Open letter to Tommy Davis on valor theft
Dear Mr. Davis:
I’m writing you about a matter that concerns me, as well as you and other Scientologists, which arose in your recent exchanges with Lawrence Wright and The New Yorker. As you would know, I posted a comment earlier this month about another matter broached in these exchanges, your little crock that I had posed nude in the Marin Independent Journal newspaper. http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/archives/4805
This is the first time I’ve communicated to you directly, but I’m sure you’ve seen many logical communications from me that went to your head David Miscavige directly, or to Scientologists more generally over the past many years, e.g., http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/writings/armstrong-ltr-miscavige-2008-03-13.html I’m writing right now about the conspiracy to steal valor you are involved in, along with Miscavige and others among his Scientologist underlings; specifically, your use of L. Fletcher Prouty to sheepdip L. Ron Hubbard’s actual naval career and mock him up as the many medalled war hero he wasn’t. Poof! Or baaaaaa?
To get away with stealing that valor, you crooks also conspire against me, because I know you’re stealing it. My known knowledge is why you pre-emptively passed The New Yorker your pile of black propaganda on me – your pornographic newspaper pose; your Armstrong Op transcripts; your pig dream; your pinks & greys poppycock; your Prouty prevarications; that I so far know of. You might not have thought about, or as you’d say, not-ised, the valor you’re conspiring to steal; but you have known for many years that you’re a compliant contracted participant and beneficiary in a Scientology-wide conspiracy against my rights, and the rights of the good people acting in concert with me. See, e.g., http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/archives/14 and http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/legal/a8/complaint-rpt-doj-2004-02-16.html
President Bush signed the Stolen Valor Act into law in December 2006. Prouty died in 2001, so his active participation in the Scientology conspiracy to steal valor for Hubbard ended before what Prouty, Miscavige and their coconspirators were doing became, technically or statutorily, criminal. Hubbard’s lies, and Scientologists’ and Wogs such as Prouty’s collaboration in those lies, about all his medals, and the heroism, service or wounds they signify, were unethical and cowardly. Because of the monstrous scale of the lies, and getting so many others to tell those lies, so willfully, so many years, in the face of all evidence, I’d even say the conspiracy is sociopathic. Scientologists, virtually universally, executed Hubbard’s command intention to steal valor for him while he was alive, and have executed Miscavige’s command intention to keep that valor theft going after Hubbard’s death. Those lies and the conspiracy were not criminal, however, until the Stolen Valor Act became law.
The new law 18 U.S.C. §704 “Military Medals or Decorations” states in relevant part:
(b) False Claims About Receipt of Military Decorations or Medals.— Whoever falsely represents himself or herself, verbally or in writing, to have been awarded any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the Armed Forces of the United States, any of the service medals or badges awarded to the members of such forces, the ribbon, button, or rosette of any such badge, decoration, or medal, or any colorable imitation of such item shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sec_18_00000704—-000-.html
I’m sure there are people — Scientologists and your Wog co-conspirators — who will argue on the conspirators’ behalf that since Hubbard is dead, his falsely representing himself to have been awarded any medal or medals died with him. Consequently, because Scientologists demonstrably aren’t L. Ron Hubbard, they’re not violating this law by falsely representing that he was awarded a pirate’s chest full of medals, or fought in battles he didn’t, or was crippled and blinded when he wasn’t. I’d say that if Hubbard had not originated any lies, about his medals, action, injuries, this argument would have validity; but the lies the Miscavige regime liars are telling to steal valor are the same lies Hubbard originated. Or they are lies to attack the same people who call you all on your valor theft.
There is also a seamless continuity of purposes for the conspiracy to steal valor between the Hubbard and Miscavige regimes. To keep Scientology working, to keep its members paying or slaving, to keep the Gross Income rolling in, to get away with what they’ve been getting away with; Hubbard had to be seen as a hero, heroically injured, and heroically healing his own war wounds, and he couldn’t be seen as a liar about those things. These are evil purposes; and they comprise the most egregious example imaginable of the unscrupulous purposes for valor theft when the act was being considered.
Hubbard started stealing valor early, about as early as it became possible for him. He increased the medals he falsely claimed he had been awarded until they numbered 27, 28 or 29 medals and palms including two or three purple hearts. You’ve doubtlessly seen a color photo of the medals Hubbard claimed were his, the photo that was given to the Sea Org Missionaires on “Source Missions” beginning in 1974 to promote him around the world. The truth is, as shown in Hubbard’s own personal papers, confirmed in documents produced by the US Navy Department in response to FOIA requests, and known by Hubbard, Miscavige, RTC, GO, OSA, et al., he was awarded four standard service medals.
Hubbard’s more than shameless valor theft was a factor in my escaping his cult and his control in 1981. His false claims of medals and related wartime heroics went into evidence and were examined in the 1984 Scientology v. Armstrong trial, and undoubtedly contributed to the evaluation of Judge Breckenridge, who might have been a Navy man if I recall correctly, and who stated about Hubbard in the judgment:
The evidence portrays a man who has been virtually a pathological liar when it comes to his history, background, and achievements.
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/legal/a1/breckenridge-decision.html
Scientology only brought Prouty into Hubbard’s conspiracy to steal valor, at least publicly and as far as I can tell, after the trial and the judgment. Prouty also joined the ongoing conspiracies to silence the people who had the facts and willingness to call Hubbard on his lies, and who called him. In this 1985 Freedom Magazine, Prouty black PRs me for the Hubbard regime as a covert operative using “tactics straight out of the Nazi subversion textbook.” http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/cult/freedom-1985-04-2.html Prouty also executed declarations and wrote letters to forward Hubbard’s valor theft for the Miscavige regime, e.g., here in 1987 to the publisher of Russell Miller’s Hubbard biography Bare-Faced Messiah: http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/c … 03-19.html Here’s Prouty being used for valor theft in a black PR pack on me in the 1990’s: http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/cult/fls-rpt-corr-ga.pdf
You know about Prouty, and what use for unholy purposes Scientology has made of his extreme willingness to pronounce his Proutyisms. http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/prouty.htm The collection of Proutyisms he pimped to Hubbard, Miscavige and countless coconspirators like yourself, who gratefully paid his fee, is disgraceful. Your use of Prouty in 2010-2011 to get The New Yorker to buy the valor Hubbard had stolen and had Scientologists steal, and to attack the people who are already your conspiracy’s victims, is unconscionable.
I believe that you and Scientology have a duty to Scientologists and to us Wogs tell the truth about L. Ron Hubbard, and the people you victimize in his name or as a point of honor. When I had the opportunity to join the conspiracy, I refused and left the Sea Org and Scientology. You joined the conspiracy, but you can always leave it. That’s the logical thing to do, and it’s what I’m asking you to do.
Sincerely,
Gerry Armstrong