasing L. Ron Hubbard’s lies through the convoluted maze called Scientology, I would not know today how to explain to you just how that maze was built. Maybe I can make it up to Suzette Hubbard, who was disgusted by the waste and wanted "to get away from all of this", waving her arm out at the Scientology buildings in Clearwater. I hope she made it. But all the litigation and harassment is just part of the show. And the show WILL go on, unless you are willing to help expose it. (c) 2000 Arnaldo Lerma from http://www.lermanet.com/exit/FINAL2.htm I'd prefer to die speaking my mind than live fearing to speak. The only thing that always works in scientology are its lawyers The internet is the liberty tree of the new millennium Secrets are the mortar binding lies as bricks together into prisons for the mind http://www.lermanet.com/grifters.htm - mentioned 4 January 2000 in The Washington Post's - 'Reliable Source' column re "Scientologist with no HEAD" You want Bigots? http://members.home.net/bwarr1/Movie2.html