alt.religion.scientology

[Pooks]

Hartley Patterson did a really good FAQ on the
ars newsgroup which can be located at:

http://www.daisy.freeserve.co.uk/faq.htm


To me ars is like visiting an insane asylum with
only a few good posts every now and then.

There's a core group of critics that populate
ars, most of them are have websites that
help to expose Scn and many of them are "wogs".

Ars is flooded with spam every day. There are
several types of spammers. There's the OSA/
anti psych spam that gets posted through out the
day. They do this because they believe in a
magical process that tells them to OUT CREATE
the entheta and they do this by flooding the
truth about the real sp's on the planet

-- THE EVIL PSYCHS --

Then there's the Kook Contingent. These are
people with severe mental problems and apparently
have chosen ars in which to communicate about it.

Barbara Schwartz is one of them and she posts as
many different people so you really can never tell
if there are just a few Kooks or if the place is
running amok with all kinds of crazies. Barbara
Schwartz considers herself a Scientologist
She even has her own Wikipedia page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Schwarz

There's another guy named Koos Nolst Trenite.

Another mentally ill person that was let out of the nuthouse
after he killed his daughter. My guess is that Koos is
off his meds.

http://web.ncf.ca/cj871/koos.html

There are a few others but these two are special as
both have received the Usenet Kook of the Month award,
and based on the competition, that's no easy feat.

Then there's the Machine Gun Spammer. This is usually a
critic that temporarily loses his/her mind and starts
replying to all the spammers, creating even more spam.

The you have the "Idiot" spammer. This is someone
that posts ridiculous subject lines and then posts even
more ridiculous links to news stories that have little
to nothing about Scn.

Then there is an entire contingent of trolls, and
some of the trolls are critics that are just plain board
and so start pretending to be OSA or a Scio just to
get the newsgroup all riled up.

The cure for all nuts, kooks. trolls and spammers is a killfile.
People can read alt.religion.scientology on google but
that is completely torturous. You'd have to be a
masochist to use google.


You read it by downloading a good "newsreader" program
(See FAQ) and then killfiling all the noise.

What you have left is a Core Group of critics, many of
them run websites. These critics tend to be helpful to
newbies arriving and asking questions. The Core group
has been around for a long time and knows more about
the goings on in Scn that most Scientologists.


The paranoia run deep and anyone not of the right mindset
will get accused of being OSA by the lunatic fringe. I
am even considered to be a double agent of OSA by a small band
of zealots and dumbasses.

There's not many ex's on ars. There's a few of us, but
we are outnumbered by the experts that took a personality
test and then watched the South Park episode on Scn and
so now he considers himself a fucking expert.

I both love and hate ars. It’s like being addicted to a
really bad soap opera.

Ars is not for the faint of heart. It's a rough and tumble
place with lots of "entheta".

Having this board is a much better place for someone just
leaving the cult, or just trying to deal with their own
shit from having been in Scn for a long time. Right
now, your not missing anything by not reading ars.
Anything real important will be cross posted here.

Patty

[Dulloldfart]

Thanks, Patty.

I sometimes (rarely) read ars, using Google, and yes it is somewhat of an ordeal. :)

Does it work the other way around too, that anything really important here gets cross-posted to ars? Not that I am too sure what would be considered "really important" here.

Paul

[nw2394]

There's not many ex's on ars. There's a few of us, but
we are outnumbered by the experts that took a personality
test and then watched the South Park episode on Scn and
so now he considers himself a fucking expert.

Hillarious. :hysterical:

Thanks for posting.

Nick

[programmer_guy]

From what I have seen on ARS... for a newbie like me, it might be less work to make an "allow" list rather than a killfile. However, I know that it doesn't work that way. Oh, well... :)

[gomorrhan]

Thanks, Patty.

I sometimes (rarely) read ars, using Google, and yes it is somewhat of an ordeal. :)

Does it work the other way around too, that anything really important here gets cross-posted to ars? Not that I am too sure what would be considered "really important" here.

Paul
Depends what you consider important, for sure. I, myself, have found the variance of viewpoint to be of value. ARS was very helpful to me in sorting out some things, particularly those things kept secret by scientologists adhering to the confidentiality credo. However, I was also reading the Pilot's Super Scio, and Self-Clearing books, and a variety of other sources that simply took the gloves off and discussed stuff that I had otherwise caught glimpses or hints of in conversations, but people just wouldn't talk about.

