Dear Mayor Ioria,

It was with great amusement that I learned the other day about your concern at being included on my friend's website, which is dedicated to politicians who appear to support the cult of Scientology.You're quite right to be concerned.

With all the information about this group available on the net and in print, the public is becoming well informed as to the true nature of this vicious and destructive organization which walks like a church. I imagine the last thing a politician would want would be to have their name linked with such a group.

With all the information about Scientology available on the net and in print, I can think of only a few reasons why a politician would wish to associate with them, and none of them are complimentary.

1. You have heard "rumors," but gosh, the Scientologists give such good dinners, they're generous contributors, and gee, you got to meet Tom Cruise. So, you don't really want to "know," you know? (wink-wink, nudge nudge) Smile and take the contributions gracefully. It's just a religion, right? Where's the harm if a religion chooses to support your campaign?

2. You truly are an ignorant twit. You've made no effort to investigate an organization that is despised by the majority of the population in your region. This is the option I would hope for, as ignorance can be cured. Greed and amoral stupidity cannot.

3. You are a base, opportunistic political tool who will stoop at nothing to further your career. Scientology loves this type of politician. They understand greed-fueled venality better than anyone. L.

Ron Hubbard invented it, along with his other fantastic contributions to mankind.

Realistically, your attitude is probably a combination of the three characteristics listed above. Yes, they are generous when it suits them, but their doctrine of fair exchange suggests that there is no such thing as a free lunch. If you'd done any research, that little item might have caught your attention before the campaign contributions and support did.

Pity you missed it.

Depending upon how you view yourself as a politician, you may or may not continue to read this, as you will finish this piece with a greater (and perhaps unwanted) picture of the Scientology organization, its traits and its goals. If you are acting from a position of naivete, you will be shocked and probably revolted that your name is even associated with this cult. Of course, if you're being deliberately ignorant or downright cynical, you won't be interested in continuing your reading. At this point, I will consider you an honest, but ignorant politician, so read on.

Let me fill you in on what the rest of the country knows about the so-called "Church" of Scientology. And before you trot out the Scientologists' tired old line about religious intolerance and persecution, let me make this very clear. I don't care about their beliefs. I do care very much about the abusive actions this cult has indulged in for fifty years, and continues to commit with apparent impunity.

First of all, you must understand that the Scientology organization will not, and cannot reform. Their policy is dictated by that old fat fraud, L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard was a "humanitarian" in the same sense that a person can be a vegetarian. Your Scientology contacts have doubtless praised him to the skies as a great philosopher, scholar, teacher, adventurer, and war hero. Sort of a modern day Indiana Jones, right? NOT!

Studies of Mr. Hubbard's life and paper trail show him to be an abusive, megalomaniacal creep who cynically founded a religion because the pay was better. Navy records depict him as a malingering incompetent, rather than the heroic figure painted by Scientology. He's even listed on a website with other phony "war heros" of our time. There's even a website dedicated to exposing his lies, deeply researched by a distinguished British historian, at http://www.ronthewarhero.org

Ask a Scientologist about it, and the standard response is that Hubbard's military records were stolen and replaced by forgeries.

In the 1970s, FBI raids on Scientology buildings revealed thousands of stolen government documents in what is still the largest case of domestic espionage in the United States today. The thefts were part of a Scientology project called 'Operation Snow White,' intended to cleanse all negative reference to Scientology from government filing cabinets.

'Snow White' refers to having clean hands, you see.

Ask a Scientologist about it, and the standard response, if they've ever even heard of Operation Snow White, is that the cult operatives were sent to prison for stealing government Xerox paper.

Understanding Scientology's tactics and beliefs is paramount when studying how this group redefines words and values from mainstream social standards. The redefinition of common words is a tactic shared my many totalitarian and coercive groups, Scientology being no exception.

Without further ado, let me introduce you to some basics here in Scientology 101.

ACCEPTABLE TRUTH

An acceptable truth is something which furthers the goals of Scientology. The truth part is optional. For example, proponents of the Narconon drug rehabilitation front group claims amazing, yet unsubstantiated statistics. Their 70% success rate is sheer fantasy, yet you'll find it repeated by promoters and in their print material.

Serious research reveals that Scientology's drug rehab program is not only ineffective, but a danger to people with compromised liver function. A review of Narconon statistics by non-Scientologists shows that Narconon is only 2% successful in treating drug addiction, a number well below the percentage of people who quit without any treatment whatsoever.

This does not stop them from promoting this junk science with phony statistics. The goal, of course, is to get state funding for Narconon, and gain credibility for Scientology itself, as well as exposing people to Hubbard's bizarre and often vicious procedures. Scientology representatives can and will lie to your face with facile ease. Since these people present themselves as a religion, many folks will accept what they say at face value, for it is ingrained in our early training to trust anything religious.

Narconon has been researched in depth, and a very comprehensive analysis of it and its practices can be found here:

http://www.narconon-exposed.org

Narconon has been rejected by the Nevada State Assembly following a push to get the program installed in the womens' prison system there. They took the time to review this website and rejected Narconon's bid unanimously.

SAFE POINT

Did you not think it strange that actor Tom Cruise would appear at a dinner party? Weren't you all just tickled pink to the point that you didn't even bother to wonder why he was there?

Tom Cruise is considered a Safe Point, as is John Travolta, Greta von Sustern, Isaac Hayes. A Safe Point is a person whom people trust and won't run screaming from. The job of a Safe Point is to make alliances and establish affinity with influential people in a community, Mayors, City Counsel, and others with positions of authority.

