Today in Scientology -- February 1st **************************************************************

[Scientology Today]

Today February 1st in Scientology history
=========================================

Facing Expulsion from the Senate He Loves, Harrison Williams Finds Some
Unlikely Supporters
February 1, 1982, Judy Bachrach, People
https://people.com/archive/facing-expulsion-from-the-senate-he-loves-harrison-williams-finds-some-unlikely-supporters-vol-17-no-4/

"If they can do it to me and get away with it, every member of Congress
must wonder when he might be secretly taped and manipulated into
something that looked bad. Maybe it's not bad at all, but it can look
bad."

-Harrison Williams

When the 62-year-old Senator from New Jersey complains of the FBI
tactics in Abscam that brought about his downfall, he is warning his
fellow legislators who will be his judges: It could happen to you, too.
This week the Senate reconvenes, and one of its tasks will be to
consider the expulsion of Harrison "Pete" Williams. He was found guilty
of bribery and conspiracy last year after a federal jury watched him on
videotape assuring a bogus Arab sheik that he could obtain government
contracts for a titanium mine in which Williams would receive shares.
If his appeal is not successful, Williams will become the first U.S.
Senator since 1906 to be convicted of a crime. He has yet to be
sentenced, but if his colleagues follow the Senate Ethics Committee
recommendation, it will be the first time that expulsion has been
imposed on a U.S. Senator since the Civil War. His friends agree it
will also be the ultimate humiliation for a man who has spent 23 years
in the upper house. "The Senate," Williams' first wife, Nancy, says,
"was his whole life."

Tags: 1953, 1968, 1972, Congress, Ethics, FBI, Harrison Williams, Hawaii,
Jewish, Lyndon LaRouche, New Jersey, Quicky, Republican, Richard Bast, Robert
Flynn, South Dakota, US Department of Justice, US Senate, Washington

=========================================

Narconon Ordered to Move Patients, End Treatments
February 1, 1992, Michael McNutt, News OK
https://newsok.com/narconon-ordered-to-move-patients-end-treatments/article/2383615

ENID - Narconon Chilocco New Life Center was ordered Friday to move its
patients out and stop providing drug and alcohol abuse treatment in 10
days.

Oklahoma County District Judge John Amick set the Feb. 10 deadline
after he denied another request from the unlicensed facility to remain
open and admit new patients.

Narconon Chilocco lost a request earlier this week for a court stay to
continue operating while it appeals a decision by the Oklahoma Board of
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services that denied certification
for its treatment program.

Tags: Judge John Amick, Narconon, Narconon Chilocco, Oklahoma Board of Mental
Health and Substance Abuse Services, Oklahoma County, Quicky

=========================================

Scientology's Internet Wars
February 1, 1996, James Walker, The Watchman Expositor
https://www.watchman.org/sci/c0$p1.htm

Few people knew (or cared to know) anything about Scientology's OT
materials until their lawyers - with e-mailed threats, press releases,
and interviews - loudly broadcast that they were secret. The general
public may still not have taken notice had Scientologists not raided
the homes of their critics, in what appeared to some as gestapo-like
attempts to suppress freedom of speech and religion.

Through the medium of the Internet, Scientology's foes coupled with
free-speech advocates sought to focus international attention on the
error and abuses of Scientology - an organization described on the
cover of Time magazine as "The Cult of Greed" (6 May 1991).
Scientology's tactics have accomplished what the ex-members and critics
never could have done on their own - given international media exposure
to the church's most closely guarded secrets.

Tags: alt.religion.scientology, alt.scientology.war, anon.penet.fi, Arnaldo
Lerma, Bob Penny, Cancelbunny, Dennis Erlich, FACTNet, Grady Ward, Johan
Helsingius, Judge Brinkema, Karin Spaink, Lawrence Wollersheim, Office of
Special Affairs, Operating Thetan, Religious Technology Center, Ron Newman,
Scamizdat, Todd Blakely, Wendy Grossman, XS4ALL

=========================================

Germany rejects U.S. State Department report on Scientology
February 1, 1997, Associated Press
http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1997/Germany-rejects-U-S-State-Department-report-on-Scientology/id-2b10d24be9a975ce585aeb2ff0415c93

BONN, GERMANY BONN, Germany (AP) _ Germany reacted harshly Friday to
new U.S. State Department criticism of its treatment of Scientologists,
with one politician demanding his government lodge a formal protest
with Washington.

A State Department report, issued Thursday, said business firms in
Germany whose owners or executives are Scientologists "may face
boycotts and discrimination, sometimes with government approval."

The statement was less directly critical of German action against
Scientology than some recent U.S. government statements. But it still
provoked strong responses in Germany, which views the Los Angeles-based
Church of Scientology as a threat to democracy. The church claims
30,000 members in Germany.

Tags: Christian, Germany, Helmut Kohl, Los Angeles, Quicky, Scientology
organization, Turkey, US State Department, USA, Uzbekistan, Washington

=========================================

A chronology of major events
February 1, 1998, Scientology in Clearwater: Digging In, St. Petersburg Times
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/25879385.html?dids=25879385:25879385&FMT=FT

1975 The Southern Land Development and Leasing Corp. buys the Fort
Harrison Hotel in downtown, and leases it to a secretive group called
United Churches of Florida. 1976 The Church of Scientology emerges as
the real buyer of the Fort Harrison Hotel. 1977 Scientology files the
first of many lawsuits contesting its Pinellas County property tax bill.

Tags: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997,
Clearwater, Fort Harrison, IRS, Jim Smith, Lisa McPherson, Los Angeles,
Pinellas County, Southern Land Development and Leasing Corp, United Churches
of Florida, Washington

=========================================

Scientology in Clearwater
February 1, 1998, Thomas C. Tobin, Scientology in Clearwater: Digging In, St. Petersburg Times
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/25879384.html?dids=25879384:25879384&FMT=FT

Mary Lou Guthart, who heads the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen, had
the same feeling last year. She said she was happy when a food drive at
the Winter Wonderland display yielded 20 boxes of groceries in 1996,
but dismayed when the church made too much of the donation in Freedom
the following January.

"They had written up the article like it was some big thing they had
done for us," Guthart said. "I just felt that they were using us. I
just don't want anything to do with them."

Bennetta Slaughter, the Scientologist who coordinated Winter
Wonderland, insists the church's motives are pure.

Tags: 1930, 1960, 1967, 1970, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997,
2000, AMC Publishing, Belleair, Bennetta Slaughter, Bernie McCabe, Bob Clark,
Bob Sudalnik, Brian Anderson, Bryan Zwan, California, Catholic, Clear,
Clearwater, Clearwater Beach, Clearwater Police Department, Cleveland,
Cleveland Street, Dallas, Delphi Academy, Dianetics, Digital Lightwave,
Downtown Development Board, Dunedin, Dwight Matheny, E-meter, Erwin Annau,
Field Staff Member, Flag Service Organization, Florida, Florida Attorney
General, Fort Harrison, Germany, Hacienda Gardens, IRS, Jim Warner, Joan
Wood, Largo, Lisa McPherson, Los Angeles, Mark Gould, Mental Health, Miami
Beach, Mike Roberto, New York, One Stoppe Shoppe, Org Board, OT, OT VIII,
Palm Harbor, Pinellas Trail, Police, Ray Cassano, Rita Garvey, Ruth Eckerd
Hall, Scientology staff, Sea Org, Sid Klein, Super Power, Suppressive Person,
Tampa, Tone Scale, TradeNet, Washington, Winter Wonderland, Wisconsin

=========================================

Speaking the language
February 1, 1998, St. Petersburg Times
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/25879390.html?dids=25879390:25879390&FMT=FT&FMTS=CITE:FT

Scientologists use a unique blend of shorthand and invented terms. Here
are just a few.