Then came ACT (alt.clearing.technology), which for a while was a tremendous variation of different sources of clearing technology. It has degenerated somewhat into an enforcement of spiritual perspectives, at this point, but Homer (the owner) still "roboposts" (automatically reposts) articles from people who've been contributors over the years, not least of which is our own Alan W, but there are many others. I can't remember who the author is, right now, but there was one who correctly indicated and expressed something I was looking for, and summed it up as arbitraries in CC, OTII and OTIII. Very useful group.

As a repository of clearing tech, I still consider it very valuable, although finding a map through the GPM area there is not a simple task, and will require you to put on your own "source" hat to accomplish.

Once I've mastered the area, I'll definitely do a writeup which I will make freely available to all and sundry with no cosmological prerequisites (that's right, no eligibility, no confidentiality, choose your own adventure).

That should occur over the next two years, after I've completed metapsychology's Unstacking section.

[The Oracle]

Great post Patty. Well written actually, very well written.

T.I.

[The Oracle]

Hartley Patterson did a really good FAQ on the
ars newsgroup which can be located at:

http://www.daisy.freeserve.co.uk/faq.htm


To me ars is like visiting an insane asylum with
only a few good posts every now and then.

There's a core group of critics that populate
ars, most of them are have websites that
help to expose Scn and many of them are "wogs".

Ars is flooded with spam every day. There are
several types of spammers. There's the OSA/
anti psych spam that gets posted through out the
day. They do this because they believe in a
magical process that tells them to OUT CREATE
the entheta and they do this by flooding the
truth about the real sp's on the planet

-- THE EVIL PSYCHS --

Then there's the Kook Contingent. These are
people with severe mental problems and apparently
have chosen ars in which to communicate about it.

Barbara Schwartz is one of them and she posts as
many different people so you really can never tell
if there are just a few Kooks or if the place is
running amok with all kinds of crazies. Barbara
Schwartz considers herself a Scientologist
She even has her own Wikipedia page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Schwarz

There's another guy named Koos Nolst Trenite.

Another mentally ill person that was let out of the nuthouse
after he killed his daughter. My guess is that Koos is
off his meds.

http://web.ncf.ca/cj871/koos.html

There are a few others but these two are special as
both have received the Usenet Kook of the Month award,
and based on the competition, that's no easy feat.

Then there's the Machine Gun Spammer. This is usually a
critic that temporarily loses his/her mind and starts
replying to all the spammers, creating even more spam.

The you have the "Idiot" spammer. This is someone
that posts ridiculous subject lines and then posts even
more ridiculous links to news stories that have little
to nothing about Scn.

Then there is an entire contingent of trolls, and
some of the trolls are critics that are just plain board
and so start pretending to be OSA or a Scio just to
get the newsgroup all riled up.

The cure for all nuts, kooks. trolls and spammers is a killfile.
People can read alt.religion.scientology on google but
that is completely torturous. You'd have to be a
masochist to use google.


You read it by downloading a good "newsreader" program
(See FAQ) and then killfiling all the noise.

What you have left is a Core Group of critics, many of
them run websites. These critics tend to be helpful to
newbies arriving and asking questions. The Core group
has been around for a long time and knows more about
the goings on in Scn that most Scientologists.


The paranoia run deep and anyone not of the right mindset
will get accused of being OSA by the lunatic fringe. I
am even considered to be a double agent of OSA by a small band
of zealots and dumbasses.

There's not many ex's on ars. There's a few of us, but
we are outnumbered by the experts that took a personality
test and then watched the South Park episode on Scn and
so now he considers himself a fucking expert.

I both love and hate ars. It’s like being addicted to a
really bad soap opera.

Ars is not for the faint of heart. It's a rough and tumble
place with lots of "entheta".


Patty


And then Emma said, "Help me build a better forum".

And the rest is history!

T.I.

