Comments:Author Amy Scobee recounts abuse as Scientology executive

Back to article

This page is for commentary on the news. If you wish to point out a problem in the article (e.g. factual error, etc), please use its regular collaboration page instead. Comments on this page do not need to adhere to the Neutral Point of View policy. Please remain on topic and avoid offensive or inflammatory comments where possible. Try thought-provoking, insightful, or controversial. Civil discussion and polite sparring make our comments pages a fun and friendly place. Please think of this when posting.

Use the "Start a new discussion" button just below to start a new discussion. If the button isn't there, wait a few seconds and click this link: Refresh.

    Everything else everyone has written here is Just 3rd-hand 

speculation. As someone who knew Amy Scobee, and at times worked with her When she was the Big-Shot executive she claims she was ( and The Church is Denying), I have a slightly different perspective. To be Clear: YES, she was the Big-Shot Exec she claimed, and God-fucking help you if you were in her presence and forgot it for a moment!

     She was the Highest Ranking Executive over the the Entire
Celebrity Centre Network. She was above the President of Scientology  

(who cynically is just top PR rep) and The Executive Director International. I have found her story ( what I have seen and read in the media ) to be compelling,

and sounding of Truth, in no small part

because it explains her own atrocious behavior. Italic text It is glaringly obvious that it is just the partial truth, and anything discrediting to both the Church she worked for, AND HERSELF has been carefully and OBVIOUSLY OMITTED. This interviewer in his Zeal to get dirt lets Amy walk away squeaky clean. It makes me nauseous. Other former execs have at least ADMITTED to their own wrong-doings. People like Mike Rinder, have admitted that the violence and abuse DID NOT END WITH THEM, but they actively continued a climate of abuse that they are now ashamed of and would like to atone for. To the Best of my knowledge: AMY HAS NOT DONE THIS. Every Interview I've

read has  been a soft-ball Interviewer of Poor-Amy.  Its 

worth Noting that Amy is telling the truth about her Position and scope in the CHURCH!! I've read or seen nothing, that ABSOLVES HER from the abusive and sometimes Horrific conditions of People working FOR HER....Furthermore, She makes NO attempt,anywhere I've seen even to put a positive on spin on any and all ugliness beneath her. Nor does she ever even attempt to whitewash it, with accounts of how she tried to make it better for people under her. The Church's attempt to paint her either a minor player,or screwy sexed up bombshell is both ridiculous and insulting to both Amy and her many victims. COS ,the world doesn't care if an executive is whore or if they get fat, but it might care about Staff and Child abuse under an executive. It might care if that executive was a vicious Fascist Terror....

    Remember, the Church oF Scientology is Legally liable for 

anything Negative that occurred under her. So they are not going

to air any dirty laundry that would incriminate 

themselves...Plus any negative situations may NOT have stopped with Amy. I assure you, any of the HARD questions that should be leveled at Top Executives, ( such as David Miscavige )should also be leveled at Amy Scobee. Actually MUCH MORE SO, since unlike other executives who might be handling lawsuits, and programs, Amy Scobee was on the Ground, in "HER CHURCHES" ( I am quoting AMY DIRECTLY, I-was-there ).

    In my experience---although it was Frequently a 

joyous and a happy place, to be working there ( a Celebrity Centre,... I'm avoiding naming which one to stay Unknownand avoid Retribution ) --- Being anywhere NEAR Amy was something to be avoided at any cost, if it could be helped. Of course it was something that could NOT be avoided. She would constantly muster the entire staff to scream at them all in person, Like Dogs. WE were NOT even TOLD WHY. She was a WALKING LIVING BREATHING HELL week,( month ? year? ) To be in her presence was To BE ILLEGALLY HAZED!! YES, HAZED...As She practiced GROUP PUNISHMENT, verbally abused, threatened, screamed at,and humiliated good Hard-working staff.

     So ask Amy, 

about the living conditions of people working for her...

Ask her Why,

When her network was taking in MILLIONS of Dollars a week, She housed Humans in Deplorable concentration Camp like conditions 10 to a filthy room in a condemned building without proper sanitation ---while paying $9/$20 a week? ASK HER...? ... Ask her about the Great many times she's forced People to work under sleep deprivation, and never paid them for it? ( Italic textI both Ask her about People forced to work BY her for 40 hours IN A ROW on their feet? (I include myself here, Sleep

Deprivation, Forced Labor )

Ask her whether going through Scientology's work camp shut off her empathy and compassion to human suffering? Ask whether it has returned yet? And if she can see that she was harming the people she claimed to help?

