Letter From Ingleside on the Bay
His Town
When Marty Rathbun became an outspoken defector from the Church of Scientology, a group of filmmakers began to disrupt life in his adopted hometown. But they weren’t counting on the response of his neighbors.
71 comments
Sunday, November 18th, 2012, 3:04 am
divaM says:
"Louanne says: This is boring. Too much trolling here. Better read: whoismartyrathbun.com" EL OH EL. As someone who has a lot of experience with board trolls, it looks like Louanne read a memo on "how to internets" and decided to troll it up her(?)self.
Saturday, July 7th, 2012, 7:39 pm
Gloria says:
“I felt like an alien,” he [Rathbun] told me, “cut off from the only life and friends I’d known.” Am I the only one who thought this`was a funny phrase coming from one who still believes in thetons? I know it’s a very serious subject, so maybe that’s what made me so surprised to see this phrase.
Thursday, February 9th, 2012, 2:07 pm
Lily says:
Scientology is suing a Texan named Debbie Cook. In court today she alleged torture and abuse by the church when she was trying to leave. http://www.tampabay.com/news/scientology/article1214690.ece
Monday, February 6th, 2012, 12:22 pm
Louanne says:
What is missing in this article is some background on Marty Rathbun and why he is a complete fake: http://whoismartyrathbun.com
Monday, January 30th, 2012, 9:02 pm
Eric says:
Scientology is sueing another Texas resident - Debbie Cook of San Antonio - for speaking out against the organizations abuses in violation of a gag-order she signed when leaving. She sent an email to many scientologists pushing for reform within the organization, Scientology has stated that she was paid hush money to keep quiet.
Saturday, January 28th, 2012, 5:54 pm
Dean says:
David Miscavige sent a group calling themselves "the squrrel busters" to harass Marty Rathburn. Not only that David Miscavige placed 24/7 survelance on Marty and had him followed across the country and abroad in order to harass him by leaving posters of Marty around where ever he went. David Miscavige hired Private Investigators and spared no expense to do this. And yet on paper David Miscavige has no money of his own; he pulls a basic salary for his simple role within the church of scientology. David Miscavige used church of scientology money. How much must it cost to hire private investigators and cover their expenses to track Marty and follow him physically with multiple people all over for over a year now? How much did the video cost to produce (think how much the church of scientology charges for a copy of a video and this is a one off) This is all funded by church of scientology money, the donations of members, but that’s okay because this is a holy crusade. Yay.
Saturday, January 28th, 2012, 5:40 pm
Dean says:
Marty Rathbun did a lot of bad stuff, a lot of what the church of scientology video says is true, but he’s starting to man up to it and make amends. His motives are essentially good, he just wants to make things better for people. Sure he’s human and he’s far from perfect but he’s heading in the right direction, unlike the poor people still under the thrall of the church of scientology. The only people who do well in the church of scientology are either sharks or a fairly rare breed who do well despite it rather than because of it; Tom Cruise does better with out it for instance and was set to have a great career before it. Sadly those who do well despite it will be the last ones remaining to prop up the church of scientology.
Saturday, January 28th, 2012, 11:51 am
Michael says:
One thing the article makes clear to me, is that in Texas (and Ingleside in particular) we have true Americans who not only stick up for their own rights, but those of their neighbors. Mark Rathbun offered to leave Ingleside to spare his neighbors the trouble brought there by David Miscavige and his "Squirrel Busters" and these good people refused! I sure wish I lived there. Michael A. Hobson, Independent Scientologist
Saturday, January 28th, 2012, 11:19 am
Chloe says:
Rathbun’s statements are rather one-sided. Hate, hate, hate, against one person. I understand that this is taken as an invitation to show the other side of the coin, at http://whoismartyrathbun.com .
Saturday, January 28th, 2012, 9:08 am
Mareka says:
There must be a lot of truth on Marty’s blog www.markrathbun.wordpress.com otherwise why try to lead people looking for it astray with 22 look-alike Marty blogs which are in fact anti-Marty sites?
Saturday, January 28th, 2012, 1:52 am
Michael says:
David Miscavige’s anti-Marty sites deliberately use his name (in violation of the Lanham Trademark Act -- I am not a lawyer) as internet decoys to keep search engine users from finding his actual blog and in hopes of preventing persons who wish to leave the "Church of Scientology" from finding him as an alternative source of Scientology religious services. Doesn’t get much lamer than that. Michael A. Hobson, Independent Scientologist
Saturday, January 28th, 2012, 1:10 am
Chloe says:
http://martyrathbunblog.com does not look like a fake site to me. I mean it does not pretend to be Marty Rathbun’s blog.