[Lulu Belle]

This is an excerpt from one of Alanzo's recent posts on ARS in response to Dennis' diatribe over there:

ARS is not a sane place. It's a place of war. It has its uses, but ARS is certainly not the optimum environment for an ex-cultist who needs to sort out what happened to them, exhume their real personalities, and get on with their lives.

Especially over the long term.

Over the long term, I think ARS damages people. Or at least it sticks them at a certain level of growth from which they never progress because they have to become so offensive/defensive all the time just in order to operate at all in this environment.



And another one in response to a comment that there have been kooks that have come and left.

True. But some remain. I see them here still. And they are exactly the same. Just as bitter and crazy and freaked out as they always were. Some worse.

For instance, Skip Press used to have some sense. Now, from what I've seen, he's just a mass of insulting attacks and senseless poop. Too bad, really.

And Sten-Arnie.

My God.

I think ARS contributes to that pathology. The constant fighting gets in your head and embroils you. The longer you stay, the more it keeps you embroiled until it becomes a permanent part of your personality.

How are you going to evolve and grow with that shit going on in your head all the time?



I have never read anything that has nailed ARS to what it has become like Alanzo's posts have.

Both observations are totally, in my opinion, accurate and astute.

There are posters there who I considered to be sane when they first appeared there who have basically degenerated into flaming trolls. Alanzo gave two excellent examples, but they are not the only ones, by any means.

I was a regular poster there for a long time. I stopped posting there almost a year ago.

I actually went through kind of a mental detox after I stopped.

ARS definitely has a place in my heart as the first place I came in contact with other exes and the first critical forum I had ever been involved in. But there was no XSO, OCMB or ESMB when I first got out. It was pretty much the only game in town.

Now that there are those other forums, I would not recommend that a recently out Scientologist go to ARS. There are better and safer places, IMO.

That environment has become so toxic that I feel it might do more harm than good for a person trying to feel their way out of their Scientology experience.

[Vinaire]

I like Alanzo.

.

[Kerry]

I like ARS. A lot.

When I first checked it out it was getting "language poetry" spam (this was via deja when I was a lurker-only re the Scientology cult), it drove me crazy, but I did get a kick out of the "poetry" -- which, check it out if interested, is, I believe, an originally American phenomenon. http://www.poetrypreviews.com/poets/language.html.

When I first posted to OCMB in 2002 after lurking for a very long time there, someone posted another way to read ARS, I think Zardonovsky/deja (sp?) was off the air?). It wasn't easy to simply click on and view ARS then, iirc, and I was able to get Homer's Lightlink version I believe it was. Lots of spam, and for a year or two I thought it wasn't worth the wading, and I wasn't willing to put my head on the CoS chopping block and post there for various reasons. But for some reason I persisted in reading it and still do. Daily if possible.

I don't post there now either, not for exactly the same reasons -- and not that they need me in any event. I only read it through Google, yet I have learned how to filter out my version of the wheat from the chaff (even via Google!) and .. I still .. love it.

All the groups and boards have something to offer me as an activist against the cult of Scientology, so they're all worth reading as time allows, imo.

[Tanstaafl]

I like Alanzo.

.

You can get help for that. :D

[hartley]

What you have left is a Core Group of critics, many of
them run websites. These critics tend to be helpful to
newbies arriving and asking questions.
That used to be the case, but there are few who do this left now and if they don't happen to be around all questioners get is abuse, bigotry and insanity.

Thanks for the plug for the FAQ. My attitude to those who moan about ARS is to tell them to get a killfile and start making the kind of posts that they would like to read.

[Lulu Belle]

My attitude to those who moan about ARS is to tell them to get a killfile and start making the kind of posts that they would like to read.


You may have a point.

But I have seen many, if not most, if not all, attempts at good quality postings there get derailed.

Person A posts something sane and relevant. Then the smartass comments follow by the usual band of posters-turned-trolls. Then someone starts a flame war. Current news or whatever it started out to be turns into the usual trash.

Face it.

Pretty much every thread on ARS that starts with something good goes down that road.

[Voltaire's Child]

There were many people on a.r.s. who are no longer there now. Who've moved on.

ARS was always noisy but there were people on there in 1998-2001 who would actually talk to one another- yes, there were flame wars, but there was some real dialogue back then when those people were around.

Some people who are on there now still engage in some decent dialogue, but some are not so into that.

