Daily Box Office for Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Valkyrie still going strong, moved up to 3rd place.
Friday, January 9, 2009
The Anatomy of Manipulation
I explained earlier how Tory Christman - Bezazian - Magoo - lies about her seizure history by focusing on a small part of the whole story that can be found in the affidavit she wrote in 2003.
She now made a video to add an emotional dimension to the lie. In it, she describes the incident in full drama mode, with the obvious intention to exploit the wave of emotion in the wake of Jett Travolta's tragic death. This makes the video particularly ominous.
I saved this video, should Magoo chose to delete it some day, as a perfect example of how fanatical Scientology critics try to manipulate public opinion.
Related blog entries:
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Tory Christman Lies About her Seizures
Tory Christman claims that she was ordered off from her seizure medication by the CoS but she forgets to say that such illegal orders were promptly overturned by higher CoS authorities, and that for the 30 years she was in the Scientology she was allowed to take her meds.
Check the following statements Tory Christman made to the press recently, and compare them with the full story based on her 2003 affidavit.
This is a typical example on how anti-Scientologists will stretch the truth (in this case blatantly lying) to make it fit with their agenda.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/07/earlyshow/main4703989.shtml
http://livenews.com.au/Articles/2009/01/08/Church_of_Scientology_hits_back_at_Jett_Travolta_drug_claims
http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2009/01/05/Scientology_banned_my_epilepsy_meds_ex_Church_member_?id=163282
Related blog entries:
Check the following statements Tory Christman made to the press recently, and compare them with the full story based on her 2003 affidavit.
This is a typical example on how anti-Scientologists will stretch the truth (in this case blatantly lying) to make it fit with their agenda.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/07/earlyshow/main4703989.shtml
One ex-Scientologist says when she suffered epileptic seizures 30 years ago, the church told her to stop her medication.
"So I started having grand mal seizures," recalls Tory Christman, "and I wasn't even off the medicine. I was only off part of the medicine, and I started having very bad grand mal seizures."
http://livenews.com.au/Articles/2009/01/08/Church_of_Scientology_hits_back_at_Jett_Travolta_drug_claims
In an exclusive interview with LIVENEWS.com.au on Monday, former Scientologist Tory Christman added fuel to the fire, claiming the Church told her to stop taking drugs for her epilepsy via an unqualified medical advisor in the late 1990s
http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2009/01/05/Scientology_banned_my_epilepsy_meds_ex_Church_member_?id=163282
Tory Christman, who reached the upper echelons of the church, claims she was told to stop taking the drugs by an unqualified medical official, which led to her seizures returning and to her knocking her teeth out in the bath.
“It was a nightmare,” said Christman.
“I had grand mal seizures, I fell in the bathtub just like Jett did, and knocked out my front teeth. It was really bad. I was losing my memory.”
“My mother saved my life and realised it was really kooky and said either you get back on your medicine today or I’m going come out there and Scientology will never forget me.”
Related blog entries:
Tory Chrisman Proves CoS Not Against Seizure Medications
(Tip of the hat to Monica Pignotti for pointing this out in her blog.)
Tory Christman claims that she was ordered off from her seizure medication by the CoS but she forgets to say that such illegal orders were promptly overturned by higher CoS authorities, and that for the 30 years she was in the Scientology she was allowed to take her medicine, as confirmed by her 2003 affidavit.
You will hear from the press allegations that Tory Christman, a notorious anti-Scientologist, claims she was ordered off her seizure medications by the Church of Scientology and that she nearly died - something that is presented as a "proof" by anti-Scientologists that this is really what the Scientology teaches. Innuendoes, of course, directed at the tragic death of Jett Travolta.
Unfortunately for Tory Christman (also known as Tory Bezazian, or Magoo), she made in 2001 an affidavit, that she revised in 2003, where she states the exact opposite.
Notwithstanding what she may proclaim today, this affidavit is one of the best proof, if there was, that Scientology does not require people to abandon their seizure medicines if these are necessary.
Reading this affidavit, you will see that indeed some zealous young Scientologist told her that she could not be in Sea Organization if on meds, and she was given a leave to stop them. She tried but could not. She was routed off staff with a huge debt. However, L. Ron Hubbard himself canceled this absurd decision (at least partly) and told her to get back on line and get auditing. He never said she should lay her medications off as a condition! She went up all the way to OT 7 while everybody knew perfectly well that she was on full seizure medications!