   Ask Her what happens to People who stood up to her 

abuse? Ask her how she treated people who wanted to leave, transfer or just take their promised yearly vacation? Ask her WHO SHEItalic text abused? Ask her if She ever raised a hand to anyone. Ask her about CHILD ABUSE under her watch.

   Ask Her About why she held a non-Scientologist 

Security Guard (in Los Angeles, recruited by her only

so he wouldn't have to be PAID!!) who was a PEDOPHILE 

up to to the "her" Staff ( 250 people and children!!)as the ethical example we "low-lives" should aspire to. Ask her How much sexual-abuse occurred under her, including and especially to underage children and minors. Ask HER about all the Children she deprived of an education who were her responsibility!! Ask her. Ask her why she had children 12-16 years old working in her organizations, knowingly, at late hours,

sometimes up to 100 hours a week INSTEAD OF at home 

in their beds, or at school. Ask her about warping young impressionable minds by keeping them from School, ( 14 years old ) and Making them

"Executives" with Dictatorial Powers over  adults 

many times their age? What type of example do you think Amy gave these kids?

... I wonder what kind of abuses, have now FOLLOWED,  

from Amy's demonstration and abuses of Power?

    My personal experiences with Amy were, ( thank-God) 

limited. But almost all of them I regret. She was without question One of the most-miserable and hateful people I have ever had the misfortune of working under. BUT, I am not certain that "ABUSE at the TOP" is simply a story of shit rolling downhill. Based on the Time-line of her ( and other executives) I think it represents a different story.

    I have the impression that it is first and fore

-most a story of ABUSE BY THE TOP; Including and especially Amy Scobee. I believe eventually, failure to properly take care of and respect and care for the The staff, caught up to the Top Excec Strata of the New Regime ( the top Execs after LRH died in 1984, or after the coup in 1982 ) . Wherein the abuse they subjected others to Below them, was NOW FULLY-Leveled at them due to their collapsing stats ( income, new people, completions) and collapsing churches. Of course I am not absolving , any abuse that occurred to Amy or anyone in the Executive Strata, ( INT ). Most of it, I believe was unwarranted and undeserving. But when a former executive like Amy comes forward with Claims of abuse, and claims herself to be largely responsible for a large section of the Scientology network for a long period of time;( and the church denies this while admitting to her post.) We should both accept the story and ask about what They also DID, and what they (Amy) were responsible FOR.

  I believe that  most  aspects of my experience are 

typical. If anything, Most Staff under her probably had it much worse, since they were there longer and perhaps through worse times . My organization was in general \ doing well, so there was LESS time for AMY to be personally Hazing us. I also was not there for a long time. There easily must be 1000 people who have much worse stories than me about working with her or under her!! Has Amy apologized to ANY OF THEM?!! I don't think so... Although she does have my sympathy, She doesn't deserve yours!!!! She was not just some innocent cog in a machine, She was whip-cracker and would be happily there still doing it if she wasn't removed for her post.

 If I was still on staff when she was removed,  I would
have jumped up and cheered. You should have as much 

sympathy for her, until she acknowledges the pain and suffering she also caused, as a Bio from Eva Braum decrying Adolphs moodiness.

Yea, Eva Braum...
     I am sure this letter will make some wonder why 

anyone would put up with theses types of abuses (from Amy). I can say that MOST of the time Amy wasnt there Browbeating and Humiliating us directly, and the majority of those times it was a fun exiting even thril -ling place to be with a genuine camaraderie and shared purpose, and visibly positive results ( on public scientologists). You could feel good seeing you were helping people. That said I cant speak for others, just myself. And I had enough Pride NOT to take it. One time AMY held me up to personal ridicule and humiliation in front of hundreds of Staff (for a very minor-dress code violation that WASNT, this sort thing was routine with her,)and I immediately offered my resignation (when I saw none of my comrades had my back). From there Amy spread vicious lies about me to the staff ( Slander ) without my knowledge, rather than acknowledge her own atrocious behavior was the obvious catalyst for me leaving.

 She falsely put forward the LIE that I removed from 

staff instead of the truth that I couldn't see myself working under her for more moment! It was many months before I would discover this duplicity, since at the time Amy had me thrown in a basement dungeon! Yes, I am not kidding!I was marched to a boiler room smaller than 5 by 5 feet at GUNPOINT and locked in for the crime of not wanting Amy's abuse anymore!

