Words Like Locusts Flew From Her Fingers

Scientology

If you’ve googled me, you’ve probably noticed a bunch of Scientology references connected to my name. Do a Google groups search on “Rebecca Hartong” and you’ll find HUNDREDS of them!

Let me explain.

First of all, I AM NOT A SCIENTOLOGIST. I’ve never been a Scientologist. I cannot imagine a world in which I might be tempted to become a Scientologist. I find Scientology to be exceptionally dumb.

I only became aware of Scientology in a more than peripheral way back in about 1993 when I first got on the internet. Back in the day, before there was a World Wide Web (yes, children, there was a time before the Web), I started posting to the Usenet newsgroup alt.religion.scientology.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning…

Before I got on the internet, I was a member of AOL. I remember when AOL’s big announcement was that their membership had reached 150,000! Heh, heh… Anyway, I had been reading the mental illness support group posts on AOL and noticed that there were some people posting who were shriekingly, irrationally opposed to any of the modern treatments for mental illness. What kind of person could oppose drugs and therapies that have been scientifically proven effective?, I asked. Several of the long-time members of the discussion group filled me in: Scientologists.

It turns out that Scientologists have some really peculiar ideas about mental illness. First of all, they don’t believe a person’s mind is connected in any way to his brain. They believe your mind is part of your “thetan”. A “thetan” is sorta-kinda like a “soul”. They’ve got this whole bizarre thing worked out where supposedly, people’s “thetans” are actually disembodied space aliens that are just wearing “meat bodies” while they’re here on earth.

Psychiatrists and psychologists, according to Scientology, are agents of an evil space overlord guy by the name of Xenu.

I swear to god–I’m not making this up. (Note, though, that members aren’t taught about this aspect of Scientology until after they’ve spent many thousands of dollars. It’s part of their super-secret upper level teachings, dontcha know. And here you get to learn about it for free! Such a deal.)

Supposedly, 7 billion years ago, Xenu transported all of the ‘thetans” to earth after having subjected them to all kinds of strange tortures. The insane “thetans” glommed onto these “meat bodies” (you know…your body) and–because they’re crazy–the “thetans” have mistakenly come to believe that the “meat bodies” are their actual selves. Psychiatrists–agents of the evil overlord, Xenu–perpetuate this mistaken notion by treating the “meat body” with drugs when, according to Scientology, all that’s really needed is for the “thetan” to fully realize his true nature.

Scientologists believe they can accomplish this through a process called auditing. In auditing, the subject holds onto a couple of cans that are connected by wires to a crude lie-detector type device called an e-meter. The “e” in e-meter stands for “engram”. Engrams are the supposed mental blocks that prevent a “thetan” from understanding his nature. During auditing, the auditor asks the subject (often called a “pre-clear” because he’s not yet clear of engrams) a very long series of questions. The subject’s reactions to these questions are observed on the e-meter and the auditor determines from them whether any progress is being made.

The whole thing is unbelievably complicated and stupid in ways that you truly couldn’t imagine. Only an insane person could have come up with it and…HEY!..guess who?: L. Ron Hubbard.

I could go on and on, but I’ll spare you. L. Ron Hubbard wrote volume after volume of weird junk connected to Scientology and its predecessor, Dianetics. It’s just the goofiest shit you’ll ever read in your life.

Scientology is idiotic and a colossal waste of time and money, but the great majority of people involved with it are just dumb schmucks who don’t know any better. On the other hand, the organization’s leadership is responsible for some pretty despicable acts–including the perpetuation of Hubbard-created rituals and policies that have directly led to at least one person’s death. Certainly that’s a very bad thing, so don’t get the idea that I think Scientology is all just harmless numb-skullery.

Anyway. So, I became interested in this Scientology business. Once I got online, I started posting to alt.religion.scientology and remained a pretty active member of that group for 5 or 6 years. In recent years my interest has waned. Part of it is that I’m simply busy with other things. Another factor in my disengagement from “Scientology criticism”, though, is my gradual realization that a good many of the Scientology critics I was seeing on alt.religion.scientology (a.r.s.) were at least as crazy or misguided as Scientologists themselves. One of the absolute requirements for protesting something like Scientology is that the criticisms must be factually accurate. On a.r.s. there were (and probably still are) way too many people who were willing to believe and perpetuate any negative story they’d heard about Scientology without having confirmed the story’s truth.

Ive got a problem with that.

