Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
We just got the RB episdoe up a few minutes ago. Thanks to everyone who contributed! http://www.rocketboom.com/vlog/rb_08_feb_11 Also, here is a blog post I wrote about this: http://dembot.com/post/26007384 Protests against The Church of Scientology were held by Anonymous at 11am this morning in cities and towns around the world, often with hundreds of people per location, and by now, at 6pm ET, theyve mostly swept the world. Rocketboom correspondents were covering the protests in several cities for our Monday episode and as the footage is rolling in, Im noticing something very interesting. Most of the footage reveals there were no main stream media on hand. Did they ignore it? Not understand it? Did they think it wouldnt happen? The number of people that actually turned up was greater than many other protests that get much wider coverage. This is also an extremely interesting cultural phenomenon with regards to the real world power of the people of the internet - the proxies you often think might just be bots. I find it odd that the MSM is that out of touch. This event is hard to miss for anyone who is plugged into online culture. I had a look at Google News and there are no MSM mentions for this event. No CNN, no NYTimes, no nothing but a few blogs and left-wing political papers. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/videoblogging/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/videoblogging/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
Irina and I hit the San Francisco protest yesterday. Here's what we came up with: http://www.geekentertainment.tv/2008/02/11/anonymous-vs-scientology/ On Feb 11, 2008 9:00 AM, Patrick Delongchamp [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I was out and about Sunday around town and saw about two dozen people wearing masks scattered around the city throughout the day. Two walking by during brunch, a few on the subway, a few on the streets here and there. It took all day before it this thread clicked in my head and I realized what they had all been doing. On Feb 10, 2008 12:08 AM, Andrew Baron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Just a reminder about 11am on Sunday around the world. Would love to see some footage from anyone who can make it out. Ive been reading the forums and here in NYC it looks like its going to be huge, I cant believe how many people are participating. Andrew On Feb 7, 2008 7:42 PM, Andrew Baron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This Sunday there will be an amazing protest of Scientology by the Anonymous group. If anyone in the US can make it out to capture some footage in your own locale and would be willing to sync up, please email me off-list. Thanks! Map of Protests around the country http://harbl.wetfish.net/cosplay/ Anonymous makes it on to NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18764756 The anti-Scientology group Anonymous told NBC11 Monday it expected more than 300,000 people to join protests worldwide on Feb. 10th at 11am. The campaign is going amazingly -- swimmingly at the moment. We are in the organizational stages, a woman who would not give her name told NBC11. We are having members of Anonymous from all over the world join the protest at their local church of Scientology at 11 a.m. local time. Other people claiming to be members of Anonymous told NBC11 that the actual number of Scientology protesters worldwide will not reach 300,000. The actual number of people who show up for the rallies could be much less, they said. The group members said out of the 24 time zones, there are 17 that have Churches of Scientology. Of the 24 time zones there are 17 that have a church located in them and we believe our protesting is happening in 15 of those 17, said the group member. We have a map that people can log in to and say what protest they're going to at the current moment. At last count we expect 300,000 at all the protests. Everyone in the world is invited. We're trying to get support from local organizations. Anonymous claims the Church of Scientology forces members to have abortions as well as sign over their bank accounts. We think it's wrong that they have tax exempt status, the member told NBC11. We want to to see if we can get that looked into by the IRS -- who ever we can gain the ear of. Are they really a religious organization or a business? The member of Anonymous said her organization is attempting to change its approach because it first gained attention as a group of hackers and pranksters. The group said it now plans to engage in activities that fight against Scientology, but are not considered illegal by the U.S. government. The member told NBC11 that she is not an actual hacker herself, but rather someone providing other means of support to Anonymous. The member said Anonymous is planning to hold large monthly protests against Scientology at its churches each month until May. She said the group is drawing up plans for more protests after that. The group member said Anonymous would hold another large protest two days after church founder L. Ron Hubbard's birthday on March 15. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
I was out and about Sunday around town and saw about two dozen people wearing masks scattered around the city throughout the day. Two walking by during brunch, a few on the subway, a few on the streets here and there. It took all day before it this thread clicked in my head and I realized what they had all been doing. On Feb 10, 2008 12:08 AM, Andrew Baron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Just a reminder about 11am on Sunday around the world. Would love to see some footage from anyone who can make it out. Ive been reading the forums and here in NYC it looks like its going to be huge, I cant believe how many people are participating. Andrew On Feb 7, 2008 7:42 PM, Andrew Baron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This Sunday there will be an amazing protest of Scientology by the Anonymous group. If anyone in the US can make it out to capture some footage in your own locale and would be willing to sync up, please email me off-list. Thanks! Map of Protests around the country http://harbl.wetfish.net/cosplay/ Anonymous makes it on to NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18764756 The anti-Scientology group Anonymous told NBC11 Monday it expected more than 300,000 people to join protests worldwide on Feb. 10th at 11am. The campaign is going amazingly -- swimmingly at the moment. We are in the organizational stages, a woman who would not give her name told NBC11. We are having members of Anonymous from all over the world join the protest at their local church of Scientology at 11 a.m. local time. Other people claiming to be members of Anonymous told NBC11 that the actual number of Scientology protesters worldwide will not reach 300,000. The actual number of people who show up for the rallies could be much less, they said. The group members said out of the 24 time zones, there are 17 that have Churches