I hear LWS is hurting during this economic downturn. The way she spends money it must be hard and stressful to meet her demands. Those that live in the area claim to see a lot of cars parked outside her LWS building at all hours including Saturday and Sunday. For anyone who has have been there, this means work instead of class thus fewer senior instructors to lead the classes at JSW.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, only more so. :spanky:

Failed Student, I will confess that for a few years I wrote Lighthouse's manuals for free on evenings and weekends while working another tech writing job during the day. You were smarter than I was.

What I found most frustrating, though, was not the lack of pay, but the lack of appreciation. I learn and write very quickly. I was so efficient that TYK and the other COLies concluded that what I was doing must have been easy. DKP was an exception, but he left after a few years.

TYK wants you to accomplish your tasks well and on time, but she wants to see you working lots of overtime to do it. The harder you work and the more you suffer, the more she thinks you're really dedicated and loyal. If you're working smart and have more free time that you fill with other things, even if they're meditation or working out, well, that means either your workload isn't heavy enough or you're just plain lazy.

Some COLies used this to their advantage though. "I have to catch up at Lighthouse" became the best excuse to get out of COL classes where someone was being punished, COL2 or COL3 house meetings, or any other unpleasant activity.

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for a wonderful marriage, a good job, my music, my family, my friends, and most of all my freedom from TYK and other spiritual bullies. I've been working with victims of domestic violence, who are very similar to cult victims, and they remind me how much I take for granted. They are grateful for the smallest things: a measure of safety, a roof over their head, a job interview, a holiday handout.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone..To me, everyday is a day to give Thanks. We have a wonderfull Lord who sees us through all our life experiences and shows us the only true way is Through Him, with him. Everyone here will be in my Thanksgiving prayers.

Blessings from my home to yours

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for a wonderful marriage, a good job, my music, my family, my friends, and most of all my freedom from TYK and other spiritual bullies. I've been working with victims of domestic violence, who are very similar to cult victims, and they remind me how much I take for granted. They are grateful for the smallest things: a measure of safety, a roof over their head, a job interview, a holiday handout.
Amen to that Bemused. I volunteered at a shelter for domestic violence victoms also, and some of them were refugees from internal strife. The stories they related made me realize how fortunate we are to live in a democracy with safeguards against mass killings based on tribal differences.
When you do your shopping, don't forget to make a donation of food to the collection box.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and when you say grace before the meal, remember those less fortunate than yourselves.

I follow the cultnews.net website, and a couple of clicks got me to this anti-$cientology video posted by Anonymous:

YouTube- Church of Scientology Demands (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUyu882dWFc)

The video makes a list of nine demands for reform. I thought I'd compare these with the reforms I'd like to see in TYK's organization:


Pay tax. $cientology claims to be a tax-exempt church and charitable organization, but it's really a profit-driven corporation. I'd say this is the only demand that doesn't apply to TYK, because she's never claimed tax-exempt status to my knowledge, and if she cheats on her taxes, it's a personal transgression that doesn't directly affect COL members.
Cease litigation against and harassment of critics and ex-members. A SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) is illegal in California, and trying it again would only make TYK look bad. Previous cease-and-desist actions have only worked because the recipients were unaware of their rights. As with $cientology, if she doesn't like the criticism, she should stop doing what the critics are complaining about.
Democratize publicly. I doubt TYK would ever do this, because according to her she "knows" and "sees" so much more than the COLies do that their opinions and perspectives are worthless. Example: "You have worm-eyes view. I have satellite view." If she were pressured to democratize, I'll bet it would be amusing to watch, like a puppet show.
Dismantle the Office of Special Affairs. This is $cientology's answer to the Inquisition. TYK doesn't have an equivalent organization, exactly, but her followers have at times behaved like thugs. Just ask Kathy Kim.
End the Fair Game policy against defectors. See number 4.
End the Disconnection policy, which requires $cientolosists to cease all communication with defectors, even if they are family members. TYK's attitude toward critical family members of COLies is not as extreme, but she still needs to reform.
Dismantle the Rehabilitation Project Force. This is $cientology's answer to the Soviet gulag. Again, TYK doesn't have an equivalent organization, but her ad-hoc punishments have allegedly included house arrest, food deprivation, sleep deprivation, verbal abuse, beatings, and even self-castration orders.
Follow local labor statutes. I'm sure that TYK appears to be doing this on paper. However, she doesn't pay COLies what their jobs are really worth, and she expects off-the-books free labor. The most egregious example of this was when she laid COLies off and then expected them to work for Lighthouse for free while collecting unemployment.
Follow all local laws and human rights statutes. If you look at the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, you see that, like $cientology, COL fails a few of them immediately. TYK denies COLies full liberty and security of person (Article 3). TYK's treatment of at least some of her followers resembles slavery, as in "one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence" (Article 4). Some of TYK's punishments have been cruel and degrading (Article 5). I could go on.

