Because they bullied the IRS.

special - Scientology had to pay $1 billion in taxes. By claiming they were a church, they didn't have to pay the taxes.

to one point or another.

and policy these days - particularly on the Republican side, as we've seen in Indiana and Arkansas (and Texas, Georgia, Wisconsin, that have put a freeze on their version of the RFRA since the backlash).

Also, Scientology forced the IRS to give them tax exempt status by having 2500 of their brainwashed members file lawsuits against, not only the IRS but IRS employees. With 2500 law suits filed, the IRS was overwhelmed and out of sheer exasperation they granted Scientology tax exempt status - just learned from the HBO documentary.

doesn't have the budget to address each and every one of them. Also, Scientology cult leaders propagandized the majority of those IRS employees in the glossy mags. In a country that hates the IRS almost as much as the anti-Christ, they received a legion of supporters from people not affiliated with Scientology. Result? Scientology got their tax exempt status and didn't have to pay their $1 billion dollar tax bill. URGH!

I actually *attended* a Scientology wedding. I kid you not, and no, this isn't an April Fool's day prank.

My girlfriend at the time had a Scientologist father and his girlfriend. She asked me to attend.

I did, was mannerly, and did the usual schtick you have to do at gatherings where you have no idea what is going on - smile politely, wish them well, and then get the hell away from it.

Right up the road in Clearwater here.

I moved about a decade ago. Great place to live, though, lot's of good people and even better restaurants!

One of my favorite parts of the area. Unfortunately, one of my favorite casual dining spots has taken a huge dive. I use to go to Frenchy's Saltwater Café all the time. Since they opened numerous other locations the two original ones have taken a huge dive. I went back three times after getting a crappy meal hoping it was just a single bad experience. It wasn't. Their expansion really hurt them.

All of the surrounding areas have some great restaurants. I go to the Dali and Mahaffey Theater every now and then and try new places in St. Pete. Any suggestions for me to try?

can be found everywhere in Pinellas County, but Tarpon Springs docks has them beaten. And seafood.

You can also find grouper that is just pulled out of the sea, fried melt in your mouth delicious and ice cold beer to wash it down with.

Mainly because the vegetable stand I go to is down there. I also like the drive. It's only about twenty minutes from my house. I have been to many of the Greek places in Tarpon Springs. The boat ramp I often use is in that direction also. I spend a lot of time on the grass flats in Tarpon Springs. I rarely ever keep the fish I catch but I enjoy eating the occasional Speckled Trout on the same day I catch it. The difference in eating a fish within hours of being caught and days is huge.

...skies are dark for my obsessive Astronomy habit).

I remember walking downtown Clearwater on a Saturday afternoon. There was MAYBE 6-9 people in a period of 1/2 hour. Weird!

Is Louis Pappas still around?

To give you a frame of reference, the last time I was in there was when the big news was JFK, Jr.s plane went down. I only remember because it was on all the tvs.

I was eating a humongous Fried grouper sandwich when it happened.

and work in the BOA building in downtown Clearwater ( right next to building 7 in the photo )

Howdy neighbors !

vacation in St Pete for two months in the winter.

Are you familiar with Lighthouse Books in St. Pete?

http://www.oldfloridabookstore.com/

1st N and 17th street...I'm 7 blocks north of there

Both times about three years ago. Mike Slicker is very well known for authenticating and placing a value on books and maps. I brought a number of maps to him to authenticate and appraise. He authenticated them all, but then time seems to have gotten the best of him. The appraisal part is where he makes his money in situations like that but he never did it. The University of Florida uses him as one of their appraisers. Each year UF is gifted estates and other valuables. They have to have them appraised to back up the value they are claiming. UF would swamp him with work. At his current age and with his current inventory that is in serious disarray, it seems he didn't really have time for anything else. From what little I have see, it looks like he is sitting on an absolute gold mine of maps and books. I am pretty sure very few people understand the value of some of the items in that little shop. That was three years ago. I wasn't really sure how much time he had left. After my last visit I do know he got pretty sick. I hear he recovered but was weak. Not sure where his health stands today.

In '91 a friend of mine walked into the main lobby of their building downtown with a camera. It was for a school report. He was immediately shoved up against the wall with a forearm under his neck while another man grabbed the camera and looked at what was on the film. Once they realized he hadn't filmed anything yet they sent him out the door and told him to never enter the door with a camera again.