of Scientology. Of the 24 time zones there are 17 that have a church located in them and we believe our protesting is happening in 15 of those 17, said the group member. We have a map that people can log in to and say what protest they're going to at the current moment. At last count we expect 300,000 at all the protests. Everyone in the world is invited. We're trying to get support from local organizations. Anonymous claims the Church of Scientology forces members to have abortions as well as sign over their bank accounts. We think it's wrong that they have tax exempt status, the member told NBC11. We want to to see if we can get that looked into by the IRS -- who ever we can gain the ear of. Are they really a religious organization or a business? The member of Anonymous said her organization is attempting to change its approach because it first gained attention as a group of hackers and pranksters. The group said it now plans to engage in activities that fight against Scientology, but are not considered illegal by the U.S. government. The member told NBC11 that she is not an actual hacker herself, but rather someone providing other means of support to Anonymous. The member said Anonymous is planning to hold large monthly protests against Scientology at its churches each month until May. She said the group is drawing up plans for more protests after that. The group member said Anonymous would hold another large protest two days after church founder L. Ron Hubbard's birthday on March 15. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
I must say, I agree with Adam on this. Fundamentalist Christian churchs around here have been milking poor people for all the money they have, and telling them how to vote, for a long time. Also, try going to a transcendental meditation center some time. You'll find out that you need to dish out a couple of thousand bucks to, basically, find our you official mantra. On top of that, most of them don't generate nearly as entertaining videos as the Tom Cruise thing. Now that I think about it, I'm starting a richardtologist church. Send money to Richard and you too, can become God. ... Richard (aka, God) On Feb 8, 2008 2:55 PM, Adam Quirk [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think it's weird that so many people are up in arms over Scientology, when other religions have been practicing equally cult-like behavior for centuries. And the fact that this 'anonymous' group is most concerned over their tax-free status is hilarious. Look how much money the Catholic church pulls in every year, tax-free. I'm not making a judgement call, just stating the obvious here. Scientology is like any other successful business/religion. They found their target audience, aggressively marketed to them, and are reaping the benefits. Celebrities are already so full of themselves, how could a religion that proclaims them to be God possibly fail to get their attention? -- *Adam Quirk* / Producer, Wreck Salvage LLC / [EMAIL PROTECTED]quirk%40wreckandsalvage.com/+1 551.208.4644 (m) / imbullemhead (aim) On Feb 8, 2008 3:47 PM, David Meade [EMAIL PROTECTED]meade.dave%40gmail.com wrote: There's some here in Indy ... but I dunno if I want the scary Scientology people to be able to film me filming them filming the protest ... somehow I'm pretty sure that ends with me being tied to a chair in over lit basement room being forced to confess my deepest fears and flaws to an ash tray. - Dave -- http://www.DavidMeade.com On Feb 8, 2008 2:03 PM, David Howell [EMAIL PROTECTED]taoofdavid%40gmail.com wrote: Oops. Nevermind. Just noticed that there arent Churches here. The red markers on that COS map are Anonymous members. *duh* My bad. David http://www.davidhowellstudios.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com videoblogging%40yahoogroups.com, David Howell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Whoa...there's going to be 2 protests here in Cedar Rapids!? I didnt even know there was a Scientology Church here. I'll be venturing out there Sunday to get this on video! David http://www.davidhowellstudios.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.comvideoblogging%40yahoogroups.com, Jay dedman jay.dedman@ wrote: wow. we'll be in LA sunday. id love to see what they pull off. Jay On Feb 7, 2008 7:42 PM, Andrew Baron andrew@ wrote: This Sunday there will be an amazing protest of Scientology by the Anonymous group. If anyone in the US can make it out to capture some footage in your own locale and would be willing to sync up, please email me off-list. Thanks! Map of Protests around the country http://harbl.wetfish.net/cosplay/ Anonymous makes it on to NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18764756 The anti-Scientology group Anonymous told NBC11 Monday it expected more than 300,000 people to join protests worldwide on Feb. 10th at 11am. The campaign is going amazingly -- swimmingly at the moment. We are in the organizational stages, a woman who would not give her name told NBC11. We are having members of Anonymous from all over the world join the protest at their local church of Scientology at 11 a.m. local time. Other people claiming to be members of Anonymous told NBC11 that the actual number of Scientology protesters worldwide will not reach 300,000. The actual number of people who show up for the rallies could be much less, they said. The group members said out of the 24 time zones, there are 17 that have Churches of Scientology. Of the 24 time zones there are 17 that have a church located in them and we believe our protesting is happening in 15 of those 17, said the group member. We have a map that people can log in to and say what protest they're going to at the current moment. At last count we expect 300,000 at all the protests. Everyone in the world is invited. We're trying to get support from local organizations. Anonymous claims the Church of Scientology forces members to have abortions as well as sign over their bank accounts. We think it's wrong that they have tax exempt status, the member told NBC11. We want to to see if we can get that looked into by the IRS -- who ever we
Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
On Feb 9, 2008, at 7:30 AM, Richard H. Hall wrote: On top of that, most of them don't generate nearly as entertaining videos as the Tom Cruise thing. got a link to his vlog? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