 (So I think I can add KIDNAPPING, and FALSE 

IMPRISONMENT to my list. ) Amy had me kept locked up without or access to water or a toilet for thankfully less than a workday. Then i was fed ( underarmed-guard) and locked on the roof under armed guard. The rest of week, was partially spent getting a leaving staff security security check ( a mild interrogation, since I wasn't accused of anything ) which i used a personal counseling session.IE, the TRUE PURPOSE of what her organization was supposed to be about. The Rest of the Time, I was Kept Locked under armed guard While eating, sleeping, or LOCKED on the roof. I was NOT allowed to leave, make plans where I was going, or call or communicate with anyone! Eventually after about 5 days, The security Chief personally smuggled me off the roof after midnight under the cover of darkness. I was forced,in the dark, at gunpoint, to climb down a dangerous ladder, 7? stories up?and left in strange dangerous city, post-midnight, without enough money to even eat and sleep for the week!( after working 100 hours a week for only $8-15 week. At the times staff were supposed to be getting $50 ).

    To reiterate, This is in NO WAY an indictment of
individual Scientologists, public I worked with, or 

even most of the Staff. The Vast majority i have little but Positive things to say. I have compassion for most. If former friends on staff looked me up, I would be thrilled....Amy, not so much!

      And let no one think there is a screw him

attitude by the the majority. Most people I met after I left, didn't take her made up drama seriously, and

were open to hearing the truth( that i chose to leave.). 

Although,Amy's rumors ( LIBEL) after I left did cost me one good job ( after I was hired ). Lest anything think that Scientology counseling alone hardens hearts

( IT does not ) After I left a number of public 

Scientologists looked me up, behind Amys Scobees orders and the Celebrity Centres back and HELPED with groceries,

and gave me some pocket money . ( more than I'd 

received in months )I was asked to return many many times,both by individuals and formally

...for years/
 ---NAMBY ( N.ot A.Mys BitchYo )

PS: Perhaps responsible news organizations, publishers, talk show hosts ( Anyone paying Amy for her story) Should set aside A PORTION OF MONEY,paid to Amy for her story, for her many Victims. In a fairer world she would be doing little else but making or paying restitution! I believe that if Amy Scobee was just held responsible for crimes committed in her name, under her orders, while she was actually present and in the same building ( A very small standard of accountability for an executive as large as she was ) she would be IN Jail. And not writing books and going on CNN. I am glad she is, But its time some of the spotlight was on her, and her actions. I Have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment. If my Anonymity is compromised, If I get harassing calls. If Amy her ALLies or former Allies in the Church, OSA, private goons, Chanbies,screw with me,...If AMY knows who i am,

and tries to expose me ( for harassment sake)  Libels, 

Slanders or degrades me in any way----again; If any church agency so much as Publishes One MORE negative Lie about myself, I will gostraight to the FBI and be

deposed.  I will Not screw around.  

About Me : Personally, I am no longer a Scientology Staff Member. Like Amy I am also no longer active in the church , nor legally a member. Unlike Amy,I was not thrown out, or ever removed from post. I do still believe that Scientology counseling and drug handling techniques are effective for many if not most people, when applied with love and care. I believe this to be true for seeing personal results. I don't care whether this makes me a churchie or freezoner,a clambot or a rondroid, a SuppressivePerson,A Squirrel or an OSA shill.

   I just really dont care. ( about these stupid meaning-

less labels , or declares ) But dont call me,or anyone a WOG! Its racist to black people! dumb fucks. I dont care what people inside the church, its offshoots or fans OR CHAN-onymists think I am. These are my own words. They are 100% true and NO one but Myself and my conscience has asked me or told me or given me permission to write. I do NOT believe Scientology is for Everyone. As long as the Church, ( or anyone )holds fascist, brutal,

Heading text

power-trippers Like Ms. Scobee was, as positive examples of conduct; instead of seeing them as the PROBLEM: there will always be abuses. ( thank-you for reading )

What do you think about the treatment of Amy Scobee after publication of her book, Scientology - Abuse at the Top ? This has included surveillance, Scientology's intelligence agency the Office of Special Affairs enforcement of her status as "Suppressive Person", threatened with separate lawsuits from Bertram Fields, lawyer for Tom Cruise, and from Tommy Davis representing Scientology management, and being repeatedly referred to as "The Adulteress", in the Scientology propaganda publication, Freedom Magazine. Thoughts?

I'm just as intrigued by the involvment of law firm Carter-Ruck in the UK. This is the same firm that attempted to enforce a super injunction regarding the dumping of toxic waste by 'Trafigura' off the the Ivory Coast, then wrote a strongly worded letter to Iain Hislop - Editor of 'Private eye' magazine and panelist on BBC satirical show 'Have I got news for you' for publishing news on the Trafiguras illegal activity regardless. It seems this law firm only deals with undesirables in the extreme but also, given the fact that the BBC has basically ignored Carter-Ruck and made them look like twats on 2 occasions now, perhaps the vastly wealthy church of scientology should look elsewhere for their legal backing in future HAHA.

