May 19 in Scientology history

Usually they do not promote their travel plans. But here we have the next few months — offered up in the hope as a sales pitch like this is Royal Caribbean or Carnival. But all is not quite like the real cruise lines offer when they say "explore the islands." It starts out sort of "normal" looking in the first 3 weeks of July — probably after they get an infusion of funds from the Maiden Voyage in June, so they can afford fuel. And perhaps because Mr. Miscavige likes to extend his stay from the annual Maiden Voyage vacation into an extended scuba diving experience. But three weeks, and that's it.

Tags: Aruba, Caribbean, Cartagena, Curaçao, David Miscavige, Facebook, Maiden Voyage, OT VII, OT VIII, Twitter

The Scientology ship Freewinds was released from quarantine in Willemstad in Curaçao and arrived on Friday at the port of Oranjestad, Aruba. The scare when a passenger was diagnosed with measles is over, and Scientology is anxious to get the ship back to normal. The ship is the only place Scientology delivers the ultimate processing level - OT8, but that's a very small part of the members who visit. We have details on some upcoming events. The Black Scientologists convention is over, and Slovak members under quarantine have now left also. While the ship was in quarantine the call went out for people to attend a convention of Field Staff Members, or FSMs. They sell Scientology services to other members, and receive a commission based on the total donations. It starts on Wednesday and there's no reason it shouldn't go ahead because of the measles. The one patient has certainly left the ship, and the measles virus can only live for two hours outside of its host. There's no danger of infection unless another measles case comes aboard. It might be years before we learn if vaccination is now required to board the ship, but if not visitors from one country might be the biggest threat. There have been over 34,000 verified cases of measles this year in Ukraine, a country that has seen a rise in Scientology activity in recent years. In any case unvaccinated Scientologists now have a difficult choice to visit the ship or not, to vaccinate themselves and their families or not, in order to go to the ship.

Tags: 2018, Aruba, Curaçao, Field Staff Member, Freewinds, OT, Rod Keller, Sea Org, Ukraine, Willemstad

Less than twelve hours ago ten high school students were murdered by 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the gunman in the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas. An additional ten students were wounded. As the tweet above shows, Scientology's front group Concerned Citizens for Human Rights (CCHR) is already on social media seeking to raise money on the backs of the ten dead students. This shocking act of depravity shows just how predatory and greedy and callous the Church of Scientology actually is. This is one of the most obscene acts ever engaged in by Scientology. Teenagers have been murdered in cold blood and Scientology is asking for money. Scientology breaks up families; bankrupts and enslaves it own members; covers up rape and child sexual abuses; and now seeks to raise money off dead high school students. Scientology did the exact same thing following the Virginia Tech mass shooting.

Tags: CCHR, Cult, International Association of Scientologists, IRS, Quicky, Santa Fe, Tax exempt, Texas, Virginia Tech

The show where I answer your questions. Please leave any comments or feedback in the comments section here below. I see everything and want to hear from you. SHOP FOR CRITICAL MERCHANDISE http://shop.spreadshirt.com/chrisshelton

Tags: Audio, Critic, Quicky, Scientology: A to Xenu

Jeffrey Augustine has been doing a wonderful job of documenting scientology's insane efforts to co-opt various women's rights' organizations and prominent figures to try to bring pressure on A&E not to pursue another season of Scientology and the Aftermath. This is Jeffrey's latest blog post: Read the entire post and his earlier coverage for the full picture. I have nothing to add to his comprehensive and detailed dissection of this sham.

