If you have not done so already, head over to Tony Ortega's site and read his posting about Scientology's Tax Exempt status. Prompted by the OpEd piece Alex Gibney wrote in the LA Times, and with some excellent advice from Jeffrey Augustine, it lays out what you can do that is most likely to be EFFECTIVE in changing the way the US Government is allowing its citizens to subsidize Miscavige paying PI's $10,000 a WEEK to follow and spy on his father. The direction about complaining directly to the IRS supplements my recommendation to contact your elected representatives. If you want to … [Read more...]
David “Let Him Die” Miscavige Lies Again
Caught with his appendage in a wringer, David Miscavige has done what he has always done. Shouted "THEY'RE LIARS, THEY'RE LIARS." But this time he is truly the boy who cried wolf. He had his lawyer, Michael Hertzberg say this to the LA Times: "Please be advised that Mr. Miscavige does not know Mr. Powell, has never heard of Mr. Powell, has never met Mr. Powell, has never spoken to Mr. Powell, never hired Mr. Powell and never directed any investigations by Mr. Powell." This of course is contradicted by the police report where Mr. Powell told the police that Miscavige HAD come on the … [Read more...]
The End Of The Road For David Miscavige
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...]
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...]
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...]
Going Clear: Where Is Scientology?
In the face of the most intense media coverage in its history, scientology is strangely incapable of stepping up and saying anything. There is no spokesperson who even TRIES to answer questions or present the church's "good works" to the media. Instead, they send creepy letters from their lawyers and Misavige's nom de plume Karin Pouw, put together "attack videos" and threatening emails and tweets. And all of this outpouring ONLY consists exclusively of ad hominem attacks on the film makers, interviewees and now reporters who are covering the documentary. Everyone is a liar. Everyone is a b … [Read more...]
Lying As A Way Of Life
Scientology actually sent out an email that includes this: "When we go door to door with booklets, crime takes a holiday. When we run out of booklets and can't get any out, there is a rise in crime and murder." And immediately following is the "ask" -- of course. You need to give us money. But wow, IF this were really true, would the IAS, or the church or someone just print up the booklets and get them out tout de suite? Set aside the actual value of doing this for society. Just think about the goodwill. And the PR. And boy, could they use some goodwill and PR right about … [Read more...]