The First Amendment to the Constitution is a vitally important document that is cause for great celebration and almost as much dispute. It enshrines a number of very important rights -- freedom of religion, speech, the press, to peaceable assembly and petition the government. I believe the Bill of Rights was intended to protect people rather than the government or corporations (in fact the ONLY right afforded any corporation in the Bill of Rights is that given the press in the First Amendment) and yet, over the years, much law has developed that protects religious … [Read more...]
Why the Expensive Scientology Buildings?
I have explained this before but the question continues to be raised -- why is David Miscavige so obsessed with purchasing real estate? I am answering here as succinctly as possible. This strategy is not just the "ideal org" program, it also includes buying former homes and offices of L. Ron Hubbard, purchasing a redundant TV studio (KCET), and superfluous audio recording studio (Mad Hatter), buying properties to house printing presses and a "dissemination center" and other properties for Narconon, Applied Scholastics and the Way to Happiness Fdn. This real estate strategy serves several … [Read more...]
Scientology: Government Against The Ungovernable
Two Castle Rock, Colorado High School students, Sally and Madelyn, made a short film about scientology. They entered it in a local competition and won first place in their category! They were required to submit a paper, describing their planned film and why it addressed a worthy topic before they began. You can read their submission here: Context Essay This is their description of their documentary: "Our submission was for the 2022 National History day senior division documentary category! The theme this year is debate and diplomacy, we chose to represent this with the conflict seen … [Read more...]
Religious Protections Run Amok
This is a thought-provoking, and somewhat alarming article by Professor Marci Hamilton, Founder and CEO of Child USA Marci appeared on The Aftermath and was part of the team who filed the civil lawsuits on behalf of the Masterson victims and Valerie Haney. She is one of the country's foremost experts on First Amendment Law as it relates to religion. Marci eloquently and persuasively highlights something I have often said, conservative Supreme Court justices are overly zealous in their efforts to protect religions, and the umbrellas they establish allows scientology to get away with … [Read more...]