scientology and me

But, to my knowledge, no elected official who has praised Hubbard and Scientology has ever been as close as Bass is to running for the country’s vice presidency, and, if the 77-year-old Biden wins—a heartbeat away from the presidency itself. Unfortunately, this appears to be consistent behavior for her. Through the decades, the church has duped a number of politicians into being “useful idiots” for their grand designs. [4], Sweeney said of fair gaming: "While making our BBC Panorama film "Scientology and Me" I have been shouted at, spied on, had my hotel invaded at midnight, denounced as a 'bigot' by star Scientologists and been chased round the streets of Los Angeles by sinister strangers." (Bass might be interested in that topic, considering that during the 1990s—a time when she ran the L.A. social justice group—she worked hard addressing the city’s drug and gang-violence epidemic. In fact, the cult leader's most important words [a sampling is above] have been reported by media outlets for decades. ", On 10 May 2007, four days before the documentary's first networked airing, video footage filmed by the Church of Scientology was released on YouTube[14] and DVD showing Sweeney's outburst towards Scientology representative Tommy Davis. David Miscavige is the ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion. The Church of Scientology focuses on getting Scientologists up the Bridge to Total Freedom. [Photo by Michael Montfort/Getty Images.]. “I invite people to come to Miami where we can educate them on the tyrannical dictatorship that has decimated Cuba for 60 years.” A month later, Bass walked back the praise, and on “Meet The Press” last Sunday she stated “Lesson learned.”, As Fabiola Santiago, a Cuban refugee and longtime Miami Herald columnist wrote yesterday: “If you’re Cuban or Cuban American in Miami, this is what you’re hearing: ‘Comandante en jefe, ordene.’ Commander in chief, at your service. Eleven top Scientologists, including Hubbard's wife, were sent to prison in the early 1980s for the scheme. "Your creed is a universal creed," said Biden VP contender Karen Bass in a 2010 speech to ... [+] Scientologists. Some of them pried into my family history, and made inquiries into my health. incarcerated in a mental institution or jail." Despite the the Time story and legal case garnering a ton of media attention for well over a decade, plus all the other exposés from other major media outlets prior to 2010, could Bass perhaps have truly not known any of this? founder, L. Ron Hubbard. You did not hear or record all the interview! To me, Scientology seemed more of a surreal lifestyle for the privileged than a kind of belief system. “Messiah or Madman” (Bent Corydon, 1987); “A Piece of Blue Sky” (John Atack, 1990); “Testimony: The Autobiography of Margery Wakefield” (1996). It read: “How credible are they? Copyright, Church of Scientology (Producer) (2007) ", John Sweeney – BBC Panorama Reporter at work (Scientologist Video of events), "Travolta accuses BBC reporter of bigotry and animosity", "John Travolta lobbying BBC to kill documentary on Scientology", "Leaving the Church of Scientology: a huge step", "John Sweeney revisits the Church of Scientology", BBC News – Panorama page describing the documentary, BBC News – Watch the Panorama episode online, Church of Scientology's response documentary, "FOOC: Justin Webb on US Democrat primaries 1 March 08", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scientology_and_Me&oldid=996638963, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Pages using infobox television with editor parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 27 December 2020, at 20:33. (Photo by Church of Scientology via Getty Images), The church was sadistic in its attempts to intimidate me. Scientology is designed to get you alone from your family where you are vulnerable and easy to exploit. Scientology and Me is a television documentary first broadcast on 14 May 2007 as part of the BBC's Panorama series. Scientology has fought many battles to keep its secrets off the web, now they are using it to attack my investigation into them. After Readers’ Digest decided to run a condensed version of the main story in virtually all of its editions—reaching about 100 million readers around the world—the church sued the Digest in multiple countries to try (unsuccessfully, of course) to stop them. Documents the FBI seized in those raids also showed that Scientologists had infiltrated, burglarized and wiretapped more than 100 private and government agencies in attempts to block their investigations. Finally, and this is a real stretch: let’s imagine that Bass didn’t know how bad they were until certain “allegations” (as she calls them) about Scientology emerged after her 2010 speech and 2012 and 2013 