I consider disconnection one of the worst practices of Co$. Of course here is another story because nobody forces you to disconnect like they do in Co$, and truly independent self made decisions are seldom wrong.

But may I suggest you another attitude:
"more communication, not less, is the answer". Communicate your point of view to as much a as Scientologists you can find, and be ready to accept their communication in return. Honesty and Truth do not fear communication but Lies do, and those wonderful people entrapped in Co$ lies, when they will start to wake up and look around, they will need all your communication and understanding.

Dear Rob,

While you have the right to do as you wish, I don't know you personally so have never "been connected" but I would like to say that this type of handling never worked for me in the church nor will it work outside of the organization. It seems that by your action you are granting credence to the policy of disconnection. I vote for not carrying on the bad habits and handlings.

Don't you think it may be wise to take responsibility to enlighten your connections in whatever manner possible to help them see what is going on? How many people could you reach by maintaining ARC?

Just a thought.

Dear Rob,

I do fully understand what you mean. But pls. observe the emotion that your post is emoting. You may be right, but please take on a higher emotion. As Marty says take the middle way and don't go into the extremes on the other side.

When in doubt communicate. It is an universal solvent! Nevertheless it's your holy right! Have a nice day!

Great point Dagny!!

LO, if i am a man of my word then YES I should be "so strict". If I can't discipline myself and "keep my word once given", then I might make trouble for myself and for others and be regarded as someone who doesn't mean what they say.

I congratulate you for being able to face what you are facing. I was in the same phase you were. Perhaps it is strict, but you are in a different condition that the bulk of the people I am addressing above. They can't even LOOK and in that regard as you and I once were, they are TRAPPED. It sucks. You didn't know this but in 2007 when I finally stopped pretending to be a group member (possibly as you are now) and told my wife at the time after she asked if I was ever going to Tampa Org again, "Never, I am done with SCN". We got a divorce. So when your wife chooses a cult over you after 8 years of marriage, you get to point where saying what you think becomes the orders of the day. I left and came back home to Dallas and she stayed in clearwater with our "friends". Out of over 100 people only 1 called me to ask how I was doing and that was Jerod Hanson. He is the only friend I really had there.

I found that saying what I thought, especially to the top of OSA - Kathy True, my C/S - Amy Devoe and my auditor - Sheldon Goldberg and then my ex wife felt GREAAT! It hadn't been done for 6 years. Talk about freedom? That was how i got out so easily and without golden rods or any of that other stuff. They were all jaws on the ground. They had no responses because I was so fully self expressed and so IN integrity that they knew it, probably admired it(although they may not know it) and wished they could do the same.

I am hoping this is true for everyone addressed above. But I am not interested in draggin them to the water and then forcing them to drink it when they hate water.

Each person takes responsibility for getting in. I say the same for getting out. Based on my experience only.

As for that being your problem: take a look. Is it?

I gave you a mental "high five" on that post, Rob Thomas! Exactly right!

Your announcement echoes exactly what I recently decided, myself. I started to rehab my
own integrity at precisely the moment I decided that I REALLY didn't have to accept any communication that I myself did not want (sound familiar?). And I did NOT want the comm that had been coming at me (and it was "coming at me," not to me)from the c of s for years.

I stopped accepting it. I calmed down. My life calmed down. I could see the outpoints more clearly and I could think my own thoughts about them, my thoughts and decisions no longer scrambled by the constant noise. I began to de-PTS!

So I say, good for you! May those who are don't yet see the value of this decision one day have the clarity to make it for themselves.

Rob can you give an update on the state of Tampa as of 07'? I know not all of the ideal orgs are flaps but some are and others are nothing to really brag about considering there was lots of SO missionaires in there, which usually brings upstats for a time. Is the mest itself helping noticably? I heard Tampa was mainly recycling Flag public onto the basics, and that their testing center is dead, which should mean something about their div 6 reach.

Thanks, that's what I thought. I saw a vid of the empty test center in plant city I think. It's the one in that small dense outside shopping center, empty with two staff standing in there looking doing nothing. It's such a via, they take their test, then you've got to get them into the org - a total unknowns. No wonder LRH doesn't write about test centers outside the org.