Davis, you may be interested in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJu-j4aa90Q where the niece of David Miscavige (current head of Scientology) relates exactly how badly she was treated within the organization as a child on ABC’s Nightline.

or perhaps http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7922220836261464038 a BBC documentary on Scientology which shows in detail just how low the “church” is willing to stoop to suppress the truth.

Are those reliable enough sources for you?

“I think that the protections that we enjoy for freedom of worship exist
so long as we don’t step over the line. When religious worship and
belief cross over into things like fraud, victimization of others and
the disruption of the political arena, that protection is no longer
appropriate.”

–Robert Goff
Professor Emeritus, UCSC

It’s not about the minutia of nomenclature - whether it’s a ‘bona fide religion’ or a cult - but it’s about abuses of people and the law while hiding behind the cloak of religion.

As to the ‘bona fide’ - the IRS gave US Scientology a nonprofit church status after 40 years of constant litigation. Scientology *written policy* demands dirty tricks to attempt to silence or cower those who might question it. The point, however, is that the IRS is not the arbiter of ‘religiosity.’ Just tax exemption.

Scientology? That’s the bastards that made Isaac Hayes quit South Park.

You can only walk through walls once you have given enough. Pay attention.

If you think one politician in bed with Scientology is bad, check out the National Federation of Women Legislators at
http://www.womenlegislators.org/about/board.php

The Treasurer, Bruce Wiseman is the head of CCHR. Other Scientology connections are strong in this organization.

Scientology and its daughter cult are just plain evil. They ruin lives and sometimes kill people outright.

NOOOOOO!

I sent an email to Rep. Hoskins, I hope everyone else does the same.

Very well done to mister Hoskins.
Psychiatry is just trying to label any person with some “mental disorder” so they can “treat” them … and get $$$$$$$$$
Visit
http://www.cchr.org
http://www.scientology.org

Mr. Hoskins,

We would like to know how you were solicited to speak at this event. Were you informed at the time, that this group was affiliated with Scientology? Were you offered incentives, monetary or otherwise?

How much research did you or your staff do regarding this organization prior to your acceptance of this role?

You owe it to your constituents that you be fully informed of the organization you are now associating yourself with.

From what I’ve gathered it seems that Mr. Hoskins was unaware of the link between the event and scientology, holocaust revisionism, etc, and was simply turning up to speak rather than support the cause. Hopefully in the future more research will be done into what is involved in such meetings, though of course one hardly expects a friendly invitation to an event, then to be unknowingly used as a promoter for an event that attacks one group, whilst simultanously “supporting” another that’s been found guilty of multiple human rights offenses: (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/kent/religion.html#psych - not entirely an unbiased viewpoint, but more well researched than many articles.)

I am glad to hear that Mr Hoskins is now (after some concerned calls about this event) more informed about the event and claims he was completely unaware that they planned to advertise he was going to be at this event. He is now becoming even more informed about the organization who he has been asked to speak for.