Tags: 1969, A&E, Academic, Appeal, Freedom magazine, Golden Age of Tech, Jeffrey Augustine, Quicky, Scientology and the Aftermath, Sea Org

I've been following with interest the implosion of the Nxivm cult, an Albany, New York-based group that saw its founder arrested for charges of sex slavery and brought back from hiding in Mexico. There are some parallels between Nxivm and Scientology, in terms of a charismatic founder run amok, harnessing of celebrities to recruit, and an insatiable thirst for more money. We've already covered one set of parallels between the two groups, in an earlier look at childhood education "breakthroughs" to solve common educational problems and instill super powers in the minds of the kids. But there are also key differences. The core purpose of Nxivm seemed to be to serve as the "babe farm" to supply sex partners to founder Keith Raniere, and while money was important, it was not the be-all for the group. Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard appeared to be relatively if not completely faithful to his wife Mary Sue while he was involved in Scientology. Scientology seems to be more about the cash, as has been extensively documented everywhere; they seem to leave few stones unturned in an attempt to exact every last penny possible from members. But perhaps most of all, Scientology is about control of the minutiae of the lives of members and, especially, of staff, whose lives are controlled to the utmost degree. Today, we'll look at an amusing coincidence: how punctuation forms the basis of major money-raising campaigns in both Nxivm and Scientology. Why is punctuation so fascinating to cults, especially in an era where punctuation skills seem to be in steep decline in the world at large?

Tags: 1984, 1986, 2013, 2017, Albany, Author Services Inc, Ayn Rand, Basics, Christian, Clear, Clearwater, Cult, Cults in Our Midst, David Miscavige, George Orwell, Golden Age of Knowledge, Keith Raniere, L. Ron Hubbard, Margaret Singer, Mary Sue Hubbard, Mexico, Miami, Mike Rinder, New York, New York Times, NXIVM, OT, Quicky, Scam, Sec Check, Super Power

Last week, we enjoyed an excerpt from Marc Headley"s 2009 book Blown for Good, a stunning narrative by a longtime Scientologist describing his life in the church and how he broke away. Another account with a similar theme which came out a few months later was the remarkable Counterfeit Dreams by Jefferson Hawkins. Like Headley, Jefferson had a compelling story about his rise in the organization, and what it was like to work at some of Scientology's most secret locations and up close with church leader David Miscavige. We asked Jefferson to share an anecdote from the book for our newer readers who might not have yet had the privilege of reading his gripping tale. He picked out a key scene, and we hope you find it as remarkable as we do.

Tags: 2009, 2011, 2014, Amy Mortland, Austin, Blown for Good, Building 36, Chairman of the Board, CMO Int, Colorado, Commodore's Messenger Organization, Counterfeit Dreams, Dave Foster, David Miscavige, DC, Dianetics, E-meter, Ethics, Europe, Facebook, Ideal Org, Jefferson Hawkins, L. Ron Hubbard, Marc Headley, Marty Rathbun, Master at Arms, OT, Quicky, Religious Technology Center, Sec Check, Shelly Miscavige, Texas, Watchdog Committee

Numerous outlets have raised questions about actress Elisabeth Moss, a born-in Scientologist, playing the character Offred in the Hulu television series adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel The Handmaid's Tale, which portrays an oppressive near-future dystopia. "It's ironic, isn't it?" cult expert Rick Ross told Newsweek recently, "that The Handmaid's Tale is often portrayed as a cult-like regime requiring endless devotion and control as a society, and yet Elisabeth Moss, a devoted Scientologist, is the star." We thought that assessment and several others (Anna Merlan's was the first that we saw) raised the issue sufficiently, and we weren't going to weigh in. But then, this week, in the sixth episode of the series, Moss's character Offred gave such an ironic speech about the oppression she was living under, we couldn't let it pass without comment.

Tags: 1985, 2009, 2010, California, Elisabeth Moss, E-meter, FBI, Florida, Human trafficking, Melissa Cronin, Newsweek, Quicky, Rick Ross, Sea Org

A former staff member at a controversial drug rehabilitation program claims the core focus of the treatment is Scientology conversion. A Current Affair has spoken to many ex-Narconon students and their families - who are too frightened to appear on camera - that claim they were mistreated within the facility. Students at the facility in Warburton, east of Melbourne, are expected to consume huge amounts of vitamins, yell at inanimate objects and spend hours in saunas.

Tags: Australia, Get Off Drugs Naturally, Melbourne, Narconon, Narconon O'Shannassy Lodge, Nick Xenaphon, Warburton

Rear of Ft Harrison Auditorium That is pretty special! Game Changing Developments...

