I happened to come across this the other day, and thought it worth commenting on. It is a letter sent in the name of Karin Pouw to ABC 20/20 after they had been provided a series of questions before an interview with Leah Remini by Dan Harris aired. The interview in fact aired on Oct 29, 2015 as part of the release publicity for her book Troublemaker. Here is the letter in full, and my comments in red script October 26, 2015 John Bentley ABC News 20/20 47 West 66th Street New York, NY 10023 Re: ABC’s program and the Church of Scientology Dear Mr. Bentley: This letter … [Read more...]
Scientology Lies About Harassment of LA D/A
See the recent LA Times article Scientology tried to 'derail' star's rape trial by harassing prosecutor, suit says; church calls claim 'false' This is some excellent reporting by James Queally. I only want to comment on one thing: Karin (David Miscavige) Pouw's response to quotes taken from my declaration filed in Leah[s case. Here is what the article says with regard to me and Dave's response: Mike Rinder, a member of the Aftermath Foundation's board, once served as head of the Office of Special Affairs and described it as "Scientology’s CIA" in a recent declaration in Re … [Read more...]
Best “Apology” Ever
This is perhaps the best "apology" ever issued to scientology, by an Irish satirical news organization Waterford Whispers News. I love the Irish, always have, but then spent some absolutely magical time in Dublin and my connection to the Irish became unbreakable. Their unique sense of humor and absolute "I don't give a shit what you think" attitude is so pervasive it could be called the national character. This piece illustrates everything I love about the Irish. If you have not seen it yet, enjoy! https://twitter.com/WhispersNewsLTD/status/1676186234152968192 … [Read more...]
Scientology’s Disdain for Law Enforcement
This is an earlier post I am updating, along with a new YouTube video today. In the wake of the Danny Masterson rape trial (soon to be retried after the jury ended up hung), many are curious about scientology's position with respect to reporting crimes to law enforcement. Scientology responded to reports they forbid this in typical fashion -- quoting the LA Times: The Church of Scientology declined to comment on the pending criminal matter, but said the religion has no policy against reporting crimes committed by Scientologists to law enforcement. “Church policy explicitly demands S … [Read more...]
Reality Check: Scientologists and Law Enforcement
With the ongoing rape trial of Danny Masterson, a lot of people are curious about scientology's position with respect to reporting crimes to law enforcement. Scientology responded to reports they forbid this in typical fashion -- quoting the LA Times: The Church of Scientology declined to comment on the pending criminal matter, but said the religion has no policy against reporting crimes committed by Scientologists to law enforcement. “Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land,” spokeswoman Karin Pouw said. Though most people reject scientology's den … [Read more...]
Where Did Scientology’s Spokespeople Go?
You used to see scientology spokespersons in the media. I was one of them for many years. So was Heber Jentzsch. I escaped. Heber was put in The Hole and became so physically incapacitated he could no longer appear in public (and Miscavige didn't trust him anyway). Tommy Davis was the "it boy" for a while, but he also departed, though he remains a Miscavige brown-noser ion his post-Sea Org life. If you look on the scientology website they list a number of "spokespersons" who actually don't speak: Karin Pouw was never allowed to talk publicly, though her name … [Read more...]
Did Scientology Lie? Of Course…
Another of the documents from the recent FBI docs release. In September 2009, not long after the investigation began, scientology made an FOIA request to get all docs concerning any investigation of scientology. Though the originator of the request has been redacted from the letter, you can see in the accompanying fax cover sheet that this is a request from scientology. This is not a "routine" request that is filed every month. It is a request because scientology became aware of the FBI investigation. Yet, despite this, in 2013 they denied any such investigation took place … [Read more...]
The Big Lie: “They Incited Murder”
Yesterday, Tony Ortega reported the news out of Australia concerning the perpetrator of the tragic murder at the Advanced Organization in Sydney. Stefani Hutchinson weighed in with her always cogent and fact driven take on things like this, I recommend reading her blog on the subject. While there is much to be said about what happened, the tragic circumstances, the scientology refusal to acknowledge real mental illness and other things, there is a singular point I want to make. Scientology seized on this tragedy to make baseless and … [Read more...]
Scientology Tells Another Big Lie or Two
The prosecution of Danny Masterson is becoming a predictable nightmare for David Miscavige and scientology. Forced into making a public statement after damaging testimony in the Preliminary Hearing, scientology resorted to its time-honored tradition and lied. Not just a little lie. A big, bold, easily disproven denial. They rely on the fact that most are uninformed about their actual practices, and that the vast majority of people think when someone makes such an emphatic statement, they could not possibly be lying. Sociopaths use the good nature of the vast majority of people who … [Read more...]
The Crime of the Century
Alex Gibney has done it again. This is a disturbing, powerful documentary that everyone in the country should watch. It details how the opioid epidemic was manufactured out of the greed of the pharmaceutical industry (all the way down to CVS). It is truly a horrifying expose. But for scientology-watchers there is a special reason for giving this a look. It shows how those with money to burn are able to buy influence over law enforcement and legislators. It is grotesque, and it is exactly what scientology has done to head off investigations in the … [Read more...]