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Today in Scientology -- July 24th **************************************************
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Scientology Today
Jul 25, 2019, 9:53:06 AM7/25/19
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Today July 24th in Scientology history
======================================
Of Two Minds
July 24, 1950, Time magazine
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,812852,00.html
A new cult is smoldering through the U.S. underbrush. Its name:
dianetics. Last week its bible, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental
Health, was steadily climbing the U.S. bestseller lists. Demand was
especially heavy on the West Coast. Bookstores in Los Angeles were
selling Dianetics on an under-the-counter basis. Armed with the manual,
which they called simply "The Book," fanatical converts overflowed
Saturday night meetings in Hollywood, held dianetics parties, formed
clubs, and "audited" (treated) each other.
Tags: Dianetics, Frank Dessler, Jean Bordeaux, L. Ron Hubbard, Pauline
Pumphrey, Vernon Twitchell
======================================
Court Ends $1-Billion Suit Alleging Scientology Fraud
July 24, 1988, Los Angeles Times
http://articles.latimes.com/1988-07-24/local/me-10335_1_church-members
A Los Angles Superior Court judge Friday dismissed a $1-billion
class-action lawsuit filed by former members of the Church of
Scientology accusing its late founder of stealing money from the
organization and threatening critics.
Judge Barnet Cooperman ruled that the plaintiffs failed to successfully
back up their allegations of fraud and breach of fiduciary
responsibility.
The suit was filed in January, 1987, by six former Scientologists and
the organization Freedom for All in Religion, which claims to represent
as many as 400 former church followers.
Tags: Freedom for All in Religion, Heber Jentzsch, Judge Cooperman, Lawrence
Levy, Legal, Mary Maren
======================================
Charter School Bid Draws Scrutiny
July 24, 1997, Duke Helfand, Los Angeles Times
http://articles.latimes.com/1997/jul/24/local/me-15895
A proposed charter school in the east San Fernando Valley is receiving
close scrutiny from Los Angeles Unified School District officials who
are concerned about the organizer's ties to the Church of Scientology
and are questioning whether church teachings would appear in the new
public school.
Advocates of the Northwest Charter School acknowledge that they want to
employ teaching methods developed by Scientology founder L. Ron
Hubbard, but say his system emphasizes common-sense strategies
appropriate for a public school setting and children of any religion.
Tags: Applied Scholastics, Ian Lyons, Linda Smith, Northwest Charter School,
Study Technology
======================================
Bridge to Total Freedom a lifetime commitment
July 24, 2005, Alana Semuels, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
https://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05205/542900.stm
Some say it's the only true way toward a happier existence. Others
label it a new religion that soon will be accepted in society, like the
Mormon Church. And then there are the people who call it a cult.
Scientology has been called many things in its half century of
existence, and even now, it is a controversial organization.
======================================
From the outside, looking in
July 24, 2005, Alana Semuels, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
https://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05205/542899-85.stm
Some of the things Chuck Beatty says he's done over the past 30 years
sound like scenes from a science fiction movie.
Signing over a billion years of his current and future lives to service.
Hiding from German news helicopters flying over the California camp
where he lived. Spending more than six years doing hard labor under
constant monitoring by his peers.
But Beatty, 53, now of Carnegie, says he was just one of the many
faithful members of the Sea Organization, an intense division of the
Church of Scientology. In 2004, Beatty left behind the life that had
enveloped him for nearly three decades and moved to Pittsburgh from Los
Angeles to assist other people interested in leaving, since he knows
how difficult it is.
Tags: Chuck Beatty, David Bromley, Jim Richardson, Rebecca Denova,
Rehabilitation Project Force, Sea Org, Stephen Kent
======================================
L. Ron Hubbard, founder
July 24, 2005, Virginia Linn, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
https://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05205/542267.stm
As the popularity of Scientology grew, so did the controversy
surrounding it. Hubbard has been called a charismatic Renaissance man
by admirers and a quack by critics.
======================================
Scientology comes to town
July 24, 2005, Virginia Linn, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
https://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05205/542895.stm
Although the office opened here with little fanfare, Scientologists
have high hopes for its growth as they try to regain a foothold in the
region after a false start in Washington County.
Tags: David Touretzky, Detox
======================================
Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg Spat Explained
July 24, 2006, Newsmax.com
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/7/24/125732.shtml?s=icp
The New Yorker points out: "According to two close friends of
Spielberg, Page Six was accurate, although the item did not note the
real source of Spielberg's anger: After he mentioned to Cruise the name
of a doctor - a friend - who prescribed Ritalin, the doctor's office
was picketed by Scientologists."
Tags: Bert Fields, Brooke Shields, CCHR, Matt Lauer, Steven Spielberg, Tom
Cruise
======================================
Armenian gets 22 years in arms-trafficking sting
July 24, 2007, AP, KWGN
http://www.kwgn.com/pages/landing_national/?Armenian-gets-22-years-in-arms-trafficki=1&blockID=232759&feedID=23
An Armenian immigrant was sentenced Friday to 22 years in prison for
plotting to sell anti-aircraft missiles and other military weapons from
the former Soviet Union to an FBI informant.
"I should have known better," Artur Solomonyan, 30, told a federal
judge before learning his sentence. He said he had been irresponsible
but got caught up in the scheme because he thought the informant could
get him a green card.
Prosecutors said Solomonyan led a ring that conspired to import
shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, rocket-propelled grenade
launchers, anti-tank guided missiles and other weapons without a
license. The only weapons actually delivered were a dozen firearms,
including a machine gun.
Solomonyan and five co-defendants were convicted in July of charges
including arms trafficking and firearms trafficking conspiracy.
Tags: Artur Solomonyan
======================================
Armenian immigrant and 5 others convicted of military-weapons charges in FBI
sting
July 24, 2007, Larry Neumeister, Associated Press, Union Tribune
http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20070724-1316-weaponssmuggling.html
An Armenian immigrant accused of plotting to sell anti-aircraft
missiles and other military weapons from the former Soviet Union to an
FBI informant was convicted Tuesday along with five co-defendants.
Artur Solomonyan could face up to life in prison on charges including
arms trafficking conspiracy, firearms trafficking conspiracy,
interstate firearms trafficking and illegal transfer and possession of
a machine gun.
Tags: Artur Solomonyan
======================================
For Xenu's sake, hear your kooky co-worker out
July 24, 2007, David Eddie, Globe and Mail
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070724.l-damage24/BNStory/lifeFamily/home
======================================
'Anonymous' plans mass Scientology protest
July 24, 2008, Daily Telegraph
https://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24070462-5006003,00.html
A SHADOWY web-based protest group is apparently planning a global
demonstration against Scientology next month, publishing its creepy
"training video" the internet.
The group, calling itself Anonymous has already staged demonstrations
against Scientology in Australia and around the but now plans an even
bigger international event on August 16.
Tags: Anonymous
======================================
13 The E-Meter Experts
July 24, 2009, Jonny Jacobsen, Infinite Complacency
http://infinitecomplacency.blogspot.com/2009/07/13-e-meter-experts_24.html
Day 5, June 3: Scientology called two expert witnesses to defend the
effectiveness of the e-meter used in their counselling sessions - but
did not quite get what they had bargained for.
At the start of the day's proceedings, Judge Sophie-H?l?ne Ch?teau had
read out a fax from one of the court-appointed experts in the case, a M.
Ionesco.
Ionesco had written a report in 1993 on the electrometer, a device used
in Scientology's counselling sessions, for an earlier trial involving
Scientology in Lyon, in 1996.
Tags: 1952, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2003, 2004, Aberree, Alain Rosenberg, Auditing,
Catholic, Dianetics, E-meter, Judge Sophie-H?l?ne Ch?teau, Lyon, Olivier
Morice, Quicky, Tone Scale, Volney Mathison
======================================
13b Annexe to 13 The E-Meter Experts
July 24, 2009, Jonny Jacobsen, Infinite Complacency
http://infinitecomplacency.blogspot.com/2009/07/note-5-kirchner-on-e-meter.html
Here's a short annexe on why one expert thought that Scientologists
didn't know how to operate their own e-meter .
From " The E-Meter Experts ":
Curiously enough, when Kirchner drew up his 1994 report, it had been
the defendant Alain Rosenberg who had demonstrated the use of the
e-meter for him. But according to Kirchner, Rosenberg had not only
failed to observe this basic zero-reading procedure but had made
another mistake that rendered the readings meaningless.
Tags: 1994, Alain Rosenberg, Bruce Hines, David Touretzky, E-meter, Kirstie
Alley, Nicole Kidman, Quicky
======================================
Angry computer expert attacked Scientologist - during a stress test
July 24, 2010, Dan Thompson, Manchester Evening News
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1302688_angry_computer_expert_attacked_scientologist__during_a_stress_test
Matthew Hickey, 26, walked into the Church of Scientology's Deansgate
branch in Manchester after having a drunken row with his girlfriend. He
became angry when he was hooked up to an 'E-meter' stress-testing
machine and grabbed tester Brandon Sandler by the tie. Hickey admitted
assault at Manchester Magistrates' Court.
Tags: Assault, Brandon Sandler, E-meter, Joe Rawlings, Manchester, Matthew
Hickey, Stress test, UK
======================================
Rosalie Hamilton
July 24, 2011, Marty Rathbun, Moving On Up a Little Higher
https://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/rosalie-hamilton/
Rosalie Hamilton
Email I sent June 24, 2011:
Sent only to my small group of dear friends who share my spiritual
quest ?
Tags: 1984, 1989, 1999, 2002, ASHO, Basics, Clear, Clearwater, CNN, DC,
Ethics, Independent, L. Ron Hubbard, Los Angeles, Office of Special Affairs,
OT, OT 7, OT III, Potential Trouble Source, Quicky, Sea Org, St. Petersburg
Times, Tommy Davis
======================================
Deaths bring probe of Narconon facility in Oklahoma
July 24, 2012, Sheila Stogsdill, Tulsa World
https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/state/deaths-bring-probe-of-narconon-facility-in-oklahoma/article_a1a7f9b9-8ed7-5baf-9c74-cfaf8439febc.html
A Pittsburg County drug rehabilitation center is under investigation
after a third patient died within a nine-month period, Sheriff Joel
Kerns said Monday.
The death of Stacy Dawn Murphy, 20, of Owasso is the latest in a string
of deaths at Narconon Arrowhead.
Tags: Death, Destanie Ramsey, Gabriel Graves, Gary Smith, Hillary Holten,
Jessica Brown, Joel Kerns, Kaysie Werninck, Narconon, Narconon Arrowhead,
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Pittsburg County, Robert
Murphy, Stacy Murphy
======================================
Germany Treats Scientology as a Threat to Democracy. The U.S. Should Too.
July 24, 2012, James Kirchick, Tablet Magazine
http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/105996/scientology-is-not-a-religion
Tags: Germany
======================================
Headley Case Dismissal Upheld
July 24, 2012, Marty Rathbun, Moving On Up a Little Higher
https://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/headley-case-dismissal-upheld/
The dismissal of Marc and Claire Headley's case against Scientology Inc.
was upheld by the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
headley case 9th Circuit opinion
The lawyer who originally filed the case did Marc and Claire a
disservice by putting all their eggs in the Human Trafficking issue
basket. Note, the counsel who argued the case in the 9th Circuit for
the Headleys - not the same lawyer who brought the case in the first
place - did a noble job with what she had been given to work with.
Tags: Abortion, Appeal, Barry Van Sickle, Claire Headley, David Miscavige,
Human trafficking, Marc Headley, Quicky, Sea Org
======================================
Scientology Wins Appeal In Lawsuit Alleging Forced Labor and Forced Abortions
July 24, 2012, Tony Ortega, Runnin' Scared, Village Voice
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/07/scientology_win_2.php
The Headleys California's federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today
posted its affirmation of a lower court's decision to dismiss a lawsuit
against the Church of Scientology brought by two of its former
employees, Marc and Claire Headley.
