Scientology Freakout: Commenters of the Week!

By Tony Ortega Sat., Jul. 9 2011 at 9:00 AM

"You'll know the Marcabians by their atom bombs and fedora hats, dear."

Things just keep rolling along here at Runnin' Scared's fortified underground bunker, where we keep an eye on all things Scientology while waiting for the invading Marcabian fifth fleet. It's been another eventful week!

We started things off Sunday with more coverage from Corpus Christi, Texas, where Scientology's goon squad surveilling Marty Rathbun defended its creepy practices by saying it's making a "documentary." On Monday, Independence Day, we ruminated on how many Scientologists there actually are in the world.

On Tuesday, freaky sojourning spirit Antoine Oman returned to discuss Scientology in the 60s with a far out Roger Weller. On Wednesday, we wondered how desperate a journalist needs to be to do Scientology's dirty work. That night, we witnessed a remarkable scene at Janet Reitman's first book appearance, and wrote about it the next day.

And yesterday, well it was a big day. We uncorked a sizable piece about secret church documents that outlined a creepy OSA covert operation against former Scientologist Marc Headley. And we had a fun piece about Pfizer protesters who asserted, Tom Cruise Not a Kook!

Naturally, our readers contributed their own excellent observations. And so, on with the awards...

And this week, we just had to expand things to reflect the ingenuity and wit our readers are bringing to the Runnin' Scared blog.

We'll start with our Monday post, "Scientologists: How Many Of Them Are There, Anyway?"

From the critical side of the aisle, we got a chuckle out of this jab from "SFF":

I have read Dianetics, though I got it from the library. Does this make me a Scientologist?

By the rubric that the church uses to claim "millions" of members, cracking a copy of Dianetics at your local library is all it takes to join the multitude!

But Scientology defender "Hollywood223" was ready to give us an uppercut right back:

Hi, Tony. Don't you have something else to do like instead of staying stuck on this subject forever?! I don't know?! Just be happy and enjoy your life!!

Well, we appreciate the concern. But if we weren't chasing down more stories on Scientology, how would we get back this ear-to-ear grin?

Tuesday's "Hip Scientology" piece by Antoine Oman really broke loose a lot of great comments about Roger Weller's 1960's journey. Here are two of our favorites. First, by a regular friend of Runnin' Scared, Mark Stark:

I can understand why 60's hippies wanted to get off the drugs 'n' crabs train and try Sciloontology. Even today, I see why people might get drawn in because of it being a counterculture. That sometimes appears fascinating and relatively safe. (Safer than crack or suicide.) One girl joined in NYC because she saw Anonymous protesting it, and thought it had to be really special if it were being protested, like it needed her support as an underdog religion. She woke up, though. It was the pressure for money and some other things. I'm sure everyone remembers her story from the New York Post. Some people feel weird, confused but adventurous and Scientology is weird and often made fun of so they identify with it maybe? Of course, for me, it always had a red flags and sirens quality about it. The cult survived for 60 years by being secretive and ambiguous, and specializing in people's individual "ruin." Those were its strong points. Selling secrets and appearing to have all the answers. When the veil is lifted by the web, what do they really having going for them? Empty promises, a scam.

And this one by well-known former Scientologist and church critic Chuck Beatty:

Hubbard paid a slight tribute to Roger Weller. In one of his tape lectures, Hubbard tells a sort of joke to his audience, and says, I paraphrase "....and Roger was smoking Dianetics....." Someone hopefully will clip that lecture, and put it on YouTube, the part about Roger smoking Dianetics. Thanks, Roger. Great sharing of some cultural history. I had a johnny-come-later similar experience, much watered down, but rather than do a summer of acid, I went searching and fell into the Scientology world for 3 decades, 1 decade more than you, sheesh! At least you stopped smoking that Dianetics! Good for you, Roger!

Thursday's story about the scene at Janet Reitman's reading the night before produced this astute pair of comments, the first by church defender Sandra Gortez:

Janet Reitman attempted to write a definitive book about Scientology. Well, Scientology auditing is an integral part of the Scientology experience and yet, Janet Reitman never underwent one on one auditing? I fear that this lack of factual awareness of that which she was writing about is a sustained problem throughout the book. She simply did not fully know or comprehend what she was writing about. I'm afraid that people who read this book and assume it is fact, will be in error, and that is where the author let them down.

The second is by church critic "Brussell1000":

Janet's book should help the Indie movement, because they are primarily rebelling against the authoritarian nature of organized Scientology. I don't believe LRH's BS, but as long as Marty and his group don't lie, cheat or otherwise abuse their members he can believe whatever he wants. Miscavige is utterly incapable of saving his dying empire and we should all be grateful to the Indies for helping to make that happen.

