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Tuesday, 27 April 2010 23:46

I was in the SO for 10 years. After I left I still wanted to contribute, and so I did volunteer work.

During the whole evolution to get the donations for my local org's "Ideal building" and get it moved, there were a lot of SO members in the org on various projects.  However, simply because I was ex-SO and still had a "freeloader debt", I was treated as a persona non-grata by many.

This wasn't the attitude of the org staff, nor even all of the SO members, but it seemed that most of the senior people felt this way. One even went so far as to yell at me one time as I was walking out the front door of the org as she was walking in. I don't think she expected me to hold my ground and not cave-in. I told her flat out that what she was doing was not per any policy.

It was quite a scene. I was told several times that I was not supposed to be/shouldn't be in the org. I was kicked out of an event. I was later told that I could attend events and *some* org functions, but would have to "leave immediately after the event and not mingle."

At one point, there were several people with "freeloader" status doing volunteer work and we were "found as a why" for the bugged donations for the "Ideal Org." None of us were anywhere near the income or donation lines! We were doing entirely backlines stuff. Apparently we somehow cursed the donations by our mere presence? In any case, it was used as an excuse to bar us from the org. Oh -- of course this didn't solve the "bugged donations line", either.

I couldn't get anywhere locally, so I wrote to ED Int. My first response from him was rather positive. He said "I understand your position as a freeloader and value your desire to contribute."

He then directed me to work out an amends project based on the lower condition I was in as a freeloader. I was totally fine with doing amends and got right on it. I did a lot of amends, hundreds of hours; even using my vacation time from work to be able to put in more time at the org.

Even so, it took some time before I was entrusted to do anything more than "cleaning" when I was at the new building. Rediculous as it sounds, we were being required to keep the finished spaces white-glove clean daily in case COB "or someone important" came to tour!  Everyone was already working overtime on an impossible deadline and yet this idiotic order was imposed. Keeping it white-glove was almost impossible because the building was in the middle of being renovated!

Probably the strangest incident happened at about 3am one morning, right before the grand opening. I was still at the org, helping to get things ready, and suddenly found myself getting a dressing-down by someone from RTC. I had never laid eyes on this person before and, without any preamble, she started telling me that I was "so out-ethics for having left the SO" and asked me how I could be such a "scumbag," etc. etc...

I don't think she even knew anything about me other than the fact that I was ex-SO. It was so surreal.

But, I knew that none of this was right. This wasn't actual Scientology, and so I fought it. I also knew that I wasn't technically even a "freeloader" by the very definition and all of the policies I'd read.

I was not protesting the debt at that time, but after 10 years in the SO, my case level was Scn DRD and my training level was HQS. I hadn't done a lot of services at org expense and then simply left the SO. In fact, I've never known a single ex-SO member who actually fit the bill as a "freeloader."

The policy was being misused in a brutal way!

Meanwhile, I was invited onto the OT Committee. I also sold books, helped at the VM tents and the like. I enjoyed being able to contribute again and felt plucky enough to write ED Int back, upping the ante this time by really addressing the situation of how ex-SO "freeloaders" were treated and the arbitraries on this line, such as not "being allowed" to volunteer at their local org.

The response this time was not so nice:

"Thank you very much for your letter explaining the attitude toward freeloaders. I get it. The bottom line is that a freeloader is in a condition of doubt with respect to other Scientologists, as you have read in HCO PL 2 December 1969R FREELOADERS. Staff attitude is indicated by LRH in HCO PL 12 February 1970 EC WW, PRIMARY DUTIES OF: 'Accurate freeloader lists should be made and kept and the offender considered dead so far as org staff is concerned as experience shows they are often wildly out-ethics otherwise.' "
The ED Int continued...

"My advice is to program out the exact steps of handling the conditions from Doubt on up through Liability. If you coordinate all of your actions in that direction, you'll make some progress back into good standing."

First of all, this particular reference he cites doesn't "indicate staff attitude". It says, "so far as org staff is concerned." Meaning, being elligible for staff. There is a vast difference between the word "is" and the word "are" in "so far as org staff is concerned." The singular subject "org staff" is much different than the plural of each staff member's individual attitude.

Most of this policy is actually about HIRING, it's not about how to deal with freeloaders. In the section referenced, LRH was talking about recruiting and sending staff for upper org training and not re-hiring freeloaders, (actual freeloaders, not people who dedicated decades of their life working for the Church).

Here is the quote in context:

"Training in upper orgs for staff members in lower orgs should be okayed by EC WW first and an undated note for the expense to the lower org should be made out and signed. Accurate freeloader lists should be made and kept and the offender considered dead so far as org staff is concerned as experience shows they are often wildly out-ethics otherwise."

This policy of not re-hiring aligns with HCO PL Freeloaders, where LRH states that freeloaders need IJC approval to re-join staff. If you have someone who joined staff and got trained up at org expense, leaving right after, should you let that person just re-join and get more free training with no exchange? No!

One can see that leading to an out-ethics situation indeed. Makes sense. But it's also something I've almost never seen happen! It may have been more of a situation when LRH originally wrote the reference, but now the pendulum has really swung the other direction.

