Cruisitology suffered a high-profile setback. He has quit because they took an anti-gay pro-Prop 8 stance.
In a candid, confrontational letter to Scientology top brass that’s just been published online, Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis (Crash) details the abuses and cover-ups that have forced him to to leave Scientology after 35 years.Read the full story here.
Here is a summation of how Scientology handles grieving parents, written by a former member. The comments are interesting, too.
In a nutshell, it boils down to blaming the parents for inviting the tragedy into their lives.
Scary. And sad.
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?Note what they've said:
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."
Y'all know I don't like Tom Cruise. He's a creepy, brainwashed zombie with a plastic smile and vacant eyes.
I won't be seeing his new movie, either. I just can't bring myself to funnel any money into Cruisitology and his cronies at United Artists. However, I do take some delight in letting you know that he's getting panned for his performance in the movie.
Much ado has been made about Valkyrie," starring Tom Cruise as would-be Hitler assassin Col. Claus von Stauffenberg.I figured it was going to bad when the dialog in the trailer went, "Operation Valkyrie is in effect." Umm, that sounds like some fourth graders playing at recess.
[SNIP]
Turns out Cruise is both the central figure in Valkyrie and its weakest link. He's distractingly bad in this, the iconography of his celebrity so strongly overshadowing his performance. He's just too powerfully contemporary. With his hard, flat American accent, he stands out in every single scene. And he's not a good enough actor to immerse himself in this kind of period piece, or allow us to do the same. (Then again, if he had affected a German accent — or a British one to blend in among his co-stars — he would have invited derision for that, too. Maybe the guy just can't win.)
[SNIP]
He's outclassed and outmatched by every member of the strong supporting cast, any of whom would have been more believable as Stauffenberg: Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp and Bill Nighy as fellow German officers, even Eddie Izzard, who's a unique and unexpected choice.
I confess, I watched My Name Is Earl last week. Not that I'm ashamed of the show, rather that it is a source of cash for Cruisitology Scientology. Jason Lee, most guest stars, and who knows who else belong to the cult. So I have this thing about not watching because I don't want to support them even though I love the show. Not that they care. Or that anybody else cares, for that matter, but I do and I feel like I'm taking some kind of moral stand. I know, I need to get a life and get over it.
With that disclaimer, Ethan Suplee (Earl's dimwitted brother Randy) broke into an acting riff and I was really impressed. Randy was playing the president in a movie they were making within the episode and it turned out he was the only one that could act so he gave the rest of the cast some acting advice.
I'm so used to watching this guy play Randy that I really hadn't considered that he's probably a classically trained actor in the role of a dumbass. My favorite part is when he gets to Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs. I jumped a foot!
If the scientologists are right, he's on his way to Mars, only to return to occupy another body here on Earth. Pregnant women around the world collectively crossed their legs thereby preventing their impending births and reducing the risk of their children being occupied by a scientological soul.
Earlier this year, I posted about actor Jason Beghe coming out of scientology. The news about Isaac Hayes prompted me to look him up and see whatever happened to him. I found the complete interview with Jason Beghe here. He gives an excellent perspective of someone who has been in, spent a ton of cash and time, was treated like celebrity royalty, and still thinks it was all bullshit.
For the second time in the past few weeks (Jason Beghe), someone in the upper ranks of Scientology has gone on camera to denounce Scientology. The niece of the head cheese has founded the Ex Scientology Kids web site and appeared Friday on Nightline. You can watch the entire segment at ABC News. I suppose it won't be long before Suri begins her indoctrination after being taken from her parents.
Cruisitology, through a cadre of lawyers and confidentiality agreements, has done an excellent job of hiding what the organization is all about. For example, they have trademarked their "Bible" (the whole Xenu thing) so it cannot be reproduced without their consent. They also used the courts to sue a cult awareness organization. After running them into bankruptcy with overwhelming legal fees, Scientology purchased the rights to the organization out of bankruptcy court. So, when you call to get information from this group because a family member may be in danger of getting sucked into a cult, you're talking to the cult itself.
But the truth is slowly leaking out and hopefully these disclosures will save people's lives.
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Y'all know I have a hard spot for Scientology. I found this clip through a comment thread on Joe.My.God..
From FOXNews.com
Tuesday, April 15, 2008I remember falling for him when he was Matt's boyfriend on Melrose Place way back in the day. As soon as I found out he was in the cult, he lost all his appeal.
