WIS, I get everything you’ve said and have no disagreements whatsoever. But what makes you believe that government will use these added funds for such sensible, pro-survival programs? Mind you, I would like to trust and believe that it would but experience denonstrates that government is bought and paid for by the vested interests who get them elected. Just saying.

Jethero, I like it. The new and improved “PAB 6” for those brave enough to leave.

By “scientific” (note the quotes) Theocracy (since orthodox “science” in my opinion has itself become a religion) I could also mean Technocracy which Orwell and Huxley so ably described in their novels Nineteen Eighty Four (which is the original title of the unadulterated version) and Brave New World respectively.

Unlike the Mormons and the Unification Church which both seek political control of some kind the former by having their members acquire positions in CIA and other agencies and the latter by being a stalwart supporter of the Republican Party, Scientology originally had no political aims and according to our policies was supposed to be apolitical.

Unfortunately through the years under its new “leadership” (which I call the coup) it pretty much promotes the State Department’s lies and is now a big fan of the IRS to the extent that I believe that “Thou shalt pay taxes” has become a commandment for the public to obey.

As I alluded earlier I am a supporter of the separation of *Church and State* but I am unwilling to dismiss others religious beliefs (like the monotheistic Christens did in regard to paganism, pantheism and witchcraft) as mere “superstition”.

In my view this opinion is arrogant in the extreme.

Funny you mention water boarding. It was a Mormon judge, Jay Baybee who concluded that water boarding isn’t torture. I don’t need to try it to KNOW it’s torture no matter how many anecdotal individuals you throw in the mix. We’d already a history of sentencing our enemies to DEATH over the practice. Maybe those Japs should have hired Mormon lawyers? I’m not even sure what a Scientific theocracy is, but it can’t be any worse than what we’ve been accustomed to accept. Sounds like a system based on honest and reproducible experimentation is a whole lot better place to be than the myriad mix of ‘enlightened prophets of God” who God has obviously been sending mixed messages to for so many centuries. Praise Zeus. Enjoy.

The film is called “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978). “In San Francisco, a group of people discover the human race is being replaced one by one, with clones devoid of emotion” – that pay up and clap over-enthusiastically at IAS events without exhibiting any BIs or CI”

You”re not the only one WIS. I’ve been accused many times.

In fact Mike I think you should start using and promoting this phrase broadly – it’s even better than “clubbed seals”.When people still “in” hear this then it hits their particular nail right on the head. I don’t think one could be more apt in describing them. For those that don’t know the phrase or have never seen the film it will create a mystery sandwich and they will google it and then find out what it means. And then maybe start to think about what and who they are supporting.

Still laughing. In fact in honor of your most apt and witty use of the phrase I might even change my “name” from “Foolproof” to to “Non-Pod Person”. Or “Foolproof and non-pod person”! Really really well done! Still laughing.

Typos: should be – “or” failed to clap long enough and “This phrase…”

Michael – your use of the phrase “pod person” had me rolling up in laughter. In fact I am still laughing. And although it is a shame and all that, that those still in the Church we can very realistically refer to as “pod persons”, well, tough. So never mind them – that’s their “serious” problem. This.phrase was brilliant – still laughing! Still! Outstanding! Keep getting this picture of Donald Sutherland raising his arm and screeching at an IAS event when someone has “not donated the expected amount” of “failed to clap long enough”.