Speak about "being ordered to stop her meds", when L. Ron Hubbard himself didn't ask her to do it, knowing full well of the situation!
She spent a freaking 30 years in Scientology after this incident, going up the bridge and working on staff, all the while people being fully aware, as is also clear through that affidavit, that she was epileptic and taking medication for it!
In 1989 (that's three years after Hubbard's death), she was told by another fool (a 15 years-old boy for God sake!) that she was not allowed on Flag Land Base to do her OT 4, presumably because of her epileptic condition. This decision was again overturned by a higher authority within the Church of Scientology, giving her full clearance to go all the way up the bridge while still being on medication!!! This authority even sent all the fools who told her otherwise back to revise their material!
So, Christman's own affidavit totally contradicts any claims that she was ordered off her medication. Some ignorant young fools, did, but these decision were systematically overturned by the proper authorities in the church.
If anything, that affidavit is quite on the contrary a good example that the claims Scientology prevents people to take medicine against seizure are absolutely false!
Now you can watch what she is now saying in the press, or what others are saying on her behalf, and compare it with her own affidavit!
Related blog entries:
Tory Christman claims that she was ordered off from her seizure medication by the CoS but she forgets to say that such illegal orders were promptly overturned by higher CoS authorities, and that for the 30 years she was in the Scientology she was allowed to take her medicine, as confirmed by her 2003 affidavit.
You will hear from the press allegations that Tory Christman, a notorious anti-Scientologist, claims she was ordered off her seizure medications by the Church of Scientology and that she nearly died - something that is presented as a "proof" by anti-Scientologists that this is really what the Scientology teaches. Innuendoes, of course, directed at the tragic death of Jett Travolta.
Unfortunately for Tory Christman (also known as Tory Bezazian, or Magoo), she made in 2001 an affidavit, that she revised in 2003, where she states the exact opposite.
Notwithstanding what she may proclaim today, this affidavit is one of the best proof, if there was, that Scientology does not require people to abandon their seizure medicines if these are necessary.
Reading this affidavit, you will see that indeed some zealous young Scientologist told her that she could not be in Sea Organization if on meds, and she was given a leave to stop them. She tried but could not. She was routed off staff with a huge debt. However, L. Ron Hubbard himself canceled this absurd decision (at least partly) and told her to get back on line and get auditing. He never said she should lay her medications off as a condition! She went up all the way to OT 7 while everybody knew perfectly well that she was on full seizure medications!
Speak about "being ordered to stop her meds", when L. Ron Hubbard himself didn't ask her to do it, knowing full well of the situation!
She spent a freaking 30 years in Scientology after this incident, going up the bridge and working on staff, all the while people being fully aware, as is also clear through that affidavit, that she was epileptic and taking medication for it!
In 1989 (that's three years after Hubbard's death), she was told by another fool (a 15 years-old boy for God sake!) that she was not allowed on Flag Land Base to do her OT 4, presumably because of her epileptic condition. This decision was again overturned by a higher authority within the Church of Scientology, giving her full clearance to go all the way up the bridge while still being on medication!!! This authority even sent all the fools who told her otherwise back to revise their material!
So, Christman's own affidavit totally contradicts any claims that she was ordered off her medication. Some ignorant young fools, did, but these decision were systematically overturned by the proper authorities in the church.
If anything, that affidavit is quite on the contrary a good example that the claims Scientology prevents people to take medicine against seizure are absolutely false!
Now you can watch what she is now saying in the press, or what others are saying on her behalf, and compare it with her own affidavit!
Related blog entries:
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The Perfect Apostate
If you ever want to see why the testimony of some Scientology ex-members can be totally biased and wrong, then you ought to watch this television interview of Jean Paul Dubreuil made in the wake of the Jett Travolta tragedy.
The interview was sub-titled by the Anonymous Credulous type, who, as witnessed by the comments, find it a wonderful source of information.
In the interview, Dubreuil claims that autism is not recognized by Scientology because Scientology does not recognize mental illnesses.
