Today in Scientology -- August 23rd ********************************************************

[Scientology Today]

Today August 23rd in Scientology history
========================================

Meddling with Minds
August 23, 1968, Time magazine
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,838617,00.html

Not many modern religions can claim the distinction of being denounced
by a major European government as "socially harmful ... a potential
menace to the personality" and "a serious danger to health." Yet those
were the words chosen by Britain's Health Minister Kenneth Robinson
when he took the floor of the Commons last month to censure the
little-known and less understood Church of Scientology.

Tags: FDA, Kenneth Robinson, UK

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'Boheme': Ship's departure from St. Petersburg to leave disappointment in its
wake
August 23, 1986, David Olinger, St. Petersburg Times
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/51700312.html?dids=51700312:51700312&FMT=FT

City officials learned Thursday afternoon that the Boheme had been sold.
Travel agents who had booked passengers on future cruises got even
less advance notice. They were told Friday that someone had acquired
one of Commodore Cruise Line's two ships.

Bob Garrity, Commodore's marketing director, attributed the suddenness
of the sale to an offer the Boheme's Finnish owners "couldn't refuse."
The buyer has not been identified.

Tags: 1985, Caribbean, Freewinds, Miami, Michael Davis, St. Petersburg

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Tax-free status bears burden of proof
August 23, 1987, Editorial, St. Petersburg Times
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/50101404.html?dids=50101404:50101404&FMT=FT

Some property owners in Pinellas County who are getting a free ride on
taxes are offended because they have to justify their exemptions. But
if Property Appraiser Ron Schultz weren't asking questions, he would be
failing everyone who pays taxes.

Schultz, for the sixth straight year, has examined exemptions for
non-profit institutions and churches throughout the county - a grant of
relief that removed $1.1-billion worth of property from taxation last
year. In so doing, he targeted about 50 religious organizations that
have failed to file appropriately updated financial records to prove
they qualify for the exemption. One Palm Harbor church, for example,
had not filed a financial paper since its original application - at the
turn of the century, when Pinellas was still a part of Hillsborough
County.

Tags: Clearwater, Hillsborough County, Palm Harbor, Pinellas County, Ron
Schultz, Tax

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Daughter, Granddaughter Guilty Of Woman's Murder
August 23, 1991, Julie Emery, Seattle Times
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19910823&slug=1301446

The daughter and granddaughter gave separate statements to police
telling how they had chopped up 50 capsules of Dilantin, an
anti-seizure medicine, then mixed it in clam chowder and fed it to Van
Sickle Nov. 17 in the family home in Rainier Valley.

But when she was still alive the next day, they put a pillow over her
face and suffocated her. After a 20-minute struggle, Van Sickle died.

A medical examiner concluded she died of congestive heart failure, and
her body was donated to the University of Washington.

"This was the perfect murder - with the one exception - a guilty
conscience," John "Jay" Mooney, a Seattle homicide detective, said
after the verdict.

Tags: 1987, Alexis Shumway, Jimmie Jean Shumway, Judge Sullivan, Murder,
Police, Seattle, Suzine Van Sickle, Washington

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CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY GROUP SUES POST
August 23, 1995, Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1995/08/23/church-of-scientology-group-sues-post/834eb225-b0e2-4fa4-b04a-be1cc86ff0b3/

An arm of the Church of Scientology has sued The Washington Post and
two of its reporters in an attempt to prevent publication of
copyrighted information that belongs to the church.

In an amendment to a suit filed against an Arlington man Aug. 11 in U.S.
District Court in Alexandria, the Religious Technology Center asks
that the newspaper return certain documents and refrain from publishing
information that the church claims is confidential scriptures protected
by federal laws.

The church originally sued Arlington resident Arnaldo Lerma, who
allegedly disseminated anti-church information and church documents via
the Internet. On Aug. 12, federal marshals seized computer equipment
and files from Lerma's home, under an order from District Judge Leonie
Brinkema. The revised suit seeks an injunction against The Post and
reporters Richard Leiby and Marc Fisher, who allegedly obtained
copyrighted information.

Tags: Arlington, Arnaldo Lerma, Earle Cooley, Judge Leonie Brinkema, Marc
Fisher, Quicky, Religious Technology Center, Richard Leiby

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Scientology Inc.
August 23, 2001, Jim Evans, Sacramento News & Review
http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=8220

Over the past 18 years, e.Republic has essentially become the principal
information source on governments' adoption of technology. The
company's conferences draw everybody who's anybody among the government
"digerati." Its magazines, notably its flagship, Government Technology,
have become the industry bibles of the government techno-nerd set. For
instance, if you want the latest news on whether governments will
supply online access to court files, you'll find it in Government
Technology. Another e.Republic offshoot, the Center for Digital
Government, provides research and consulting to state and local
governments.

To the outside world, e.Republic is a trusted resource for government
officials and business leaders alike. Inside, some employees feel as if
they won't get a fair shake if they're not Scientologists.

Tags: Allstate, Applied Scholastics, CCHR, Center for Digital Government,
Church of Spiritual Technology, Citizens for Social Reform, Converge, Dennis
McKenna, Don Pearson, e.Republic, Effective Training Solutions, Germany,
Government Technology, Ingrid Gudenas, Jon Atack, Paulette Cooper, Stephen
Kent, WISE

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

Scientology 101
August 23, 2006, ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com/print?id=900376

A definition of Scientology is hard to pin down. Basically, it's a
system of beliefs, teachings and rituals originally established as a
secular philosophy by L. Ron Hubbard.

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

Tom Cruise, Paramount Part Ways
August 23, 2006, Stephen M. Silverman, People
https://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1304046,00.html

Sumner Redstone, chairman of Paramount Pictures parent company Viacom,
told the Wall Street Journal Tuesday that the studio would not renew
its contract with Cruise's Cruise/Wagner

"It's nothing to do with his acting ability, he's a terrific actor,"
Redstone said. "But we don't think that someone who effectuates
creative suicide and costs the company revenue should be on the lot."

Tags: 1992, Associated Press, Days of Thunder, Katie Holmes, Mission, Oprah
Winfrey, Paramount, Paula Wagner, Peter Bart, Rick Nicita, Sumner Redstone,
Tom Cruise, Variety, Viacom, Wall Street Journal

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

The business of Cruise control
August 23, 2007, John Clark, NY Daily News
https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2007/08/23/2007-08-23_the_business_of_cruise_control.html

Then he was torched by the press, by Hollywood and by just about anyone
within striking distance of a celebrity newsweekly for criticizing
psychiatry, antidepressants and Brooke Shields' handling of postpartum
depression. And for talking up Scientology as if it had all the answers.

Tags: Sumner Redstone, Tom Cruise

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Xenu is Loose! The Musical!
August 23, 2007, Carmody Wilson, The Herald
https://www.heraldscotland.com/not-so-much-girl-power-as-new-matrons-1.863731

Xenu is Loose! The Musical! follows the plight of Jen, a
not-quite-convert to Scientology as she is charmed and seduced by a
handsome member of the church during her initial tour. Meanwhile, Xenu
has escaped from his native planet and has murder in mind.

