May 8, 2010
Dear Fellow Scientologist,
As Scientologists, we can no longer ignore the growing number of recent first-hand accounts of people who received and/or witnessed physical and violent abuse at the hands of David Miscavige. These accounts come from a variety of individuals, each of whom provides their own personal first-hand testimony of what they experienced or observed while working directly with David Miscavige as Chairman of the Board of RTC. They include recent international Church Executives (from RTC, CSI, Gold, CC, etc.) now blowing the whistle on Miscavige's abusive behavior. Most of these individuals are not speaking out because they were/are disaffected with the subject of Scientology or LRH, but because they could not allow the relentless and worsening abuses of David Miscavige to go unchecked. And this list of firsthand accounts of Miscavige's violence is growing (last updated July 22, 2010):
Marty Rathbun (former Inspector General of RTC, 2nd in command to Miscavige, 1984-2004) made the following statements in 2009 and 2010:
"Working with Miscavige from 2000 forward was a continually deteriorating condition ... regularly Miscavige would, in the middle of a conference, physically assault, punch open handed, tackle people."
"Mark Yager got beat up, kicked on, had large volumes thrown at him by Miscavige."
"Ray Mithoff got beat up by Miscavige."
"Mark Ingbar got beat up by Miscavige."
"Mike Rinder got it worse, [I saw him] get beatup at least a dozen times by Miscavige."
"Tom DeVocht got beatup by Miscavige a couple of times, and seeing that one time, caused me to leave."
(http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/)
(http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/scientology/scientologists-level-accusations/story?id=8792417)
(http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/30/scientology.violence/index.html)
(http://markrathbun.wordpress.com)
Mike Rinder (former International Scientology Spokesman; Head of Office of Special Affairs for 25 years, 1981-2006) made the following statements in 2009 and 2010:
"I was at the [receiving end] of repeated acts of random violence at the hands of Miscavige." (ABC News report, Oct. 22, 2009, http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/scientology/scientologists-level-accusations/story?id=8792417)
"I was physically assaulted some fifty times by David Miscavige." (CNN report, Mar. 30, 2010, http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/30/scientology.violence/index.html)
"[His physical assaults on me] happened more than once. He's a very volatile personality. He will lash out for uncalled-for reasons." (Australian News Channel 7 "Today Tonight" Interview, July 22, 2010, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOv0LtzXlx4)
"There is no doubt that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of others who would tell the same stories of their experiences [with Miscavige] if they weren’t being coerced into silence either by threat of disconnection from their families, loss of job or legal action being brought against them." (Comment at http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/)
"Where is Heber [Jentzch]? ... The answer is simple: Miscavige hates Heber. ... Heber has not only witnessed Miscavige-brand physical and mental abuse, he has experienced it firsthand. ... I have seen Miscavige strike Heber on at least 10 occasions." (http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2010/04/04/free-heber/)
"Having to lie to the BBC about Miscavige beating people was the straw that broke the camel’s back and I walked out while in London [in 2008]." (Comment at http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/)
Janela Webster (former head of AVC International, RTC, 1990 - 2007) made these comments in April 2010:
"I am writing this to make it known my own personal experience with the physical and emotional abuse I either witnessed or experienced from David Miscavige. ... Norman Starkey: how could you stand up [on CNN] and lie about David Miscavige not laying a hand on you? I was standing right there in the office when he just walked up to you and boxed you in the ears with no concern whatsoever. And you, a senior citizen in your ‘60s? ... While I have my own personal experiences of being thrown in the lake; sleep deprivation; being incarcerated on the Int base and forced to sleep on a cot in my office for 7 months; starved on a diet of rice and beans for weeks; the most destructive and painful of all was the forced disconnection from my daughter in 2001." (http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/)
Amy Scobee (20 year Scientology International Base veteran, helped build Celebrity Centre network) made these statements in 2009 and 2010:
"David Miscavige is an extremely abusive, tyranical leader." (http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/)
"[David Miscavige] grabs Mike [Rinder] around the neck, swings around and is choking him, and he's holding [Mike's] neck. And Mike starts grabbing the side of his chair and struggling and not knowing what is going on. And his face is turning red, and his veins are popping out his neck, and I'm going 'What in the hell is going on?'" (CNN interview, http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/30/scientology.violence/index.html)
(In an Australian News Channel 7 "Today Tonight" Interview aired July 22, 2010, Amy provides a similar account: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOv0LtzXlx4)
"Miscavige jumps up on the conference table and jumped at Jeff Hawkins, tackling him to the ground." http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/)