The problem with this is that autism is NOT a mental illness. His claim therefore that Scientology does not recognize autism is pure and unadulterated crap. Alas, one that has been repeated ad infinitum by the press.
He also says that he is really surprised that Travolta did not seek medical treatment for his son because he really can afford to find the best medical advisers there is.
How the hell does he "know" that they did not seek medical advises and medical treatment? Of course, he doesn't, but he heard that assertion in his closed group of "critics" and just repeat and present it as if it were a fact. Quite on the contrary we know now that the family did seek out and use medical doctors, something that any Scientologist with a modicum of common sense and knowledge about Scientology knew already because they would know that medical treatment is not forbidden in Scientology.
He then brings up his brother who died because, he says, he did not receive medical treatment, waiting to be cured by Scientology instead.
We don't know the details of this story but we do know for certain that it is definitely against Scientology policy and Scientology tech to sell people courses or auditing with the claims that they will get cured of this or that medical ailment. And of course we also know that Scientology does not prevent people from pursuing medical cures, quite on the contrary.
If that wasn't bad enough, we get treated with a description of auditing that supposedly consists of "trying to make the PC repeat and see what provokes his illness until the illness does not exist anymore".
What???
If that's the guy understanding of what auditing is, then I am not surprised he wrote a whole freaking book to complain about all the terrible things Scientology supposedly did to him and his brother, because he demonstrate here that he doesn't understand squat about Scientology!
Auditing really consists of following the chain of previous traumatic incidents until the source that lays in the past blows, at which point the person is freed from the mental effect of that particular chain of events (and not cured from illness, even though this may be a consequence).
Dubreuil, however, sounds as if he believes that auditing is just a sort of mantra that is constantly being repeated until the subject is hypnotized to think he is not sick anymore!
Asked what doctors think of Scientology treatments (as he would know), he bluntly proclaims that doctors proscribe it! No, he does not say doctors "don't recommentd" it, as is written in the sub-title, he really uses the term proscrivent". That's French for "proscribe". It seems that the Anonymous Credulous who made the translation tried to ease off and soften up some of the utter crap that was coming out from what is supposed to be the guy's mouth.
Dubreuil also claims that he tried to audit someone to cure him from autism, then complains that it did not work!
The reason it did not work is simply because auditing people to try and cure them from medical ailment is a no no, and because autism is not something you can cure, whether with Scientology or medicine or psychiatry or Voodoo dances.
Again, Dubreuil demonstrate his total ignorance, misunderstanding, and incompetence.
From all this, ensues shocked expressions of horror at the thought of Scientologists taking on to themselves to audit their children to cure them from autism or other medical ailments rather than follow medical advises. It never occurs to that journalist that the assumptions and information at the basis of these claims are just totally wrong. No. That "ex-member" is taken as an authority on the subject, by the sole fact of him being an ex-member and his accusations going in the direction of the general mob understanding of Scientology.
As Lisa Marie Presley wrote in her Facebook today:
“Just like anyone else, If one is sick, they go to the doctor, If a medication will make it better then they take it. If they don't then they are an idiot and you can't blame their religion.”That guy Dubreuil falls perfectly under the definition, trying to blame Scientology for what is mostly his misunderstanding and misapplications.
But hey, he wrote a whole *book* with his "criticism", and, you know what? He goes to *schools* to preach his anti-Scientology views. And of course he is ailed by so-called "critics" of Scientology...
Jean-Paul Dubreuil is the example type of the perfect apostate. Having an axe to grind but ignorant about the very subject he is supposedly expert about, as well as other subject which he pretends to know about, such as autism and what doctors say, and in which he has of course not competence whatsoever - and yet preaching the world over that Scientology is BAD BAD BAD.
4Chan Makes News Again with ✈ ▌ ▌Meme
✈ ▌ ▌
After their July attack on Google, falsely promoting "Scientology is a Cult" and a Swastika on top of Google Trend, 4chan is in the news again, this time pushing up the trend the ✈ ▌ ▌symbols, graphic representation of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
A quick scan of 4chan shows all threads promoting the 9/11 symbol raid have since been deleted, but it is nevertheless universally recognized as another typical 4chan prank.