The Headleys had worked at Scientology's International Base near Hemet,
California until they left it in 2005.
They sued in 2009, claiming that as Sea Org members making about $50 a
week for 100-hour weeks of work and with the prospect of being hunted
down if they dared to leave, that they had been victims of human
trafficking violations. Claire also alleged that twice she had been
forced to have abortions in order to keep up that level of work, and
had been threatened that she would be separated from her husband and
kicked out if she didn't terminate her pregnancies.
Tags: 2002, 2004, 2005, 2009, Abortion, Appeal, California, Claire Headley,
David Miscavige, Facebook, Hemet, Human trafficking, Int Base, Judge Diarmuid
O'Scannlain, Lawsuit, Manhattan, Marc Headley, Marty Rathbun, Quicky, Scott
Pilutik, Sea Org, Suppressive Person, Tom Cruise, US Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals
======================================
Nicole Remini: John Travolta Has NOT Called Leah, Despite National Enquirer
Unnamed Source
July 24, 2013, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2013/07/24/nicole-remini-john-travolta-has-not-called-leah-despite-national-enquirer-unnamed-source/
Last week, Leah Remini's sister Nicole had to call bullshit on an
unnamed source who told the Chicago Sun-Times that Leah and Kirstie
Alley were "chatting" to make sure there was no "loss of friendship"
between the two. Didn't happen, Nicole told us.
Now, the National Enquirer is saying it talked to an unnamed source who
says Leah isn't accepting phone calls from John Travolta and Kelly
Preston, who just want to ask her what's going on.
This too, never happened, Nicole tells us.
Tags: 2000, 2004, 2010, Author Services Inc, Barbara Ruiz, Battlefield Earth,
Chicago Sun-Times, David Miscavige, Facebook, John Travolta, Karen de la
Carriere, Kelly Preston, Kirstie Alley, Leah Remini, Marty Rathbun, Mike
Rinder, National Enquirer, OT, Private investigator, Quicky, The Hole, Tom
Cruise
======================================
Scientology Continues to "Handle" the "Black PR" of Leah Remini's Defection
July 24, 2013, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2013/07/24/scientology-continues-to-handle-the-black-pr-of-leah-reminis-defection/
Scientology continues to "handle" the defection of Leah Remini and the
subsequent media uproar. We have now learned that the church has
produced a video about the controversy, and is asking Scientologists in
the Los Angeles area to come to local facilities to view it and learn
how to think about "Black PR" - Scientology jargon for negative press.
We have talked to numerous Scientologists who say they've been asked to
come down and view the video, and we've asked our sources to get us
details of what's being shown.
Meanwhile, we're told that there's more fallout for Remini herself as
Scientologists continue to "disconnect" from her on instructions from
the church
Tags: 2006, 2011, Angry Gay Pope, Brooklyn, Celebrity Centre, David
Miscavige, Disconnection, Donna Fiore, Freedom magazine, Geir Isene, George
Remini, J. Swift, Karen de la Carriere, King of Queens, Leah Remini, Los
Angeles, Mark Ebner, New York Post, OT, Quicky
======================================
The New GAE -- Golden Age of Execs
July 24, 2013, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/the-new-gae-golden-age-of-execs/
A report from one of our European Special Correspondents:
Have you heard about dm?s new squirrel quickie "Exec" training ("Golden
Age of Management and Exec Training"). 3 months in Idle LA Org, and you
are "Golden Age of Management Exec".
Take a look at this email from ED DK Day (After many years as a Senior
C/S he is now "converted" t to ED):
Tags: Denmark, Division 6, Europe, Ideal Org, Los Angeles, Quicky, Squirrel
======================================
A lawsuit over counseling credentials now aims at the essence of Scientology
July 24, 2014, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2014/07/24/a-lawsuit-over-counseling-credentials-now-aims-at-the-essence-of-scientology/
We have a few legal updates for you, and they involve the lawsuit filed
by the National Association of Forensic Counselors against
Scientology's drug rehab network, Narconon, many of its employees, and
Scientology's leader, David Miscavige, as well.
A total of 82 defendants are scrambling to deal with the lawsuit, which
alleges that they conspired to misuse the counseling certifications
that the NAFC regulates. Masterminding the conspiracy, the NAFC alleged
in its complaint, was Miscavige from his perch as the Chairman of the
Board of the Religious Technology Center (RTC), Scientology's nominally
controlling entity.
RTC responded by filing a motion to dismiss which is drawn from
Scientology's usual playbook. RTC has nothing to do with Narconon, its
attorneys argued in the motion, and it also has no connection to
Oklahoma, where Narconon's flagship facility is and where the lawsuit
is set. Former Scientology executives tell us that when the church was
restructured in the early 1980s, this was the goal they had in mind - a
Byzantine corporate fiction that would enable the top executives to
claim no involvement.
Tags: 1980, 1987, 1991, 1992, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, ABLE, AVC, Bridge to
Total Freedom, Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor, Chairman of the
Board, Church of Scientology International, CIA, Clearwater, David Miscavige,
David S. Lee, DC, Florida, France, Gary Smith, Ideal Org, John Travolta,
Jonny Jacobsen, Karla Taylor, Kirstie Alley, L. Ron Hubbard, Lisa McPherson,
Marty Rathbun, Miami, Mike Rinder, Monique Rathbun, NAFC v. Scientology,
Narconon, Narconon Arrowhead, Narconon Chilocco, Narconon of Oklahoma,
National Association of Forensic Counselors, New York City, Oklahoma, Oregon,
Org Board, Paris, Religious harassment, Religious Technology Center,
Scientology executive, Ted Koppel, Tom Cruise
======================================
Man causes disturbance, severs computer wires at Church of Scientology
July 24, 2014, Arin Mikailian, Glendale News-Press
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/tn-gnp-man-causes-disturbance-severs-computer-wires-at-church-of-scientology-20140724,0,2390083.story
Around 11 p.m., the suspect, described as a white male in his 30s,
entered the center at 2254 Honolulu Ave. and started causing a
disturbance, said Glendale Police Spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot.
A church employee asked the man to leave and escorted him out of the
building, Lightfoot said.
It was later found that the man had apparently cut the wires to
computers in the lobby by unknown means, leaving the severed wires
behind, she said.
Tags: Glendale
======================================
Scientologists accused of brainwashing French company's employees
July 24, 2014, RFI
http://www.english.rfi.fr/americas/20140724-scientologists-accused-brainwashing-french-company-s-employees
French prosecutors are investigating the Church of Scientology for
alleged harassment of the employees of a company whose boss had joined
the organisation. The workers claim that Scientologist trainers tried
to brainwash them and embezzled up to two millions euros from the firm.
The 12 employees of building firm Arcadia, based at
Voisins-le-Bretonneux near Paris, claim that Scientologists became
"omnipresent" in the business after their boss turned to the cult
following the death of one of his children in 2000.
Tags: France, Olivier Morice, Religious harassment, Versailles
======================================
Thursday Funnies
July 24, 2014, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/thursday-funnies/
Tony Ortega has Sunday Funnies.
Today, I have Thursday Funnies. Some Special Correspondents sent these
in and I could not withhold them from bringing a smile to the faces of
readers of this blog (especially as the posting coming up tomorrow is
one of the least funny things ever to appear on this blog).
This first is one of the funniest (saddest?) things I have seen in a
very long time.
Tags: David Miscavige, Quicky, Sea Org, Sunday Funnies, Thursday Funnies,
Tony Ortega
======================================
What Is The IAS Doing?
July 24, 2014, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
http://www.mikerindersblog.org/what-is-the-ias-doing/
You will be very pleased to know that the IAS is now informing their
public what they are spending their money on.
BUILDINGS!
Of course, the IAS doesn't waste money on things where there is no
return. Buying buildings sounds reasonable, until you understand a) the
building then becomes a church asset and b) in those areas that where
the IAS is funding their ideal org building, people are EXPECTED to
donate to the IAS "to purchase the building." Really, the IAS acts like
a bank - they front the money to buy the building (other people's money
- just like a bank) and then they collect the money back they fronted.
Tags: Africa, Bogot?, CCHR, Harlem, International Association of
Scientologists, Narconon, Quicky, Tokyo, Valencia, Vulture Culture
======================================
"General Hospital" Star Michelle Stafford Has Sneaked Scientology into
Nickelodeon
July 24, 2015, Roger Friedman, Showbiz 411
http://www.showbiz411.com/2015/07/24/general-hospital-star-michelle-stafford-has-sneaked-scientology-into-nickelodeon
Scientology may have been outed on HBO's "Going Clear" but it's going
strong at Nickelodeon.
The children network's Nickmom.com website is currently featuring short
films from Michelle Stafford, the extremely mannered actress who jumped
from one soap opera? "The Young and the Restless"? to another? "General
Hospital" last year.
Stafford is an avowed member of Scientology. So is her production:
everyone involved with her "Secret Mind of a Single Mom" is from
Scientology. Just about the entire credit list, from actors to crew,
are members of the cult.
Tags: David O'Donnell, General Hospital, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood,
and the Prison of Belief, HBO, John F. Kennedy, Michelle Stafford, Milton
Katselas, Mission Impossible, Operating Thetan, Quicky, Tom Cruise, Viacom
======================================
Long before Xenu: Scientology's actual origin story, as told by a former
member
July 24, 2015, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2015/07/24/long-before-xenu-scientologys-actual-origin-story-as-told-by-a-former-member/
We have a real treat for you today. Derek Bloch noticed that
Scientology's "Xenu" story that was made famous in South Park in 2005
and was given another great treatment in Alex Gibney's film Going Clear
this year (pictured above), is often referred to as Scientology's
"origin story." This is simply untrue. The Xenu incident, which
resulted in so many beings brought to and vaporized on Earth, took
place a mere 75 million years ago. But Scientology founder L. Ron
Hubbard claimed that the universe itself was some 4 quadrillion years
old, and that it had been created by "bored" thetans playing some kind
of game. Derek, a longtime presence here at the Underground Bunker,
submitted this essay to explain how he was taught to believe the
universe got here, and the narrative of the cosmos that he learned as a
member of the organization. Here, then, is the overall, overarching
purpose of Scientology, which rarely gets spelled out in such detail.
We hope you find it as fascinating as we did - and we'd really like to
hear from other former members of the church how much of this they were
aware of as they were working their way up the Bridge to Total Freedom.
Xenu is the most famous figure in Scientology to outsiders. His saga is
often touted as the "origin" story of the organization, similar to
Genesis in the Bible. However, as it always is with Scientology, things
are not as they seem.
Long before Xenu decided to turn Earth into a prison planet for
everyone that he thought would rebel against his regime, there were
disembodied energies floating throughout a universe of emptiness. In a
work called The Factors (1953), Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard
describes the inception of "theta" or the energy that creates life
itself, according to Scientology's scriptures. "In the beginning was a
decision, and the decision was to be," he says.
Tags: 1952, 1953, 2005, 2009, Africa, Alex Gibney, Austin, Bridge to Total
Freedom, California, Church of Spiritual Technology, Clear, David Gaiman, DC,
Derek Bloch, Fifth Invader Force, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and
the Prison of Belief, Houston, Irina Belyaeva, Matt Feshbach, Mission,
Monique Rathbun, New Mexico, OT, Quicky, San Antonio, South Park, Study Tech,
Texas, Tom Cruise, UK, Venus, Wyoming, Xenu
======================================
Parlez-vous Scientologist?