Tags: Xenu

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Scooby Doo says Scientology Cures Homosexuality
August 23, 2009, doyle63l5, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt4HYnvK7zA

The Church of Scientology claims that Dianetics and Auditing can
miraculously cure all diseases - including Homosexuality - which it
regards as a physical illness.

Tags: Auditing, Dianetics, Quicky

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The Koch Brothers' Covert Ops
August 23, 2010, Jane Mayer, New Yorker
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/08/30/covert-operations

While Koch didn't explicitly embrace the Tea Party movement that day,
more recently he has come close to doing so, praising it for
demonstrating the "powerful visceral hostility in the body politic
against the massive increase in government power, the massive efforts
to socialize this country." Charles Koch, in a newsletter sent to his
seventy thousand employees, compared the Obama Administration to the
regime of the Venezuelan strongman Hugo Ch?vez. The Kochs' sense of
imperilment is somewhat puzzling. Income inequality in America is
greater than it has been since the nineteen-twenties, and since the
seventies the tax rates of the wealthiest have fallen more than those
of the middle class. Yet the brothers' message has evidently resonated
with voters: a recent poll found that fifty-five per cent of Americans
agreed that Obama is a socialist.

Americans for Prosperity, meanwhile, has announced that it will spend
an additional forty-five million dollars before the midterm elections,
in November. Although the group is legally prohibited from directly
endorsing candidates, it nonetheless plans to target some fifty House
races and half a dozen Senate races, staging rallies, organizing
door-to-door canvassing, and running ads aimed at "educating voters
about where candidates stand."

Though the Kochs have slowed Obama's momentum, their larger political
battle is far from won. Richard Fink, interviewed by FrumForum.com this
spring, said, "If you look at where we've gone from the year 2000 to
now, with the expansion of government spending and a debt burden that
threatens to bankrupt the country, it doesn't look very good at all."
He went on, "It looks like the infrastructure that was built and
nurtured has not carried the day." He suggested that the Kochs needed
"to get more into the practical, day-to-day issues of governing."

Tags: Americans for Prosperity, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Bruce Bartlett,
Cato Institute, Center for Public Integrity, Charles Koch, Citizens for a
Sound Economy, Citizens for the Environment, Citizens United, Climate denial,
David Koch, Economic Education Trust, Environmental Protection Agency,
Federal Election Commission, Foundation for Research on Economics and the
Environment, Fox News, Fred Koch, Friedrich Hayek, George Mason University,
George Pataki, George Soros, Glenn Beck, Greenpeace, Grover Norquist,
Heritage Foundation, Hillary Clinton, Independent Women's Forum, John Birch
Society, John Kerry, John M. Olin Foundation, Kansas, Koch Bro, Lee Fang,
Melissa Cohlmia, Mercatus Center, Mortimer Zuckerman, National Center for
Policy Analysis, Open Society Institute, Patients United Now, Phil Kerpen,
Ralph Nader, Republican, Richard Fink, Rush Limbaugh, Scaife Foundations,
Securities and Exchange Commission, Tea Party, Ted Cruz, Texas, Tim Phillips,
Triad Management, US Senate, Walter Williams, Wichita

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Walking Like a Duck
August 23, 2010, Jefferson Hawkins, Leaving Scientology
https://leavingscientology.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/walking-like-a-duck/

The famous "duck test," attributed to "Hoosier Poet" James Whitcomb
Riley (1849-1916), goes something like this: "When I see a bird that
walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call
that bird a duck."

The Church of Scientology likes to style itself as a "religion." But
does it walk and talk like a religion?

Over the last year, revelations by former insiders indicate that
Scientology is acting like anything but a religion. But lately, it's
not just former staff who are revealing some very un-religious
behavior, it's the Church itself. They are so busy denying everything
that they perhaps haven't noticed what they've admitted to.

Tags: 2003, 2004, Abortion, Blow Drill, David Miscavige, Disconnection,
Hemet, Int Base, John Brousseau, Los Angeles, Private investigator, Quicky,
Religious Technology Center, Riverside County Sheriff, Sea Org, Spies, Texas,
Threats, Tom Cruise, Warren McShane

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Muammar Gaddafi was closer to a cult leader, than dictator
August 23, 2011, Jonathan Kay, National Post
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/08/23/jonathan-kay-muammar-gaddafi-was-closer-to-a-cult-leader-than-dictator/

In recent days, I've received some insight into this megalomaniacal
mindset from an unlikely source. In her new book, Inside Scientology,
Rolling Stone reporter Janet Reitman tells the story of how a mentally
unbalanced pill-popping bigamist named L. Ron Hubbard turned his
fevered space-opera fantasies and medical conspiracy theories into a
cult-cum-business that, at the time of his death in 1986, was worth
$400-million. Hubbard wasn't a politician, but he was very much a
fascist - as evidenced by the sadistic punishments meted out to
"dissident" Scientologists, and by the creepy power-worship themes that
suffused many of his hack science fiction stories.

Tags: Janet Reitman, L. Ron Hubbard, Muammar Gaddafi

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(2012's) Top 25 People Crippling Scientology, Nos. 17-20
August 23, 2012, Tony Ortega, Runnin' Scared, Village Voice
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/08/scientology_top_25_jamie_dewolf_amy_scobee.php

L. Ron Hubbard's great-grandson moves up a few spots on our list this
year after the way his profile has been rising lately. After the TomKat
split, DeWolf was asked to make some comments, and an interview he gave
to a Bay Area local television station got picked up and went around
the world a few times. We'd predicted big things for Jamie, who has a
lot of talent and charm, and isn't afraid to speak freely about his
great-grandad.

Tags: 1968, 1980, Amy Scobee, Astra Woodcraft, BBC, Blown for Good, Claire
Headley, Daily Beast, David Miscavige, Facebook, Hollywood, Human
trafficking, Ideal Org, Int Base, Isabella Cruise, Jaffa, Jamie DeWolf,
Jefferson Hawkins, John Brousseau, Kate Bornstein, L. Ron Hubbard, Lisa Marie
Presley, Los Angeles, Nashville, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ron DeWolf,
Scientology executive, Sea Org, Seattle, Tami Lemberger, Tel Aviv, The Hole,
Xenu

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

Body found in Peachtree Corners ID'd, cause of death pending
August 23, 2012, Tyler Estep, Gwinnett Daily Post
https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2012/aug/23/body-found-in-peachtree-corners-idd-cause-of/

The body found last week behind a Peachtree Corners business has been
identified, but the cause of death remains undetermined pending
toxicology results.

The deceased man, found at about 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 13, has been
identified as 39-year-old Ronald Corona, "who is originally from
Pennsylvania and has been temporarily living in the Gwinnett area since
November 2011," Gwinnett County police spokesman Cpl. Edwin Ritter said
Thursday. Corona had previously been identified only through a pair of
distinct tattoos on his body.

Tags: Death, Narconon, Narconon Georgia, Ronald Corona

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Knowledge Report: Marty Rathbun on Lisa McPherson
August 23, 2012, Mark Bunker, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5qb_CajvJM

Marty Rathbun talks about the coverup of Scientology's neglect of Lisa
McPherson during the last 17 days of her life while be held against her
will at the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, Florida.

