Hot and Cold Running Servants | | Print | |
Monday, 27 June 2011 08:36 |
By Lana Mitchell The www.savescientology.com website documents, thoroughly, how LRH’s intent for corporate Scientology has been corrupted by one David Miscavige. As additional information supporting this site, I wanted to document my knowledge of the personal service lines of David Miscavige. As a former RTC investigator I worked to “follow the money” (the trail of financial irregularities, personal favours, and persons receiving disproportional financial rewards) to find the criminal and the subverter. For those who are not familiar with the day-to-day service lines of the head of Scientology — this information may be new for you. For the many who have worked in and around this individual, I am sure there is much information I do not have, which can be added to confirm the significance and extent of the corruption. I start with a description of my own experiences as a Sea Org member, so that there is a comparison to the altogether different standard of Miscavige from Sea Org members, Scientologists and easily 95% of this planet. Standard of LivingSea Org members, are provided with lodging, food and a small sum of money on a weekly basis – and in exchange they work long hours, 7 days a week.I was in the SO for 17 years. When I first arrived in 1989, weekly pay was $35. It was enough to cover basic hygiene supplies, vitamins, occasional canteen visits and then, if you really worked to save your money – enough to buy some Christmas presents for family at year end. In the early 90’s the pay went to $50 a week, though in saying that, there were many weeks when the pay was cut by half or cut entirely. Also, it was routine that money was collected for senior executive birthday and Christmas presents (coming out of your pay before it was even handed to you). In terms of food – it was basic. Often highly processed, often bland, and routinely not well cooked – but people put up with it. Sometimes it was just beans and rice, as the money was simply not there to properly feed the crew. But the crew put up with whatever the food is – as they are not there for the food – they are there for the higher purposes of the Sea Org. Berthing in the Sea Org comes in all standards. When I first arrived in the SO, in Sydney in the late 80’s I recall vividly a cockroach infested kitchen, in an old damp and cold Sydney terrace house, with paint peeling, and a toilet that never stopped running. In LA the berthing was not much better. I lived in the Hollywood Inn for several years in a tiny room with smelly carpet, a double bed and nothing else. The bathroom was barely working – with a toilet and bath/shower. At one point there was a leak in the ceiling above and the entire bathroom ceiling collapsed into the bathtub – and was not fixed for months. I was lucky as I was promoted to the post of CO CMO PAC at one point, and was then able to move into the PAC Main Building – with a large corner room with my own bathroom. I actually felt a little awkward about the vast difference in quality and size of the room that came with the promotion. When I was promoted to Int in 1993 I lived at Kirby, at Vista and even in one of the old houses that was opposite the G’s (near Sublet Road). These were all functional rooms. The furniture was stuff I had collected up over time – either for free or as hand-me-downs from others. The last house I lived in, when I was working in Gold on the Service lines for David Miscavige, was an old house that had had a meth lab under the house at one point. It had a garage full of rats, and myself and 3 others cleaned, scrubbed and then painted it so that we could live closer to the Int base and be able to work the additional late night hours without being stuck with no way to get home. We put up with the low standards as we wanted to do our posts well – as having to try to find a ride home at 3am was awful. Standard of RoyaltyNow all of the above is the reality that most Sea Org members have of food, berthing and pay. When it comes to David Miscavige however, the standard is altogether different.First is pay. I do not have specifics on the exact amount that DM is paid on a weekly basis. I do know that when I was in RTC I was stunned to receive a Christmas bonus of over $3000. My senior and other RTC execs received much more – and I was told that this occurred every Christmas as if this was not done then DM’s own salary would look very strange to an outsider, being so much higher than the regular SO pay. The RTC staff received bonuses so that DM could continue to be paid his high salary. I worked on the food service lines for DM for several years. Over $1000 a week was spent on food supplies for just DM and his wife Shelly. A full time chef, and an assistant chef, worked tirelessly to service the two in a way that most SO members would never believe. DM eats every 2 hours. He has a specific low-fat diet, which requires constant monitoring of calorie-content of each dish, use of all possible low-fat ingredients, special low-fat cooking styles and methods, and all food must be the freshest and best quality available. He gets up at midday and has breakfast at lunchtime. He is provided with a cooked breakfast daily, top of the line coffee and has the chef wait for as long as needed so that it is fresh cooked and plated up within minutes of him sitting down. Lunch is provided within 2 ½ hours. Two choices for lunch are always made, and routinely, (before Shelly disappeared) two choices were made for her as well. That is four separate lunches for 2 people. Choices include home-made