July 24, 2015, Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jul/24/oliver-burkeman-scientology-nounism
One of the strange things about Scientologists ? and yes, I'm aware
this sentence could end in several thousand legitimate ways ? is their
use of language. Recently, an interview in a Scientology magazine with
the actor Laura Prepon was leaked online, and arguably it didn't matter
much, since it was impossible to understand. Prepon spoke of
undertaking the "purification rundown", eliminating "mis-emotions" by
"doing my objectives", and explained how much easier life becomes "when
you really cognate that you are a Thetan". Other Scientologists talk of
"enturbulation" and "alter-isness", "randomity" and "out ethics",
almost as if their entire religion were dreamed up (cognated?) by a
pulp sci-fi author pulling everyone's leg.
Tags: Laura Prepon
======================================
Regraded Being
July 24, 2015, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/friday-regraded-being-10/
Tags: Quicky, Regraded Being
======================================
(VIDEO) Critical Q&A #67
July 24, 2016, Chris Shelton, Critical Thinker at Large
https://mncriticalthinking.com/2016/07/24/video-critical-qa-67/
The weekly show where I answer your questions based on what is left for
me in the comment sections of my Q&A videos or sent to me by email at
AskChri...@gmail.com. This week, th questions I take up are:
(1) I was wondering about Scientology's tax-exempt status. You always
hear that if Scientology lost its tax-exempt status in the U.S. that it
would pretty much be game over for them yet it seems like in 90% of the
countries they operate in around the world, they are not recognized as
a religion and don't get tax breaks. If being tax exempt here is such
an issue, how is that not a hindering factor for them everywhere else?
Do they funnel all the money from Europe, South America and elsewhere
to the safety of the American tax shelter? Do they enjoy tax exemption
anywhere else or just the U.S.? Would losing it truly end them or just
really hurt them?
(2) Is Scientology effective against drug and alcohol addiction? Have
people ever used Scientology to over come drugs and alcohol and become
clean and sober?
Tags: Critic, David Miscavige, Europe, L. Ron Hubbard, Leah Remini, Quicky,
Sea Org, Sec Check, South America, Tax exempt, Xenu
======================================
A billboard sprouts in Florida, and other Scientology chaos in our social
media review
July 24, 2016, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2016/07/24/a-billboard-sprouts-in-florida-and-other-scientology-chaos-in-our-social-media-review/
(Phil and Willie Jones yesterday at the dedication of their new Florida
billboard with Nora Crest, Valeska Paris, Derek Bloch, and Brian Sheen.
Photo by Chukicita.)
It's time again for Rod Keller's Scientology Social Media Review. He's
made a specialty of hunting down the odd and wonderful things
Scientologists post to the 'net. He's a chronicler who piece by piece
builds a highly detailed assessment of what Scientology is doing around
the world, and this is what he found for us this week...
Yesterday, Phil and Willie Jones dedicated their new billboard in
Largo, Florida, just a few miles from Scientology's spiritual mecca in
Clearwater. Phil sent us this report about how the day went...
Tags: 1998, 2017, Advanced Org, American Saint Hill Organization, Arthur
Maren, ASHO, Battlefield Earth, Bernard Fialkoff, Brian Sheen, Canada,
Caribbean, Carlos Garcia, Case Supervisor, Chick Corea, Class VI, Clear,
Clearwater, Copenhagen, Cosimo Sherman, Cult, DEA, Denmark, Derek Bloch,
Dianetics, Disconnection, El Salvador, Emily Jones, Europe, Florida,
Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Google, Guardian's Office, Harlem,
Hollywood, Ideal Org, Inglewood, International Association of Scientologists,
International Human Rights Commission, Ismail Tezemir, Italy, Jamie DeWolf,
Jim Little, John Goodwin, L. Ron Hubbard, Largo, Legal, Los Angeles, Maiden
Voyage, Meshell Little, Mike Rinder, Narconon, Narconon International,
Narconon Turkey, Nashville, Nigeria, Nora Crest, Quicky, Renovation, Rod
Keller, Saint Hill, San Diego, Scientology Media Productions, Sea Org, Sergio
Mattarella, Skip Young, Snow White Program, Social Media Review, Super Power
Building, Suzy Rowe, Tampa, Tampa Bay Times, Toronto, Turkey, Twitter, Ugo
Ferrando, United Nations, Valeska Paris, Vancouver, Warren Young, Willie Jones
======================================
Can Ipso apply in countries with strict press regulation? and with none?
July 24, 2016, Peter Preston, The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jul/24/tom-cruise-mail-online-ipso-press-regulation
T he problem Lord Justice Leveson couldn't begin to solve is coming
back to bite the press regulators he left behind. Simply, what happens
when you're dealing with a British newspaper's online operation based
in America, with American reporters writing about American celebrities
for a largely American audience? Otherwise known, in this first
headbanger of a case, as "Exclusive: inside the 'bromance' of Tom
Cruise and Scientology founder David Miscavige", a Mail Online special
that Miscavige took to the Independent Press Standards Organisation and
sort of won last week ? except that Ipso then set up its own inquiry to
try to address the more problematic issues involved.
The "bromance" itself isn't particularly significant. It featured a
series of interviews with former Scientologists saying Cruise had had
special treatment at the church's Gold Base headquarters. Miscavige
pleaded inaccuracies under clause one (facts) and won.
Mail Online hadn't given due weight to Miscavige's denials and had
failed to quote a Scientology spokesman's responses. "It had also
failed to provide a defence of the accuracy of the article, or its
decision not to publish a correction." Why not, pray? The Mail is a
huge defender of Ipso. But no: "The story had been written to comply
with American law and journalistic conventions, not the British
Editors' Code of Practice." So the paper declined to defend its story.
Tags: Australia, David Miscavige, Delaware, Independent Press Standards
Organisation, Int Base, Quicky, Tom Cruise, UK
======================================
Maiden Voyage Event 3
July 24, 2016, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/maiden-voyage-event-3/
The third event of the 2016 Maiden Voyage week of extravaganza seems to
have lived up to all that has gone before when it comes to IAS briefings.
Ridiculous hype about events in far off places that should strain even
the most ardent sheeple's credulity. Announced victories over destroyed
enemies - the same "victories" over psychiatry that have been announced
year after year. According to the impeccable news source Int Scn
News/David Miscavige, by this time psychiatry should have long since
ceased to exist, but in the real world they seem to be doing just fine
with new buildings that actually have people in them. And of course
there are the massive, milestone legal victories - yet 50 years on the
overall scene just doesn't seem to change with legal/government
problems all over the place.
But one thing is true: this IS what donations to the IAS buy - a huge
amount of hype and lies claiming accomplishments that do not exist.
Tags: Brussels, David Miscavige, DC, Europe, Foundation for a Drug-Free
World, International Association of Scientologists, Maiden Voyage, New York
City, OT, Quicky, United Nations, Washington
======================================
RAY JEFFREY TO JUDGE: ORDER RATHBUNS TO TURN OVER FINANCIAL RECORDS AND
TESTIFY
July 24, 2017, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2017/07/24/ray-jeffrey-to-judge-order-rathbuns-to-turn-over-financial-records-and-testify/
One of our court watchers in Texas stumbled on a stunning document: On
July 5, Monique Rathbun's former attorneys filed a petition in a San
Antonio court, asking for an order to compel their former clients,
Monique and Mark "Marty" Rathbun, to submit to depositions and turn
over detailed financial records. The attorneys - Ray Jeffrey, Elliott
Cappuccio, and Marc Wiegand - requested a July 25 hearing, but court
records show it's been set for August 29. We've put in a call to
Jeffrey to find out more.
We sent a message to the Rathbuns asking for comment, but we did not
receive a response.
Monique hired the three attorneys to represent her in a harassment
lawsuit she filed against the Church of Scientology in August 2013.
Monique alleged that she had suffered outrageous abuse because her
husband, a former top Scientology official, had decided in 2009 to
begin publicly criticizing his former boss, church leader David
Miscavige. (Monique herself was never a member of the church.) In
retaliation for Marty's statements at his website, Miscavige had the
Rathbuns followed, photographed, and harassed with pranks and
intimidation, Monique alleged. She believed the church went so far as
to have an adult toy mailed to her place of work, and had flowers sent
to her female co-worker with a romantic message that was supposedly
from Monique. On smear websites operated by Scientology, she said in
her legal complaint, "They have even alleged that I am not even a
woman, but a man who has had a secret sex-change operation. So, I have
even had my womanhood questioned as part of this sick campaign to
inflict maximum emotional distress on me."
Tags: 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, Amy Scobee, Bexar County, Chris Shelton,
CIA, Dani Lemberger, David Miscavige, Debbie Cook, Deposition, Elliott
Cappuccio, FBI, HowdyCon, IRS, Israel, John Brousseau, Judge Solomon Casseb,
Karen de la Carriere, Lawrence Wright, Leah Remini, Louis Theroux, Marc
Wiegand, Marty Rathbun, Mike Rinder, Monique Rathbun, My Scientology Movie,
Paul Haggis, Ray Jeffrey, Ron Miscavige, San Antonio, Steve Cannane, Texas,
Texas Third Court of Appeals, Tom DeVocht, Victoria Britton
======================================
Valley OTC Minutes (Seconds?)
July 24, 2017, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/valley-otc-minutes-seconds/
MINUTES
VALLEY ORG OT COMMITTEE MEETING
July 11, 2017
Tags: Barbara Wilson, Bob Welch, Chairman of the Board, Colleen Bigler, Dali
Bahat, Diane Temps, Field Staff Member, Freewinds, Gavin Potter, George
Goodrich, Heelah Cohen, Ideal Org, Jeff Mintz, Jennifer Jacobson, Karen
Brown, Kathy Welch, Lilach Yaary, Lisa Benest, Lisa London, Lynda Hubbard,
Mark Anderson, Mary Lee Krackow, Maryann O'Donnell, Nola Aronson, OT, OT
Committee, OT IX, OT VII, OT VIII, OT X, OTC, Patty Riemer, Quicky, Rochelle
Goodrich, Truth About Drugs, Vered Ziv
======================================
Flag is BOOMING (In their minds)
July 24, 2018, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/flag-is-booming-in-their-minds/
This is a report from the Flag local door-knocking campaign to
"recover" all the people who have faded from view.
Recognize that even these paltry figures are padded. Nobody reports
"stats" in scientology without inflating them to make it seem like
things are better. Probably the vast majority of the numbers
represented here came from knocking on the door of members of the OT
Committee and asking them what service they put their children on over
the summer holidays.
But even with that in mind - this is very revealing. Since January 2018
they have managed to get 569 people onto a "service." That is less than
100 per month.
Tags: Field Staff Member, IRS, Janice Kenne, Michael Chan, OT, OT Committee,
Quicky, Tampa
======================================
Scientology used an ice cream 'date' to run up $20,000 on senior's credit
cards
July 24, 2018, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2018/07/24/scientology-used-an-ice-cream-date-to-run-up-20k-on-seniors-credit-cards/
The day after we reported last week on the ordeal of 75-year-old Efrem
Logreira - who says the Church of Scientology ran up charges on his
credit cards for courses he would never take, and which cost him
thousands in interest payments - he heard from the church in a letter
disputing his numbers.
Until our story appeared, he had heard nothing from the Los Angeles Org
for months, despite sending numerous letters complaining about the way
he was being treated. He only joined Scientology last year, at 74, and
took a couple of introductory courses before running into problems with
a third course. The church then opened up numerous credit cards in his
name and put $73,000 in charges on them for various reasons, including
200 hours of auditing that he could never complete.