So…. that’s what the whole thing with Scientology is all about. If you’ve got a few years and a bundle of cash to burn, check it out. Uh…don’t ever give them your real name or phone number, though.

Committee for Children — Executive Director, Mark W. Crawford

Committee for Children letter to Girls and Boys Town” “The staff and Board of Committee for Children are outstanding professionals dedicating their lives to the safety and well being of children everywhere. The article on your Web site is inappropriate, inaccurate, and in direct conflict with my impression of your organization—an organization that I valued and held in high esteem. Please take the appropriate action and remove this erroneous and damaging article from your Web site.”

To be completely honest, I almost certainly wouldn’t be bothering to mention this web site and the controversy over CFC’s “Talking About Touching” program were it not for the fact that I’m about 99% certain that the Mark W. Crawford who wrote this letter is the same Mark W. Crawford that I knew rather well at Orono High School. I mean….how many Mark W. Crawfords who graduated from Carleton College in Minnesota and were into theater can there be? Not that many, I’d wager. At any rate, assuming it IS the same Mark Crawford and you knew him too, you’ll be delighted to hear that he’s apparently doing well–married and with a couple of kids and living in Seattle from what I gather. (Google is truly the work of the devil. )

A couple of comments on the “Talking About Touching” program are warranted. The Roman Catholic diocese in Boston has adopted this program as a mandatory thing for kids enrolled in their schools–if I’m understanding the situation correctly. (Boston, as you may recall, is the home of Cardinal Law and ex-priest John Geoghan so they’re a little extra-sensitive about the whole child abuse thing.) There are some people (a vocal minority, I suspect) who object to the program. The two primary sources of offense appear to be:

1. People think the program is too explicit. There are a couple of quotes from videos(?) in the program that almost every critical article uses and they’re both excerpts to the effect of ‘ …if someone–even someone who seems really cool!–wants to put their hands down your pants or touch your private parts or have you touch their private parts….’ Now, I may not have any children of my own, but I’ve spent enough time around other people’s young children to know that you have to be direct with them. Little kids don’t understand veiled references. If you don’t specifically say what you mean, they’re not going to understand. So…I think this criticism is nuts. It’s not like they’re showing the kids porn videos, for Pete’s sake!

2. The other big objection you see in pretty much every article is that Committee for Children is linked to COYOTE–the old ‘prostitution decriminalization’ group formed by Margo St. James. [gasp !] First of all, from what I’ve been able glean, the link between CFC and COYOTE is old and tangled. CFC sprang from a committee that sprang from a study that sprang from some other committee that sprang from a sub-group of COYOTE. So-fucking-what! People who object to CFC on these grounds are idiots engaging in one of the more blatant logical fallacies around. Whether CFC is linked to COYOTE or–al Quaida–is entirely irrelevant. Either CFC’s message and their methods are sound or they’re not. The source of the message–and the pedigree of that source–really do not matter.

There’s a third criticism that’s showing up too. This one’s sort of amusing. Apparently CFC advertised for a new web developer in a gay newspaper. I can certainly understand the concern. You know how those homos are–they can exert their evil influence even through the seemingly transparent medium of the internet. Jeez…I’m surprised the critics of CFC haven’t latched onto Mark Crawford’s past involvement with theater people!

Anyway. This Committee for Children organization appears to be a pretty decent group. So…there.

Oh Man….

The Sun Herald | 03/20/2004 | DEATHS: “Rebecca Ann ‘Becky’ Vickerman

“Rebecca Ann ‘Becky’ Vickerman, age 47, of Gulfport, died March 19, 2004, in Gulfport. She was a native of Minneapolis, MN, and lived in Atlanta, GA for more than 20 years, before residing on the Coast in 1999. She was a member of Riverside Baptist Church and worked as a drywall finisher and also with her close friend, Lane Miller. She was preceded in death by a son, John W. Caterson, III. Ms. Vickerman is survived by her two children: a son, Jeff Caterson, of Gulfport, and a daughter Jennifer Beasley, Hazelton, PA; her parents, George and Joyce Vickerman; a brother, Bart Vickerman, of Marretta, GA; a sister, Laurie Blackmarr, of Georgia; and a granddaughter, Allison Beasley; and her close friend, Lane Miller. The memorial service will be held 3:00 p.m., Sunday, March 21, 2004, at Riverside Baptist Church. A private burial will be at a later date in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens and Mausoleum. Gulfport.”

