Lexidiem: Word of the Day

Join us for Operation Party Hard! 

This is the latest info from Enturbulation.org, and all links should be accurate as of March 14th. They have been getting a lot of traffic from people looking to attend the protest in their area, but digging through the forum to find information on where to go can be difficult if you aren't used to navigating forums. 

Below you'll find the location of the March 15th events listed according to global region, and each link for more detailed info (maps, meeting places, etc.) will open in a new window. 

Regions

• United States
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• New Zealand
• Australia
• Japan
• Switzerland
• Sweden
• Finland
• Austria
• Netherlands
• Ireland
• Puerto Rico
• Norway
• Brazil

Wanted to include all of the links for each country here, but when you see all of the links, you'll see why it was rejected here. If you're a member of the private We Are Anonymous group, you'll find the entire up to date list posted in the forum under Global List - where we'll be on March 15th!

Things to Remember

On February 10th, over 7,600 people attended peaceful pickets in front of 108 Church of Scientology locations across 17 countries. This was the largest organized picket against this cult ever!

Nobody was arrested... except two Scientologists.

With that in mind, thought this would be a good opportunity to share some suggestions: 

• Follow your local laws and the directions of any law enforcement officers you may encounter. They have turned out to be allies in most cases. And follow any local ordinances about masks.
   
• Make your signs legible from a distance... and double-sided is great. Use big fonts, preferably in one color. Keep the message direct & short. Avoid using any slang terminology. You're attempting to get a message across to the general public about a dangerous cult, not indulging your own ego.
    
• You're representing a cause, not an image board. If you do attend a picket thinking otherwise, you may need to think about your motives. 
    
• Remain Anonymous - think about that word & what it means. If you're at a picket in a city where wearing a mask/covering your identity is illegal, putting yourself into full view of someone's video camera and saying "I'm anonymous!" is rather counter productive. Don't do this.
    
• Learn why you are there!  Gain some knowledge about why you're attending the picket. Sprouting off "Xenu!" or "lulz" at random people is going to make you come across as a real nutter. The public will be curious, so know how to engage them & do so in an articulate manner.
   
• Do not fraternize with the enemy. Don't not accept food, beverages, bathroom breaks, whatever. Simply put, it gives them a huge PR boost.
   
• Have fun out there, but remember our cause. Before you do something, ask yourself "if they get this on tape, how can the Scienos spin this to their favor"... because they will certainly be asking themselves that question while working a video editor later. 
   
•  You can either get the cheap laughs now or get the epic win and ultimate laugh when the cult actually falls. Its simple math... so decide now!
   

So join us on March 15th, and follow your local laws!

We are Anonymous.
We are Legion.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget.
We will be heard.
Expect us.

And beware the Ides of March!
 

Speaking for Anonymous, this primary, fundamental question is the one we receive the most, as all our efforts are meaningless without proper fundament. We’ll attempt to answer it here, as simply and concisely as possible.
 
We are not against Scientology.

Scientology, like all religions, is a belief system, a way of perceiving and decoding the world around us. We believe in the basic, inalienable right to a personal religious creed. A man, or woman, can believe whatever he or she chooses to believe; it is their prerogative, and they should never be attacked, persecuted or discriminated for it.
 
Likewise, it is also their right to associate with others who share the same beliefs, so that they may express their devotion in whatever way they see fit. We would never consider acting against such an activity; doing so would be intolerant, shortsighted and immoral. Any considerably sized group of people gathering with a purpose needs some sort of organization in order to achieve its goals. This is just common sense; we would never oppose this.
 
However, one must always make the distinction between the belief system and the human, fallible institution built around it; specially when those institutions generate a power structure that acts both inwards into the community and outwards toward society.
 
These human constructs can be criticized. This does not mean the belief system is being attacked or ridiculed. The observation of the religious institution differs in no way to the observation of any other social institution. We have observed the institution at length. We have formed an opinion about it and decided to take a course of action. This does not mean we are against Scientology.
 
We are against the Church of Scientology.