I have talked to many of them, mostly younger, and they were pretty pleasant. Very few people in the local area like them in any way. They currently have a number of new buildings going up in parts of Clearwater they hadn't built in yet. The largest new construction I have seen in the area is a windowless building going up on Hercules Avenue. They have also brought people to my business in the past who could not verify citizenship. Lots of shady stuff goes on with them. Overall they work really hard to keep the peace as they are very aware that everyone thinks they are shady.

Clearwater was also around and prospering well before scientology. They have invested heavily in property in the area.

"But for one area of Florida, Scientology's impact has been devastating."

I also don't think this statement can be backed up. Before Scientology moved in, downtown Clearwater was crap. Still is but now it is their crap. The road system in downtown Clearwater is a nightmare and not set up for "downtown" activities. The overwhelming majority of people who venture toward downtown Clearwater are simply passing through to the beach. Years ago Clearwater did a revitalization of downtown. It looks pretty nice. Problem is, they can't support many people. The reason it works is it is literally minutes from some of the countries most recognized beaches.

I used it even though Clearwater was there way before Scientology. Beautiful beaches. Lovely city.

I did add some more to my response in an edit. I am no fan of Scientology and am embarrassed it is a religion according to the IRS. How the hell does one intimidate the IRS? They did it. I am also one of those believers in the many stories where dissenters have often disappeared. I think that is better understood by some of us in the community. Most of us think the guy on the corner of Missouri and Lake in Clearwater is actually a Scientologist. He holds a sign and yells in a megaphone all day long. Many of us think it is one of them and they are showing that they openly welcome dissent. Yes, it is a complete conspiracy as none of us have one shred of proof. That being said, there is plenty of proof for a lot of their shenanigans, including some that should include serious jail time.

Too Add: I ran into Kirstie Alley when I was with my nephew at Sand Key Beach. She was out in the water and yelled at my nephew to come over. My nephew was around eight at the time. She couldn't stop telling him how cute he was. She and a friend of hers played out in the water with him for about 20 minutes. I taught him who she was when we got home and he was floored. She was amazingly nice. I don't give her a pass for the reason she is here. I do appreciate the fact she was down to earth and very kind.

Those of us who have read the St. Pete/Tampa Bay Times research were not shocked...just felt like it was going more public.

The movie is bringing it wider attention. Every one of them you run into in the streets is kind. Often short with few words but respectful. I really think that is why there isn't a local uprising. Walk into one of their buildings with something other than being hooked up to an e reader in mind and the kind part goes out the window.

I can remember the days when the Sea org would be dressed in their Naval uniforms, which looked like something out of a BAD Doctor Who episode.

uproar at the time, esp when they started patrolling their corner with guns. It put a lot of people off. Do they still do that?

And yeah, Clearwater was a nice little town waaaaay before they got there, and maybe it looks a bit better because they've put up new buildings, but . . . what a price. I'm headed back to Largo next year for a winter vacation, so I'll have to check out all the stuff.

Been there three years

I looked it up for you -- here's a reference from an article I just found:

Bunker explains:: 'They came into town and paid cash for two buildings - the old Clearwater Bank Building and Fort Harrison Hotel. At first people were excited that some religious order was coming in and sprucing up the area and hotel. Then there was something suspicious about it, as suddenly there were armed men with machine guns on top of the Fort Harrison Hotel. People were asking: 'What sort of Church is this?' When the FBI raided their offices, they found plans to take over the city.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3015144/Inside-town-Scientology-built-Clearwater-Florida-Tom-Cruise-John-Travolta-Kirstie-Alley-rule-palatial-estates-Sea-Org-members-live-six-room-pay-100-000-learn-super-human-powers.html#ixzz3W76r0j6o
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It was scary and creepy at the time, as you can imagine. Seems like our first impression that they were a horrible bunch turned out to be correct. The St Pete Times back then was a Pulitzer-award-winning newspaper with a hard-hitting investigation team. They did many eye-opening stories about the Scientologists.

Stumbled on this affidavit online just poking about after watching the HBO documentary.


http://www.lermanet.com/cos/andre.html

and the only gun I have ever seen was pulled in the parking lot of a bar. The redneck wasn't one of them.

smart. It allowed them to blend into the community and, ultimately, buy it up. It was quite the show at the time. People were alarmed.

