Operation Reconnect: Round 3

On March 9, a new Anonymous video was released on YouTube that stated the date and purpose of the April protest. The protest is called Operation Reconnect and is scheduled for April 12. According to the video, the protest's focus will be on "the cruel and family-destroying Disconnection policy."

In preparation for the protest, Anonymous will be contacting former members of Scientology who have been disconnected from friends and family members. These ex-Scientologists will be speaking at the protest in an effort to both educate the public and to reunite disconnected families. The speakers could be mothers, fathers, siblings, or even children. In a speech read around the world on March 15, Anonymous discussed, among other things, family members of leading Scientologists who had left the church. The speech identified only two ex-Scientologists, however it also stated that Anonymous had seen "an unprecedented flood of Scientologists join with us across the world". The two ex-Scientologists were Jenna Miscavige Hill, the niece of Scientology's current leader, and Kendra Wiseman, the daughter of Bruce Wiseman who is in charge of Scientology's "anti-psychiatry front group".

The Disconnection Policy of the CoS has its roots in the Catholic Church of the Middle Ages. In such times, the policy was referred to as "excommunication" and what it actually meant was that the person (or people) being excommunicated would be removed from the Catholic community completely. This meant that anyone who was excommunicated would be treated by the rest of the world in the same way that they would be treated if they had simply died. Until they were redeemed, no one would even recognize their existence. Obviously, this method of punishment was not entirely effective due to the lack of a complete and accurate system of communication. Therefore, the main punishment associated with excommunication was that whoever was excommunicated would no longer receive the blessings of the church and (according to Medieval Catholicism) this meant eternal damnation.

While excommunication was used mainly as a political weapon against powerful individuals who challenged papal authority, disconnection is used mainly to intimidate and remove all "suppressive" influences on Scientologists who may be considering leaving the cult. If any Scientologist leaves the CoS, they will be declared a suppressive person and will be disconnected as soon as the change is official. If they "SP" has any friends or family still in the CoS, they will not see or talk to these loved ones until and unless they also leave the cult. If a person outside the CoS encourages a friend or family member to leave the cult, they will also be disconnected.

Perhaps the best example of a disconnected SP is Tory Christman, or Tory Magoo, as she is more widely known. Tory was in the CoS for thirty years, during which time she made friends, married, and gave birth. When Tory made the decision to leave Scientology, her friends, husband, and children were all left behind. Anyone with a computer may learn the full story of Tory's disconnection firsthand by visiting her YouTube channel (ToryMagoo44) or by viewing some of the videos about her on xenutv.com.

Sadly, Tory's story is only the most accessible and is by no means unique. Simply looking through the photographs and videos of the recent protests Anonymous has launched, one can find demonstrators claiming to be there due to a child or other family member from whom they have been disconnected.
XenuTV.com also has many interviews that demonstrate the emotionally destructive and morally reprehensible nature of disconnection.

In the weeks leading up to Operation Reconnect, Anonymous will continue to quietly inform the public of its war on Scientology. The informational war is waged on the internet where Anonymous and its enemies (not all of whom are Scientologists) each fight to present the public with their own perspectives; at the same time, Anonymous also spreads its message through other mediums as members and supporters talk to their friends and family. Even the media is beginning to pay Anonymous some attention as more and more news stations quietly slipped the March 15 protests into their usual routine.

Last month, this slow trickle of information into the public was meant to simply increase the number of protesters. In contrast, the most important function of any communication with the general public preceding Operation Reconnect will be to grab the attention of disconnected Scientologists. Every Scientologist that contacts their disconnected friends or relatives is another victory for Anonymous and brings those within Scientology one step closer to total freedom and liberation.

Links
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSSgwD-9PS4 Operation Reconnect

http://www.reconnect.org/ Operation Reconnect website

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LazcSwX2IPA 3/15 - Miss Boucher's Story