The last message I wrote was about the international data base, and I hope that information was informative and helpful. Here's the link for that:

http://groups.google.com/groups?dq=&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&threadm=f2a0061c.0312120334.65e7ec4%40posting.google.com&prev=/groups%3Fdq%3D%26num%3D25%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26group%3Dalt.religion.scientology%26start%3D275

Being a former HCO staff member at Gold, I have first hand experience with what I'm about to tell you. So here's another piece of information for you and I hope it helps.

PHONE CALLS:

Anyone who has a family member or friend at Gold knows that when you make a phone call to talk to that person, you will never get that person on the line with your call. The receptionist at Gold has instructions to patch your call through to a phone in a room that nobody answers. After a few rings the receptionist will come back on the line and tell you that your family member or friend isn't there but a message can be taken. After this, the receptionist routes the message through the organization communication lines to your family member's In-box so that he/she knows you called. Now it's up to your family member or friend to call you and this is quite a process and probably the reason why you don't get many or ANY phone calls from them – and here's why. When they call you, they're literally sitting in a small room with an MAA or Security Guard in front of them on another line listening to everything you say and what your family/friend says. You can imagine that it really makes it hard for that person to talk with you or say much of anything. Another problem is that Sea Org members at Gold/Int aren't allowed to talk about anything they do there because it's confidential, so every conversation is fair roads, fair weather. The reason this system was put in was because the number of PTS staff members was on the rise and RTC was trying to tighten security at the base. RTC figured that if the MAAs listened in on all personal phone calls, that "out-security" and PTS situations could be caught right away.

MAIL:

All mail to your family member is opened and read before hand by a security guard at Gold. If anything is considered to be hostile towards Scientology or the family member an MAA pulls that person in for a "handling". This handling consists of the MAA having the person read the letter and pointing out to the person that they have a PTS (Potential Trouble Source) situation. The person has to now figure out what THEY did to cause the situation. Could it possibly be because Scientology has completely disconnected the person from their family by not allowing any leaves and by making the person feel like they can't make any personal phone calls to friends or family.

I was at Gold for 10 years and in that time, I was only allowed 2 LOAs (leave of absences) to see my family – a total of about 6 days in 10 years. I only spent one Xmas with my family in all of that time. There was always a reason staff could not go see their families. Usually it was because international stats were in a low condition or the org stats were down, so all requests for leaves were denied – and this was the case year after year. This created many situations for staff at Gold. Many family members on the outside were furious that their family members wouldn't visit or call and Scientology made it THEIR fault for "creating the situation".

If you have any family or friends at Gold or Int, that's what happens with your and their communication. Some advice – make sure when you write or call them, you don't say ANYTHING in the least bit hostile or sarcastic about Scientology or the staff member. This lowers even further any chances of them ever being able to visit you. In HCO PL LEAVING AND LEAVES, Hubbard says that staff members with PTS situations aren't allowed to go on leaves until the situation is handled.

It's almost impossible to handle a situation created because of no visits and then not allowing any visits until it's handled. It's a Catch 22. Keep your communication to them light and fair roads and request on occasion that they come visit when they can. Give them REALLY good reasons for them to come like a family reunion or such, and when they finally come to see you, that's when you let them know how you feel and talk with them IN PERSON about your frustrations.

Unloading on the phone or in mail just guarantees that you won't be seeing them for a while.

I hope this helps!

Sincerely, S.O.X.

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