After being heard to complain about the long drives he was making to
the Los Angeles Org from where he was staying at a friend's house in
Palm Springs, Efrem was barred from entering Scientology's New Year's
event, held in December at the Shrine Auditorium in LA. Since then,
he's been sending letters demanding refunds from the church as the
interest charges on his credit cards have impoverished him.
Tags: Credit card fraud, Efrem Logreira, Facebook, Graham Berry, Los Angeles,
Los Angeles Org, New Year's Eve, Palm Springs, Refund, Shrine Auditorium
======================================
Bernier to unveil "new" immigration policy at Brampton rally
July 24, 2019, Kady O'Malley, iPolitics AM, iPolitics
https://ipolitics.ca/2019/07/24/ipolitics-am-bernier-to-unveil-new-immigration-policy-at-brampton-rally/
His self-founded fledgling right-of-centre People's Party may not be
showing much upward momentum in the polls, but Maxime Bernier is
nevertheless managing to clock just as many, if not more hours on the
mid-summer pre-campaign hustings as the other party leaders.
After spending the last few weeks criss-crossing the country, including
multi-day sprints through Alberta and Manitoba, Bernier is heading back
to the Greater Toronto Area to announce what the party-issued advisory
is billing as his "NEW policy on immigration, multiculturalism and
Canadian identity," which he'll unveil during an evening rally at a
Brampton banquet hall.
According to the official invite, the event will be "free" and "open to
the public," although those wishing to attend are instructed to
register online, as "capacity is limited."
Tags: Alberta, Andrew Scheer, Brampton, Brexit, Calgary, Canada, Canadian
Anti-Hate Network, Carolyn Bennett, DougWiki, Elizabeth May, First Nations,
Fredericton, Greater Toronto Area, Green Party, Indigenous, Manitoba, Maxime
Bernier, Muslim, Neo-Nazi, New Brunswick, Northern Guard, Quebec
======================================
Canada's New Partisan Media Are Poised To Ride A Facebook Wave To Election Day
July 24, 2019, Craig Silverman, Buzzfeed News
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/canada-partisan-media-ontario-proud-north99
Taylor Scollon says he knows what Canadians on Facebook want: content
about political issues that gets them fired up.
"Our mission is to advance a policy agenda, and so we tailor our
content to that. That's what's rewarded on social media platforms," he
said.
Scollon is one of the people behind North99, a nonprofit that uses
articles, memes, and videos to advance a left-wing policy agenda,
primarily on Facebook.
Over the past year or so, that has largely taken the form of attacking
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his policy decisions. And on Facebook, it
can get more traction than traditional news coverage.
Tags: 2018, Alberta Proud, Ali Taghva, Broadbent Institute, BuzzFeed, Canada,
Canada Proud, CBC, CBC News, Conservative Party of Canada, CTV News, Doug
Ford, DougWiki, Elizabeth Dubois, Facebook, Federal election, Geoff Sharpe,
Global News, Globe and Mail, Jeff Ballingall, Justin Trudeau, Kathleen Wynne,
Katrina, Katrina Miller, Matthew Azrieli, Montreal, National Post, North99,
Ontario, Ontario Liberal, Ontario New Democratic Party, Ontario Proud,
PressProgress, Taylor Scollon, The Post Millennial, Toronto Star, Twitter,
University of Ottawa, Yaakov Pollak
======================================
Doug Ford failing to keep his health care promises
July 24, 2019, Gordon Guyatt, Opinion, Toronto Star
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2019/07/24/doug-ford-failing-to-keep-his-health-care-promises.html
During his provincial election campaign, Doug Ford made extravagant
promises to remedy the ills afflicting publicly funded health care in
Ontario. Short of making any progress in addressing problems, the
premier's policies appear to represent backward steps.
In announcing his cabinet shuffle this month, Ford made an
extraordinary appointment that provides insight into the puzzling
disconnect between promises and policy.
The first of Ford's health care campaign promises was an end to
"hallway medicine" and hospital overcrowding. The campaign provided no
insights as to the innovations necessary to resolve this now chronic
hospital dilemma. Whatever the still-to-be-revealed innovations are,
they would require more, not less, resources.
Tags: 2013, Canada, Canada Health Act, Doug Ford, DougWiki, Ford government,
Health care cuts, Kitchener, McMaster University, Merrilee Fullerton,
Ontario, Ontario Health Coalition, Promises broken, Sudbury, Toronto, Waterloo
======================================
Doug Ford should get facts straight on 'not criminally responsible'
July 24, 2019, Editorial, Toronto Star
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2019/07/24/doug-ford-should-get-facts-straight-on-not-criminally-responsible.html
The public is right to be concerned that Cong went missing from
Toronto's Centre for Mental Health and Addictions (CAMH) earlier this
month, and apparently managed to leave the country. CAMH and Toronto
police have launched reviews of what happened, and the results must be
made public.
But Ford's misguided remarks show a lack of understanding of how the
law has evolved to take into account the impact of mental illness.
Worse, he appears to be ignorant of some core principles of the
criminal justice system.
For one thing, the system is set up to rarely "throw away the key."
Even the worst offenders are usually given a chance for parole.
Tags: 2000, 2005, 2014, 2015, British Columbia, Canada, Doug Ford, DougWiki,
McGill University, Mental Health, Ontario, Ontario Review Board, Quebec,
Statistics Canada, Toronto
======================================
Her run for the Ontario PCs ended after she tweeted about Islam, but Ghada
Melek is now a federal Conservative candidate
July 24, 2019, Tom Blackwell, Canada.com
https://beta.canada.com/news/politics/the-ontario-pcs-rejected-her-over-her-tweets-about-islam-but-ghada-melek-is-now-a-federal-conservative-candidate/wcm/e250d00e-f18f-4ca5-b974-730e80a20775/amp/
A financial consultant running for the federal Conservatives in a
Toronto-area riding was rejected as a candidate by the party's own
Ontario wing more than two years ago over social-media posts about
Muslim extremism, sources say.
Two people - a former provincial party official and a campaign
organizer familiar with the situation - told the National Post the
Ontario Progressive Conservative Party asked Ghada Melek to drop out of
the race for the provincial nomination in Mississauga-Streetsville.
Melek, however, denies the party rejected her, saying she withdrew "for
personal reasons."
Tags: 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, Andrew Scheer, Barack Obama, Canada, Christian,
Clarion Project, Detroit, Donald Trump, DougWiki, Egypt, Jesus, Kenya, Marcus
Mattinson, Mississauga, Mississauga-Streetsville, Muslim, Muslim Brotherhood,
National Post, Nina Tangri, Ontario, Progressive Conservative, Toronto,
Twitter
======================================
Inside Scientology's emergency San Fernando Valley confab, planning for US
takeover
July 24, 2019, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2019/07/24/inside-scientologys-emergency-san-fernando-valley-planning-meeting-for-us-takeover/
On Monday, we heard from a Los Angeles reader that Scientology had done
something kind of unusual, changing its annual "Maiden Voyage" schedule
in order to create a last-minute "convention," scheduled for this
Saturday on L. Ron Hubbard Way, as well as an "IDEAL USA" confab that
was held this past weekend at the Valley Org.
Our correspondent suspected that the hurried reschedulings and
breathless promotion was really about a desperate effort to recruit new
staff members for some "Ideal Orgs" that are about to open in parts of
the country almost bereft of Scientologists.
Perhaps that's the reason, perhaps not. But another LA-area reader
pitched in with another peek inside what Scientology is up to: The
agenda for this past weekend's shindig at the Valley Org. We found it
pretty fascinating, and we knew you'd want to see it as well.
Tags: Anti-vaxx, Chick Corea, Conscience Coalition, David Miscavige, DC, DEA,
Facebook, GoFundMe, Greg Mitchell, Ideal Org, James Barbour, L. Ron Hubbard
Way, Lobbyist, Los Angeles, Maiden Voyage, Quicky, Renee Bessone, Rod Keller,
Sacramento, San Fernando Valley, USA
======================================
Kenney wrongly accuses federal Liberals of $2.5M grant to attack energy
industry
July 24, 2019, Michelle Bellefontaine, CBC News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/kenney-wrongly-accuses-federal-liberals-of-2-5m-grant-to-attack-energy-industry-1.5224096
Premier Jason Kenney accused the federal Liberals on Wednesday of
approving a $2.5-million grant to a "left wing special interest group"
that was, in fact, made by the previous Conservative government under
former prime minister Stephen Harper. .
Kenney made the claim while retweeting an op-ed from Canadian
Taxpayers' Federation published in the Edmonton Sun on Tuesday.
"The federal government benefits massively from taxes generated by our
oil & gas industry & workers," the tweet read. "So why did the Trudeau
Liberals give $2.5 million to a left wing special interest group to
attack our energy industry?"
Tags: 2015, Alberta, Canada, Canadian Taxpayers Federation, DougWiki,
Edmonton Sun, Federal election, Jason Kenney, Justin Trudeau, Stephen Harper,
Tax, Trudeau government, Twitter, University of Victoria
======================================
Maxime Bernier says his party would cap immigration levels at 150K
July 24, 2019, Salimah Shivji, CBC News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/maxime-bernier-immigration-speech-mississauga-1.5224114
A People's Party of Canada government would lower the number of
immigrants Canada accepts to between 100,000 and 150,000 per year - a
level not seen since 1986 - party leader Maxime Bernier pledged in a
policy speech Wednesday evening.
That's a number significantly lower than the 250,000 cap Bernier
pitched while running for the leadership of the Conservative Party of
Canada two years ago.
In a speech in Mississauga, Ont. Wednesday night, the MP for Beauce
took aim at what he called a policy of "extreme multiculturalism" and
accused the Liberals of "putting Canada on a road to destruction"
through Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "globalist vision."
Tags: 1986, 2020, Andrew Scheer, Canada, Canada Border Services Agency,
Conservative Party of Canada, Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau, Kellie Leitch,
Maxime Bernier, Mississauga, People's Party of Canada, Quicky, Winnipeg
======================================
People's Party of Canada calls anti-racist a 'terrorist' after gallery
cancels political rally
July 24, 2019, Carol Sanders, Winnipeg Free Press
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/peoples-party-of-canada-calls-anti-racist-a-terrorist-after-gallery-cancels-political-rally-513145482.html
A Winnipeg police spokesman said it was not an act of terrorism for
Kinnarath to convince Miller to cancel the gallery rental.
The director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism at the
University of Ontario Institute of Technology said far-right groups
often label anti-racist activists as "terrorists."
"That's become a favourite trope of the far-right," said Prof. Barbara
Perry, a sociologist. "We saw it here in Toronto after the Pride parade.
"
Tags: 2017, Barbara Perry, Calgary, DougWiki, Facebook, Federal election,
Independent, LGBTQ, Maxime Bernier, Ontario, People's Party of Canada,
Stephen Harper, Toronto, Winnipeg
======================================
Scheer accuses Liberals of exaggerating over his call to review Canada Food
Guide
July 24, 2019, Canadian Press, CTV News
https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/scheer-accuses-liberals-of-exaggerating-over-his-call-to-review-canada-food-guide-1.4521204
The new guide did away with traditional food groups and portion sizes
and focused instead on broader guidelines, including eating more
plant-based protein and drinking more water.
Last week, Scheer drew the Liberals' ire after he told dairy farmers in
Saskatoon the new guide is flawed and needs review.
The Liberals say the guide has received an overwhelmingly positive
response, including from nutrition experts. They allege Scheer is
bowing to special interests and declaring war on Health Canada's
research.