Tags: Albuquerque, Cambridge, Dallas, Denise Duff, Detroit, Drew Johnson, Field Staff Member, Forrest Will, Fort Harrison, Georgia, Inglewood, John Nesbit, Michael Duff, OT, Pasadena, Quicky, Rosa Nesbit, Sunday service, Tampa, Texas, Thursday Funnies

I've talked at length in many of my videos of the toll that destructive groups like Scientology take on their members. They consume endless amounts of money, time and attention and can rob people of the best years of their life, toiling away for some "wonderful cause" that in reality is nothing more than a money making scam, a manipulative effort to control people's lives or worst of all, a violent terrorist group that indiscriminately kills the innocent. One of the tragic human costs of these groups is the psychological and emotional damage they cause. Even years after leaving, former members are often wracked by fear and anxiety, depression, feelings of guilt and shame, nightmares and anger. Some descend into a spiral of excessive alcohol and drug use or neglect their health in other ways, and often take out their rage on their closest loved ones or friends, alienating themselves even further. What I'm talking about, of course, is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. While you may think that such a term only applies to combat veterans, rape victims or survivors of natural disasters, the truth is that some people who have left destructive cults suffer from PTSD too.

Tags: Dianetics, Disconnection, Mental breakdown, PTSD, Quicky, Rehabilitation Project Force, Sea Org, The Hole

Another day, another leak here at the Underground Bunker from an active member of the Church of Scientology. This one, in fact, is a current staffer. That's all we can tell you, but our source wanted everyone to see the list of instructions sent to Scientologists for the big May 28 opening of the new Scientology Media Productions facility. In 2011, the church purchased the old KCET television studios at 4401 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and they've been fundraising and renovating since then to create a new set of state-of-the art television and radio studios there. Scientology already has a set of expensive studios at its International Base near Hemet, California, about 90 miles away. But ever since Int Base was also revealed to house a bizarre office-prison known as "The Hole," Scientology leader David Miscavige has been reducing the population in Hemet and lessening the compound's importance. Now, he'll have TV studios only 3.4 miles from his office at Author Services Inc. on Hollywood Boulevard.

Tags: 2011, Author Services Inc, California, Captain Howdy, Chris Shelton, Cleveland, David Miscavige, Hemet, Hollywood, Hollywood Boulevard, HowdyCon, Int Base, KCET, PTSD, Quicky, Scientology Media Productions, Sunset Boulevard, The Hole

Jazz potluck? And an R&B Dutch treat. A Rock and Roll buffet and an orchestral bake-off. Back by popular demand

Tags: AOLA, Battle Creek, Beck Hansen, Ben Davis, Cambridge, Dan York, David Miscavige, Dutch, Elon Musk, Freewinds, Hubbard Academy of Personal Independence, Humanitarian, Inglewood, Int Landlord Office, International Association of Scientologists, Irina Dedova, James Byrne, Jason Maifeld, John Chan, Joy Gendusa, Kevin Wilson, Kyra Delaware, Nashville, OT, Phil Cantwell, Phoenix, Porn, Quicky, Rafferty Pendery, Robert Galibert, Santa Barbara, Scotland, Scott Superville, Sea Org, Seattle, Thursday Funnies, Tim Jones, Toronto, WISE

Arnie Lerma has become something of a folk hero in the newsgroup. His statement "I would prefer to die speaking my mind than to live fearing to speak," has become a sort-of mantra among the cult-bashers.

Tags: Arnaldo Lerma, Quicky

There's a need for a drug rehabilitation facility in Frederick County, but not one run by Narconon. Those comments come from Mark Long, a Thurmont resident whose opposed to the organization's plans to set up a drug treatment center at the Trout Run property along Catoctin Hollow Road near Thurmont. "We absolutely have a drug problem in Frederick County. I've personally known people who are died from heroin overdoses," he says. But Narconon is not the answer. He calls into question the organization's methods for treating drug addicts. "At the very least, most medical professionals think their methodology is invalid, and many drug rehabilitation professionals feel that it's dangerous," he says. He also says Narconon has a checkered past. "They've been engaged in insurance fraud. Their facility in Georgia has been shut down because they bilked insurance companies out of millions of dollars." Long says Narconon has also been shut down in Canada.