Whoa. This is really pretty freaking weird.

I would have been 47 years old when this woman died. I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. My maiden name is Vickerman. I was known as Becky Vickerman.

I never lived in Georgia or Mississippi or had kids or was a drywall finisher (though I was married to a guy named Miller for a while and he is/was a house carpenter) but, still… I wonder how many people I used to know have googled me and come across this obituary and now think I’m dead.

The family of that other Minnesota-born Becky Vickerman has my condolences.

To the people who knew me, though: I AM STILL ALIVE!

Send me an email and I’ll prove it to you…er…more or less.

How to know whether I’m the Becky Vickerman you knew:

• I went to Orono High School and graduated in 1975.
• I briefly went to St. Benedict’s College in Minnesota.
• I then went to UMD (in Duluth, MN) and lived there for a few years.
• Worked at Northwestern National Life Insurance in Minneapolis for a while.
• Fairly tall, blond hair, blue eyes…?

Alive and well. Thank you very much.

Hypocrites ‘R Us

The New Republic Online: Not What They Do: “Rather than attacking the specific policies promoted by values voters–policies that can, and should, be fought on their merits–the charge of hypocrisy attacks the voters themselves. But it’s an elementary point of logic that a claim’s validity is independent of the character of those who advocate it. A truth is a truth, no more or less true because of who believes it. The whole issue of hypocrisy, then, for all the importance it routinely assumes in political discourse, is a red herring.”

Of course it is. But it’s…so…much…FUN! And, besides, pointing out a persons’ hypocrisy might lead them to more carefully examine the basic philosophies that inform their actions. If, for example, you consider yourself to be “pro-life” but you don’t want to support programs that help poor women and children—well, then, you’re not being consistent. You need to figure out whether you’re REALLY “pro-life” and, if you decide you are, you need to bring all of your actions into alignment with that philosophy.

I do realize, though, that a lot of people are incapable of this level of thought. I’m still surprised by this fact, incidentally, but experience has shown it to be true.

The other problem–probably a lot more common–is a person willfully ignoring stuff that doesn’t fall in line with what he claims as his belief. It goes like this: a person supports “X” because it makes him feel good for whatever reason. The logical extension of supporting “X” is “Y”. “Y”, however, is more expensive or time-consuming or uncomfortable (or unpopular) than “X”. So, the person just chooses to ignore “Y”. Often the person will effectively eliminate “Y” from his mind altogether. It doesn’t exist. It never existed. People do this in order to avoid what social psychologists call “cognitive dissonance”. Another interesting psychological process that comes into play is the way people will actually adjust their beliefs to fit with their behavior. We tend to think behavior flows from belief–but this isn’t always the case. Fascinating stuff, really. If you haven’t learned any social psychology you should make a point of doing so. Here’s a pretty good introduction: Belief Systems and Social Perception Structures. This particular web page, though part of a site that’s apparently a bit on the flaky side, isn’t nearly as intense as its title might make it sound, by the way. Here’s a quote from it that illustrates the point I was just making:

“Cognitive Dissonance
According to Aronson (1996), when people are confronted with opposing beliefs or ones incompatible with their own, they are likely to ignore or negate that belief. They do this in order to convince themselves that they have not behaved foolishly by committing to false beliefs. To assure themselves that they have been wise in supporting their position, they often convince themselves that those who oppose that position are foolish and truly objects for contempt and derision (Aronson, 1996 p.184-8). Aronson(1996) also stated that most people, when they are confronted with information that they have behaved in a cruel manner, attempt to reduce subsequent dissonant feelings of perceiving themselves as unkind. They often do this by creating a belief that cruelty towards the victim is actually justified.”

I can understand how it happens…I’ve done it myself. But, come on people! At least have the integrity to admit what you’re doing!! At least TRY to be consistent!

“I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe — I believe what I believe is right.”
—George W. Bush, in Rome, July 22, 2001

Whose Wildnerness Is It?

Park Debate Is a Battle Over the Future of Maine (washingtonpost.com): “‘Answer me this: What right do these people have to make a decision that concerns us?’ said [Ken] Conatser, a retired Marine whose rustic Bowlin Camps [a commercial hunting lodge] has been in operation on its current site since 1895. ‘You couldn’t find five people up here who think it’s a good idea. It would ruin what makes Maine special. It would ruin us.’”