proclamations. when you purchase a new Edible Arrangements movie-themed Edible Box. Her daughter wrote to her cutting all ties. Please put front group activities in the Scientology Front Groups forum, rather than in … [11][12] The documentary moves onto an interview in which Sweeney talks with a mother, known as "Sharon,"[13] who had been "disconnected" from her daughter after her daughter had taken a weekend away with other Scientologists and had read several books which she claimed had changed her life. Some former members claim the Church uses a mind control technique to put opponents at a psychological disadvantage. With a peak of 4.9 million viewers in the UK, the episode garnered the highest ratings for Panorama since September the previous year. It boiled down to personal integrity. But apparently Bass wasn’t aware of any of them, or didn’t care. Scientology and Me Synopsis. Tommy Davis, the international spokesperson for Scientology, did not want detractors or perceived enemies of the church to be interviewed or included in the documentary and wanted to censor any references to Scientology as a "cult. In this regard Scientology is an improvement over any earlier practice in terms of what it can actually do to help man. The church is fervently opposed to psychiatry and psychiatric medicine, and works hard to keep mentally-ill members from getting treatment from licensed professionals. They were the infamous words Cubans used when surrendering to the whims of a dictator who executed dissenters, destroyed lives and the economy and left this world with blood on his hands....Never once have I heard her [Bass] raise her eloquent activist voice on behalf of the oppressed on the island.”. [18][19] Sweeney stated that it was a by-product of the "hijacking of the Holocaust" by the Scientology exhibition Psychiatry: An Industry of Death – which was where the outburst occurred – as well as attempts to control his mind. With Jeremy Vine, Kevin Hurley, John Travolta, Sharon. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. In 2016, following the death of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, she stated, “The passing of the comandante en jefe is a great loss to the people of Cuba.” There is no shortage of elected officials in Florida who are now cringing (or worse) over her proclamation. "[1][2], The scale of the controversy intensified when the Church of Scientology released a 40-second clip of video footage showing a screaming argument between John Sweeney and Scientologist Tommy Davis over the way in which Sweeney was interviewing critics of Scientology. So people have asked me, “Why is Scientology defending Danny in this suit?” and I have to point out to them, technically they aren’t. That would have been the responsible thing to do, and it demonstrates poor judgment on her part, as well as a disregard for those who may have joined the cult after hearing her speak. 1997: Doug Frantz’s special investigative report in the New York Times about “Scientology’s Puzzling Journey From Tax Rebel to Tax Exempt.” Doug revealed that the church hired spooks to dig into the private lives of IRS officials and to conduct surveillance operations to uncover potential vulnerabilities. Critical books by former members? [26], Breckenridge, J. Jr. (1994), "Brechenridge Decision – (No. [10], In describing the affiliated celebrity members of Scientology, the documentary refers to them as an "all-star cast list." Did they get to Bass? One of the church’s main detention centers, known as “The Hole,” was on a 700-acre compound roughly a 90-minute drive from Bass’s current office in L.A., and had been exposed by insiders and written about extensively by journalists for decades. ], Scientologists are pretty good at brainwashing people. L. Ron Hubbard targeted “enemies” of scientology — anyone who disagrees with or criticizes the abusive practices is Fair Game for stalking, harassment and threats. I found an area of agreement in their beliefs...” Indeed, the church has long tried to portray itself as oppressed, even as it does the oppressing. Bass was right about one thing: Scientology founder Hubbard’s words were “exciting.” Here’s a small sampling of his written doctrines and policies from the 1960s and 70s, which staffers were required to follow—then and always: “The only way you can control people is to lie to them....Scientologists are trained to lie and never defend, always attack (and generate money)....MAKE MONEY. (Full bio at mideastdig.com and richardbehar.com) For speaking engagements: Washington Speakers Bureau. Huh? She also spent nearly a decade as a physician assistant and served as a medical instructor at the University of Southern California. Reachable at. You cannot assert what you're saying!" Her Twitter statement about it on Saturday raises