Category Archives: the future

Listen, Don’t Look – latest in Reverse Scientology

  I reckon that most everybody who ever held a post for long in the church remembers the LRH adage, “Look, Don’t Listen.” It served a lot of people well. Now the C of M is doing everything in its power to get Scientologists to listen to DM’s claptrap in lieu of looking at the chaos and destruction he has sown.

 Rebel recently posted a little something about OT VIIIs being hounded not to read the internet, http://leavingscientology.wordpress.com/2010/02/02/the-last-roundup/. Well, he wasn’t joking and now we have some evidence of just how desperate the controlled thought process is becoming within the C of M.

 Back story: For a decade and a half Scientologists were urged to contribute to their local orgs so as to make them the size of Old St Hill as LRH postulated. DM dangled the promise of the release of OT IX and X as the prize when the target was met. DM did this knowing he hasn’t a clue how to compile OT IX and X and couldn’t deliver on the promise if he ever intended to. When his imprisonment and torture of International Management resulted in orgs contracting rather than expanding, he announced a brave new plan: forget the St Hill Size Orgs, and build empty cathedrals.

 Since more and more O.T.s have started opening their eyes and seeing through DM’s smoke and mirrors, it seems C of M has reached a new level of desperation in attempting to suppress free speech and thought. He has gone from using a false promise to try to garner cooperation in building orgs, to now threatening to withhold that false promise if people do not shut their eyes and ears to what is REALLY going on.

 About three weeks ago Public Officer FSO ordered LA area OT VIIs and VIIIs to attend a mandatory briefing. The word in the Scientology street was that it was another in a series of FSO and FSSO tour actions demanding Scientologists stay off the internet and inform on their friends and family members who were exposing themselves to information about Scientology not authorized by C of M. Accordingly, precious few showed for the “briefing.”

 Several days later the Public Officer came back for another go at it, with the demand stepped up along the lines of “you had better show up.” Again, turn out was dismal.

 Yesterday round three was kicked off. Only this time it is an Flag “Ethics” tour. Get a load of the email that was sent from the Flag MAA to the 800 (FSO’s calculation) OT VIIs and OT VIIIs in the LA area:

  TO:    OT VIIs and OT VIIIs (LA area)

FROM:    Flag MAA @ LA (Project)

    Dear All,

    I am quite shocked as to how few OT VIIs and OT VIIIs came to
the Mandatory meeting a couple of weeks ago. I am also shocked as
to how few who were absent actually have come into the FSC WUS
office to fill out the interrog. There are roughly 800 OT VIIs and
OT VIIIs in the LA area and I have only seen a fraction.

    This must change at once.

    For those who showed up to the last meeting and to those who
have since come into the FSC WUS Office, that is better than the
rest. HCO PL KNOWELDGE REPORTS applies, and you must handle your
fellow OT VIIs and VIIIs.

     The Public Officer FSO and I have quite a bit to go over and
exciting things are on the horizon. Every OT VII and VIII is to be
at the meeting tomorrow night at 7pm at the ASHO Chapel. This is
not an option.

    The future of our religion depends on it, as well as the future
release of OT IX and X. You are at the top of the Bridge and are
expected to make this happen. Those who are carrying their weight
will be noted.

     Austin Voss
    Flag MAA @ LA (Project)

 The interrog referred to reportedly asks for the names of all people the OT VIIs and OT VIIIs know who have read anything about Scientology on the internet.

 As you can see DM has apparently decided to threaten their immortal futures by making their becoming willing, compliant informants to suppress knowledge a precedent to OT IX and X coming out.

 The Flag MAA’s email states emphatically, “This must change at once.”

 Let me assure you Austin, and DM for that matter, in the words of the immortal Sam Cooke, “it’s been a long, long time coming, but I know a change gonna come…oh, yes it will.”

The Real Third Party by Mike Rinder

Guest columnist Mike Rinder with friends in Oxford

There has been some discussion of late concerning the 3P that exists between “Scientology” and “Independents”. 