Tags: Bridge to Total Freedom, Clear, Clearwater, Dianetics, L. Ron Hubbard,
Mental Health, Operating Thetan, OT, Psychiatric treatment, Suppressive
Person, Tone Scale, Wogs

=========================================

The beliefs of the church
February 1, 1998, Thomas C. Tobin, Scientology in Clearwater: Digging In, St. Petersburg Times
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/25879387.html?dids=25879387:25879387&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT

The Church of Scientology and its followers say their detractors
criticize what they don't understand.

Scientology works, they say, by making people more aware, more in
control, less inhibited by bad experiences, and better able to
communicate.

The church's core practice is counseling called "auditing." A church
"auditor" asks detailed questions while a parishioner holds two plated
"cans" hooked to an electropsychometer or e-meter, a device that has
been likened to a lie detector. The church says it's a "religious
artifact" that indicates changes in the mind.

Tags: Bennetta Slaughter, Brian Anderson, Catholic, Christian, Clearwater, E-
meter, Jesus Christ, Mark Gould, New York, St. Louis, Texas, Wisconsin

=========================================

The church's property in Clearwater
February 1, 1998, Scientology in Clearwater: Digging In, St. Petersburg Times
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/25879391.html?dids=25879391:25879391&FMT=FT

The Church of Scientology owns 21 properties in Clearwater and one
outside the city limits at 16432 U.S. 19 N. Seventeen of those
properties are in downtown Clearwater. They account for 3 percent of
all parcels in downtown and 10 percent of downtown's total property
value. The church owns $31.2-million worth of property in the
Clearwater area, but $21.7-million of it is off the tax rolls.

Tags: 1997, City of Clearwater, Clearwater, Pinellas County, Real estate

=========================================

Scientologists, Florida city at odds
February 1, 1999, Lori Rozsa, Miami Herald
http://www.press-enterprise.com/newsarchive/1999/02/01/917846766.html

Officials would like to embrace the church as a key mover in the
revitalization of downtown. Pinellas County officials were looking on
when the church broke ground Nov. 21 for its $45 million "Super Power
Project," a 300,000-square-foot "Mecca" for Scientologists that will be
the third-largest building in town.

But just a week earlier, the state attorney had filed charges accusing
the church of complicity in the 1995 death of believer Lisa McPherson,
36. She was pronounced dead on arrival at a New Port Richey, Fla.,
hospital after being kept in isolation at the Scientologists' Fort
Harrison Hotel 45 minutes away in Clearwater.

The coming trial promises to be a low point in the long history of
acrimony over the religion's presence here. And it will raise
uncomfortable questions about the way the church deals with its own
affairs and those of the surrounding community.

Tags: Alice VanGrondelle, Bernie McCabe, Brian Anderson, Clearwater, David
Minkoff, Frank Oliver, George Orwell, Ken Dandar, Lisa McPherson, Mike
Roberto, Pat Jones

=========================================

A E van Vogt
February 1, 2000, Steve Holland, The Guardian
https://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,131148,00.html

When, in 1948, The World Of Null-A was published in book form, it was
the first SF magazine serial to appear in hardcover from a major
publisher (earlier titles had appeared from specialist houses). In
France, it was translated by surrealist Boris Vian and created a market
for science fiction.

However, van Vogt's interest in disciplines that would focus latent
talent led him to dianetics, the memory auditing system developed by
fellow SF writer L Ron Hubbard, which became the cornerstone of
scientology. Although not interested in the mystical/religious aspects
of scientology, van Vogt maintained the Los Angeles Hubbard Dianetic
Centre from 1950 until 1961, partly financing the gesture by gathering
together and reworking earlier stories into novels.

Tags: 1912, 1928, 1930, 1939, 1948, 1950, 1961, 1975, 1982, A. E. van Vogt,
Astounding Science Fiction, Canada, Census, China, Dianetics, France, Isaac
Asimov, L. Ron Hubbard, Los Angeles, Manitoba, Robert Heinlein, University of
Ottawa

=========================================

Addiction specialists criticize detoxification program
February 1, 2005, Mark Sommer, Buffalo News
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/JeremyPerkins/Articles/buffalo-news-2005-02-01-a.html

Scientologists place a lot of stock in their church's drug-treatment
program.

But three local addiction specialists said documentation presented to
support the detoxification program created by church founder L. Ron
Hubbard is full of unsubstantiated conclusions, faulty assumptions and
poor methodology.

"The research design is very weak. They don't even follow basic
scientific methodology," said Dr. Paul Updike, medical director for
chemical dependency at Sisters Hospital. "There is absolutely no way
you can draw a correlation from those studies to say they have any
relevance to the treatment of chemical dependency."

Tags: Buffalo, Clark Carr, Detox, Environmental, Hamburg, Hospital, Medical,
Narconon, Narconon International, Niacin, Purification Rundown, Secondary copy

=========================================

Helping spread the word
February 1, 2005, Mark Sommer, Buffalo News
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/JeremyPerkins/Articles/buffalo-news-2005-02-01.html

When the Church of Scientology held a splashy grand opening in Buffalo
in November 2003, local Scientologists urged Mayor Anthony M. Masiello
to declare "Church of Scientology of Buffalo Day."

He did.

What's more, the Scientologists wrote a speech for the mayor.

Tags: 1967, Anthony Masiello, Beth Akiyama, Billy Sheehan, Buffalo, CCHR,
Clearwater, Criminon, Cult Awareness Network, Cynthia Kisser, David
Miscavige, Detox, Frank Hibbard, Gary Weber, Jenna Elfman, Joe Sgroi,
Narconon, Purification Rundown, Sea Org, Second Chance, Secondary copy,
Stephen Kent, Super Power Building, Teresa Reger, The Way to Happiness,
Volunteer Ministers

=========================================

Scientology Moves On Languishing Flagship
February 1, 2007, Baird Helgeson, Tampa Tribune
http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/newswire/story/scientology-moves-on-languishing-flagship/

CLEARWATER - The Church of Scientology's mammoth new spiritual shrine
has stood vacant and unfinished for years, its dusty
Mediterranean-style shell surrounded by patches of scrubby grass and
"no trespassing" signs.

Now church officials say they are ready to resume work on the building
as it has racked up more than $55,000 in fines for not meeting the
city's deadline to finish the exterior.

Clearwater's city building department issued a new construction permit
that will allow the church to finish the exterior of the
384,000-square-foot structure, more than two years after the original
permit expired. The church broke ground on the seven-story building in
March 2000.

Tags: Clearwater, Real estate, Super Power

=========================================

Be Wary, Be Wary, the 10th of February: "A" for Anonymous Wants to Kick
Scientology's "S"
February 1, 2008, Chez Pazienza, Blog, Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chez-pazienza/be-wary-be-wary-the-10t_b_84558.html

Let me start off by paraphrasing a popular disclaimer: I'm not
"Anonymous," nor am I affiliated with the mysterious internet group in
any way.

Tags: Anonymous

=========================================

CBS Scientology Paulette Cooper Operation Freakout Part 1
February 1, 2008, scientologeez, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaj--EDMhME

CBS 60 minutes report on Scientology. Paulette Cooper. Operation
Freakout.