Tags: Clearwater, Florida, Fort Harrison, Knowledge Report, Lisa McPherson,
Marty Rathbun, Quicky

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Knowledge Report: Steve Hall on David Miscavige Violence
August 23, 2012, Mark Bunker, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8loflgsj5A

Steve talks about witnessing a violent outburst from Scientology's
leader, David Miscavige.

Tags: David Miscavige, Knowledge Report, Quicky, Steve Hall, Violence

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

Mayor Rob Ford meets with U.S. casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson
August 23, 2012, David Rider, Toronto Star
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/08/23/mayor_rob_ford_meets_with_us_casino_billionaire_sheldon_adelson.html

In a sign of casino companies' eagerness to build in Toronto, Mayor Rob
Ford got a visit at City Hall from Sheldon Adelson, controversial owner
of the Las Vegas Sands empire and one of the world's richest men.

Adelson, 79, arrived at Ford's office Thursday afternoon with his wife,
Dr. Miriam Adelson, and two aides for the private, unpublicized
45-minute meeting that he had requested.

Ford's office declined to give details but Adelson is registered to
lobby city officials on his interest in building a casino resort in
Toronto.

Tags: 1995, Boston, Doug Ford, DougWiki, Earl Provost, Las Vegas, Las Vegas
Sands, Mark Towhey, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Republican, Rob Ford, Sheldon
Adelson, Toronto, Toronto City Council

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PR Director of Scientology's Las Vegas Celebrity Center Arrested in Plot to
Assassinate a Cop
August 23, 2013, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2013/08/23/pr-director-of-scientologys-las-vegas-celebrity-center-arrested-in-plot-to-assassinate-a-cop/

NOW POSTED BELOW: We have the 20-page police report detailing what
Brutsche and Newman told police during the undercover investigation of
their plan to kidnap and kill a police officer. AND FINALLY - A
STATEMENT FROM SCIENTOLOGY

ALSO: Devon Newman was once a tenant living in the home of Karen de la
Carriere, former wife of the president of the Church of Scientology!
See our update, below.

Devon Campbell Newman, 67, became the public relations director of
Scientology's "Celebrity Center" in Las Vegas, Nevada early in 2010 and
has remained in that position to the present day - that's according to
her own LinkedIn profile as well as numerous online records of her
activities as a Scientologist.

Tags: 1966, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2010, 2011, Advanced
Org, AOLA, Arrest, Barbara Rubio, Big Blue, Celebrity Centre, Church of
Scientology International, Clear, Criminal, Devon Newman, Division 6, Fair
Game, FBI, Heber Jentzsch, Karen de la Carriere, Karin Pouw, Las Vegas,
LinkedIn, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Marisol Nichols, Mary Sue Hubbard,
Membership, Memphis, Nathan Baca, Nevada, Office of Special Affairs, Orange
County, OT, Quicky, Scientology organization, Sea Org, Snow White Program,
Terrorism, The Hole

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Prices Are Going Up While We Are Going Down!
August 23, 2013, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/prices-are-going-up-while-we-are-going-down/

The Smiths are at it again - throwing out more confusion and hidden
data to try to drum up some business.

Not only is Miscavige planning the super extravaganzapalooza of
amazingness to blow the minds of the sheeple with Super Power, Cause
Resurgence, GAG II, the meter, dictionary and a whole new building in a
circus tent with fireworks, dancing elephants and clowns, he also plans
to make a shitload more money with price "changes" (increases) as it
just wouldn't be fair to let people "rocket up the Bridge faster than
ever, ever, ever" without making them pay more for the privilege of
getting less so much quickier.

You can read all about it here.

Tags: Cause Resurgence Rundown, Clear, Cornerstone, David Miscavige, Field
Staff Member, L. Ron Hubbard, OT, OT Ambassador, OT VII, Quicky, Rundowns,
San Jose, Sec Check, Super Power, WISE

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Proroguing Parliament without cause? Canadians want it banned
August 23, 2013, Duff Conacher, Globe and Mail
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/proroguing-parliament-without-cause-canadians-want-it-banned/article13935119/

While it is normal for a prime minister or provincial premier to
prorogue the legislature to set out a new government agenda, many
prorogations in the past decade have been for what many see as
unjustifiable lengths of time, and for unjustifiable reasons. The rules
are not clear and enforcement is ineffective ? and a large majority of
Canadians want these problems fixed.

In November 2003, then-Prime Minister Jean Chr?tien prorogued
Parliament in part to avoid the tabling of the Auditor-General report
into the Adscam scandal while he was still in power. Some would claim
that Chr?tien's prorogation was justifiable because Paul Martin was
becoming prime minister and it allowed him to start fresh with a Speech
from the Throne.

However, Mr. Martin and his new cabinet had the usual
mid-December-to-early-February parliamentary break to prepare their
plans, and if he wanted to start fresh he could have prorogued
Parliament himself sometime during that break.

Tags: 1982, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, Australia, British
Columbia, Canada, Dalton McGuinty, DougWiki, Governor-General, House of
Commons, Labrador, New Zealand, Newfoundland, Ontario, Paul Martin, Prorogue,
Quebec, Stephen Harper, Vancouver

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

Scientology PR rep arrested in plot to kidnap, kill cop
August 23, 2013, Kristen Butler, UPI
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/Blog/2013/08/23/Scientology-PR-rep-arrested-in-plot-to-kidnap-kill-cop/4021377283197/?st_rec=21231349299925

Las Vegas police have arrested a man and a woman in connection with a
crazy plot to kidnap, jail, try and execute a random police officer.

The plot was allegedly driven by right-wing "Sovereign Citizen" beliefs.
Growing since the late 2000s, the Sovereign Citizen movement is
largely made up of people who do not believe in following U.S. laws or
paying taxes and have a particular dislike for law enforcement.

Devon Campbell Newman, 67, became the public relations director of
Scientology's "Celebrity Center" in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2010. Her
alleged partner in crime is 42-year-old David Allen Brutsche, a
registered sex offender and six-time felon.

Tags: 2000, 2010, Celebrity Centre, Devon Newman, Las Vegas, Nevada, Quicky,
Sovereign Citizen

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TRANQUILITY DETOX INDIANA LICENSE: PUBLIC COMMENTS INVITED
August 23, 2013, Miss Fortune, Glistening, Quivering Underbelly
http://glisteningquiveringunderbelly.blogspot.com/2013/08/tranquility-detox-indiana-license.html

The German philospher Arthur Schopenhauer wrote, "All truth passes
through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently
opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

And it looks to your girl Miss Fortune that the craven knuckleheads
running Tranquility Detox are still stuck in the first stage. Using
stigmatizing language -- addict -- in the "Get Help Today!" form
(above), makes no distinction between the person and the disease.
Instead of using terms like "family member" or "loved one", Tranquility
Detox appears to deny the dignity and humanity of the individuals they
purport to care for.

Now, Indiana, Tranquility Detox is gunning for you!

Tags: Choices Recovery, Indiana, Indiana Division of Mental Health and
Addiction, Per Wickstrom, Quicky, South Bend, Tranquility Detox

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

(VIDEO) ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
August 23, 2014, Chris Shelton, Critical Thinker at Large
https://mncriticalthinking.com/2014/08/23/video-als-ice-bucket-challenge/

Today I took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. I myself have not been a
heavy contributor to charities nor have I had any awareness of what ALS
even was until this past week. And I think that is the entire point of
the success behind this ALS campaign. With a simple video challenge
done in the style of a chain letter, over 53 million dollars have been
raised to help fight what has been an incurable disease with very
little actual support or public awareness.