Tags: Canada, Frederick County, Frederick County Council, Georgia, Mark Long, Narconon, No Narconon at Trout Run, Trout Run

Crazy Edy is at it again. This woman was once posted as the Quality Executive International! And now is shouting "speed of auditing results" from the rooftops (and offering coupons for smoothies to encourage you go to Flag to be wallet raped by the battalion of regges). Hi,

Tags: 1951, AMA, Cause Resurgence Rundown, Chairman of the Board, China, Clear, Clearing Course, Edy Lundeen, Flag World Tour, Golden Age of Tech, Idan Gov Ari, Iowa, Italy, L. Ron Hubbard, Oak Cove, OT, OT II, OT III, OT IV, OT V, OT VII, Pasadena, Quicky, Rafferty Pendery, Rafferty Pendry, Religious Technology Center, Sandcastle, Sea Org, Student Hat, Sweden, Taiwan

We're continuing our book tour in California, but here's an event that we didn't publicly advertise — a gathering at the home of Spanky Taylor with many of the folks we've written about over the years, as well as some people we've only heard about and hope become our sources for new investigations. We've known Spanky for a long time, well before we appeared with her in Alex Gibney's documentary, Going Clear. And it isn't the first time that we've attended a gathering at her home. About 15 years ago, she had us over to introduce us to fascinating people who would go on to become sources in our stories, such as former Scientology spy Frank Oliver. But this time, in a gathering that was also organized by Tory Christman, the surprise visitor was actress Leah Remini, who dropped by to pick up a copy of our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely, and also to meet the book's subject, Paulette Cooper.

Tags: Alex Gibney, Allison Hope Weiner, California, Frank Oliver, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, Graham Berry, Jeffrey Augustine, Jesse Prince, Karen de la Carriere, Larry Anderson, Leah Remini, London, Los Angeles, Mark Ebner, Michael Fairman, Nancy Many, Paulette Cooper, Quicky, Spanky Taylor, Sundance, Suppressive Person, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely, Tory Christman

In an episode of Oprah: Where Are They Now? Leah Remini opened up about her 2013 decision to leave the Church of Scientology, of which she'd been a member for more than 30 years. "My mother was in Scientology my whole life. Most people don't know that we were raised in it," said Remini. "I didn't decide to get into it — I was brought into it by my mom." The actress shared that being involved in the organization took an extreme amount of dedication and, subsequently, a toll on her personal life. "I mean, it was every day — 3 1/2 hours minimum, seven days a week," she said. "I'm working most of my time, and then the other time was spent at the church. Minimal time is really spent with your family."

Tags: 2013, Florida, Leah Remini, Police, Quicky

The Food and Drug Administration says the treatment – which was devised by former Scientologist Jim Humble – is dangerous and potentially life-threatening. Proponents say they can tell the substance is working if they become nauseated – but the FDA warns that's what happens when humans ingest industrial bleach. The Environmental Protection Agency warns that chronic exposure to small doses of chlorine dioxide can result in reproductive and neurodevelopmental damage, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set guidelines for using the chemical in workplaces.

Tags: Arkansas, Autism, Chicago, Environmental Protection Agency, FDA, Genesis II, Homeopath, Jim Humble, Kerri Rivera, Mexico, Quack

Hmmm, I wonder what would happen if someone did this with the church of scientology? Put together a form to file complaints with different agencies (consumer affairs, justice department) and ran a campaign to get people to file them each month? Would there be more complaints filed about the church of scientology or about psychiatrists? I would put my money on scientology.

Tags: 9/11, CCHR, Clear, Facebook, Florida, Fraud, Google, Ken Kramer, License, Louisiana, Medicare, Miami, Minnesota, Mission, Mission Impossible, Mississippi, Montana, Porn, Quicky, Reed Slatkin, Researcher, Tax, Twitter

Tony Ortega just posted this breaking story: Scientology's drug rehab network sued for conspiring to misuse counseling credentials 990's posted solely for purposes of public information.

