The author reveals difficult emotional experiences in her book, including an incident where she was  at age 14 by a Scientology supervisor and subsequently instructed by a "Scientology Ethics Officer" that she was in a "state of treason" and to keep the matter quiet and not report it to the police. Scobee describes difficult experiences she endured as part of her punishment served in Scientology's RPF, including being sent to the RPF at age 16, and subsequently being slapped across the face for refusing to climb into a garbage can and clean it out. AS: When I left in March 2005 after being a full-time, live-in staff member for a quarter century, I had a total of $150 to my name. I had no outside job skills, never cooked and I barely knew how to drive. I had no clue what I would be doing to make a living in the "outside world". It was not unlike being dropped on another planet and having to figure out how to survive from scratch. After I became stable and saved up some money, I began writing. As I wrote, I realized how important it was to get my story out. This "religion" promotes how their purpose is to create a sane world without criminality, etc. and the more I was OUT of their grip, the more I realized just how insane and criminal they really are. I learned about the Universal Declarations for Human Rights and saw how many points I personally knew were violated by the Scientology organization with their members. I learned about laws of the land (which I had been entirely ignorant of while a staff member) and realized some of the acts that I witnessed were actual violations of the LAW. But what set me on the past to exposing the abuse within Scientology the most was when my mother was forced to disconnect from me, per Scientology's "disconnection" policy where members are to cut all ties with anyone not in good standing with their "church". This was a very emotionally traumatic situation. In my view, no religion worthy of the title should have a right to stand between loved ones. Quite early on in the book's first chapter, you recount an incident of being at age 14, by a 35-year-old married man who was your Scientology supervisor. You describe how your "Scientology Ethics Officer" found out, said you were in a "state of treason", and that the incident was kept quiet and not reported to the police by Scientology officials. How difficult was it to include this in the book? For what reason did you choose to include this? Why didn't you tell your parents about this?AS: To me, it was very important to include this information in my book because it gives the reader an idea of how Scientology operates. One of the worst crimes you can commit as a Scientologist is bringing about "bad public relations" for them. Things that happen internally are KEPT internal with the "we handle our own" doctrine. Unfortunately, this was a CRIME for which that person could have been arrested. Instead, it was "handled" by the local staff (swept under the carpet) and forgotten about. I didn't tell my parents because I was ashamed and afraid. After describing your arrival at the Scientology "Flag Land Base" in Florida at age 16, you recall how you met and became intimate with a 26-year-old man named David Paul, who later became your husband. For this act, you were subjected to a "security check" process on the Scientology device, the , and ordered to serve time performing manual labor on the controversial "" (RPF) of Scientology. Is 16 a relatively young age to be sentenced to the Rehabilitation Project Force in Scientology? Did you know other individuals on this program that were younger than you, or around the same age? AS: Yes, 16 is a young age to be sentenced to the Rehabilitation Project Force. I should have been attending school as per the agreement with my mother when she gave parental consent for me to join the Sea Organization – but I factually never saw one day of school after I joined. There were other teen-agers on the RPF at the same time, but I believe I was the youngest. Scientologists working in the organization's "" in Los Angeles, California During participation in the Rehabilitation Project Force, you recount how you were slapped across the face for refusing to climb into a garbage can after being ordered to do so by a leader of your group. How did this make you feel? Did you consider leaving the organization at all at this point in time? Why or why not, and why did you remain?AS: It was a completely nutty order and I wasn't about to comply. I ran around the block to get away as the lady who issued the order chased after me. I went to the person in charge asking for help but he was not in his office. The lady chased me into that office and then hit me across the face. I did NOT hit her back because I wanted to show that she was the crazy one. However when the Ethics Officer got there, he said I should have complied as she was my superior. I felt like it was a huge injustice because the order made no sense and had no purpose. She was just trying to exert her "authority" over me. But, I didn't want to be in more trouble, so I did my punishment for non-compliance and carried on. No, I did not think of leaving then. At that point, I just thought that lady was insane, not the entire organization. After completing your time on the Rehabilitation Project Force, you were appointed to the position of "Commanding Officer of the Flag Land Base's Communicator", where you were "responsible for all in-coming and out-going traffic from the executive and obtaining compliance to all orders issued". Did it surprise you that directly after finishing the Rehabilitation Project Force, you were given such a position of responsibility as a Scientology executive? Does this occur often in Scientology to members after they finish their sentence in the Rehabilitation Project Force? AS: In the Sea Organization, one is expected to be able to perform any duty – with or without training. It's preached that the salvation of the world is on our shoulders and everyone needs to pull up their bootstraps and make it go right. So, the appointment did not surprise me. Shortly after your promotion from Rehabilitation Project Force member to this position, you were promoted to "Flag Land Bureau Estates Management Chief", where you were "responsible for all public hotels and services", and subsequently promoted to the " (CMO)". At the end of chapter 3, you write how you were "placed under a group justice action, called a Committee of Evidence", and the committee, "recommended my removal for neglect of duty regarding the schedule". However, a few days later you were told you were assigned to Los Angeles, California, in order to recruit for members to join the CMO. Again, this appears to be a pattern of conflicting orders within the organization, where in one instance you were disciplined for perceived slights, and yet directly afterward, promoted to a higher position of authority as a Scientology executive. How do you explain this behavior within the organization?AS: The control and handling of personnel within the Sea Org was very unpredictable. There were always huge demands and needs for people on various projects or positions that had to be filled "at once". So one could expect rapid changes. It was also considered that after one messes up, they can be corrected using the "ethics technology" of Scientology and confessionals so they can carry on after their level of ethics are once again acceptable. What was the highest-ranking position you held within Scientology? Who did you report to in this position? What responsibilities did you have, and how many other people and sub-entities did you oversee? AS: I was in the Watchdog Committee (WDC) which is the highest ecclesiastical body in Scientology, with a WDC member appointed over each of the numerous "sectors" or areas of Scientology to see to their proper management. My boss as a WDC member is the WDC Chairman. This is the highest management position in the organization. I was in WDC for about a decade and held about six different sectors over the years, including the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) sector, which is responsible for the secular aspects of the organization – drug rehabilitation, criminal reform, Applied Scholastics study technology and The Way To Happiness Foundation – and the Celebrity Center sector. Anything that goes on inside your sector or sphere of responsibility as a WDC member, is your responsibility and you're held accountable. This could be very stressful, particularly when the current head of Scientology – David Miscavige – is so abusive. For example, Miscavige learned that the Tampa Scientology organization was not paying their rent in 2003. As I had previously been the WDC member for all Scientology churches (approx 175 of them around the world) and should have noticed and handled it then, Miscavige demanded that I personally pay the rent of $ 5,000 (which I did not have). This order was enforced by his personal staff – I had to borrow the money from several other staff members and turn it into the Finance Office, who then wrote a check to the Tampa organization to pay their back rent as a "gift" to them from management. After being told by David Miscavige that your husband at the time, Jim Mortland, was being removed or "offloaded" from Scientology's Sea Organization, you were called into the office of the Internal Executive where you were pressured into making a decision to stay in the Sea Org and separate from your husband. You write in the book, that your "brainwashed response" was to answer, "I'm staying". Why did you characterize this as a brainwashed response. How and why did you come to believe you had been a victim of ?AS: Per this Wikipedia definition, "Mind control (also known as brainwashing, coercive persuasion, mind abuse, thought control, or thought reform) refers to a process in which a group or individual 'systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator(s), often to the detriment of the person being manipulated'." In