Kirstie Alley

Anne Archer

Tags: Anne Archer, Beck Hansen, Bodhi Elfman, Catherine Bell, Chick Corea,
David Campbell, Doug Dohring, Doug E. Fresh, Erika Christensen, Isaac Hayes,
Jason Beghe, Jason Dohring, Jeff Conaway, Jenna Elfman, Karen Black, Kate
Ceberano, Katie Holmes, Kenton Gray, Kirstie Alley, Lynsey Bartilson, Mark
Isham, Milton Katselas, Nancy Cartwright, Nicky Hopkins, Operation Freakout,
Paul Haggis, Paulette Cooper, Quicky, Richard Elfman, Sky Dayton, Sonny Bono,
Tom Cruise, Tyler Hynes

=========================================

CBS Scientology Paulette Cooper Operation Freakout Part 2
February 1, 2008, scientologeez, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5Drk3eVQSg

CBS 60 minutes Scientology. Paulette Cooper. Operation Freakout.

Kirstie Alley

Anne Archer

Tags: Anne Archer, Beck Hansen, Bodhi Elfman, Catherine Bell, Chick Corea,
David Campbell, Doug Dohring, Doug E. Fresh, Erika Christensen, Isaac Hayes,
Jason Beghe, Jason Dohring, Jeff Conaway, Jenna Elfman, Karen Black, Kate
Ceberano, Katie Holmes, Kenton Gray, Kirstie Alley, Lynsey Bartilson, Mark
Isham, Milton Katselas, Nancy Cartwright, Nicky Hopkins, Operation Freakout,
Paul Haggis, Paulette Cooper, Quicky, Richard Elfman, Sky Dayton, Sonny Bono,
Tom Cruise, Tyler Hynes

=========================================

Code of Conduct
February 1, 2008, Church0fScientology, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-063clxiB8I

Rule #0: Rules #1 and #2 of the internet still apply. Your memes are
not, at this juncture, something that the real world can appreciate.
Although meme speak between fellow Anonymous is acceptable, focus on
the target and keep it to a minimum.

Rule #1: Stay cool.

Rule #2: Stay cool, especially when harassed. You are an ambassador of
Anonymous. Although individuals trying to disrupt your demonstration
will get on your nerves, you must not lose your temper. Doing so will
harm the protest and tarnish the reputation of Anonymous.

Tags: Anonymous, Masks, Quicky

=========================================

Demolish Scientology!
February 1, 2008, Matt Davis, Portland Mercury
https://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/2008/02/demolish_scientology.php

Anonymous goes back to the terrorists that filled the Boston harbor
with tea; the negros that refused to be seated in the back of the bus.
We are the worthless that stormed the Bastille then decapitated an
empress, and communists that brought down the iron curtain.

Tags: Anonymous

=========================================

Exclusive: Kirstie Alley's Lawyers Demand That 'US Weekly' Fire Writer Who
Cracked A Scientology Joke
February 1, 2008, Mark Graham, Defamer
https://gawker.com/351242/exclusive-kirstie-alleys-lawyers-demand-that-us-weekly-fire-writer-who-cracked-a-scientology-joke

Defamer just managed to get our grubby mitts on a secret copy of a
strongly-worded letter that "Actress" Kirstie Alley's legal team over
at Goldman & Kagon recently sent to US Weekly. In it, the firm asks
that United States Weekly sever their relationship with
fashionista/comedienne Danica Lo because of an innocuous Scientology
joke she made at the expense of billion-year contract escape clause
benifitee Nicole Kidman. The joke in question ran in the "Fashion
Police" section of the mag and referred to an outfit Kidman wore to the
Australian premiere of The Golden Compass, which the tony Miss Lo
described as being "specifically designed [to repel] Scientologists."
Um, zing? The legal letter and offending picture follow after the jump.

Tags: Danica Lo, Kirstie Alley, Nicole Kidman

=========================================

Kirstie Alley: Don't Make Fun of Scientology
February 1, 2008, Julie Kent, Cleveland Leader
http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/4512

Kirstie Alley, a well-known member of Hollywood's Scientology clan, had
her lawyer sent off a letter to gossip mag UsWeekly, demanding that
they drop one of their fashion critics over a quip she made about
Scientology.

In the January 7, 2008 issue of UsWeekly, fashion critic Danico Lo
critiqued a silver suit that Nicole Kidman wore to the Golden Compass
premiere. Commenting on the outfit in the "Fashion Police" section she
said: "Bonus: This specially designed suit repels Scientologists."

Tags: Barry Felsen, Kirstie Alley, Nicole Kidman

=========================================

SCIENTOLOGY IS RAD - Wacky L Ron Hubbard Footage Music Video
February 1, 2008, gluckspilz, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGKPE5r4iL8

This is a music video called "What's the matter with you, Hat?" by Pink
Munky.

Have you ever noticed how a negro from the south personifies MEST? LRH
did.

Scientology is pretty wacky. But that's not why it should be stopped.
It is a money-making cult that has ruined many lives. Go to XENU.NET
for more information.

Tags: L. Ron Hubbard, Music, Pink Munky, Quicky

=========================================

The Epic Ballad of Chanology
February 1, 2009, AnonymousCracker, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4uOYAKswJI

We run this, we rock this.

We are more than SP's.

We are more than critics of scientology.

Tags: Anonymous, Gladiator, Quicky

=========================================

Appeal Trial IV: the Big Walk-out
February 1, 2012, Jonny Jacobsen, Infinite Complacency
http://infinitecomplacency.blogspot.com/2012/02/appeal-trial-iv-big-walk-out.html

On the sixth day of Paris trial on appeal of Scientology, the court
rejected the movement's final bid to exclude the counter-cult group
UNADFI from the proceedings. As a result, the defendants and their
lawyers walked out, claiming they were being denied a fair trial.

On Thursday November 17, the sixth day of the trial, the Paris appeal
court reconvened.

Two days earlier, Scientology's defence team had lost its battle to
have France's counter-cult group UNADFI excluded from the proceedings.

Tags: 2009, 2011, Appeal, Celebrity Centre, Clear, Eric Roux, France, Legal,
Olivier Morice, Paris, Quicky, Trial, UNADFI

=========================================

Hypocrisy
February 1, 2012, Marty Rathbun, Moving On Up a Little Higher
https://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/hypocrisy/

Friday's edition of the Tampa Bay Times includes an editorial on the
issue of Corporate Scientology hypocrisy. It is a well reasoned piece.

Let's take a closer look at the issue. Miscavige spent the first 26
days of January directing a full blown espionage campaign designed to
destroy the business of Debbie Cook and Wayne Baumgarten. Their sin?
Asking that Scientologists follow Scientology published policy. On the
27th day of Miscavige carpet bombing, Miscavige paid one of the
priciest law firms in San Antonio Texas to slink through the back door
of the Bexar county courthouse to obtain a temporary restraining order
against the Baumgartens. There was no prior notice given to the
Baumgartens. The order was a prior restraint on any communication by
any means by either of them concerning David Miscavige and his empire
of hypocrisy. The order was based solely upon Debbie's email of 1
January that took exception to Miscavige's Fraudulent Idle Orgs
program, and other financial scams.

Having used state court process to muzzle Debbie's clarion call for
Scientologists to cease violating Scientology policy by ceasing to
comply or support Miscavige's off-policy, fraudulent financial scams,
including the Idle Org scam, Miscavige flew to Sacramento this weekend
to serve as the Howdy-Doody MC for yet another Idle org scam grand
opening. Per local media reports the Sacramento Idle org cost 10
million dollars. 10 Million dollars for an org that I guarantee you
hasn't made anywhere near 10 million dollars gross income in its
several decade history. An org, like most others to date, already
driven by Miscavige into a lifeless morgue.

