Michael Smerconish wants to continue the conversation we began on Saturday on his CNN show on his SiriusXM radio program.
Hoping we will have a little longer to get into these issues in more depth.
Scheduled to begin Tuesday morning at 11:04am on SiriusXM channel 124.
For those who could not catch it live, here is a link.
Unfortunately, the only place I know you can find it is on the SiruisXM site.
Well articulated MIke. Your refuting his journalistic assertions, for arguments sake, was perfect.
Very nice Mike!
YOU have the credibility on the world stage that DM would kill for. He must down a quart every time you are on national/international outlets.
DM has tried it before. In the 1990s(?) with Ted Koppel i think. It did not go well. In fact, i’d be willing to bet that was the first time he was confronted by a non-sycophant, and i bet it shocked him. I wouldn’t be surprised if it woke him up. Mind you, leaving would have meant giving up the lifestyle and having to wrk for a living…
Hey! Does anyone know when DM stopped practicing Scientology? Chris Shelton has publicly stated that he knew he hasn’t done it for years, but does it go back as far as this?
I believe you may be thinking of a TV interview with Anderson Cooper – not Ted Koppel. It featured four ex-wives of some of the most prominent members of the cult that had spoken out against the cult and left. But you are certainly correct insofar as it not going well.
Unfortunately, I have often felt that although it may NOW seem so obvious these women were all lying, it may not have been obvious to most Americans at the time.
It’s extremely difficult for anyone who is unfamiliar with the inner workings of this criminal cult to see these women were obviously lying.
Skyler, no, Ted Koppell. The funniest interview of all time. Koppel won an Emmy for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exzmE3vW_Tw
Thanks ValR
ValR,
Wow! I just watched that interview with Ted Koppel. I had never before known of its existance. But I want to thank you again for telling me about it.
I feel like there is a lot I’d like to say about it and a lot more I’d like to ask. But I will just comment about one item here that I found very striking.
The first was when Koppel was trying to bring out the point that it costs a fortune – several hundreds of thousands of dollars for people to progress up the so-called “Bridge”. As a result, Koppel asked if the scam was only available to rich people.
The Rat vigorously denied this and claimed it was available for everyone no matter how poor they were.
My thought was that there is an element of truth in that because if someone is poor, unless they have a terrible credit rating, what happens is the scam “helps” them get credit cards and max out all these cards so they accumulate huge debts they can never pay off. Then, those people are thrown into bankruptcy and their financial lives are essentially ruined. The scam would say, “So what? Money is not important in this life because people are spiritual beings and money has little to do with one’s spiritual progress.
I would counter, “interesting that money is not important. But you don’t wind up bankrupt. The poor people who come to you and believe your crazy lies wind up bankrupt while you wind up sitting on billions of dollars with which you buy all these buildings that are never used so that you can protect your bogus Tax Exempt Status.
I’d really like to say a lot more. But I really should prepare some remarks first instead of just talking off the top of my head.
But … in terms of this interview …. all I can say is, “Wow! That is really worth seeing by anyone who has an interest in this crazy criminal cult.
Mike, great radio talk, today! I hope that two hour talk happens, soon. And, as for the three way talk with David Miscavige, let’s pray that Michael Smerconish can pull that off. Thanks for setting up the link for this talk today so that we could all listen to it.
david miscavige is a Coward. It’ll never happen.
Not only is Miscavige a coward who will not appear in a public forum, any spokesperson or OSA operative will also be too cowardly to do the same. Occasionally a ‘wog’ lawyer will attempt to defend the cult if their pay packet requires it. In a way you can’t blame these people for staying out of the public spot light. They are trying to defend the indefensible. Who wants to look like a Fool on the world stage?
Back in the day when I was still sipping Kool-Aid, a cult spokesperson would occasionally be on the radio or TV. Even then it was soooooooo embarrassing for me when acquaintances would ask me questions about the clownish and childish behavior they saw and I was unable to defend my fellow scientologists. Red flag warning! After a while I was able to start recognizing these red flags and finally got the hell out and never looked back.
“COB” obviously must stand for Coward of the Board.
Way to confront, David Miscavige! What an inspiration you are to your Dwindle of scientologists. And I have met Leaders of Leaders!
More likely to get Blinky McMuffins (a/k/a Monique Yingling) to talk. Where is she these days anyway? After her disastrous muffin appearance, she seems to have faded into the background.
Excellent! He asked great questions and you responded beautifully!
The exact point the church CANNOT refute is that point that the church comes first. Period. And you made that point very well.
(I know someone who knows miscavige physically assaulted his own son and yet stated to me that it’s “about the big picture.” The rubber met the road; the Church of Scientology, and by extension it’s leader, needs to be protected.
Thanks Mike!
He would never even agree to a one-on-one fist fight with Mary Kahn. That is how much of a coward he is.
He will only get violent against a single person when he has a large number of his body guards present and he can be sure that any fight will include several of those big body guards against a single victim.
I sent the following email to Amelia Mcdonell-Parry who wrote the news article in Rolling Stone magazine:
Title: Looking for Rolling Stone’s Amelia Mcdonell-Parry
Hello. I am hoping to contact Amelia Mcdonell-Parry who has written stories for Rolling Stone.
I am an very ordinary person who had a very brief experience with the cult of scientology many years ago (in 1977). I saw your story about Leah Remini and I wanted to contact you to tell you there is a big story about this scam (the scam of scientology) which I hope will break soon. This story is the anticipated end of this harmful criminal cult.
I’d like to give you some info. None of it is extremely confidential or will lead you to some big story. But I’m hoping that I can find a correct email address for Amelia Mcdonell-Parry so that I can give you some info in the hope that you will find a way to break this story.