Yesterday's stories produced two more comments we liked. The first, by former Scientologist Mark Fisher, related his own experiences after seeing our story about the secret OSA documents laying out a spying program against Marc Headley:

This type of stuff has been going on for years. OSA and Scientology were spying on myself and my friends who were all former high ranking Scientology Executives and Messengers for LRH after we left for good 21 years ago. We moved to Las Vegas to start our lives over and start a mortgage business and within a few months, David Lubow (the main Private Eye harassing Marty Rathbun and Mike Rinder today) was hired by us as an employee and became our "friend," all the time reporting up our activities to DM and OSA. He even did our tax returns the first year I was out, having gotten a job part time at a tax preparers office. This was followed up in 1998 through 2009 by Scientology having another person pose as my friend, all the time reporting up on what I was doing. All of this was documented in the St. Petersburg Times "Truth Rundown" series under "What Happened in Vegas." All during this time, we had not spoken out or testified or anything. DM just wanted to know what we were doing and wanted to make sure we didn't testify in litigation like the Lisa McPherson trial. As you mention, Tony, you don't see the Catholic Church or any other Church for that matter doing such a thing.

And finally, we enjoyed this balanced comment by "Sarah K" in regards to our story about the "Tom Cruise Is No Kook" protest at the Pfizer building:

The protesters should have had another sign saying "Tom Cruise is not glib." By the way -- I think that it was a perfectly legitimate protest over a death of a young adult who took his own life. Obviously there is no way of proving that he killed himself because he took anti-depressants in the first place, or because he didn't take enough of them. But what bothers me in this story is the CCHR vulture culture -- they just jump in every time when there is a disaster or a personal tragedy, trying to promote their own goals at the expense of the real victims.

What a week! A hearty thank you to our readers. Your comments make this a real discussion. And just wait until you see what we have cooking for this next week!

tortega@villagevoice.com | @VoiceTonyO

Click here to see all recent Scientology coverage at the Voice

Tony Ortega is the editor-in-chief of The Village Voice. Since 1995, he's been writing about Scientology at several publications. Among his other stories about L. Ron Hubbard's organization:

The Larry Wollersheim Saga -- Scientology Finally Pays For Its Fraud
The Tory Bezazian (Christman) Story -- How the Internet Saved A Scientologist From Herself
The Jason Beghe Defection -- A Scientology Celebrity Goes Rogue
The Robert Cipriano Case -- A Hellacious Example of Fair Game
The Paul Haggis Ultimatum -- The 'Crash' Director Tells Scientology to Shove It
The Marc Headley Escape -- 'Tom Cruise Told Me to Talk to a Bottle'
The Aaron Saxton Accusation -- Australia turns up the heat on Scientology
The Jefferson Hawkins Stipulation -- Scientology's former PR genius comes clean
The Daniel Montalvo Double-Cross -- Scientology lures a young defector into a trap
A Church Myth Debunked -- Scientology and Proposition 8
Daniel Montalvo Strikes Back -- Scientology Hit with Stunning Child-Labor Lawsuits
When Scientologists Attack -- The Marty Rathbun Intimidation
A Scientologist Excommunicated -- The Michael Fairman SP Declaration
The Richard Leiby Operation -- Investigating a reporter's divorce to shut him up
The Hugh Urban Investigation -- An academic takes a harsh look at Scientology's past
Giovanni Ribisi as David Koresh -- A precedent for a Scientology-Branch Davidian link
Janet Reitman's Inside Scientology -- A masterful telling of Scientology's history
The Western Spy Network Revealed? -- Marty Rathbun ups the ante on David Miscavige
Scientology's Enemies List -- Are You On It?
Inside Inside Scientology -- An interview with author Janet Reitman
Scientology and the Nation of Islam -- Holy Doctrinal Mashup, Batman!
Scientologists -- How Many of Them Are There, Anyway?
Roger Weller's Wild Ride -- Scientology When it was Hip
The Marc Headley Infiltration -- A Scientology Spying Operation Revealed

We Recommend

Fake Tommy Davis

Look, I don't expect you puny, inferior wogs to understand, but in Scientology, when you say something out loud, that makes it true. It does not matter how much our actions contradict our assertions. We ARE the most ethical people on the planet and we will utterly destroy anyone in the galaxy who says otherwise.

Gary Lee-Nova

And the current body count proves it, right?

Fake Tommy Davis

SHE DIED FROM BUMPING HER HEAD! Jeez, you murder ONE person and people don't let you forget it as long as you live.

MarkStark

Australian lawyer for the Cult of Scientology says a brochure aimed at cult victims, produced by a volunteer organization called Cult Information and Family Support, which calls the Scientology cult "a cult" is ''grossly defamatory of [the Cult of Scientology], its officers and parishioners."

If Scientologists won't be looking to get themselves out of their cult, who cares?