my right mind, I would not have walked away from my husband of 17 years. In my right mind, I would not have "turned a blind eye" when I witnessed a dozen accounts of assault & battery being committed on my comrades by David Miscavige. And I would never have given in to the physical labor and other "ethics" actions taken on myself and others for trumped up offenses. But I now understand that I was under the influence of mind control. This is not a light matter. People can laugh that concept off so readily, but it's a very REAL thing. When one considers what is at stake (or is thought to be at stake) if one were to step out of line or violate the rules in any way, you try to remain quiet and compliant. In Scientology, if you get yourself in enough trouble (from some executive's point of view), you can be banned from ever being allowed to receive the upper level services in Scientology – and thus enslave yourself as a spiritual being for eternity. Another more minor factor, but still major enough to keep you in line is the threat that any of your family or friends in Scientology would have to disconnect from you if you were no longer in good standing. So to say you want to leave, to go against the head of the organization, to report to outside authorities what's going on inside is considered more of a crime than being quiet and compliant as a "good Scientologist". This is what I consider has people brainwashed. It's a way to control their rational thinking. It's "the end justifies the means". When I realized that I had been rationalizing away utter insanities that I both witnessed and experienced in the organization and that I needed to simply look at what was factually in front of me, I started making my plans to leave. The details of this revelation and how I finally got out is all detailed in my book. In chapter 10, "Assault and Battery", you recount witnessing instances of violence by David Miscavige towards Scientology officials including: Ray Mithoff,  , and Jeff Hawkins. You write, "I am ashamed that I did not have enough courage at the time to inform the authorities or call the police, which would have been the logical thing to do." Why do you think you decided not to report these instances to the police? What do you think law enforcement would have done if you had reported the matter to police? Knowing what you know now, and revisiting your memories of these incidents in hindsight, would you have acted differently if you were in the same situation again?
The author reveals difficult emotional experiences in her book, including an incident where she was raped at age 14 by a Scientology supervisor and subsequently instructed by a "Scientology Ethics Officer" that she was in a "state of treason" and to keep the matter quiet and not report it to the police. Scobee describes difficult experiences she endured as part of her punishment served in Scientology's RPF, including being sent to the RPF at age 16, and subsequently being slapped across the face for refusing to climb into a garbage can and clean it out. AS: When I left in March 2005 after being a full-time, live-in staff member for a quarter century, I had a total of $150 to my name. I had no outside job skills, never cooked and I barely knew how to drive. I had no clue what I would be doing to make a living in the "outside world". It was not unlike being dropped on another planet and having to figure out how to survive from scratch. After I became stable and saved up some money, I began writing. As I wrote, I realized how important it was to get my story out. This "religion" promotes how their purpose is to create a sane world without criminality, etc. and the more I was OUT of their grip, the more I realized just how insane and criminal they really are. I learned about the Universal Declarations for Human Rights and saw how many points I personally knew were violated by the Scientology organization with their members. I learned about laws of the land (which I had been entirely ignorant of while a staff member) and realized some of the acts that I witnessed were actual violations of the LAW. But what set me on the past to exposing the abuse within Scientology the most was when my mother was forced to disconnect from me, per Scientology's "disconnection" policy where members are to cut all ties with anyone not in good standing with their "church". This was a very emotionally traumatic situation. In my view, no religion worthy of the title should have a right to stand between loved ones. Quite early on in the book's first chapter, you recount an incident of being raped at age 14, by a 35-year-old married man who was your Scientology supervisor. You describe how your "Scientology Ethics Officer" found out, said you were in a "state of treason", and that the incident was kept quiet and not reported to the police by Scientology officials. How difficult was it to include this in the book? For what reason did you choose to include this? Why didn't you tell your parents about this?AS: To me, it