"Miscavige jumps up on the table and lunges at Wendell Reynolds, knocking chair and Wendell back." http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/)
"Miscavige went straight after [Mark] Yager, grabbed his shirt and threw his whole body onto the ground." (http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/)
Karen Pressley (former head of Celebrity Centre Network and former International Public Relations Officer, 1980s-1990s): "I've seen [David Miscavige] slam people against a wall, by the neck, by the shoulders. ... Ray Mithoff, who was the Snr C/S International (his office was across from mine when I was the International Public Relations Officer; we were in the Del Sol Building) ... was constantly under the gun with David Miscavige. And I was present once when he threw Ray Mithoff against the wall, and took his shirt and threw him up like this [gestures upward], and told him he was an SP and a piece of shit. And made him get on his hands and knees and just humiliated him. And right after that, Ray Mithoff was sleeping in a tent on a hillside and having to pee outdoors with no toilet facilities. And cleaning floors with toothbrushes. ... Miscavige used every psychological tactic, physical abuse, verbal abuse, to dehumanize him." (http://vimeo.com/13073239)
Jeff Hawkins (35 year Sea Org veteran [1969-2004], marketing manager who created the DMSMH marketing campaign which put DMSMH back on the NY Times Best Seller list in the 1980s) made these comments in 2009 and 2010:
"I never saw [Rinder] abusing others, despite the abuse he received from Miscavige. Mike was, without question, THE most abused person at the Int Base. He was rarely allowed to sleep. He was physically beaten by Miscavige on many occasions. How he managed to carry on with his work and deal with media I do not know. He has great reserves of strength, which I hope are serving him well now that he is out." (http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/)
From CNN (Anderson Cooper) interview http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/30/scientology.violence/index.html:
CNN: "You've worked with Marty Rathbun. You've worked with Mike Rinder. The Church told us, that they were the ones leading this reign of terror, that Marty was the one responsible for these beatings."
Jeff: "Absolutely not true. Absolutely not true. David Miscavige was the one leading this whole physical violence kick. And it was him who was beating people up. ... [Miscavige once] jumped on the conference room table, with his feet right on the conference table, launched himself across the table at me -- I was standing -- battered my face and then shoved me down on the floor."
Jeff: "Miscavige was always threats, bullying, haranguing people, verbal abuse, physical abuse. That was his game. He is a bully."
Tom De Vocht (former Church construction supervisor in Clearwater [1986-2000] and Int base construction [2000-2004]) made this comment in Apr 2010:
"Dave asked me a question ... and the next thing I knew, I'm being smacked in the face and knocked down on the ground, in front of all these people. This is the 'Pope' [Miscavige] you know, knocking me down on the ground." (CNN interview, http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/30/scientology.violence/index.html).
Steve Hall (Worked at Int Base as writer from 1988-2004; came up with Church's tag line "Know Yourself. Know Life.") said the following:
"The four assaults I witnessed where David Miscavige actually attacked someone were against Mike Rinder, Mark Yager, Guillaume Leserve and Ray Mithhoff (four of the highest-ranking officers of the Church of Scientology). In the case of Mike Rinder, he and I were standing shoulder to shoulder when Mike was attacked. Miscavige didn't like a minor edit that Mike had made to a video we were working on. Suddenly Miscavige just went off: he lunged, grabbed Mike's head with both hands and bashed his head into solid cherry-wood paneling three times putting his whole body into the effort. Mike has since departed from the Church. Violent physical abuse is just the tip of a dark iceberg." (http://www.scientology-cult.com/scientologys-dictator.html)
Dan Koon (former Snr C/S International; worked with LRH on tech films in late 1970s, was "Joe" in TRs Film) made these comments in 2009:
"I spent nearly 27 years at the Int bases in La Quinta and Hemet, when LRH himself worked there (and David Miscavige was the video cameraman on the first Cine shoot crew), and when LRH was off the lines, when he passed away and throughout the rise and reign of DOB RTC (Dictator of the Board). I saw these bases morph from incredibly alive, all-over-the-Tone Scale, mostly positive but always hopeful operations to the present state of affairs that is chronically below 2.0 and where Boredom let alone Mild Interest are unobtainable dreams. ... I can personally attest to the observations that Mike [Rinder] has reported in this blog post. Many of you reading it may be in disbelief. If you could see the stats of Int Scientology and know that David Miscavige sits squarely atop the entire Scientology movement and is, thus, where the buck must ultimately stop, maybe your disbelief would at last be forced aside. Because we all know that the stats are the bottom line: auditors made and preclears well audited." (Comment at http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/)
"When I first joined the Sea Org, LRH was there, he met with us. We made films together. ... And life with him around was wonderful. ... he went off the lines for good in 1986. ... It certainly became a lot less fun as the years went on. By the time I left in 2003, it was very unfun. ... A lot of the stuff you read on the blogs about experiences at the Int Base, I can attest that they're all extremely accurate. I lived through them, I observed them. I know people, good friends of mine, who are now out, will attest to the same thing. It was just not the Scientology I joined in the 1970s and 1980s." (Interview with Dan Koon, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bhBXjB88ek )