This ALS challenge is doing more to raise awareness, educate the public
and raise much-needed money than any number of boring PSAs or
nationwide marketing campaigns I've seen. I'm not trying to denigrate
the efforts of anyone to get the word out about their charities or
causes. I'm merely pointing out that the elements of humor and
participation succeed where so much else has not. I think many
charities right now are probably looking at their fundraising efforts
in a whole new light.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a horrible thing. I have no
words to describe how awful it would be to contract this illness and I
feel for those who have it and their families and friends. Hopefully,
the funds being raised are enough to find a cure within my lifetime.

Tags: Quicky

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

Effect and Cause
August 23, 2014, Marty Rathbun, Moving On Up a Little Higher
https://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2014/08/23/effect-and-cause/

Aristotelian and Newtonian two-valued, space-time logic philosophy and
science are demonstrated to be essentially of a mind construct basis by
developments in quantum mechanics and the related fledgling field of
science of consciousness. Those historical three-dimensional views were
popular for a couple thousand years because they proved so workable in
taming the wild, creating material comforts, and suppressing and
killing competitors for those comforts (fundamental motives driving the
evolution of civilization). Aristotle and Newton were not only
worshipped by scientists for centuries, their theories were ruthlessly
enforced on society by the predominant Western church as it considered
their theories 'proved' that an anthropomorphic God was at the center
of the universe who set the whole frenzied cosmos in motion. Having
monopolized the communication channels to God, a tremendous continually
increasing fortune was at stake in promoting those views. That binary
thinking remains a mainstay of social darwinists today who preach
'survival of the fittest' or as Hubbard's mentor Aleister Crowly put it
'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law' to justify their
rapacity and greed.

This is not to say Aristotle and Newton were not pillars in humankind's
evolution toward greater understanding. In fact, few compare to their
contributions. It is to say, however, wisdom and understanding like
life itself continually evolve. And that mental and spiritual
philosophies grounded in limited logic are to some degree obsolete.
Just as many of Newton's and Aristotle's principles are defied and
transcended by nuclear and quantum physics (whose breakthroughs at
least 70% of our economy is based upon), so are those of the mental and
spiritual philosophies based upon their systems of thought.

In the traditional Cartesian (strict mind vs. matter view, as validated
and supported by Aristotelian and Newtonian thought) construct, in the
beginning there was a cause and the entire purpose of the cause was the
creation of an effect; and we are all more or less the effect of the
resultant infinity of cause-effect sequences. Therapies that promise to
wed one or return one to the native, original cause in all this set
themselves up for lifetime income from clients/adherents. Their 'why
traps' are outfitted with an infinity of divining in the never-ending
cause-effect sequences. It is akin to charging a squirrel for running
in a wheel for eternity when modern science has demonstrated that
'cause' isn't any more important than 'effect' and that in ultimate
reality (read beyond the traditional five animal senses) does not even
necessarily precede it.

Tags: Buddhism, Quicky, Squirrel

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

Jon Atack: How Scientology's methods of manipulation stay with you after you
leave
August 23, 2014, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2014/08/23/jon-atack-how-scientologys-methods-manipulation-stay-with-you-after-you-leave/

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 for more than a year on Saturdays he helped 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. He was kind enough to send us a new post.

We're fortunate to have two pieces this week from you, Jon. On
Thursday, you told us about L. Ron Hubbard's theory that life was a
game, with him controlling the pieces. Today, you're talking again
about leaving Scientology and recovering from it. Help us understand
why it is ex-Scientologists have a hard time leaving the church behind.

JON: To keep the follower trapped in the mindset of the group, it is
necessary to erect fences, so that they will not stray. In most groups
these fences melt away once the rituals of the group are abandoned. The
Krishna stops chanting all day long. The TMer stops repeating the
"secret" demonic name, ceaselessly. Away from the rallies and the group
euphoria, people come down from the high and integrate back into
reality and the mundane. Not so with Scientologists. Scientology is
self-reinforcing. We keep on "confronting" with our TRs "in," and we
try to inflict the petty, endless rules of L. Ron Hubbard on all who
are around. Until we don't, which usually takes some intervention on
the part of reality (or from me and others of my independently-minded
ilk).

Tags: 1955, 1965, A Piece of Blue Sky, Bill Robertson, Cyril Vosper,
Dianetics, Fair Game, FBI, Germany, Hubbard Communications Office Bulletin,
Jay Hurwitz, Jon Atack, Mental Health, Michigan, Mitch Beedie, Moonies, OT,
Quicky, R2-45, Squirrel, Squirrels, The Way to Happiness

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

Scientology: Maria Pia Gardini (Full Interview)
August 23, 2014, Mark Bunker, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3tIiv2Ke5s

1/21/-1 - Stacy Brooks interviews Maria Pia Gardini about her
experiences with Scientology.

Tags: Maria Pia Gardini, Quicky, Stacy Brooks

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

The Miscavige IAS Scam Rolls On
August 23, 2014, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/the-miscavige-ias-scam-rolls-on/

The latest edition of Impact magazine has been mailed out. It is a
recounting of the magnificent IAS evening aboard the Freewinds. Of
course, it highlights "Mr. David Miscavige" though these days they
don't bother with identifying him in the 7 full page photoshopped pix
featuring his new thin look.

The weight of the world seems to be resting upon his shoulders and it
is showing.

This was a veritable shermanspeak orgy, and while I am not going to
recount everything here, I am including his opening and closing
statements for your reading pleasure (amazement?).

Tags: Brisbane, Chairman of the Board, Colombia, David Miscavige, Detroit,
Dominican Republic, Facebook, FBI, Freewinds, Golden Age of Tech, Ideal Org,
International Association of Scientologists, IRS, Israel, Italy, Japan, L.
Ron Hubbard, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Quicky, Religious Technology Center,
Scam, South Africa, Texas

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

(VIDEO) Critical Q&A #19
August 23, 2015, Chris Shelton, Critical Thinker at Large
https://mncriticalthinking.com/2015/08/23/video-critical-qa-19/

The show where I answer your questions about Scientology and anything
else you want to ask about. This week, the questions I take up are:

(1) Do you think L. Ron Hubbard made staff contracts 2-1/2 or 5 year
contracts to trap members or suppress them and unknowingly stop them
from doing and getting up The Bridge?

(2) Are you familiar with Amway/network-marketing-type companies and,
if so, do you think that their tactics are similar to those used in
cults?

Tags: Academic, Amway, Asbestos, Big Blue, Communication Course, Critic,
David Miscavige, Disconnection, First Amendment, Jason Beghe, Jehovah's
Witnesses, L. Ron Hubbard, Los Angeles, OT, OT 8, Paul Haggis, Quicky,
Rehabilitation Project Force, Sea Org, Steven Fishman, Tony Ortega

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

Chill EB joins the Sea Org - well, long enough to wish a happy birthday!
August 23, 2015, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2015/08/23/chill-eb-joins-the-sea-org-well-long-enough-to-wish-a-happy-birthday/

Our thanks to the tipster who found this little gem. Scientology's
in-house hip hop ambassador, Norman Berry a/k/a Chill EB, makes a Sea
Org member's day by showing up, with singer Stacy Francis, to wish her
a happy birthday.