Tags: Assault, David Miscavige, Debbie Cook, Fraud, Imprisonment, Quicky,
Sacramento, San Antonio, Tampa Bay Times, Texas, Wayne Baumgarten

=========================================

Indiana Senate Votes to Teach Scientology in Schools
February 1, 2012, Tony Ortega, Runnin' Scared, Village Voice
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/02/indiana_senate.php

Did Democrat Vi Simpson use Scientology to punk the majority
Republicans in the Indiana Senate? UPDATE: We now have an interview
with Vi Simpson, the woman who put Scientology (and other religions)
into a Creationism bill in order to neutralize it.

Yesterday, Indiana's state senate voted 28-22 to adopt yet another
creationism-in-the-schools bill, which have been routinely found
unconstitutional since a 1988 Supreme Court decision.

But this one was a little different, and in a surprising way.

Tags: 1988, Buddhism, Christian, Creationism, DC, Dianetics, Hinduism,
Indiana, Indiana Senate, Rastafarian, Twitter, Vi Simpson, Xenu

=========================================

Remember the Alamo
February 1, 2012, Marty Rathbun, Moving On Up a Little Higher
https://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/remember-the-alamo/

Independence Trail Travelogue: 1 February 2012

The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas.

References:

Tags: Quicky, San Antonio, San Jacinto, Texas

=========================================

Scientology's First Amendment rights and wrongs
February 1, 2012, Editorial, Tampa Bay Times
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1213244.ece

The Church of Scientology relies heavily on First Amendment religious
freedoms to shield itself from scrutiny in this country, but it is
awfully quick to suppress freedom of speech that enjoys the same
constitutional protections. The same church that raises the specter of
Nazi oppression whenever it faces inquiry from German and French
officials, expects its former, hardworking employees in the United
States to sign away their free speech rights for as little as $500 in
severance. The First Amendment is not a buffet where some rights are
recognized and other inconvenient ones are ignored.

Tags: 2007, Abortion, Clearwater, Debbie Cook, First Amendment, Human
trafficking, Joe Childs, New Year's Eve, Sea Org, Texas, Thomas C. Tobin

=========================================

The 5 Worst Things Judges Have Said About Scientology
February 1, 2012, Tony Ortega, Runnin' Scared, Village Voice
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/02/scientology_5_worst_by_judges.php

How many times do judges have to say this stuff? Monday evening, we
learned that Debbie Cook, who dared to question the health of her
religion, is being sued by the Church of Scientology. That night, Joe
Childs and Tom Tobin of the Tampa Bay Times broke news of the lawsuit,
which alleges that by sending out an e-mail complaining about how
Scientology had gotten away from its founding principles, Cook violated
the terms of a non-disclosure agreement she signed when she left church
staff in 2007.

But that wasn't the only Scientology legal news we received this week.

Attorney Ken Dandar's bizarre recent court saga -- which we thought was
completely, finally done with in December -- had one of those
horror-movie endings where you thought the monster was dead but
actually it had one last burst of beyond-the-grave energy and comes
briefly back to life so it can be electrocuted or blown up or grated in
a woodchopper so there's just no more question that it's dead and the
credits can roll.

Tags: 1955, 1965, 1984, 1994, 1996, 2004, 2007, Australia, Church of
Scientology of California, David Mayo, Debbie Cook, Fair Game, First
Amendment, Gerry Armstrong, High Court, Joe Childs, Judge Leonie Brinkema,
Judge Robert Beach, Judge Steven Merryday, Justice Latey, Ken Dandar, Kyle
Brennan, Legal, Lisa McPherson, London, Luke Lirot, Manhattan, Pinellas
County, Quicky, Religious Technology Center, Scott Pilutik, Tampa Bay Times,
Tom Tobin, Victoria, Xenu

=========================================

The Alamo, San Antonio Texas
February 1, 2012, mark rathbun, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRwU0hQrrpk

Scientology and the Alamo

Tags: Quicky, San Antonio, Texas

=========================================

Vi Simpson: The Woman Who Punked The Radical Republicans in the Indiana State
Senate and Their Creationist Bill
February 1, 2012, Tony Ortega, Runnin' Scared, Village Voice
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/02/vi_simpson_the.php

After interviewing Vi Simpson, the Indiana State Senate Minority
Leader, I'm wondering why the hell I haven't already seen this...

Tags: 2010, Buddhism, Christian, Creationism, Hinduism, Indiana, Republican,
Vi Simpson

=========================================

Blogging Dianetics, Part 5: Your Mind is a 1950s Computer
February 1, 2013, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2013/02/01/blogging-dianetics-part-5-your-mind-is-a-1950s-computer/

Welcome to our ongoing project, where we blog a 1950 first edition of
Scientology's bible, Dianetics, with the help of ex-Scientologist, Bay
Area lawyer, blogger, and author Vance Woodward. Go here for the first
post in the series.

We're now entering Book Two, which promises to take us into the nuts
and bolts of dianetic theory. And it begins with Hubbard describing to
us how the human mind works - that it has three divisions, and in this
first chapter he is going to explain how the analytical mind works.

The analytical mind, he explains, is the "I". It's the awareness we
have as a self. When we're conscious and thinking, it's our analytical
mind that is helping us make decisions.

Tags: 1950, A Piece of Blue Sky, Atlanta, Clear, Dianetics, Ethics, Jodie
Fleischer, Jon Atack, L. Ron Hubbard, Narconon Georgia, Pete Combs, Quicky,
Vance Woodward

=========================================

More Nutty Scientology Talk, Tom Cruise Style: His Former Assistant's
Graduation Ceremony!
February 1, 2013, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2013/02/01/more-nutty-tom-cruise-talk-his-former-assistants-graduation-ceremony/

Five years after it was first posted to YouTube, the infamous 9-minute
Tom Cruise video that was only supposed to be seen by members of the
Church of Scientology still seems as nutty as ever. You know the one,
the interview Cruise gave to celebrate his winning the "Freedom Medal
of Valor," a special tchotchke made just for him and awarded by
Scientology leader David Miscavige in a 2004 celebration. The video was
clearly intended to make Cruise's fellow church members feel warm and
fuzzy that the actor was such a hard-core L. Ron Hubbard addict, who
shared with them their belief that in the upper levels Scientologists
acquire superhuman abilities: "Being a Scientologist, when you drive
past an accident, it's not like anyone else. As you drive past, you
know you have to do something about it, because you know you're the
only one that can really help," Tom said, flexing his OT muscles.

Well, talk about another car wreck. Get a load of Cruise's former
assistant, Andrea Doven, talking the Scientology talk as she celebrates
finishing a course at the Hollywood Celebrity Centre.

As Andrea says, "I emanate power from this org."

Tags: 1980, 1995, 2001, 2004, Andrea Doven, Celebrity Centre, Claire Headley,
David Miscavige, Facebook, Freedom Medal of Valor, Hollywood, INFORM, Int
Base, Marty Rathbun, Michael Doven, Mike Rinder, Mimi Rogers, New York,
Nicole Kidman, OCA, Operating Thetan, OPP, OT, OT Committee, OT VIII, Quicky,
TIME, Tom Cruise, YouTube

=========================================

Johnny Spag Hypes It Up
February 1, 2014, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/johnny-spag-hypes-it-up/

Here is the text of an email sent out by John Spagnola to as many
people as he could.

Of course, though he claims this is all "Fully funded" by the "US Army"
he is asking for "donations" for "additional expenses." What a shock...