The punks over at 4chan are also blamed on the same day for the hacking of the MacRumours site's immensely popular live-blog of Apple's MacWorld, bombarding its feed with various vulgarities and the proclamation that Apple head "STEVE JOBS HAS DIED."
The National Post (URL below) covers these incidents:
Internet trolls strike again with push to make ✈ ▌▌ top Google search - Posted
Riverside Ordinance Prevents Picketing
In spite of massive objections from Scientology critics, including a full blown letter from Graham Berry, Riverside County supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance that restricts picketing outside homes and a Church of Scientology base near Hemet.
The funny thing in this is that it is worded in such a way as to effectively prevent picketing at all.
Indeed, the protesters are supposed to remain at least 50 feet from the property line of any residence they are targeting in unincorporated Riverside County. This would in concrete term exclude them from the whole compound.
The ordinance makes an exception to permit protesters on a sidewalk across the street from the property.
In the case of Gold, the street in question may in fact be a large and busy highway, mostly made of intraversible terrain, making any protest totally ineffective, not to say dangerous.
But that's not all!
The church's base in Gilman Hot Springs abuts both sides of Gilman Springs Road!
So this leaves the protesters no place to go!
Wait! It even gets funnier.
County Counsel Pamela Walls assured protesters would have many options, but when asked to indicate them on a map, she said that she was not familiar with the specific property!
I think this is hilarious!
There is hope for critics, however. Indeed, Walls said "We are going to make sure they have the ability to protest and do so visibly".
So, this is what I would do if I was one of these Anonymous clowns. I would go in full picket gear to Walls' office, or whoever is in charge, and ask where I could protest and do so visibly. If she can't tell, then I would picket the Chief Supervisor office instead. Providing he does not live there, of course!
County ordinance raises questions about Scientology
Update Jan 8: What the article above does not say, is that a public hearing must be held before the measure can be formally added to the books. The hearing would be placed on the board's calendar in the next two or three weeks. Guess we will be hearing of that story more then...
Related blog entries:
The funny thing in this is that it is worded in such a way as to effectively prevent picketing at all.
Indeed, the protesters are supposed to remain at least 50 feet from the property line of any residence they are targeting in unincorporated Riverside County. This would in concrete term exclude them from the whole compound.
The ordinance makes an exception to permit protesters on a sidewalk across the street from the property.
In the case of Gold, the street in question may in fact be a large and busy highway, mostly made of intraversible terrain, making any protest totally ineffective, not to say dangerous.
But that's not all!
The church's base in Gilman Hot Springs abuts both sides of Gilman Springs Road!
So this leaves the protesters no place to go!
Wait! It even gets funnier.
County Counsel Pamela Walls assured protesters would have many options, but when asked to indicate them on a map, she said that she was not familiar with the specific property!
I think this is hilarious!
There is hope for critics, however. Indeed, Walls said "We are going to make sure they have the ability to protest and do so visibly".
So, this is what I would do if I was one of these Anonymous clowns. I would go in full picket gear to Walls' office, or whoever is in charge, and ask where I could protest and do so visibly. If she can't tell, then I would picket the Chief Supervisor office instead. Providing he does not live there, of course!
County ordinance raises questions about Scientology
Update Jan 8: What the article above does not say, is that a public hearing must be held before the measure can be formally added to the books. The hearing would be placed on the board's calendar in the next two or three weeks. Guess we will be hearing of that story more then...
Related blog entries:
- Jan 17: Is Close-in Pictures of Passer-By Legal?
- Jan 14: The Riverside County Ordinance Farce Continues
- Jan 13: Riverside Ordinance - New Information
- Jan 06: Riverside Ordinance Prevents Picketing
- Dec 18: Barbz Gets a Letter
- Dec 09: Anonymous 2.0
Dianatic
There is no misspelling in the title. Shortly after meeting Dianetic/Scientology, John Travolta also met with Diane Hyland.Douglas Thompson, John Travolta's biographer, reports in an excellent article the impact this had on John, as well as the dramatic outcome, and the link it has with the tragedy through which he and his family are going through presently.
One of the irony of this story, something that is not highlighted in the article, is that John met Diana through his part in the TV movie, "The Boy In The Plastic Bubble" about a boy born with a deficient immune system.