soups, Mexican food, Italian food, pizza, subway sandwiches with only the best and most expensive ingredients, and more. The Chef gets these meals together in the Galley and then returns to DM’s service area to personally keep the meals warm/fresh and to personally plate them up and see that they are well received. The Chef cannot return to the kitchen until this is done – and too many times to count, the Chef can wait for more than 2 hours while DM is in a meeting or otherwise engaged, only then to be told that DM decided to eat a protein bar and there will be no lunch served – and there is now only 1 hour till dinner is to be ready. Dinner is a repeat of lunch – with at least 2 choices of dinner. Again, the meal has to be dished up/plated by the Chef, and only the freshest and most expensive ingredients are used. Chicken breast is the largest organic breasts available, delivered fresh. Vegetables are purchased from the local fresh markets, with a purchaser going specially to buy the needed fruit and vegetables and pay whatever price – regardless of season. Atlantic salmon is flown in from the US east coast or from Canada – fresh. Lamb is corn-fed from New Zealand. Steak is filet-mignon, and organic. There is an evening snack delivered 2 hours after dinner. This is a repeat of lunch – however routinely lighter foods. Then, there is a late night meal/snack that is put together and provided for after midnight. This is routinely a cheese and fruit platter, a platter of antipasto – all top of the line, best possible ingredients. Smooth goat’s cheese, mellow blue-vein, smoked gouda, aged-tasty cheeses – served with organic crackers. Presentation of all items is top of the line, with garnishes, fruit carvings and edible flowers -- you name it. DM stays up until around 3am and then get a cushy 8 – 9 hours sleep to emerge fresh at lunchtime each day (while the majority of staff around him have had far less). There are full-time kitchen staff who perform these functions, and there are also anything from 1 – 3 full-time RTC stewards who act to coordinate the meals and do the actual food service. All of the above is the regular run-of-the mill regular Sea Org production day for the DM royalty. Now – where things start to really ramp up is when you get celebrations and guests. DM’s birthday is an extravaganza to behold. The food preparation is started a full 2 – 3 days in advance, and is based on a wish list, a theme and there are no expenses barred. The menu is plucked from 5-star restaurants and books, the ingredients are shipped in from across continents – and there is no limit to satisfy and impress. Fresh lobster was a regular item on the menu. Fresh live shrimp was also. The exclusive foi gras (duck liver) was a favourite, at huge cost. Truffles were another item that featured routinely. A guest such as TC results in similar levels of food creativity. In the 3 years that I worked on these service lines, I saw it all. I worked my ass off to provide food service fit for royalty – and meanwhile, the crew around me (as well as myself) were eating food that routinely could not be sold if you tried. Now berthing for the royalty is again, something most Sea Org members or public would not believe. DM has personal spaces at Gilman Hot Springs, in LA, at Flag, in the UK and on the Freewinds. Each has been designed and fitted out with top-of-the line furnishings – no expenses barred. Just recently the entirety of the Upper Villas at Int was turned into DM’s personal living spaces — enough space to berth 48 Sea Org members or 12 couples. Living spaces for DM are on par with English royalty – and I suspect the standard of service he receives is even better. When I was working on these lines there were 2 full-time stewards responsible for cleaning, servicing and doing laundry. It was routinely a flap if DM put on some weight that his steward would be ordered to tailor his pants so that they were comfortable. All of his uniforms and clothes are hand-crafted by an LA tailor (Mr Lim), and he has a wardrobe that fills a room. DM also has his own fleet of personal luxury cars/motorcycles, and if there is any expensive personal item that DM does NOT personally own or has not purchased, then he is sure to receive as a personal gift from the thousands of Sea Org members who are forced to propitiate to him every birthday and every Christmas, with lavish gifts of high value. So.... what does parishioner’s money buy in the Church of Scientology? Answer = hot and cold running servants for David Miscavige and a lifestyle fit for a king. Parishioner’s money was intended by LRH to go to the forwarding of Scientology – not forwarding the personal living standards of the person at the top. LRH never lived as David Miscavige does – and that alone shows how far this has gone from the ideal scene. Scientology is a not-for-profit organisation. Not only does Miscavige violate basic Scientology tenets, policy and principles with the above – he is also violating the law of the land CORPORATELY, both in the US, in the UK and in many, many other countries of the world. I invite you to visit www.savescientology.coms and compare the above with the documents there. Lana Mitchell |
Comments
I was responsible for originally setting up DM and Shelly’s service lines back in 1983 when I was made the Corporate Liaison In Charge based on an LRH order to DM to get a service facility for himself and Author Services in order to offset the time and effort they put into “helping” the Church. You see ASI was a for profit corporation that’s purpose was to make money for LRH and later his estate.