LRH states:

The law would seem to be:

A THIRD PARTY MUST BE PRESENT AND UNKNOWN IN EVERY QUARREL
FOR A CONFLICT TO EXIST.

Or

FOR A QUARREL TO OCCUR, AN UNKNOWN THIRD PARTY MUST BE
ACTIVE IN PRODUCING IT BETWEEN TWO POTENTIAL OPPONENTS.

Or

WHILE IT IS COMMONLY BELIEVED TO TAKE TWO TO MAKE A FIGHT, A
THIRD PARTY MUST EXIST AND MUST DEVELOP IT FOR ACTUAL CONFLICT TO
OCCUR.

It is very easy to see that two in conflict are fighting. They are very visible. What is harder to see or suspect is that a third party existed and actively promoted the quarrel. The usually unsuspected and “reasonable” third party, the bystander who denies any part of it is the one that brought the conflict into existence in the first place.

One sees two fellows shouting bad names at each other, sees them come to blows. No  one else is around. So they, of course, “caused the fight”. But there was a third party. Tracing these down, one comes upon incredible data. That is the trouble. The incredible is too easily rejected. One way to hide things is to make them incredible.

This theory might be thought to assert also that there are no bad conditions that cause conflict. There are. But these are usually REMEDIAL BY CONFERENCE  UNLESS  A THIRD PARTY  IS  PROMOTING  CONFLICT.

If you look at the conflicts that Scientology is involved in, they range from “the Church” versus “Independents” to “the Church” versus “the media”, versus “the government”, “the French”, “the pharmaceutical companies”, “the psychs”, “the SPs”, “the squirrels”, “the out ethics public”, and on and on.  Even the staff versus the public.

There is an old principle of investigation: trace back who benefits.  What purpose is there for all this conflict to be fomented.  There is an easy answer for that – one that every Scientologist is aware of, and it is increasingly apparent to one and all that it has become more important than the orgs and delivering LRH tech. The IAS.  Every conflict, every disaster affords a new reason that money needs to be donated to the IAS.

But, LRH also says, you have to locate the hidden BEING behind the conflict.

That’s also easy. Look to see who benefits.

Who benefits from the IAS money?  The Machiavellian Midget himself.  It is this money that he uses to prop up his own PR and keep himself in power. It is this money that is used to buy empty buildings (as everyone just saw at the last IAS event) and generate PR about the “massive inroads” Scientology is making into the world with programs that are shown in PR videos at Miscavige’s events.

Remember, The incredible is too easily rejected. One way to hide things is to make them incredible.  That is the reason Scientologists cannot spot the real 3P. It is too incredible. How could the “Dear Leader” who has been responsible for the incredible expansion of Scientology, be a bad hat 3P?  Well, he has conducted a campaign of PR by redefinition of words.

The big lie he is perpetrating is that Scientology is expanding like never before.  The evidence to “prove” this is the purchase/renovation and opening of “new” Ideal Orgs.  In truth, MEST has been substituted for real expansion in a sleight of hand that has been so deft that most Scientologists don’t see it. Of course, every person who calls  himself or herself a Scientologist naturally wants to see Scientology expanding.  Who, other than a real SP, would not want others to achieve the gains they have achieved? Who, other than a real SP, would not want to destimulate the planet by getting as many people as possible to be able to erase their reactive minds?  Who, other than an SP, would not want everyone to be able to read and understand what they are reading with Study Technology.  And after all, we all want a Cleared Planet as our ultimate goal. 

The expansion of Scientology and the destimulation of the peoples of earth IS the greatest good for the greatest number of dynamics.  And even a new Scientologist knows that this is the formula that when applied enhances survival. So, how do you persuade otherwise intelligent, well-meaning people (that is, the Scientologists of the world) to ignore obvious outnesses?  You make the outnesses seem small when compared to the greater good.  The LRH example comes to mind – if a vaccine saved thousands of lives, but killed a few, is it a pro-survival solution? Of course.  So if under Miscavige’s leadership the Church has expanded at “explosive” rates does it really matter if he has been beating people up, spending money like a Saudi prince, knocking hats off those junior to him, destroying the management infrastructure  etc. etc. etc.? Of course not.