Friday, January 27th, 2012, 11:25 pm
Michael says:
To the readership: there is only one blog authored by Mark Rathbun and it’s web address is ( http://markrathbun.wordpress.com ). David Miscavige has had his minions (some of whose sockpuppets you can see posting on these comments) create over 30 fake sites that do nothing but vilify Mark Rathbun. Please do not be deceived (Texans are noted for being hard to fool, anyway). Michael A. Hobson, Independent Scientologist
Friday, January 27th, 2012, 8:40 pm
Chloe says:
There are not a lot of Marty Rathbuns in the world, it seems. Is this the same guy? http://martyrathbunblog.com
Friday, January 27th, 2012, 8:13 pm
Dean says:
For those amused by this little forum spat these are two perspectives on Marty Rathbun:....... http://whoismartyrathbun.com .......and this: http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/rathbun.shtml ............... Regardless of which you’re inclined to believe, if any, the true story is that David Miscavige, the ecclesiastical leader of the church of scientology, directed what must have been 10’s if not 100’s of thousands of pounds to try to harrass Marty Rathbun. Result, they provided lots of entertainment and drama and succeeded only in making themselves and by association the church of scientology and David Miscavige look bad.
Friday, January 27th, 2012, 7:58 pm
Dean says:
The bottom line Louanne is that the article is about the "squirrel busters" who harrassed Marty Rathbun and his partner for almost a year under the direct orders of David Miscavige, the ecclesiastical leader of the church of scientology. I have no love for Marty but the actions of the squirrel busters demonstrate the nature of the leader of the church of scientology David Miscavige; only he could authorise the massive costs of the year long campaign. Marty is no saint, he’s done a lot of bad stuff under the influence of David Miscavige. He even enjoyed it at times but in the end he woke up and is now just trying to make up for it.
Friday, January 27th, 2012, 6:08 pm
Louanne says:
The bottom line of delusion I guess is to reject that other people are real and different. Sick. But as I said before this article is about Marty Rathbun, the master of abusive treatment of those under his charge. http://whoismartyrathbun.com
Friday, January 27th, 2012, 4:44 pm
Michael says:
To Church of Scientology OSA Sockpuppet poster ("Lucy", "Louanne", "Jeffrey", "Jeanne", "Cloe", "former-friend" and others): It must truly suck having your job of making up dozens of fake identities to all spew the same, stupid, lame non-responsive garbage on ever internet forum where anything negative about your boss David Miscavige happens to be uttered. *YOU* are the one who doesn’t check his/her/it’s facts with anyone but your psychotic leader or his designated proxies. No competent journalist is going to check his facts about Church of Scientology defectors with one of your completely over-the-top propaganda web sites any more than they would go to a KKK run web site to get facts about Jews or Black people. It’s way past time you woke the hell up and quit working for that vile little tyrant. Michael A. Hobson, Independent Scientologist
Friday, January 27th, 2012, 10:54 am
Lucy says:
Texans (or several of those I know) are embarrassed about the complete lack of fact-checking in this article. But you still got a chance, read whoismartyrathbun.com
Friday, January 27th, 2012, 4:19 am
A Good Texan says:
To comment on the article at hand: Props to Sheeler for a well reported and well written article. To comment on the comments: Really? First, Freedom Mag... Oh vey indeed. It’s like The Onion, only the writing is inane and it’s supposed to be serious! Whoever Louanne is, that’s honestly embarrassing. The links you keep posting are so clearly focused on hate. And the fact that you keep posting them with trite comments...Texans are laughing at you, Lucy and Chloe.
Friday, January 27th, 2012, 4:08 am
Dean says:
Louanne, I am neither ex-scientologist nor indy scientologist. I’m more aligned with Anonymous. I’m motivated by wanting to let people know about the dangers of the church of scientology and its leader David Miscavige. The church of scientology is clearly vindictive and malicious, that much is evident from the Squirrel busters alone; a certain kind of insanity is also evident too. The church of scientology claims to help people to better cope with life issues and yet it exploits the very weaknesses in people it should be helping remove to get them to take out loans and go in to credit card debt to buy the church of scientology’s services. The church of scientology refuses to provide services to people who have a relationship with someone who is critical of it, who may be concerned at the amount of time and money the church of scientology is encouraging the person to devote to it. It tells the person they must disconnect from such a person, often a close friend, family member, spouse or sibling. The church of scientology has anywhere from a conservative $2billion to a more outlandish estimate of $18b in cash reserves alone and yet it still demands massive donations from subscribers for each new project or book sale venture it comes up with. It’s all about the money.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 11:59 pm
Randy says:
I’ll tell you, the more I read about this ’Church’ the more angry I get. They hire PI’s and have people follow this person around and try to incite him to violence, then pay lawyers lean on the district attorneys to prosecute when he finally reacts. They’ve been at this for months MONTHS. What kind of church devotes that kind of money and attention to ruining someones life? And you people here defending it, you should be ashamed of yourselves. I need to stop reading or i’ll be up all night.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 10:54 pm
Brian says:
I’ll say one thing for the Scientologists, they stay on message. And on and on and on and on and on.......