Bemused, if all these demands were met, there would be no cults.
Unfortunately, there are too many lost souls out there that seek shelter from reality by joining willingly or being unwittingly lured in and pay the price....emotionally, physically, and financially.

Still, once one leaves such a group that should be the end of it as far as the cult is concerned. Leave the exes alone. But apparently the cult leaders are so insecure or afraid of truths being revealed that they have to continue to harrass and intimidate for years afterward - in my case, at least five, maybe longer. The letter TYK sent me telling me that God would punish me if I channeled my energy with those that sought to hurt her just indicate how unstable a person she is.

Thugs? (item #4) - you bet. Two of her then flunkies had no compunctions about injuring me - by taking the lug nuts off my tire so it fell off as I was driving, or throwing a rock through window where I was presumably sitting at my desk. These people are criminals and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, or if caught in such criminal behavior where one's life is in danger, then the use of deadly force is justified in self-defense. (See the recent article about a woman in Kansas who killed an intruder with a shotgun blast as he broke through her patio door.)

Well, TYK, you didn't intimidate me, you didn't shut me up, and your long ago prediction that I would be the most dangerous person to you and betray you has come to fruition. But now you have lost that power that once was given to you to do good, because you used it for your own selfish ends, and now you reap the whirlwind.

$cientology is such a huge organization that it's hard to keep secrets. If they did reform, you could probably send a human rights organization in there to judge the success or failure of the reform effort. Of course, cults have a way of putting on a good show for sociologists, law enforcement, and other outsiders, so the human rights organization couldn't just visit for a few days and conclude that everything was all right. They would have to inspect all property and talk privately to people in all the work groups, especially the shy ones at the bottom of the pecking order.

TYK's group is so small that such verification wouldn't be possible. Presenting TYK with demands is useless, except to make the public aware of her misdeeds. The only way we would know if she reformed is if people left and reported that things were better. So far, people who leave seem to report that things are getting worse.

In the spirit of public education, I'm adding more items to the list: let COLies handle their own romantic relationships, let them have children if they want to, and let them spend time with their children. $cientology doesn't let anyone in their elite Sea Org have children. TYK doesn't have a stated rule against childbearing, but as far as I know, the birth rate among COLies is zero. JH had a child after she became a JSW student, but she didn't join COL until her child was in school (and she had gotten divorced). Some COLies brought school-age children into COL with them. These children were emotionally and sometimes physically neglected.

TYK will never allow her devoted COL followers to have children. She says if you want children you are selfish. In reality, she does not want to compete with any children as they get in the way of her being in full control of her "students". There is a lot of information about how the children who grew up there were treated as we read in Chica's posts. In due time more stories will be told.

The TYK cult continues to be involved in various lawsuits against them. Here is one:
Particle Measuring Systems v Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions
Filed on 12-9-09 in Federal Court, Denver CO on a Patent Infringement

This info can be googled. Of course they are innocent until proven guilty but history shows that TYK will cheat any way she can for money and power. How greedy.

Funny, when I was in COL, TYK said that someday, when we built COL City, we could all have families. I guess she has given up that fantasy.

