>> True Information: The most telling indicator of Wright’s animus toward Scientology is the fact he is the scribe for embittered apostates, repeating much of their manufactured lies to malign the Church, yet when Wright quotes from a Church Sea Org executive (Rathbun’s “former wife”), he uses half a sentence and minimizes her credibility by stating she “recalled.” In fact, this half sentence comes from Ms. Anne M. Joasem’s sworn declaration, a high-ranking Church executive and the former wife of Marty Rathbun, a primary source for Wright’s book. This declaration was sent to Mr. Wright since it contained vital information concerning the lack of credibility of Wright’s source. In her declaration she states unequivocally that in all the years she knew him, Marty Rathbun never worked for peace, only war, but that Mr. Miscavige’s entire emphasis was in achieving peace for the Church:

“6. I can positively state that Marty Rathbun’s allegations that he was working toward peace during his tenure in Religious Technology Center and that Mr. Miscavige wanted “war” are utterly and completely false. In February 2004, Marty told me himself that he is and always has been “a fighter and a warrior.” Marty also described how he was the one actively seeking and creating such wars and fights in 2003.

7. In the 15 years we were married, I never heard Marty say or even imply that he wanted to end legal battles or “wars” so that he could concentrate on the expansion of Scientology. Not once. To the contrary, he said that he was a warrior and all he wanted to do was fight. The fact that he is now saying otherwise is a lie, as proven by the very attacks he is waging through the press, which are the antithesis of peace for Scientology.

8. Moreover, having worked for Chairman of the Board for 22 years, I know first-hand that Mr. Miscavige has always been working relentlessly to end all legal battles for the Church so that he could concentrate his time and energy to the expansion of the Scientology religion. He has stated so more times than I can count in conversations with me.”

As a result of his obsession with fighting and violence, Rathbun had two breakdowns during his staff career. On both occasions, Mr. Miscavige arranged for his complete care. As regards Rathbun’s first breakdown, she wrote:

“13. Immediately following the Church receiving full tax exemption and religious recognition in 1993, Marty deserted his group and me. This would have been the time where he could have dedicated himself to keeping the peace and expanding Scientology as the rest of us did. Instead, he took off one morning in late 1993 after lying to me that he was going to make an early phone call. I didn’t hear from him for days and days and was quite upset and traumatized by it. This is when I first came to realize something was very wrong with Marty Rathbun. It is not “normal” behavior for anyone to walk out on his job, his group and on his wife with no forewarning or explanation.

14. Once Marty did get back in touch, COB arranged for him to get a sabbatical on the Freewinds, in the Caribbean, so he could rest, study and receive auditing. Marty did some auditor training as part this program, although not in any professional capacity. His auditor certificates were never validated, meaning they became invalid after a year, which would have been in 1997.”

Rathbun had a second breakdown in 2004, after which for ten months Rathbun received needed medical care and worked as a handyman in the Church’s carpentry mill in Clearwater, Florida (a job of his own choosing). Following this period of recuperation, he was offered a chance to assume a lower level job in the Church appropriate for his temperament and training. It was in reaction to this offer that he physically threatened his wife:

“28. So, I told him to come up with another idea. And that is when he threatened me physically, holding his fist inches from my face.

29. By then I had realized the guy was unstable and violent. A few months earlier, I had seen him get mad on a phone call with Tom DeVocht and put his fist right through a computer screen and shatter it. So I had reasons to be concerned that he’d carry out his threat. Scared for my own safety, I moved to another apartment in the staff apartment complex and locked my door.

30. Marty deserted for the third and last time shortly thereafter. It clearly had nothing to do with alleged ‘abuses.’”

Thus, the half sentence Wright included has much more depth of context than Wright lets on.