AS much as Scientology does deserve a lot of it's rep, I do get annoyed when the Times talks about it ruinign Clearwater. It was a good ol boy town, which is why they were easy pickins for L.Ron. The one thing that people complain about is that they own the Starbucks....well, who owned the Starbucks before they built one, answer no one. Also, if the Catholics or the Baptists did exactly what the scientoloigsts did, there were be nary a peep.

and some nightlife.

The Capitol Theater was just refurbished, but that's not enough to attract crowds.

I think it is an extension of Ruth Eckerd Hall. Was at Mahaffey a couple of weeks ago. Went to watch the Florida Orchestra cover John Williams. It was great. A couple weeks before that I went to see Chicago at Ruth Eckerd. Really is a lot to do in this area. The arts are alive and well in good old west central Florida.

that you aren't eligible for Social Security because they don't pay into it.

It happened to a family I know. Fortunately, the (also elderly) ex-husband was willing to take in the wife who had deserted the family decades earlier.

That's a very scary aspect of it. Most people would not think of it when they join such a group.

The entire scam is based on wealth extraction, a/k/a fraud. The poor have nothing to steal.

They have something the Scientologists want very much. Their labor. Recruiting the poor is one of their biggest priorities.

Entire life and enslave you. You don't have to be rich, just very vulnerable and needing a "change".

he had no money to give them.

During the Ground Zero cleanup after 9/11, they were one of a small number of non-profits who were officially permitted on site to provide respite services to the construction workers. I assume that one of their motives was to generate interest in their organization.

What is done is pretty brutal and also well known. Over the last decade they have been big in bringing people in from Mexico. They give them shelter and food in return for their labor. They are worked extremely hard and not fairly compensated for it. The "church" has attempted to do business with me personally on this front. They do not always have rooms to house all of their labor so they will come to people such as myself. We operate under the law and cannot accommodate them. They came to a property one day with a van of 8 undocumented people from Mexico. Wanted me to rent them a two bedroom place around 750 sq ft. They wanted the lease to go in others names. We refused.

They have purchased more than one apartment complex in the area and erected fences and gates around them. They have busses that bring the people to their offices in downtown Clearwater every day. On occasion, they bring more people in than the infrastructure they have built or purchased will hold. Somewhat difficult considering they put more people in a unit that they can hold.

Everyone, including myself, talks about the big money Scientologists. But they are there for advertisement purposes. Those with nothing are simply worked without fair compensation. They put a pretty face on the outside but they really are a brutal organization.

I am seeing that I was wrong. I would think that people like Kristy Alley would be ashamed to be associated with a group like this or do the rich fools even know what is going on with the workers who serve them?

I hope this expose will move the IRS to reclassify their status as a church. I really don't think that the other churches would object because I have heard nothing good about them in my church newspapers etc.

There is no need. Those in this area who are undocumented are pretty safe from being aggressively searched for. I am not saying they are safe or we care for them. There is just no enforcement agency going after them daily. Undocumented people walk pretty freely among us every day. It is pretty well accepted.

Not a religion , science or feel good product ....They are a cult of mobsters scamming the weak .

religious. Damn, will America ever wise up to this tax free religious bullshit.

it should be noted that the town is building a bridge to the beach that will actually allow people to bypass dowtown completely. One could argue whether the church is to blame, or it is the usual make a buck and screw the downtown policy Florida loves in general. So much for getting a beach blanket and soda cooler at the downtown walgreens

It is actually a pretty nice change. Not like the abomination of a round-a-bout they put in as you enter Clearwater Beach. It is a pretty quick pass through downtown. Court street has been completely redone in downtown Clearwater and isn't as it use to be. One would only veer off toward downtown if that is where they were going. Now you just keep going straight where you would once veer off to the right at Highland. The locals, including myself, use to like the back way down Drew St. that went by Coachman Park then onto the bridge. That is no longer possible at all. They have built a really nice marina across the street from Coachman Park that I would really call an upgrade for that area. It is pretty nice.

...or maybe Xenu can stop that from happening....

Unless you are coming from the south.

I have been to Clearwater a hundred times and did not realize this about the place. Our daughter lived in Clearwater for years and I don't think she realized it. It might explain some of the oddities I have seen visiting in the past.