Scientology Blowout: Commenters of the Week!

Yet another week has gone by, and this one did not disappoint. Just a few hours after we posted last week’s best comments, we were caught up in the exciting story of Placido Domingo Jr., who talked to us Saturday night about Scientology’s “scary and pathetic” retaliation against him.

On Monday, we unleashed a movie that immortalizes “Captain Bill” Robertson singing his ode to the “Galactic Patrol.” That night, Janet Reitman read from her book Inside Scientology at Half King in Chelsea, and we had a report the next day. On Wednesday, we updated our story about the spying operation that targeted Marc Headley with additional Scientology intelligence documents from former OSA operative Frank Oliver.

On Thursday, we had a double treat: first, an interview with former Scientology spy Nancy Many (who had some intriguing tidbits about Jerry Seinfeld’s stint in the church), and then we posted an inspiring fundraising video from Scientology’s Phoenix “org.” (Unfortunately, it looks like the church decided to take down the video rather than share its awesome money-making secrets.) On Friday, we brought an interesting update to the Squirrel Busters’ “I’m on a boat” video — a response from the Squirrel Busters themselves! And finally, earlier today we posted another intimidation video from South Texas and also helped Scientology get the word out that it doesn’t appreciate Reitman’s book.

Is that a week or what? And as busy as we were, our commenters didn’t fall down on the job either. Let’s look at the salvos we thought best hit the mark.

First, from the remarkable story of Placido Domingo Jr., who told us how angry he was that Scientology would retaliate after he refused to “disconnect” from his ex-wife (the mother of his three daughters), we have this reaction from “JustCallMeMary”:

Tell the humble Placido Jr that he’s got a new music fan, whether he likes it or not, lol. I went this morning to iTunes and listened to him sing the English version of ‘My Grown Up Christmas List’ and, wow, what an amazing voice he has. So, as a result of this article, about his leaving Scientology out of loyalty to his family, I was led to go and find out more about him and listen to his music. A natural consequence if you ask me.

After we posted Captain Bill Robertson’s operatic song, “Galactic Patrol,” we couldn’t help getting a chuckle out of this reaction from “DMSTCC”:

That inspiring song cured my constipation. My first win?

One of the images that popped up during the movie of Robertson’s song was a familiar one of L. Ron Hubbard hooking up a tomato plant to an e-meter. Scientology defender “Mark Miglio” took us off on an interesting tangent, telling his theory about how plants actually do communicate:

What I have decided (and I hope this is true) is that plants are willing to make a sacrifice to us (as a needful source of food)… it’s their way of making a contribution to the life force. All that we should do (my personal feeling) is that we should to try to be as nice as possible (or sensible) to them until that time that we take them to our plates.

Well, that was food for thought, certainly. In regards to the Phoenix fundraising video (which, alas, appears to be taken down), several of us dug this response by “The Guest”:

I’m a professional Scientology translator. It took them 1:52 to say one true thing: “We’re in the Final Throes”

Reacting to the chuckles so many of us were getting at the Phoenix org’s expense, we got this jab in the ribs from “Mike”:

So I guess your “critical thinking” regarding the anti-Scientology movement has been reduced to making fun of people who are doing what they believe in.

A fair point, perhaps. But “Scientia” came right back with this rejoinder…

Says a guy whose “church” uses a logo of an ex-member’s head stuck on the body of a squirrel.

And finally, in response to today’s video of “Anna” questioning Marty Rathbun’s wife Monique at their Corpus Christi home, there was this popular reaction by Mark Stark:

For Xenu’s sake Scientology cult members, leave Monique alone! It is my understanding that this “Anna” character may have been put on this mission because she’s doing “amends” to get back in the good graces of the cult. Maybe that’s why she was fairly laid back compared to the Squirrel Busters. However, thanks for posting this. I’m hoping that some of the people harassing wives, employers, neighbors of ex-members like this, will feel pressure from the public exposure, and take a good, hard look at what they are showing the world about themselves and the organization they represent.

Thanks again for the spirited comments, whatever angle you’re coming from. Keep it up!

As for this week, after Monday our posting may be a little light as our other duties take us out of our fortified underground bunker for a while. But remain vigilant! You never know when we’re going to receive new instructions from our overlords on Marcab!

@VoiceTonyO

Click here to see all recent Scientology coverage at the Voice

Tony Ortega is the editor-in-chief of The Village Voice. Since 1995, he’s been writing about Scientology at several publications. Among his other stories about L. Ron Hubbard’s organization:

The Larry Wollersheim Saga — Scientology Finally Pays For Its Fraud
The Tory Bezazian (Christman) Story — How the Internet Saved A Scientologist From Herself
The Jason Beghe Defection — A Scientology Celebrity Goes Rogue
The Paul Haggis Ultimatum — The ‘Crash’ Director Tells Scientology to Shove It
The Marc Headley Escape — ‘Tom Cruise Told Me to Talk to a Bottle’
The Jefferson Hawkins Stipulation — Scientology’s former PR genius comes clean
The Daniel Montalvo Double-Cross — Scientology lures a young defector into a trap
A Church Myth Debunked — Scientology and Proposition 8
Daniel Montalvo Strikes Back — Scientology Hit with Stunning Child-Labor Lawsuits
When Scientologists Attack — The Marty Rathbun Intimidation
A Scientologist Excommunicated — The Michael Fairman SP Declaration
The Richard Leiby Operation — Investigating a reporter’s divorce to shut him up
The Hugh Urban Investigation — An academic takes a harsh look at Scientology’s past
Giovanni Ribisi as David Koresh — A precedent for a Scientology-Branch Davidian link
Janet Reitman’s Inside Scientology — A masterful telling of Scientology’s history
The Western Spy Network Revealed? — Marty Rathbun ups the ante on David Miscavige
Scientology’s Enemies List — Are You On It?
Inside Inside Scientology — An interview with author Janet Reitman
Scientology and the Nation of Islam — Holy Doctrinal Mashup, Batman!
Scientologists — How Many of Them Are There, Anyway?
Roger Weller’s Wild Ride — Scientology When it was Hip
The Marc Headley Infiltration — A Scientology Spying Operation Revealed
Placido Domingo Jr: Scientology’s Retaliation is “Scary and Pathetic”
An Interview with Nancy Many, Former Scientology Spy