Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 11:27:37 GMT
Message-ID: <8bq4uv$jk2$1@nnrp1.deja.com>
http://www.lermanet.com/cos/brainwashing.html
In article <20000328023158.27993.00001156@ng-fp1.aol.com>,
mmckean338@aol.com (Mike McKean Sr) wrote:
> What is the Rehabilitation Project Force?
>
>Some critics of the Church who do not understand the purpose of this
>program have tried to intentionally misinterpret it as something other
>than what it is. Those critics, however, cannot speak authentically
>from personal experience.
>
>Those who know -- graduates of the RPF program -- attest to its
>enormous personal benefit, and express their appreciation for being
>able to avail themselves of redemption as opposed to dismissal.
Not true. I am someone who has been on the RPF myself (twice) and have
spoken out against it. I was on the original 1974 RPF, created and
ordered by LRH on the Apollo. Before you continue quoting the CofS PR
material on the RPF, it might be a good idea for you to read what
several people who ~have~ actually been there have written about their
experiences. A good place to start would be the article written by
Stephen Kent, who interviewed a number of people who had been on the
RPF, at various times during the 26 year span of its existence, with
very similar reports. If you check Deja news, you'll find that it was
posted here on ARS very recently and I'm sure it's webbed somewhere.
Does anyone have the URL for this?
As a two-time "graduate" of the RPF, I have a very good understanding
of what the purpose of the RPF is. It's to break a person's spirit and
turn the person into an unquestioning, obedient SO member who will do
whatever told without question. LRH repeatedly said he didn't believe
in punishment, but the RPF is proof that he didn't really mean it.
Monica Pignotti
From: Gerry Armstrong <armstrong@dowco.com>
Subject: Re: Scientology's RPF
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 12:06:51 -0800
Message-ID: <r042es4bhnple22p72p47nepiiasjn664p@4ax.com>
On 28 Mar 2000 07:31:58 GMT, mmckean338@aol.com (Mike McKean Sr) wrote: >Some critics of the Church who do not understand the purpose of this program
>have tried to intentionally misinterpret it as something other than what it is.
>Those critics, however, cannot speak authentically from personal experience.
>Those who know -- graduates of the RPF program -- attest to its enormous
>personal benefit, and express their appreciation for being able to avail
>themselves of redemption as opposed to dismissal.
Now isn't that amazing. It's either the RPF or "dismissal." In concentration camps it was either the camp or dismissal too. Many concentration camp survivors express their appreciation for being able to avail themselves of their imprisonment as opposed to the dismissal so many others were subjected to. Hey, the work allowed the individuals in concentration camps to regain confidence in themselves and the pride of accomplishment. Along with time for contemplation and reflection, concentration camp survivors worked as a team to improve the facilities of the Reich, or the Soviet Union, by which they are enslaved plus improve teamwork and coordination among the participants. What a great, infinitely superior business administration technology $cientology has. How OT. How clear cut. Just two solutions: dismissal without sorrow, or imprisonment. Just like the Reich's or the Soviet Union's great, infinitely superior business administration technology and it's solution: dismissal without sorrow, or imprisonment. The RPF is an evil. Shame on the United States for running these concentration camps on their soil. Shame for promoting this concentration camp religion, $cientology. I'll bet you've never done the RPF, Mike McKean. I'll bet you get paid to put a happy spin on your cult's evil RPF. © Gerry Armstrong
From: Monica Pignotti <pignotti@my-deja.com>
Subject: Re: Scientology's RPF (Prison work camps)
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 20:46:54 GMT
Message-ID: <8btq3o$nt0$1@nnrp1.deja.com>
In article <8btkjk$heo$1@nnrp1.deja.com>, Raptavio <lordmagnusrexmundi@my-deja.com> wrote: <snip> As someone who has had first-hand experience on the RPF, I will do my best to address the good questions you raised, since all you're likely to get back from Mike McKean is a third repetition of the automated CofS PR response: >> Those participating in the RPF both study and receive religious
>>counseling on a daily basis to address areas of difficulty in their
>>personal lives.
> How much?