Biographer: Family man John Travolta will persevere after death of son, Jett
In 1976, when John was a 22-year-old teen idol receiving 10,000 fan-letters a week, he was offered a part in the TV movie, "The Boy In The Plastic Bubble" about a boy born with a deficient immune system. The "Peyton Place" star, Diana Hyland played his on-screen mother and would become one of the greatest influences in John's life.
Travolta's perpetual charm kicked in from day one of "Bubble." But he found something happening to him. His attitude to women had been, to put it kindly, cavalier. He hid deeper feelings for them out of fear of a fun relationship turning permanent.
But with Diana it was different. "On our first meeting I was just incredibly attracted to this woman," he told me. "She'd gone through a rough marriage (divorcing actor Joe Goodson and keeping their three-year-old son, Zachary), a lot of career ups and downs, and had come out at peace with herself. [...]
The couple began an intense affair but in the Christmas of that year, tragedy struck. Diana thought she had caught flu and was plagued by back trouble, aches and pains throughout the Christmas of 1976. By the time she saw her doctor in the New Year, she was told that cancer had spread throughout her body. There was nothing anyone could do.
John was filming "Saturday Night Fever" but on March 26th, 1977, he flew to Diana's family home in Ohio. Within 24 hours she was dead. [...]
His sister Ellen once explained to me: "He was devastated not only by the loss but because there was nothing he could do. [...]
He was never the same. Something like that changes you forever."
He turned down the Richard Gere role in "American Gigolo" and found himself more and more drawn to the Scientology movement which the actress Joan Prather had converted him to the previous year.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Scientology Treatment of Medical Conditions
Scientologists Sponsor the Drug Free Ambassadors of Australia
We have seen constantly repeated in the press these last days the following assertions:
- Scientology does not allow medical treatment or the use of medical drugs
- Scientology does not recognizes autism
- Scientology is against the use of drugs for the treatment of seizure
MEDICAL TREATMENT
The assertion that Scientology does not allow medical treatment is easily proven false. The Church of Scientology always had clear statements to this effect on its web site:
http://www.scientology.org/religion/catechism/pg016.html
http://scientologytoday.org/Common/question/pg27.htm
In the meantime, it also issued an official statement that basically repeats what was posted on the addresses above already (though I wonder why they don't publish it on their own web site).
Tommy Davis, spokesman for Scientology International, and Frank Flinn, religious studies professor at Washington University, have both made comments to that effect as well.
DRUGS
While it is true that Scientology does not approve of the use of drugs for the treatment of mental conditions, they have no such directive whatsoever towards drugs for the treatment of physical ailments. See the above references for confirmation, or this paragraph from the official statement:
"Scientologists use medical drugs and prescription medication when physically ill and also rely on the advice and treatment of medical doctors. Scientologists do not take street drugs or mind altering psychiatric drugs of any kind."
AUTISM
Neither I nor the Scientologists I inquired with ever heard of any rule or position regarding autism from the CoS. One has to wonder, then, where anti-Scientologists and the press who repeated their false and fallacious assertions got the idea from.
While it is true that the Scientology does not believe in the treatment of mental illnesses through drugs, autism is not a mental illness. It is a neurological based condition, thus a medical condition. It would therefore fall under the medical treatment rule as above.
However, there is no medicine to treat autism. Nor is there any cure for it. Nor is it lethal on its own (the seizures being only a co-morbid conditions and not part of the syndrome).
Those who have taken pride about "predicting" the death of Jett if his supposed autism condition was not treated have in fact spoken from the top of their head and only displayed their ignorance and prejudice.
Being without clear directive from the CoS regarding this question, the two Scientologists to whom I put the question simply extended the existing rules to the case:
Louanne:
"There are no claims whether “autism” exists or not and I don’t think the Church has any official policy about autism. Whatever that condition may be, any physical component (like brain damage, seizures etc) would certainly be treated medically."Grahame:
"The truth is that autism is a physical problem and is therefore addressed by physical means. If by "Scientology" they mean the subject itself, then in my study of the subject I have never seen any mention of this condition, probably because it's a physical condition and Scientology deals with the spiritual."