Tags: Andrew Scheer, Canada, Canadian Press, DougWiki, Food Guide, Health
Canada, Montreal, Saskatoon
======================================
Today in Scientlology web page:
http://umbraxenu.no-ip.biz/today.html
July 24 in Scientlology web page:
http://umbraxenu.no-ip.biz/days/07-24.html
======================================
Of Two Minds
July 24, 1950, Time magazine
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,812852,00.html
A new cult is smoldering through the U.S. underbrush. Its name:
dianetics. Last week its bible, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental
Health, was steadily climbing the U.S. bestseller lists. Demand was
especially heavy on the West Coast. Bookstores in Los Angeles were
selling Dianetics on an under-the-counter basis. Armed with the manual,
which they called simply "The Book," fanatical converts overflowed
Saturday night meetings in Hollywood, held dianetics parties, formed
clubs, and "audited" (treated) each other.
Tags: Dianetics, Frank Dessler, Jean Bordeaux, L. Ron Hubbard, Pauline
Pumphrey, Vernon Twitchell
======================================
Court Ends $1-Billion Suit Alleging Scientology Fraud
July 24, 1988, Los Angeles Times
http://articles.latimes.com/1988-07-24/local/me-10335_1_church-members
A Los Angles Superior Court judge Friday dismissed a $1-billion
class-action lawsuit filed by former members of the Church of
Scientology accusing its late founder of stealing money from the
organization and threatening critics.
Judge Barnet Cooperman ruled that the plaintiffs failed to successfully
back up their allegations of fraud and breach of fiduciary
responsibility.
The suit was filed in January, 1987, by six former Scientologists and
the organization Freedom for All in Religion, which claims to represent
as many as 400 former church followers.
Tags: Freedom for All in Religion, Heber Jentzsch, Judge Cooperman, Lawrence
Levy, Legal, Mary Maren
======================================
Charter School Bid Draws Scrutiny
July 24, 1997, Duke Helfand, Los Angeles Times
http://articles.latimes.com/1997/jul/24/local/me-15895
A proposed charter school in the east San Fernando Valley is receiving
close scrutiny from Los Angeles Unified School District officials who
are concerned about the organizer's ties to the Church of Scientology
and are questioning whether church teachings would appear in the new
public school.
Advocates of the Northwest Charter School acknowledge that they want to
employ teaching methods developed by Scientology founder L. Ron
Hubbard, but say his system emphasizes common-sense strategies
appropriate for a public school setting and children of any religion.
Tags: Applied Scholastics, Ian Lyons, Linda Smith, Northwest Charter School,
Study Technology
======================================
Bridge to Total Freedom a lifetime commitment
July 24, 2005, Alana Semuels, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
https://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05205/542900.stm
Some say it's the only true way toward a happier existence. Others
label it a new religion that soon will be accepted in society, like the
Mormon Church. And then there are the people who call it a cult.
Scientology has been called many things in its half century of
existence, and even now, it is a controversial organization.
======================================
From the outside, looking in
July 24, 2005, Alana Semuels, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
https://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05205/542899-85.stm
Some of the things Chuck Beatty says he's done over the past 30 years
sound like scenes from a science fiction movie.
Signing over a billion years of his current and future lives to service.
Hiding from German news helicopters flying over the California camp
where he lived. Spending more than six years doing hard labor under
constant monitoring by his peers.
But Beatty, 53, now of Carnegie, says he was just one of the many
faithful members of the Sea Organization, an intense division of the
Church of Scientology. In 2004, Beatty left behind the life that had
enveloped him for nearly three decades and moved to Pittsburgh from Los
Angeles to assist other people interested in leaving, since he knows
how difficult it is.
Tags: Chuck Beatty, David Bromley, Jim Richardson, Rebecca Denova,
Rehabilitation Project Force, Sea Org, Stephen Kent
======================================
L. Ron Hubbard, founder
July 24, 2005, Virginia Linn, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
https://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05205/542267.stm
As the popularity of Scientology grew, so did the controversy
surrounding it. Hubbard has been called a charismatic Renaissance man
by admirers and a quack by critics.
======================================
Scientology comes to town
July 24, 2005, Virginia Linn, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
https://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05205/542895.stm
Although the office opened here with little fanfare, Scientologists
have high hopes for its growth as they try to regain a foothold in the
region after a false start in Washington County.
Tags: David Touretzky, Detox
======================================
Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg Spat Explained
July 24, 2006, Newsmax.com
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/7/24/125732.shtml?s=icp
The New Yorker points out: "According to two close friends of
Spielberg, Page Six was accurate, although the item did not note the
real source of Spielberg's anger: After he mentioned to Cruise the name
of a doctor - a friend - who prescribed Ritalin, the doctor's office
was picketed by Scientologists."
Tags: Bert Fields, Brooke Shields, CCHR, Matt Lauer, Steven Spielberg, Tom
Cruise
======================================
Armenian gets 22 years in arms-trafficking sting
July 24, 2007, AP, KWGN
http://www.kwgn.com/pages/landing_national/?Armenian-gets-22-years-in-arms-trafficki=1&blockID=232759&feedID=23
An Armenian immigrant was sentenced Friday to 22 years in prison for
plotting to sell anti-aircraft missiles and other military weapons from
the former Soviet Union to an FBI informant.
"I should have known better," Artur Solomonyan, 30, told a federal
judge before learning his sentence. He said he had been irresponsible
but got caught up in the scheme because he thought the informant could
get him a green card.
Prosecutors said Solomonyan led a ring that conspired to import
shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, rocket-propelled grenade
launchers, anti-tank guided missiles and other weapons without a
license. The only weapons actually delivered were a dozen firearms,
including a machine gun.
Solomonyan and five co-defendants were convicted in July of charges
including arms trafficking and firearms trafficking conspiracy.
Tags: Artur Solomonyan
======================================
Armenian immigrant and 5 others convicted of military-weapons charges in FBI
sting
July 24, 2007, Larry Neumeister, Associated Press, Union Tribune
http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20070724-1316-weaponssmuggling.html
An Armenian immigrant accused of plotting to sell anti-aircraft
missiles and other military weapons from the former Soviet Union to an
FBI informant was convicted Tuesday along with five co-defendants.
Artur Solomonyan could face up to life in prison on charges including
arms trafficking conspiracy, firearms trafficking conspiracy,
interstate firearms trafficking and illegal transfer and possession of
a machine gun.
Tags: Artur Solomonyan
======================================
For Xenu's sake, hear your kooky co-worker out
July 24, 2007, David Eddie, Globe and Mail
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070724.l-damage24/BNStory/lifeFamily/home
======================================
'Anonymous' plans mass Scientology protest
July 24, 2008, Daily Telegraph
https://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24070462-5006003,00.html
A SHADOWY web-based protest group is apparently planning a global
demonstration against Scientology next month, publishing its creepy
"training video" the internet.
The group, calling itself Anonymous has already staged demonstrations
against Scientology in Australia and around the but now plans an even
bigger international event on August 16.
Tags: Anonymous
======================================
13 The E-Meter Experts
July 24, 2009, Jonny Jacobsen, Infinite Complacency
http://infinitecomplacency.blogspot.com/2009/07/13-e-meter-experts_24.html
Day 5, June 3: Scientology called two expert witnesses to defend the
effectiveness of the e-meter used in their counselling sessions - but
did not quite get what they had bargained for.
At the start of the day's proceedings, Judge Sophie-H?l?ne Ch?teau had
read out a fax from one of the court-appointed experts in the case, a M.
Ionesco.
Ionesco had written a report in 1993 on the electrometer, a device used
in Scientology's counselling sessions, for an earlier trial involving
Scientology in Lyon, in 1996.
Tags: 1952, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2003, 2004, Aberree, Alain Rosenberg, Auditing,
Catholic, Dianetics, E-meter, Judge Sophie-H?l?ne Ch?teau, Lyon, Olivier
Morice, Quicky, Tone Scale, Volney Mathison
======================================
13b Annexe to 13 The E-Meter Experts
July 24, 2009, Jonny Jacobsen, Infinite Complacency
http://infinitecomplacency.blogspot.com/2009/07/note-5-kirchner-on-e-meter.html
Here's a short annexe on why one expert thought that Scientologists
didn't know how to operate their own e-meter .
From " The E-Meter Experts ":
Curiously enough, when Kirchner drew up his 1994 report, it had been
the defendant Alain Rosenberg who had demonstrated the use of the
e-meter for him. But according to Kirchner, Rosenberg had not only
failed to observe this basic zero-reading procedure but had made
another mistake that rendered the readings meaningless.
Tags: 1994, Alain Rosenberg, Bruce Hines, David Touretzky, E-meter, Kirstie
Alley, Nicole Kidman, Quicky
======================================
Angry computer expert attacked Scientologist - during a stress test
July 24, 2010, Dan Thompson, Manchester Evening News
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1302688_angry_computer_expert_attacked_scientologist__during_a_stress_test
Matthew Hickey, 26, walked into the Church of Scientology's Deansgate
branch in Manchester after having a drunken row with his girlfriend. He
became angry when he was hooked up to an 'E-meter' stress-testing
machine and grabbed tester Brandon Sandler by the tie. Hickey admitted
assault at Manchester Magistrates' Court.
Tags: Assault, Brandon Sandler, E-meter, Joe Rawlings, Manchester, Matthew
Hickey, Stress test, UK
======================================
Rosalie Hamilton
July 24, 2011, Marty Rathbun, Moving On Up a Little Higher
https://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/rosalie-hamilton/
Rosalie Hamilton
Email I sent June 24, 2011:
Sent only to my small group of dear friends who share my spiritual
quest ?
Tags: 1984, 1989, 1999, 2002, ASHO, Basics, Clear, Clearwater, CNN, DC,
Ethics, Independent, L. Ron Hubbard, Los Angeles, Office of Special Affairs,
OT, OT 7, OT III, Potential Trouble Source, Quicky, Sea Org, St. Petersburg
Times, Tommy Davis
======================================
Deaths bring probe of Narconon facility in Oklahoma
July 24, 2012, Sheila Stogsdill, Tulsa World
https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/state/deaths-bring-probe-of-narconon-facility-in-oklahoma/article_a1a7f9b9-8ed7-5baf-9c74-cfaf8439febc.html
A Pittsburg County drug rehabilitation center is under investigation
after a third patient died within a nine-month period, Sheriff Joel
Kerns said Monday.
The death of Stacy Dawn Murphy, 20, of Owasso is the latest in a string
of deaths at Narconon Arrowhead.
Tags: Death, Destanie Ramsey, Gabriel Graves, Gary Smith, Hillary Holten,
Jessica Brown, Joel Kerns, Kaysie Werninck, Narconon, Narconon Arrowhead,
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Pittsburg County, Robert
Murphy, Stacy Murphy
======================================
Germany Treats Scientology as a Threat to Democracy. The U.S. Should Too.
July 24, 2012, James Kirchick, Tablet Magazine
http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/105996/scientology-is-not-a-religion
Tags: Germany
======================================
Headley Case Dismissal Upheld
July 24, 2012, Marty Rathbun, Moving On Up a Little Higher
https://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/headley-case-dismissal-upheld/
The dismissal of Marc and Claire Headley's case against Scientology Inc.
was upheld by the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
headley case 9th Circuit opinion
The lawyer who originally filed the case did Marc and Claire a
disservice by putting all their eggs in the Human Trafficking issue
basket. Note, the counsel who argued the case in the 9th Circuit for
the Headleys - not the same lawyer who brought the case in the first
place - did a noble job with what she had been given to work with.
Tags: Abortion, Appeal, Barry Van Sickle, Claire Headley, David Miscavige,
Human trafficking, Marc Headley, Quicky, Sea Org
======================================
Scientology Wins Appeal In Lawsuit Alleging Forced Labor and Forced Abortions
July 24, 2012, Tony Ortega, Runnin' Scared, Village Voice
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/07/scientology_win_2.php
The Headleys California's federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today
posted its affirmation of a lower court's decision to dismiss a lawsuit
against the Church of Scientology brought by two of its former
employees, Marc and Claire Headley.
