MaxChampion's Comments (60)

“Exactly. Coerced abortion itself has something for all sides to get angry about.”

“No, these are DIFFERENT allegations of torture and child abuse by scientology. Sheesh! ;)”

“This is a grave injustice. The judge has just created a martyr.”

“amazon pimped it on it's "Christian Books" email. What's with that?”

“Tom Cruise wasn't present when the alleged threat was made. So, he wouldn't know whether or not it was true. Rathbun has a very good record of people coming forward to confirm what he says.”

“It was 1993.”

“When's the last time the Catholic Church had private investigators infiltrate a former staff member's life for 12 years?

When's the last time the Pope had a cardinal incarcerated under guard against his will until he agreed to stay a priest?

Details to support the comparison, please! And if you have to go back to the middle ages, then let's not consider that newsworthy. Scientology's current and recent crimes are.”

“Precisely!

And the Court of Appeals in California agrees with you. When Scientology argued that they were just expressing their religious freedom when they held Larry Wollersheim against his will and coerced him to disconnect from his family, etc, etc, etc, the court said there's a line. Religious practice that is coerced is not protected under the constitution.

http://web.lexis-nexis.com/research/retrieve?_m=ee35a51ff4aee73ba49385f3bd88e102&docnum=1&_fmtstr=FULL&_startdoc=1&wchp=dGLbVtz-zSkAB&_md5=3a6f35c6956c62aa245b11d4760a28a3”

“Tomorrow Don Jason's story of being held captive aboard a Scientology ship will be published. Larry Wollersheim tried to leave Scientology staff in 1974 and was held captive aboard a Scientology ship until he agreed to stay in Scientology: http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/legal/wollersheim/opinion-1989-07-18.html

Larry was finally paid $8.7millio­n in damages in 2008 after 22 years of fighting Scientology in the courts.

One appeal court said:

"The "newly discovered evidence" alleged in the complaint consisted of the following: Post-trial interviews with jurors by the Church's attorneys revealed that "the jurors 'believed' that they were being followed by members of the [Church]." Juror Terri Reuter stated that "the jury had been told by 'unnamed court personnel,' whom she refused to identify, that during the trial, Judge Swearinger's tires had been slashed, and that his dog had been found dead. She said that the jurors attributed these actions to unknown and unnamed members of the [Church]." The complaint stated that Church counsel suspected that private investigators hired by Wollersheim's counsel "were responsible for 'dirty tricks' designed to implicate the Church, and prejudice the jury." Additionally, the complaint alleged that, because Judge Swearinger refused "to allow[] discovery into the jurors in order to establish the extent and source of the taint," "[t]he source of the jury's bias thus remained a mystery for five years.""

http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/legal/wollersheim/42cal.app.4th.628.html”

“thanks for posting about this very important, and very disturbing, set of reports about abuses by Scientology.

People often say they have no sympathy for people involved with the cult (adults, that is) because they can leave if they want to. It's just not that easy to leave Scientology. if you're on staff, and particularly if you're involved at any high level at all, they just don't let people go.

Marc Headley has just written about his escape in "Blown for Good". While researching it, he came across a police report about his escape. You'll notice that, even though the security team were chasing and assaulting him, Headley wouldn't complain to the police. The control runs very deep.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/12831004/Riverside-County-Sheriffs-Department-Police-Reports-regarding-Marc-Headleys-Escape”

“You'd get a lot more views and comments if the link on the front page led to this story instead of to the movieline piece.”

“And the Catholic Church doesn't hold members behind razor-bladed fences, make them work inhumane hours for 39 cents an hour pay, and coerce them into having abortions so that pregnancy doesn't interfere with their work for the "church". www DOT scribd DOT com/doc/15­348562/1st­-Amended-C­OMPLAINT-L­aura-A”

“These are lovely people. Listening to them express themselves and say how humbled they are brings a warm and pleasant, even joyeous, feeling.

It strikes me that there are many, many people who equally deserve to health care without financial ruin and who aren't as "nice" as the Steins. They may never say thanks. Yet, a truly great society would care for those people too.”

“Why do I feel like I want to give Shep Smith a pat on the back for doing what should be a reflex action for a news journalist?”

“Two very sensible comments. Brooks explained the phenomenon we're seeing in a way I hadn't heard before.”

“He didn't make an analogy. He just stated a fact and his opinion.”

“How did he get to the position that anyone today talking about beating swords into ploughshares is suddenly promoting communism instead of promoting the Scripture from Isaiah? Or maybe he's saying Isaiah was an early communist also.

I think this man is without conscience.”

“I visited America in June/July this year and, obviously, it's a great country.

But, man, I watch videos like this and read what otherwise intelligent people have to say about political matters in your country and I thank the Lord I live where I live.

In my country, healthcare is free. If it's urgent, it's dealt with quickly. If it's not urgent, I have the option to go on a waiting list or to pay for it.

In my country, if any state or federal politician came out with the kinds of lies and fear-mongering about health care that so many of your politicians are guilty of, they'd be shown up for what they are - liars or fools.

I'm sorry but, for all that America is great, there's a strand of fear and another of greed and a third of manipulation - all present in every nation - that binds America and has held you back from even greater heights. The fear of government in the US is hard for me to fathom.

I pray you guys get your health care reform.”

“Your point is noted, but the $4bn is just the profit. We don't know how much of the $700bn capital injections have been repaid.”

“I'm starting to like this John McCain.”

“Well, God forbid that poor Dick Cheney should be offended, just so that justice should be done.”

“Please, somebody shut that woman up!”

“We get it, Jada. You guys aren't gay and you're not scientologists.

So, what do you think about how David Miscavige beats up scientology staff? Do you even care? www.truthrundown.org

Oh, and if you're not a scientologist, how come you give so much $$ to Scientology causes? http://www.xenu-directory.net/documents/corporate/990s-transactions.php?sort=fa+yd+md+ta+la+sa&ff=The+Will”

“"Everything we said about Tiller was true."

Maybe, but was it RESPONSIBLE?

No.”

“Freedom of religion means freedom to believe whatever a person chooses to believe.

But, no person or group, even a supposed "church", should be free to lie to, defraud, enslave and abuse people. Even if they believe these things are the right thing to do.

In other words, freedom of religion is absolute freedom to believe, but not absolute freedom to act in accordance with those beliefs.

The State Department needs to get this distinction under its belt. France is not prosecuting Scientology for its beliefs but for its abusive and criminal actions. That's how it's done.”