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 10:44 pm
Louanne says:
This is boring. Too much trolling here. Better read: whoismartyrathbun.com
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 10:37 pm
Randy says:
I followed the advice here and researched more about the church of scientology - it clearly appears they cant be trusted at all. They have told CNN and other news media that there is no such thing as disconnection, but a church spokesman (Tommy Davis) was recorded saying otherwise. I wouldnt believe any of them.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 9:28 pm
Lucy says:
Well, http://whoismartyrathbun.com
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 9:17 pm
Michael A. Hobson says:
Hey Louanne, why exactly is it that "good people" should go to David Miscavige’s propaganda web sites in order to get the "full information" about D.M.’s biggest public critic ? Also, this article is about Miscavige’s minions, the "Squirrel Busters" conducting a months long harassment campaign against Mr. Rathbun in plain sight of community of a couple hundred eyewitnesses. Are you claiming this did not, in fact occur? How about some kind of on-point response from you for once ? Michael A. Hobson Independent Scientologist (no, I don’t have to good fortune to live in Ingleside or Texas)
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 8:31 pm
Randy says:
This poor man, I went to the other site linked in the comments section and Scientology is spending a lot of money to smear him. This cant be legal.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 7:51 pm
Chloe says:
Just finished reading the article on whoismartyrathbun.com Straight on!
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 6:28 pm
Louanne says:
Oy veh. I guess I am conversing with Marty and Mosey here? That would be a waste of time.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 5:56 pm
Dean says:
Louanne, say what you like the actions of David Miscavige’s squirrel busters destroyed the church of scientology’s credibility by showing it as the vindictive and malicious organisation it is, a reflection of its "dear leader" David Miscavige. People will read all the stuff written on those whoismarty pages and they will think ah yes, this is written by the punks behind those squirrel busters. Who do I believe the people who send goons with cameras to harass people or the person who is clearly the poor victim of the harassment?
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 5:46 pm
Louanne says:
That’s the problem with being outside and clueless: you miss direct observation. Those new Churches exist and have opened. Was there an Inglewood Org before November 5? No, where was not. Now there is a Church with 200 staff and a separate Community Center. But you know, this article is about Marty Rathbun and his fake front, the "good ol’ boy." http://whoismartyrathbun.com
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 5:32 pm
TroubleShooter says:
Come to present time Louanne, Marty didn’t hide what he did. On the other hand David Miscavige seems to think it’s ok to abandon LRH’s intentions for an org structure, he thinks it’s ok to re-write LRH tech and policy and he thinks its GREAT to take the money people need to go UP the Bridge so he can falsely claim he’s opening all kinds of orgs all over the planet when you and I both know that NOT ONE NEW org has been opened in a looooooong (YEARS, DECADES) time. Fasten your seat belt girl or boy from OSA it’s going to bumpier still!!!!
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 5:24 pm
Louanne says:
You find it ok for someone to be aggressive and abusive and lie about facts. You can do that, certainly, but don’t be surprised if you are perceived as arrogant and blind to facts. Yes, I am advocating, and my attitude is that one should look at all facts and not try to cover them up. http://whoismartyrathbun.com
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 5:14 pm
Dean says:
Louanne you should be ashamed of yourself. It’s one thing to smear Marty’s name, I can understand your manifest hatred of him and how it distorts your view of him, but that dig at Ingleside on the Bay just because the decent folk there saw through the shenanigans of the squirrel busters is totally off. Marty is no saint, I know him and I know his past. I understand him and I know how contrite he is about what he did when he was part of the church of scientology. I can only hope your conscience will wake up one day like Marty’s has; it takes guts to face up to a past like Marty’s.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 5:08 pm
TroubleShooter says:
This was the beginning of a new chapter for truth to be known about the reason the Church of Scientology lost it’s way http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/rathbun.shtml
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 3:50 pm
Louanne says:
Yes, I do. Abusive to the core. And judging from the video on http://whoismartyrathbun.com I don’t think he changed.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 3:44 pm
TroubleShooter says:
Louanne do you KNOW Marty? here you sound like you believe in knowing everything about a story to be able to judge http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/rathbun.shtml
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 3:37 pm
Louanne says:
Never mind. Read whoismartyrathbun.com or don’t. More importantly, is Ingleside on the Bay worth a visit (despite of its violent and abusive resident there might be good people there too)? How’s the BBQ in IOB?