We've written extensively about Chill, who seemed confused by our
interest in him. We just think he's a fascinating story, and we've
enjoyed some of the songs he's written as Scientology's home rapper.

Stacy Francis, meanwhile, is also someone we've looked at over the
years. We always enjoy it when she claims no connection with
Scientology, especially when she shows up in a video like this. Anyway,
we look forward to all of your observations about this video and the
glimpse it gives of the Sea Org today...

Tags: Alfreddie Johnson, Basel, Bob Duggan, Catholic, Chill EB, Cura?ao,
David Miscavige, David Pomeranz, France, Freewinds, Grant Cardone, Ideal Org,
Jesus Christ, Jonny Jacobsen, Mexico City, Nancy Cartwright, Norman Berry,
Paris, Portland, Purification Rundown, Quicky, Rizza Islam, Sea Org, Stacy
Francis, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tom Cummins

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

Purif Promises
August 23, 2015, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
http://www.mikerindersblog.org/purif-promises/

Really? The Purif is going to prevent blood brain disorders? Skin
cancer? Reproductive problems?

They are actually claiming the the Purif is the "solution" - no, the
only solution to the bisphenol you accumulate from drinking for plastic
water bottles that can cause cancer? And the kidney/liver damage you
are suffering from associating with Mr. Clean.

This is based on NOTHING. But promoted as truth.

Tags: 2014, Battle Creek, Clear, OT, Purification Rundown, Quicky

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

Environment Agency investigating reports of human waste in East Grinstead
stream
August 23, 2016, Dave Comeau, East Grinstead Courier
http://www.eastgrinsteadcourier.co.uk/environment-agency-investigating-reports-of-human-waste-in-east-grinstead-stream/story-29646102-detail/story.html

The Environment Agency is investigating reports that human waste has
made its way into a stream in East Grinstead which is causing a bad
smell to waft around the area.

Grey sludge and what is thought to be effluent (discharged sewage) has
been building up occasionally in the stream, which runs parallel to
West Hoathly Road just south of Saint Hill Road, since last autumn.

The sludge then clears again as it flows downstream towards a lake
which sits alongside, but is not directly connected to, the River Medway.

Tags: East Grinstead, Environment Agency, Graeme Wilson, Saint Hill Manor

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

Maybe the worst thing about Scientology: It turns you into L. Ron Hubbard
August 23, 2016, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2016/08/23/maybe-the-worst-thing-about-scientology-it-turns-you-into-l-ron-hubbard/

We've been on the road for more than a week, and it was sure good to
get home yesterday. Once again, our contributors and tipsters really
came through for us so we could keep the blog going uninterrupted. And
we want to thank Jon Atack, who knew we were traveling and was
thoughtful enough to send us a bonus post for our homecoming.

JON: When I was a kid, ads for Charles Atlas's body-building courses
were in almost every American comic. The ad read, "You too can have a
body like mine." Perhaps Scientology should use a grinning picture of
the Founder, Source and Commodore with the caption, "You too can have a
mind like mine."

But do you really want a mind like Hubbard's? While a believer, I did
not doubt that Hubbard was an ideal figure ? the best possible human
being. He would be kind, tolerant, patient, and resourceful. He would
never lose his temper and always have an encouraging word. Rather like
the father that none of us ever had (though I'm happy to say that my
own dad was a thoroughly decent chap, if not the image of perfection).

Tags: 1979, 1980, 1986, Academic, Arthur Hubbard, California, Chinese,
Creston Ranch, Diana Hubbard, Hana Whitfield, Hemet, Jon Atack, L. Ron
Hubbard, Mary Sue Hubbard, Quicky, Rehabilitation Project Force, San Luis
Obispo, Sleep deprivation, Suzette Hubbard

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

Russia Restricts Religious Freedom...Again
August 23, 2016, Eric Patterson, TheBlaze
https://www.theblaze.com/contributions/russia-restricts-religious-freedom-again/

Vladimir Putin recently signed a law extending a 1997 law, signed by
Boris Yeltsin, restricting the activities of religious individuals and
groups. Although billed as an anti-terrorist measure, restrictions
include the ability to meet in public, to have foreign pastors or
missionaries visit, restrictions on publishing, zoning and permit
requirements, and other legal intrusions.

These restrictions should also be understood in light of the 2012
"foreign agent" law in Russia. The purpose of that law, ostensibly, was
to restrict the activities of foreign agents and foreign money coming
in to Russia to alter the political landscape. The actual target,
however, was NGOs and human rights organizations. Indeed, it is
estimated that one third of NGOs operating in Moscow have shut down
since the 2012 law.

Tags: 2012, 2015, Afghanistan, Bill Clinton, China, Christian, David
Saperstein (rabbi), International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, Iran,
Jehovah's Witnesses, Laos, North Korea, Office of International Religious
Freedom, Russia, Russian Orthodox Church, Syria, Thomas Reese, US Commission
on International Religious Freedom, US Countries of Particular Concern List,
US State Department, Vietnam, Vladimir Putin

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

Scientology and North Korea
August 23, 2016, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/scientology-and-north-korea/

On a number of previous occasions I have commented on the parallels
between the scientology world and North Korea.

From empty showcase buildings to the unwarranted adulation of their
current leader Kim Jong-un to the bizarre stories of the life and
accomplishments of the Godlike founder of the DPRK, Kim Il-sung.

But this BBC News story came across my newsfeed and once again the
similarities were eery.

Tags: BBC News, Freedom magazine, Inch Wives, Marty Rathbun, North Korea,
Quicky, Tom DeVocht

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

Ezra Levant Announces Plan To "Reboot" The Rebel
August 23, 2017, Jonathan Goldsbie, Canadaland
https://www.canadalandshow.com/rebel-media-announces-reboot/

"I am a flawed leader who has made mistakes," Ezra Levant conceded
Tuesday night as part of a fundraising plea on a "SPECIAL edition" of
his nightly Rebel Media show, which was brought out from behind its
usual paywall.

He admitted that, following a terrible week for The Rebel, the status
quo was no longer acceptable and that he would need to take a number of
steps to put the company on stronger footing.

"Do you think we can pull out of this?" he asked his guest, longtime
managing producer Hannah Vanderkooy. "Part of me thinks it's just been
a media fake crisis, but part of it was real, and I want to acknowledge
that."

Tags: Caolan Robertson, DougWiki, Ezra Levant, Hannah Vanderkooy, Lawyer,
Rebel Media

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

Lessons from the Great Right North
August 23, 2017, Jeet Heer, New Republic
https://newrepublic.com/article/144454/lessons-great-right-north

To top it all off, after watching counter-protester Heather Heyer die
under the wheels of a Dodge Challenger, Goldy turned around and
appeared on a podcast linked to the "world's most genocidal" website,
The Daily Stormer.