Tags: 2012, CIA, Clearwater, Florida, Friends of Narconon, Georgia, Glendale, Halcyon Horizons, Los Angeles, Louisiana, NAFC v. Scientology, Narconon, Narconon Arrowhead, Narconon Fresh Start, Narconon International, Narconon Western US, Norcross, Oklahoma, OT, Pasadena, Quicky, Suncoast Rehabilitation Center, Tony Ortega, Watsonville

And now, a year later, the NAFC is taking action. The lawsuit the NAFC filed Friday lists a huge number of defendants, as you'll see in the complaint itself, which we've posted below. Not only is Gary Smith in there, but so is Scientology leader David Miscavige - and we've seen in a Texas lawsuit how Scientology reacts when Miscavige is named as a defendant, with an army of lawyers and intense legal warfare. But Taylor and the NAFC chose a law firm that already has considerable experience investigating Narconon - the lawsuit was filed by Gary Richardson's Tulsa firm. The former prosecutor is handling more than ten lawsuits against Narconon Arrowhead, including wrongful death claims filed on behalf of the families of three patients who died at the facility in 2011 and 2012.

Tags: 2011, 2012, 2013, ABLE, Breining Institute, Canada, Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor, Church of Scientology International, Clark Carr, David Miscavige, DC, Eric Tenorio, Friends of Narconon, Gary Richardson, Gary Smith, Karla Taylor, Narconon, Narconon Arrowhead, Narconon Georgia, Narconon International, National Association of Forensic Counselors, Oklahoma, Registered Addiction Specialist, Religious Technology Center, Texas, Tulsa, UK

This stuff rolls in the door daily from Special Correspondents and there is just too much of it to publish. Much of it is same old, same old. These three came in just now and each has something a little special about it, particularly the last one. So I figured I would spread the word from Loony Tunes land.

Tags: AOLA, Basics, Chairman of the Board, Claire Taylor, Clive Rabey, Golden Age of Tech, Ideal Org, International Association of Scientologists, IRS, Kay Daly, L. Ron Hubbard, Narconon, OT, OT Committee, OT VII, OTC, Quicky, Rehabilitation Project Force, Running Program, Sacramento, Super Power, Tony Ortega

ALSO, CCHR IN SAN FRANCISCO Last night, New York City's chapter of Anonymous conducted its 63rd consecutive monthly "raid" of the Church of Scientology on 46th Street near Times Square. We've been to several of these demonstrations, and we can tell you they are foul-mouthed, chaotic fun. Our hats are off to the NY anons for their longevity and continued good humor. Having said that, we were recently made aware of a very different situation going on in Tucson, Arizona. Someone down there, apparently, is a little unclear on the concept.

Tags: American Psychiatric Association, Anonymous, Arizona, California, CCHR, Chill EB, John Allender, Mark Bunker, New York City, OT, Portland, Quicky, San Francisco, Squirrel, The Way to Happiness, Tucson

"The investigation into operations at the Narconon facility in Canadian continues," said a statement from the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. "ODMHSAS, accordingly, is working with other regulatory agencies as part of this process. The department is prohibited from providing any additional detail concerning this matter." Active entities in the investigation include the state Mental Health Department, the Pittsburg County Sheriff's Office, the Pittsburg County District Attorney's Office and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, as previously reported.

Tags: Death, Gabriel Graves, Gary Richardson, Gary Smith, Hillary Holten, Joel Kerns, Mary Fallin, Narconon, Narconon Arrowhead, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Pittsburg County District Attorney's Office, Pittsburg County Sheriff's Office, Stacy Murphy

The Idle Org money crush to buy extravagant and unnecessary buildings in deserted areas of cities around the world has been the subject of much comment and speculation. But here are some facts and figures — not for the faint of heart. But it does prove the economic wisdom of Miscavige's plan. Wisdom is used advisedly of course. If your PURPOSE is to accumulate MEST it is a fabulous plan. Though if your purpose is to help people, it is an unmitigated disaster. First of all, what does it take to get one of these fancy Scientology Idle Org Donation statuses?