There is something else you need to know about autism. Autism is not a condition you can diagnose "on sight", as Tim Kenny, Travolta's neighbor, did, and which was readily reported as if his amateur diagnostic was an established fact. Check this out:
"The process for diagnosing autism is complex and generally requires not just one professional, but often multiple professionals.Is there any reason to doubt that Travolta and Preston would not have the resources to avail the best medical opinion there is? I believe that if they have been "in denial" about the fact that Jett suffered from autism, it simply was because he wasn't. I am quite confident that if the doctors they consulted had made this diagnostic, they would have deployed all the means at their disposal to give Jett the best treatment there was, even if none could cure him. And no non-existent Church policy would have stopped them, contrary to what critics said about them supposedly putting their religion before the wellness of their children.
Almost all of the symptoms of autism which must be established also occur in other, similar disorders, so all these other possible diagnoses need to be eliminated as well. There are also many marginal cases where something could be autism or something else, and it isn't easy to decide even after gathering all appropriate diagnostic information.
A diagnosis of autism is something which follows someone for life. No competent medical professional would just look at someone and make a snap diagnosis. "
Now this does not mean that Jett did not suffer from another neurological based condition. As people noted, he did give the appearance of it and I believe that claim to be valid, though nobody, including John and Kelly, seem to know what it was exactly. The important point, though, were the seizures, and these were fully taken into account.
Even admitting that the Travoltas were in denial of an existing autism condition, it would not have changed a thing, since it is not lethal, does not have a cure, does not have drug or medicine. Some people said Jett would have had a better quality of life if the family acknowledged Jett's autistic condition, but I doubt anybody suffering from a neurological disorder, whatever the name, could have had a better quality of life than Jett.
The important thing is this: Jett had a history of seizure, and this was fully acknowledged by the family. They certainly were not in denial about what was the dangerous aspect of whatever neurological disorder Jett may have had - the seizures, that eventually killed him, which is our last point.
SEIZURES
In its press release, the CoS explicitly addressed seizures, aligning it with medical conditions, and thereby making it fall under the rule of medical treatment. It also is false to claim that Scientology would be against the use of drugs to treat seizure. Again, whoever spread that rumor was either misinformed or malicious, or both.
However, there is a catch:
"The majority of seizure medications out there are also used as psychiatric medications - Tegretol and Depakote are used for bipolar illness, Klonopin and Valium for anxiety, Lamictal for depression, and so on. "That would probably be a dilemma for many Scientologists, but at the end of the day, they don't have much choice. From what I understand, as long as these drugs are being used to threat medical ailments and not mental symptoms, Scientology would not object and would consider it a personal matter, leaving to the parents and individuals affected to decide.
This is also confirmed by the to Scientologists I consulted:
Grahame:
First of all, a Scientologist is not "instructed" to seek medical advice or any other kind of advice by the Church. You write as if the Church runs our entire lives. When my friends' little girl first had a seizure they called an ambulance. They didn't call the Church and ask what to do.More Grahame:
Physical problems like seizures need to be addressed with the appropriate physical handling. If a drug that handles seizures can also be used for other purposes then I don't think that is important. It is up to the person or parent to get the facts and make a decision based on their own due diligence and the advice of their medical practitioner.Louanne:
Seizures are a medical problem and certainly anti-seizure medication is ok in the Church’s book. I can add some personal experience to this, namely from knowing two epileptics and Scientologists who are taking their medicine regularly. Such medication is absolutely part of some Scientologists life and the Church of Scientology does not interfere in that.And of course, we also know now that the Travoltas have been using Depakote for many years, all the while being in perfectly good standing with the Church of Scientology.
CONCLUSION
As it turn out, thus, the truth is that:
- Scientology does allow medical treatment or the use of drugs
- Scientology does recognizes neurological conditions as medical conditions
- Scientology is not against the use of drugs for the treatment of seizure
At the end of the day, more than something that badly reflects against Scientology, it turns out to be something that badly reflects against critics.
They have called this upon themselves by prematurely jumping to conclusions before all the facts were known, making demeaning and hurtful comments towards a family deeply in pain, and failing to display any measure of true critical thinking, something they supposedly possess in great abundance...
This obviously is no surprise to me, as I have reported many other instances of such behavior over the years on my web site.
