Our correspondent Dianne Lipson is out of the courtroom after the Monday morning session in the Nxivm trial, during which former Nxivm defendant Lauren Salzman continued her testimony.
Here are Dianne’s impressions…
Under questioning by Tanja Hajjar, Lauren’s testimony continued to focus on DOS, the secret sorority that operated apart from Nxivm itself. Lauren said that Nxivm leader Keith Raniere had wanted DOS to grow quickly. He said he wanted 100 women in DOS, and then he said the wanted 100 “slaves” just under Lauren. Also, he floated the idea of allowing women in DOS who weren’t already Nxivm members.
But an important concept was that a woman wasn’t considered enrolled in DOS until they had been fully “collateralized” (had incriminating information or photos on file).
Lauren was aware that the brand DOS women were getting was made up of Keith’s initials, but her “slaves” didn’t know this.
They discussed the concept of penance in DOS, something that was painful or difficult, and the purpose was about learning how to uphold one’s values. It could be planking, cold shower, or standing in the snow. Also paddling on the naked butt.
Keith watched some of this paddling, and he wanted to make sure the person paddling would flick their wrist to inflict maximum pain.
At one point, Daniella (a first-line slave) told Lauren that Keith had personally paddled her. Because she was prideful.
Keith had kicked Daniella while she was on the ground, and Lauren didn’t want that to happen to her.
There was discuss about making a dungeon in the basement of the sorority house that had been purchased as a home for DOS. They talked about putting a cage in the dungeon. And Lauren felt this was a kind of surrendering. You wouldn’t know how long you were going to be kept in this cage. Things were getting more and more scary.
Daniella said to Lauren that she had ordered things for the dungeon (which we saw in Friday’s testimony).
When DOS went public, she cancelled the order with the cage.
There was also a DOS book that Lauren worked on, transcribing what Keith said. The DOS book was supposed to be a big secret, and Keith had a role in editing it.
Hajjar read things from the DOS book, and Lauren testified to her understanding of it.
They included thoughts like, the highest role for a DOS slave is to further your master.
Lauren said that the book taught that women were coddled by society, and this group was intended to make women more self-reliant. If you had objections, it was because you were a woman.
Another key idea: you’d rather die than break your word to your master.
Your collateral needed to be so distasteful it should destroy you for it to be released.
It doesn’t matter what the command is, it matters that you obey.
It doesn’t matter that you understand the command. It matters that you obey.
Your greatest joy is to surrender completely.
Your life, mind, body, and possessions should be for unconditional use.
One lesson said, what is a tool? How does one become a tool?
Lesson 10 was about always furthering the master, to make your master more successful and potent.
Always look for opportunities to be be a tool for your master.
The joy of obedience is far greater than the distaste of any chore.
Getting hung up on goodness or badness of something was limiting.
It should be high level things you help your master with.
When you recruit someone you give your master a gift.
Keith envisioned thousands, if not millions, in DOS. And the goal would be a candidate for high office from DOS.
Keith told Lauren the sorority had started because of a Nxivm member’s suicide attempt.
Lauren’s first collateral was rejected. (She shared a secret, about how a Nxivm member’s breakdown had been treated with valium and she was never taken for proper treatment. But admitting that also implicated Keith, so it was rejected as Lauren’s collateral.)
Keith told Lauren she would receive instructions about collateral. She later heard from another member, Rosa Laura, who suggested taking naked pictures. Rosa Laura admitted that she had done this.
So Lauren took the pictures, put them on a USB drive.
Rosa Laura was also branded, and she explained to Lauren that the brand was to commemorate their commitment on their bodies. It was good to have the experience of overcoming pain to promote our principles. This resonated with Lauren.
Rosa Laura showed her brand and said it was Keith’s initials.
Whose idea was the brand? Rosa Laura said the women of DOS had come up with it on their own because it was more permanent than a tattoo. Only later did Lauren learn that it was Keith’s idea.
There was a whole bunch of testimony that boiled down to, Lauren was asked to join DOS to increase her commitment to the group around the time that Keith impregnated another woman, Marianna.
Lauren also said that Pam’s death left a big hole. She facilitated these sexual relationships that Keith had with these women.
And now, Dianne’s going back in for the afternoon session!
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Posted by Tony Ortega on May 20, 2019 at 14:25
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Tony Ortega is a journalist who was formerly the editor of The Village Voice. He’s written about Scientology since 1995, and in May 2015 released a book about Scientology’s harassment of Paulette Cooper titled ‘The Unbreakable Miss Lovely,’ and more recently a compilation of his stories, ‘Battlefield Scientology.’ He continues to monitor breaking developments in the Scientology world, as well as other subjects at The Underground Bunker. You can reach him by sending him a message at tonyo94 AT gmail.com (Drop him a line if you’d like to get an e-mail whenever a new story is posted.)