During the Clinton administration, the main spokesman for Scientology was John Travolta. Tom Cruise said very little about it, but Travolta, with his access to high level politicians, convinced several in Congress to impose sanctions on Germany for its attitude towards his "religion."

Germany and France have a more realistic picture of Scientology's true nature. American politicians are generally either gullible or fearful of reprisal where Scientology is involved, and that should tell you something.

During the Bush administration, Tom Cruise has been reactivated. There was a recent article which described his visit to the White House, pushing for support for another Scientology front group, Applied Scholastics. There is also FASE and LEAP, same junk, different front group.

http://www.studytech.org/home.php

If you think that Cruise just appeared at that dinner party because y'all are such pleasant company, let me disabuse you of that fantasy right now.

Why would a high powered actor visit a backwater burg which has cockroaches larger than mice? Face it, Tampa isn't exactly Los Angeles or New York! He is establishing a Safe Point, as Scientology obviously has plans for your community, just as they did with Clearwater. The occupation of Clearwater began with a front group, "United Churches of Florida," which quietly began to buy up property. When Mayor Gabe Cazares opposed this invasion by Scientology, the group immediately took action to discredit him and destroy his reputation and career. Documents pertaining to these activities were discovered during the FBI raids on Scientology property in the 1970s.

http://www.shipbrook.com/jeff/CoS/docs/cazares.html

Tampa is next on their list of occupied cities, and they're scrambling to make positive connections with the People Who Matter there, including the Mayor. Eventually, he will reveal to you what the cult really wants out of you.

For now, he is establishing a Safe Point, and making friends who will be able to help further their goals in the future.

The Scientology term for people like you is a "power comm line." You are there to be used by members who are assigned to cultivate your good will. People like Scientologist Benetta Slaughter of Clearwater, for example. This woman is heavily involved with Clearwater community concerns, and was once crowned queen of a civic function. She is a Safe Point extraordinaire. She was Lisa McPherson's friend and employer, yet she persistantly defends her "church" against charges that they killed this young woman. Interestingly, it was an "ethics program" enforced by Slaughter's company which contributed to Lisa McPherson's mental breakdown and subsequent confinement and death at the hands of the people she trusted and loved.

http://www.slatkinfraud.com/slaughter.php

http://www.xenu-city.net/incognito.html

ETHICAL

Scientologists will tell you they are "the most ethical people on the planet." In fact, it's one of their many mottos. What they don't tell you is, "ethical" has been redefined to mean, "anything that Keeps Scientology Working." It is ethical to defraud people out of millions of dollars if some of that money goes to Scientology coffers.

http://www.slatkinfraud.com

It is ethical to destroy Scientology's critics by any means necessary.

It is ethical to lie, cheat and steal if it benefits Scientology.

It is ethical to swindle a man with severe brain damage out of an insurance settlement intended to support him for the rest of his life.

http://www.rickross.com/reference/scientology/Scien111.html

It is ethical to establish front groups to gain a beach head in a community.

http://www.lermanet.com/frontgroups.html

Now, if you had concerns before about your name being associated with this "church," after looking at this material, you should be deeply worried about your political future. You are being played like a piano by representatives of Scientology.

And what will that do to your political image? This editorial from the SP Times might give you a clue:

Scientology's image Series: EDITORIALS:[SOUTH PINELLAS Edition]St.

Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Fla.: Jun 9, 2003. pg. 10.A

"The church recently hired professional researchers to survey 300 shoppers at a St. Petersburg mall to learn their opinions of Scientology, Flag and the McPherson case. The results: Four out of five people questioned had something negative to say. They freely used words like "cult," "scam," "strange" and "brainwashing.""

Four out of five people? That's a significant number, isn't it? Do they vote, do you think? Could that be the reason you're concerned about appearing on this website?

http://home.tampabay.rr.com/sp/FLA.html

Do you really think the people of Tampa want their mayor playing footsie with a criminally convicted cult? With the wealth of documented information on Scientology available on the web, a smart Mayor may wish to make an attempt to get up to speed on this issue by informing herself. When the average citizen sees their elected official making a fool of herself by gushing over a Scientology actor and gladhanding representatives of the cult, that official is going to be considered either naive or greedy or, at worst, another cult tool to be used and discarded. And if she eventually gets a bad case of concience and decide to take the high road at last, they will destroy do their best to destroy her.

Your last name, Iorio, contains I O.

Whom do you owe? The people of Tampa, who entrust you to look out for their best interests and the interests of their community? Or do you owe the "Church" of Scientology? You cannot have it both ways. You either protect your community from what is considered by experts as a totalitarian, coercive, abusive syndicate, or you open the doors and give Scientology the key to your city. Perhaps there's still time to salvage your public image and reputation. The Florida Politicians website is the #1 result on Google when Politicians and Scientology are entered into the search engine. Anyone doing research on this issue is going to see you listed there, big as life, and the site is getting a tremendous number of hits daily.

I understand that your lawyer advised you to "Leave them alone," when you expressed your concerns about your inclusion on this site. If he was referring to the "Church" of Scientology as "them," it's damn good advice and you'd be a fool not to follow it.

--
barb
Chaplain, ARS

"After over 50 years, what has Scientology given the world? Misery, hopelessness, broken families, desolation, death." -Shydavid

"I remember when my son said "Every day should be Mother's Day." But those were the days before L Ron Hubbard came into his life." --Ida Camburn

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