What this "counseling" actual consists of is twinning off with someone and doing e-metered confessionals on one another. Any personal "difficulties" a person is having is attributed to "overts and witholds" they supposedly have committed against the SO that got them on the RPF in the first place. I ought to know, since I was the RPF C/S for awhile on Flag. >>Along with study and auditing, members of the RPF work eight hours
>>per day as a
>>team on tasks which improve the facilities of the Church by which
>>they are employed and improve teamwork and coordination among the
>>participants. The work
>>allows the individual to regain confidence in himself and the pride of
>>accomplishment.
> Is it limited to eight hours per day or can it be more or less?
No, it is usually alot more than 8 hours per day. On Flag, the typical schedule was that we got up at 5AM each morning and went until 10PM each night. This is a total of 17 hours. Subtract 5 hours "study time" (mainly e-metered confessionals) and half an hour for each of three meals. That's 17 hours waking time minus 6 and a half hours (meals and study), less half an hour for personal hygiene = at least 10 hours of work per day. The work consisted mainly of cleaning toilets and bathrooms and cleaning corridors for the womens' teams and doing garbage detail and scrubbing decks for the mens' teams. If the areas cleaned failed to pass white glove inspection, punishment was to run laps. Any questionining of the fairness of the punishment resulted in further orders to run more laps. There were times when this schedule was over-ridden and we were ordered to work 30 hours straight, at a stretch, as Stephen Kent truthfully reports. On the RPF's RPF people do not get any "study" time and are allowed only 5 hours of sleep per night, and with the exception of brief meal breaks have to work the dirtiest jobs the rest of the time. >>Some critics of the Church who do not understand the purpose of this
>>program have tried to intentionally misinterpret it as something
>>other than what it is.
>>Those critics, however, cannot speak authentically from personal
>>experience.
All this is, of couse, just a repetition of what he posted before. Perhaps this is some kind of automated response? As I responded before, this is definitely not true, since I do speak from personal experience and have a very different account of my experiences than is portrayed by the official CofS PR line. I'll repeat my response, that the purpose of the RPF is to turn its into obedient SO members who cease all questioning and do as they are told. Anyone who tells you any differently is maybe fooling themselves but no one else here. >> Those who know -- graduates of the RPF program -- attest to its
>>enormous personal benefit, and express their appreciation for being
>>able to avail themselves of redemption as opposed to dismissal.
> Are there people who have been through RPF who denounce it as well?
You bet there are! All the people interviewed by Stephen Kent are people who have been through the RPF and have denounced it. Our accounts of what really goes on there are all over the web. For an account of my experience, see: http://wwww.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/pignotti and there are many more accounts by people who corroborate my experience. Monica Pignotti
From: Monica Pignotti <pignotti@my-deja.com>
Subject: Re: Scientology's RPF (Prison work camps)
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 02:08:49 GMT
Message-ID: <8bucv7$dd3$1@nnrp1.deja.com>
> Really. So you were in charge of the RPF?
No, the RPF Bosun is the name of the post for the person in charge, and he/she answers to the Ethics Officer (MAA) who is not an RPF member. I was the RPF case supervisor (C/S) for awhile, meaning I was in charge of ordering which auditing actions were to be taken on people in the RPF. > That seems... well, excessive. Was this while you were C/S or was it
> when you were in RPF?
Both. The RPF C/S is an RPF member. > 5 hours of sleep over the course of many days would result in a serious
> lack of ability to think straight.
You bet it does! I was on the RPF's RPF for only 5 days and that was enough for me. > How long was someone's duration of stay in RPF typically?
It can vary from about 3 months if the person gets through quickly to 1-3 years for some people. From what I've seen, it depends on how compliant and passive the person is. The more compliant they are, the quicker they will get out. > Thanks so much for responding, Monica. Though, sad to say, I do wish
> that I could get more candid responses from the CoS people.
The problem is that many of them have never been in the SO and have not, themselves ever experienced the RPF. They believe the PR line the CofS gives them and think that we're all lying SPs. Those who have experienced the RPF and are still involved cannot ever speak negatively about it, or this would result in severe ethics action being taken. They'd probably be assigned to the RPF for that! After I got out of Scientology, I came across some letters I had written to my father while I was in my worst days of the RPF. I was made to write to them, because they had contacted the Flag liason office, saying that they were worried because they hadn't heard from me. I made it sound like I was having a wonderful time on the ship, when I was actually burned out and miserable. A critical letter would never have been allowed off the ship, but as a loyal Scientologist, I wouldn't have even thought of writing anything negative, regardless of what I was experiencing. Monica Pignotti
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