# Scientology buy a fucking stamp! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 23, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139 "2011-12-23T01:22:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/1 "2011-12-23T01:22:36Z")
Go out to the mailbox today and I find I have a holiday gift from the Church of Scientology. :rolleyes: Scientology, you are opening a new church in my area. You have a multimedia center. You are having an open house. Good for you. :dubious: You’ve got millions of dollars, you have major stars like Tom (I’m a lunatic) Cruise and John (Terl) Travolta, but you are too fucking cheap to pay the postage for your announcement? What the fuck? So instead of paying postage you get a hostage to canvas the neighborhood and put fliers announcing the open house in everyone’s mailbox? Pretty sure this is illegal you vile bastards. Quit gaming the system. Quit using people. Most of all, stay the fuck out of my mailbox!!!:mad: My box is for me and my mail carrier. Fucking motherfuckers! ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/2 "2011-12-23T01:41:05Z")
Take the flier down to the post office and explain to the Postmaster that you received it in your mailbox. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/3 "2011-12-23T01:43:23Z")
It’s illegal to put stuff in mailboxes if you’re not a postal worker. I recommend reporting them to the USPS. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/4 "2011-12-23T01:51:27Z")
You need a hobby. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/5 "2011-12-23T02:00:03Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > You need a hobby. Fucking over the local Scientology Church sounds like a _fine_ hobby. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/6 "2011-12-23T02:00:12Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > You need a hobby. New hobby… taking the fliers down to the post office and filing a report. It’ll be a pretty short lived hobby I imagine. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/7 "2011-12-23T02:09:42Z")
It is a federal offense, and may actually be a felony, if I remember correctly. If they are doing this on a large scale the local post office should definitely know about it. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/8 "2011-12-23T02:29:51Z")
It’s so stupid I wonder if Scientology sanctioned it. They’re actually not cheap about postage. I’m a librarian and I’ve worked at 4 academic libraries, and every one of them gets a big order of L. Ron Hubbard books (_Dianetics_ as well as some of his novels) once a year or so courtesy of CoS. Some have even been really nice gilt page editions, all have been hardback and “bookstore” quality, and they even come with instructions for catalogers (call numbers, MARC records, etc.). Considering that other than the U. of Alabama I’ve always worked at small colleges, and they must send these to hundreds if not thousands of other libraries, they spend a small fortune on this. I feel almost guilty when I toss the books (which is after the annual book giveaway when, once again, nobody takes them even when they’re free). ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/9 "2011-12-23T04:32:58Z")
> [@](#): > > I feel almost guilty when I toss the books Promote them as great book safe candidates. NOBODY is gonna pick up a copy of Dianetics at someone else’s home. I have to admit that I buy and read the Writers of the Future anthologies. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/10 "2011-12-23T04:46:15Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > (snip) I’m a librarian and I’ve worked at 4 academic libraries, and every one of them gets a big order of L. Ron Hubbard books (_Dianetics_ as well as some of his novels) once a year or so courtesy of CoS. Some have even been really nice gilt page editions, all have been hardback and “bookstore” quality, and they even come with instructions for catalogers (call numbers, MARC records, etc.). (snip) They get academic libraries too? Damn. Persistent bastards. I thought they only hassled small public library branches in the hope that because we’re small and presumably have little funding (a good general presumption, I might add) that we’d be more likely to actually put the damn things on the shelf. I will say that we do actually catalog the novels every 5 years or so - it’s nice to have a fresh copy on the shelf, and we usually check them out at least once every year when the new batch of college freshmen gets into town. I wonder what would happen if you sent them back… Now I’m tempted to try that when the next batch comes in. Currently we use them for book weights and replaceable work surfaces in the repair room. Nobody seems to care when they get glue or random pieces of tape stuck all to them, or the covers/pages get all hashed up when we use them to protect the counter from the razor-blades. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/11 "2011-12-23T06:38:33Z")
I have a whole new level of respect for the staff at the library. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/12 "2011-12-23T07:09:53Z")
Can you name any individual or organization that ever got rich by buying common postage stamps? What do you expect from these shit-bags? Just report them and move on. They’re scum. ---
**Author:** ![BomTek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bomtek/32/21364_2.png) [@BomTek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BomTek)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/13 "2011-12-23T09:03:34Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Promote them as great book safe candidates. NOBODY is gonna pick up a copy of Dianetics at someone else’s home. This is a great idea! You could even have a link or QR code posted near the stack of Scientology books that shows shoppers how to make a book safe. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/14 "2011-12-23T13:10:37Z")
they would have gotten one of their “staff” members. Funnily enough, they would have put it in your post box yesterday so that they could include it in their activities for “Staturday” they day they report all their activities to their head office. Every “Staturday” they have to report all courses sold, book sales, “body routing”, which is standing outside the door trying to encourage people to take a personality test. All these figures are imputted and measured against previous reports, to determine if their org is “upstat”. if they are “downstat” the “hats” (officers in charge) get visited by the higher ups. Basically, they end up doing crap like leaflet drops and claim they contacted 1000 homes in order to remain upstat. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/15 "2011-12-23T13:12:38Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > It’s so stupid I wonder if Scientology sanctioned it. > > They’re actually not cheap about postage. I’m a librarian and I’ve worked at 4 academic libraries, and every one of them gets a big order of L. Ron Hubbard books (_Dianetics_ as well as some of his novels) once a year or so courtesy of CoS. Some have even been really nice gilt page editions, all have been hardback and “bookstore” quality, and they even come with instructions for catalogers (call numbers, MARC records, etc.). > > Considering that other than the U. of Alabama I’ve always worked at small colleges, and they must send these to hundreds if not thousands of other libraries, they spend a small fortune on this. I feel almost guilty when I toss the books (which is after the annual book giveaway when, once again, nobody takes them even when they’re free). I would totally take a free Dianetics, if just to see what mentalism is contained within. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/16 "2011-12-23T13:43:47Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I would totally take a free Dianetics, if just to see what mentalism is contained within. there’d be one down in your local library. It’s another of the local org’s measures. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/17 "2011-12-23T14:39:22Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > It’s so stupid I wonder if Scientology sanctioned it. > > They’re actually not cheap about postage. I’m a librarian and I’ve worked at 4 academic libraries, and every one of them gets a big order of L. Ron Hubbard books (_Dianetics_ as well as some of his novels) once a year or so courtesy of CoS. Some have even been really nice gilt page editions, all have been hardback and “bookstore” quality, and they even come with instructions for catalogers (call numbers, MARC records, etc.). > > Considering that other than the U. of Alabama I’ve always worked at small colleges, and they must send these to hundreds if not thousands of other libraries, they spend a small fortune on this. I feel almost guilty when I toss the books (which is after the annual book giveaway when, once again, nobody takes them even when they’re free). I assume that all these copies sent to libraries are included in the count when they claim that Dianetics is the #1 selling self-help book of all time. They just don’t mention that they’re selling it to themselves, and they’re GREAT customers. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/18 "2011-12-23T15:12:29Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Take the flier down to the post office and explain to the Postmaster that you received it in your mailbox. This. The USPS will be all over them like white on rice. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/19 "2011-12-23T15:29:07Z")
That’s an extremely strit violation of church and government. If Scientology wants to be recognized as a church (like I want to be recognized as the leader of the US), they should behave like one. ---
**Author:** ![Plumbkrazy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Plumbkrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumbkrazy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139/20 "2011-12-23T16:17:51Z")
Considering the financial trouble the USPS is having right now, you’ll be a shitty American if you _don’t_ report them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology-buy-a-fucking-stamp/607139.md?page=2)