But, what if that explosive expansion actually DIDN’T exist? What if those things that are said about Miscavige were not only true, they had in fact destroyed the very structure of organizations and management that LRH put in place, turning the executive echelon of Scientology into a mob of broken, mindless individuals, thus guaranteeing that no expansion would occur. What then?

Then Miscavige would have to come up with a way of demonstrating “expansion” without really having any, using whatever resources were available.  Miscavige doesn’t have competent management at his disposal.  But, he does have MONEY.  Hundreds of millions of dollars.  And though money won’t buy you love, nor happiness, it will buy MEST.  So, here is Miscavige the Magician’s trick.  Scrap the LRH plan of building orgs to St Hill Size (too hard to do anyway – and then there are those damned staff that have to be gotten to OT in the orgs and there’s no management to organize that) and replace it with “Ideal Orgs”.  Oh how clever.  There IS an LRH policy called Ideal Orgs, so it sounds legitimate.  And you just keep talking about Ideal Orgs and make it the “thing to do” and pretty soon everyone will forget about the St Hill size orgs.  And slowly, but surely, you redefine even the concept of an Ideal Org to being “ideal BUILDING”.  And then you tell everyone that this is THEIR problem and make them “part of the game”.  So, the OT Ambassadors and the local OT Committees and all local Scientologists now buy into the laudable objective of having a nice building for their org.  But building the org itself – the people and the theta – they drift quietly into the background (until it comes to “Grand Opening” when a lot of people are going to see the “Ideal Org” on video and the broken down, discarded staff from Int and staff from other orgs are shipped in to make it appear temporarily the place is something more than merely a building).

So, Miscavige tells one and all that he is spearheading this massive expansion, proven by the “new” Ideal Orgs that are being opened.  You hear it at the International events and you read about it in Freedom – pages and pages about Miscavige opening orgs (and not a mention of L. Ron Hubbard).  And obviously anyone who says Miscavige is anything other than perfect is just an SP trying to destroy Scientology, because look at what he is doing and that IS the greatest good for the greatest number of dynamics. 

Or is he really just the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain?

Or is he really the hidden Third Party that is too incredible for most Scientologists to spot?

It’s easy enough to know.  Walk into any one of these “Ideal Orgs” and see whether there is massive expansion occurring?  Do they have more or less staff than was shown on the video for their “Grand Opening”?  How many students are in the course room?  How many Clears have they made since they “opened”?  Funny that you aren’t hearing about the massive expansion in these individual orgs.  All you see about them is Miscavige cutting the ribbon and spouting flowery doublespeak written by the LRH Biographer and some shots of empty buildings.  

Why you may ask don’t the people in the orgs say anything about this?  It’s the old Roman strategy of “divide and conquer.” The few remaining staff huddled in the cold in the Buffalo “Ideal Org” think they are the only ones who have an empty org and that they are really out of step with the rest of the Scientology world. They don’t even want to ask the few remaining staff in Madrid what things are like over there.  They’d probably be shot if they tried. And no public person wants to look like a fool after donating time and money to creating the “Ideal Org” and being good followers of the great COB and his “Command Intention” by questioning whether the org is doing well. They see it, but they quietly hope someone else is going to deal with it.

But there is another beauty to this plan too.  It keeps everyone quiet.  Because anyone who points out the obvious is labeled an SP. “Obviously” if someone is saying the orgs aren’t full and expanding they are CI – or worse yet, they are gloating about it and want it that way.  And who would gloat at the poor staff who are there working their asses off day in and day out?  Only a pure SP.   Again, propaganda by redefinition of terms.  Pointing out the obvious is redefined as gloating.   The staff of those orgs are in the unenviable position of having no management to guide them.  No programs.  No marketing.  Those things have all been forsaken for the “Ideal Org Strategy” because of course, once the “Ideal Org” has been shown on a video, it has no importance to Miscavige any longer.  You can’t show a building opening twice.  People might get suspicious.

