In 2011, Gerry Armstrong spoke to a group of people in Germany and detailed the long 30 year history of Fair Game against him by the Church of Scientology, at the direction of Mark “Marty” Rathbun and Mike Rinder.
If you know Gerry’s life story, you know that the fair game directed against him was some of the worst in Scientology history.
Gerry Armstrong could very well be called Scientology’s most fair gamed critic.
If you find that the details of L Ron Hubbard’s lying seem familiar to you, that is because it was Gerry Armstrong who was the person who made the broad exposure of these lies possible so many years ago, and able to be disseminated on the Internet by so many other brave critics at a time when Marty Mike and Dave were working shoulder to shoulder.
It is unlikely that you would have ever heard of these lies by L Ron Hubbard without Gerry Armstrong’s very courageous efforts.
The whole video is in English, only the short introduction of Gerry by Thomas Gandow is in German.
Here is the introduction of Gerry, translated from the German:
Thomas Gandow:
” I welcome you on behalf of the Dialog-Zentrum Berlin. Currently Gerry Armstrong is our guest and we’ve been working with him for a very long time. Among other things many years ago we co-founded the European-American Citizen’s Committee for Freedom of Religion in the United States of America. The committee´s goal is to make sure that a person may leave an organization such as Scientology without being persecuted, that he may speak freely about it, that files which have been created on him won’t be used in order to blackmail him and to hinder him from exercising his right to freedom of speech and similar things.
We have created this event specifically for anonymous and the internet community as there are recent discussions about how to confront Scientology. The Dialog-Zentrum Berlin’s view in this debate is that the fundamental point in the confrontation, to hit the bull’s eye so to speak, is to deal with the teachings of an organization such as Scientology. Abuses exist everywhere, but when you confront the teachings, then you truly hit the bull’s eye. And because of that we also intent to maintain that view and have invited Gerry to inform, mostly, about his history with Scientology. Especially after in the past days there were particularly malicious attacks on the internet against Gerry, which have been put on the internet by Marty Rathbun and his adherents. For example it was very maliciously claimed that it had been Gerry’s fault that Bob Minton has been ruined as Gerry had caused Minton to supply him with a computer. I know from my friend Bob Minton that he offered and presented a computer to Gerry on his own accord, and that he supported him on his own accord, because he wanted to work “in concert” with Gerry. Which is precisely one of the phrases in the suppressive court judgements against Gerry, that persons, who work “in concert” with him, may be threatened and persecuted by Scientology based on these judgements just like Gerry Armstrong himself. The Dialog-Zentrum Berlin is proud to work “in concert” with Gerry and we’re happy that he’s now going to give his statement to us and that he´s also going to answer all possible questions after that. Thank you for coming.”
In their earliest years out of the cult since 2009, Mark Rathbun and Mike Rinder continued to try to attack and discredit Gerry Armstrong, while they were outside the Church of Scientology as “Independent Scientologists”.
Gerry’s details 6 separate lawsuits against him, many attempts to frame him for criminal activity, an attempt to run his car off the road, and another threat to “put a bullet between his eyes”, as well as the use of “priest/penitent” pc folder data to discredit him during a lawsuit with Judge Breckenridge.
There is much more here. It is a shocking rundown of harassment and fair game.
It is important to know that no apology or legal help or consulting to Gerry Armstrong has ever been delivered by Mike Rinder or Marty Rathbun, even after they have both moved past Independent Scientology and become critics of L Ron Hubbard and Scientology technology itself.
They are now doing what they fair gamed Gerry for.
Until the background of these acts have been exposed to Gerry, detailed, and thoroughly condemned by Mike Rinder and Marty Rathbun, and amends made to Gerry Armstrong for what they have done to him, there can be little credibility in a critic who wishes to claim he is “exposing the abuses of Scientology” while failing to expose some of the worst abuses that he himself committed.
Did he ever get a payout from the Co$? It’s not that it would make up for the fair gaming, but it would be nice to know that he eventually got a fat wallet courtesy of the Co$.
Why? Don’t you think they owe him reparations for what they did to him? What about for all the time he worked for them in their Sea Org?
Marty and Mike both show a pattern of obfuscation, misdirection, and denial regarding Gerry Armstrong and the other critics they tried to destroy. The Fair Game continues on Gerry Armstrong. It needs to stop.
Mike Rinder can stop it with Scientology and the Aftermath, Season 2.
I should have checked wiki first. He was awarded money, but then had to repay part or all of it, it’s unclear, for breaking a non disclosure agreement.
I don’t wish to enter a conversation about what Rinder or Rathbun should do regarding Gerry Armstrong.
I understand.
Does it make you uncomfortable?
Laughter! I’m uninformed and don’t want to go into an historical study about what went on. Gerry is one of many brave people who stood up to the Co$ early on and I acknowledge him for that.