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 3:37 pm
TroubleShooter says:
Dean, I know what you say is true. I was one of those who hung on for years believing that it would change and get back on the course of helping people but it just kept being a group dominated by helping themselves to peoples bank accounts and savings. It became an organization so far from the one I’d decided to be a part of that I just couldn’t do it anymore. No one can tell me I didn’t try while still in the organization - it nearly destroyed me trying but thanks to the following I found my missing pieces - http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/rathbun.shtml
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 3:36 pm
Dean says:
Correct Louanne good and curious people should avail themselves of all the things people write about Marty Rathbun. They should follow the links you provide. I’m confident good people will come to the right conclusions regarding the missives found therein. So confident I don’t need to provide a clue.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 3:31 pm
TroubleShooter says:
Louanne, that Freedom mag was the biggest push to get people to LOOK and Think For Themselves than I’d seen EVER in almost 3 decades in Scientology. My money says you not only didn’t read it but you have NO idea how many policies it violated and how far off the purpose of that publication it went. Try looking http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/rathbun.shtml
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 3:30 pm
Dean says:
Hi troubleshooter, I’m afraid many are still under the thrall of the church of scientology and subscribe to its group think. A lot do have doubts and concerns but believe that change is happening within the church of scientology and they need to hang on and remain loyal. Quite a few are too locked in to the mind lock of the church of scientology.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 3:26 pm
Louanne says:
Good people instinctively know that they should get all information available on a story. Good people would not want to miss out on the documentation available on http://whoismartyrathbun.com or Freedom Magazine at freedommag.org .
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 3:20 pm
Dean says:
If David Miscavige had an ounce of integrity he would hand over the reigns of the church of scientology to someone competent and go on one of the church of scientology’s spiritual retreats (Rehabilitation Project Force) for a decade or so. David Miscavige is responsible for making the church of scientology a joke. Proof, if any were needed, David Miscavige pulled in Anonymous nd they do what they do for the LULZ (laughs).
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 3:16 pm
TroubleShooter says:
Wow, there sure are one or two of you who don’t seem to be up to speed on who Marty is. Do what the ad campaign the church tried several years ago to use to get people to do Think For Yourself. Give it a shot you’ll find your way from here just fine; http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/rathbun.shtml
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 3:05 pm
Dean says:
Good people instinctively know when something is wrong and the people of Ingleside are good people and that’s why they knew the squirrel busters were the product of a vindictive and malicious person. That person is David Miscavige the dictator of the church of scientology.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 3:04 pm
TroubleShooter says:
To the people who haven’t had the courage to look and see for themselves why Marty is taking the fire from the church, put himself in that line of fire and continues to have 2 feet planted firmly - I urge you to do what the Church once spent money to promote in order to make Scientology safe for you - the THINK FOR YOURSELF campaign. If you’re not brainwashed then LOOK. I give you this to start with, http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/rathbun.shtml
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 2:54 pm
Dean says:
The church of scientology went to great lengths to get Marty arrested and he was, on Friday night so he faced a weekend in the can. Fortunately the local authorities realised they’d been played and let Marty go that evening. No charges were brought because the accusations were baseless. The real question is when will David Miscavige meet justice for his crimes. Tick, tock.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 2:36 pm
Chloe says:
The true question is: when will Marty be arrested again?
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 2:16 pm
Scientia says:
The "church" fears this chap because he practices Scientology as it was intended, ie. to help people. Miscavige’s cultic monopoly on this unique philosophy is crumbling. The cookie-cutter anti-Marty sites, the Squirrel Busters, and the continuing instances of financial rape, human trafficking, threats, blackmail, stalking, intimidation, violence, severe physical and mental abuse, and suicide, all demonstrate this so-called "church of scientology" is hateful, vengeful and extremist. Governments the world over should be doing more to stop this lunacy and the crimes Miscavige and his minions continue to commit under the cloak of "religion".