Dear Friends,

Tags: 1990, 1991, Annapolis, Detox, Gulf War, Gulf War Illness Veterans
Research Program, John Spagnola, Maryland, Purification, Purification
Rundown, Quicky, US Army, Vulture

=========================================

Jon Atack takes apart the Scientology E-meter
February 1, 2014, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2014/02/01/jon-atack-takes-apart-the-scientology-emeter/

Jon Atack is the author of A Piece of Blue Sky, one of the very best
books on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. He has a new edition of the
book for sale, and on Saturdays he's helping us sift through the
legends, myths, and contested facts about Scientology that tend to get
hashed and rehashed in books, articles, and especially on the Internet.

Jon, you continue to take a hard look at Scientology's most basic
concepts and practices. We're really excited that you turned your
attention this week to that most familiar of Scientology accessories,
the E-meter! Tell us about it.

JON: The first Electropsychometer used in Dianetics was developed by
Volney Mathison. It is a device based on a Wheatstone bridge, an
electrical circuit which measures resistance, in this case through
sensors held in the hands, so it measures the conductivity of skin -
also known as galvanic skin response. More accurately, it measures
changes in the sweat glands, by passing a small electric current
through the body. Such meters were not new - Hubbard's claim to have
made the only valid discoveries in the field of the mind and spirit in
50,000 years are not borne out by the development of the e-meter, which
actually had nothing to do with him, and had been enthusiastically
supported by Jung and others many years before.

Tags: 1963, 1970, 1984, A Piece of Blue Sky, Blown for Good, Celebrity
Centre, Chris Olander, David Miscavige, Detroit, Dianetics, E-meter, Florida,
Independent, Int Base, International Association of Scientologists, Jon
Atack, Los Angeles, Marc Headley, Mike Gilchrist, Quicky, Rehabilitation
Project Force, Rock Slam, Saint Hill, Sea Org, Texas, Vault, Volney Mathison

=========================================

(VIDEO) An Open Message to Scientology Leader David Miscavige
February 1, 2015, Chris Shelton, Critical Thinker at Large
https://mncriticalthinking.com/2015/02/01/video-an-open-message-to-scientology-leader-david-miscavige/

Dear David Miscavige:

When L. Ron Hubbard passed on in the mid 1980s, you took over
stewardship of the Church of Scientology. You have been in control of
this movement for longer than L. Ron Hubbard was and have inarguably
put your own brand on it in ways that Hubbard could never have foreseen.
Much of what Hubbard said and wrote needed to be changed because let's
face it, he didn't have all the answers and he didn't predict all the
things that were needed for Scientology to continue into eternity.

But let's not debate the merits of L. Ron Hubbard. Instead, let's talk
about where Scientology is at right now.

Tags: 1980, David Miscavige, Disconnection, Ethics Officer, Keep Scientology
Working, Office of Special Affairs, Quicky

=========================================

About that Scientology ad you saw on TV before and during the Super Bowl
February 1, 2015, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2015/02/01/about-that-scientology-ad-you-on-tv-today-before-and-during-the-super-bowl/

We're getting reports from around the country that Scientology's "Age
of Answers" ad has already been airing today on Super Sunday.

We figure it's only going to pick up as the game itself nears. Earlier
today, we weren't certain which ad the church was going to use for its
Sunday blitz, but then we received a leaked message from one of our
tipsters indicating that it would be "Age of Answers," a slick Apple
Computer-like spot that Scientology posted to its YouTube channel in
October, and that we described in November.

The ad is pretty and says essentially nothing, and we expect that when
it appears at halftime during the Super Bowl, there's going to be a fun
reaction at Twitter. If you see the ad pop up in your market, let us
know in the comments section.

Tags: 1953, 1980, Apple, Austin, Christian, Dallas, David Miscavige, DC, DEA,
Denver, Dianetics, George Washington University, International Association of
Scientologists, Jefferson Hawkins, John Travolta, Kathy Feshbach, Las Vegas,
Lawsuit, Minneapolis, Nashville, OCA, OTC, Phoenix, Portland, Quicky, Salt
Lake City, Seattle, Super Bowl, Tampa, Tax exempt, The Age of Answers,
Twitter, USA, Washington, YouTube

=========================================

An Open Letter to Scientology Leader Miscavige
February 1, 2015, Chris Shelton , YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV_xSZChyxo

My personal message to David Miscavige about the most basic hypocrisy
of the Church of Scientology and what he could do right now to change it.

Tags: David Miscavige

=========================================

Scientology Cowards: Their Media Strategy
February 1, 2015, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/scientology-cowards-their-media-strategy/

Alex Gibney and Lawrence Wright stand and face the general public and
media to discuss and defend their film.

David Miscavige hides, while directing anonymous smears against Gibney
and Wright and those who appear in his film.

Why is it that the "ecclesiastical leader of the scientology religion"
is unable to stand up and speak on behalf of his (admittedly dwindling)
flock? Why isn't he setting the example and going on TV or being
interviewed in major publications to present the "scientology side"?
And after refusing repeated requests to be interviewed, they then whine
that the "media refuses to speak to us" and "always get it wrong."

Tags: Alex Gibney, Anonymous, Catholic, David Miscavige, Freedom magazine,
IRS, Lawrence Wright, Quicky

=========================================

Super Bowl: Scientology Ad Promises "The Age of Answers" (Video)
February 1, 2015, Ryan Gajewski, Hollywood Reporter
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/super-bowl-scientology-ad-promises-768974

The Church of Scientology has aired a Super Bowl ad in light of ongoing
controversy over a Sundance documentary centered on the religion.

The ad features voiceover accompanied by quick clips of footage
including a person hiking, a DNA strand and a close-up of an eye.

"We live in an age of searching: to find solutions, to find ourselves,
to find the truth," the announcer says in the ad. "Now imagine an age
in which the predictability of science and the wisdom of religion
combined. Welcome to the age of answers."

Tags: 2013, 2014, Alex Gibney, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of
Belief, Hollywood, Movie, Sundance, Sundance Film Festival, Super Bowl, The
Age of Answers, Twitter

=========================================

Super Sunday Funnies: Will you get to see Scientology's ad during the big
game today?
February 1, 2015, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2015/02/01/super-sunday-funnies-will-you-get-to-see-scientologys-ad-during-the-big-game-today/

UPDATE: We have a new leak from Scientology that suggests the church
will be airing its "Age of Answers" ad from October as its commercial
during the Super Bowl, and it will occur at halftime. See the update,
below.

Ah, Super Sunday, when, for the past few years, the Church of
Scientology has caused a Twitter freakout by placing its creepy TV ads
in certain markets during the big game.

Scientology leader David Miscavige has been on a media buying blowout,
placing full-page ads in USA Today and the New York Times, and paying
for web ads in every conceivable place lately. Miscavige is scrambling
to deal with his latest crisis, in this case the imminent airing of
Alex Gibney's documentary, Going Clear, on HBO on March 16.