DM was the COB of ASI and since he and others routinely ordered into the Scientology Church, LRH figured that the Church could help defray some of those costs by giving DM and ASI a service facility of staff to take care of their needs. Both at the Int/Gold Base and in LA and the Complex.
I was recommended by Vicki Aznaran to head this unit and DM and Shelly agreed.
I put together a staff of 3 people at the Gold base including myself and then 3 others in the LA area. One person at each location was responsible solely for handling any of DM or Shelly’s needs including overseeing the cleaning of their spaces by the CMO Estates Project Force, handling their laundry and dry cleaning daily and any other errands.
DM shared an office with Shelly and there was also a desk for Pat Broeker to use if he was at the base. My office with my staff was through a connecting door.
At that time, DM and Shelly ate with the rest of the base crew in the dining room at MCI and sat with the other CMO executives at their own table. They ate the same food that the rest of the crew ate. He did however sometimes send me or another person into town or San Bernardino to buy take out food for him and others using a petty cash stash we had for him. All of this money had to be accounted for.
DM and Shelly had the same berthing room space at the Int base as the rest of the senior executives at the time. They had one room in the lower villa. He also had one car for his use and the infamous Black Van was always ready for him to use.
That was it. He got paid at that time by ASI, which was a for profit company. So he and the other ASI execs all made a lot of money compared to Sea Org Members. We however being his staff in the Church, had our own bonus system which was in alignment with the bonus system that CMO Int had and were well paid for what we did in comparison to other Sea Org members.
All of this began to change however, after LRH died and DM kicked out Pat and Annie Broeker. He wouldn’t have dared to live the life of royalty that is described above with people around who could say NO!!!!!
DM then reorganized RTC and moved to the base full time and became COB RTC. He brought with him a new bonus system so that he could maintain his standard of living, but his bonuses again were in line with the other senior executives and staff in RTC and CMO Int. He just got them more often!!
He then got his own full time steward in the dining room, but still ate with everyone else.
His space progressively got larger while I was still there – taking over Pat and Annie’s old large bedroom that was next to his as an “Officer’s Lounge” which in fact was for him to use. Then he added another bedroom for his and Shelly’s clothing and shoes.
It was at this time, that I left for good.
Sounds like from that point forward, he began to live more and more like a King since there was no longer anyone who could tell him NO!!!!!
He had long since gotten rid of any long term Commodore’s Messengers who would have objected to what he was doing, and everyone else obviously began to cower under his rule and go along with it.
After all “he was the new LRH!!”
(What a joke! LRH would be furious if he knew one tenth of what DM was doing and getting!) And that Upper Villa was all LRH spaces for LRH’s use, including an office, music room and Camera Equipment area and safe room.
I think most former veteran Sea Org Membeers drop their jaws when they hear these stories of extravegance by DM. They all know how LRH would react if he were still alive.
'Nuff said.
You get a paltry base pay, with a joke of a bonus that could NEVER EVER get you even partly up the bridge. When asked about more pay you're told - "we don't have a 'budget' for that"
Yet where's the company $ going to ???