LRH wasn't making some sweeping statement about how freeloaders should be treated like SP's, illogically, in the middle of talking about recruitment and sending staff to upper orgs for training.

To mean what ED Int was telling me it meant, it would have to say "so far as org staff are concerned" and it would be a generalization about the way staff "feel," which is not only out of place, it has no other basis in policy.

Treated as being "dead"? Where is this "status" in any policy? Like an SP? What? Yet this is how it was being interpreted by no less than ED Int! I was pretty shocked and also pretty deflated.

Well, some time later I was pulled off of the OT Committee, right in the middle of a meeting, no less. Around that time, I was asked by one of the org execs to come in and help with something. As I was walking up the stairs one of the SO members said, "What is she doing here?" And another told me flat out that I shouldn't be in the org.

Other things of this nature continued to happen and I could literally feel myself losing the will to fight. I'd been worn down.

On the flip side, my ex-husband, who had paid off his "freeloader debt" and had some money (so was able to donate -- ka-ching!), was treated very well indeed.

He hadn't yet completed his liability condition and had not done much in the way of amends, but he didn't receive any of the above mentioned treatment.

It chilled me to the bone, because I suddenly knew that if I had money, I would go from being a "bad guy" to VIP status, regardless of any lower condition. My ex-husband also noted this disparity.

That was when I started withdrawing from the church. I wondered how things had gone so awry. This wasn't Scientology!

Written by Moving Forward

 

Comments   

 
+1 # Misha 2010-04-28 00:33
The response from ED Int was written by Marj Hopshide, SO #1 Unit, Senior Exec Strata. She answers all the letters to ED Int. ED Int himself was probably doing mest work and getting brainwashed and humiliated at the time by accusations of being a homosexual and other things in a building called "The Hole" at the Int Base. Things are just not what they seem or what they should be anymore at the Church. Rejection of your wholehearted contribution and help and violations of LRH policy fall in that category. I totally understand your disappointment.
 
 
+1 # John Doe 2010-04-28 00:39
Since at least the mid 70s, people who leave the sea org are treated very poorly, like turncoats, or traitors. The freeloader policy is used to maximally make them wrong.

There is just no sane way to call someone a freeloader, when that person has worked the sea org schedule and often, for a number of years.

When one understands that the freeloader debt, as it is applied, is used as part of the make-wrong punishment, only then does the behavior make sense.

It serves also as a strong disincentive to quit the sea org and become a public person, and the longer one works in the sea org, the stronger the disincentive.
 
 
-2 # jim cherkas 2010-04-28 02:56
Its true they want the freeloader debt payed by money rather then volenteering. why didnt you negotiate a set6telment they would be glad for atleast 20% of you freeloder bill?
 
 
+1 # Moving Forward 2010-04-30 05:46
I wasn't trying to 'pay my debt' by volunteering. I was volunteering because I wanted to contribute. I wasn't even doing it simply because I 'needed to do amends'.

At the time, I was being told that I'd have to pay 75%, but I could possibly have negotiated paying about 50% *if* I'd been able to pay the full amount up front. That would have been about $25-30k. I was, due to a number of circumstances, not in a position to pay anywhere near that much.

Now I've realized that it's pretty ridiculous that I, or almost any ex-SO member, would actually have to pay any amount. There is no debt owed by the vast majority of ex-SO members -- their exchange was more than in. (There may have been one or two who joined, immediately went onto full time training and then left, so I don't say 'all')
 
 
+1 # Karen 2010-04-28 08:39
I have seen this derogatory treatment of ex-SO on an others to others flow quite a few times. It's almost a no win situation. How can an SO member do ammends if he is not allowed to contribute. The only possibility is that the debt gets paid first before doing the conditions. That's just wrong.
 
 
+1 # Moving Forward 2010-04-28 09:47
Misha - thanks for this info. Up until a few weeks ago, I really had thought this came directly from him. I'd had a number of exchanges with him in the 90's that were very positive (one relating to international events constantly pulling people off post, lol) and so had always respected him.

I know this story isn't the most revelatory, that all ex-SO have dealt with this kind of crap, but this obvious alteration of policy really got me -- coupled with the realization that if I had money it would all go away.

I want to point out again that most SO members did not have this attitude, but had to tow the line because some of the more senior people did. A select few public witnessed some of this stuff and I know they completely disagreed with it. One OT VII wrote it up and several other OTs said they wanted to do something about it. I actually discouraged them from doing anything because I didn't want them to get into trouble over me.
 
 
+1 # AlexMetheny 2010-04-28 20:00
Hi Moving forward.

That is just another sick example of what the CofM has become.

I noticed the same thing with ex-sea Org and ex-staff too. I have seen ex-staff treated like garbage after dedicating 5 years of thier life (or more). Treated like they are "out-ethics, overts, etc." same old crap.

Truth is, you are super upstat for doing anything to help out and should be treated as such. I am sure this is the trickle down effect from having an SP at the helm.