Gary “Jackson” Morehead (former Security chief at the California Int base from 1990 to 1997) had this comment:
"Yes, Scientology has done good for mankind. I saw and see it. What I also WITNESED first hand was DAVID MISCAVIGE physically hit SCIENTOLOGY HIGH RANKING EXECUTIVES AND STAFF. I witnessed DAVID MISCAVAGE make 5 SCIENTOLOGY EXECUTIVES defecate into a clear plastic bag out in the broad open, make them shower by use of a garden hose in the broad open – male and female executives mind you." (Comment from http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/suppression-of-truth-and-freedom-of-speech-and-the-press/)
Eric Knutson (former construction/renovation middle manager at Int Base circa 1980s-1990) had this to say on the time he says he saw Miscavige hit a staffer:
"You could hear the actual thudding of the fist against the rib cage." (comment at http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/)
Mark Fisher (former Corporate Liaison to Miscavige [supervising household and special assignments] circa 1980s-1990) made this comment:
"Miscavige .. came racing across and grabbed me around my throat, and started choaking me, and I immediatly went down into a fetal position on the ground and covered up because I didn't want to fight back or get hit. He was pulling on my hair and was punching at me and kicking at me. And this went on for two or three minutes. And when he finally stopped and calmed down, I stood up and I reached behind my head and my head was bleeding behind from him pulling my hair. And I pointed my finger at him and looked at him right in the eye, and I said 'You notice I didn't lay one finger on you'. And the reason I said that was because I wanted everybody else to notice that HE was the reason that this was going on, not me, I wasn't the one that was doing anything physical or fighting back. ... That had a profound impact on me as to why I wanted to leave because when you're talking about the person who's the head of the organization that you've dedicated your life to is actually physically attacking you ... that's not why I got involved in Scientology. I got involved in Scientology to help people." (Comment at http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/)
Bruce Hines (former Senior C/S in Scientology from 1987-2003) said this:
"[Miscavige] just walked up and hit me on the side of the head ... with an open hand ... It definitely hurt, and it definitely knocked me back." (From ABC Nightline, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BddkM-qcLvo)
John Peeler (Delphi School graduate; in SO from 1989-2000; worked at CC Int and then Int Base) said this:
"I witnessed David Miscavige as well as other executives and staff at the base beat people up, slap others around, spit on people, overboard people, and a number of other punishments for either no reason at all or for disobeying orders or non-compliance. Even smaller things found out, such as masturbation, became huge issues blown up and read out at staff musters." (Comment at scnforum.org)
Larry Brennan (helped create high level Church structure for LRH in late 70s and early 80s; personally worked with Miscavige during this period) said this:
"In the lair of [Miscavige] I am sure that “status” means everything. From my years of working with him I found him at best to be a highly immature, spoiled and abusive status seeker. I’ve also found the types of things I’ve heard Marty [Rathbun], Mike [Rinder] and others say about his abusive and his need for a false “status” to be correct and in keeping with what I witnessed as well." ( From http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/egoist-maximus/)
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Numerous attempts at reforming the Church of Scientology and Miscavige from the inside over the last 20+ years have failed (as witnessed by statements made by those on the above list and many others), KRs have been written, and David Miscavige has retaliated against those writing the KRs and has proven incapable of reforming himself on his own, i.e. getting his own ethics in. At this point, we have no choice but to speak up and affect a reform from outside the Church.
For that reason, I urge all Scientologists to withdraw your support from the Church of Scientology while Miscavige is in charge and until a reform is affected.
Further, you can go up the Standard LRH Bridge outside the Church of Scientology.
There are, in fact, many, many highly trained auditors auditing and doing training in the independent field (outside the Church of Scientology) around the world today. These include veteran auditors (some trained by LRH himself) and recent Flag-trained Class VIII through Class XII auditors delivering the Grades, NED, Power, the Ls, all of the OT levels, and any repairs needed on any of the above. You can go Clear and OT outside the official CoS ... and you do not have to support Miscavige's corruption (and deal with crush reg'ing) while doing so.
For more information on attempts to reform the Church of Scientology by Independent Scientologists, go to any of the following LRH-friendly websites: http://www.FriendsofLRH.com, http://scientology-cult.com, http://freeheber.com and Marty Rathbun's blog at http://markrathbun.wordpress.com .
With ARC,
An Independent Scientologist
info@scientologymyths.com
Last updated: July 22, 2010