Oh, the owners precious wife or girlfriend needs to do her L's at Flag, and you should feel honored to contribute to that. And then the rest of her bridge also. VERY important. And HER exchange ? Maybe filing papers, or answering the phone, or coming in and bitching at the staff who missed her withholds of sitting on her ass most of her life.
And of course the owners kids... And the owners new cars...
And of course the church reg accepts the $ because it gets the reg stats up.
So you really have a vast majority of sci public who can't go up the bridge because of this CRIMINAL idea and practice.
There are variations of this dramo but this IS IS IS happening right this very minute.
It comes from the top of Sci, and even in the corporate world, and works it's way down. Great. Makes one wish for a French revolution again...
LRH lived well in comparison with most SO members, but none of us minded it as it was in no way excessive or even self-indulgent. DM is a cancerous plague that has befallen Scientology.
Lana, thank you for your write up; very enlightening! And I forgive you about that (my) whole headache thing at PAC.
Thx, this is good reporting. I knew about this from talking to Sinar before, but this is more detailed. I think I remember you when you were CO CMO PAC.
Do you remember what happened to Sue Bolstad? (Not Maureen).
It is worse than that.
As Miscavology took over, from the way the original Church was run, Finance for medical was denied to Sea Org members.
That's right, the tax payer and Uncle Sam had to pay for some 25 years or so.
SEA ORG MEDICAL = FREELOADERS on the Tax payer.(recently Management has possibly tweeked for window dressing and Internet transparency.)
Abortions were enforced, but only to FREE clinics such as Planned Parenthood.
I know of a Mexican Sea Org member who was flown to Canada to have the abortion because of the FREE medical system there.
When my son Alexander Jentzsch, needed a root canal, he was sent to "County." "County" in Los Angeles means FREEBIE USC Medical school, where students learn on patients supervised by medical doctors. It is all FREE but you must sit on the bench 6-8 hours waiting your turn.
Alexander had served 8 years, but good luck on getting a penny from the Sea Org for dental. Finally after a 5 hour wait, he called me and I took him to a Burbank Doctor and paid the $1000 because by now it had blown up into a huge abscess.
So while Miscavige lives like a Saudi King, with some 25 personal staff in a lavish life style with his own personal hairdresser, makeup artist, fitness trainer, 2 chefs, personal valet, personal cleaners, drivers, computer guy on and on and on penalized, penniless Sea Org members got little to no pay, and were Sea Org recruiters routinely lied, claiming medical was paid for.
I myself had almost no medical paid for even when I worked 60 to 80 hour weeks on rice and beans and a pittance in the years I served.
People wonder how there can $1 billion in reserves in one account alone.
If you have some 4000 to 5000 slaves working 60 hours a week on a pittance and you pay absolutely no taxes, you too could amass a fortune.
Law Enforcement is also used for FREE.
Miscavige uses Law enforcement as his personal army while no $$$$ is paid into city budgets for the police.
The monies for harassment, Private investigators, high priced Lawyers to cover up the Dirty Deeds are from the paragraph above.
Great Essay Lana. Kudos to you.
When I was auditing at AOLA back in the late '80's. They were pulling in over 500G a week.
More than enough to pay the SO and Non SO well including bonuses.
Yet the org couldn't even afford toilet paper never mind Worksheet paper or other essentials because practically all the income AO was making was being sucked "up lines" into some voracious vacuum.
Now I know where all that money went and am I pissed!!!!
Lobster????
Atlantic Salmon????
Freaking Cheesy cheese plates!!!!
For Caligula Dave!!!!
Un-freaking-believable!!!!!
Hey Dave if you or any of your OSA buddies are reading this:
What does this outrageous and out ethics extravagance have anything to do with KSW?
And thanks to Steve for providing a place where these can be placed found and read.
I finally came up with this solution and endeavored to keep building it until the conclusion became unavoidable and the authorities were motivated to act. While at the same time, running out the 3rd dynamic engram the group has received. Shortly after I started, Marty independently launched his own website — which I like to think "great minds think alike." Ha ha. But even all of this would be pointless and a waste of time, if it weren't for you and many more people who care enough to take the time to thoroughly read and understand what has been written here.