was very important to include this information in my book because it gives the reader an idea of how Scientology operates. One of the worst crimes you can commit as a Scientologist is bringing about "bad public relations" for them. Things that happen internally are KEPT internal with the "we handle our own" doctrine. Unfortunately, this was a CRIME for which that person could have been arrested. Instead, it was "handled" by the local staff (swept under the carpet) and forgotten about. I didn't tell my parents because I was ashamed and afraid. After describing your arrival at the Scientology "Flag Land Base" in Florida at age 16, you recall how you met and became intimate with a 26-year-old man named David Paul, who later became your husband. For this act, you were subjected to a "security check" process on the Scientology device, the , and ordered to serve time performing manual labor on the controversial "" (RPF) of Scientology. Is 16 a relatively young age to be sentenced to the Rehabilitation Project Force in Scientology? Did you know other individuals on this program that were younger than you, or around the same age? AS: Yes, 16 is a young age to be sentenced to the Rehabilitation Project Force. I should have been attending school as per the agreement with my mother when she gave parental consent for me to join the Sea Organization – but I factually never saw one day of school after I joined. There were other teen-agers on the RPF at the same time, but I believe I was the youngest. Scientologists working in the organization's "" in Los Angeles, California During participation in the Rehabilitation Project Force, you recount how you were slapped across the face for refusing to climb into a garbage can after being ordered to do so by a leader of your group. How did this make you feel? Did you consider leaving the organization at all at this point in time? Why or why not, and why did you remain?AS: It was a completely nutty order and I wasn't about to comply. I ran around the block to get away as the lady who issued the order chased after me. I went to the person in charge asking for help but he was not in his office. The lady chased me into that office and then hit me across the face. I did NOT hit her back because I wanted to show that she was the crazy one. However when the Ethics Officer got there, he said I should have complied as she was my superior. I felt like it was a huge injustice because the order made no sense and had no purpose. She was just trying to exert her "authority" over me. But, I didn't want to be in more trouble, so I did my punishment for non-compliance and carried on. No, I did not think of leaving then. At that point, I just thought that lady was insane, not the entire organization. After completing your time on the Rehabilitation Project Force, you were appointed to the position of "Commanding Officer of the Flag Land Base's Communicator", where you were "responsible for all in-coming and out-going traffic from the executive and obtaining compliance to all orders issued". Did it surprise you that directly after finishing the Rehabilitation Project Force, you were given such a position of responsibility as a Scientology executive? Does this occur often in Scientology to members after they finish their sentence in the Rehabilitation Project Force? AS: In the Sea Organization, one is expected to be able to perform any duty – with or without training. It's preached that the salvation of the world is on our shoulders and everyone needs to pull up their bootstraps and make it go right. So, the appointment did not surprise me. Shortly after your promotion from Rehabilitation Project Force member to this position, you were promoted to "Flag Land Bureau Estates Management Chief", where you were "responsible for all public hotels and services", and subsequently promoted to the " (CMO)". At the end of chapter 3, you write how you were "placed under a group justice action, called a Committee of Evidence", and the committee, "recommended my removal for neglect of duty regarding the schedule". However, a few days later you were told you were assigned to Los Angeles, California, in order to recruit for members to join the CMO. Again, this appears to be a pattern of conflicting orders within the organization, where in one instance you were disciplined for perceived slights, and yet directly afterward, promoted to a higher position of authority as a Scientology executive. How do you explain this behavior within the organization?AS: The control and handling of personnel within the Sea Org was very unpredictable. There were always huge demands and needs for people on various projects or positions that had to be filled "at once". So one could expect rapid changes. It was also considered that after one messes up, they can be corrected using the "ethics technology" of Scientology and confessionals so they can carry on after their level of ethics are once again acceptable. What was the highest-ranking position you held within Scientology? Who