Steve and Rhett, First of all, when Psychiatrists become the good guys in any argument, I find myself tending to be on the other side. In fact, in my opinion, now that I think about it, the Psychiatric model of mental health, pharmaceuticals, and commerce has done a lot more damage in the world than Scientology, or any religion (besides maybe Christianity and Islam). Second, I'm 50 years old, and I've spent way too much time in my life trying to find the truth, and, let me tell you, there are more versions of what you describe of the scientologists within the christian/other religion/spiritual/new age/whatever world that you can shake a stick at. Many people want to know the truth, and they prefer to find someone/thing that will tell them what it is so they don't have to think about it, and they will give anything to anyone to find peace in that way. Sounds fucked up, but I'm not sure if I begrudge them. I'm not saying what the Scientologists do is good, I'm just saying, that, it's not unusual, nor unusually evil, in this complex, really bad, really cool, and perfect world. ... Richard On Feb 8, 2008 4:38 PM, Steve Watkins [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I reckon its because: Unlike other religions it has a more blatant business model involving charging for access to their version of the holy scriptures. It doesnt have the benefit of hundreds or thousands of years to obscure the origins of the texts. Having been a science fiction author does not help L Ron Hubbards score on the prophet credibility benchmark ;) They have a very aggressive policy towards those that are against their faith, L Rons paranoia influenced his creation rather a lot it seems. Still they are more likely to send you a threatening legal letter than tie you to a chair ;) They attack psychiatry in a very direct manner, and psychiatry is, along with the associated drugs, a large and protected industry in the US of A. If the things about Hubbard Ive read are even half true, it doesnt take long to see why he had it in for psychiatry, his personality reads like a long list of symptoms of mind illness. There are not so many scientologists, or nations wedded to scientology, to give them the power that quite a few religions enjoy. If a presidential candidate attacked them, he would not lose his base. Kids arent indoctrinated about them in schools, arent taught to tollerate them, or to see their beliefs as less crazy and creepy, or more 'genuinely spiritual', whatever that means. They havent got the 'one god' thing going for them. I know sci-fi has gone down well in recent decades, boy how I dont miss the 90's alien conspiracy obsessions for example, but its not yet proven to be a sound foundation for a credible modern religion. I dont know of any other religions that have questionnaires that ask whether you speak slowly. One thing they do have in common with other religions is being involved in the drug rehab business. I dont know much about their program, the wikipedia entry makes interesting reading. My favorite religious drug rehab story was about some other, more established church that benefitted from Bush's Faith Based initiatives thing. They were supposed to be treating some people, and got busted because they were actually making them work as telesales callers promoting the faith. I got myself a satellite dish so I could look at all the religious channels that have emerged in recent years in the UK. Well, scientology aint the only religious business thats for sure. Mmm there are some good Frank Zappa songs about this sort of thing, Im off to listen to some. Just remember, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster will set you free. Pastafarianism, hehe. Cheers Steve Elbows --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com videoblogging%40yahoogroups.com, Adam Quirk [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think it's weird that so many people are up in arms over Scientology, when other religions have been practicing equally cult-like behavior for centuries. And the fact that this 'anonymous' group is most concerned over their tax-free status is hilarious. Look how much money the Catholic church pulls in every year, tax-free. I'm not making a judgement call, just stating the obvious here. Scientology is like any other successful business/religion. They found their target audience, aggressively marketed to them, and are reaping the benefits. Celebrities are already so full of themselves, how could a religion that proclaims them to be God possibly fail to get their attention? -- *Adam Quirk* / Producer, Wreck Salvage LLC / [EMAIL PROTECTED] /+1 551.208.4644 (m) / imbullemhead (aim) On Feb 8, 2008 3:47 PM, David Meade [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There's some here in Indy ... but I dunno if I want the scary Scientology people to be able to film me filming them filming the protest ... somehow I'm pretty sure that ends with me being tied
Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
I was talking about this one ... inspiring :) http://youtube.com/watch?v=UFBZ_uAbxS0 On Feb 9, 2008 10:28 AM, Markus Sandy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Feb 9, 2008, at 7:30 AM, Richard H. Hall wrote: On top of that, most of them don't generate nearly as entertaining videos as the Tom Cruise thing. got a link to his vlog? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -- Richard http://richardhhall.org Shows http://richardshow.org http://inspiredhealing.tv [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
Hello, On Feb 9, 2008 7:30 AM, Richard H. Hall [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I must say, I agree with Adam on this. Fundamentalist Christian churchs around here have been milking poor people for all the money they have, and telling them how to vote, for a long time. Also, try going to a transcendental meditation center some time. You'll find out that you need to dish out a couple of thousand bucks to, basically, find our you official mantra. The one thing positive I have to say about this is... at least their not taking the money by force! (As far as I can tell, it's a completely voluntary.) (I.e., unlike taxes... you have a choice to pay or not to pay.) See ya -- Charles Iliya Krempeaux, B.Sc. http://ChangeLog.ca/ Motorsport Videos http://TireBiterZ.com/ Vlog Razor... Vlogging News... http://vlograzor.com/
Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
Steve Martin pays tribute to Scientology in his epic drama Bowfinger. Not to be missed! Markus Sandy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Feb 9, 2008, at 7:30 AM, Richard H. Hall wrote: On top of that, most of them don't generate nearly as entertaining videos as the Tom Cruise thing. got a link to his vlog? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Jimmy CraicHead TVVideo Podcast about Sailing, Travel, Craic and Cocktails www.jchtv.com - Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
J. Rhett Aultman wrote: There are three problems I see with Scientology. The first one is something Steve Fishman refers to as spiritual informed consent. The Catholic church is, for the most part, transparent. It's easy to know what you'll be getting yourself into if you want to join their program. The curricula for first mass are pretty easy to find, the theology is covered through a number of public documents, and the plan for your life is something the Catholic church encourages you to know. Such graded revelation is common in the religions of Classical Antiquity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_religion I think it's weird that so many people are up in arms over Scientology, when other religions have been practicing equally cult-like behavior for centuries. The devil you know...
Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
First off, it's a false binary to say psychiatrists become the good guys by anything I say. This is, in fact, buying Scientology's argument. They offer true mental health and oppose psychiatry; I oppose them, therefore I am pro-psychiatry. It doesn't follow. I could easily protest both sides for the faults they offer. I'd also say that, if you're looking purely for a body count, psychiatry is way behind compared to a number of religions, even after you axe out two pieces of low hanging fruit. That's historical ignorance, however, and it's irrelevant here, because as I've already mentioned, I am not pro-psychiatry. I'd also say that this isn't about promoting some form of spiritual truth over another. This is about an organization that trains its members in fraud and tactics designed to obstruct justice. This is about things like Operation Snow White, which was a targeted, wide-scale attempt (with some success) at the infiltration of our government, for which Mary Sue Hubbard was convicted of a felony. This is about attempting to frame the mayor of Clearwater for hit-and-run charges because he opposed the Church of Scientology. This is about dead agenting and Avagrams. Look...if people want to believe they're several trillion years old and that Jesus Christ is a reincarnation of Xenu, that's their call to make. I'm hep with that. I have been known to worship a mysterious clip art of a man smoking a pipe. That's fine. I can even marginally tolerate their pricing structure, although I have no love for TM, Kabbalah Center, Est, or any other pay-to-be-better structure. Scientology has, and continues, to go too far, however. It does not play well with others, something that virtually every other religious organization in America has figured out how to do. -- Rhett. Richard H. Hall wrote: Steve and Rhett, First of all, when Psychiatrists become the good guys in any argument, I find myself tending to be on the other side. In fact, in my opinion, now that I think about it, the Psychiatric model of mental health, pharmaceuticals, and commerce has done a lot more damage in the world than Scientology, or any religion (besides maybe Christianity and Islam). Second, I'm 50 years old, and I've spent way too much time in my life trying to find the truth, and, let me tell you, there are more versions of what you describe of the scientologists within the christian/other religion/spiritual/new age/whatever world that you can shake a stick at. Many people want to know the truth, and they prefer to find someone/thing that will tell them what it is so they don't have to think about it, and they will give anything to anyone to find peace in that way. Sounds fucked up, but I'm not sure if I begrudge them. I'm not saying what the Scientologists do is good, I'm just saying, that, it's not unusual, nor unusually evil, in this complex, really bad, really cool, and perfect world. ... Richard On Feb 8, 2008 4:38 PM, Steve Watkins [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I reckon its because: Unlike other religions it has a more blatant business model involving charging for access to their version of the holy scriptures. It doesnt have the benefit of hundreds or thousands of years to obscure the origins of the texts. Having been a science fiction author does not help L Ron Hubbards score on the prophet credibility benchmark ;) They have a very aggressive policy towards those that are against their faith, L Rons paranoia influenced his creation rather a lot it seems. Still they are more likely to send you a threatening legal letter than tie you to a chair ;) They attack psychiatry in a very direct manner, and psychiatry is, along with the associated drugs, a large and protected industry in the US of A. If the things about Hubbard Ive read are even half true, it doesnt take long to see why he had it in for psychiatry, his personality reads like a long list of symptoms of mind illness. There are not so many scientologists, or nations wedded to scientology, to give them the power that quite a few religions enjoy. If a presidential candidate attacked them, he would not lose his base. Kids arent indoctrinated about them in schools, arent taught to tollerate them, or to see their beliefs as less crazy and creepy, or more 'genuinely spiritual', whatever that means. They havent got the 'one god' thing going for them. I know sci-fi has gone down well in recent decades, boy how I dont miss the 90's alien conspiracy obsessions for example, but its not yet proven to be a sound foundation for a credible modern religion. I dont know of any other religions that have questionnaires that ask whether you speak slowly. One thing they do have in common with other religions is being involved in the drug rehab business. I dont know much about their program, the wikipedia entry makes interesting reading. My favorite religious drug rehab story was
[videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
I interviewed two 'anonymous' guys in Boston today, who were handing out flyers on Newbury street. Streamed it live via Qik. Here's the blog post the archived video: http://offonatangent.blogspot.com/2008/02/anonymous-scientology-protest- preview.html or http://tinyurl.com/2dsd9a --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Andrew Baron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This Sunday there will be an amazing protest of Scientology by the Anonymous group. If anyone in the US can make it out to capture some footage in your own locale and would be willing to sync up, please email me off-list. Thanks! Map of Protests around the country http://harbl.wetfish.net/cosplay/ Anonymous makes it on to NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18764756
[videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