It's a shame- what it's become. It used to have a rather different demographic.

When I was looking for information and dialogue several years ago, I got it there.

But then again, I think organizations- even cyber ones- have a shelf life. ARS has probably reached its shelf life.

I think that if a questing CofS member (not an OSA one. Just someone trying to figure out WTF was going on) was looking for a forum where they could actually talk to people- then nowadays it would be ESMB.

I think ESMB has supplanted ARS.

[Voltaire's Child]

You may have a point.

But I have seen many, if not most, if not all, attempts at good quality postings there get derailed.

Person A posts something sane and relevant. Then the smartass comments follow by the usual band of posters-turned-trolls. Then someone starts a flame war. Current news or whatever it started out to be turns into the usual trash.

Face it.

Pretty much every thread on ARS that starts with something good goes down that road.

With the departure of people like Ron Newman, Lronscam, Captain Nerd, Wolfen, Paper Tiger, Chris Owen (I haven't seen him post there in years) Tommy, (not to be confused with Messrs Padgett or Gorman) and some others- it's a very different forum now.

A few newer ones like Hephaestus and some other ones (not intentionally leaving anyone out) are great to talk to, but still, demographic changed greatly.

And even with that, even with what I said in the last post, although I firmly believe ESMB has supplanted ARS as the most lively and helpful critical forum, still, ARS even in its hey day probably was not as constructive as ESMB.

But I will always have some fondness for the old girl. (Fluffy envisioining ARS as a grand old lady with too much makeup, pretending that she does not have the advanced arthritis and loss of strength that she has, and who's still feisty and wears a feather boa.)

ESMB is like a super intelligent cute and pretty thoughtful but sometimes still newbie constructive young college girl who's making her way in the world and doing more much earlier than anyone had thought- but there're great deeds still in front of her.

[Free to shine]

But I will always have some fondness for the old girl. (Fluffy envisioining ARS as a grand old lady with too much makeup, pretending that she does not have the advanced arthritis and loss of strength that she has, and who's still feisty and wears a feather boa.)

ESMB is like a super intelligent cute and pretty thoughtful but sometimes still newbie constructive young college girl who's making her way in the world and doing more much earlier than anyone had thought- but there're great deeds still in front of her.

You are funny Fluffy. :)
I like the pictures you created.

[Voltaire's Child]

I always envision all these scenarios and mental pictures...sometimes I create rock videos of songs I like in my head. Kinda fun!

[Alanzo]

Until I went over to ARS to see what Dennis had written, I had not been on ARS for years. I posted there in 1998 as a staunch Churchie and then went back in late 2000 and 2001 and became an ex. It - kind of - holds a place in my heart, too. (Maybe the place it holds is a little lower than my heart)

But anyway - there is one good thing about ARS - information.

There are critics there who are constantly feeding new information into the newsgroup. If it happens any where in the world related to Scientology, it appears on ARS and gets discussed.

I think ESMB can improve a bit in that area. I'm going to start posting more things like that.

There are other good things about ARS that we can steal and have for people here, too. I read a post by Barb the other day that was excellent. It was a letter she had written to Sea Org kids, after thinking about her own kids. It was a message to them to get them thinking. Very moving and very well done.

I just had an idea! We can just steal all the good shit directly from ARS and post it here!

Yeah!!!

[Pooks]

I just had an idea! We can just steal all the good shit directly from ARS and post it here!

Yeah!!!

Sounds like a plan.:happydance:

Patty

[Vinaire]

...
I just had an idea! We can just steal all the good shit directly from ARS and post it here!
...

I like that idea. But isn't that a lot of work?

I have never been on ARS. But it appears to be full of extreme randomity.

.

[Kerry]

Alanzo,

I liked what you posted to ARS.

No need imo to steal anything from ARS, though, though I've been stealing quotes from there for years. It's all here anyway, imo, in its own form.

I also love that letter to Sea Orgers from Barb (and others she's written), and posted it awhile back to tchq. I always read ARS, time permitting, and always the same thoughtful, thought-provoking, hilarious, interesting and always informative posters (despite the kooks, trolls, and especially the cultie spammers) remain to get the message out. I don't see that this has to be a face off between ARS and here like it has on occasion been between ARS and OCMB.