did you report to in this position? What responsibilities did you have, and how many other people and sub-entities did you oversee? AS: I was in the Watchdog Committee (WDC) which is the highest ecclesiastical body in Scientology, with a WDC member appointed over each of the numerous "sectors" or areas of Scientology to see to their proper management. My boss as a WDC member is the WDC Chairman. This is the highest management position in the organization. I was in WDC for about a decade and held about six different sectors over the years, including the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) sector, which is responsible for the secular aspects of the organization – drug rehabilitation, criminal reform, Applied Scholastics study technology and The Way To Happiness Foundation – and the Celebrity Center sector. Anything that goes on inside your sector or sphere of responsibility as a WDC member, is your responsibility and you're held accountable. This could be very stressful, particularly when the current head of Scientology – David Miscavige – is so abusive. For example, Miscavige learned that the Tampa Scientology organization was not paying their rent in 2003. As I had previously been the WDC member for all Scientology churches (approx 175 of them around the world) and should have noticed and handled it then, Miscavige demanded that I personally pay the rent of $ 5,000 (which I did not have). This order was enforced by his personal staff – I had to borrow the money from several other staff members and turn it into the Finance Office, who then wrote a check to the Tampa organization to pay their back rent as a "gift" to them from management. After being told by David Miscavige that your husband at the time, Jim Mortland, was being removed or "offloaded" from Scientology's Sea Organization, you were called into the office of the Internal Executive where you were pressured into making a decision to stay in the Sea Org and separate from your husband. You write in the book, that your "brainwashed response" was to answer, "I'm staying". Why did you characterize this as a brainwashed response. How and why did you come to believe you had been a victim of ?AS: Per this Wikipedia definition, "Mind control (also known as brainwashing, coercive persuasion, mind abuse, thought control, or thought reform) refers to a process in which a group or individual 'systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator(s), often to the detriment of the person being manipulated'." In my right mind, I would not have walked away from my husband of 17 years. In my right mind, I would not have "turned a blind eye" when I witnessed a dozen accounts of assault & battery being committed on my comrades by David Miscavige. And I would never have given in to the physical labor and other "ethics" actions taken on myself and others for trumped up offenses. But I now understand that I was under the influence of mind control. This is not a light matter. People can laugh that concept off so readily, but it's a very REAL thing. When one considers what is at stake (or is thought to be at stake) if one were to step out of line or violate the rules in any way, you try to remain quiet and compliant. In Scientology, if you get yourself in enough trouble (from some executive's point of view), you can be banned from ever being allowed to receive the upper level services in Scientology – and thus enslave yourself as a spiritual being for eternity. Another more minor factor, but still major enough to keep you in line is the threat that any of your family or friends in Scientology would have to disconnect from you if you were no longer in good standing. So to say you want to leave, to go against the head of the organization, to report to outside authorities what's going on inside is considered more of a crime than being quiet and compliant as a "good Scientologist". This is what I consider has people brainwashed. It's a way to control their rational thinking. It's "the end justifies the means". When I realized that I had been rationalizing away utter insanities that I both witnessed and experienced in the organization and that I needed to simply look at what was factually in front of me, I started making my plans to leave. The details of this revelation and how I finally got out is all detailed in my book. In chapter 10, "Assault and Battery", you recount witnessing instances of violence by David Miscavige towards Scientology officials including: Ray Mithoff, Mike Rinder , and Jeff Hawkins. You write, "I am ashamed that I did not have enough courage at the time to inform the authorities or call the police, which would have been the logical thing to do." Why do you think you decided not to report these instances to the police? What do you think law enforcement would have done if you had reported the matter to police? Knowing what you know now, and revisiting your memories of these incidents in hindsight, would you have acted differently if you were in the same situation again?
