Let The Scientology Spin Begin

The death of Jett Travolta is tragic, no doubt. My longtime readers know that when it comes to Scientology, it doesn't take much to get my dander up and go off on a tear. But I wanted to be respectful. Really. I was just going to let this one go because an innocent child is dead and making any sort of issue wouldn't benefit anyone.

Then came the article I read on Yahoo! News and all bets were off.

So let's get some history here before we delve into the craziness of Scientology.

I remember when the Travolta's had Jett and that his name is significant to Scientology. You see, the alien Xenu came to Earth in a spaceship that looked like a Douglas DC-8. Have you ever wondered why Travolta and Cruise are now pilots, and Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl) named his son Pilot? Yes, it all makes sense in a nonsensical, brainwashed sort of way.

The story of Jett's death started out with him last seen when he went to the bathroom on Thursday evening. The caregiver found him on Friday morning and was unable to resuscitate him. Initial reports were that Jett suffered a seizure, which he'd had before, and hit his head on the bathtub. Makes sense. Move along, nothing to see here.

Things started getting hairy when news reports came out that the boy's apparent autism couldn't be acknowledged by his parents because Scientology claims there is no such thing as mental deficiencies. Scientology founder (and science fiction writer) L. Ron Hubbard said such children were lazy and just needed the right motivation and training...Scientology training. If Jett's parents had denied his condition and had passed up proven treatments then it makes their "church" look bad. They have claimed Jett suffered from Kawasaki Syndrome which doctors on news shows are saying affects children and doesn't cause autism-like behavior in adolescents or adults.

Quickly enter the Scientology spin lawyers Michael McDermott and Michael Ossi who have jumped out into the media and started damage control. Here are some quotes from an interview by US Magazine:

Us Magazine: It's been reported that Jett was left alone for several hours before being discovered. Can you clarify the timeline?

Ossi and McDermott: "Jett was not left alone. He had a nanny present at all times. The nanny was sleeping close to Jett's room. There was a baby monitor, a chime on the door so it was known when Jett was going in and out. He was completely supervised. The nanny found him."

Us: Is it true that Jett died in John's arms?

Ossi and McDermott: "Jett may have still been alive when John administered CPR, and then the EMT took over. Jett was pronounced dead at the hospital. I like to believe John had a chance to say goodbye. He may have died in his dad's arms. I am not certain."

Us: It's been said Jett had a history of seizures. How often did he have them?

Ossi and McDermott: "I am not confident to talk about that. I know he had a history, which of course warranted the extra attention."

Us: You obviously knew Jett well. What was his personality like?

Ossi and McDermott: "He was a wonderful boy. He had physical limitations, but when he looked in his dad's eyes, the love was tangible. When he grabbed onto his dad, he did not want to let him go."

Note what they've said:

• "There was a baby monitor, a chime on the door..." to track his comings and goings. For a 16 year old? But he doesn't have any mental issues? That must also be why they held the kid's hand whenever he's in public.

• "He was never left alone..." except when he was when the caretaker was sleeping "close to Jett's room."

• "Jett may have still been alive when John administered CPR..." They are splitting hairs here...the operative words here for future plausible deniability are may have still been.

• "Jett was pronounced dead at the hospital." That doesn't mean he wasn't dead when he got there. Maybe that's where the coroner was.

• "He had physical limitations..." Notice that they refuse to discuss seizures and are very careful to say that he had "physical limitations" and there is no mention of mental limitations.

Now the Scientology narrative says that physically disabled Jett died in the caring arms of his father. What, and was John donating a million dollars to an Oprah charity and saving the U.S. economy at the same time? Was he wearing his Scientology Superman cape, too, or wasn't there enough time to change into it?

I'm not saying that the Travolta's didn't love their son. It's just that there's something fishy going on here and I smell a cover up. One of the Scientology poster boys actually had a birth child with mental issues that their "religion" says can't happen. Particularly to someone that has presumably "gone clear" multiples times and operates at advanced OT levels.

Oh, and did you catch that Tom Cruise just came out and said that Scientology cured his dyslexia? See? Scientology ain't the problem. And they're gonna hit the newswires and all media outlets to prove it. I wonder how long before the litigious organization starts suing people that speak differently from the narrative they are establishing in damage control mode.