Not all critics did engage in such a fanatical and de-humanized behavior, though. Some did put the human aspect before their personal engagement, to wit, Mark Bunker and Howard Stern, but what the public have seen in the news comment is the impression they will retain, the end result being more sympathy for the Scientologists and less credibility for their critics.
Those critics who have jumped to conclusions and blame have now switched tactic. They can't find any valid argument to blame Scientology for Jett's death anymore, so they just use innuendos to give the impression that similar deaths plague Scientology's history. But this is another story, another of their countless myths.
Cruising Hitler's Globe
Hitler's globe sparks Valkyrie copyright dispute - Boxwish - Bringing movies to life: "What does Tom Cruise have to do to catch a break? The toothy star has been behaving himself so well recently (he’s refrained jumping on any sofas), but his much talked about return to meaty drama in Valkyrie, the story of German Army Officers conspiring to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944 has suffered another setback. [...]Robert Pritikin, an advertising executive from San Francisco owns the infamous globe formerly belonging to the Fuehrer, stumping up $100,000 for the privilege back in 2007. An avid art collector, Pritikin also owns other Hitler artefacts and went so far as to have the globe’s likeness copyrighted in an (unsuccessful) bid to prevent people copying it. [...]
“Tom Cruise’s use of the globe’s likeness without our client’s permission was likely just an oversight. We’re confident this will all be quickly resolved out of court.
”One suggested way to diffuse the potential legal problems is that Cruise buy the globe from Pritikin. “I think it would be a wonderful gesture of good will on Tom Cruise’s part to purchase the globe along with all of the other Hitler artefacts owned by Mr. Pritikin and donate them to the Wiesenthal Center,” said Barresi and Hanks agreed: “It would be a hell of a way for Tom Cruise to save the day"
Detox
I have heard about the news that Dr. Dre lost a son at about the same time as Travolta, but only now do I learn that his anticipated 2009 album is called ... Detox! Or at least was supposed to be...Detox???
You gotta be kidding! After all we read about Jett getting through the Detox Scientology program!!!
And how about the fact that Dr. Dre son died of an overdose of heroin? I don't seem to hear an army of critics on that one. Apparently, dying after an overdose of love and care from parents that are Scientologist is BAD, but dying from an overdose of heroin is all ... OK!!!
In what world are we living?
And another great article from the National Post:
The Son Also Rises: John Travolta and Dr. Dre both mourn the death of a boy - The Ampersand:
"Tragedies in pop culture keep happening in groups. [...] Now, as the new year begins, John Travolta and Doctor Dre find themselves in horrible company: both superstar millionaires are mourning the death of their sons.
Coroners announced on January 3 that Doctor Dre's son had died of a heroin and morphine combination overdose. [...] It must've been hard for Dre, whose breakthrough solo record was The Chronic and his anticipated 2009 album is called Detox, to talk to his boy about drugs. Still, the line between entertainment and real life is tragic, and I wouldn't be surprised if Dre is listening to his record again very closely before deciding what he wanted to put out.
Doctor Dre and John Travolta aren't as professionally different as one might think. Both started their careers early, fell off, disappeared, then had highly-touted comebacks. Travolta just voiced Bolt. Three of 2009's biggest records -- Eminem, 50 Cent and his own -- are all representative of Dre's signature G-Funk sound.
There is no immunization from horror. Something both John Travolta and Doctor Dre are definitely thinking about now. "
As If Losing a Child Is Not Painful Enough
globeandmail.com: Peter Falk: a Hollywood King Lear?: "While grieving the sudden death of his 16-year-old son Jett (who reportedly hit his head on a bathtub during a seizure), John Travolta has been facing wild speculation in the media about his son's isolation at the time and about his Scientology-based refusal to administer anti-seizure medications to the boy (seemingly untruths, all)."
Howard Stern Gets It Right
John, Kelly and Jett
On Jett Travolta, Howard Stern Gets It Right | strollerderby at babblebaby.com.au:
"This morning on Sirius XM Radio, Howard Stern commented on the death of John Travolta and Kelly Preston's son Jett Travolta. In the past, Howard has ruthlessly mocked Scientology; long before it was de rigeur to poke fun at L. Ron Hubbard's celebrity religion, he would read internal Scientology newsletters on the air, exposing their wackiness to the world at large. So one might expect Stern to go after Travolta with both barrels.