A
raped
R
$150 to my name. I had no outside job skills, never cooked and I barely knew how to drive. I had no clue what I would be doing to make a living in the "outside world". It was not unlike being dropped on another planet and having to figure out how to survive from scratch. After I became stable and saved up some money, I began writing. As I wrote, I realized how important it was to get my story out. This "religion" promotes how their purpose is to create a sane world without criminality, etc. and the more I was OUT of their grip, the more I realized just how insane and criminal they really are. I learned about the Universal Declarations for Human Rights and saw how many points I personally knew were violated by the Scientology organization with their members. I learned about laws of the land (which I had been entirely ignorant of while a staff member) and realized some of the acts that I witnessed were actual violations of the LAW. But what set me on the past to exposing the abuse within Scientology the most was when my mother was forced to disconnect from me, per Scientology's "disconnection" policy where members are to cut all ties with anyone not in good standing with their "church". This was a very emotionally traumatic situation. In my view, no religion worthy of the title should have a right to stand between loved ones. Quite early on in the book's first chapter, you recount an incident of being at age 14, by a 35-year-old married man who was your Scientology supervisor. You describe how your "Scientology Ethics Officer" found out, said you were in a "state of treason", and that the incident was kept quiet and not reported to the police by Scientology officials. How difficult was it to include this in the book? For what reason did you choose to include this? Why didn't you tell your parents about this?AS: To me, it was very important to include this information in my book because it gives the reader an idea of how Scientology operates. One of the worst crimes you can commit as a Scientologist is bringing about "bad public relations" for them. Things that happen internally are KEPT internal with the "we handle our own" doctrine. Unfortunately, this was a CRIME for which that person could have been arrested. Instead, it was "handled" by the local staff (swept under the carpet) and forgotten about. I didn't tell my parents because I was ashamed and afraid. After describing your arrival at the Scientology "Flag Land Base" in Florida at age 16, you recall how you met and became intimate with a 26-year-old man named David Paul, who later became your husband. For this act, you were subjected to a "security check" process on the Scientology device, the , and ordered to serve time performing manual labor on the controversial "" (RPF) of Scientology. Is 16 a relatively young age to be sentenced to the Rehabilitation Project Force in Scientology? Did you know other individuals on this program that were younger than you, or around the same age? AS: Yes, 16 is a young age to be sentenced to the Rehabilitation Project Force. I should have been attending school as per the agreement with my mother when she gave parental consent for me to join the Sea Organization – but I factually never saw one day of school after I joined. There were other teen-agers on the RPF at the same time, but I believe I was the youngest. Scientologists working in the organization's "" in Los Angeles, California During participation in the Rehabilitation Project Force, you recount how you were slapped across the face for refusing to climb into a garbage can after being ordered to do so by a leader of your group. How did this make you feel? Did you consider leaving the organization at all at this point in time? Why or why not, and why did you remain?AS: It was a completely nutty order and I wasn't about to comply. I ran around the block to get away as the lady who issued the order chased after me. I went to the person in charge asking for help but he was not in his office. The lady chased me into that office and then hit me across the face. I did NOT hit her back because I wanted to show that she was the crazy one. However when the Ethics Officer got there, he said I should have complied as she was my superior. I felt like it was a huge injustice because the order made no sense and had no purpose. She was just trying to exert her "authority" over me. But, I didn't want to be in more trouble, so I did my punishment for non-compliance and carried on. No, I did not think of leaving then. At that point, I just thought that lady was insane, not the entire organization. After completing your time on the Rehabilitation Project Force, you were appointed to the position of "Commanding Officer of the Flag Land Base's Communicator", where you were "responsible for all in-coming and out-going traffic from the executive and obtaining compliance to all orders issued". Did it surprise you that directly after finishing the Rehabilitation Project Force, you were given such a position of responsibility as a Scientology executive? Does this occur often in Scientology to members after they finish their sentence in the Rehabilitation Project Force? AS: In the Sea Organization, one is expected to be able to perform any duty – with or without training. It's preached that the salvation of the world is on our shoulders and everyone needs to pull up their bootstraps and make it go right. So, the appointment did not surprise me. Shortly after your promotion from Rehabilitation Project Force