It’s the big lie. It is clever. But when you analyse the FACTS, it is what it is. And until the real Third Party is spotted, the conflicts will continue. 

And one last thing. The proof of this pudding is this: as soon as someone DOES spot the real source of the conflict, THE SP, charge blows, the clouds  part and a whole lot of shaking starts going on.

Abilities return, sometimes chronic somatics even disappear, and things start going right again in one’s life. Hell, if you listen real close you might even hear scores of gentle “clicks” in the air, the sound of spines straightening up across the world.

Insouciant

You all ever despair that we aren’t heard?  Take a look at the latest promo for the C of M, for the LV Idle Org where DM will  be this weekend, no less.

Cramming Order – David Miscavige

report to MOQ for cramming

Outness noted: First of all, well done on taking our cue and  at least trying to promote LRH’s definition of the attitude of a Scientologist. But flunk on the promo piece. That is more like posed cheerfulness (with more than a hint of PTSness evident).  In order to demonstrate insouciance, you’ve got to walk the walk.  Roberto Sanchez is insouciant. Chrissie Pearlman is insouciant. Sam Domingo is insouciant. Mary Jo Leavitt is insouciant.  Hell, your Cramming Officer (MOQ) is damn insouciant. The lives of the independents listed on this blog are your Art Series 8.  Good on trying to talk the talk. Flunk on not even trying to walk the walk. You can’t fake insouciance. First thing you’ve got to do is de-power the reign of terror hanging over everybody’s heads.  Now, for you, that is a real trick. But I am sure if anybody can sort you out, the MOQ can.

Recommended handling:

1. Fly all Cram ruds.

2. More intense study of the Independent movement, maybe even some participation, as that is definitely your Art Series 8.

Jimbo, you all set? By the way Jim, please also cram on routing policies and on cleaning cleans. He sent the damn promo to Dave Adams and Jamie Sorrentini.  Now Dave Adams doesn’t need any lessons in inscouciance. And we all know Jamie Sorrentini is insouciant. Tiziano Lugli is insouciant. Cathy Greenbaum is insouciant…………etc and et al…you get the point.

Bravo to Roberto Sanchez

First, a repost of October 21st’s post on DM’s attempt to bury one of the first announced independents Roberto  Sanchez:

 

“I would rather die standing than live on my knees.” – Emiliano Zapata

October 21, 2009 · 47 Comments

An OSA mission to Mexico rounded up virtually every family member of Roberto Sanchez (Mexican Amigo) and used what ever means, fair or foul, to turn them against Roberto for having spoken his mind.  Roberto is standing strong – even at the potential cost of losing his entire family. Please communicate to him your support, let him know he has family across the world who would never turn on him no matter what. Thank you.

“I would rather die standing than live on my knees.”  – Emiliano Zapata

Next, today’s new post – an update from Roberto  Sanchez:

I´m putting this info about me for all those who went on mystery about me after the drama at late 2009. I make a promise that I will flourish and prosper more than ever. So after the crush this happen…

I was elected as the president of the business association of the 3 cities in the west of my state.

President with business association

  One of the main assistants of the president of my country, México, the National Health secretary, came to officially appoint me on this.

Roberto with National Health Secretary

 We have now a close communication line on health and mental health subjects with the department and brief them in detail about some interesting subjects.

Roberto Sanchez front page news

More Roberto Sanchez front page news

 I open a factory out of almost nothing and it is working big time now.

I was elected as member of the citizens board of advisers for the government in my city.

I am happy with my family and searching for new, true friends this time.

I’m improving conditions of people and groups with this posts.

I am facing challenging environments and am making things go right and carry on when hard to achieve.

I can go on and on and on but that´s the summary of it, a brief one.

Stand tall; there´s nothing to fear at the end of the day but to compromise one´s integrity.