Just a reminder about 11am on Sunday around the world. Would love to see some footage from anyone who can make it out. Ive been reading the forums and here in NYC it looks like its going to be huge, I cant believe how many people are participating. Andrew On Feb 7, 2008 7:42 PM, Andrew Baron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This Sunday there will be an amazing protest of Scientology by the Anonymous group. If anyone in the US can make it out to capture some footage in your own locale and would be willing to sync up, please email me off-list. Thanks! Map of Protests around the country http://harbl.wetfish.net/cosplay/ Anonymous makes it on to NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18764756 The anti-Scientology group Anonymous told NBC11 Monday it expected more than 300,000 people to join protests worldwide on Feb. 10th at 11am. The campaign is going amazingly -- swimmingly at the moment. We are in the organizational stages, a woman who would not give her name told NBC11. We are having members of Anonymous from all over the world join the protest at their local church of Scientology at 11 a.m. local time. Other people claiming to be members of Anonymous told NBC11 that the actual number of Scientology protesters worldwide will not reach 300,000. The actual number of people who show up for the rallies could be much less, they said. The group members said out of the 24 time zones, there are 17 that have Churches of Scientology. Of the 24 time zones there are 17 that have a church located in them and we believe our protesting is happening in 15 of those 17, said the group member. We have a map that people can log in to and say what protest they're going to at the current moment. At last count we expect 300,000 at all the protests. Everyone in the world is invited. We're trying to get support from local organizations. Anonymous claims the Church of Scientology forces members to have abortions as well as sign over their bank accounts. We think it's wrong that they have tax exempt status, the member told NBC11. We want to to see if we can get that looked into by the IRS -- who ever we can gain the ear of. Are they really a religious organization or a business? The member of Anonymous said her organization is attempting to change its approach because it first gained attention as a group of hackers and pranksters. The group said it now plans to engage in activities that fight against Scientology, but are not considered illegal by the U.S. government. The member told NBC11 that she is not an actual hacker herself, but rather someone providing other means of support to Anonymous. The member said Anonymous is planning to hold large monthly protests against Scientology at its churches each month until May. She said the group is drawing up plans for more protests after that. The group member said Anonymous would hold another large protest two days after church founder L. Ron Hubbard's birthday on March 15. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
Whoa...there's going to be 2 protests here in Cedar Rapids!? I didnt even know there was a Scientology Church here. I'll be venturing out there Sunday to get this on video! David http://www.davidhowellstudios.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Jay dedman [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: wow. we'll be in LA sunday. id love to see what they pull off. Jay On Feb 7, 2008 7:42 PM, Andrew Baron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This Sunday there will be an amazing protest of Scientology by the Anonymous group. If anyone in the US can make it out to capture some footage in your own locale and would be willing to sync up, please email me off-list. Thanks! Map of Protests around the country http://harbl.wetfish.net/cosplay/ Anonymous makes it on to NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18764756 The anti-Scientology group Anonymous told NBC11 Monday it expected more than 300,000 people to join protests worldwide on Feb. 10th at 11am. The campaign is going amazingly -- swimmingly at the moment. We are in the organizational stages, a woman who would not give her name told NBC11. We are having members of Anonymous from all over the world join the protest at their local church of Scientology at 11 a.m. local time. Other people claiming to be members of Anonymous told NBC11 that the actual number of Scientology protesters worldwide will not reach 300,000. The actual number of people who show up for the rallies could be much less, they said. The group members said out of the 24 time zones, there are 17 that have Churches of Scientology. Of the 24 time zones there are 17 that have a church located in them and we believe our protesting is happening in 15 of those 17, said the group member. We have a map that people can log in to and say what protest they're going to at the current moment. At last count we expect 300,000 at all the protests. Everyone in the world is invited. We're trying to get support from local organizations. Anonymous claims the Church of Scientology forces members to have abortions as well as sign over their bank accounts. We think it's wrong that they have tax exempt status, the member told NBC11. We want to to see if we can get that looked into by the IRS -- who ever we can gain the ear of. Are they really a religious organization or a business? The member of Anonymous said her organization is attempting to change its approach because it first gained attention as a group of hackers and pranksters. The group said it now plans to engage in activities that fight against Scientology, but are not considered illegal by the U.S. government. The member told NBC11 that she is not an actual hacker herself, but rather someone providing other means of support to Anonymous. The member said Anonymous is planning to hold large monthly protests against Scientology at its churches each month until May. She said the group is drawing up plans for more protests after that. The group member said Anonymous would hold another large protest two days after church founder L. Ron Hubbard's birthday on March 15. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790 Professional: http://ryanishungry.com Personal: http://momentshowing.net Photos: http://flickr.com/photos/jaydedman/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/jaydedman RSS: http://tinyurl.com/yqgdt9
[videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
Oops. Nevermind. Just noticed that there arent Churches here. The red markers on that COS map are Anonymous members. *duh* My bad. David http://www.davidhowellstudios.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, David Howell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Whoa...there's going to be 2 protests here in Cedar Rapids!? I didnt even know there was a Scientology Church here. I'll be venturing out there Sunday to get this on video! David http://www.davidhowellstudios.