Very very interesting! Some other intriguing info, at article: Carter-Ruck.

"Due to its allegedly immoral actions, the firm is frequently referred to as 'Carter-Fuck' by the satirical magazine Private Eye." Nice to see mature debate is still the cornerstone of British ideals HAHA

When you see the kind of thing this 'church' does to defectors such as calling her 'the adultress' seem on the surface to be childish and the kind of thing you could just laugh off. However this is just some of the mental abuse the church is accused of. I can imagine how awful it must be to be shunned by ur family etc. You would think that this is not the type of behaviour that a religous group would endorse. However; shunning and the like to family members who have been deemed to have disrespected their religion or married a protastant when you're a catholic type thing goes on in 'real' religions also. Not that I'm defending scientology as a whole.

"Shunning", a comparable practice to other organizations, perhaps. But probably less so, maintenance of such policy through use of private investigators and a sub-division of the organization serving as its intelligence agency, the Office of Special Affairs.

Extremes of punishment and reward were amply demonstrated by Pavlov in the last century, and have been used on humans and animals since the beginning of time to enslave them, and keep them so off-balance that they cannot plan a revolt. It serves a larger purpose of addicting them to an abusive social pecking order, and getting the abused to volitionally carry the same practices out on others. Every family, religion, and nation is rife with examples of this same abuse, in varying forms.

When L. Ron Hubbard was initially contemplating the creation of this fiction, he'd made a bet with his buddies that he could create a religion. Being a writer needing finances, he made sure to set his cult up as a tithe-paying religion. Unfortunately, he was more successful than he'd originally dreamed, and no good can come from the Big Lie. Hitler proved that; so did the Inquisition.

Amy was in a prime position to learn all the inside dirt and reveal it, which is so very essential, because this cult is still denying and white-washing murders that they've caused to be carried out on former members, and they've got to be exposed. If Hitler had been repeatedly, nationally exposed as he was forming his core group of henchmen, perhaps he might not have come to power and caused the murders of many millions of people. But that didn't happen, because he got to do his dirty work in the dark, and his evil grew strong.

Amy is very brave to reveal her own flaws, desires, and vanities in the telling of this story, which makes it more compelling. It wouldn't have had the ring of truth if she'd tried to hide it. I applaud her great courage in revealing that this cult, which was really the sum, love, and foundation of her entire life, was a complete fraud, that robbed her of her childhood, innocence, family love and ties, and the friendships formed over a lifetime. It stripped her of her compassion for others and herself, and made her a slave. Until she began to confront these lies, she stayed a slave. This is more than breakthrough ... it's a jailbreak.

Amy, please keep telling this story, all over the world, and to everyone who will listen. Tell it with interpreters for the deaf, and foreign language interpreters, as well as to English-speaking audiences. Get the book printed in other languages for distribution, particularly Spanish, for the Spanish population here at home. Everyone needs to see them as you see them, from the inside out. Then they'll pay more attention to the murders that they've caused to be committed, because they'll understand that lies corrupt character, and a corrupt character can be capable of anything as a means to an end.

You've learned how to produce from them. Now produce their downfall. It's time they reap what they've sown. And Amy, research the murders and protect yourself. They like to set things up to look like drug overdoses.

cameowalkin - just saw this post today and wanted to thank you. I am continuing to expose their criminality.

The Rest of the Story.... Cameowalkin, You fail to realize that almost EVERY statement you just made about AMY as a victim, Can also be made with her as the Perpetrator.

Many-times over.  People, think!! 

Why do you think the Church released such goofy slander on her? ( Shes horny, and got fat? Its retarded criticism and we all know it )

Heres s what the church is NOT going to say... "We took a girl with no Proper education, and after running her thru a Brutal Bootcamp like program, We found out she was A ruthlessly awesome Bitch, and Great at Screaming, threatening and intimidating People,

a true Ruthless Unreasonable Nazi ( actually they would admit to half
of that_) So despite having NO actual skills,  WE Made her an 

INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE because People were afraid of her and WE LIKE

THAT"  

Amy was NOT a passive player, people. She Was a TOP DOG! She was a Pitbull and she had a bite. This Bad Church she keeps talking about WAS HER. These are things that SHE DID. Not just done to her, BUT DID. And, NO, You can not say that about everyone. She Did have a choice HOW she ran things. When she says passively "the church does this or that" "the church lies about time off" She is passively ADMITTING TO DOING WHATEVER BAD THINGS WERE DONE TO HER, justifying it, and labeling it as "just the CHURCH". When AMY admits to these things EXPLICITLY Then I might start to start to have some respect for her.