Tags: David Miscavige, DEA, Donation, England, Ideal Org, Jenna Elfman, John Travolta, New Civilization Builder, New Haven, OT, Portland, Pretoria, Quicky, Silver, Super Power, Tom Cruise, USA

This came in as a comment on the last post by one of our Special Correspondents. I felt it deserved more attention than that and so am putting it up as its own post. Enjoy. Mike Rinder In Scientology management there is an old saying "You get what you push". This is meant as a cautionary reminder that if you start pushing hard for things that are not the main line of making auditors and clears, then you do indeed end up with what you push- and not the auditors and clears that in the long haul make Scientology worth something. For many years now David Miscavige has pushed money. And that is what they have - MONEY in all caps.

Tags: Clear, David Miscavige, OT, Quicky

Subs by Ackerland http://www.youtube.com/ackerland2 Viele denken bei Scientology an Tom Cruise, aber kaum jemand kennt das „Büro für Spezielle Angelegenheiten". Interview mit Regisseur Markus Thoess über seinen investigativen Dokumentarfilm und den größten privaten Geheimdienst der Welt: O.S.A. Hinter dem Namen „Office of Special Affairs", kurz O.S.A., verbirgt sich der Geheimdienst von Scientology, der vor allem Aussteiger und Kritiker der Sekte, aber auch Staaten und deren Geheimnisse im Visier hat. Laut Scientology ist das „Büro für Spezielle Angelegenheiten" ein Presse- und Rechtsamt -- doch es gibt da noch die „Investigations Section", die Abteilung für Ermittlungen. Warum braucht eine Organisation, die sich als Religionsgemeinschaft sieht, einen Geheimdienst? Regisseur und Kameramann Markus Thoess hat sich gemeinsam mit Autor Frank Nordhausen auf die Suche nach Antworten gemacht.

Tags: Markus Thoess, Office of Special Affairs, Quicky, Tom Cruise

Grease star Kenickie fighting for life after painkiller overdose By Chris Johnson for MailOnline Updated: 19:43 GMT, 19 May 2011 var twitterVia = 'DailyMailCeleb'; DM.later('bundle', function(){ DM.has('shareLinkTop', 'shareLinks', { 'id': '1388592', 'title': 'Grease star Kenickie fighting for life after painkiller overdose', 'url': 'http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1388592/Grease-star-Jeff-Conaway-fighting-life-painkiller-overdose.html', 'eTwitterStatus': ' http://bit.ly/iSJE6R via @' + twitterVia, 'articleChannelFollowButton': 'DailyMailCeleb', 'isChannel': false, 'headline': 'Grease star Kenickie fighting for life after painkiller overdose', 'emailShareStyle': ", 'placement': 'top', 'anchor': 'tl'}); }); 68 View comments

Tags: 1970, 1978, 1980, 1981, 2000, 2008, 2010, 2016, BBC, California, Celebrity, Jeff Conaway, John Travolta, Los Angeles, Quicky, Tax

The State Prosecutor's Office claims that Finkelstein and several members of the Bakher family have spent the last year planning various criminal acts, including a plan to target the new scientology center in Jaffa and an attempt to hurt Tel Aviv Municipality's construction control chief. They also tried to murder Finkelstein's ex-wife's partner, according to the indictment.

Tags: Gur Finkelstein, Israel

Sad news this morning that Jeff Conaway has been in a deep coma for several days and is not expected to live. Those familiar with Conaway's eternal problems with substance abuse will perhaps not be surprised to hear that an overdose of painkillers has him at death's door. Reporters are asking his representatives if the fatal dose was a suicide attempt, but really, that's a pointless question if you know addicts well. Conaway's life was one long suicide attempt, as became clear in his disturbing appearances in Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. Conaway's career problems are equally well known. The guy just never seemed to get the break he was angling for. When the television series Taxi started, Conaway's character was its star, but he soon faded to the background as Judd Hirsch took over the central role. In Grease, Conaway's Kenickie was a good pal to John Travolta's Danny Zuko, but Conaway himself never got the right chance to shine in a good film.