Tags: 2013, Alex Gibney, Apple, Atlanta, Bob Sullivan, Boston, Chicago, Chris
Shelton, Columbus, David Miscavige, DEA, Detroit, Going Clear: Scientology,
Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, HBO, Ideal Org, International
Association of Scientologists, Kathy Feshbach, L. Ron Hubbard, Lawrence
Wright, Miami, Mississippi, New York Times, OCA, Ohio, Oregon, OTC, Portland,
Quicky, Sea Org, Sunday Funnies, Super Bowl, Ted Babbitt, The Age, Twitter,
USA, USA Today

=========================================

The Long, Strange Purgatory of Casey Kasem
February 1, 2015, Amy Wallace, GQ
https://www.gq.com/entertainment/celebrities/201502/last-days-of-casey-kasem?currentPage=3&printable=true

By early October of 2013, after two months without seeing him, the kids
grew concerned that Casey was not receiving adequate care. They
organized a protest in front of the Kasem mansion, where about
twenty-five people stood quietly holding handwritten placards. jean,
why won't you let me see my dad!? read Kerri's sign, while Mouner
Kasem, Casey's 78-year-old younger brother, held one that said i miss
my brother. Jean called the police, drawing several squad cars and a
helicopter to the scene-and the next day, there were headlines on CNN,
TMZ, and just about every news outlet in between.

In the ensuing months, Jean offered a deal: Her stepkids could see
their dad once a month for an hour, but a security guard had to monitor
their visits, and the kids would have to split the cost of that guard
with Jean. They would not be allowed to have phones or any other
electronics with them, presumably to prevent photographs or any
communication with others.

Tags: Casey Kasem, Jean Kasem, Julie Kasem, Kerri Kasem, Liberty Kasem, Logan
Clarke, Mike Kasem, Mouner Kasem

=========================================

Freewinds "Religious Retreat"
February 1, 2016, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/freewinds-religious-retreat/

The Freewinds is supposed to be the "top of the Bridge" where OT VIII
is delivered to the teeming masses faithfully following the only path
to spiritual freedom.

It is the "advanced religious retreat" off the crossroads of the world.

But the reality is that this ship, like the "ideal orgs" is an overkill
of magnificent proportions. To accommodate the OT VIII population
(scientology boasts "one completion every other day" in 2015) would not
even fill the SS Minnow on Gilligan's Island.

Tags: 2015, Freewinds, OT, OT VIII, Quicky, Sea Org, WISE

=========================================

MONIQUE RATHBUN FIRES HER ENTIRE LEGAL TEAM, REPORTEDLY SEEKS SETTLEMENT
February 1, 2016, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2016/02/01/monique-rathbun-fires-her-entire-legal-team-reportedly-seeks-settlement/

Shocking news today out of Texas. Monique Rathbun's legal team filed a
notice with the Texas Supreme Court Friday withdrawing from Monique's
harassment lawsuit against the Church of Scientology after they were
fired by Monique "without cause."

The document that showed up this morning in the court's docket says
very little, but we are hearing that news of this decision was
delivered to the lawyers by Monique's husband, Mark "Marty" Rathbun,
who was once a high-ranking official in the Church of Scientology.

Marty left Scientology in 2004, then resurfaced in 2009 with a blog
critical of church leader David Miscavige. He and his wife allege that
a years-long effort to harass them began at that point, with teams of
private investigators and other operatives sent to their Texas home to
make their lives "a living hell." Monique Rathbun was never a member of
the church, and in 2013 she filed a harassment lawsuit against
Miscavige, the church, and some of the operatives who had surveilled
and harassed her.

Tags: 2004, 2009, 2013, Appeal, Austin, David Miscavige, Debbie Cook, Elliott
Cappuccio, Greg Arnold, Leslie Hyman, Marc Wiegand, Marty Rathbun, Monique
Rathbun, Paul Marrick, Private investigator, Quicky, Rathbun v. Scientology,
Ray Jeffrey, San Antonio, SLAPP, Texas, Texas Supreme Court, Texas Third
Court of Appeals, TX Lawyer

=========================================

Scientology faces a trademark fight we've been waiting for - but will it get
spoiled?
February 1, 2016, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2016/02/01/scientology-faces-a-trademark-fight-weve-been-waiting-for-but-will-it-get-spoiled/

(Jim Fonda and Merrell Vannier)

Almost three years ago, our friend and attorney Scott Pilutik wrote an
article for Forbes describing the unique position "independent"
Scientologists are in when it comes to challenging the Church of
Scientology on its trademarks and its tax exempt status.

Almost since the very beginning of Dianetics and Scientology, there
have been people who splintered off to use L. Ron Hubbard's ideas on
their own, outside the official church. More often than not, that put
them directly in the crosshairs of Hubbard and his "ethics" system, a
complex apparatus of surveillance and harassment which he came up with
to deal with defectors who dared to "audit" outside his control.

Tags: 1970, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 2001, 2012, 2013, 2015,
Academic, Alfreddie Johnson, Appeal, Arrows in the Dark, Church of
Scientology International, Church of Spiritual Technology, Clearwater,
Congress, David Mayo, David Miscavige, Denise Brennan, Dianetics, E-meter,
FBI, First Amendment, First Independent Church of Scientology, Florida Bar,
Forbes, Franklin Harris, Gabe Cazares, Grant Cardone, Guardian's Office,
Independent, Independent Scientology, IRS, Jim Fonda, Merrell Vannier, Mike
Rinder, North Korea, OT 7, Portland, Religious Liberty League, Religious
Technology Center, San Francisco, Scott Pilutik, Sea Org, Stevens Creek,
Super Bowl, Suppressive Person, Tax exempt, Trademark, Trial, World Literacy
Crusade

=========================================

Laura Prepon Lies About Scientology & Gays
February 1, 2017, Steven Mango, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keKKAtxn39E

Laura Prepon is a celebrity Scientologist who covers up Scientology's
anti-LGBT stance. Laura has stated to the press that she hasn't come
across anything negative or critical about gays within Scientology
literature. As an upper level Scientologist, Laura definitely knows
about Scientology's viewpoint on gays and lies about it to protect her
church's image. However, she claims she loves gay people, plays a gay
character on television, and supports gay rights. I call her out on
that because she belongs to a cult that hates gays and she publicly
supports Scientology (which has even funded Proposition 8!).
Hypocritical? I think so!

Please comment your thoughts below! Don't forget: please subscribe to
my channel!

My Second Channel (Please watch & subscribe!): https://www.youtube.
com/channel/UCcrJ...

Tags: Facebook, Laura Prepon, LGBTQ, Proposition 8, Quicky, Twitter

=========================================

Newspeak: Disconnection
February 1, 2017, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/newspeak-disconnection/

These are infamous slogans from 1984. George Orwell's classic has hit
the bestseller lists again in recent weeks.

Orwell's dystopian society includes remarkable similarities to life
inside the scientology bubble. It was one of the first books I read as
I was waking up to the realities of life in the Sea Org. His 1984
bubble, like scientology, has a language of its own - Newspeak. It
includes this:

Blackwhite, which denotes the Newspeak user's ability to believe that
black is white, to know that black is white, and to forget that one has
ever believed the contrary. Yet has two contradictory connotations: (i)
Applied to an opponent ("Impudently claiming that black is white, in
contradiction of the plain facts") and (ii) applied to a member of the
Party ("A loyal willingness to say that black is white when Party
discipline demands"). Blackwhite is an example of the Party's
doublethink, which re-writes the past.

Tags: 1984, Disconnection, Escape, George Orwell, OT, Quicky, Renata Lugli,
Sea Org, Tony Ortega

=========================================

The odd and slightly troubling thing Elon Musk and L. Ron Hubbard have in
common
February 1, 2017, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2017/02/01/the-odd-and-slightly-troubling-thing-elon-musk-and-l-ron-hubbard-have-in-common/

We don't keep a very watchful eye on Elon Musk and what he's up to, so
forgive us that we missed an interesting little news item about him
last year which, once we were made aware of it, sort of knocked us for
a loop.