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Jay dedman jay.dedman@ wrote: wow. we'll be in LA sunday. id love to see what they pull off. Jay On Feb 7, 2008 7:42 PM, Andrew Baron andrew@ wrote: This Sunday there will be an amazing protest of Scientology by the Anonymous group. If anyone in the US can make it out to capture some footage in your own locale and would be willing to sync up, please email me off-list. Thanks! Map of Protests around the country http://harbl.wetfish.net/cosplay/ Anonymous makes it on to NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18764756 The anti-Scientology group Anonymous told NBC11 Monday it expected more than 300,000 people to join protests worldwide on Feb. 10th at 11am. The campaign is going amazingly -- swimmingly at the moment. We are in the organizational stages, a woman who would not give her name told NBC11. We are having members of Anonymous from all over the world join the protest at their local church of Scientology at 11 a.m. local time. Other people claiming to be members of Anonymous told NBC11 that the actual number of Scientology protesters worldwide will not reach 300,000. The actual number of people who show up for the rallies could be much less, they said. The group members said out of the 24 time zones, there are 17 that have Churches of Scientology. Of the 24 time zones there are 17 that have a church located in them and we believe our protesting is happening in 15 of those 17, said the group member. We have a map that people can log in to and say what protest they're going to at the current moment. At last count we expect 300,000 at all the protests. Everyone in the world is invited. We're trying to get support from local organizations. Anonymous claims the Church of Scientology forces members to have abortions as well as sign over their bank accounts. We think it's wrong that they have tax exempt status, the member told NBC11. We want to to see if we can get that looked into by the IRS -- who ever we can gain the ear of. Are they really a religious organization or a business? The member of Anonymous said her organization is attempting to change its approach because it first gained attention as a group of hackers and pranksters. The group said it now plans to engage in activities that fight against Scientology, but are not considered illegal by the U.S. government. The member told NBC11 that she is not an actual hacker herself, but rather someone providing other means of support to Anonymous. The member said Anonymous is planning to hold large monthly protests against Scientology at its churches each month until May. She said the group is drawing up plans for more protests after that. The group member said Anonymous would hold another large protest two days after church founder L. Ron Hubbard's birthday on March 15. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790 Professional: http://ryanishungry.com Personal: http://momentshowing.net Photos: http://flickr.com/photos/jaydedman/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/jaydedman RSS: http://tinyurl.com/yqgdt9
Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
I think it's weird that so many people are up in arms over Scientology, when other religions have been practicing equally cult-like behavior for centuries. And the fact that this 'anonymous' group is most concerned over their tax-free status is hilarious. Look how much money the Catholic church pulls in every year, tax-free. I'm not making a judgement call, just stating the obvious here. Scientology is like any other successful business/religion. They found their target audience, aggressively marketed to them, and are reaping the benefits. Celebrities are already so full of themselves, how could a religion that proclaims them to be God possibly fail to get their attention? -- *Adam Quirk* / Producer, Wreck Salvage LLC / [EMAIL PROTECTED] /+1 551.208.4644 (m) / imbullemhead (aim) On Feb 8, 2008 3:47 PM, David Meade [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There's some here in Indy ... but I dunno if I want the scary Scientology people to be able to film me filming them filming the protest ... somehow I'm pretty sure that ends with me being tied to a chair in over lit basement room being forced to confess my deepest fears and flaws to an ash tray. - Dave -- http://www.DavidMeade.com On Feb 8, 2008 2:03 PM, David Howell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Oops. Nevermind. Just noticed that there arent Churches here. The red markers on that COS map are Anonymous members. *duh* My bad. David http://www.davidhowellstudios.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, David Howell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Whoa...there's going to be 2 protests here in Cedar Rapids!? I didnt even know there was a Scientology Church here. I'll be venturing out there Sunday to get this on video! David http://www.davidhowellstudios.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Jay dedman jay.dedman@ wrote: wow. we'll be in LA sunday. id love to see what they pull off. Jay On Feb 7, 2008 7:42 PM, Andrew Baron andrew@ wrote: This Sunday there will be an amazing protest of Scientology by the Anonymous group. If anyone in the US can make it out to capture some footage in your own locale and would be willing to sync up, please email me off-list. Thanks! Map of Protests around the country http://harbl.wetfish.net/cosplay/ Anonymous makes it on to NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18764756 The anti-Scientology group Anonymous told NBC11 Monday it expected more than 300,000 people to join protests worldwide on Feb. 10th at 11am. The campaign is going amazingly -- swimmingly at the moment. We are in the organizational stages, a woman who would not give her name told NBC11. We are having members of Anonymous from all over the world join the protest at their local church of Scientology at 11 a.m. local time. Other people claiming to be members of Anonymous told NBC11 that the actual number of Scientology protesters worldwide will not reach 300,000. The actual number of people who show up for the rallies could be much less, they said. The group members said out of the 24 time zones, there are 17 that have Churches of Scientology. Of the 24 time zones there are 17 that have a church located in them and we believe our protesting is happening in 15 of those 17, said the group member. We have a map that people can log in to and say what protest they're going to at the current moment. At last count we expect 300,000 at all the protests. Everyone in the world is invited. We're trying to get support from local organizations. Anonymous claims the Church of Scientology forces members to have abortions as well as sign over their bank accounts. We think it's wrong that they have tax exempt status, the member told NBC11. We want to to see if we can get that looked into by the IRS -- who ever we can gain the ear of. Are they really a religious organization or a business? The member of Anonymous said her organization is attempting to change its approach because it first gained attention as a group of hackers and pranksters. The group said it now plans to engage in activities that fight against Scientology, but are not considered illegal by the U.S. government. The member told NBC11 that she is not an actual hacker herself, but rather someone providing other means of support to Anonymous. The member said Anonymous is planning to hold large monthly protests against Scientology at its churches each month until May. She said the group is drawing up plans for more protests after that. The group member said Anonymous would hold another large protest two days after church founder L.
Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
There's some here in Indy ... but I dunno if I want the scary Scientology people to be able to film me filming them filming the protest ... somehow I'm pretty sure that ends with me being tied to a chair in over lit basement room being forced to confess my deepest fears and flaws to an ash tray. - Dave -- http://www.DavidMeade.com On Feb 8, 2008 2:03 PM, David Howell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Oops. Nevermind. Just noticed that there arent Churches here. The red markers on that COS map are Anonymous members. *duh* My bad. David http://www.davidhowellstudios.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, David Howell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Whoa...there's going to be 2 protests here in Cedar Rapids!? I didnt even know there was a Scientology Church here. I'll be venturing out there Sunday to get this on video! David http://www.davidhowellstudios.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Jay dedman jay.dedman@ wrote: wow. we'll be in LA sunday. id love to see what they pull off. Jay On Feb 7, 2008 7:42 PM, Andrew Baron andrew@ wrote: This Sunday there will be an amazing protest of Scientology by the Anonymous group. If anyone in the US can make it out to capture some footage in your own locale and would be willing to sync up, please email me off-list. Thanks! Map of Protests around the country http://harbl.wetfish.net/cosplay/ Anonymous makes it on to NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18764756 The anti-Scientology group Anonymous told NBC11 Monday it expected more than 300,000 people to join protests worldwide on Feb. 10th at 11am. The campaign is going amazingly -- swimmingly at the moment. We are in the organizational stages, a woman who would not give her name told NBC11. We are having members of Anonymous from all over the world join the protest at their local church of Scientology at 11 a.m. local time. Other people claiming to be members of Anonymous told NBC11 that the actual number of Scientology protesters worldwide will not reach 300,000. The actual number of people who show up for the rallies could be much less, they said. The group members said out of the 24 time zones, there are 17 that have Churches of Scientology. Of the 24 time zones there are 17 that have a church located in them and we believe our protesting is happening in 15 of those 17, said the group member. We have a map that people can log in to and say what protest they're going to at the current moment. At last count we expect 300,000 at all the protests. Everyone in the world is invited. We're trying to get support from local organizations. Anonymous claims the Church of Scientology forces members to have abortions as well as sign over their bank accounts. We think it's wrong that they have tax exempt status, the member told NBC11. We want to to see if we can get that looked into by the IRS -- who ever we can gain the ear of. Are they really a religious organization or a business? The member of Anonymous said her organization is attempting to change its approach because it first gained attention as a group of hackers and pranksters. The group said it now plans to engage in activities that fight against Scientology, but are not considered illegal by the U.S. government. The member told NBC11 that she is not an actual hacker herself, but rather someone providing other means of support to Anonymous. The member said Anonymous is planning to hold large monthly protests against Scientology at its churches each month until May. She said the group is drawing up plans for more protests after that. The group member said Anonymous would hold another large protest two days after church founder L. Ron Hubbard's birthday on March 15. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -- http://jaydedman.com 917 371 6790 Professional: http://ryanishungry.com Personal: http://momentshowing.net Photos: http://flickr.com/photos/jaydedman/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/jaydedman RSS: http://tinyurl.com/yqgdt9 Yahoo! Groups Links
Re: [videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
Having watched Steve Fishman's video deposition in full, I can no longer support this point of view. I guess I should first off mention that I have no love for the Catholic church in its current incarnation, so even given what I'm about to say, there is no inherent hypocrisy. There are three problems I see with Scientology. The first one is something Steve Fishman refers to as spiritual informed consent. The Catholic church is, for the most part, transparent. It's easy to know what you'll be getting yourself into if you want to join their program. The curricula for first mass are pretty easy to find, the theology is covered through a number of public documents, and the plan for your life is something the Catholic church encourages you to know. Scientology does not practice this. Scientology declares you as ill and claims that they will make you well. The methods by which they will do this, however, are incredibly secretive. The steps to your becoming a Clear are not laid out for you completely for you to examine and decide. Everything is given to you one grade at a time and must be accepted as absolute authority. This is the only path to becoming truly mentally and spiritually healthy allowed under Scientology. To paraphrase Fishman, this does not allow you informed consent. If a doctor tells you you're sick and require a surgery to become well, he also has to tell you what the surgery is, what effects you can expect, what the risks are, and you also retain the freedom to get a second opinion. This isn't offered on the Bridge, and it's a feature that isn't all that common in religions anymore. It's actually far more akin to groups like the Masons or the OTO, and they've come under a great deal of fire as a result. In fact, the Masons have been on a campaign of making themselves as transparent as possible so that they can show they're really a friendly society no different from the Moose, Elks, or Oddfellows. The next problem has to do with the way in which those who leave Scientology are treated. Try leaving the Catholic church today and see how hard it is. Sure, you might be treated by some as being on the path to perdition, but how many private investigators are going to follow you around and document your behavior? Will you be monitored for signs that you're criticizing the Catholic church? Will the Catholic church attempt to destroy your reputation if you speak out against them? I think not. The third problem is the direct criminal behavior they use to further their goals. Fishman, despite a Church of Scientology smear campaign, has reasonably demonstrated that the Church of Scientology trained him to commit the forms of fraud for which he was found guilty. Furthermore, the obstruction of justice charge against him was due to actions his Scientology Ethics Officer instructed him to do. This is