Waste of energy, imo -- for the long term, that is.

Understand yours and others' beef with Dennis. I'm also respectful of his bravery against this annihilating, criminal, home-invading cult. It's been an interesting re-read, and I disagree that that's a waste of time because we get to see so many long-term critics resurface, and newer ones start to listen perhaps, debate like hell or dialogue with dignity and everything in between. It never lasts all that long and the spirit of the movement against the CULT OF SCIENTOLOGY lives on on ARS and everywhere else and only gets better. Especially when culties can witness critics fighting and then drop it within a matter of days or weeks when they know they're ongoing "battles" against Psychs and SPs is ennnnnnnnnnnndless and their stats depend in large part in retaining these enemy "lines." [LOL - sounds like they're snorting their badnessnesses.]

One exception to my relatively sanguine conclusion to all of this concerns the poster Sten Arne's re-outing of Emma during this current mêlée. He did this (on ARS) and he made sure to Do It Twice. Mean-spirited, down-low combo of hardcore, overt aggression together with long-simmering, covert hostility (probably nothing to do with Emma, really).

Anyway Alanzo, maybe ESMB is just fine the way it is - evolving as all these kinds of spaces do. But maybe you're right about adding more news. I'm not sure it would be of interest; strangely enough, the very purpose of this board existing primarily for ex-scientologists to reunite suggests to me a core group that already knows "the news" and, togoether with the other half of the board, critics never having been in, share quite a bit of knowledge here.

The concept of "the [big bad] Other" (the Enemy in lots of cultures and certainly in Lafatty's cult) has done little to achieve (in fact historically flies in the face of) what, in this case, Elfatty claims Dianetics caimed to want to achieve: "a world without war, crime, or insanity." Completely counter-intuitive. Then again, what's new about this cult.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5CFQeYu738&feature=related

[Alanzo]

Yeah Kerry -

I don't care to have a face off between ARS and ESMB, either.

I posted the reasons I left ARS and went to Beliefnet so many years ago. They were basically my personal reasons for my own sanity, and for what I perceived that I needed for my own recovery from Scientology.

I think Emma had the same thoughts as I did. And that's why I really love this particular board. It seems like what I have personally needed and what I've been looking for since leaving ARS.

[Alanzo]

I like that idea. But isn't that a lot of work?

I have never been on ARS. But it appears to be full of extreme randomity.

.

Yes, it is that.

But there are some really great contributions going on there by some really great people.

I think I'll try to make some periodical surgical strikes in there to pick out the good bits and leave the stinky parts behind.

[OHTEEATE]

You have to laugh at Koos. Poor guy. In my searches for truth after blowing from Flag, Koos was just the perfect nutjob to break up the seriousness, and add the perfect spice of insanity to the "ethics" scene. His theta universe Comm Ev of Senior C/S Flag Richard Reiss is priceless nut raving . You can practically see the spittle flying out of his mouth as he types.:omg: one pities and chuckles at the same time.

[Free to shine]

I think I'll try to make some periodical surgical strikes in there to pick out the good bits and leave the stinky parts behind.

That would be terrific Alanzo.
As an ex the two things I was searching for were
1. Finding people in similar situations and stories
2. News of what's happening to change things now.
:)

[Bea Kiddo]

That would be terrific Alanzo.
As an ex the two things I was searching for were
1. Finding people in similar situations and stories
2. News of what's happening to change things now.
:)

I agree with this.

I am starting to get beefed up about this board becoming a freezone dispute resolver or something.

That is not the purpose of this board. Maybe this is a word clearing and cramming point.

I dont mean to offend anyone. Usually I love the posts going on here. But these freezone/ ron's org (or whatever these units are, whoever comes from wherever...) are just not, in my lowly opinion, related to this board. Why bring them here, when they did not start here?

Rambling.

Part of why I stopped posting. Now I gotta sift through it all to catch up, and its kinda of boring and annoying. I hope I can catch up without too much effort here....

[Free to shine]

I agree with this.

I am starting to get beefed up about this board becoming a freezone dispute resolver or something.

That is not the purpose of this board. Maybe this is a word clearing and cramming point.

.