ARC,
Alex
 
 
+1 # punchimlach 2010-04-29 00:27
Your article struck a chord with me as well because I experienced the exact same thing, even the ED INT response as well.
Unfortunately I have not had the gut's to post the same comment(s) because of familial ... well, you can figure out the rest.

But thanks for this. Really good.
 
 
+1 # Moving Forward 2010-04-30 00:46
I know how it is... I'm still 'flying under the radar' myself, albeit probably getting closer and closer to that line every day. Not that I really care for my own sake, but for family that it would adversely affect. Until I can get them 'out of harms way' as much as possible, I will also have to try to remain anonymous.

When I was still in the SO, I saw it happening and didn't fight it enough then. When I left, I saw others going through the same thing, but they drifted off lines again and I saw it as such a massive injustice.

But, I can feel the fight coming back to me and that's something I had lost after this whole episode I detailed above.
 
 
+1 # Marvin the Martian 2010-04-29 10:38
I was in the SO for almost 7 years. I did a lot of admin training and walked out of the SO with a FL bill of 40K+. This is after joining at age 14 and leaving at 21. Luckily I had a GED, but no "wog" work experience, no college degree, making $10 an hour... How was I supposed to pay $40,000 off? So, I didn't pay a dime.

Recently, however, I made contact with the IJC Office. They're apparently doing a huge "evolution" on FL debt reviews. They wanted me to buy a package of the new ACCs ($7,000) and they would wipe off my debt. However, I refused (quoting LRH finance policies on FP) and they finally forgot about selling me the package, but still wiped out my debt. All 40K GONE!

Of course, it's kind of moot now because there's no way I'm going to give a single cent to the Cof$, let alone doing conditions to an enemy, but it was nice to have my dedicated time acknowledged.
 
 
+1 # Moving Forward 2010-04-30 01:00
It is great to get that correct indication that you are most definitely *not* a freeloader. I'm glad that you got this. It's real change that this site and the others in this movement have affected.

I have to say one thing: college degrees are all well and good, but they are not a requirement for a good job. In today's workplace, experience counts for a lot. Longevity with one workplace is a major bonus. I never even had a GED, but it never once came up.

I definitely *used* my SO experience (I only had that and a few months of working at a company owned by Scientologists) on my resume and strongly encourage others to do so. I really think that those who don't consider that they can put together a resume using their SO experience are denying themselves great opportunities by just letting all of that work experience go to waste. I have run across very little intolerance -- discrimination in the workplace based on religion is illegal and that's taken seriously.
 
 
+1 # AlexMetheny 2010-04-30 01:51
Great story Marvin the Martian!!

Keep up the good work!

ARC,
Alex
 
 
+1 # Punch Imlach 2010-05-01 10:16
Moving forward, don't bother paying a dime.

From personal experience and having a debt that is way larger than yours or others that have posted on this thread the whole FLer concept is BS. Obviously, from other articles on this website and others, why give anything to an organization loaded with DMbots. And don't buy into any "deals" to get your debt reduced to zero, by doing so, you will be back to being a DMbot. Keep your individuality, it's more sacred than you think.
 
 
+1 # Moving Forward 2010-05-03 21:40
Punch -- thanks and trust me, no worries that I'll be going back and paying any 'freeloader' debt. I definitely consider it invalid and won't be giving any money to the CofM.

I was just responding to Jim asking why I didn't 'negotiate' to pay less and gave the details I felt I could. There's certainly more to it than that. He misunderstood completely and thought I was trying to 'pay my debt by volunteering'. Not the case. He also seems to have missed the point completely on the arbitrary ostracizing and alter-is of policy coming from ED Int's office. But, sadly it seems he's unwilling to look for himself at what is really going on.

Jim - I doubt very highly that you're going to read this, but if you do, you might want to step off of the defensive for just a moment and ask yourself if you truly think that SO members who serve for 10, 20 or 30+ years really deserve to be handed a huge bill, be prevented from going up the Bridge (after having made little to no Bridge progress while serving in the SO) and be ostracized completely by the very organization they'd dedicated their lives to.
 
 
+1 # punch Imlach 2010-05-03 23:57
Moving Forward,

Job well done. I wish you the best of luck.
 
 
+1 # ex-Scientologist 2010-05-08 05:46
I have been also treated like you. Also not been allowed to attend events, not allowed to volunteer in the translation unit, and also left the SO with no single step up the Bridge done, just some student auditing, post training and confessionals.

What happened to "exchange"? What happened to the 2 1/2 hours study time each staff is entitled to?

The Church is squirreling. Check this out:

...[DELETED: "ex-Scientologist" left a link here to a website by "Wise Old Goat" which has been flagged by Google as an attack site so is not safe to visit. - Thoughtful]
 
 
# Clyde 2012-01-07 21:59
$25 to 30k for Scn DRD and HQS???????

You must be joking? The Purif, TR's and Obj's, and Scn DRD shouldn't be more that $500 and Hqs, even with Staff Status I and II, should be less than $1 grand. Your "freeloading" tab should be @ $6,000 and that's all.
 

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