The CoS (Church of Scientology) is harmful to society, and to its own members. Its institutional purpose is, as stated by its founder, its own prevalence and expansion, mainly in an economic way. It considers the religion, the belief, the faith to be not an end, as it should, but a means, a mere tool. Indeed, it is degrading towards its own religious base and all those who believe in it. 
 
This humiliating manipulation alone is enough to consider it insulting at best, malign at worst. But its crimes do not stop there. It has attacked freedom of expression routinely; it has attacked freedom of religion by going against those who follow the faith but not the institution; it has attacked freedom of movement, of association, of thought.
 
Furthermore, it has attacked the right to life, the right to the pursuit of happiness, and all other fundamental human rights.

You will find ample proof of these facts in this journal & the many others we link to.

The Church of Scientology has a psychopathic disregard for the life and well-being of others. Under this light it becomes clear that not opposing it would not be simply cowardly or uncompromised. It would be immoral.
 
Do the right thing, for you are not attacking anyone’s beliefs; you are defending everyone’s rights. 
  

How Scientology Differs From Other Religions 

Scientology treats it’s doctrine as a corporate asset, rather than as the property of a community 

Faith and spirituality are open-source. The core doctrines of any respectable faith can be acquired from the community of practice at either no charge, or at very near the cost of publication. While supplemental literature and the like is often sold by members of that community in a profitable fashion, the core doctrines and texts are made as available as possible. Scientology does not treat its core doctrines in such a fashion; it sues and issues take-down notices to those that openly share it’s central belief system. 

Scientology actively conceals doctrine and beliefs 

Many of the core beliefs of Scientology are not available until after progressing within the organization, investing capital, and otherwise changing one’s life. Which places an unfair and unwarranted pressure on the membership - those who do not choose to believe the doctrine after it is revealed will unravel the life that they have invested in the organization. This is not true of healthy communities of faith; while you may not know everything “going in”, the concealment is not active; if you ask, you will be told. 

Scientology isolates members 

Scientologists are isolated from society regarding open access to information (they are not to read some books and websites; a net-nanny is often used to further this isolation), linguistically (Scientology is loaded with words altered from common use, making communication difficult), socially (through ‘disconnection’, the practice of breaking relations with anyone in their lives that criticizes Scientology itself), and sometimes physically (through varied means including closed camps and the “Sea Org”).

For example, see this video where Jenna Miscavige, the niece of Scientology leader David Miscavige, speaks out about isolation and disconnection. 

Scientology indoctrinates members 

At each and every level of Scientology, a member is promised specific benefits. In order to obtain those benefits, however, the member must take part in regular activities, express themselves in specific ways, and must be able to pass what amounts to a cheap lie detector test while showing that they are doing so. There’s no option to stand up during the hymns and mumble “rhubarb, rhubarb” in order to fit in; if you can’t twist your mind into imagining ridiculous and contradictory situations (breaking down your viewpoint of what is and is not real), without showing tension on the E-meter (below), you cannot progress. 

Scientology exploits the faith of members for profit  

Above and beyond charging for knowledge of doctrine, Scientology also charges ridiculously high prices for simple electronics (the E-meter, below), offers actual commissions for introducing new converts (leading to many cries of “pyramid scheme!”), and charges internally for the basic and most common practice of the faith - the action of auditing.
  


These charges are not negotiable; they are “fixed donations” which are required. You try telling a Muslim that he needs a special $500 compass to point the direction he should face for prayer, or proposing to the Catholic church that they should install “holy water dispensers” at the door, at a dollar a shot. See how far you get. Let's put it this way...

• What if the bible cost $300 per verse?
• What if the Torah scrolls were charged by the inch?
• What if the poetry of the Koran was accessible only with a credit card?
• What if meditation was charged by the hour?

Religion is free - Scientology isn't.