Back at ya, Al. You stirred shit and I don’t want to smell it. Does that make you uncomfortable?
Hell yes. Makes ME uncomfortable.
But inquiring minds wanna know.
I have a question. Again. I know.
Mike got out of scientology in 2007 I think… But he continued to Fair Game this poor gentleman?
Please tell me, Alanzo, I read that wrong.
When Mike was running Indy OSA, with Marty and Karen DLC, they still considered critics of Scientology and critics of L Ron Hubbard “the enemy”. On the second BBC Panorama show that featured Marty and Mike as Indies, John Sweeney asked Mike about the abuses against Gerry Armstrong. Mike said, on camera, “Gerry is seeing things at this point”, in a continued attempt to “dead agent” and discredit Gerry Armstrong.
The last time I asked Mike about his role in the abuse of critics as the head of the Office of Special Affairs, he actually lied to me.
Both Marty and Mike have been quiet in the last few years, and even when asked directly, they either ignore the questions or distract from them. The last time I asked Marty directly about Gerry Armstrong, for instance, he said “I fall asleep every time I read that guy.”
So they want to be big critics of DM’s abuses, but not of their own. I think they think they would discredit themselves by addressing this, when in fact it would probably make them even more popular.
But none of that matters.
Truth and Reconciliation needs to occur for the past to heal.
I think it would be very powerful for Gerry and Mike to meet and have a conversation on the show in the new season.
Me too.
I know must-see TV.
And this is must-see TV.
Interesting. That might make for a very telling second season.
Thanks, Alanzo
You are most def a shit disturber. ESP. When it pertains to Mike and Marty.
Did you know them when you were in cos?
No, I didnt.
Yea, but I’m not so sure I’d wanna see that. That show is crap, and despite the jumping grasshoppers and crickets at the bunker, most of the people I have talked to have told me they think there’s something off about it AND the people in it. Which is interesting because these are average people who don’t have an iron in anyone’s fire and have never had anything to do with scientology.
When I asked two of them why they watched it, they both said that they thought it was interesting to “watch these people in action.” which didn’t come across as exactly in Remini and Rinder’s favor.
One thing I learned from that is don’t underestimate Americans ability to know when they’re being played or used.
Apparently they ain’t ALL watching gators and beer can shows, surfing the net for their next porno fix and doing their best imitation of a tree stump while waiting for their next welfare check and saying welp!.
Despite what propaganda might have the world believe.
Why do you think “that show is crap”
I talked about that a bit already at Marks blog. Here’s the link to that: https://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2017/01/15/information-anarchy-relief/#comment-347283
Hi Virginia
You certainly have strong opinions about a show you “watched 10 minutes of” and refused to be a part of based upon what “you perceived it to be”
Yep. Happens with food too. Gonna tell me now that I have to eat it for hours until I change my mind to better conform with YOUR opinion? I’d rather grant that you aren’t a complete a-hole to think that way and that it’s totally fine with you that I can decide what entertainment I prefer (or don’t) without your permission.
Clearly you think there is something wrong with me or my thinking for the two things you put in quote marks above, and that probably goes for the rest of what I said about the show as well.
I think there’s also a strong possibility that you think I need to be “challenged” out of my “mindset”.
You probably have picked up that I am not exactly fond of talking to you, and if you wonder why, it isn’t because of any of that.
Well, ok, it is, kind of, but not really.
It’s that I didn’t come here to talk to unfriendly people. If I wanted to do that? I’d go to the Bunker.
In the interest of fairness though, I’ll give you a shot to show me that you could be someone I’d actually want to talk to.
I have one question for you.
What is it that you think you know about me?
Please be specific.
Isn’t the bigger picture no Clears or OT’s?
There are lots of pictures. There are small pictures and big pictures – multiple big pictures – depending on your perspective.
For an ex, I would say that another big picture, in addition to no clears and OTs, is what were you getting out of it? And was that as negative or silly as you tell yourself it is now as an ex?
I think the biggest picture for an ex is “who was I when I was being a scientologist? Was i really just a complete idiot walking around in a hypnotic daze? Should I really be ashamed of myself for who I was when I was a Scientologist?”
Or
Was scientology doing something valuable for me?
What was that, exactly?
And
Is it really in my own self-interest to be minimizing that or trashing that now as an ex-scientologist?
My answer to that last question is no.
The present, general environment for an ex is not healthy. It is dominated by atheistic never-ins who ridicule and put down any spitirual activity – not just scientology. And it is also dominated by very bitter and delusionally negative exes who are in the middle of nightmares of themselves and no one is waking them up and telling them – it wasnt that bad, you were just having a nightmare of yourself.
Thats the biggest picture for me right now.
