The ongoing history of gagging ex Sea Org members....

"...E. .... Beatty agrees never to create or electronically post or
publish or attempt to publish, and/or assist another to create for
publication or posting by means of newspaper story, magazine, article,
book or other similar form, any writing, or to broadcast, or to assist
another to create, write, film or video tape or audio tape, electronic
posting, any news program or movie, concerning his experiences with,
knowledge of, or information concerning, the Scientology religion, or
any of the Releasees, or any of their respective staff, former staff,
parishioners, or former parishioners. Beatty acknowledges that the
obligations set forth in this subparagraph will remain in force in
perpetuity. ..."
(email me if you want a copy of this legal agreement I signed...)


I wonder if exiting Sea Org members are today, in 2009, having to
sign, on video, like I did, similar "agreements" which are clearly
anti free speech.


If Sea Org members are signing legal clauses like this above, then
what Tommy Davis said on TV to Mr. Baca from KESQ is a stretching of
his reassuring statements about how the church respects people's right
to free speech.


This above legal agreement I signed was completely unecessary for me
to have signed, IF Scientology truly allows free speech of its ex
members.


I'll freely send copies of my agreement and Elliot Abelson's letter to
anyone.

[astra]

My understanding is that if they force you to sign it, ie: say you can't leave unless you sign it, that is duress and therefore not legally binding.

What is does accomplish is members who leave thinking that they are bound by such a gag order when it seems that they are not. It is just part of their overall scheme of silencing people with fear. And we are discovering that most of that fear is unfounded. Looking back, I can't put my finger on or explain exactly what I was afraid of. It was just this idea perpetuated that one should be afraid of them. Thank goodness there are so many people now who are not afraid. Each one of us who speaks out gives courage to others to tell their stories.

Chuck, I am sure that you know better than I do that the CoS would love to stamp out all criticism, especially from XSO members, if only they could. Thank you for refusing to remain silent.

I know that the people who were going to help Marc in the legal case got gagged, but beyond them, if others coming out of the Sea Org are in 2008 and 2009 having to sign these legal gags, I would like to know about them.

I luckily played so innocent, with them, that they sent me a nice letter from Elliot Abelson, and a copy of my legal agreement, and I innocently then hire a lawyer, and I sent it all around the country to free legal experts, and to lawyers who have won against Scientology in the past, and they all said what you said Astra.

I think "we" who know this, should communicate this to those who come out recently, in 2008 and 2009, about their own legal agreements they have been coerced and pressured to sign, in order to complete their "routing out" process.

But, the bottom line, to expose Scientology's calm PR lies, about how they support free speech and respect people's free speech, the point simply I wanted to find out, is if it is true, as of 2008 and 2009, do recent ex Sea Org members STILL have to sign similar legal agreements? (Besides the people who got shut down who were going to be part of Marc's suit.)

Do the average ex Sea Org members STILL, like as soon as anyone catches wind of ex Sea Org members STILL having to sign these Jeannie Gavigan composed "gag" clauses in their final legal paper signing, PLEASE share the news.

I don't care if Scientology reforms, I just want to find out IF they are reforming, or if they are still lying about their "free speech" support.

I should clarify, I DO wish to see them reform. I do hope they stop their propaganda, I hope they stop their application of OSA Network Order 15, which is most recently applied by Tommy Davis on the KESQ TV interview, the full interview, I study carefully, watching Tommy's demeanor, and he gets uncomfortable at a few places, but overall he's way better than Heber used to be under similar questioning.

Scientology's PR is changing, but each little problem they create for themselves, needs to be discussed, and point by point, I hope they continue evolving, and changing away from the offensive Hubbard policies, if they can.

There is so much context, so much writings on Scientology, and Hubbard wrote so much.

They are just overwhelmed with Hubbard's rules.

When I routed out, in 2003, I repeatedly asked the two OSA staffers on the RPF, I had as my RPF's RPF MAAs, I had Gigi Scudilari and Ed Parkin, and I asked Ed to see WHAT LRH policy said I had to sign the damn final legal agreements.

I really went bonkers internally, mentally, when I was made to sign my first round of those self-incriminating self invalidating Jeannie Gavigan composed legal docs, on video.

It is such a massive self invalidating experience. Kirsten Caetano just acts like an angel trying to reassure people that "everyone signs these" legal documents.

If Tommy Davis, if Kirsten Caetano, if Moxon, were somehow to defect, they'd be in trouble.

They have no other people to take over for them.

I saw in Tommy, years ago, on the BBC show, that he was destined to be the new PR front for them.

Tommy's better than Heber, better than Rinder.

I hate these legal docs.

Tommy's now going to have to deal with the Hubbard conflicting policies, the policies that drove OSA to legally gag ex members and ex Sea Org members, and Tommy will have to now see how he can PR cover up this practice of making ex members sign these gagging legal agreements.

I have always hoped Scientology WOULD act high principled, I think we all did, when we were in.

Now, I wonder if they can unwrap themselves sufficiently from the Hubbard conflicting policies, that make them out as lyers.

I hope for their sakes, they can unravel from Hubbard's 1984isms and Catch 22s, and conflicting policies that say gag members on the one hand, but his policies grandly state Scientology respects man's freedom to speak freely, the Scientology Creed, namely.

Point by point, they will have to discard Hubbard's policies that conflict with the high principled ideas that truly are the best in humanity.

And point by point, as people COME OUT of the Sea Org, please have them share their latest experiences on the various chat sites.

This legal gagging, is one small practice that has to cease.

It is anti free speech. It's a typical blindspot.

I wish Jeannie Gavigan would defect and tell the whole behind the scenes history of all the gag agreements she's written.

Jeannie has done thousands of these gag agreements.

Such an abomination of free speech.

I wonder what goes on in Jeannie's head.

Such a waste.

The only thing Tommy is better at is lying. And he's ok with lying. It's for the greater "good".

[Grundy]

Another point btw - personal contracts are legally limited to 7 years in the US. To extend it requires signing a new contract.

I don't know if the "bond" can legally be enforced beyond 7 years regardless of whether it was "voluntary" or not (which I can assure all of you - it's not.)

There is another point Chuck - AFAIK any contract in the USA that abrogates your constitutional rights is unenforceable. What we need to do would be to compile these questions into one "brief" and then find a constitutional lawyer and scholar to render an opinion.

In your case - the part you quoted - no court in the USA can force you to not speak or publish your opinions or your recollections. Bear with me here - you can have signed a contract with the CofS to not do this, they can have checked it with a lawyer. the problem for THEM is that a court in the USA cannot enforce an unconstitutional item. Freedom of Speech is something that the GOVERNMENT is forbidden from constraining - and that includes the courts.