Tags: Celebrity, David Miscavige, Drew Pinsky, Jeff Conaway, John Travolta, Quicky, Tax, Tel Aviv

Scarlett Hanna, whose mother Vicki Dunstan is the president of the Church of Scientology in Australia, said she wanted the church to "take accountability" and apologise to those who were victims of its abuse. In an interview with the ABC's Lateline, aired last night, Ms Hanna alleged children, including herself, who were born to members of the sea org -- Scientology's elite unit -- were deprived of contact with their parents, given a lack of medical attention and forced to live in cramped conditions. "It was an incredibly lonely childhood." Ms Hanna said.

Tags: Australia, Nick Xenophon, Sarah McClintock, Scarlett Hanna, Sea Org, Vicki Dunstan

He was the original guru pop star. Made famous by the Beatles in the 1960s, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was the godfather of the Transcendental Meditation movement, known as TM. He inspired such acolytes as author Deepak Chopra and filmmaker David Lynch, and remained TM's figurehead until his death in 2008 at the age of 94. The Maharishi was once dubbed "the giggling guru." But now it appears he may have been giggling all the way to the bank. David Wants to Fly, a new documentary shown last week at Toronto's Hot Docs festival, offers compelling evidence that the Maharishi's empire of enlightenment is more devoted to shaking down its followers and amassing wealth than transcending the material world. The "David" of David Wants to Fly refers to the film's director, a cheeky 32-year-old German named David Sieveking, and to the dubious feat of "yogic flying" or levitation. It could also refer to David Lynch, who has emerged as TM's most prominent spokesman and is the prime target of Sieveking's obsessive investigation. Sieveking embarked on his documentary as an avid Lynch fan dying to meet the genius behind Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks. But by the time he'd completed his film, five years later, it had turned into an exposé. Sieveking told Maclean's that Lynch threatened to sue him and tried to block the film's Berlin premiere. No wonder. It depicts TM as a secretive hierarchy with overtones of Scientology, and portrays Lynch as its Tom Cruise. Sieveking, who makes himself a character in the documentary—a neurotic man on a mission—is like a cross between a young Werner Herzog and a skinny Michael Moore. He first travels to America to interview Lynch as a star-struck fan, then becomes an eager student of TM. As his odyssey takes him from Manhattan to the headwaters of the Ganges, he never loses faith in the power of meditation, but he becomes deeply skeptical about TM's well-heeled leadership.

Tags: 1960, 2008, 2009, Adolf Hitler, Berlin, Colorado, David Lynch, Deepak Chopra, Germany, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Manhattan, Mia Farrow, Paul McCartney, Quicky, Switzerland, Tom Cruise, Toronto, Transcendental Meditation, Twin Peaks

TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Scarlet Hanna's parents are both senior members of the Scientology's Australian branch and part of an elite unit known as Sea Org. Many children of Sea Org members grew up in what's known as Cadet Org. SCARLET HANNA: The best way I can describe it is cattle. We were property of the organisation although they would like to say that we weren't, we were. TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Scarlett Hanna says Cadet Org children lived in separate homes in overcrowded conditions without adequate food or medical care and were granted only 20 minutes each night with their parents. At the age of 13 she was kicked out of the Cadet Org and sent to live with adults from the Sea Org in an inner Sydney home.

Tags: Australia, Cadet Org, Nick Xenophon, Rehabilitation Project Force, Sarah McClintock, Scarlet Hanna, Sea Org, Sheila Huber, Virginia Stewart

was expecting fireworks. The American Psychiatric Association is meeting in San Francisco, and that presence has attracted the attention of two warring factions. First, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, closely linked to the Church of Scientology, has hired a venue close to the Moscone Center, where the psychiatrists are gathering, to display its exhibit Psychiatry: An Industry of Death. No surprise there, for anyone familiar with the Scientologists' campaign against psychiatric medicine. But things got a little more interesting when a press release from the protest group Anonymous landed in my inbox, promising that "also in attendance on the City's streets and sidewalks will be plenty of members of the 'Anonymous' anti-Scientology activist network".