Musk is the PayPal and Tesla Motors and SpaceX inventor, one of the
richest people in the world, and he has legions of fans who follow his
every move. So it was only natural that a Bloomberg reporter would take
the opportunity at a press conference last summer to ask the avid
reader what he was digging into recently. Musk gave an interesting
answer, saying that he was enjoying an obscure 1929 book named Twelve
Against the Gods.

The book was written by a South African journalist named William
Bolitho (1891-1930), and it consists of twelve short biographies of
people who had battled the gods to greatness, as it were. Long out of
print, copies of the book could be found for about $6 at sites like
eBay. But once Musk revealed that he was reading it, prices shot up and
it quickly became hard to find a copy. Checking yesterday, we couldn't
find a copy at eBay for less than $250.

Tags: 1930, 1939, 1940, 1952, 1983, A Piece of Blue Sky, Clearwater,
Columbus, Denver, eBay, Elon Musk, Excalibur, Florida, HowdyCon, Jon Atack,
Martin Gardner, Muhammad, Philadelphia Doctorate Course, Quicky, Robert
Vaughn Young, Rocky Mountain News, Sea Org, South Africa, Spain, Super Power
Building, Sweden, Twelve Against the Gods

=========================================

Back of the Envelope: How Much Might Scientology Spend on Winter Olympics Ads?
February 1, 2018, John P. Capitalist, Reasoned.Life
http://www.reasoned.life/2018/02/back-envelope-much-might-scientology-spend-winter-olympics-ads/

Earlier today, Tony Ortega posted an article about Scientology's plans
to air advertising in the Tampa market during the 2018 Winter Olympics.
We do a quick back-of-the-envelope estimate of the amount that
Scientology will spend and the size of the Scientologist audience that
cult leader David Miscavige hopes to impress. Spoiler: unsurprisingly,
it's a costly boondoggle.

This post is an example of what may develop into a series of quick
analyses of narrow facts. The proverbial back-of-the-envelope estimate
is the result of applying a lot of different techniques to quickly
assemble a directionally correct estimate to support a decision that
needs to be reached quickly. Of course, it's less precise than the
result that can be achieved with a week or two of focused work.

If this turns into a series, we'll use a ground rule for a
back-of-the-envelope analysis as 30 minutes for research and writing
the initial draft, to show how much you can find out fairly quickly. I
hope you'll enjoy learning about the thought process so you can use it
in your own life, as well as gaining greater perspective on the subject.

Tags: 2014, Census, Clear, Clearwater, CNBC, Croatia, David Miscavige,
Denver, NBC, Olympic, Orange County, Quicky, Riverside, Russia, San
Bernardino, Sea Org, Tampa, Tony Ortega

=========================================

Scientology is Not a Religion. Period.
February 1, 2018, Chris Shelton, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOd8GDnfoqU

Scientology has claimed religious status and tax exemption since the
1950s but does it really deserve this label and has it earned its
rights and privileges as a religious organization? In this video, I use
L. Ron Hubbard's own words to show why this is not legitimate and why
no one should ever go along with this nonsense.

MY PODCAST:

website: http://sensiblyspeaking.com

Tags: 1950, Tax exempt

=========================================

Scientology: Save the Planet with Monthly Installment Payments!
February 1, 2018, Jeffrey Augustine, Scientology Money Project
https://scientologymoneyproject.com/2018/02/01/scientology-save-the-planet-with-monthly-installment-payments/

The Scientology Cult has long peddled the falsehood that it is the
"fastest growing religion in the world." However, the International
Association of Scientologists (IAS) ad shown above is clear evidence
that large single donations are drying up. Hence the IAS is now begging
for Scientologists to make smaller regular monthly payments. In yet
another Scientology absurdity, we are told that the planet is on the
brink of extinction due to the specter of Psychiatry, nuclear weapons,
British bankers, Marcabs, etc. However, rest assured that your small
monthly donations to the IAS can stave off the Apocalypse.

In a further sign of Scientology desperation, we find the bloated and
scammy Scientology slush fund known as the IAS has set its default
monthly donation to a meager $100 USD:

Back when Scientology was on its high horse, any Scientologist offering
a paltry $100 donation would have been hauled into Ethics for not
sacrificing their big assets to Scientology. After all, as L. Ron
Hubbard had written nothing is more important than Scientology:

Tags: 1980, Chairman of the Board, Cult, David Miscavige, Ethics,
International Association of Scientologists, Marcab, Mission, Quicky

=========================================

Viewers react to Tampa NBC affiliate saying Scientology is sponsoring Winter
Olympics
February 1, 2018, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2018/02/01/viewers-react-to-tampa-nbc-affiliate-saying-scietnology-is-sponsoring-winter-olympics/

Last night, television viewers in the Tampa area began reacting on
Facebook and Twitter after they saw promos aired on NBC's local
affiliate, WFLA Channel 8, that the Church of Scientology will be
sponsoring its Winter Olympics broadcasts, which begin next week.

An example on Facebook...

And Twitter...

Tags: 1970, 2013, 2015, 2016, Abortion, Brigid Sweetman, Cathriona White,
Chris Shelton, Claire Headley, Clearwater, David Miscavige, Denver, Facebook,
France, Germany, Hollywood, Hollywood Reporter, HowdyCon, Hurricane Irma,
Ireland, Jim Carrey, John Brodie, Mark Burton, Mike Rinder, NBC, Olympic, OT,
Quicky, Scientology Media Productions, Snow White Program, South Park, Super
Bowl, Tampa, The Atlantic, Twitter, WFLA

=========================================

Where bad arguments against Scientology's tax exemption go to die: courts of
law
February 1, 2018, Monique Yingling, Letters, Los Angeles Times
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-ol-scientology-tax-exempt-20180201-story.html

In a Nov. 16 Los Angeles Times op-ed article, Daily Beast correspondent
James Kirchick asks, "In the world of religious tax exemptions, does
Scientology measure up?" The answer to that question is a resounding yes.

I was the Church of Scientology's primary tax counsel in its successful
efforts to obtain federal tax exemption, a status it fully and fairly
earned and continues to merit. Unlike Kirchick, I know exactly whereof
I speak.

The Church of Scientology is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service
as tax exempt because it established to the agency's satisfaction that
it is organized and operates as a charitable religious organization.
The church did not engage in a "ruthless battle to win a religious tax
exemption"; rather, it simply worked continuously to demonstrate that
it should be treated the same as other religious denominations.

Tags: 1993, Hernandez v. Commissioner, IRS, James Kirchick, Tax exempt

=========================================

Baptist groups join coalition opposing 'Project Blitz' playbook for pro-
Christian legislation
February 1, 2019, Bob Allen, Baptist News Global
https://baptistnews.com/article/baptist-groups-join-coalition-opposing-project-blitz-playbook-for-pro-christian-legislation/

The Alliance of Baptists and Baptist Joint Committee for Religious
Liberty are among 43 national religious, civil rights and other
organizations joining in a statement warning state lawmakers across the
country about an organized effort by evangelical political groups to
promote Christianity.

The coalition, which also includes Americans United for Separation of
Church and State, National Council of Churches, the Union for Reform
Judaism and the Hindu American Foundation, opposes "Project Blitz," a
playbook developed by a collection of Christian groups to promote model
bills like "Bible literacy" legislation praised on Twitter by President
Donald Trump.

The statement describes Project Blitz as "a new and coordinated
national effort to enshrine Christian nationalism in state laws across
the country."