I agree with that too!
I have zero interest in FZ and tech discussions. I left that behind me.

Maybe we could have a section for "Breaking News". For example I read on OCMB yesterday that the FBI had actually gone into Gold looking for someone. We need to know this stuff. Or I do anyway :D

[Bea Kiddo]

I agree with that too!
I have zero interest in FZ and tech discussions. I left that behind me.

Maybe we could have a section for "Breaking News". For example I read on OCMB yesterday that the FBI had actually gone into Gold looking for someone. We need to know this stuff. Or I do anyway :D

WOW!!! Holy crap!!!! Where's the info on that???

[lionheart]

WOW!!! Holy crap!!!! Where's the info on that???

I'm just catching up with it here: http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?t=24512&postorder=asc&start=30

Start on songbird's post on page 2

[Kerry]

Free to Shine, could you please post a link to where you read that on OCMB? I can't find it. Ta.

Whatever's happening in the demise of the Scientology cult these days, it seems to me the crap can't hit the fan for this long (nearly 3 years due to what DM put TC up to) .. and not soon be publicly crumbling. I could be wrong. I thought the Lisa McPherson case was going to wreak well-deserved havoc on CoS.

It feels quite different now with every media outlet on the planet splashing the word 'scientology' in the articles and front pages of their tabloids.

ETA: Bea and Free, I don't have much time to read and post, but ARS taught me a great lesson re what to avoid that I wasn't interested in (takes two or three posts to decide on a thread generally). I empathize with your feelings on this, but it's too late here for me to even attempt a post addressing it. Anyway, what about just starting and contributing to threads that interest you.

[Kerry]

Thanks, lionheart.

[Bea Kiddo]

Wow.

Too bad it is so controlled. I wish they could go in like a raid, when the base is not prepared. That is really the only way to see it how it really is.

[Free to shine]

I'm just catching up with it here: http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?t=24512&postorder=asc&start=30

Start on songbird's post on page 2

Thanks Lionheart, I think this is really important. Maybe Songbird could be asked to post it here? I'm not on OCMB.

[Free to shine]

I decided to start a thread on it to keep the topics seperate...

[Lulu Belle]

But anyway - there is one good thing about ARS - information.

There are critics there who are constantly feeding new information into the newsgroup. If it happens any where in the world related to Scientology, it appears on ARS and gets discussed.

I think ESMB can improve a bit in that area.


Tigger used to do that. Post and crosspost news stories and news information; mostly on OCMB.

Believe it or not, she got criticized for it. Some people seemed to consider it "spamming".

[jodie]

Arse is arse. Way way back a long long time ago, it was actually quite a nice place, with some intelligent people, and some good dialogue. That was before the attempted rm group, the raids, and the masses. It was smaller, and thus more conducive to actual conversation. After the masses arrived, it degenerated down to the lowest common denominator, and most of the really normal, intelligent folk moved on.

- jodie

[Voltaire's Child]

The RMGRP effort was in 95. I remember in 98- 2001, maybe, there were still quite a few people on there who actually discussed things...There was a lot of noise, but I don't want to say that since the RMGRP action it all went to hell in a handbasket because that wouldn't be true.

[Zinjifar]

The RMGRP effort was in 95. I remember in 98- 2001, maybe, there were still quite a few people on there who actually discussed things...There was a lot of noise, but I don't want to say that since the RMGRP action it all went to hell in a handbasket because that wouldn't be true.

The common view seems to be that 'ARS went to hell after I joined it'. I'm not sure *what* that means, but, it seems to be the most common cog ;)

Zinj

[jodie]

The common view seems to be that 'ARS went to hell after I joined it'. I'm not sure *what* that means, but, it seems to be the most common cog ;)

Zinj

Hahaha!!!
It was great in 1994, and early 1995. Totaly different. Like I said far fewer people, and far more quality.

- jodie

[Lulu Belle]

After the masses arrived, it degenerated down to the lowest common denominator, and most of the really normal, intelligent folk moved on.

I would concur with that.

[Zinjifar]

I would concur with that.

You were reading ARS in '95? I'd just started around then, and, for all intents and purposes, that's when ARS did 'take off' and there was certainly a paradigm shift; what with the new people, especially the Subgenii contingent who arrived after the raids and RMgroup etc.