By Roger Friedman
Television Star Exits Scientology
Ruggedly handsome actor Jason Beghe was best man at the wedding of "X-Files" star David Duchovny (his childhood pal) and actress Tea Leoni. In 1998, he starred as Demi Moore’s love interest in "G.I. Jane." He’s been featured in numerous TV dramas such as "Criminal Minds," "NUMB3RS" and "CSI."
In 2005, Beghe appeared in promotional spots for the Church of Scientology. But now, Beghe has escaped the church after taking courses since 1994. He’s made a video that’s up on YouTube.
This is what he has to say: "Scientology is destructive and a rip-off."
He also says: "It’s very, very dangerous for your spiritual, psychological, mental, emotional health and evolution. I think it stunts your evolution. If Scientology is real, then something’s f---ed up."
You can see from the video that Beghe does not mince words. But his refreshing candor about the religion he joined in 1994 should shake the Celebrity Center to its core.
"It ain’t deliverin’ what it’s promised. It sure has not."
The video is billed as a three-minute teaser to a longer interview with Beghe that’s on its way. But the short video packs a powerful punch. Beghe still uses a lot of Scientology lingo like "OT" and "clear." Still, it’s quite easy to understand the point he’s making. After 14 years and a tremendous amount of money, he’s seeing Scientology in a different light.
Beghe has completed so many courses that he’s considered a top Scientologist, or "OT 5" — similar to Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. But Beghe reveals: "The further up the bridge, the worse you get."
He adds: "I don’t have an agenda. I’m just trying to help. I have the luxury of having gotten into Scientology and after having been in it, been out. And that’s a perspective that people who are still in and not out do not have."
More to come…
First it was "The Aniston." Seemingly every woman in the world ran out and got her hair cut like their favorite character on Friends. I suppose the reason being that if you have your hair cut like Jennifer Aniston, you're likely to marry someone who looks like Brad Pitt.
Now it's "The Cruisitologist." Imported from London on the disproportionally huge head of Posh Spice, it was quickly copied by Tom Cruise's Scientology harem of Katie Holmes-Cruise and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Is Bart Simpson next? (Nancy Cartwright just gave the "church" $10M!) Is the current thinking that if you get this haircut you're likely to get sucked into a cult by someone who looks like Tom Cruise?
But when former Clinton White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Meyers has one on This Week with George Stephanopoulos and Republican strategist Mary Matalin sports the new do on Meet The Press, it's gone too far. Watch Scientologist Greta van Susteren to see how far the trend goes.
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German federal and state interior ministers declared the Church of Scientology unconstitutional, opening the door for a possible ban on the organization.
Federal Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and 16 state interior chiefs agreed "that we do not consider Scientology an organization that is compatible with the constitution," Ehrhart Koerting, Berlin's interior minister and chairman of a ministers' conference in Berlin, told reporters.
Germany does not recognize Scientology as a religion. seeing it as a cult masquerading as a church to make money. Scientologists reject this view. The government permits the Church of Scientology to operate in Germany as an organization, and in January it opened a six-story headquarters in the heart of west Berlin.
Koerting said Germany's domestic intelligence agencies should continue gathering information on the legality of Scientology's activities in Germany so that a decision could be made on what to do about it next year.
Earlier this year, the German Defense Ministry said it would not allow the makers of a movie about an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Hitler to film at German military sites because U.S. actor Tom Cruise, a Scientologist, was appearing in it. The government later insisted that Cruise's personal beliefs had nothing to do with its initial decision to prevent him from shooting scenes at a site in the Defense Ministry complex and permitted the actor to film there.
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Even if you live under a rock, it would be hard not to notice that the Pinkett-Smiths have become part of the Tom Cruise band of Scientology robots.
Smith had denied joining the Church of Scientology with his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, explaining that it would go against the beliefs of his late grandmother. But Hollywood insiders have insisted the Smiths were, indeed, brought in by Cruise. In a Men's Vogue article, Smith refers to "Thetans," who are space aliens in the vernacular of Scientology and that he doesn’t disagree with its basic tenets.I wonder if it says anywhere in the Bible, "A fool and his money are soon parted?" And don't pull this, "You just don't understand" bullshit. Yes, I understand. You are a cult of brainwashed robots. YOU just don't understand because, well, you're a cult of brainwashed robots.
"The Bible says, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' And you know, there’s a Scientology principle: 'Do not create experiences for others that they cannot comfortably perceive.'"
He continues: "The Bible talks about your spirit being immortal, that you were created for existence beyond your physical body. Well, that’s no different from Scientology. I don’t think that because the word someone uses for 'spirit' is 'thetan' that the definition becomes any different."