Tags: Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Baptist,
Christian, Dark Right, Donald Trump, In God We Trust, National Council of
Churches, Project Blitz, Quicky, Twitter, USA Today

=========================================

Church issues warning over Scientology 'infiltration'
February 1, 2019, Evie Andreou, Cyprus Mail
https://cyprus-mail.com/2019/02/01/church-issues-warning-over-scientology-infiltration/

The Church of Cyprus on Friday warned that the foundation for a
Drug-Free World was a branch of the Church of Scientology which, it
said, was not only one of the most dangerous cults but was also "a
disguised financial enterprise".

In a written statement, the Church's Synod Committee on cults, citing a
document on religious cults, said that the Church of Scientology "works
under various facades and with a variety of parent organisations whose
names do not cause any suspicion."

"Under pseudonymous titles and names, it tries to erode all areas of
life, including politics and the economy," the committee said.

Tags: Athens, Centre for Applied Philosophy, Church of Cyprus, Cyprus,
Europe, Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Quicky, Stella Constantinou

=========================================

NFL great Marshall Faulk plugs Scientology front group on Fox News
February 1, 2019, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2019/02/01/nfl-great-marshall-faulk-plugs-scientology-front-group-on-fox-news/

NFL Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk handed Scientology its
most visible public boost in a long time yesterday by appearing on the
Fox News morning program "Fox & Friends" to plug the Church of
Scientology's front group Foundation for a Drug-Free World ahead of
this weekend's Super Bowl game.

For seven years, Scientology has targeted the Super Bowl for its
biggest publicity push each year, airing an ad for the church itself in
some markets. At its New Year's Event held in Los Angeles last month,
David Miscavige previewed this year's new ad for his audience, and we
will be looking for it during Sunday's game.

But this year the publicity push has started early with Faulk's
appearance.

Tags: 2009, Danny Masterson, David Miscavige, Dianetics, Foundation for a
Drug-Free World, Fox News, John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Leah Remini, Los
Angeles, Marshall Faulk, New Year's Eve, Quicky, Rod Keller, Scientology and
the Aftermath, Super Bowl, YouTube

=========================================

Regraded Being
February 1, 2019, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/friday-regraded-being-181/

Tags: Quicky, Regraded Being

=========================================

April fools: Keith Raniere and Clare Bronfman sentencing hearings set for
cruelest month
February 1, 2020, Dianne Lipson, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2020/02/01/april-fools-keith-raniere-and-clare-bronfman-sentencing-hearings-set-for-cruelest-month/

(Keith Raniere and Clare Bronfman)

Judge Nicholas Garaufis has announced sentencing dates for Nxivm
leaders Keith Raniere and Clare Bronfman in the month April.

Bronfmans's sentencing was postponed from an earlier date in the same
month to avoid Passover, and is now set for April 23 at 10 am. Garaufis
has stated previously that he is considering sentencing Bronfman above
the guidelines of 21-27 months. Per her plea agreement, this allows her
to appeal her sentence but does not allow her to rescind her guilty plea.

Tags: 2017, Clare Bronfman, Judge Nicholas Garaufis, Keith Raniere, Lauren
Salzman, Marc Agnifilo, Mark Vicente, Mexico, Nancy Salzman, Neil Glazer, New
York Times, NXIVM, Quicky

=========================================

Evangelicals see Trump as a way to get what they want after decades of defeat
February 1, 2020, Tom Cullen, The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/01/evangelicals-trump-policy-defeat-us-election-2020-christians

Trump has handed his ultra-loyal evangelical base policy victories and
in return they turn a blind eye to his scandals

Evangelicals see Trump as a way to get what they want after decades of
defeat

Joanne Craig, a lifelong evangelical Republican and resident of Sioux
City, Iowa, couldn't be more satisfied with the first three years of
Donald Trump's presidency.

Tags: Abortion, Baptist, Christian, Christian Right, Dallas, Dark Right,
Donald Trump, Facebook, Iowa, Israel, Jesus, March for Life, Mike Pence,
Planned Parenthood, Republican, Robert Jeffries, Sexual assault, Texas,
Twitter

=========================================

Lindsey Graham Is Quietly Preparing a Mess of a Bill Trying to Destroy End-to-
End Encryption
February 1, 2020, Dell Cameron, Gizmodo
https://gizmodo.com/lindsey-graham-is-quietly-preparing-a-mess-of-a-bill-tr-1841394208

Top Trump ally and consistent encryption scaremonger Senator Lindsey
Graham is working on a bill that could coerce tech companies to stop
providing end-to-end encryption by threatening them with massive legal
liability, The Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive
Technologies Act of 2019 (or EARN IT Act).

The draft version of the EARN IT Act, which has not yet been formally
introduced but is reportedly being circulated by Graham and Democratic
Senator Richard Blumenthal, bills itself as a way to fight the
distribution of child sex abuse material (CSAM) on major platforms. But
it does so by threatening Section 230, a core building block of the
modern internet that shields tech platforms from liability for
user-generated content (for example, it's why Gizmodo is insulated from
libel lawsuits stemming from what happens in the comments section). The
EARN IT Act would threaten tech companies like Facebook, Google, and
WhatApp's Section 230 immunity regarding CSAM unless they comply with a
set of so-called "best practices" determined by a 15-member commission.
Those companies deemed not in compliance would have the evidentiary
standard used to determine whether they enable CSAM lowered from
"knowingly" to "recklessly," with the draft bill also amending Section
230 to no longer prohibit state prosecutors from pursuing criminal
charges against internet companies currently protected from state laws
under the statute.

This is a disconcerting proposal for numerous reasons. As Riana
Pfefferkorn of Stanford University's Center for Internet and Society
explained in a lengthy blog post, it appears to be a bait-and-switch
for Congress and the Department of Justice to wage their war on
end-to-end encryption by requiring those "best practices" to "condemn
end-to-end encryption." Unlike telecommunications firms like phone
companies, internet platforms are exempted under federal law from
having to provide the ability for law enforcement to wiretap their
networks. The EARN IT Act provides a convenient workaround to bypass
that.

Tags: 2019, Bill Barr, Child abuse, Congress, Dark Right, Encryption,
Facebook, Google, Lindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal, Santa Clara University,
Section 230, Stanford University, US Department of Justice, WhatsApp

=========================================

Regraded Being
February 1, 2020, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/friday-regraded-being-232/

Share this... Facebook Pinterest Twitter Linkedin

Tags: Facebook, Quicky, Regraded Being, Twitter

=========================================

What are Valerie Haney's options after Scientology won its arbitration motion?
February 1, 2020, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2020/02/01/what-are-valerie-haneys-options-after-scientology-won-its-arbitration-motion/

We're still reeling after Thursday's court hearing that dealt such a
blow to Valerie Haney's lawsuit. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge
Richard Burdge Jr. granted the motions submitted by two of
Scientology's entities to compel the case into "religious arbitration,"
and stayed the lawsuit itself.

At the end of the ten-minute hearing, after treating the matter like a
simple contract dispute, Judge Burge asked the two sides to come back
and report how the arbitration went, in April 2021.

As far as he's concerned, this lawsuit is over.

Tags: 1957, 2014, 2021, Academic, Addicted to Scientology, Appeal, Brian
Kent, California, Claire Headley, Danny Masterson, David Miscavige,
Dianetics, Fair Game, Int Base, Jeffrey Augustine, Judge James Whittemore,
Judge Richard Burdge, Laura DeCrescenzo, Leah Remini, Los Angeles Superior
Court, Luis and Rocio Garcia, Monique Rathbun, Sea Org, SLAPP, St. Louis,
Submarine, Tampa, Valerie Haney, Vance Woodward

=========================================

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