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 2:04 pm
Louanne says:
Cool story, bro.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 1:45 pm
Dean says:
David Miscavige is the ecclesiastical leader of the church of scientology. Those who have not woken up and left the church of scientology to either be an independent scientologist or an ex-scientologist revere David Miscavige. David Miscavige controls everything the church of scientology does. He has to because he says everyone else is incompetent. David Miscavige is responsible for the farce that was squirrel busters. It is to him we must give thanks for the entertainment of the past year or so.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 12:47 pm
former-friend says:
I knew Marty for years and he was always a violent, abusive man. Watching the videos on that site make me realize how glad I am he is not longer in my life. Good Riddance, Marty.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 12:31 pm
Chloe says:
Thank you for the links.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 12:30 pm
Yvonne says:
Whether one agrees with Marty or not, isn’t the point. He is a man expressing his spirituality in the privacy of his home with consenting adults who request that he share a particular form of religious practice with them. I am grateful the good people of Ingleside on the Bay helped protect the most basic of human rights. And I know Marty would do the same for any of them.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 12:22 pm
Raul says:
There is one huge difference between Marty and the cult-Church run by David Miscavige - Marty did commit acts of violence while in the Church, but he is up-front about it, hides nothing and has apologized to those it affected - I know, I’m one of them. The cult-Church on the other hand is responsible for daily acts of violence under the leadership of David Miscavige for the last 30 years, witnessed by hundreds of staff members but the cult denies EVERY SINGLE allegation, not just about David Miscavige’s abusive obsessions, but on ANYTHING that could come across critical. Normal folks have a tendency to believe someone real, and that’s why they support Marty and not the cult. There couldn’t be anything more unreal and more bizarre than the Church of Scientology cult - which should not be associated with the Philosophy of Scientology as L Ron Hubbard believed in freedom of speech and freedom of religion and was compassionate, as was his teachings.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 11:42 am
Mareka says:
Chloe sounds like she’s talking about the evil midget dictator David Miscavige. Haven’t dozens of people come forward each recounting the physical abuses they witnessed/experienced at the hands of the Chairman of the Board of Corporate Scientology? http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 11:37 am
Mareka says:
Corporate Scientology has sunk the name of this religion so low. Thanks to Marty it is now moving on up a little higher. www.markrathbun.wordpress.com Also thanks to another Texan, Steve Hall and his brilliant websites www.scientology-cult.com and www.rediscoverscientology.com which both have a plethora of articles documenting the abuses of Corporate Scientology and how the evil dictator David Miscavige came to power within it.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 11:36 am
Chloe says:
"Punching his victims, throwing them over tables, shaking them, slamming them into walls and filing cabinets and, then, gleefully bragging about his brutish, thuggish behavior, it all spilled out in Marty Rathbun’s own words." http://whoismartyrathbun.com/
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 11:30 am
Jeffrey’ says:
Those people Marty beat up and hurt might disagree with you.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 10:59 am
Brian says:
Scientology’s attacks on its critics are a perfect storm of incompetence, fanaticism and spite. They are absolutely unable to see how insane they look to the rest of the world. I guarantee you they think the Squirrel Busters episode was a win for them -- see "Lucy’s" comment below.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 10:55 am
haydn says:
I live near Houston and have known Marty for thirty years. I consider him a good friend. What this fake film production company is doing is pure harassment, and they know it. I’m sure I’ll get some flack for putting in my two cents in support of Marty but, like neighbors, friends don’t back down when fools come around making trouble.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 10:54 am
Kevin says:
That article puts a really nice perspective on the crazy "Squirrel Buster" activities and how those with no experience or what the Church or Scientology has become. I have followed this from afar, and am now an ex-cult member, and the behavior of those goons helped me along in making that decision. I understand that they are not mentally well and their orders were from higher up in the Organization. Thank you for a balanced and well written summary of that man and his wife’s ordeal. They are an inspiration.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 10:50 am
Jeffrey’ says:
Marty! You should come to your senses and get straight and honest about your goals and purposes. We never met but still consider http://whoismartyrathbun.com a good source of information.
Thursday, January 26th, 2012, 10:41 am
mark says:
I noticed the first several comments were by Scientology, Inc puppets - some linking to the more than 33 websites the Scientology Corporation has created to smear me. For the record, here is my website: http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012, 3:51 pm
Chloe says:
Jeffrey, thank you! I was wondering about what happened to Marty. Now I know! http://whoismartyrathbun.com made my day!
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012, 3:37 pm
Jeanne says:
Looks like he pulled a fast one on his neighbors too. That "nice guy" can sure turn nasty.
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012, 3:29 pm
Squirrelbusterfan says:
SQB Productions has an answer for you: http://whoismartyrathbun.com
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012, 3:23 pm
Lucy says:
:) I had a good laugh with the Squirrel Busters in the past year and look forward for more!
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012, 3:17 pm
Jeffrey` says:
Some guy coming to Texas bringing his past with him? No way. http://whoismartyrathbun.com
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