A similar organization in the U.S. that started in 1978, the Cult Awareness Network (CAN), was BOUGHT by the Cult of Scientology in 1996.

So now in the U.S. only the Cult of Scientology will get to determine what is a cult and what is not, since they "know" and are "the people the planet obeys."

Cult of Scientology reps explain that Scientology isn't a cult because they haven't set a day for the end of the world, and don't encourage mass suicide. Instead, they just teach that the planet is DOOMED unless they "clear the planet" in time....please send in money, before it is too late and the Evil Psychs win the battle for Teegeeack!

Guest

FYI:

"The Church of Scientology has threatened to sue and claim punitive damages against a volunteer organisation that helps the victims of cults and their families.

The legal threat from the US-based religion accuses the group, Cult Information and Family Support, of religious vilification over statements made in a brochure advertising their conference later this year.

But the volunteer organisation has refused to bow to the demands of the Scientologists, saying instead that they will continue their ''humanitarian support work''.

Really classy, scientology, harassing a volunteer humanitarian effort.

Mark Miglio

Tony, I am not CCHR but I'll see if I can be part of the Vulture Culture that Sarah K proposes. This ought to be fun...

Dear Sarah, Any insane (or depressed) person that has not had their physical brain tampered with can be helped provided that they have NOT been repeatedly psych drugged. Once drugged them may seem better of to the causal observer but careful analysis will reveal that they have been mentally, physically, and emotionally damaged. Keep on drugging them and you will someday have a zombie.

choocho

Also, why couldn't you help Jeremy Perkins, Terryeo? You had better things to do like editing Wikipedia to make it more marketing-friendly to Scientology or something like that?

Richard C. Mongler

" Any insane (or depressed) person that has not had their physical brain tampered with can be helped provided that they have NOT been repeatedly psych drugged"

mmh, their "physical" brain. You mean there is also a non-physical brain?

Mark Miglio

physical brain, as opposed to the non-physical mind.

Guest

The scientologists have this retarded concept that people still get frontal lobotomies. Their founder was obsessed with that idea. So that's probably what the scientologist meant... he/she is just trusting the "religious" scientology text that says mainstream culture uses icepicks to lobotomize people.

Gary Lee-Nova

From another thread, but I'm going to re-post it here:

Mark Miglio; your intellectually dishonest pretension to having medical credentials is making you appear to be much more than a scientologist.

Your intellectual dishonesty is making you appear to be a retarded scientologist.

Paroxetine, aka Paxil, Aropax, Seroxat and Sereupin saved my son's life. Fifteen years ago, my son suffered some kind of cerebral chemical disorder.

After two years of medically supervised administration of the SSRI medication, he was healthy again. He has stayed completely healthy since that time.

Your arrogance and intellectual dishonesty is a disgrace to human kind and the vile cult to which you so passionately pledge allegiance.

Ghost of Charlie

a "drug revert" Just Like cult spokeshole Tommy Davis....no auditing on the cans for Sarah

Dear Sarah,please ignore the advice from Mark hes enamored with a placebo laced quack science

P.S Scientology is a "desert topping and a floor wax"

Mark Miglio

Cute PS, Charlie.

teetime

Mark tell us why your such a fanboy of that slimeball Grant Cardone and why his vicious slanderous knowledge report on Scientologist Milton Katselas was justified

and why it was Grant Cardones place to level personal attacks against a devote Scientologist

maybe you should read the documents from the previous articles by Tony

you might wan't to disconnect from a SP like grant Cardone on your facebook page

LeoRyan78

Mark,Let me ask you. What is your proposed alternative for the serious mentally ill?

The Introspection Rundown did not work for Lisa McPherson or Jeremy Perkins.Let me say this very clearly-the people involved are, for the most part not medical personnel. What right to these people have to presume to remove any kind of medication or to try to 'treat" people for serious illnesses.

Both the above folks died and then Scientology had to scramble to respond/hide evidence in regard to both their deaths. They are just a couple of examples where improper treatment resulted in deaths. There is an infamous example in Europe of the nanny who killed twin babies and the example in Australia where the daughter slew her whole family. All dead because of the removal of medication because of the involvement of Scientology.

Mark Miglio

This is not a kindergarten class, Leo. You are an exSCN, aren't you? You should all ready know the answer.

candace6

You mean like Lisa McPherson, Jeremy Perkins and Rex Fowler were "properly handled"?

Mark Miglio

Disturbed people need to be in an environment that does not re-stimulate them... please keep in mind that all beings are basically good... they want to -- and they can -- improve if properly handled with kid gloves

LeoRyan78

Mark,I asked you the question. What is your answer?Thank you in advance.Leo

MarkStark

Going by Hubbard's sacred writings/policy, schizophrenics and other seriously mentally ill, would be low on the tone scale and "disposed of quietly without sorrow," were Scientology to run governments.