The Headleys had worked at Scientology's International Base near Hemet,
California until they left it in 2005.
They sued in 2009, claiming that as Sea Org members making about $50 a
week for 100-hour weeks of work and with the prospect of being hunted
down if they dared to leave, that they had been victims of human
trafficking violations. Claire also alleged that twice she had been
forced to have abortions in order to keep up that level of work, and
had been threatened that she would be separated from her husband and
kicked out if she didn't terminate her pregnancies.
Tags: 2002, 2004, 2005, 2009, Abortion, Appeal, California, Claire Headley,
David Miscavige, Facebook, Hemet, Human trafficking, Int Base, Judge Diarmuid
O'Scannlain, Lawsuit, Manhattan, Marc Headley, Marty Rathbun, Quicky, Scott
Pilutik, Sea Org, Suppressive Person, Tom Cruise, US Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals
======================================
Nicole Remini: John Travolta Has NOT Called Leah, Despite National Enquirer
Unnamed Source
July 24, 2013, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2013/07/24/nicole-remini-john-travolta-has-not-called-leah-despite-national-enquirer-unnamed-source/
Last week, Leah Remini's sister Nicole had to call bullshit on an
unnamed source who told the Chicago Sun-Times that Leah and Kirstie
Alley were "chatting" to make sure there was no "loss of friendship"
between the two. Didn't happen, Nicole told us.
Now, the National Enquirer is saying it talked to an unnamed source who
says Leah isn't accepting phone calls from John Travolta and Kelly
Preston, who just want to ask her what's going on.
This too, never happened, Nicole tells us.
Tags: 2000, 2004, 2010, Author Services Inc, Barbara Ruiz, Battlefield Earth,
Chicago Sun-Times, David Miscavige, Facebook, John Travolta, Karen de la
Carriere, Kelly Preston, Kirstie Alley, Leah Remini, Marty Rathbun, Mike
Rinder, National Enquirer, OT, Private investigator, Quicky, The Hole, Tom
Cruise
======================================
Scientology Continues to "Handle" the "Black PR" of Leah Remini's Defection
July 24, 2013, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2013/07/24/scientology-continues-to-handle-the-black-pr-of-leah-reminis-defection/
Scientology continues to "handle" the defection of Leah Remini and the
subsequent media uproar. We have now learned that the church has
produced a video about the controversy, and is asking Scientologists in
the Los Angeles area to come to local facilities to view it and learn
how to think about "Black PR" - Scientology jargon for negative press.
We have talked to numerous Scientologists who say they've been asked to
come down and view the video, and we've asked our sources to get us
details of what's being shown.
Meanwhile, we're told that there's more fallout for Remini herself as
Scientologists continue to "disconnect" from her on instructions from
the church
Tags: 2006, 2011, Angry Gay Pope, Brooklyn, Celebrity Centre, David
Miscavige, Disconnection, Donna Fiore, Freedom magazine, Geir Isene, George
Remini, J. Swift, Karen de la Carriere, King of Queens, Leah Remini, Los
Angeles, Mark Ebner, New York Post, OT, Quicky
======================================
The New GAE -- Golden Age of Execs
July 24, 2013, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/the-new-gae-golden-age-of-execs/
A report from one of our European Special Correspondents:
Have you heard about dm?s new squirrel quickie "Exec" training ("Golden
Age of Management and Exec Training"). 3 months in Idle LA Org, and you
are "Golden Age of Management Exec".
Take a look at this email from ED DK Day (After many years as a Senior
C/S he is now "converted" t to ED):
Tags: Denmark, Division 6, Europe, Ideal Org, Los Angeles, Quicky, Squirrel
======================================
A lawsuit over counseling credentials now aims at the essence of Scientology
July 24, 2014, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2014/07/24/a-lawsuit-over-counseling-credentials-now-aims-at-the-essence-of-scientology/
We have a few legal updates for you, and they involve the lawsuit filed
by the National Association of Forensic Counselors against
Scientology's drug rehab network, Narconon, many of its employees, and
Scientology's leader, David Miscavige, as well.
A total of 82 defendants are scrambling to deal with the lawsuit, which
alleges that they conspired to misuse the counseling certifications
that the NAFC regulates. Masterminding the conspiracy, the NAFC alleged
in its complaint, was Miscavige from his perch as the Chairman of the
Board of the Religious Technology Center (RTC), Scientology's nominally
controlling entity.
RTC responded by filing a motion to dismiss which is drawn from
Scientology's usual playbook. RTC has nothing to do with Narconon, its
attorneys argued in the motion, and it also has no connection to
Oklahoma, where Narconon's flagship facility is and where the lawsuit
is set. Former Scientology executives tell us that when the church was
restructured in the early 1980s, this was the goal they had in mind - a
Byzantine corporate fiction that would enable the top executives to
claim no involvement.
Tags: 1980, 1987, 1991, 1992, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, ABLE, AVC, Bridge to
Total Freedom, Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor, Chairman of the
Board, Church of Scientology International, CIA, Clearwater, David Miscavige,
David S. Lee, DC, Florida, France, Gary Smith, Ideal Org, John Travolta,
Jonny Jacobsen, Karla Taylor, Kirstie Alley, L. Ron Hubbard, Lisa McPherson,
Marty Rathbun, Miami, Mike Rinder, Monique Rathbun, NAFC v. Scientology,
Narconon, Narconon Arrowhead, Narconon Chilocco, Narconon of Oklahoma,
National Association of Forensic Counselors, New York City, Oklahoma, Oregon,
Org Board, Paris, Religious harassment, Religious Technology Center,
Scientology executive, Ted Koppel, Tom Cruise
======================================
Man causes disturbance, severs computer wires at Church of Scientology
July 24, 2014, Arin Mikailian, Glendale News-Press
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/tn-gnp-man-causes-disturbance-severs-computer-wires-at-church-of-scientology-20140724,0,2390083.story
Around 11 p.m., the suspect, described as a white male in his 30s,
entered the center at 2254 Honolulu Ave. and started causing a
disturbance, said Glendale Police Spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot.
A church employee asked the man to leave and escorted him out of the
building, Lightfoot said.
It was later found that the man had apparently cut the wires to
computers in the lobby by unknown means, leaving the severed wires
behind, she said.
Tags: Glendale
======================================
Scientologists accused of brainwashing French company's employees
July 24, 2014, RFI
http://www.english.rfi.fr/americas/20140724-scientologists-accused-brainwashing-french-company-s-employees
French prosecutors are investigating the Church of Scientology for
alleged harassment of the employees of a company whose boss had joined
the organisation. The workers claim that Scientologist trainers tried
to brainwash them and embezzled up to two millions euros from the firm.
The 12 employees of building firm Arcadia, based at
Voisins-le-Bretonneux near Paris, claim that Scientologists became
"omnipresent" in the business after their boss turned to the cult
following the death of one of his children in 2000.
Tags: France, Olivier Morice, Religious harassment, Versailles
======================================
Thursday Funnies
July 24, 2014, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/thursday-funnies/
Tony Ortega has Sunday Funnies.
Today, I have Thursday Funnies. Some Special Correspondents sent these
in and I could not withhold them from bringing a smile to the faces of
readers of this blog (especially as the posting coming up tomorrow is
one of the least funny things ever to appear on this blog).
This first is one of the funniest (saddest?) things I have seen in a
very long time.
Tags: David Miscavige, Quicky, Sea Org, Sunday Funnies, Thursday Funnies,
Tony Ortega
======================================
What Is The IAS Doing?
July 24, 2014, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
http://www.mikerindersblog.org/what-is-the-ias-doing/
You will be very pleased to know that the IAS is now informing their
public what they are spending their money on.
BUILDINGS!
Of course, the IAS doesn't waste money on things where there is no
return. Buying buildings sounds reasonable, until you understand a) the
building then becomes a church asset and b) in those areas that where
the IAS is funding their ideal org building, people are EXPECTED to
donate to the IAS "to purchase the building." Really, the IAS acts like
a bank - they front the money to buy the building (other people's money
- just like a bank) and then they collect the money back they fronted.
Tags: Africa, Bogot?, CCHR, Harlem, International Association of
Scientologists, Narconon, Quicky, Tokyo, Valencia, Vulture Culture
======================================
"General Hospital" Star Michelle Stafford Has Sneaked Scientology into
Nickelodeon
July 24, 2015, Roger Friedman, Showbiz 411
http://www.showbiz411.com/2015/07/24/general-hospital-star-michelle-stafford-has-sneaked-scientology-into-nickelodeon
Scientology may have been outed on HBO's "Going Clear" but it's going
strong at Nickelodeon.
The children network's Nickmom.com website is currently featuring short
films from Michelle Stafford, the extremely mannered actress who jumped
from one soap opera? "The Young and the Restless"? to another? "General
Hospital" last year.
Stafford is an avowed member of Scientology. So is her production:
everyone involved with her "Secret Mind of a Single Mom" is from
Scientology. Just about the entire credit list, from actors to crew,
are members of the cult.
Tags: David O'Donnell, General Hospital, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood,
and the Prison of Belief, HBO, John F. Kennedy, Michelle Stafford, Milton
Katselas, Mission Impossible, Operating Thetan, Quicky, Tom Cruise, Viacom
======================================
Long before Xenu: Scientology's actual origin story, as told by a former
member
July 24, 2015, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2015/07/24/long-before-xenu-scientologys-actual-origin-story-as-told-by-a-former-member/
We have a real treat for you today. Derek Bloch noticed that
Scientology's "Xenu" story that was made famous in South Park in 2005
and was given another great treatment in Alex Gibney's film Going Clear
this year (pictured above), is often referred to as Scientology's
"origin story." This is simply untrue. The Xenu incident, which
resulted in so many beings brought to and vaporized on Earth, took
place a mere 75 million years ago. But Scientology founder L. Ron
Hubbard claimed that the universe itself was some 4 quadrillion years
old, and that it had been created by "bored" thetans playing some kind
of game. Derek, a longtime presence here at the Underground Bunker,
submitted this essay to explain how he was taught to believe the
universe got here, and the narrative of the cosmos that he learned as a
member of the organization. Here, then, is the overall, overarching
purpose of Scientology, which rarely gets spelled out in such detail.
We hope you find it as fascinating as we did - and we'd really like to
hear from other former members of the church how much of this they were
aware of as they were working their way up the Bridge to Total Freedom.
Xenu is the most famous figure in Scientology to outsiders. His saga is
often touted as the "origin" story of the organization, similar to
Genesis in the Bible. However, as it always is with Scientology, things
are not as they seem.
Long before Xenu decided to turn Earth into a prison planet for
everyone that he thought would rebel against his regime, there were
disembodied energies floating throughout a universe of emptiness. In a
work called The Factors (1953), Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard
describes the inception of "theta" or the energy that creates life
itself, according to Scientology's scriptures. "In the beginning was a
decision, and the decision was to be," he says.
Tags: 1952, 1953, 2005, 2009, Africa, Alex Gibney, Austin, Bridge to Total
Freedom, California, Church of Spiritual Technology, Clear, David Gaiman, DC,
Derek Bloch, Fifth Invader Force, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and
the Prison of Belief, Houston, Irina Belyaeva, Matt Feshbach, Mission,
Monique Rathbun, New Mexico, OT, Quicky, San Antonio, South Park, Study Tech,
Texas, Tom Cruise, UK, Venus, Wyoming, Xenu
======================================
Parlez-vous Scientologist?