    That being said, I DO NOT WANT AMY TO STOP TALKING. 

I am NOT trying to attack her Credibility either. Maybe if she feels safe enough she can own up to her part and grow...But she sounds like a plucky Mary-Sue Mary_Sue Heroine in this Tale. SHE WAS NOT! She is ( or was at least ) a classic ANTI-Villianess. --->Sliding ScaleOf Scoby<--- When she finally admits: "I also did, and was responsible for a lot of fucked up things, For a long-time. Now I am sorry, and wish to

stop the institutional Problems that led to MY( and others) moral 

failures" Then, and only then, She can evolve into the Anti-Heroine Role. So with a Literary Metaphors Time-line starting with my direct Observations: (1) Stone-cold Evil Bitch -> evolves -> (2) Evil Bitch with a Heart of Gold -> Evolves-> (3)Bitch with a Heart of Gold ...at no point does the she-wolf becomea Sue-wolf.

Until that time, I'll save my compassion for the many Underage children

 and young adults exposed to her reign of terror.  I was there!!!!

It stripped her of her compassion for others and herself, and SHE MADE HERSELF A SLAVER'''. I find this statement more accurate of working with AMY.

I understand that a lot of us here, including me, are deeply interested and passionate in Internet culture, but do we really need to keep putting out interviews with disgruntled Scientology members constanly, as if we were releasing press releases for Project Chanology. I realize I will get a lot of heat for this, but I think I'm telling the truth

People here write about what they're interested in; Wikinews isn't a workplace, it's a volunteer effort. In addition to this there are very few people who actually write articles for Wikinews. The vast majority of the content is produced by less than 30 people, all of whom are very part time volunteers.

Because of these two facts our article creation tends to lean strongly toward whatever any given Wikinews reporter happens to be interested in that week. The reporter who has been writing these articles happens to have an interest in stories related to Scientology. That's fine. Their is nothing wrong with his or her articles. The problem comes from that fact that because there is so little content being produced by Wikinews (due to the small number of people actively involved at any given moment) we appear to be concentrating a lot of time on particular topics. This week, Scientology. A few months ago we were inundated (or so it appeared to casual observers) by stories about Chilean aftershocks.

Unfortunately this type of thing is going to happen in a community as small as ours. The only way to combat this issue is to create more stories, so that a single topic of interest doesn't comprise so great a percentage of our output.

Do I hear any volunteers vowing to help the effort? ;)

I don't see why this is any less important than articles about NASCAR, the movements of ordinary tropical storms, or an interview with an Ubuntu developer. If you think there's something else that should be written about for Wikinews... then put in the effort and write it!

I'm also not sure why this would be considered an "Internet culture" article. Most of the people I know who take an interest in Scientology's legal/criminal issues only know how to use a computer to check their email, and like to print everything out before they read it. They're lawyers and cops keeping an eye on news, not kids protesting in Guy Fawkes masks.

@Zobango (talk · contribs), I strongly agree with above comments, by Gopher65, and Fishy c.

Here are some other comments about recent articles on this subject:

• "Good journalism. Presents both sides of the story, backs up everything with references." - 216.195.213.51 (talk · contribs)
• "Great article...would love to see more on this topic." - 24.128.255.141 (talk · contribs)
• "Sadly, there's only been 3 Scientology articles this year." - Mikemoral (talk · contribs)
• "Very balanced article. Would like to see more about Scientology here, too. In fact, the thing I love about Wikinews is the references/sources, something that no other news site does.."
• "I thank the Wikinews staff and volunteers for posting this. It is important news regarding the fight against that dangerous, brainwashing cult." - 187.112.127.134 (talk · contribs)
• "Very nicely informative article." - 76.173.234.126 (talk · contribs)
• "Great article, thank you!" - Petter Bøckman (talk · contribs)
• "Very interesting article and interview. Well done." - Tristan Thomas (talk · contribs)

Thank you. Such comments are most appreciated. Especially after the efforts put into researching the subject matter, successfully conducting the interview and copyediting, and putting the entire article together. :)

I also think this is an excellent interview about a very important and largely hidden subject - the best way to prevent abuse of this kind is to publicise it widely. Excalibur (talk) 14:51, 22 November 2010 (UTC)

Thank you!