The present Sciloon policy, according to VaLLarrr, Louanne and other such shills, is that the evil psychs may have the schizophrenics, at least until psychiatry can be obliterated and handled by other non-ice-pick wielding medical specialties.

Sciloontology could easily mock up a front group for the restructuring of psychiatric medicine, but transforming the pharmaceuticals industry would be a trick.

But what can't they do? After Travolta flew his plane into Haiti, and the VMs were sent in with their garbage-picker-upper super powers, Haiti is now the second wealthiest country in the world. After that monumental accomplishment, the Sciloontology Volunteer Ministers, with their 3 million members, are the largest pretend relief agency on Teegeeack. Sciloontology now directs the American Red Cross and all other agencies from their space data facility in Trementina, NM.

World leaders look to Tom Cruise for answers. NORAD is in the process of turning their function over to OTs -- using tracking thought beams -- stationed at Trementina.

Sciloontology is helping right now by attempting to sue-into-ruin CULT INFORMATION AND FAMILY SUPPORT in Australia, a volunteer organization the helps the victims of cults and their families. This group has committed an overt by calling Sciloontology a "cult" in one of their brochures.

As they've shown by suing and buying the Cult Awareness Network here in the U.S. only Sciloontology can help people who have been victimized by cults, including Sciloontology itself.

They are here to sue!

Guest

Mark,

It sounds to me like you are practicing medicine without a license. Do you have any education to back up your diagnosis and treatment of mental illness?

JustCallMeMary

Naw, A friend of mine told me she remembers Mark from many years ago. She believes he is labeled an IIlegal PC. For what, she could not say. Why, despite his many years in scientology, is there is no record of him having received auditing? What is documented from the mags is only a bit of training, including PTS SP Course. He has stated in the past that he's worked at Narconon, which has loose hiring regulations because so many addicts and alcoholics have a mental health history but the clincher is that he's been volunteering for OSA on the internet commenting in favor of a church that does not otherwise allow it's members to look at anything critical of scientology, much less comment. Only with approval or it's to the ethics officer for sure.

So, perhaps he is speaking from his own experiences with the mental health industry and what he had learned in Scientology that requires lifetime amends projects for it's members so labeled?.

Scientology's regulations of accepting or not people with mental health history, along with it's discriminatory petition process for anyone labeled an Illegal PC makes for more than a few of the church volunteers, OSA volunteers included.

Mark Miglio

No, Guess, I just have the same power of observation and comment sense that you have. Oh, I meant, the same powers that other people have: you know, people that have commonsense and good observational abilities.

Gary Lee-Nova

Is it because you feel powerless, Mark? Is this the reason you are compelled to issue orders?

All these 'orders' flowing from your keyboard - "stop reading" - "stop writing."

Your anti-literacy campaign is a FAIL, just like your vile, corrupt cult is an EPIC FAIL!

Perhaps, you might try going back onto the cans to upstat yourself? A little e-meter auditing goes a long way I'm told.

Mark Miglio

You are not a Scientologist, it is obvious; so you don't know what you are talking about --- stop reading all the trash written by all these whining losers who could cut the bread in SCN. Also, please stop writing crap yourself. Someday you will need our help...

Anon A

If you had common sense and and good observational abilities, you might stop to wonder why the self-proclaimed "most ethical organization on the planet" has been party to so many proven lies concerning its founder L Ron Hubbard and its many promised benefits that have not been proven to exist over the last 60 years.

choocho

Mark Miglio, aka Terryeo, is common sense what got you banned from Wikipedia?

Guest

Keep up the good fight, Tony!

Today, we learn from Australia that:

"The Church of Scientology has threatened to sue and claim punitive damages against a volunteer organisation that helps the victims of cults and their families.The legal threat from the US-based religion accuses the group, Cult Information and Family Support, of religious vilification over statements made in a brochure advertising their conference later this year.But the volunteer organisation has refused to bow to the demands of the Scientologists, saying instead that they will continue their ''humanitarian support work''. (www.theage.com.au)Just like Scientology, trying to crush a humanitarian volunteer group that is critical of their human rights abuses.

Ghost of Charlie

"Hi, Tony. Don't you have something else to do like instead of staying stuck on this subject forever?!"

I think the poster was trying to say your a "squirrel stuck in an electronic incident" Tony

along with a feeble attempt to "postulate" you into writing about something else

enough of the entheta and enturbulation! only "good roads and fair weather" "shore stories" are allowed...stop being such a PTS! your cramping their style!

Tony tell them to Make sure they hand deliver SP declare on Goldenrod...accept no substitutes!

Mark Miglio

yea, real funny, Ghost

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Scientology Freakout: Commenters of the Week!

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