This front page article in tomorrow's Los Angeles Times is the end of Miscavige as we know it. Paying PI's $10Gs a WEEK to spy on his own father. And those PI's according to THEM were told by David Miscavige to let his own father die and not call Emergency Services when they thought he was having a heart attack. And many more sordid details. This proves everything that has been said about how Miscavige and Co. "respond to critics" are lies. No private investigators. No spying. No intimidation tactics. No smears. These are not "claims from bitter disgruntled apostates" who "have … [Read more...]
Head In The Sand
See the new article in People magazine which reports on John Travolta's response to Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief. I give him kudos for at least being willing to speak (more than Cruise. Alley or even Miscavige) and trying to defend his religion instead of merely sending out statements from his lawyer saying everyone is a liar. But, and there are a few very large "buts": 1. He says he has not seen the movie and has no plans to do so. That it would be a "crime" to watch it. 2. He stated he hasn't had any negative experiences with Scientology. 3. He called the d … [Read more...]
Should Scientology Be Tax Exempt?
Should scientology be tax exempt? At the outset -- I am not a lawyer. I am certain those more knowledgeable than I can find fault with some imprecise terminology or descriptions I use. But I doubt they would disagree with the general picture I am trying to paint. Of course, the answer about scientology's tax exempt status for many people (myself included) is "No, they should NOT be entitled to special exemption from taxation." But why? And what is different about scientology than other exempt organizations? There is a long tradition of protecting religious freedom in the United … [Read more...]
SNL Parody
It is a watershed day. The single best measure of having hit the mainstream of societal relevance in the US is to be the subject of a skit on SNL. Scientology has truly hit the big time. And not in a good way. Tony Ortega has done a brilliant breakdown and analysis of the skit from last night on his blog this morning. What an Easter Sunday gift this is, no matter your religious beliefs. Except perhaps if you are a scientologist. I have watched it several times and each time I see more subtle digs. There are some people at SNL who know their scientology trivia. A fact that is … [Read more...]
“The Dead Agent Pack Was Compiled From PC Folders”
Someone sent me this email that was circulated after the original Truth Rundown series in the St Petersburg Times in 2009. That series was a massive expose -- the first major media to lay out the story of the physical and mental abuse meted out by David Miscavige, the existence of The Hole and much more. It was carefully researched and meticulously fact checked and documented. It has stood the test of time as much of what is contained in this series has been subsequently reconfirmed, especially in the court testimony of Debbie Cook, but also in numerous other stories. The church … [Read more...]
Thursday Funnies II Friday Edition
Yesterday I didn't have time to put together the full edition of Thursday Funnies, so here they are today. CFL No comment needed.... Batshit craziness to start things off on the right foot. More Games Wow - its something NEW. Give us your money. That is every "game" in scientology. Valley Running Amok They pour out a continuous stream of dreck. Wonder what happened to the "hard hats" and the "Infinity Club"? Just lifting off "to ideal" now after 10 years of fundraising? A Guest Management … [Read more...]
Thursday Funnies Regraded Being
As many of you know, I am traveling. I dont have time to do a full edition of Thursday Funnies. Part II will come tomorrow. You can see the interview I did with Megyn Kelly last nite here and here. There are two segments last night. There is more coming tonight. But I didn't want to deny the Regraded Being addicts their fix, especially as it is so appropriate to this week's news. … [Read more...]
Scientology Twitterfails
In light of the news that Going Clear is the biggest HBO Documentary since Spike Lee's Katrina doc nearly 10 years ago, and #GoingClear was trending on Twitter for more than 24 hours, it is enlightening to look at the scientology efforts to deal with the shitstorm. Scientology bought Twitter ads -- see this article in Adweek. Of course, this was a massive fail. Sort of like their "advertorial" in The Atlantic earlier. It resulted in even more negative coverage. They are 100% tone deaf to public opinion. And it is really amusing to see the church claiming interest in scientology is … [Read more...]
Going Clear Fallout
I was talking with some friends after watching Going Clear, musing about what Miscavige would do now. One of the participants remarked that I should put this on the blog, as people may find it interesting. These thoughts are not based on some "leak," they are merely speculation based on experience. I believe there are two things Miscavige will be concerned about following the deluge on Sunday night that was the leading edge of a category 4 shitstorm making a direct hit on his gilded beachhouse. His first concern: shore up Tom Cruise. This will be his highest priority. Miscavige no … [Read more...]
Scientology Disconnection New Proof
To be honest, I am still catching my breath from the airing of Going Clear last night. Thank you to everyone who wrote, texted, tweeted, called and otherwise made their support and appreciation known. It was a bit overwhelming. Also, I am not as industrious as Tony Ortega. And despite what the church says, I have work I need to do in order to make a living. Those are my justifications for not doing a posting of my own this morning, and I am sticking to them. But I am not in any way apologizing for telling you that you must read the article Tony Ortega has on his blog this … [Read more...]