There is a term in the Scientology religion for an apostate. They are called “squirrels” for the fact they run round and round in their own worlds and are, in reality, a bit crazy. Squirrels have a perverted view of Scientology Scripture and practice, all in contradiction to the Founder’s teachings.

There are but a handful of individuals who fit this definition, Marty “Kingpin” Rathbun being among them.

But Kingpin is unique in that he has deluded himself into believing he has hundreds of squirrel followers, a computation none too surprising coming from a delusional psychotic.

Moreover, in an effort to convince others he is overlord to a legion of “fellow travelers,” Kingpin hatched an online con using what are known as “sock puppets.” For the record, a sock puppet is an individual who creates fictitious online identities, pretending to be different people, as in a ventriloquist manipulating a hand puppet. It’s a scam well-known to the denizens of the Internet fringe.

In the case of Kingpin’s “minions,” a dozen or so sock puppets create multiple identities and voila—Marty suddenly has hundreds of followers tracking his online rants.

As it happens, Rathbun’s sock puppet scheme was exposed. Moreover, the whistleblowers were none other than the cyberterrorist collective known as Anonymous. They outed Kingpin’s numbers game to the farthest reaches of the web. To be sure, Anonymous went so far as to post the real names and online aliases of every member of Rathbun’s band. Apparently even those who dwell in the darkest regions of cyberspace don’t appreciate amateurs stepping into their turf and ripping off tricks of their trade.

But Kingpin’s deception and delusions of grandeur also raised the hackles of his own ilk. Consequently, he has become the subject of derision among the most notorious squirrels. Rather than embracing him as one of their own, these few rabid apostates spend countless hours volleying anti-Kingpin comments with fervor across the blogosphere. In a nutshell (pun intended), Marty Rathbun is the squirrel even squirrels love to hate. What follows is but a sampling of what they say about him:

>> SQUIRREL #1
“Marty Rathbun is so nattery. His writings about anything and anyone are laced with snide remarks, sarcasms, and denigration. He actually takes no responsibility for his past overts (a harmful act or transgression against the moral code of a group). As I said to several people, Marty Rathbun needs to come clean.”

>> SQUIRREL #2
“That Marty is now somehow claiming to be a ‘Tech’ person is just more controlled deception in my opinion. How Marty can be the ‘Tech’ savior when he is only expert at using it in reverse, beats me. You [Marty] just have to get used to not constantly lying and trying to manipulate people. It’s a hard habit for you to break I know but at least try.”

>> SQUIRREL #3
“Marty Rathbun’s still really a control freak, and basically rather an unpleasant person—a bulls***ter and a bullyboy. He’s a loser, who thinks he’s a screaming genius…it’s all about Marty. Legend in his own mind.”