Alanzo, I totally agree with you here. And thank you for stating so eloquently my view.
I know you’re my brother from another mother.
Alanzo,
How can you say someone else’s experience wasn’t as bad as they think it was?
I don’t know about you, but if my son refused to speak with me (using 2 of the ex’s portrayed as examples) I would think that was pretty bad.
One might even say, a nightmare
I’m glad your experience wasn’t bad. Or at least not so bad that you don’t want to trash Scientology.
But I don’t think it’s fair that you claim everyone else is exaggerating or bitter or delusional
Sounds like something an OSAbot would promote…..”oh c’mon! It wasn’t that bad! Things could have been much worse!”
Were you a Scientologist, Chee?
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:
Thinking the Worst of Yourself As a Scientoogist
The involvement of Mike Rinder on this show as a co-host stinks to high heaven. He has not disclosed all the black ops he ran on people when he was in the Church and he has not discontinued them after he left the Church. We know this because we are one of the targets for both of those actions.
Mike McClaughry
Hey Mike!
Welcome! We’ve never met but I know you from way back on ARS.
Thanks for contributing to the discussion. Your perspective and experience is very valuable.
Alanzo
You’re positioning Alanzo as being OSA purely because he disagreed with the standard narrative extant right now?
Let’s not beat around the bush then, let’s just ask…
What if he is OSA?
What does that mean to you?
I have family members that I have had to refuse to talk to, does that make me OSA or “infected by the scientology mindset”?
Note: by “had to” I simply meant the relationships were or had become too toxic to continue as they were, and I was (and am) not a member of the church.
Man, Gerry nails it at 1:39:15.
I agree with your outrage about the way that Gerry Armstrong, however the last point, that critics cannot have credibility until they confess their own crimes and make reparations, is illogical.
The two actions (confessing crimes) and speaking out (credibility) must be evaluated independently of one another.
BTW: Are you going to HowdyCon?
I can see your point.
As for Alanzo going to howdycon, that would be like godzilla going to Tokyo.
Anyway, I’m banned from the underground bunker. So that means I’m not invited. I’m pretty sure that’s how these things work.
LOL!
LOL. I will happen to be in Denver almost til that date, considering meeting some of the crowd in person. Probably won’t go anyway. Forgot you were banned, their loss.
Ok, I’m giving you points for the Godzilla reference!
Imagine if he had added Legos…
Question: Why do you have speaking out as having to do with credibility but not confessing crimes? Or did I read that wrong…
Hi Virginia,
Not sure if the question is directed to me, but my point was in answer to Alanzo’s comment that until Marty and Mike came clean about their own activities they could not be considered credible. I was making the point that credibility (in present) has to be assessed independently of prior activity.
IMO I think that was the point Theroux got stuck on with Marty “If you did these things in the past how credible can you be now” (my words, not LTs).
To bring in a larger point; I believe that we must always be assessing people’s credibility, even our own.
Oh, I see, I understand it better now, thanks. (and yes, that was to you)
Several years ago I watched an unsettling short video of a German journalist interviewing Mike Rinder while he was driving a car. The journalist asked Mike if he thought the cult will go after him at the same length and duration that it did to Gerry Armstrong. Mike seemed baffled that the reporter would ask him such a question. He essentially said, “Pffft! Gerry Armstrong are you kidding me? Ha!” He actually did call Gerry a “fruitcake”. Keep in mind this was years after Mike had left the cult himself. He had no vested interest in Black PRing Gerry. At least none that I know of. And in this clip he also slammed Graham Berry, a lawyer who has been an effective thorn in the cult’s side for many years. A true warrior in my book. Yet Rinder calls him “dishonest”. Alright then Mike. Whatever you say.
Listen for yourself….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpKxMplCFL8
Now Mike Rinder is a Reality TV Star making a nice paycheck I’m sure. Rubbing shoulders with Leah Remini. He’s one of the cool ex-Scilon guys.
And yet he’s never come clean entirely of the lives he helped to ruin, Gerry Armstrong’s included. Not only that, he keeps ad homming Gerry and others who have been effective anti-cult warriors.
The real warriors aren’t Realty TV stars who get to hang out with Leah Remini. They don’t get to make money off of their former cult high status as he does.
He may be one of the cool guys, but he has to look himself in the mirror everyday. If he has a conscience. That is.
I wish there is a proof Gerry is still alive (I wish him many more birthdays…) !? All I see is “Caroline” , everywhere….
A letter …? Fingerprints?
Big hello from LRHs Bulgravia.
Welcome to Alanzo’s blog, Koki!
Gerry’s alive and doing well. I get Christmas cards from him and Caroline, and an occasional email.
Here’s Gerry’s website: gerryarmstrong.ca. Drop him a line.
Alanzo