Artist Discrimination - still today?

In the 1930s, the Nazis crafted an atmosphere of loathing and intolerance for the Jewish community through propaganda. In so doing, they sought to sanctify their persecution and persuade the German people to accept their crimes against Jewish people as right and proper. The success of that propaganda campaign was exceeded only by the infamy of the acts the government sought to justify.

A prominent component of the Nazis’ propaganda campaign was its sustained, relentless effort to isolate and ostracize Jewish art and Jewish artists.

Today, some German government officials have attempted to boycott, to blacklist and even to censor artists who are Scientologists and films and concerts which feature Scientologists solely because of their religion. Concerts have been disrupted and cancelled. Scientologists such as jazz great Chick Corea have been barred from performing. The folk group Golden Bough has been refused the right to perform concerts in Germany because they are Scientologists. Local newspapers have fanned the fires of intolerance by joining governmental and political party calls for boycotts and blackballing.

Some German politicians have tried to boycott the movie Mission: Impossible because the lead actor, Tom Cruise, is a Scientologist. Federal Member of Parliament Renate Rennebach tried to even block distribution of the movie Phenomenon because it stars John Travolta, also a Scientologist.

While these politicians’ frenzied outbursts of censorship drew a backlash from the US and other countries, they also revealed the true depths of their prejudice, and how low certain German bureaucrats are willing to stoop to express their hate-tinged fanaticism.

Another misuse of art-as a weapon of propaganda-has also resurfaced in today’s Germany. The religious intolerance that fueled efforts to deprive Scientologists of their artistic freedom also creeps to the surface in depictions of Scientologists as insects, bats, octopuses and assorted vermin. Those images are disturbing beyond the disrespect that is so transparent in them. They are disturbing because they are nearly identical to those the Nazis used to degrade the Jewish people in the 1930s in the pages of Der Stuermer and other hate publications.

In the view of one eminent Holocaust scholar and professor of history in the United States, "many of the attacks and representations of Scientology bear more than a slight resemblance to the misuse of art during the Third Reich in the anti-Semitic campaigns against the Jews."

Since 1993, the United States State Department, the United Nations, the Helsinki Commission, U.S. Congressmen and Senators, religious scholars and historians have cited Germany for human rights abuses against Scientologists.

Why are German officials discriminating against Scientologists? There is no legitimate reason, just as there was none for the persecution of the Jewish people. And, let us not forget, Germany has no tradition of religious freedom as does the United States.

German officials have refused every request to engage in dialogue to resolve the discrimination occurring in their country.

"Never again" must not be an idle slogan. It must be a promise we keep. True, no one has been killed or hauled off to death camps. But history has taught us that we would be at fault if we stood by and did not point out the alarming similarities between the 1930s and today. German officials protesting these comparisons should stop recreating the past and they will remind no one of it.

Germany Then and Now

Labels: church of scientology, germany, jew, jewish, Scientologists

IAS Event About to Start

Clearwater Scientologists are in their seats about to watch the opening of event marking the 25th Anniversary of the International Association of Scientologists.

The live event was held at Saint Hill in East Grinstead in Sussex, England.

David Miscavige outdid himself with a more than three hours presentation of the highlights of the last 25 years. OMG where we have come from and where we have arrived!

Labels: clearwater, david miscavige, Scientologists

David Miscavige Hosted Scientology Event: 6,500 Scientologists Attend

Chick Corea is probably my all-time favorite. Not just the best in jazz, period, but a terrific person in every respect.

I wish I could 've been there.

I heard from friends that David Miscavige outdid himself with more than three hours or stunning overview of where we've come in the past 25 years.

Thanks John Alex Wood for the photos!

Labels: Chick Corea, david miscavige, East Grinstead, Scientologists

The Bigotry Behind the St. Petersburg Times' Facade of Responsible Journalism

In recent years, the S.P. Times has worked hard to present a more honest and credible image to the public, attempting to shed its reputation for biased reporting. The newspaper’s recent “special” report exposed the facade: At its core, the S.P. Times has not changed. It is an organization that twists the news to incite hatred against Scientologists and stops at nothing to paint a false picture of the Scientology religion and the Church.