Goldy's antics-all the more shocking in light of the non-apology she
issued a few days later-have created a crisis at her employer, The
Rebel. Founded just two years ago by Ezra Levant, an enterprising
pundit with longstanding ties to mainstream Canadian conservatism, The
Rebel is often described as Canada's Breitbart. In some ways, the
analogy is apt: Like Breitbart, The Rebel has emerged as a powerful
voice for xenophobia and for ethnic nationalism framed as a populist
revolt against globalist elites. Both Breitbart and The Rebel are
clearing houses for conspiracy theories about creeping Sharia. And both
have some measure of political clout. Where Breitbart had Steve Bannon
calling shots at the White House, The Rebel had Hamish Marshall,
campaign manager for Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer, sitting
on its board.

But for all their similarities, the two media empires are now at a
crossroads. In the wake of Charlottesville, The Rebel is in full
meltdown mode. Scheer and other conservative politicians have distanced
themselves from the website, saying they won't be interviewed by its
reporters again until there is a change in editorial direction. Hamish
Marshall has removed himself from the board. The co-founder of The
Rebel and several of its leading columnists and video personalities
have quit. Ex-employees have surfaced with accusations of financial
impropriety, claiming that Levant was soliciting donations from
supporters that weren't necessary. Levant, in turn, has responded by
accusing those former employees of trying to blackmail him. To top it
all off, on Monday The Rebel's domain provider yanked its internet
registration, leaving the site temporarily unavailable in "half the
world," according to Levant.

Tags: 1920, 2012, Abortion, Alt-Right, Andrew Scheer, Anti-semitism,
Breitbart, BuzzFeed, Canada, Charlottesville, Conservative Party of Canada,
Daily Stormer, David Frum, DougWiki, Europe, Ezra Levant, Faith Goldy, Gavin
McInnes, Hamish Marshall, Jonathan Kay, Koch Bro, Ku Klux Klan, Lobbyist,
Mark Steyn, Muslim, Neo-Nazi, Quebec City, Rebel Media, Richard Spencer,
Robert Shillman, Rupert Murdoch, Steve Bannon, Sun News Network, The Walrus,
YouTube

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

Scientology shows no sign of slowing down its use of religious visas for
foreign labor
August 23, 2017, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2017/08/23/scientology-shows-no-sign-of-slowing-down-its-use-of-religious-visas-for-foreign-labor/

Last year in January we reported on some stunning new data that
researcher R.M. Seibert managed to pry out of the US government with
help from the MuckRock website. For years, Scientology watchers like
Jeff Jacobsen had noticed that Scientology seemed to rely on foreign
workers at its major bases, and that they were being brought in under a
"religious worker" visa, also known as R-1.

But rather than do "religious" work, these foreigners were brought in
to labor in Scientology's "Sea Organization," where workers sign
billion-year contracts, work 112-hour weeks for only about $50 a week
when they're paid at all, and often do only manual or administrative
work. With fewer Americans interested in joining Scientology's
hard-core Sea Org and its ascetic lifestyle, the church seemed to be
turning to people from other countries who perhaps didn't know what
they were getting into.

But how many of them were there?

Tags: 1990, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016, Clearwater, Flag Land Base, Florida,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Jeff Jacobsen, Mike Rinder, Muckrock,
Quicky, R.M. Seibert, Religious worker, Religious Worker Visa Program,
Russia, Sea Org, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

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

Scientology The Aftermath S2 Ep 2: the Aftermath
August 23, 2017, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/scientology-the-aftermath-s2-ep-2-the-aftermath/

As always, thanks to everyone for your amazing support.

Most heartfelt thanks to Marie Bilheimer and Lauren Haggis - two
beautiful, courageous and caring women. Without contributors like them
who are willing to stand up and bravely tell their stories, there would
be no show at all. The purpose of this program is to provide a venue
for the real, painful stories of life in scientology to be told. It
cannot happen without those who will sit down before the camera.

Every contributor knows that any remaining scientology friends they may
have had will instantly disconnect (even though "that practice is not
part of scientology") and that some of those old friends are going to
be dragged out of mothballs to say things about them... They won't be
true, they will be scripted and put N. Korean POW videos to shame, but
they will hurt nevertheless. That is what they are intended to do. Hurt.

Tags: A&E, Critic, Dead Agent, Disconnection, Lauren Haggis, Leah Remini,
Marie Bilheimer, Quicky, Scientology and the Aftermath

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

Secret underground network of 'anti-vaxxer doctors'
August 23, 2017, Khaleda Rahman, Daily Mail
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4817788/Secret-underground-network-anti-vaxxer-doctors.html

Authorities are investigating a secret cell of anti-vaccination doctors
amid claims they are helping families dodge compulsory immunisation of
their children.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and Victoria's
Health Department are looking into allegations that at least three
Melbourne GPs are offering services to those against vaccinations, the
Herald Sun reports.

They include Dr John Piesse, who works at the Natural Healing Centre in
Mitcham, and was captured on camera bragging about helping hundreds of
families avoid getting immunised.

Tags: Anti-vaxx, Facebook, Herald Sun, John Piesse, Melbourne, Narconon,
Natural Healing Centre, Nerida James, Regulation, The Australian, Victoria

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

Church of Scientology escapee Peter Nyiri discusses his journey Part 5
August 23, 2018, SurvivingScientology, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMxcQMbAIoE

Former Sea Org member Peter Nyiri discusses stories from his time in
the Sea Org. Stories include the gifts David Miscavige received from
Sea Org Orgs twice a year; the BMW shown in the thumbnail references
the BMW David Miscavige received from a forced collection of Sea Org's
meager stipend. Other stories include 90 hour work weeks; loss of
canteen privileges; sleep deprivations; and punishments for not meeting
money targets. This is all part of the hellish and punishing life that
is the Sea Org.

Tags: David Miscavige, Peter Nyiri, Quicky, Sea Org, Sleep deprivation

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

The Scientology Experience: Kat McElhinney
August 23, 2018, Chris Shelton, Critical Thinker at Large
https://mncriticalthinking.com/2018/08/23/the-scientology-experience-kat-mcelhinney/

This week I have a new interview with a former Scientologist who really
only had a brief but devastating experience many years ago and has been
trying to deal with the consequences ever since, especially difficult
since her mother is not just still a Scientologist but a staff member
here in Denver at the "Ideal Org." Every story counts and Kat
McElhinney's story is all too typical for those who have even a brief
encounter with destructive cults during their formative years.

Tags: Denver, Ideal Org, Kat McElhinney, Quicky

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

Thursday Funnies
August 23, 2018, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/thursday-funnies-181/

Dog Casting Call

Pretty weird. Pat Broeker owned Akitas... I wonder if the Broeker Years
is coming to ScientologyTV?

Another front

Tags: Albuquerque, Andromeda Edison, CCHR, Clear, Clearwater Community
Volunteers, CLO Canada, Columbus, Deedee O'Malley, Haiti, Harry Potter,
Hawaii, Hubbard Management, Jive Aces, Kansas City, L. Ron Hubbard, Mace-
Kingsley Family Center, Manchester, Mission Impossible, OT, Pat Broeker,
Plymouth, Quicky, Santa Barbara, St. Louis, Sydney, Thursday Funnies

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

Why Colombia's military was fertile territory for Scientology - and one
general's stunning role
August 23, 2018, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2018/08/23/why-colombias-military-was-fertile-territory-for-scientology-and-one-generals-stunning-role/

While things have been exploding over Scientology in Colombia, our man
in Los Angeles, Jeffrey Augustine, has been looking into the
relationship between David Miscavige's organization and that South
American country, looking for clues to how things got to their present
mess. We think he's turned up some fascinating stuff?

