Arrows is a well written, succinctly detailed and convincingly balanced true account by a former Scientology spy. It is unlike any other spy recounting because the criminal and civil actions underlying the drama have been finally disposed of and there are no longer any government secrets, at least to the writer’s knowledge, that have to be withheld.
Regardless of your views (or interest or disinterest) about Scientology, the criminal actions by both the individual Scientologists and the FBI, INS and Florida local government officials that form the misguided cast of characters in Arrows are as tragically relevant today as they were in the days when they were running those ops. Sadly, only certain Scientologists were the subject of civil or criminal prosecutions. Culpable government officials and law enforcement (like the local police who concealed documents in response to valid subpoenas and INS officials who illegally opened their files to private litigators) walked away with impunity. Sound modernly familiar?
Mr. Vannier is candid in his agenda about coming out with the book only now so you can judge whatever bias he may have on your own. His motive? Scientology’s recent forced disconnection from his daughter as revenge for his participation in a reform campaign directed at Chairman of the Board David Miscaviage (COB) and the Church. The focus of this campaign was to independently investigate the upper Church management, completely controlled by COB, for not complying with California non-profit corporation law. Like Russia’s Putin, COB is not a fan of free speech or even legal transparency. Just ask COB’s wife, the LAPD tried.
Despite Vannier’s respect and admiration for the religion and technology of Scientology, he has neither of these for COB. COB’s physical and mental abuse of management staff was well documented even before Arrows was published. Vannier expands on COB’s despotic and psychotic control over what has become his personal criminal enterprise that he singularly controls from his desert outpost. His criminal enterprise is composed of an alphabet soup of tax free corporations (e.g. RST, CST, CSI) subsidized by every citizen of the U.S. through the IRS’s tax exemption which was granted in 1993.
Mr. Vannier further incurred COB’s wrath by pleading that state attorney generals should use their enforcement powers over nonprofit corporations to require checks and balances (which Hubbard instituted but COB circumvented) and the IRS should impose sanctions against the Church under federal laws that apply to tax exempt organizations. Vannier argues the Church administration can be fixed. Vannier must also believe that all miracles are possible. But based on the account of Vannier and numerous other recent Church insiders that have gone public, as long as the current COB’s brutal rein continues, his criminal enterprise masquerading as a religious administration neither can nor ever will be fixed. This is unfortunate for the many dedicated parishioners paying inflated prices for Scientology services because they are forced to subsidize COB’s paranoid public relations fiascos which drive COB’s endless litigation, surveillance and harassment campaigns he continues to this day.
Vannier speculates that the Church, in particular the infamous Guardian’s Office that conducted the clandestine ops, was the victim of government plants who initiated much of the criminal activity. His speculation is convincing, especially in light of what we have learned from other government operations since that time and the culpable individuals that escaped all punishment. This backstory makes Vannier’s punishment of disbarment (in addition to his later despicable treatment and broken promises of defense reimbursement by COB) all the more unfair as well as completely disproportional and unprecedented in the legal profession.*
* This reviewer was formerly an attorney for the Church. None of the views expressed herein are intended to or are the result of any confidential information obtained in the course of his representation of any Church entity or individual.
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Andreas Groß