Not this time. He said that while some were going to condemn Travolta and Preston for not giving their son medication for what most people felt was autism, he wasn't going to go there, at least not today. Then he made the best point anyone can make about Jett's passing: 'There's nothing sadder than burying your own child.'[...]
Now, lest you think that The Howard Stern Show has become an encounter group, he did later joke that kawasaki disease, which Jett reportedly suffered from, is a disease that "turns you into a motorcycle." (It was kind of a funny, throw away line said during a conversation.) So whatever you think of Howard or his long-running radio show, let's give him credit for getting this one right."
Hackers Hijack Obama's Twitter Account
Hackers hijack Obama's, Britney's Twitter accountsObama has a Twitter account? That sounds odd. How would he find the time to update the minutia of what he is doing? And how would that not be a potential security breach, people knowing what he is up to and where?
Twitter's veracity chewed up by Britney's four-foot vagina • The Register
"They were hijacked by miscreants and used to spread scandalous and false information that appeared to come from their owners. [...]
A confession from pop celeb Spears that her vagina was four feet wide "with razor sharp teeth." [...]
Miscreants used the compromised identities to spam additional Twitter users who followed the account holder. [...]
CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, for instance, was caught staying home from work because he was too high on crack."
Why is Tim Kenny Dead?
Conspiracy theories aside, why did Tim Kenny commit suicide?Like for all such cases, we will never know for sure, and it is just too easy to assign blame.
According to his wife, it was because of financial problems, after he lost his job.
At first sight, it would look crazy that someone would do this for financial problems. How does it resolve anything? In which way does it help his autistic daughter? To me, at first sight, the answer is obviously that it does not resolve anything and is more detrimental to his daughter than whatever he advised to the Travoltas to do. It's crazy.
But then, I don't want to be too judgmental, because while it is something I personally would never do, I am not in his shoes, and, though I was never depressed myself, I know that people who go through this experience also go through terrible mental anguish and pain. Their view of the world gets horribly distorted, and even the most insignificant problem becomes something they just cannot cope with.
Here is what his wife had to say about a comment that blamed him for his act:
"As Mr Kennys widow I am deeply upset by your comments. You HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT! My husband was a wonderful man and a great father. he stood for things that you wouldnt have the guts to stand for. If you knew anything you would know that suicide is sometimes the end result of a illness called depression. He did not take his life because there was no money, he took his life because he was such a proud man that he could financially care for his family and all that it costs with a disabled child and when he lost his job that day it devasted him because he felt like our daughter would no longer be able to get her therapies. he felt like he let us down, that is a real man!!!!!so next time you write terrible things you might consider that wife and daughter that you spoke of and how he was hurting by his actions, you have hurt by your comments..... Its the pot calling the kettle black! "This being said, I find it incongruous that he would take on himself to make an amateur "on sight" diagnostic on Travolta's son, giving John advises on what to do, and then end up doing such an incredible thing as taking his life as a "solution" to anything.
I know he "stood up to Travolta" out of the goodness of his heart and because he felt that this was the right thing to do, but at the end of the day, it just is absurd.
If anything, it shows that there are no easy answers to human problems, and even less so in such a sensitive field.
Update Jan 7:
I just read the AP article about the small town of Ocala, and this prompted me to think of the following.
This is pure speculation, I will freely admit, but could the loss of Tim's job, that prompted the events that led to his suicide, be due in part to Mark Ebner's article?
By Jove, look at the comments on Ebner's article. They mostly admonish Kenny, telling him to mind his own business and how does he know any of the things he claims, like John and Kelly supposedly "let Jett sit in front of video games all day eating junk food, while they eat the best organic food money can buy". Now how about a small town like Ocala where most of its inhabitant consider the Travoltas as family? It may be that Ebner's article was most unwelcome there.
Tim's attitude no doubt meant an end to the Travoltas patronizing the restaurant, and Ebner's publication may have led other celebrities or customers to boycott it as well. If Tim really ended up calling the child protective services on the Travoltas (though this is only a rumor coming from anti-Scientologists themselves), it certainly would not have made things easier.
Related blog entries:
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