Tags: American Psychiatric Association, Anonymous, CCHR, Jeff Quiros

Scientologist macher John Coale hatched a crazy plan to forge an alliance between Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, Politico reported this morning. In a rare-solitary?-display of good judgment, Palin turned him down. Coale proposed the idea in February, while tagging along with his wife, Fox News' Greta van Susteren, to Alaska to shoot a promo for the Palins. He wanted Palin's political action committee-the creation of which Coale had masterminded-to make a symbolic $5,000 donation to the Clinton campaign to help her retire her debt.

Tags: Hillary Clinton, John Coale, Sarah Palin

But we did a little digging, and the New Village Academy's website indicates that one of their models of learning is something called "Study Technology" -- a method created by none other than L. Ron Hubbard. The school also emphasizes the teaching of ethics and survival -- again, big topics in Scientology.

Tags: New Village Leadership Academy, Study Tech, Will Smith

Actor Will Smith is funding his own private school that will teach youngsters using an educational system devised in part by the Scientology cult. The curriculum at Smith's New Village Academy of Calabasas, on which he has spent nearly £500,000, uses different educational theories including "study technology" - a learning method developed by L Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology.

Tags: Delphi, Study tech, Will Smith

The caller could not have been more relieved. I was supposed to be dead. Someone had started a rumour that I had been killed in a fire. The same people who had tried to obtain my exdirectory phone number, handed out pamphlets attacking me, and dispatched an American private detective - an ex-Los Angeles police officer - to Britain to frighten and smear the source who had helped me expose their activities.

Tags: 1952, 1984, 2002, 2003, Advertising Standards Authority, BBC, Bridge to Total Freedom, Church of England, City of London Corporation, Critic, East Grinstead, Eugene Ingram, Europe, Fair Game, Google, High Court, Ian Luder, John Sweeney, John Travolta, Kevin Hurley, London, Los Angeles, Narconon, Office of Special Affairs, Panorama, Police, Saint Hill, Suppressive Person, The Secret, Tom Cruise, Tottenham Court Road, Twitter, UK, US Department of Justice, West Sussex

The elaborate surveillance effort involved at least three private investigators, one of whom befriended Prince by using a false name. Church attorney Helena Kobrin, who has offices in Clearwater and Los Angeles, said her firm hires private investigators to protect the church from people such as Prince, a man she said has harassed parishioners and has a history of criminal behavior. "We have hired for the church people who are former law enforcement who are involved in security for the church," Kobrin said. "If Mr. Prince is one of those people harassing the church, their security efforts may sometimes be directed in his direction."

Tags: 1975, 1995, 1997, 2000, Barry Gaston, Brian Raftery, Clearwater, Denis deVlaming, Deposition, Helena Kobrin, Jesse Prince, Joseph Fabrizio, Ken Dandar, Largo, Lisa McPherson, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Police, Scientology lawyer

The jury convicted him of interfering with a religion -- likely due to his habit of picketing near the cult's properties -- but failed to reach a decision on two other patently idiotic charges brought by Deputy District Attorney Robert Schwarz, who, it is claimed, is either a Scientology dupe himself, or on old Elron's posthumous payroll. So the jury split 9/3 on Schwarz's charge of terrorism and 10/2 on his nearly equally moronic charge of attempted terrorism. That's right; a prosecutor -- someone who managed to graduate from a university, then a law school, and then pass the California Bar Exam -- actually brought charges of terrorism against someone joking on Usenet about firing a nuclear warhead at a group of people scattered all over the globe. We conclude that California must have the slackest educational standards in the world if it can, in good faith, award anything higher than a beautician's license to someone unable to noodle out the obvious absurdity in Henson's comment.

Tags: Keith Henson, Robert Schwarz