member to this position, you were promoted to "Flag Land Bureau Estates Management Chief", where you were "responsible for all public hotels and services", and subsequently promoted to the " (CMO)". At the end of chapter 3, you write how you were "placed under a group justice action, called a Committee of Evidence", and the committee, "recommended my removal for neglect of duty regarding the schedule". However, a few days later you were told you were assigned to Los Angeles, California, in order to recruit for members to join the CMO. Again, this appears to be a pattern of conflicting orders within the organization, where in one instance you were disciplined for perceived slights, and yet directly afterward, promoted to a higher position of authority as a Scientology executive. How do you explain this behavior within the organization?AS: The control and handling of personnel within the Sea Org was very unpredictable. There were always huge demands and needs for people on various projects or positions that had to be filled "at once". So one could expect rapid changes. It was also considered that after one messes up, they can be corrected using the "ethics technology" of Scientology and confessionals so they can carry on after their level of ethics are once again acceptable. What was the highest-ranking position you held within Scientology? Who did you report to in this position? What responsibilities did you have, and how many other people and sub-entities did you oversee? AS: I was in the Watchdog Committee (WDC) which is the highest ecclesiastical body in Scientology, with a WDC member appointed over each of the numerous "sectors" or areas of Scientology to see to their proper management. My boss as a WDC member is the WDC Chairman. This is the highest management position in the organization. I was in WDC for about a decade and held about six different sectors over the years, including the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) sector, which is responsible for the secular aspects of the organization – drug rehabilitation, criminal reform, Applied Scholastics study technology and The Way To Happiness Foundation – and the Celebrity Center sector. Anything that goes on inside your sector or sphere of responsibility as a WDC member, is your responsibility and you're held accountable. This could be very stressful, particularly when the current head of Scientology – David Miscavige – is so abusive. For example, Miscavige learned that the Tampa Scientology organization was not paying their rent in 2003. As I had previously been the WDC member for all Scientology churches (approx 175 of them around the world) and should have noticed and handled it then, Miscavige demanded that I personally pay the rent of $
$150 to my name. I had no outside job skills, never cooked and I barely knew how to drive. I had no clue what I would be doing to make a living in the "outside world". It was not unlike being dropped on another planet and having to figure out how to survive from scratch. After I became stable and saved up some money, I began writing. As I wrote, I realized how important it was to get my story out. This "religion" promotes how their purpose is to create a sane world without criminality, etc. and the more I was OUT of their grip, the more I realized just how insane and criminal they really are. I learned about the Universal Declarations for Human Rights and saw how many points I personally knew were violated by the Scientology organization with their members. I learned about laws of the land (which I had been entirely ignorant of while a staff member) and realized some of the acts that I witnessed were actual violations of the LAW. But what set me on the past to exposing the abuse within Scientology the most was when my mother was forced to disconnect from me, per Scientology's "disconnection" policy where members are to cut all ties with anyone not in good standing with their "church". This was a very emotionally traumatic situation. In my view, no religion worthy of the title should have a right to stand between loved ones. Quite early on in the book's first chapter, you recount an incident of being raped at age 14, by a 35-year-old married man who was your Scientology supervisor. You describe how your "Scientology Ethics Officer" found out, said you were in a "state of treason", and that the incident was kept quiet and not reported to the police by Scientology officials. How difficult was it to include this in the book? For what reason did you choose to include this? Why didn't you tell your parents about this?AS: To me, it was very important to include this information in my book because it gives the reader an idea of how Scientology operates. One of the worst crimes you can commit as a Scientologist is bringing about "bad public relations" for them. Things that happen internally are KEPT internal with the "we handle our own" doctrine. Unfortunately, this was a CRIME for which that person could have been arrested. Instead, it was "handled" by the local staff (swept under the carpet) and forgotten about. I didn't tell my parents because I was ashamed and afraid. After describing your arrival at the Scientology "Flag Land Base" in Florida at age 16, you recall how you met and became intimate with a 26-year-old man named David Paul, who later became your husband. For this act, you were subjected to a "security check" process on the Scientology device, the , and ordered to serve time performing manual labor on the controversial "" (RPF) of Scientology. Is 16 a relatively young age to be sentenced to the Rehabilitation Project Force in Scientology? Did you know other individuals on this program that were younger than you, or around the same age? AS: Yes, 16 is a young age to be sentenced to the Rehabilitation Project Force. I should have been attending school as per the agreement with my mother when she gave parental consent for me to join the Sea Organization – but I factually never saw one day of school after I joined. There were other teen-agers on the RPF at the same time, but I believe I was the youngest. Scientologists working in the organization's "" in Los Angeles, California During participation in the Rehabilitation Project Force, you recount how you were slapped across the face for refusing to climb into a garbage can after being ordered to do so by a leader of your group. How did this make you feel? Did you consider leaving the organization at all at this point in time? Why or why not, and why did you remain?AS: It was a completely nutty order and I wasn't about to comply. I ran around the block to get away as the lady who issued the order chased after me. I went to the person in charge asking for help but he was not in his office. The lady chased me into that office and then hit me across the face. I did NOT hit her back because I wanted to show that she was the crazy one. However when the Ethics Officer got there, he said I should have complied as she was my superior. I felt like it was a huge injustice because the order made no sense and had no purpose. She was just trying to exert her "authority" over me. But, I didn't want to be in more trouble, so I did my punishment for non-compliance and carried on. No, I did not think of leaving then. At that point, I just thought that lady was insane, not the entire organization. After completing your time on the Rehabilitation Project Force, you were appointed to the position of "Commanding Officer of the Flag Land Base's Communicator", where you were "responsible for all in-coming and out-going traffic from the executive and obtaining compliance to all orders issued". Did it surprise you that directly after finishing the Rehabilitation Project Force, you were given such a position of responsibility as a Scientology executive? Does this occur often in Scientology to members after they finish their sentence in the Rehabilitation Project Force? AS: In the Sea Organization, one is expected to be able to perform any duty – with or without training. It's preached that the salvation of the world is on our shoulders and everyone needs to pull up their bootstraps and make it go right. So, the appointment did not surprise me. Shortly after your promotion from Rehabilitation Project Force member to this position, you were promoted to "Flag Land Bureau Estates Management Chief", where you were "responsible for all public hotels and services", and subsequently promoted to the " (CMO)". At the end of chapter 3, you write how you were "placed under a group justice action, called a Committee of Evidence", and the committee, "recommended my removal for neglect of duty regarding the schedule". However, a few days later you were told you were assigned to Los Angeles, California, in order to recruit for members to join the CMO. Again, this appears to be a pattern of conflicting orders within the organization, where in one instance you were disciplined for perceived slights, and yet directly afterward, promoted to a higher position of authority as a Scientology executive. How do you explain this behavior within the organization?AS: The control and handling of personnel within the Sea Org was very unpredictable. There were always huge demands and needs for people on various projects or positions that had to be filled "at once". So one could expect rapid changes. It was also considered that after one messes up, they can be corrected using the "ethics technology" of Scientology and confessionals so they can carry on after their level of ethics are once again acceptable. What was the highest-ranking position you held within Scientology? Who did you report to in this position? What responsibilities did you have, and how many other people and sub-entities did you oversee? AS: I was in the Watchdog Committee (WDC) which is the highest ecclesiastical body in Scientology, with a WDC member appointed over each of the numerous "sectors" or areas of Scientology to see to their proper management. My boss as a WDC member is the WDC Chairman. This is the highest management position in the organization. I was in WDC for about a decade and held about six different sectors over the years, including the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) sector, which is responsible for the secular aspects of the organization – drug rehabilitation, criminal reform, Applied Scholastics study technology and The Way To Happiness Foundation – and the Celebrity Center sector. Anything that goes on inside your sector or sphere of responsibility as a WDC member, is your responsibility and you're held accountable. This could be very stressful, particularly when the current head of Scientology – David Miscavige – is so abusive. For example, Miscavige learned that the Tampa Scientology organization was not paying their rent in 2003. As I had previously been the WDC member for all Scientology churches (approx 175 of them around the world) and should have noticed and handled it then, Miscavige demanded that I personally pay the rent of $
A
Mike Rinder