My hope is that by providing well-organized and high-quality accounts of abuse at all levels of the Church, the authorities will eventually be able to not only take action, but take the right action. We need their help as what we have in the Church is not "Scientology" but simply flagrant and brutal criminality.
As one very intelligent reader said (who became a Scientologist after reading this website), "Scientology has to be one of the most misunderstood subjects on the planet. I get it — there's a wolf in the hen house! That's the problem."
Great write-up, well done. This data is needed.
On the ship in '73-'74, I was on the Dir Comm post night and day, except to sleep, eat and for libs. During that time, I noticed two other areas who put in as many or more hours than myself. I adored my job. One area was AVU, their door was never closed, except when working on Confidential Missions, and they posted a sign up for that. The other one was LRH. When he was in his office, the curtains were usually drawn, and at night the lights were on. It was a huge motivation to me. When he went on deck or out and about he was invariably in good spirits, smiling and attentive to those around him. Yes, he sometimes bawled someone out, but it was always momentary. And he was really quick to acknowledge individual members of crew, even coming below deck to seek someone out and commend them personally.
The general mood on the ship was exhilaration to action, light and aesthetic. He once joked when issuing an all-hands clean-up order, saying, 'The stats might be down but at least we'll have a clean ship." And yes, shortly after, the Int stats boomed.
All very different under DM - the complete opposite in fact.
I'm sorry, Lana, for what you had to endure. But you did it with LRH's goals in mind, and I commend you for that. Thanks for joining us, and for this write-up.
Love, Rich
Your testimony is very important. I'm sure there are many others who can corroborate your statements.
If only law enforcement wasn't so incompetent and slow to act.
I think only mass defections or Federal law enforcement intervention will put an end to it.
I hate to sound pessimistic but I don't see either happening in the next couple of years.
As much as we may value the tech and see how important this whole scene is, to the rest of the world it's a small fringe cult acting goofy but barely worth diverting time and resources to.
They like the celebrity wow factor but other than that, who cares about this tiny bunch of wacko's?
Sad to see that re: Sue B, I always liked her a lot.
I personally didn't think he was a real bad guy and didn't like the way he got nailed to the cross by media and the courts. He was made a real example of and it was overkill in my opinion. His wife just dumped him during this.
But he did eventually admit he crossed over some lines, I think it was living too high at some point on his parishioners donations.
But for God's sakes man, he didn't do what Mr M. has been doing. Long term
verbal and physical ASSAULT. Altering the scriptures. Recording confessionals for potential blackmail and extortion purposes. Spreading confessional info to others. Ruining others lives. Financial extortion. Enslavement. Embezzlement. Fraud on a HUGE scale. Lies to millions. Etc...
Baker did very little compared to Mr M. Jeez man, where's the justice ?
A comet, or meteorite, or astroid ? LRH comming back with loaded guns ???
Great article, thanks for writing this. Learning of DM's extravagance was a major factor in my investigation of the COS that led me to a full understanding of the Who for the decline of the church.
From HCO PL 5 Feb 1982 OUT-ETHICS SYMPTOMS
"There are three things which, when observed, can be very revealing:
1. Overspending, waste, and extravagance.
2. Overt products
3. Nonproduction
"One or the other of these will lead frequently to discovering the rest being present as well.
"Recent incidents have now revealed something else. When those three things are present, they are covering up a serious out-ethics scene.
"Although each one of them is bad enough and although each one of them should be handled, sad experience has shown that they won't stay handled unless one reaches deeper.
"Below these symptoms, as in some disease, it will commonly be found that there is an out-ethics situation of magnitude, often amounting to very despicable crime.
"Quite often one is prone to say, seeing the three things above, that that is just a personality fault in the person or a lack of organization in a group. But it is a sad fact that if one were to follow these things down, all too often he would find a situation that could only be classified as major crime."
LRH
Very Well Done Lana for shining the light of truth on DM, and for keeping your Code of Honor through thick and thin. LRH would be very proud.
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