Have you got what it takes to afford the Scientology good life?
Our readers are the best. We can’t get enough of all the wonderful things that readers send in which help us keep an eye on what the Church of Scientology is up to this very minute.
Let’s take a look at a few things that have come in recently. And let’s start with a familiar face: We’ve been interested in Freedom Medal winner and Queens dentist Bernard “Ben” Fialkoff for as long as we’ve had the Underground Bunker.
He’s a constant striver who never gives up. You may remember how he and his daughter Meghan won their Freedom Medals (Scientology’s highest award) for their infiltration of New York City schools, with the help of the NYPD, in order to spread L. Ron Hubbard’s quack theories about drugs to schoolchildren.
It’s been a little while since we heard from either of them. But now we’ve learned from Ben that he’s a “Platinum Humanitarian” for his donations to “Ideal Org” projects, which is $750,000 in giving and only one step below New Civilization Builder ($1 million). We also learned that he’s married to the lovely Maria Fialkoff, who is from Venezuela — is this new? And also, that he himself is originally from Cuba. He was born in Havana in 1954, and his family left in 1962 because the island had succumbed to, he says, “reactive mind suppression.”
Well, it’s good to get an update from Ben, and to see that he’s still forking out the big bucks to clear this planet.
Another reader forwarded to us an announcement from Scientology’s Clearwater spokeswoman Pat Harney that the public is invited to a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday.
“The community is invited to a celebration of the 95th Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr at the Scientology Information Center, 500 Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater on Monday, January 20th, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. The celebration will feature performances of famous Civil Rights songs from the ‘60’s by international singing sensation, Judy Bechar. Refreshments will be served.”
She also added, “Dr. King resolutely followed a non-violent path to equality and peace despite the bombings, assassinations and arrests that plagued America through years of racial discrimination. Within two years after Dr. King delivered his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, both the Civil Rights Act and Voting Act were signed into law, legally securing the freedoms Dr. King and civil rights activists fought for."
And just for good measure, she related this about Scientology’s founder: “Ten years before these acts were passed, L. Ron Hubbard, the Founder of the Scientology religion said, ‘…it isn't a case of whether or not it's good or whether or not it’s pleasant or whether or not it’s saintly for somebody to restore civil rights to somebody. It isn't that at all. It is a downright, absolute necessity if you are going to un-slave somebody.’”
Isn’t that special. Of course, we’re reminded of another time, at the end of 1960, when Hubbard gave a lecture in Washington DC after visiting South Africa, a lecture that the Church of Scientology doesn’t talk about so much these days.
Among the things Hubbard said that day…
“I’m not against the black man. As a matter of fact, I’m probably more friendly towards the black man than any person in this audience.”
“Right now you tell me, well, the government of South Africa does not permit the black man a vote. He doesn’t even know what a vote is!”
“Blacks kill off the Blacks. And all you’ve got to do is pull a stable government off the top of them and they promptly start killing each other off.”
“The present administration does not permit an Indian or a white tradesman in a Bantu area. Does that sound like oppression?”
“You can’t understand anything about the Bantu by understanding anything about the American black man. The American black man in the first place has been mixed with Indian and white blood over a period of a couple of centuries or less, but has actually been in close proximity to the white man and white land civilization for a century or two, you see.”
“As far from being a police state — they’re not even half as tough as the American cops.”
“I’d say they’ve got about 50 years to go before they get the South African Bantu up to the same status and level of civilization of the American Black.”
“The Bantu doesn’t register the same on an E-meter as a White, and I have had to start a whole program of research in addition to everything else I’ve been doing, trying to find out how to read a Bantu on an E-meter. Because he doesn’t operate like an American Negro or like a European.”
“I’m not actually trying to sell you the South African government. I could easily do so because I consider these men very able from what I have seen. They’re nice guys. I know them personally.”
“The press has ceased to be factual, has ceased to be a reporting medium and has become a propaganda media throughout the world.”
And historian Chris Owen, writing for us several years ago, found formerly confidential letters that Hubbard sent in 1966 to South African Prime Minister Henrik Verwoerd, trying to impress on him how much he (and Scientology) was down with the apartheid program. “I have over and over proven our loyalty to the Rightist cause,” Hubbard wrote.
If you go to Scientology’s celebration on Monday, you might ask Pat how the church feels about that today. Just a thought.
Another reader thought we’d be interested to see that Scientology is offering to make people ministers at their “theta ordination ceremonies.” Fun!
And another correspondent wanted us to know that Wicked Witch is now on Cameo and will record you a message for only a hundred bucks!
You might keep that in mind when you’re looking for something special to get someone for L. Ron Hubbard’s birthday, which isn’t too far off!
Thank you again to our great tipsters. And please keep it coming!
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For the full picture of what’s happening today in the world of Scientology, please join the conversation at tonyortega.org, where we’ve been reporting daily on David Miscavige’s cabal since 2012. There you’ll find additional stories, and our popular regular daily features:
Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history
Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea
Overheard in the Freezone: Indie Hubbardism, one thought at a time
Past is Prologue: From this week in history at alt.religion.scientology
Random Howdy: Your daily dose of the Captain
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"I’m not against the black man. As a matter of fact, I’m probably more friendly towards the black man than any person in this audience.”
....
"The press has ceased to be factual, has ceased to be a reporting medium and has become a propaganda media throughout the world.”
Serious question: Is Donald Trump a secret Scientologist or LRH fan?
(I could even hear DJT say that first one without changing a word.)
Very newsy. Becoming an ordained minister in the COS takes a few hours and is maybe free (well not if the regs can monetize it but pretty close).
I am an ordained minister. I could marry you if you want to marry in the church but do it outside the church from a disenfranchised member.
Hit me up, flowers and music are extra.