There are any number of 'been here since the beginning' types who then recused themselves into whining about the 'good old days', but, I think between '95 and '99 were the golden years of ARS. More 'action' than you could shake a stick at :)

I suspect that a lot of the 'Good Old Days' nostalgia is delusional.

Zinj

[Lulu Belle]

You were reading ARS in '95?

1996.

[jodie]

I would concur with that.


Ah thank you! Its always so nice (and rare) to have anyone agree with me. :whistling:

My personal opinion of the masses that arrived when all the 'excitement' hit was that most of those people were wanna-bes, having such empty lives of their own, they had no idea of the depth of the issues at play. They did a lot of damage to some exes. The really sincere and valuable people were drowned out by the wanna-bes, who were simply after some action to liven up their boring lives, and wanted to impose their boring opinions on the NG in an attempt to give their lives some meaning and importance. I met many of those. So the NG went from being like a really good inter-active documentary/human interest/social activist show, to a Ricki Lake show.

In 1994, the first ever person to blow Scientology as a result of interacting with people on the NG was Michael Bacon. Had the mindless masses not arrived, I know that a lot more people would have left as a result of the NG, as Michael was hard-core. He had been chatting to Enid Vien, and then was most outraged when the CoS reigned him in, told them to sod off, and then he was Declared.

- jodie

[Alan]

Ah thank you! Its always so nice (and rare) to have anyone agree with me. :whistling:

My personal opinion of the masses that arrived when all the 'excitement' hit was that most of those people were wanna-bes, having such empty lives of their own, they had no idea of the depth of the issues at play. They did a lot of damage to some exes. The really sincere and valuable people were drowned out by the wanna-bes, who were simply after some action to liven up their boring lives, and wanted to impose their boring opinions on the NG in an attempt to give their lives some meaning and importance. I met many of those. So the NG went from being like a really good inter-active documentary/human interest/social activist show, to a Ricki Lake show.

In 1994, the first ever person to blow Scientology as a result of interacting with people on the NG was Michael Bacon. Had the mindless masses not arrived, I know that a lot more people would have left as a result of the NG, as Michael was hard-core. He had been chatting to Enid Vien, and then was most outraged when the CoS reigned him in, told them to sod off, and then he was Declared.

- jodie



In those early days '96 I was averaging about 7 to 15 people a month out of the CofS who contacted me from reading ARS and ACT.

One month the whole student body of one Org disaffected........as I was under intense scrutiny and gave my word to keep things confidential - I could not let people know how successful the ARS and ACT actions were. :melodramatic:

[jodie]

In those early days '96 I was averaging about 7 to 15 people a month out of the CofS who contacted me from reading ARS and ACT.

One month the whole student body of one Org disaffected........as I was under intense scrutiny and gave my word to keep things confidential - I could not let people know how successful the ARS and ACT actions were. :melodramatic:


Ah, OK. I was not around much in '96. Glad to hear it, this is encouraging.

- jodie

[Howard]

Hi all

My name is Howard. Earlier this year, I signed up to ESMB and since
then have lurked and read the archives.

Back in '97 and newly online at home, I discovered ars. Having followed
the thoughts and doings of LRH since the early '50's, it was a real
eye-opener. For many years I'd looked askance at what the press,
courts and media reports and found that there were better and
cheaper ways of enhancing awareness, confidence and competence.
Anyhow, the joint was jumpin'!

Yes, ars has changed. Ebb and flow, ebb and flow. Still it remains,
imo, one of the tallest trees in the forest. Struck repeatedly by
lightning bolts, much scarred and sometimes with little obvious
heartwood.

Alan said to me that my response to him was driven by 'nostalgia' -
perhaps so, but not entirely. It's just that the motherlode has run
low and one has to pan for smaller and less frequent nuggets...

Howard

[Zinjifar]

Alan said to me that my response to him was driven by 'nostalgia' -
perhaps so, but not entirely. It's just that the motherlode has run
low and one has to pan for smaller and less frequent nuggets...

Howard

..says one of the more consistent nuggeteers :)

Glad to see you here Howard.

Zinj

[Alanzo]

Hi all

My name is Howard. Earlier this year, I signed up to ESMB and since
then have lurked and read the archives.