to say nothing of famous moments in the Church of Scientology such as Operation Snow White, during which they attempted to frame the mayor of Clearwater, FL for hit-and-run charges. The government infiltration was vast. Mary Sue Hubbard went to prison over it. There were even attempts to petition the UN to have some enemies of the Church of Scientology accused of genocide. Now, it's true that the Catholic church has committed atrocities. Heck...there's even reason to believe they were tacit during the Holocaust. But it's important to understand that I wasn't alive during those times and, if I were, I'd have found their behavior atrocious and I'd be protesting them. This is the modern age, and I see no reason why this level of behavior is tolerated in a civil and democratic society. Bad behavior from the Catholic church is no longer tolerated, either, and I think it's fair to call out bad behavior when it happens. -- Rhett. I think it's weird that so many people are up in arms over Scientology, when other religions have been practicing equally cult-like behavior for centuries. And the fact that this 'anonymous' group is most concerned over their tax-free status is hilarious. Look how much money the Catholic church pulls in every year, tax-free. I'm not making a judgement call, just stating the obvious here. Scientology is like any other successful business/religion. They found their target audience, aggressively marketed to them, and are reaping the benefits. Celebrities are already so full of themselves, how could a religion that proclaims them to be God possibly fail to get their attention? -- *Adam Quirk* / Producer, Wreck Salvage LLC / [EMAIL PROTECTED] /+1 551.208.4644 (m) / imbullemhead (aim) On Feb 8, 2008 3:47 PM, David Meade [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There's some here in Indy ... but I dunno if I want the scary Scientology people to be able to film me filming them filming the protest ... somehow I'm pretty sure that ends with me being tied to a chair in over lit basement room being forced to confess my deepest fears and flaws to an
[videoblogging] Re: National Protests of Scientology by Anonymous this Sunday
I reckon its because: Unlike other religions it has a more blatant business model involving charging for access to their version of the holy scriptures. It doesnt have the benefit of hundreds or thousands of years to obscure the origins of the texts. Having been a science fiction author does not help L Ron Hubbards score on the prophet credibility benchmark ;) They have a very aggressive policy towards those that are against their faith, L Rons paranoia influenced his creation rather a lot it seems. Still they are more likely to send you a threatening legal letter than tie you to a chair ;) They attack psychiatry in a very direct manner, and psychiatry is, along with the associated drugs, a large and protected industry in the US of A. If the things about Hubbard Ive read are even half true, it doesnt take long to see why he had it in for psychiatry, his personality reads like a long list of symptoms of mind illness. There are not so many scientologists, or nations wedded to scientology, to give them the power that quite a few religions enjoy. If a presidential candidate attacked them, he would not lose his base. Kids arent indoctrinated about them in schools, arent taught to tollerate them, or to see their beliefs as less crazy and creepy, or more 'genuinely spiritual', whatever that means. They havent got the 'one god' thing going for them. I know sci-fi has gone down well in recent decades, boy how I dont miss the 90's alien conspiracy obsessions for example, but its not yet proven to be a sound foundation for a credible modern religion. I dont know of any other religions that have questionnaires that ask whether you speak slowly. One thing they do have in common with other religions is being involved in the drug rehab business. I dont know much about their program, the wikipedia entry makes interesting reading. My favorite religious drug rehab story was about some other, more established church that benefitted from Bush's Faith Based initiatives thing. They were supposed to be treating some people, and got busted because they were actually making them work as telesales callers promoting the faith. I got myself a satellite dish so I could look at all the religious channels that have emerged in recent years in the UK. Well, scientology aint the only religious business thats for sure. Mmm there are some good Frank Zappa songs about this sort of thing, Im off to listen to some. Just remember, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster will set you free. Pastafarianism, hehe. Cheers Steve Elbows --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Adam Quirk [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think it's weird that so many people are up in arms over Scientology, when other religions have been practicing equally cult-like behavior for centuries. And the fact that this 'anonymous' group is most concerned over their tax-free status is hilarious. Look how much money the Catholic church pulls in every year, tax-free. I'm not making a judgement call, just stating the obvious here. Scientology is like any other successful business/religion. They found their target audience, aggressively marketed to them, and are reaping the benefits. Celebrities are already so full of themselves, how could a religion that proclaims them to be God possibly fail to get their attention? -- *Adam Quirk* / Producer, Wreck Salvage LLC / [EMAIL PROTECTED] /+1 551.208.4644 (m) / imbullemhead (aim) On Feb 8, 2008 3:47 PM, David Meade [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There's some here in Indy ... but I dunno if I want the scary Scientology people to be able to film me filming them filming the protest ... somehow I'm pretty sure that ends with me being tied to a chair in over lit basement room being forced to confess my deepest fears and flaws to an ash tray. - Dave -- http://www.DavidMeade.com On Feb 8, 2008 2:03 PM, David Howell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Oops. Nevermind. Just noticed that there arent Churches here. The red markers on that COS map are Anonymous members. *duh* My bad. David http://www.davidhowellstudios.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, David Howell taoofdavid@ wrote: Whoa...there's going to be 2 protests here in Cedar Rapids!? I didnt even know there was a Scientology Church here. I'll be venturing out there Sunday to get this on video! David http://www.davidhowellstudios.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Jay dedman jay.dedman@ wrote: wow. we'll be in LA sunday. id love to see what they pull off. Jay On Feb 7, 2008 7:42 PM, Andrew Baron andrew@ wrote: This Sunday there will be an amazing protest of Scientology by the Anonymous group. If anyone in the US can make it out to capture some footage in your own locale and would be willing to sync up, please email me off-list.
