Kansas City: Don’t panic. Your skyline is screwed, but Scientology isn’t taking over.

 
Ah, Kansas City. One of the best places we have ever lived, and one of the most underrated cities we’ve ever known. What a helluva town.

The recent panic in Kansas City media about Scientology’s “Ideal Org” nearing completion has us nostalgic for the place where we lived for a time about 15 years ago — and loved every minute of it. We actually lived on the Kansas side of the state line that runs through town in a fabulous little KCK neighborhood, Westheight, that even most of the locals had never heard of. It was a short bicycle commute downtown to a great job as managing editor at a weekly newspaper, The Pitch, where we wrote a news and politics column from the perspective of a grilled Kansas City Strip bone-in steak. (Not kidding about that. Here’s a sample column, showing how, as usual, the local daily newspaper, the Kansas City Star, was dead wrong about an issue.)

Alas, our stay there was all too short as we were whisked away to our first editor-in-chief job in, of all places, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. But anyway, enough reminiscing. Kansas City is naturally buzzing about the big sign Scientology has put on top of its Ideal Org at 18th and Grand, which has permanently altered the downtown landscape.

But just as the case was in Detroit a few months ago, the locals are panicking about something they really shouldn’t worry too much about.

For years, we’ve followed the progress of David Miscavige’s “Ideal Org” program as he’s traded dull local strip-mall churches (known as “orgs” to Scientologists) for gleaming new cathedrals, promising the local parishioners who raise millions for the projects that the new facilities will produce a land rush of interest in the organization.

And it does produce a lot of interest, for a few days, at least. But after David Miscavige comes to town for the grand opening — which will be closed to press and the public — the building will soon go moribund as reality sets in: Ideal Orgs are not bringing in a rush of new people.

As Paul Burkhart explained to Leah Remini on a recent episode of Scientology and the Aftermath, the Ideal Orgs he had visited were empty. Scientology’s Michael Chan admitted in a lecture last month that the Ideal Orgs are producing only “one or two new starts a week” — and we know from Scientology’s own marketing materials that those course starts are often just members of the org staff taking classes.

The Ideal Orgs are a bust. So why does Miscavige keep building them? Because it’s the only thing he has that he can use to convince his wealthy donors that Scientology is “expanding” despite all the evidence to the contrary. And his donors want to believe him. They’ll ignore any evidence of what’s really going on, that Scientology, according to the best sources, is now down to fewer than 20,000 active members around the world.

But in Kansas City, the local press appears to be unaware of this background material, or even to have seen Leah’s show. (Except for The Pitch. Naturally, our old rag seems to know what’s what.) The Kansas City Star dutifully repeated Scientology’s absolutely bogus claim that it had TEN THOUSAND members in the Kansas City area.

Well, that’s the Star, clueless as ever.

We’d be shocked if the Kansas City org had more than 100 active members at this point. The other couple of hundred people who show up for the grand opening will come from other areas, flown in just for the occasion. (Here’s our prediction: The grand opening will have about 400 people in attendance, and Scientology will claim 2,000.)

Kansas City, don’t panic. After the Scientologists hold their little party, that Ideal Org will go very quiet. And you can point and laugh at that sign on the skyline, a monument to David Miscavige’s hubris.

To prepare you further, please enjoy these two brief videos which explain the Ideal Org program and its recent opening in Detroit…

 
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Hurricane Mirit

Our readers have been happily enjoying the perils of Mirit Hendrickson, a Scientology mini-celebrity who has been making a big effort with the Volunteer Ministers at disaster scenes in the last year.

In October, VMs fanned out after Hurricane Michael hit Florida and caused vast devastation.

But in a disaster, sometimes miracles do happen, and Mirit happily announced this week that in all the chaos after the Hurricane, she met and fell in love with Todd Terrell, president of the United Cajun Navy.

We knew our readers who had been following Mirit’s adventures would want to know.

 
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Strong words in Germany

We’ve told you for some time that one of the Ideal Orgs scheduled to open in the next couple of years will be in Dusseldorf. Scientology already has Ideal Orgs in Berlin, Hamburg, and Stuttgart in a country whose government has been very harsh to the organization in the past.

And now, a press article reports that the Dusseldorf project is not happily anticipated by the locals:

The Catholic Church in Dusseldorf is extremely hostile to the project. “For us, this is not a religion, but rather a cult of psychology, which bears only the title ‘Church’ and pretends to be a religious association,” said Managing Director Michael Hänsch.

Guess who just lost out on his chance to speak at the grand opening, sheesh.

 
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Start making your plans!

 
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!

We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.

Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!

Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!

Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?

 
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THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Scientology’s ‘scripture’ includes a thoroughly debunked mammoth-meat hoax
[TWO years ago] Last night’s family on ‘Leah Remini’ found themselves targeted by Scientology attack site
[THREE years ago] David Bowie, 1947-2016
[FIVE years ago] Yes, that was a Scientology ad you saw during the football game
[SIX years ago] Blogging Dianetics, Part 2: The State of Clear!
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s “Super Power Rundown:” What is it, Anyway?

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 11, 2019 at 07:00

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