PS: May I suggest you hear this moving lecture by J. K. Rowling:

http://harvardmagazine.com/commencement/the-fringe-benefits-failure-the-importance-imagination

 

How Diamond Dave Eludes Justice

In the early-mid eighties David Miscavige and Pat Broeker were reveling in the absolute power they had wrested by forcing LRH to remain off the lines. As the only gatekeepers to the Old Man they could and did filter everything LRH was to learn of the church over the last five years of his life. And they made awful sure that filtering, first and foremost, made their positions more secure. During those glory days, at a comm drop in a remote desert location, Pat gave DM a congratulatory gift that summed up his impression of the latter’s character and beingness. It was a butane lighter with a nifty diamond embedded into its case. Around the precious stone the following words were engraved,  “Diamond Dave.” 

It validated  DM’s self-projected  image of himself as a rock star, after then popular Diamond David Lee Roth of Van Halen. Broeker would later rue the day he went out of his way to stroke DM’s ego.

Next time you view the Palladium event where these two announced the passing of LRH, pay careful attention to DM’s eyes as he welcomes Broeker to the podium.  They had “I’m taking you out” written all over them.  And so he did.

How did he get away with it?  The same way he gets away with running an Abu Ghraib like torture chamber on American soil; MONEY.

1)He authorized the checks for the lawyers who were retained to represent LRH’s interests during the eighties, and they dutifully advised LRH as DM told them to.
2)He authorized the expenditure of more than 100 million dollars between 81-86 to turn civil suits that could have been settled for 1.6 million at the outset into a horrendous war that kept LRH off the lines. And shortly after LRH died, and there was no more need for an All Clear for LRH, why, DM bought himself one for 2.6 million dollars.
3)He paid the attorneys who advised Broeker that if he didn’t kow-tow to DM, and continued to attempt to exert control in the church, he would wind up behind iron bars because of his financial irregularities.
4)He authorized the 100s of millions of dollars spent on the six to eight off-policy extravagant yearly events over the next two decades that were carefully orchastrated to position him – slowly but surely – as senior to Source.
5)He ordered the expenditure of whatever monies necessary to get in the face of the media and law enforcement for the next two decades so as to create an environment that encouraged the media and law enforcement to decide “life’s too short” to wrestle with the Church of Scientology.  He spares no expense in covertly influencing media and law enforcement to remain at bay.
6)He set up a two punch system to deal with any potential witness to his criminal behavior: a) intimidate and harrass to the point where the terminal is amenable to b) a buy out in exchange for silence.

Despite this seemingly impenetrable wall that I helped to build, do you know how I know with certainty that Diamond Dave will inevitably face justice?  Because for the first time ever, the one-trick pony’s two-punch system cannot deal with what he is facing. For the first time ever he is faced with a growing number of folks who cannot be intimidated and are not for sale at any price.

The Underground Railroad Goes Overland

A vital Scientology underground movement has organically formed over the past year. Scientologists who had moved on from the oppressive church of Miscavology, but who refused to disconnect from their knowingness, abilities attained, friends, family, business connections, and even their practice of Scientology began to reconnect.  By necessity the majority of them had to reconnect or maintain connections below the radar.

One primary purpose behind encouraging people to overtly declare their independence was to break the back of the mafia-like protection racket run by the C of M. That is, to help people get out from under the black cloud of intimidation and threatened execution of forced disconnection for purposes of breaking Scientologists’ wills and independent thought processes.  The idea has proven workable. Each person who overtly straightens his back demonstrates to many more how incapable the  C of M is to ride straight backs. For each who does so overtly, dozens more begin to straighten their own by witnessing it can be done without serious repercussion and seeing tall walking people blossoming.

While the process has unfolded a lot of informal underground connections and networks have formed.  That is amongst families, friends, businesses, auditing arrangements, you name it.  I’ve had numerous discussions with people who have floated ideas about establishing more overt forums with which to bolster the reconnection process.  Many are in progress executing plans along that line.