July 24, 2015, Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jul/24/oliver-burkeman-scientology-nounism
One of the strange things about Scientologists ? and yes, I'm aware
this sentence could end in several thousand legitimate ways ? is their
use of language. Recently, an interview in a Scientology magazine with
the actor Laura Prepon was leaked online, and arguably it didn't matter
much, since it was impossible to understand. Prepon spoke of
undertaking the "purification rundown", eliminating "mis-emotions" by
"doing my objectives", and explained how much easier life becomes "when
you really cognate that you are a Thetan". Other Scientologists talk of
"enturbulation" and "alter-isness", "randomity" and "out ethics",
almost as if their entire religion were dreamed up (cognated?) by a
pulp sci-fi author pulling everyone's leg.
Tags: Laura Prepon
======================================
Regraded Being
July 24, 2015, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/friday-regraded-being-10/
Tags: Quicky, Regraded Being
======================================
(VIDEO) Critical Q&A #67
July 24, 2016, Chris Shelton, Critical Thinker at Large
https://mncriticalthinking.com/2016/07/24/video-critical-qa-67/
The weekly show where I answer your questions based on what is left for
me in the comment sections of my Q&A videos or sent to me by email at
AskChri...@gmail.com. This week, th questions I take up are:
(1) I was wondering about Scientology's tax-exempt status. You always
hear that if Scientology lost its tax-exempt status in the U.S. that it
would pretty much be game over for them yet it seems like in 90% of the
countries they operate in around the world, they are not recognized as
a religion and don't get tax breaks. If being tax exempt here is such
an issue, how is that not a hindering factor for them everywhere else?
Do they funnel all the money from Europe, South America and elsewhere
to the safety of the American tax shelter? Do they enjoy tax exemption
anywhere else or just the U.S.? Would losing it truly end them or just
really hurt them?
(2) Is Scientology effective against drug and alcohol addiction? Have
people ever used Scientology to over come drugs and alcohol and become
clean and sober?
Tags: Critic, David Miscavige, Europe, L. Ron Hubbard, Leah Remini, Quicky,
Sea Org, Sec Check, South America, Tax exempt, Xenu
======================================
A billboard sprouts in Florida, and other Scientology chaos in our social
media review
July 24, 2016, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2016/07/24/a-billboard-sprouts-in-florida-and-other-scientology-chaos-in-our-social-media-review/
(Phil and Willie Jones yesterday at the dedication of their new Florida
billboard with Nora Crest, Valeska Paris, Derek Bloch, and Brian Sheen.
Photo by Chukicita.)
It's time again for Rod Keller's Scientology Social Media Review. He's
made a specialty of hunting down the odd and wonderful things
Scientologists post to the 'net. He's a chronicler who piece by piece
builds a highly detailed assessment of what Scientology is doing around
the world, and this is what he found for us this week...
Yesterday, Phil and Willie Jones dedicated their new billboard in
Largo, Florida, just a few miles from Scientology's spiritual mecca in
Clearwater. Phil sent us this report about how the day went...
Tags: 1998, 2017, Advanced Org, American Saint Hill Organization, Arthur
Maren, ASHO, Battlefield Earth, Bernard Fialkoff, Brian Sheen, Canada,
Caribbean, Carlos Garcia, Case Supervisor, Chick Corea, Class VI, Clear,
Clearwater, Copenhagen, Cosimo Sherman, Cult, DEA, Denmark, Derek Bloch,
Dianetics, Disconnection, El Salvador, Emily Jones, Europe, Florida,
Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Google, Guardian's Office, Harlem,
Hollywood, Ideal Org, Inglewood, International Association of Scientologists,
International Human Rights Commission, Ismail Tezemir, Italy, Jamie DeWolf,
Jim Little, John Goodwin, L. Ron Hubbard, Largo, Legal, Los Angeles, Maiden
Voyage, Meshell Little, Mike Rinder, Narconon, Narconon International,
Narconon Turkey, Nashville, Nigeria, Nora Crest, Quicky, Renovation, Rod
Keller, Saint Hill, San Diego, Scientology Media Productions, Sea Org, Sergio
Mattarella, Skip Young, Snow White Program, Social Media Review, Super Power
Building, Suzy Rowe, Tampa, Tampa Bay Times, Toronto, Turkey, Twitter, Ugo
Ferrando, United Nations, Valeska Paris, Vancouver, Warren Young, Willie Jones
======================================
Can Ipso apply in countries with strict press regulation? and with none?
July 24, 2016, Peter Preston, The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jul/24/tom-cruise-mail-online-ipso-press-regulation
T he problem Lord Justice Leveson couldn't begin to solve is coming
back to bite the press regulators he left behind. Simply, what happens
when you're dealing with a British newspaper's online operation based
in America, with American reporters writing about American celebrities
for a largely American audience? Otherwise known, in this first
headbanger of a case, as "Exclusive: inside the 'bromance' of Tom
Cruise and Scientology founder David Miscavige", a Mail Online special
that Miscavige took to the Independent Press Standards Organisation and
sort of won last week ? except that Ipso then set up its own inquiry to
try to address the more problematic issues involved.
The "bromance" itself isn't particularly significant. It featured a
series of interviews with former Scientologists saying Cruise had had
special treatment at the church's Gold Base headquarters. Miscavige
pleaded inaccuracies under clause one (facts) and won.
Mail Online hadn't given due weight to Miscavige's denials and had
failed to quote a Scientology spokesman's responses. "It had also
failed to provide a defence of the accuracy of the article, or its
decision not to publish a correction." Why not, pray? The Mail is a
huge defender of Ipso. But no: "The story had been written to comply
with American law and journalistic conventions, not the British
Editors' Code of Practice." So the paper declined to defend its story.
Tags: Australia, David Miscavige, Delaware, Independent Press Standards
Organisation, Int Base, Quicky, Tom Cruise, UK
======================================
Maiden Voyage Event 3
July 24, 2016, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/maiden-voyage-event-3/
The third event of the 2016 Maiden Voyage week of extravaganza seems to
have lived up to all that has gone before when it comes to IAS briefings.
Ridiculous hype about events in far off places that should strain even
the most ardent sheeple's credulity. Announced victories over destroyed
enemies - the same "victories" over psychiatry that have been announced
year after year. According to the impeccable news source Int Scn
News/David Miscavige, by this time psychiatry should have long since
ceased to exist, but in the real world they seem to be doing just fine
with new buildings that actually have people in them. And of course
there are the massive, milestone legal victories - yet 50 years on the
overall scene just doesn't seem to change with legal/government
problems all over the place.
But one thing is true: this IS what donations to the IAS buy - a huge
amount of hype and lies claiming accomplishments that do not exist.
Tags: Brussels, David Miscavige, DC, Europe, Foundation for a Drug-Free
World, International Association of Scientologists, Maiden Voyage, New York
City, OT, Quicky, United Nations, Washington
======================================
RAY JEFFREY TO JUDGE: ORDER RATHBUNS TO TURN OVER FINANCIAL RECORDS AND
TESTIFY
July 24, 2017, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2017/07/24/ray-jeffrey-to-judge-order-rathbuns-to-turn-over-financial-records-and-testify/
One of our court watchers in Texas stumbled on a stunning document: On
July 5, Monique Rathbun's former attorneys filed a petition in a San
Antonio court, asking for an order to compel their former clients,
Monique and Mark "Marty" Rathbun, to submit to depositions and turn
over detailed financial records. The attorneys - Ray Jeffrey, Elliott
Cappuccio, and Marc Wiegand - requested a July 25 hearing, but court
records show it's been set for August 29. We've put in a call to
Jeffrey to find out more.
We sent a message to the Rathbuns asking for comment, but we did not
receive a response.
Monique hired the three attorneys to represent her in a harassment
lawsuit she filed against the Church of Scientology in August 2013.
Monique alleged that she had suffered outrageous abuse because her
husband, a former top Scientology official, had decided in 2009 to
begin publicly criticizing his former boss, church leader David
Miscavige. (Monique herself was never a member of the church.) In
retaliation for Marty's statements at his website, Miscavige had the
Rathbuns followed, photographed, and harassed with pranks and
intimidation, Monique alleged. She believed the church went so far as
to have an adult toy mailed to her place of work, and had flowers sent
to her female co-worker with a romantic message that was supposedly
from Monique. On smear websites operated by Scientology, she said in
her legal complaint, "They have even alleged that I am not even a
woman, but a man who has had a secret sex-change operation. So, I have
even had my womanhood questioned as part of this sick campaign to
inflict maximum emotional distress on me."
Tags: 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, Amy Scobee, Bexar County, Chris Shelton,
CIA, Dani Lemberger, David Miscavige, Debbie Cook, Deposition, Elliott
Cappuccio, FBI, HowdyCon, IRS, Israel, John Brousseau, Judge Solomon Casseb,
Karen de la Carriere, Lawrence Wright, Leah Remini, Louis Theroux, Marc
Wiegand, Marty Rathbun, Mike Rinder, Monique Rathbun, My Scientology Movie,
Paul Haggis, Ray Jeffrey, Ron Miscavige, San Antonio, Steve Cannane, Texas,
Texas Third Court of Appeals, Tom DeVocht, Victoria Britton
======================================
Valley OTC Minutes (Seconds?)
July 24, 2017, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/valley-otc-minutes-seconds/
MINUTES
VALLEY ORG OT COMMITTEE MEETING
July 11, 2017
Tags: Barbara Wilson, Bob Welch, Chairman of the Board, Colleen Bigler, Dali
Bahat, Diane Temps, Field Staff Member, Freewinds, Gavin Potter, George
Goodrich, Heelah Cohen, Ideal Org, Jeff Mintz, Jennifer Jacobson, Karen
Brown, Kathy Welch, Lilach Yaary, Lisa Benest, Lisa London, Lynda Hubbard,
Mark Anderson, Mary Lee Krackow, Maryann O'Donnell, Nola Aronson, OT, OT
Committee, OT IX, OT VII, OT VIII, OT X, OTC, Patty Riemer, Quicky, Rochelle
Goodrich, Truth About Drugs, Vered Ziv
======================================
Flag is BOOMING (In their minds)
July 24, 2018, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/flag-is-booming-in-their-minds/
This is a report from the Flag local door-knocking campaign to
"recover" all the people who have faded from view.
Recognize that even these paltry figures are padded. Nobody reports
"stats" in scientology without inflating them to make it seem like
things are better. Probably the vast majority of the numbers
represented here came from knocking on the door of members of the OT
Committee and asking them what service they put their children on over
the summer holidays.
But even with that in mind - this is very revealing. Since January 2018
they have managed to get 569 people onto a "service." That is less than
100 per month.
Tags: Field Staff Member, IRS, Janice Kenne, Michael Chan, OT, OT Committee,
Quicky, Tampa
======================================
Scientology used an ice cream 'date' to run up $20,000 on senior's credit
cards
July 24, 2018, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2018/07/24/scientology-used-an-ice-cream-date-to-run-up-20k-on-seniors-credit-cards/
The day after we reported last week on the ordeal of 75-year-old Efrem
Logreira - who says the Church of Scientology ran up charges on his
credit cards for courses he would never take, and which cost him
thousands in interest payments - he heard from the church in a letter
disputing his numbers.
Until our story appeared, he had heard nothing from the Los Angeles Org
for months, despite sending numerous letters complaining about the way
he was being treated. He only joined Scientology last year, at 74, and
took a couple of introductory courses before running into problems with
a third course. The church then opened up numerous credit cards in his
name and put $73,000 in charges on them for various reasons, including
200 hours of auditing that he could never complete.