Back in '97 and newly online at home, I discovered ars. Having followed
the thoughts and doings of LRH since the early '50's, it was a real
eye-opener. For many years I'd looked askance at what the press,
courts and media reports and found that there were better and
cheaper ways of enhancing awareness, confidence and competence.
Anyhow, the joint was jumpin'!

Yes, ars has changed. Ebb and flow, ebb and flow. Still it remains,
imo, one of the tallest trees in the forest. Struck repeatedly by
lightning bolts, much scarred and sometimes with little obvious
heartwood.

Alan said to me that my response to him was driven by 'nostalgia' -
perhaps so, but not entirely. It's just that the motherlode has run
low and one has to pan for smaller and less frequent nuggets...

Howard

Welcome, Newbie.

We'd like to see some production from you around here. Still crying over that lost girlfriend?

Well drown your sorrows in some more posting!

Snap and pop!!!

[Voltaire's Child]

Hi, Howard!

[Mick Wenlock]

The common view seems to be that 'ARS went to hell after I joined it'. I'm not sure *what* that means, but, it seems to be the most common cog ;)

Zinj

Yeah I think there is an air of truth about that. I was on ARS before the RMGroup and there were assholes on there then - not so many perhaps, but there again there weren't that many posters in general on there!

It used to be a lot harder to use killfiles back then - especially for newbies.

[Howard]

..says one of the more consistent nuggeteers :)

Glad to see you here Howard.

Zinj

Everybody has to be somewhere, sometime.

cheers

Howard
Now playing: Night Train - Oscar Peterson

[Howard]

Welcome, Newbie.

We'd like to see some production from you around here. Still crying over that lost girlfriend?

Well drown your sorrows in some more posting!

Snap and pop!!!

Lost girlfriend? As to further posting, I'll see what I can do.

Howard
Now playing: Night Train - Oscar Peterson

[Howard]

Hi, Howard!

Hi fluff!

A momentary instant of quantum weirdness leads me to suggest that you might enjoy "Only Yesterday" (Ghibli 1991). Anime with a difference...

Howard
Now playing: Gayane Ballet Suite (Adagio)

[Terril park]

Hi fluff!

A momentary instant of quantum weirdness leads me to suggest that you might enjoy "Only Yesterday" (Ghibli 1991). Anime with a difference...

Howard
Now playing: Gayane Ballet Suite (Adagio)

Welcome Howard, and nice to meet a fellow music lover. Though
our tastes may be different. Gayane? That Khatachurian?

[Vinaire]

It appears to me that there is something common among music, drugs, and sex... and also religion.

.

[Lulu Belle]

It appears to me that there is something common among music, drugs, and sex... and also religion.

Yeah.

You always spend more money on them than you should.

:eyeroll:

[Vinaire]

Yeah.

You always spend more money on them than you should.

:eyeroll:

:lol:

.

[Howard]

Welcome Howard, and nice to meet a fellow music lover. Though
our tastes may be different. Gayane? That Khatachurian?

Yep.

Howard

[Terril park]

Yep.

Howard

Here is one of my favorite musicians. One of India's greatest.
I studied this south indian style but on an instrument.

She blows my mind!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03v9f7JUWhk

[Terril park]

Yeah.

You always spend more money on them than you should.

:eyeroll:

Funny girl. :)

The link I gave is for free.

However you wish to contribute monetarily, you are welcome to forward donations to me. I will send them on to a favorite charity.

[Vinaire]

Here is one of my favorite musicians. One of India's greatest.
I studied this south indian style but on an instrument.

She blows my mind!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03v9f7JUWhk

Beautiful link. Thanks!

.

[Tanstaafl]

It appears to me that there is something common among music, drugs, and sex... and also religion.

.

Music is closer to truth than the others.

(for me at least) :)

[Alanzo]

Yeah.

You always spend more money on them than you should.

:eyeroll:

HA!!!

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Voltaire's Child]

Hi fluff!

A momentary instant of quantum weirdness leads me to suggest that you might enjoy "Only Yesterday" (Ghibli 1991). Anime with a difference...

Howard
Now playing: Gayane Ballet Suite (Adagio)

I'll check it out.