going-clear-scientology-hollywood-and-the-prison-of-belief-by-lawrence-wright-2

Freewinds, he has the photography sta put the photos into slides so they can be
appreciated by the entire Gold Base staff.
The contrast with the other Sea Org members is stark. They eat in a mess hall, which
features a meat-and-potatoes diet and a salad bar, except for occasional extended
periods of rice and beans for those who are being punished. The average cost per meal
as of 2005 (according to Marc Headley, who participated in the nancial planning each
week) was about seventy-ve cents a head—signicantly less than what is spent per
inmate in the California prison system. When members join the Sea Org, they are issued
two sets of pants, two shirts, and a pair of shoes, which is their lifetime clothing
allotment; anything else, they purchase themselves. Although the nominal pay for Sea
Org members is fty dollars a week, many are ned for various infractions, so it’s not
unusual to be paid as little as thirteen or fourteen dollars. Married couples at Gold Base
share a two-bedroom apartment with two other couples, meaning that one pair sleeps
on the couch. In any case, few get more than ve or six hours of sleep a night. There are
lavish exercise facilities at the base—an Olympic pool, a golf course, basketball courts—
but they are rarely used. Few are permitted to have access to computers. Every personal
phone call is listened to; every letter is inspected. Bank records are opened and records
kept of how much money people have. Cultural touchstones common to most Americans
are often lost on Sea Org members at Gold Base. They may not know the name of the
president of the United States or be able to tell the dierence between the Republican
and Democratic parties. It’s not as if there is no access to outside information; there is a
big-screen television in the dining hall, and people can listen to the radio or subscribe to
newspapers and magazines; however, news from the outside world begins to lose its
relevance when people are outside of the wider society for extended periods of time.
Many Sea Org members have not left the base for a decade.
On April 30 of each year, Scientology sta from around the world are pressed to
contribute to Miscavige’s birthday present. One year, as birthday assessments were
being passed around, few could contribute because they hadn’t been paid for months.
Finally, staers got their back pay so that they could make their donations. Janela
Webster, who worked directly under Miscavige for fteen years, received $325, out of
which she paid $150 for Miscavige’s gift. Such presents include tailored suits and leather
jackets, high-end cameras, diving equipment, Italian shoes, and a handmade titanium
bicycle. One year Flag Service Org in Clearwater gave him a Vyrus 985 C3 4V, a
motorcycle with a retail price of $70,000. 2 Another division presented him with a BMW.
Miscavige keeps a number of dogs, including ve beagles. He had blue vests made up
for each of them, with four stripes on the shoulder epaulets, indicating the rank of Sea
Org Captain. He insists that people salute the dogs as they parade by. The dogs have a
mini-treadmill where they work out. A full-time sta member feeds, walks, and trains
the dogs, takes them to the veterinarian, and enters one of them, Jelly, into contests,
where he has attained championship status. Another of Miscavige’s favorites, a
Dalmatian–pit bull mix named Buster, went on a rampage one day and killed ten
peacocks on the property, then proudly laid them out for all to see. Buster has also
attacked various members of the sta, sending one elderly woman to the emergency