even more questions. It included numerous “first-hand accounts” from victims—former staff members, insiders, and others. "I disagree with the congresswoman's comments on Cuba,” Democrat Donna Shahala, one of the U.S. Congress members representing South Florida (and a former Secretary of Health and Human Services under Bill Clinton), told Politico in late June. Directory and Interactive Maps of Scientology Churches across the Nation including address, hours, phone numbers, and website. Scientology, at its core, is a self-help religion started by writer L. Ron Hubbard. The members have no clue. It's what Scientology call a 'disconnect.' Each... is still bound by the knowledge that the Church has in its possession his or her most inner thoughts and confessions, all recorded in... security files of the organization, and that the Church or its minions is fully capable of intimidation or other physical or psychological abuse if it suits their ends.’”. (e.g. [26] Rinder revealed that Sweeney was correct: Scientology was following Sweeney's activities for the 2007 report. Sweeney then explains the concept of a "disconnection" within the context of Scientology doctrine. in Los Angeles. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images). I'm the Contributing Editor, Investigations, for Forbes magazine — and writing a book about Bernard Madoff, to be published by Simon & Schuster. And Bass surely must know that responsible media outlets would never have published or aired their pre-2010 exposés of the church without having “first-hand accounts.” Bass’s position is a bit like saying, “I didn’t know Charlie Manson was a bad guy; I thought he was a strong family man.” Everything the congresswoman needed to learn about the church was a matter of public record, always a mere fingertip press away, and she should have known it. "[22] Later, he added: "I look like an exploding tomato and shout like a jet engine and every time I see it, it makes me cringe." Perhaps Bass received campaign contributions over the years from Scientologists that inspired her to say something positive about the cult? The church sued and also ran a $3 million daily ad campaign for two weeks in USA Today attacking the articles, as well as Time generally and historically. See Full Cast + Crew for Scientology and Me Features Load More Features Movie Reviews Presented by Rotten Tomatoes. MapMuse - Find your place. A former Scientologist is suing the church and its leader David Miscavige, alleging years of abuse — and lawyers are hoping it will inspire more to come forward. One of the private eyes told the Times that he had taken documents from an IRS conference and sent them to church officials, and created a phony news bureau in Washington to gather information on church critics. ... the words are exciting of your founder, L. Ron Hubbard," Rep. Karen Bass told an audience of ... [+] Scientologists in 2010. Here's Judge Paul Breckenridge Jr., Superior Court of California, who presided over one Scientology lawsuit: ‘In all critical and important matters, their testimony was precise, accurate, and rang true... Each of these persons literally gave years of his or her respective life... Each has manifested a waste and loss or frustration which is incapable of description. This is serious, and what she is saying doesn’t add up. But could she not have been aware of a 24-part blockbuster series in 1990 in the Los Angeles Times, her hometown paper? “Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief,” a 2013 book by investigative reporter Larry Wright, as well as a 2015 documentary based on the book by Alex Gibney.). The church also filed a $416 million libel suit against us. ... [+] She's now lobbying hard to be selected by Biden as his running mate for the upcoming election. Offers. Ruined lives. After all, as Ted Gunderson, a former head of the FBI's office in [Bass’s] Los Angeles, had told Time: “In my opinion the church has one of the most effective intelligence operations in the U.S., rivaling even that of the FBI.". Load more Features Movie Reviews Presented by Rotten Tomatoes in 1996, Scientology 's late founder got his own,... Is that I am a spiritual being [ church officials, however, during course... A business or a new Edible Arrangements movie-themed Edible Box television documentary first on... Conducted over seven months again in 2012 and in 2013, with proclamations its. The 1986 story addressed the subject of scientology and me witnesses has changed lives with personal stories! They immediately start digging up everything, '' said Franks Crew for and... The BBC 's Panorama series the privileged than a kind of belief system interviews with Scientology.... In 1990 in the Los Angeles Times, her hometown paper Fortune.... 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