Over the last three weeks, the Colombian press has been diving into
Scientology's archives and finding volumes of evidence about
Scientology's activities there. The press has focused on comedian
Andr?s L?pez, who has been promoting Scientology in Colombia since at
least 2004. And in 2008, Scientology's Guillermo Smythe, who works PR
on the ship Freewinds, apparently first made contact with Colombian
national police Colonel Ricardo Prado, who would go on to become such a
promoter of Scientology front groups he would be awarded Scientology's
highest honor, the "Freedom Medal."

But what we're hearing less about than Scientology's activities are the
conditions in Colombia that made it such fertile ground for Scientology
and its "human rights" front groups. In 2011, the Colombian government
was rocked by revelations of extrajudicial killings conducted by the
Army during the period 2002-2010. These killings occurred during the
Army's war against FARC guerillas, and they consisted of civilians
being murdered by the Army and then falsely identified as guerillas in
order to increase body counts. The victims were typically poor,
unemployed, handicapped, or otherwise disadvantaged young men in remote
villages. These people were killed and then dressed in guerilla combat
fatigues and identified as terrorists. The nightmarish military
euphemism "False Positives" was later used to minimize the atrocities.
A recent study by Omar Rojas Bola?os and Fabian Leonardo Benavides
argues that as many as 10,000 civilians were the victims of
extrajudicial killings. The Colombian military has resisted efforts to
bring the generals and political leaders responsible for the
extrajudicial killings to justice. Several military officers who
attempted to expose the killings were murdered. A 2015 article in the
Los Angeles Times noted?

Tags: 1970, 1976, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2015, Andr?s L?pez, Barbados,
Bogot?, Carlos Ramiro Mena, Chris Shelton, Colombia, Criminal, David
Miscavige, DEA, Denver, Facebook, Felipe Poveda, Freedom Medal, Freewinds,
Guardian's Office, Guillermo Smythe, Human Rights Watch, Ideal Org,
International Association of Scientologists, Interpol, Jeffrey Augustine, Kat
McElhinney, LAPD, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Times, Maiden Voyage, Omar
Garrison, Police, Ricardo Prado, Sandra Poveda, Scientology TV, Snow White
Program, South America, The Secret, Youth for Human Rights International

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

Canadian White Nationalist Party Kicked Out Of Registered Office Inside the
Toronto Star Building
August 23, 2019, PressProgress
https://pressprogress.ca/canadian-white-nationalist-party-kicked-out-of-registered-office-inside-the-toronto-star-building/

"We have reviewed this client's profile and have cancelled his
service," virtual office provider tells PressProgress

The Canadian Nationalist Party, an aspiring political party widely
reported as a "white nationalist" or "neo-Nazi" group, has been booted
out of its vanity address inside one of Toronto's most iconic buildings.

Party leader Travis Patron, who is currently in the process of formally
registering the group as an official political party with Elections
Canada, has frequently named a high-end address in downtown Toronto as
the CNP's "party headquarters."

Tags: Anti-semitism, Canada, Canadian Nationalist Party, DougWiki, Elections
Canada, Europe, Hamilton, Neo-Nazi, Patron, RCMP, Toronto, Toronto Star,
Travis Patron

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

David Koch, billionaire conservative activist and donor, dead at 79
August 23, 2019, Associated Press, CBC News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/david-koch-obituary-1.5257303

Billionaire industrialist David H. Koch, who with his older brother
Charles transformed American politics by pouring their riches into
conservative causes, has died at age 79.

"It is with a heavy heart that I now must inform you of David's death,"
Charles Koch announced Friday.

David Koch, who lived in New York City, was the Libertarian Party's
vice-presidential candidate in 1980. He was a generous donor to
conservative political causes, as well as educational, medical and
cultural groups.

Tags: 1936, 1970, 1980, 1983, 1998, 2007, 2012, 2018, Americans for
Prosperity, Baltimore, Cancer, Charles Koch, David Koch, Forbes, Fred Koch,
Houston, Koch Bro, Koch Industries, Libertarian, Massachusetts, New York
City, New York Post, Republican

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

Doug Ford might not go through with his carbon tax court challenge after all
August 23, 2019, Canadian Press, CBC News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-might-not-go-through-with-his-carbon-tax-court-challenge-after-all-1.5258199

Premier Doug Ford says the fate of Ontario's carbon tax court challenge
will be decided after the federal election, raising the possibility
that his government could end up abandoning the case.

When asked Friday what he would do if federal Conservative Leader
Andrew Scheer loses the election and a pro-carbon tax party - such as
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals - wins, the premier said he
would have to reassess Ontario's position.

"We'll sit down and consult with the attorney general ... We'll be
consulting with the cabinet and then we'll move forward from there," he
said

Tags: Alberta, Andrew Scheer, Canada, Canadian Civil Liberties Association,
Carbon tax, Climate change, Doug Ford, DougWiki, Environmental, Federal
election, Ford government, Green Party, Greenpeace, Ivana Yelich, Justin
Trudeau, Keith Stewart, Manitoba, Mike Schreiner, Ontario, Progressive
Conservative, Saskatchewan, Scott Moe

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

Doug Ford says he'll reconsider carbon tax challenge if federal Conservatives
lose election
August 23, 2019, Rob Ferguson, Toronto Star
https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/08/23/premier-doug-ford-says-hell-reconsider-carbon-tax-court-challenge-if-scheer-loses-election.html

Ontario's court challenge of the federal carbon tax could be dropped if
Andrew Scheer's Conservatives lose the Oct. 21 federal election, says
Premier Doug Ford.

A Liberal victory by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or another party
that supports the carbon tax would put Ontario's case in a different
light, Ford suggested Friday.

The premier said he would first consult with Attorney General Doug
Downey on legal options in the event of a loss by Scheer, who has been
campaigning heavily against the carbon tax of 4.4 cents per litre of
gasoline imposed on provinces not levying their own fee.

Tags: 2015, Andrew Scheer, Autism, Canada, Cap and trade, Carbon tax,
Catherine McKenna, Climate change, Conservative Party of Canada, Doug Downey,
Doug Ford, DougWiki, Etobicoke, Federal election, Green Party, Greenpeace,
Justin Trudeau, Keith Stewart, Mike Schreiner, Ontario, Ontario Court of
Appeal, Ottawa, Progressive Conservative, Robert Benzie, Saskatchewan,
Supreme Court of Canada, Toronto Police

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

Ford sells out his base with reversal on sex ed
August 23, 2019, Antonia Zerbisias, Broadsides, rabble.ca
http://rabble.ca/columnists/2019/08/ford-sells-out-his-base-reversal-sex-ed

Not unlike the schoolyard bully placed in detention, he was sent to sit
in the corner, be quiet and not make it any more difficult for federal
Conservative hopefuls to campaign in his crucial province where
candidates were being berated on voters' doorsteps about all the Ford
missteps in his disastrous first year at Queen's Park.

But no.