Scientology creates a false internal image of charitable action 

Hearing Tom Cruise say that when a Scientologist sees a car accident, “you’re the only one that can really help” is merely the tip of the iceberg. Scientologists are trained to respond to disasters and crises by using them as centers for recruitment. They are further trained to honestly believe that this IS a way of helping, which means that opposition on this point paints the person in opposition as ignorant in the mind of the Scientologist. This differs from other communities of faith significantly - while you might need to listen to a sermon to get your soup at a fundamentalist soup kitchen, at least the soup is real. 

Scientology aggressively suppresses criticism 

Even in the general press, Scientology is described as “Famously litigious”. Anyone that takes the time to look further will discover numerous examples of “fair game”, an express policy of actively seeking to not only silence critics, but ruin their lives. L. Ron Hubbard described legal practices as a useful way of bludgeoning critics into silence. Amending doctrine within Scientology is considered “squirreling” - a major offense. In short, the organization is hostile to criticism of any sort, for any reason at all, to a degree that is not considered acceptable in any other community of faith. For example, see the following:

• A list of scanned Cease-and-Desist letters issued by the Church of Scientology 
• Scientology leader David Miscavige “clearing things up” on Nightline 

Scientology actively and covertly lobbies and pressures for gain 

The CCHR lobbies to disrupt psychological practice on behalf of Scientology; Narconon preaches drug rehabilitation on their behalf, WISE promotes their version of business management. Scientology won a tax-exempt status that is better than that of other faiths by harassing the IRS in court for over ten years. The overall organization of Scientology works under so many names and towards so many purposes, and so many of them plainly for gain, that exposure to it often causes the reaction of “This is too strange. It’s like a B-movie conspiracy brought into reality”. And in many ways, this is one of their significant defenses - it’s just so very mind-boggling, and the reporting so tinfoil-hat sounding, that it seems unbelievable. Yet it remains true.

• YouTube video of David Miscavige, addressing their 2007 summit regarding “efforts to stop psychiatry” 
• A CCHR anti-psychiatry ad, themed around “school shootings” 

Scientology actively promotes incorrect and dangerous medical and psychological practices 

Scientology teaches that by reaching sufficient levels within their practice, and by “making your own reality”, a member can overcome illness by will alone. It teaches that mental instabilities caused by chemical imbalance, and illness, should generally be treated with vitamins and auditing rather than medication - including, in several cases, schizophrenia and cancer. People die as a result of following these teachings - and, as icing on the cake, remember that last point; Scientology lobbies to ruin the reputations and practices of those that would prescribe such medications and offer clinically tested and peer-reviewed treatments. 
 

Scientology commonly abuses the private and personal trust of members  

The practice of “auditing” can be likened to the confessional or the psychiatric couch in so far as it is a place where members share personal experiences, often intensely private and painful ones, in order to alleviate problems (granted, methodology of “how the relief comes” are radically different). However, unlike psychiatry and the confessional, the controls on this information are neither strict nor scrupulous. For a priest to break the seal of the confessional is a shocking and horrible thing from a Catholic viewpoint. For a psychiatrist to blather about patients by name is worthy of a lawsuit. No such controls exist on the Scientology practice; “peeking” at the file of someone below you is fairly common. 

• Video clip of news article, with interview. 

Note: this journal has been created in order to assist people with information concerning the organized protests against Scientology that are going on around the world. It will hopefully provide concise and unbiased reporting and documenting of the protests, as well as providing details on how others can contribute if they choose to do so. 

Anonymous...
 
Anonymous is not a ‘group’ in the traditional sense. There are no leaders, there is nobody who represents us – Anonymous is a collection of individuals, all thinking and operating according to their own moral compasses, who have decided to work together for a common good. The name itself has a rather more important meaning in this case, though, as the vast majority of us must remain ‘anon’ while protesting to prevent Scientologists identifying and harassing us. 

Just google ‘Fair Game Policy’ for details of exactly why this is so important. 
 
Anonymous is not the rag-tag mob of Internet nerds and bored students that the Church of Scientology (CoS) might have you believe it is. It is made up of people from all over the world and from all walks of life: teenagers, parents, teachers, doctors, the old and the young. This is the beauty of Anonymous – your best friend could be one of us and you’d probably never know. Yes, many are what the media terms ‘young’, but that is only to be expected as it was discussion on the Internet that has allowed this protest to gain so much support. We hope that this particular protest will bring the Church’s actions further into the public eye and, in doing so, allow more people who are not as active on the Internet to become involved.
 