Recounting its long record of bigotry toward the Church of Scientology, its members, staff and leaders is unnecessary. That is something with which most Tampa Bay residents are all too familiar, including thousands of non-Scientologists appalled at the Times’ attempts to unfairly stigmatize Scientologists who are their friends.

But if the Times has not changed, the articles in this magazine detailing Scientology’s explosive expansion in both Clearwater and around the world show how Scientology has continued to grow. As the Church has gained greater local prominence, thousands of Scientologists have contributed to improving their community through charities and civic groups.

Scientologists work alongside friends and neighbors on civic and cultural boards, in sports and arts societies and in numerous social partnerships. The newly restored Fort Harrison regularly hosts functions for other charitable organizations; public are welcomed for tours and Church staff work hard to invite questions and provide an open response. Juxtaposed with the day-to-day reality of friends, neighbors and workmates who are Scientologists, the hysteria of the Times’ stereotypes has become self-evident.

A full and objective review of the recent allegations the Times presented to the Church from four ex-Scientologists evidences both the lack of credibility and sinister motives of these sources—people who will say anything to attack their former faith.

• The same false allegations have been posted on the “grassy knoll” of the Internet by avowed Scientologist-haters for years.
• Even though first-person accounts from dozens of eyewitnesses demolished the fabrications presented by the Times’ sources, reporters Joe Childs and Tom Tobin refused to hear from those eyewitnesses.
• The Church provided an unprecedented amount of documented evidence and detailed accounts proving the sources had lied.
• The Church also provided detailed evidence regarding the motives of these four apostates to lie about the religion and its leader: delusionary ideas of “taking over” the Church, resentment over their removal from posts and money.

In the most offensive gesture of all, the S.P. Times refused to accept an offer of an in-person interview with Mr. David Miscavige, the ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion.

The interview would have been his first in 11 years and only the third in his 25-year career as the Church’s leader. Despite purporting to seek this interview, to which Mr. Miscavige had immediately agreed, the newspaper abandoned its facade of objectivity, cancelled the interview and rushed to print. The Times reporters and their bosses knew the scheduled interview with Mr. Miscavige was absolutely essential under fundamental journalistic standards and ethics. When they turned their backs on that interview, the reporters made a conscious decision to turn their backs on the truth. After all, they knew a response would further annihilate the credibility of their sources, rendering their false story fatal.

The Church offered the reporters full and unfettered access to the Church and all facilities. Tobin and Childs refused to accept the offer. The Times decided this information “wasn’t relevant” to their story, that somehow an interview with the Church’s ecclesiastical leader was unnecessary even for a three-part series on the man.

So, in response to the Times exhibition of unprovoked malice and shredding of the truth, Freedom presents the real story of both the Church … and the so-called journalism practiced by the S.P. Times.

More: http://www.freedommag.org

Labels: church of scientology, david miscavige, joe childs, scientology, st. petersburg times, tom tobin

Thank You LRH and David Miscavige

I just finished listening to a tape on course today, and it was so incredible, I just have to say once more time how much I appreciate all the work David Miscavige did to get all the basic LRH books and lectures published and with such incredible quality. I have changed so much from this study. And all for the better.

Labels: david miscavige, L. Ron Hubbard

The recent transformation of the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater is breathtaking. The building is really gorgeous and fully equipped to service the thousands of Scientology parishioners that are there for services on a regular basis.

Scientology News from Florida

The big news in Florida is there isn't a single spare seat in any of the Flag course rooms, let alone any room for new students to route onto course.

But more new students arrive every day, and from what I hear, the staff are scrambling to put together new course rooms.

Ever since David Miscavige announced the release of the Scientology and Dianetics Basics (books and lectures) late last June/ early Aug 2007, it's been a phenomenon.

I've never seen anything like it. Very exciting!

And the wins are just phenomenal!

Labels: church of scientology, david miscavige

David Miscavige presents: Freewinds Maiden Voyage 2008!

20 years! The cruise ship Freewinds went service 20 years ago as a special Church of Scientology organization. To celebrate this occasion four celebration events have been held on board. The celebrations presented by the Church's ecclesiastical leader David Miscavige are being shown all around the world throughout July and August 2008.

Labels: church of scientology, david miscavige, freewinds, scientology