Instead, in just the past few days alone, Ford and his laughably named
Progressive Conservatives let it be known that conservation methods for
flood prevention were being cancelled, promised school fee breaks for
college students were not as generous as originally touted, Toronto's
coffers would still be ravaged by cuts to public health, and every
single gas station in the province had to stick up deceptive decals
about the federal "carbon tax" or else face fines of up to $10,000.

Tags: 2015, Andrew Scheer, Canada Christian College, Canadian Civil Liberties
Association, Carbon tax, CBC, Charles McVety, Charter of Rights and Freedoms,
Doug Ford, DougWiki, Ford government, LGBTQ, Ontario, Progressive
Conservative, Queen's Park, Stephen Harper, Stephen Lecce, Tanya Granic
Allen, Toronto, Toronto Star, Vijay Thanigasalam

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

He used to work for a site that promoted racists - now he edits a Canadian
news outlet
August 23, 2019, Emma McIntosh, National Observer
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/08/22/news/he-used-work-site-promoted-racists-now-he-edits-canadian-news-outlet

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa is an editor at what has quickly become one of the
most widely shared right-wing news websites in Canada.

According to the About Us page on The Post Millennial's website, the
University of Waterloo graduate used to be a "researcher on The Oxford
English Dictionary." The dictionary's publisher, Oxford University
Press, said in an email that it has "no record" of Dzsurdzsa working
for the company, but that he appears to have worked on an unaffiliated
research project examining the text.

But that short biography leaves out a few steps. Before Dzsurdzsa was
hired at the Post Millennial, he also worked for websites that promoted
racism and peddled pro-Kremlin content.

Tags: 2015, 2017, 2018, Alberta, Ali Taghva, Alt-Right, Andrew Scheer, Anti-
semitism, Barbara Kay, Barbara Perry, BBC, Calgary, Canada, Canada Proud,
Canadian Anti-Hate Network, Caylan Ford, CBC, Charlottesville, Conservative
Party of Canada, Cosmin Dzsurdzsa, Daily Beast, Daily Stormer, Doug Ford,
Evan Balgord, Facebook, Faith Goldy, Fake News, Federal election, Free Bird
Media, Hillary Clinton, Indigenous, Iran, Israel, James Sears, Jeff
Ballingall, Jewish, Justin Trudeau, Kevin Johnston, Kitchener, LGBTQ,
Libertarian, Lindsay Shepherd, Matthew Azrieli, Mississauga, Muslim, National
Post, Neo-Nazi, Newsweek, Ontario, Ontario Proud, Oxford, Oxford University,
PressProgress, Quicky, Richard Spencer, Russia, Russia Insider, Southern
Poverty Law Center, The Post Millennial, Twitter, Ukraine, United
Conservative Party, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, White supremacist, Your
Ward News, YouTube

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

Parents of Jack Letts say Scheer is 'passing the buck' on their son's fate
August 23, 2019, Jim Bronskill, National Observer
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/08/23/news/parents-jack-letts-say-scheer-passing-buck-their-sons-fate

The parents of Jack Letts, a British-Canadian man imprisoned in
northern Syria, are chastising Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer for
saying he wouldn't lift a finger to help their son.

Scheer might react differently if his own child was locked in a foreign
dungeon without access to a lawyer or contact with his family, John
Letts and Sally Lane said in a statement distributed Thursday.

The couple, who live in Oxford, England, said it is time for Canadian
politicians to show leadership and demonstrate that Ottawa is able to
protect the rights and freedoms of all citizens.

Tags: 2018, Andrew Scheer, BBC, Canada, DougWiki, England, Facebook, Iraq,
Jack Letts, Justin Trudeau, Muslim, Ottawa, Oxford, Simon Jefferies, Syria

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

Premier Doug Ford says gas pump sticker violators will be fined but won't
face max penalty
August 23, 2019, Canadian Press, Global News
https://globalnews.ca/news/5804889/doug-ford-carbon-tax-stickers-gas-stations-fined/

TORONTO ? Premier Doug Ford says gas station owners who don't put his
government's anti-carbon tax stickers on their pumps will be fined but
won't be handed the maximum penalty available.

Ford says his government will enforce a law passed earlier this year
that makes the stickers mandatory, but the fines will be less than
$500, not the $10,000 maximum.

The law lets the government send inspectors to see if gas stations are
properly displaying the stickers and sets out penalties for
non-compliance.

Tags: Carbon tax, Doug Ford, DougWiki, Ontario

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

Scientology's obsession with kids and sex? Nick Lister has the receipts.
August 23, 2019, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
https://tonyortega.org/2019/08/23/scientologys-obsession-with-kids-and-sex-nick-lister-has-the-receipts/

Yesterday, we were surprised to see Nick Lister show up in the comments
section. And then, when we saw what he posted, we really did a double
take.

For those newer readers who might not be familiar with Nick, he was an
important figure in Alex Gibney's 2015 HBO documentary Going Clear even
though he didn't actually appear in the film. His mother Sara does have
a crucial role in the movie, telling her story about how her son Nick
had grown up a model Scientologist but then had run afoul of the
organization.

While Nick was drifting away from the church, he befriended Mike
Rinder, and it got him declared a "suppressive person" by the church,
essentially excommunicating him. Sara wanted to stick by her son, but
it meant losing contact with her daughter, who was still a hardcore
church member. In the film's climactic moment, Sara describes what it
was like seeing her daughter for the last time as Scientology's
"disconnection" policy ripped apart another family.

Tags: 2015, 2017, Alex Gibney, Brian Kent, Clearwater Police Department,
David Miscavige, Disconnection, Facebook, Going Clear: Scientology,
Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, HBO, Kathy True, Marty Rathbun, Mike
Rinder, Nick Lister, Office of Special Affairs, Scientology and the
Aftermath, Serge Gil, Sheldon Goldberg, Suppressive Person

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US justice department news briefing links to white nationalist website
August 23, 2019, Julia Carrie Wong, The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/22/us-justice-department-white-nationalist-website

The US Department of Justice distributed a morning news briefing to
immigration judges that contained a link to a white nationalist website
riddled with antisemitic references.

As first identified in a report by BuzzFeed News, the executive office
for immigration review (EOIR), a division of the justice department,
included a link to a blogpost on the website VDare in the briefing,
which was emailed to immigration court employees earlier this week.

VDare is a virulently anti-immigrant website that promotes white
nationalism, white supremacy and antisemitism.

Tags: 2018, Adolf Hitler, Alt-Right, Anti-semitism, BuzzFeed, Donald Trump,
Israel, Jewish, New York Times, Peter Brimelow, Pew Research Center, Quicky,
Review, Southern Poverty Law Center, US Department of Justice, VDARE,
Virginia, White nationalism, White supremacist

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What Andrew Scheer believes about same-sex marriage
August 23, 2019, Michael Coren, Macleans
https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/what-andrew-scheer-believes-about-same-sex-marriage/

Michael Coren: For the Conservative leader, a devout Roman Catholic,
opposition to same-sex marriage is more about religion than politics

Tags: Quicky

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Today in Scientlology web page:
http://umbraxenu.no-ip.biz/today.html
August 23 in Scientlology web page:
http://umbraxenu.no-ip.biz/days/08-23.html