I contributed to the cult's crazy reputation

[Rmack]

When I was in the Sea Org and on staff at ASHO day as the examiner back in the very early eighties, I had a couple of opportunities to contribute to the people around Hollywood thinking that the cult was bat-shit crazy!

Thank you, thank you, it was easy.

Like one night, after a particularly late evening working for the org at Big Blue, I had to walk home to the Wilcox building, about two and a half miles.

I could take either Hollywood blvd, or Sunset for most of the way. Both had their particular charms, all of which really came out after midnight. Sunset for the hookers, and Hollywood for the crazy people.

This night I took Hollywood and got accosted by a black dude with a rack of clothes he was selling out of some ally. Guaranteed me rock bottom prices.

Well, I was still in my uniform with the little red lanyard and the patch, a little punchy after my 15 hour day, not in the mood for anyone's hard sell, so I just yelled at him something like; 'I WORK FOR A FUCKING CHURCH, AND THEY ONLY PAY ME 17 DOLLARS A WEEK IF I'M LUCKY, SO DO YOU THINK I WANNA BUY YOUR SHIT????' and kept walking.

The street vendors left me well alone after that.

Another time I actually got a ride from what I assumed was a good Samaritan. Shows you how naive I was back then. I was really tired and usually didn't have enough time to sleep, so I accepted a ride once with a couple of guys. God only knows what they really wanted, but after some small talk where I admitted to working for the Co$, they asked me why I did that. So I told them.

I mean I really told them. I recounted my very profound out of body experiences incurred while practicing Yaqui Indian sorcery and how I'd only found them to have any 'scientific' information on the topic, so here I was. Except in much more detail.

They drove me on and let me out when I asked without another word, hehehe.

Of course, all this pales to the time I drove a Cadillac pimp-mobile through town looking just like John Lennon dressed in ministers garb, round glasses and all. The hookers where actually fighting each other trying to get my attention!

Yes, I did my part in correctly conveying to the locals that something was very wrong with that 'church'.

 

[programmer_guy]

I was on HPCSC course at ASHO in the 1970s on Temple Street before the move to Big Blue and staying at The Manor during that time.

So, to somewhat derail the thread a little, did you ever go to Tommy's for lunch? (Their chili burgers are good.)

 

[Rmack]

I was on HPCSC course at ASHO in the 1970s on Temple Street before the move to Big Blue and staying at The Manor during that time.

So, to somewhat derail the thread a little, did you ever go to Tommy's for lunch? (Their chili burgers are good.)

Are you kidding me? Of course.

Dru Pomeroy, some other people and me used to like Shakey's pizza parlor on Sunday libs, as they served very good dark beer. Well, it wasn't Guinness, but what can you expect from heathens?

 

[Sindy]

When I was in the Sea Org and on staff at ASHO day as the examiner back in the very early eighties, I had a couple of opportunities to contribute to the people around Hollywood thinking that the cult was bat-shit crazy!

Thank you, thank you, it was easy.

Like one night, after a particularly late evening working for the org at Big Blue, I had to walk home to the Wilcox building, about two and a half miles.

I could take either Hollywood blvd, or Sunset for most of the way. Both had their particular charms, all of which really came out after midnight. Sunset for the hookers, and Hollywood for the crazy people.

This night I took Hollywood and got accosted by a black dude with a rack of clothes he was selling out of some ally. Guaranteed me rock bottom prices.

Well, I was still in my uniform with the little red lanyard and the patch, a little punchy after my 15 hour day, not in the mood for anyone's hard sell, so I just yelled at him something like; 'I WORK FOR A FUCKING CHURCH, AND THEY ONLY PAY ME 17 DOLLARS A WEEK IF I'M LUCKY, SO DO YOU THINK I WANNA BUY YOUR SHIT????' and kept walking.

The street vendors left me well alone after that.

Another time I actually got a ride from what I assumed was a good Samaritan. Shows you how naive I was back then. I was really tired and usually didn't have enough time to sleep, so I accepted a ride once with a couple of guys. God only knows what they really wanted, but after some small talk where I admitted to working for the Co$, they asked me why I did that. So I told them.

I mean I really told them. I recounted my very profound out of body experiences incurred while practicing Yaqui Indian sorcery and how I'd only found them to have any 'scientific' information on the topic, so here I was. Except in much more detail.

They drove me on and let me out when I asked without another word, hehehe.

Of course, all this pales to the time I drove a Cadillac pimp-mobile through town looking just like John Lennon dressed in ministers garb, round glasses and all. The hookers where actually fighting each other trying to get my attention!

Yes, I did my part in correctly conveying to the locals that something was very wrong with that 'church'.

Thx for the story. Good one.

 

[GreyWolf]

Good job!

 

[LongTimeGone]

Nice, you were a bit of a wild one weren't you Rmack?

D.

 

[Rmack]

Nice, you were a bit of a wild one weren't you Rmack?

D.

Pretty much.

I saw the initial changes that must have been happening because the ol' man was losing it, and no longer actively running everything from behind the scenes.

It started when they came out with some kind of a new finance system where you only got to keep 10% of the lowest stat; Corrected Gross Income and Value of Services Delivered, I think. So, when we started to get half pay, or no pay at all after 100,000 dollar weeks, I grew pretty upset with this, particularly since we only got 17 bucks a week when we had full pay.

Then, the cold beans and rice in buckets started up. I was married and got to eat with my wife in the CMO mess, so I was a bit insulated from the worst hardships. I also had an outside income from money owed me by a brother who was paying me off slowly, so I could afford a few things that made life bearable. Otherwise, I don't think I would have put up with it for the year and a half that I did.

One day, they announced that everyone had to wear a tie. Not my favorite obsolete fashion item to start with, but having them try to make us go buy ties even though we received no pay was pretty much adding insult to injury.

After a few days, at one morning muster, the CO saw that I was the only one without a tie. He pointed to me and said 'get a tie'. I just stared at him, and didn't acknowledge the order, but he backed down, and said to someone 'handle that'. Chickenshit asshole. No one ever did. I think they knew what my reaction would be, and there was already enough shit on their plates.

I can proudly say that I never wore a tie at any time in the S.O. after that, but I wish I had just told the CO where to stick it rather than just give him a nasty look.