We are also supported by a great many ex-Scientologists, many of whom have only built up the courage to speak out against their former Church as a result of the efforts of Anonymous. Others, however, have been campaigning against the CoS for years and it is thanks to their bravery and hard work that we have the facts and know-how to have achieved what we have so far.

Anonymous is compromised of people from all walks of life, all faiths, all occupations, ages and sexual orientation from all corners of the globe. It has no leadership or structure and no authority. It is a movement self directed by each member’s own moral compass, and every individual walks in the same direction because that compass points to what is universally and inalienably considered to be right. 
 
Anonymous is not now, nor will it ever be, opposed to any true religion, belief system, government, law, or public institution. Anonymous is singularly the uniting of countless people with one common goal: The exposure of the Church of Scientology – a known dangerous and criminal cult that not only masquerades as a religion but also lies to, profits from and actively controls every aspect of its members lives, while seeking to viciously destroy anyone who questions it by suing, lying about, intimidating and attacking them at every available opportunity – in the interests of the greater public good. 

Are you Anonymous too?

We are Anonymous. 
We are Legion. 
We do not forgive. 
We do not forget. 
We will be heard. 
Expect us. 
  

• Anonymous is just a label.
  Some websites and bulletin boards do not require individual registration to view or post. Those who elect not to identify themselves on these sites are given the pseudonym of Anonymous. 
    
• Anonymous believes in freedom of expression.
  When a name is attached to an argument, it is too easy for those who disagree with that argument to attack the speaker rather than the message. By speaking or posting as Anonymous, emphasis is returned to the value of one's words. 
    
• Anonymous is open.
  There are no tests to become Anonymous. There is no official badge, theme song, secret handshake, entry fee or initiation ritual. Anyone can be Anonymous simply by adopting the name for themselves. 
    
• Anonymous is diverse.
  Because the Anonymous label is applied freely, without requirements, anyone can be Anonymous. Anonymous represents all ages, all faiths, all nationalities, all political stances, all levels of computer literacy.
    

What Is Anonymous Not?  

• Anonymous is not an organization.
  There is no centralized hierarchy of power, no chain of command. When Anonymous acts in a consensus, it closely resembles a grassroots political movement, with participants drawn together by the strength of their shared message.
    
• Anonymous is not a hacker group.
  The majority of Anonymous has little or no experience in computer hacking. While some hackers are drawn to Anonymous for obvious reasons, and their actions are sometimes inspired by Anonymous' collective beliefs, each Anonymous is ruled by his or her own morals and conscience and is solely responsible for any illegal activities.
    
• Anonymous is not a bunch of religious bigots.
  With Anonymous' recent stance against the Scientology Organization, some have leveled this charge against Anonymous. As stated earlier, the label of Anonymous transcends barriers of faith and is used by members of all religions. Furthermore, while individual members of Anonymous might disagree with the beliefs of Scientology -- as is their right -- the current protests are not directed against the faith but against the so-called Church of Scientology itself, along with it's corrupt policies. 

Anonymous is not a collective "Internet hate machine", "hackers on steroids" or "domestic terrorists". The goal of Anonymous is to get the attention of the people. Anonymous employs ongoing real-world demonstrations and continues using online video resources to that end. These videos often mention little-known facts, such as Project Snow-white, an attempt by Scientology to infiltrate the government. They bring up events, aspects of Scientology's corrupt system, and individuals whose deaths are blamed on Scientology.

Anonymous is calling on the members of the Church of Scientology to stop intimidating dissenters and to cease charging practitioners of the religion to learn its teachings. Anonymous wants the Church of Scientology’s tax exempt status revoked.

Knowledge is free.

We are Anonymous.
We are Legion.
We do not Forgive.
We do not Forget.
Expect us.
We are coming.

Beware the Ides of March...
3.15.2008