The further 3D de-ptsing progresses, the more well known independent terminals have been overwhelmed with helping increasing numbers of folks make connections with other independents. So, today I was pleasantly surprised to find that one industrious Independent had already taken an overt, insouciant step.  Silvia Kusada has established an internet networking site, IndependentsConnections, Connecting Independents Around The World, http://independentsconnections.wordpress.com/.  Here is where you can seek friends, jobs, employees, services, and even 2Ds  who consider themselves independent Scientologists.

I encourage anyone who has de-pts’d him- or herself from C of M extortion tactics to start utilizing Silvia’s new forum.

IndependentsConnections founder Silvia Kusada

What is an Independent?

A number of people have asked what distinguishes an Independent from other Scientologists who have left the corrupt institution but still find worth in LRH tech.   San Diego Independent Murray Pearlman just supplied the best answer I’ve seen yet.  The explanation contains no words.  Watch it all the way through, the Independent doesn’t come in till the last minute.  We also just  happened to receive this update from Chrissie Pearlman in a comment on this blog  “If anyone was wondering about Shane and I. We are together and doing alright. Still heavy attacks on me and our relationship but we are holding strong and happy together. =)”  Hurray for the Pearlmans! (and Sudden Sam too)

Instant Hat for an Independent Scientologist:

Tiziano Lugli breaks free

 

I REMEMBER by Tiziano Lugli

 I remember when Scientology was fun…when Scientologists were actually UP TONE!

When staff members were eager to get on their posts and produce the VFPs of their Hats, not to be turned into 24/7 All Hands Regging Particles.

I remember when CC Int used to be fun. When there were not cliques of celebs and big donors, not A-B-C-D lister. Where you would have a friendly environment where people where actual friends.

Chick mixing it up with Tiziano

 When Tom Davis was an upstat, uptone, funny and energetic guy, when he used to hang out with us, and even go to the movies…

Tommy with Tiziano back in the day

…with all the new upcoming talents, small and big celebs alike, and I remember when Kirstie used to be skinny too, back when we were friends.

Tiziano with Kirsti back in the day

I remember when you knew that when you’d get off your o/ws in session on FPRD they wouldn’t use them against you in case you leave in the future.

I remember when going to the Freewinds and Flag was a peaceful, relaxing and pure theta experience.

I remember when the Fort Harrison was NOT a 5 star Hotel with an alleged 5 star service, but was FULL all of the time, instead of empty as it is now.

Tiziano with mom Renata and dad Claudio at Flag

Tiziano with mom Renata and dad Claudio at Flag

 

I remember when you could talk freely about the tech with friends, questions you had, share your wins and rely on your friends for advice without getting into “ethics trouble”.

I remember when it was all about OT phenomena and Theta wins and not just mere lousy MEST and money wins.

I remember waking up and wanting nothing else but to go on course, having the excitement to KNOW the next part on the checksheet, where pure understanding and application was the only goal of our Supervisors, not just a machine to shove you through a course in record time to show how DM’s new line up is 10 times faster.

I remember when Scientology would actually raise your IQ and make you more able at challenging knowledge.  When it made Lions out of people, not scared and wounded sheep.

 

I remember when you used to finish a drill and be really happy about it knowing that you REALLY got it, instead of already feeling invalidated because you would have to re-do it 5 more times by the Golden Age of Tech new checksheet.

I would dare ANYONE even only after a week of passing the test, to tell me 20 Tone Levels and their respective arbitrary number that goes with it, or how about the thirteenth law of L&N, or how about ALL of the manifestations in order of the Misunderstood Word. I remember when full conceptual understanding was senior to verbatim patterns.

I remember when you could take some new friend who had newly found admiration for you and was interested in your wins, and you would tell them, “yeah, it’s Scientology” and they were able to come into the org, and meet upstat and uptone people, get greeted as Beings, not as Div Six particles. They were able to walk in and out freely, without the Div 6 Regs overwhelming them and making them into nothing, so that they could at least sell them something, and have a fake statistic to report to their seniors.