After being heard to complain about the long drives he was making to
the Los Angeles Org from where he was staying at a friend's house in
Palm Springs, Efrem was barred from entering Scientology's New Year's
event, held in December at the Shrine Auditorium in LA. Since then,
he's been sending letters demanding refunds from the church as the
interest charges on his credit cards have impoverished him.
Tags: Credit card fraud, Efrem Logreira, Facebook, Graham Berry, Los Angeles,
Los Angeles Org, New Year's Eve, Palm Springs, Refund, Shrine Auditorium
======================================
Bernier to unveil "new" immigration policy at Brampton rally
July 24, 2019, Kady O'Malley, iPolitics AM, iPolitics
https://ipolitics.ca/2019/07/24/ipolitics-am-bernier-to-unveil-new-immigration-policy-at-brampton-rally/
His self-founded fledgling right-of-centre People's Party may not be
showing much upward momentum in the polls, but Maxime Bernier is
nevertheless managing to clock just as many, if not more hours on the
mid-summer pre-campaign hustings as the other party leaders.
After spending the last few weeks criss-crossing the country, including
multi-day sprints through Alberta and Manitoba, Bernier is heading back
to the Greater Toronto Area to announce what the party-issued advisory
is billing as his "NEW policy on immigration, multiculturalism and
Canadian identity," which he'll unveil during an evening rally at a
Brampton banquet hall.
According to the official invite, the event will be "free" and "open to
the public," although those wishing to attend are instructed to
register online, as "capacity is limited."
Tags: Alberta, Andrew Scheer, Brampton, Brexit, Calgary, Canada, Canadian
Anti-Hate Network, Carolyn Bennett, DougWiki, Elizabeth May, First Nations,
Fredericton, Greater Toronto Area, Green Party, Indigenous, Manitoba, Maxime
Bernier, Muslim, Neo-Nazi, New Brunswick, Northern Guard, Quebec
======================================
Canada's New Partisan Media Are Poised To Ride A Facebook Wave To Election Day
July 24, 2019, Craig Silverman, Buzzfeed News
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/canada-partisan-media-ontario-proud-north99
Taylor Scollon says he knows what Canadians on Facebook want: content
about political issues that gets them fired up.
"Our mission is to advance a policy agenda, and so we tailor our
content to that. That's what's rewarded on social media platforms," he
said.
Scollon is one of the people behind North99, a nonprofit that uses
articles, memes, and videos to advance a left-wing policy agenda,
primarily on Facebook.
Over the past year or so, that has largely taken the form of attacking
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his policy decisions. And on Facebook, it
can get more traction than traditional news coverage.
Tags: 2018, Alberta Proud, Ali Taghva, Broadbent Institute, BuzzFeed, Canada,
Canada Proud, CBC, CBC News, Conservative Party of Canada, CTV News, Doug
Ford, DougWiki, Elizabeth Dubois, Facebook, Federal election, Geoff Sharpe,
Global News, Globe and Mail, Jeff Ballingall, Justin Trudeau, Kathleen Wynne,
Katrina, Katrina Miller, Matthew Azrieli, Montreal, National Post, North99,
Ontario, Ontario Liberal, Ontario New Democratic Party, Ontario Proud,
PressProgress, Taylor Scollon, The Post Millennial, Toronto Star, Twitter,
University of Ottawa, Yaakov Pollak
======================================
Doug Ford failing to keep his health care promises
July 24, 2019, Gordon Guyatt, Opinion, Toronto Star
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2019/07/24/doug-ford-failing-to-keep-his-health-care-promises.html
During his provincial election campaign, Doug Ford made extravagant
promises to remedy the ills afflicting publicly funded health care in
Ontario. Short of making any progress in addressing problems, the
premier's policies appear to represent backward steps.
In announcing his cabinet shuffle this month, Ford made an
extraordinary appointment that provides insight into the puzzling
disconnect between promises and policy.
The first of Ford's health care campaign promises was an end to
"hallway medicine" and hospital overcrowding. The campaign provided no
insights as to the innovations necessary to resolve this now chronic
hospital dilemma. Whatever the still-to-be-revealed innovations are,
they would require more, not less, resources.
Tags: 2013, Canada, Canada Health Act, Doug Ford, DougWiki, Ford government,
Health care cuts, Kitchener, McMaster University, Merrilee Fullerton,
Ontario, Ontario Health Coalition, Promises broken, Sudbury, Toronto, Waterloo
======================================
Doug Ford should get facts straight on 'not criminally responsible'
July 24, 2019, Editorial, Toronto Star
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2019/07/24/doug-ford-should-get-facts-straight-on-not-criminally-responsible.html
The public is right to be concerned that Cong went missing from
Toronto's Centre for Mental Health and Addictions (CAMH) earlier this
month, and apparently managed to leave the country. CAMH and Toronto
police have launched reviews of what happened, and the results must be
made public.
But Ford's misguided remarks show a lack of understanding of how the
law has evolved to take into account the impact of mental illness.
Worse, he appears to be ignorant of some core principles of the
criminal justice system.
For one thing, the system is set up to rarely "throw away the key."
Even the worst offenders are usually given a chance for parole.
Tags: 2000, 2005, 2014, 2015, British Columbia, Canada, Doug Ford, DougWiki,
McGill University, Mental Health, Ontario, Ontario Review Board, Quebec,
Statistics Canada, Toronto
======================================
Her run for the Ontario PCs ended after she tweeted about Islam, but Ghada
Melek is now a federal Conservative candidate
July 24, 2019, Tom Blackwell, Canada.com
https://beta.canada.com/news/politics/the-ontario-pcs-rejected-her-over-her-tweets-about-islam-but-ghada-melek-is-now-a-federal-conservative-candidate/wcm/e250d00e-f18f-4ca5-b974-730e80a20775/amp/
A financial consultant running for the federal Conservatives in a
Toronto-area riding was rejected as a candidate by the party's own
Ontario wing more than two years ago over social-media posts about
Muslim extremism, sources say.
Two people - a former provincial party official and a campaign
organizer familiar with the situation - told the National Post the
Ontario Progressive Conservative Party asked Ghada Melek to drop out of
the race for the provincial nomination in Mississauga-Streetsville.
Melek, however, denies the party rejected her, saying she withdrew "for
personal reasons."
Tags: 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, Andrew Scheer, Barack Obama, Canada, Christian,
Clarion Project, Detroit, Donald Trump, DougWiki, Egypt, Jesus, Kenya, Marcus
Mattinson, Mississauga, Mississauga-Streetsville, Muslim, Muslim Brotherhood,
National Post, Nina Tangri, Ontario, Progressive Conservative, Toronto,
======================================
Inside Scientology's emergency San Fernando Valley confab, planning for US
takeover
July 24, 2019, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2019/07/24/inside-scientologys-emergency-san-fernando-valley-planning-meeting-for-us-takeover/
On Monday, we heard from a Los Angeles reader that Scientology had done
something kind of unusual, changing its annual "Maiden Voyage" schedule
in order to create a last-minute "convention," scheduled for this
Saturday on L. Ron Hubbard Way, as well as an "IDEAL USA" confab that
was held this past weekend at the Valley Org.
Our correspondent suspected that the hurried reschedulings and
breathless promotion was really about a desperate effort to recruit new
staff members for some "Ideal Orgs" that are about to open in parts of
the country almost bereft of Scientologists.
Perhaps that's the reason, perhaps not. But another LA-area reader
pitched in with another peek inside what Scientology is up to: The
agenda for this past weekend's shindig at the Valley Org. We found it
pretty fascinating, and we knew you'd want to see it as well.
Tags: Anti-vaxx, Chick Corea, Conscience Coalition, David Miscavige, DC, DEA,
Facebook, GoFundMe, Greg Mitchell, Ideal Org, James Barbour, L. Ron Hubbard
Way, Lobbyist, Los Angeles, Maiden Voyage, Quicky, Renee Bessone, Rod Keller,
Sacramento, San Fernando Valley, USA
======================================
Kenney wrongly accuses federal Liberals of $2.5M grant to attack energy
industry
July 24, 2019, Michelle Bellefontaine, CBC News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/kenney-wrongly-accuses-federal-liberals-of-2-5m-grant-to-attack-energy-industry-1.5224096
Premier Jason Kenney accused the federal Liberals on Wednesday of
approving a $2.5-million grant to a "left wing special interest group"
that was, in fact, made by the previous Conservative government under
former prime minister Stephen Harper. .
Kenney made the claim while retweeting an op-ed from Canadian
Taxpayers' Federation published in the Edmonton Sun on Tuesday.
"The federal government benefits massively from taxes generated by our
oil & gas industry & workers," the tweet read. "So why did the Trudeau
Liberals give $2.5 million to a left wing special interest group to
attack our energy industry?"
Tags: 2015, Alberta, Canada, Canadian Taxpayers Federation, DougWiki,
Edmonton Sun, Federal election, Jason Kenney, Justin Trudeau, Stephen Harper,
Tax, Trudeau government, Twitter, University of Victoria
======================================
Maxime Bernier says his party would cap immigration levels at 150K
July 24, 2019, Salimah Shivji, CBC News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/maxime-bernier-immigration-speech-mississauga-1.5224114
A People's Party of Canada government would lower the number of
immigrants Canada accepts to between 100,000 and 150,000 per year - a
level not seen since 1986 - party leader Maxime Bernier pledged in a
policy speech Wednesday evening.
That's a number significantly lower than the 250,000 cap Bernier
pitched while running for the leadership of the Conservative Party of
Canada two years ago.
In a speech in Mississauga, Ont. Wednesday night, the MP for Beauce
took aim at what he called a policy of "extreme multiculturalism" and
accused the Liberals of "putting Canada on a road to destruction"
through Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "globalist vision."
Tags: 1986, 2020, Andrew Scheer, Canada, Canada Border Services Agency,
Conservative Party of Canada, Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau, Kellie Leitch,
Maxime Bernier, Mississauga, People's Party of Canada, Quicky, Winnipeg
======================================
People's Party of Canada calls anti-racist a 'terrorist' after gallery
cancels political rally
July 24, 2019, Carol Sanders, Winnipeg Free Press
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/peoples-party-of-canada-calls-anti-racist-a-terrorist-after-gallery-cancels-political-rally-513145482.html
A Winnipeg police spokesman said it was not an act of terrorism for
Kinnarath to convince Miller to cancel the gallery rental.
The director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism at the
University of Ontario Institute of Technology said far-right groups
often label anti-racist activists as "terrorists."
"That's become a favourite trope of the far-right," said Prof. Barbara
Perry, a sociologist. "We saw it here in Toronto after the Pride parade.
"
Tags: 2017, Barbara Perry, Calgary, DougWiki, Facebook, Federal election,
Independent, LGBTQ, Maxime Bernier, Ontario, People's Party of Canada,
Stephen Harper, Toronto, Winnipeg
======================================
Scheer accuses Liberals of exaggerating over his call to review Canada Food
Guide
July 24, 2019, Canadian Press, CTV News
https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/scheer-accuses-liberals-of-exaggerating-over-his-call-to-review-canada-food-guide-1.4521204
The new guide did away with traditional food groups and portion sizes
and focused instead on broader guidelines, including eating more
plant-based protein and drinking more water.
Last week, Scheer drew the Liberals' ire after he told dairy farmers in
Saskatoon the new guide is flawed and needs review.
The Liberals say the guide has received an overwhelmingly positive
response, including from nutrition experts. They allege Scheer is
bowing to special interests and declaring war on Health Canada's
research.
Tags: Andrew Scheer, Canada, Canadian Press, DougWiki, Food Guide, Health
Canada, Montreal, Saskatoon
======================================
Today in Scientlology web page:
http://umbraxenu.no-ip.biz/today.html
July 24 in Scientlology web page:
http://umbraxenu.no-ip.biz/days/07-24.html
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