The right “these people” have is the right anyone has to protect his home. In this case, home is the planet Earth. Mr. Conatser is mistaken in his belief that few Mainers want hunting and snowmobiling curtailed. What “makes Maine special” is its thousands of acres of wilderness. Hunting and snowmobiling wreck wilderness–and you don’t have to be a genius to figure that out.

More from the Post:
“Infuriating her neighbors, [multi-millionaire Roxanne]Quimby has banned hunting and plans to end snowmobiling on what she calls her “sanctuary” [--a 24,000 acre tract she recently purchased in Maine]. And her long-term goal is about as palatable to some rural Mainers as tofu with their venison: a 3.2 million-acre national park that would be larger than Yosemite and Yellowstone combined, and where hunting, snowmobiling and logging would be heavily restricted.”

Hurray for Roxanne Quimby!!

It’s a hard thing. People like Mark and I really want to live out in the country with acres of wilderness around us. Unfortunately, whereever there are acres of land there are also many more hunters and (in northern climates) snowmobilers. We don’t want that happening on our land. We’d prefer not to be anywhere near where it’s going on. How do you stop people, though? If you’ve got land, you’ve got to post it with “No Hunting/No Trespassing” signs–which, itself, is quite an undertaking if you’ve got, say, 100 acres. Then, if people ignore your signs you have to hope your calls to the game warden or police will be answered in a reasonable period of time. As often as not, your local cops and game wardens are hunters or snowmobilers themselves so they’re maybe not as keen on protecting your rights as they ought to be. (I wish it weren’t true, but…)

People who want to open the wilderness up to more hunting and snowmobiling are short-sighted: They’re putting their own ideas of “fun” ahead of the long-term benefits of leaving wildernes…wild.

Visit the RESTORE web site to learn more about what Roxanne Quimby wants to accomplish.

Prelude III

I made this DHTML presentation for one of my very favorite poems…

T.S. Eliot’s Prelude III

Just click on the words above and it should all happen automatically. You should be returned to this page when it’s done. (It only takes less than a minute to run.)

Snow on Crabapples

[Photo by Valerie Runes]

A Reason For Optimism

Salon.com News | Scrooge’s nightmare: “And why do social conservatives loom so large in our politics today? The best historical parallel for them may be the Luddites who terrorized Britain two centuries ago, the workers who traveled around the country smashing machines for fear that the Industrial Revolution would destroy their jobs and way of life. They were loud, and their tenacity gave the impression that they represented more Britons than they actually did, when in fact they were merely acting out their despair and outrage at a world that was passing them by. Today’s social conservatives are our cultural Luddites.”

…An interesting article. The author’s premise is that the great “silent majority” of socially liberal citizens will become politically active if Bush’s new Supreme Court members really do begin chipping away at civil liberties.

If You’re Still Using Microsoft Internet Explorer, You’re Out of Your Mind!

Firefox – Rediscover the web “The wait is over. Firefox 1.0 empowers you to browse faster, more safely and more efficiently than with any other browser. Join more than 8 million others and make the switch today — Firefox imports your Favorites, settings and other information, so you have nothing to lose.”

There are SO MANY reasons for switching to Mozilla Firefox:

It’s free.
It’s much MUCH safer than Internet Explorer in terms of bad people taking over your computer.
Pop-up blocking is automatic.
Tabbed browsing. (You’ll like it!)
Built-in Google search capability.
RSS integration (for reading syndicated blogs…like this one!)

And…perhaps the best reason of all…
It’s NOT MADE BY MICROSOFT!

Make the switch. You’ll be so glad you did.

International Wolf Center

About Us: “The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wild lands and the human role in their future.”

I figure the wolves deserve equal time with the bears.

The wolf center is also happy to receive donations. They’ve got a deal going on right now until December 20th where every dollar you donate will be matched by an anonymous donor. That’s a heck of a deal so…if you’ve got any spare cash laying around, send it to the International Wolf Center.

The Wolf Center site has a link to three “WolfCams”, so be sure you check that out. When I tuned in earlier this afternoon I saw a white-colored wolf on one cam and some gruesome chunks of a dead deer on one of the other cams: A deer’s head sort of hanging off a bloody ribcage in one area of the wolf enclosure with a deer leg about 6 feet away…yikes! Well, they’ve got to eat too!)

Both the Wolf Center and the Bear Center are located in Ely, Minnesota, by the way. Ely is a very nice place in northern Minnesota–it’s sort of a “gateway” to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Visit!