Tiziano with wife Jamie

I remember when Sea Org Members were there for the products they’d create, they were friendly…and when the stats were not the goal, they were simply a by-product of their good work.

When an SO member was not just another obstacle you try to pass at an event or at session/course break trying to reg you in every which way they could – buy this, the new books, the new lectures, come to the seminar where we’re gonna sell you something, there’s an IAS special briefing JUST for you, we gotta get you active on Human Rights, Criminon, Narconon, you gotta take a post in a mission – and when everything was said and done (and you were still broke) – do you qualify for the Sea Org?  I need you to come see a special slide show…

The Church of Scientology we once knew is DEAD.

What was once lost can be found again, and what was once great can be greater… and we surely do come back.

At the top there is the biggest traitor of the freedom it proclaims it instills and with nearly a billion dollars in the bank, the torch of the IAS is now and forever dead.

In this church of conformity the pretence of “we disagree” remains just a lousy sales pitch to make the few rebels for freedom enslave themselves to the degree that they NEVER agreed.

Never ‘play’ with your own integrity in the hope of some future freedom…it just never works out that way.
 
Be TRUE to yourself, in EVERY step of the way…whichever way that is.
 
 
 
You can’t scream to calm somebody down. You can’t fight a war for peace. You can’t hate to preserve love and you cannot enslave the people if you’re trying to free beings.
 
I was never a slave. 
 

Tiziano Lugli 

tiziano@tizianolugli.com

Jamie’s address: info@jamiesorrentini.com

Tiziano and his wife Jamie Sorrentini are two charming, theta people. They are also intelligent and creative.  Since both of them received a heavy dose of Reverse Scientology in the C of M, they began to look for answers.  In retaliation for merely visiting with me they were subjected to an intensive and vicious campaign to cut all of their communication lines.  Being the resilient, insouciant beings they are, they are persevering quite beautifully. Stay tuned to Rediscoveringscientology.com for their full story which will be posted later today, it is a barn burner. I’ll post the link here when it is up.

The final words of Martin Luther King

Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King conquered hate with love.  He gave his life so that our lives might be filled with more love, tolerance and forgiveness.  If you think I am overstating that, I invite you to  listen to the speech he delivered in Memphis the night before he was gunned down.  He knew what was coming.  His closest advisors suggested he get out of Memphis. But he stood tall so that millions of others might  do so too.  Here was the Code of Honor in application; not just theory. He never compromised with his own reality. His integrity to himself was more important than his body. His self-determinism (nay, pan-determinism) and his honor were more important than his immediate life.

Here is one relevant portion of the night before his assassination captured on film toward the end of the speech:

I suggest you listen to the entire speech on this day of remembrance.  There is much we can learn from it. You can find it in two parts at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2EnnclLMX4, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySGDMdQaDA0.  The transcript can be found here if you would like to read along: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm

I find it very relevant to from whence we have come, where we are at, and where we are going. It is about being a man or a woman and standing for what is right and what is just. About being counted as a human being. About standing up straight so that the man cannot continue to make you crawl. Or as King himself said in this speech:

“Whenever men and women straighten their backs up they are going somewhere because a man can’t ride your back unless it is bent.”

Regardless, of whether you find any parallels, today is the King’s day.  I don’t think it is too much to ask that we take twenty minutes to listen to, and reflect upon, his final public words.

Martin Luther King – paying our respects

Friday the 15th was the birthday of Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King.  Monday is a national holiday celebrating his life. Some of DM’s henchmen on the anonymous fringes have had some rather hateful things to say about my repeated references to and respect for King. I am not sure whether everybody understands why I regularly quote him.  I think if you look at what we posted earlier this week about Friendship and the ensuing discussion we had about ARC and love, and compare it to the following short essay by Rev King you’ll begin to get the idea.  http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=1131

There is much to learn from the man and his work. There are many parallels between what he helped accomplish and what we are attempting to bring about .

On an emotional level, I think U2 captured King’s spirit very well in their song Pride (in the name of love):