Having children is "selfish"? Hmmm... Just ask any parent how much self-sacrifice is involved. TYK is the selfish one.

Unfortunately, Chicabonita asked for her posts to be hidden. They're still in the Bullshido database. Posts from Clarehoare and Ryanbeld remain visible in this thread.

Fighting over patent infringement doesn't get to the heart of TYK's abuses. I would rather see someone who gave their labor and money to TYK get it back. But anything that weakens her power and distracts her attention is probably a good thing.

.

The TYK cult continues to be involved in various lawsuits against them. Here is one:
Particle Measuring Systems v Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions
Filed on 12-9-09 in Federal Court, Denver CO on a Patent Infringement

This info can be googled. Of course they are innocent until proven guilty but history shows that TYK will cheat any way she can for money and power. How greedy.

Either way this is going to cost them....win or lose, they'll have to pay their lawyer (s). If they lose, they're in a big financial hole

Here it is December...and Spring is in the air..Where True Love abides........Wishing all the Blessings this Christmas Season brings.....Peace and Goodwill to All......

I heard that MEA is leaving COL. MEA, if this is true, and you need someone to talk to, we're here. The first year or two out of COL can be difficult. You don't have to go through it alone.

Things must be happening there if Mark is leaving. He has spent over half his life there. But he has that much and maybe more of life to continue on and do whatever he wants. Like Bemused says, it is hard. There are lots of emotions. But we are hear if you need to talk. Whatever you decide. I wish you the best

Happy New Year's everyone.

I'm rereading a landmark book on various forms of abuse called Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman. Much of what she says pertains to cults as well as other abusive groups. I'm finding some really interesting passages in the chapter on child abuse though, that seem to relate to TYK. Here are some excerpts. I have put a few phrases I find especially relevant in boldface. Food for thought.

*****
The abused child's sense of inner badness may be directly confirmed by parental scapegoating. Survivors frequently describe being blamed, not only for their parents' violence or sexual misconduct, but also for numerous other family misfortunes. Family legends may include stories of the harm the child caused by being born or the disgrace for which she appears to be destined....

This malignant sense of inner badness is often camouflaged by the abused child's persistent attempts to be good. In the effort to placate her abusers, the child victim often becomes a superb performer. She attempts to do whatever is required of her....She brings to all these tasks a perfectionist zeal, driven by the desperate need to find favor in her parents' eyes....

If the abused child is able to salvage a more positive identity, it often involves the extremes of self-sacrifice. Abused children sometimes interpret their victimization within a religious framework of divine purpose. They embrace the identity of the saint chosen for martyrdom as a way of preserving a sense of value....

These contradictory identities, a debased and an exalted self, cannot integrate. The abused child cannot develop a cohesive self-image with moderate virtues and tolerable faults. In the abusive environment, moderation and tolerance are unknown. Rather, the victim's self-representations remain rigid, exaggerated, and split....

When disappointed, [the victim, now an adult,] may furiously denigrate the same person whom she so recently adored. Ordinary interpersonal conflicts may provoke intense anxiety, depression, or rage. In the mind of the survivor, even minor slights invoke past experiences of callous neglect, and minor hurts evoke past experiences of deliberate cruelty. These distortions are not easily corrected by experience, since the survivor tends to lack the verbal and social skills for resolving conflict. Thus the survivor develops a pattern of intense, unstable relationships, repeatedly enacting dramas of rescue, injustice, and betrayal...

Doublethink and a double self are ingenious childhood adaptations to a familial climate of coercive control, but they are worse than useless in a climate of freedom and adult responsibility. They prevent the development of mutual, intimate relationships or an integrated identity. As the survivor struggles with the tasks of adult life, the legacy of her childhood becomes increasingly burdensome. Eventually...the defensive structure may begin to break down....The facade can hold no longer, and the underlying fragmentation becomes manifest. When and if a breakdown occurs, it can take symptomatic forms that mimic virtually every category of psychiatric disorder....
*****