For many years Scamology (a name that many of its enemies choose to call this cult), has responded to critics by attacking them using all manner of dirty tricks and offensive conduct for which they have been charged and have gone to prison.
But ever since Leah’s program, “Scientology and the Aftermath”, the tide now appears to be turning and for many people who have followed the progress of this criminal cult for many years, it now appears they will soon be coming to the end of their rope.
Two of the best web sites where you can learn about this cult’s criminal past and their current conduct are Mike Rinder’s blog, https://www.mikerindersblog.org and Tony Ortega’s blog, https://tonyortega.org.
I hope you might scan both of these blogs so that you will be on top of the current news and that you will be informed of the happenings of this cult. Many of us hope and pray the end is now in sight and will soon be at hand.
Alternatively, you can always contact Mike Rinder directly. I am confident that he would be happy to co-operate with you.
Oops. Sorry. I forgot to post the link to that story in Rolling Stone Magazine:
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/5-things-we-learned-from-leah-reminis-scientology-expose-tv-show-113731
Alternatively, you can Google for:
Amelia Mcdonell-Parry Scientology Rolling Stone
or
Amelia Mcdonell-Parry Leah Remini Rolling Stone
Also: https://whyweprotest.wikia.org/wiki/Former_Church_of_Scientology_members_who_have_spoken_out
Hey.
I can’t help it. 🙂
Wow! That list rivals the New York City phone book.
I can’t believe this criminal cult continues to operate and I hope and pray the end will come soon.
I’m very glad to see Mike R continue to be in the public eye. I became a big Rinder fan when the Aftermath show came out. I was already suspicious of $cieno before that, but that show really opened my eyes. I like Leah alot, but I’m not a fan of “reality” shows so I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. Obvs, it was very different from typical reality shows, but Mike was really the one who sold it for me and my BF. And then every single contributor I found to be fantastic, amazing people. Not to gush, but since I’m kinda new to posting (but been reading a lot longer), thought I’d try to properly show my appreciation to ALL the exes and never-ins spreading the word about what’s wrong with $cieno. I tend to focus on the mind-control aspects, since I was a victim of that from a diff organization, but I’ve learned so much more about this “religion” and it has increased my empathy for the exes and compassion for those still in. Also, I love all the discussions and humor found here with you all (and at the Bunker).
That’s my story and I’m stickin to it! 😁
Andrea
It wasn’t a reality show. That’s why it was so much better than typical reality shows. Leah had a reality show before, but the Aftermath was a documentary show. Very different.
I also became a Rinderfan watching Aftermath. I knew nothing about the cult and it was Mike’s clear explanations of where the teachings came from and what they meant that made a huge impact on me. Without that piece of the puzzle I wouldn’t have understood the victim stories for what they truly were.
Mike is such a well spoken man and has so much knowledge it was like listening to a well respected professor give a lecture, I would hang on every word.
Also, I was amused that it took Mr. Smerconish calling Mike, Mark, 3 times before Mike corrected him. You are a gentleman Mr. Rinder!
Hey Mike. Pls forgive me if it sounded like I was criticizing your performance during the first interview you had on CNN.
I am so incensed with these crazy bastards that I just want all American to feel the same way I do and to know enough about this cult to understand just why they are so dangerous and why it is so maddening they are able to accumulate billions of dollars using tax-free money that they clearly do not deserve.
I know what I would like to see happen as a result of your interviews. But I do not know how to go about helping to make that happen.
Skyler,
As re your post above, Mike may or may not be too jammed up to respond to it, but in the event that he doesn’t, you should not, IMO, assume that his lack of response means that he has been offended. For whatever its worth, my opinion is that he has not in the least taken offense. Mike Rinder is an expert communicator and no small part of his expertise is perceiving the INTENT of someone’s communication.
At one point in the past, I myself became quite concerned that something I had said on the blog had been – entirely unintentionally on my part – deeply offensive and hurtful to him. This was bothering me a great deal and I posted my apology on the blog with a detailed explanation. Mike responded, briefly and yet kindly, “I am almost impossible to insult!”, adding words to the effect that he understood my true intent, and appreciated it. Well, I felt MUCH better after that, I can tell you! Intelligent, perceptive, a highly skilled communicator, understanding and kind – a true gentleman, is our Mr. Rinder! (Mike, are you blushing yet? Well, too bad because its true, but, Ok, I’ll stop gushing 🙂 )
Thank you for your kind words Aqua. I repeat my sentiment for Skyler — I am almost impossible to insult. And I did not take the comment as having any ill intent. But even it had been intended as a biting criticism — such things can be valuable. As a wise person once said, if you never make a mistake there is nothing you can learn.
A foolish man thinks an eraser is for people who makes mistakes. A wise man knows an eraser is for a person who wishes to correct his mistakes. Thanks for not taking the scientological viewpoint that you are infallible. There is so much to learn from so many from anyone willing to listen.
Very well said Aqua and ValR. I certainly appreciate both of you very much.
Great news Mike!
I hope you will post a link to that interview. I am very much looking forward to seeing it.
I thought the interview went really well yesterday- you made excellent points with the limited time you had. And I love that the interviewer wants to learn more! That’s pretty incredible! And I can’t know for sure since I’m not part of the media world, but to be asked back for a more in-depth interview doesn’t seem to happen too often. Im hoping that your interview on CNN and your upcoming radio interview will be the start of a new wave of mainstream media covering this story! You, Leah, Tony, et al. are doing a great job educating the rest of us on this important topic!! Thanks for all you do!
I want to second that. Thank you, thank you, thank you!