

For those of you who didn’t see it posted in the comments last night by a vigilant reader, we’re going to put up the interview we did yesterday with Ethan McKinley.

Ethan’s an actor in London who told us that he hit upon the idea of making videos and podcasts as a way to meet and talk to interesting people while he’s working on getting new roles. What a smart lad he is. He’s talked to some really fascinating people, and he was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about Scientology.

This was a nice warmup for us. Tonight we’ll be doing a two hour show with Ed Opperman for his Opperman Report. Ed’s a private investigator, so we’ll be interested to see what he thinks about Scientology’s hijinks with private eyes.

Until then, here’s the segment with Ethan McKinley…








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The NAFC refiles its massive lawsuit against Scientology

As promised, the National Association of Forensic Counselors refiled its massive lawsuit alleging trademark violations against Scientology, its leader David Miscavige, and 38 other defendants.

This is the lawsuit, you’ll remember, that accuses Scientology and its drug rehab network, Narconon, of misusing the NAFC’s logo and making false claims that its employees had received NAFC certifications in order to convince the public that Narconon’s employees are properly licensed as drug counselors.

The NAFC and its president, Karla Taylor, had originally filed its lawsuit against 82 defendants in Oklahoma, because that’s where Scientology has its flagship rehab facility, Narconon Arrowhead. But Miscavige successfully argued that he should be dropped from the lawsuit because he lives and works primarily in California, and the NAFC is in Indiana, so he should not be a party to a lawsuit filed in a third, and unrelated state, Oklahoma.

So now, NAFC has refiled against Miscavige in its home state of Indiana, and with the help of the Indianapolis law firm of Saeed and Little. That name should be familiar — Jonathan Little handles numerous lawsuits against Narconon, and was featured in yesterday’s blog post.

So give the new complaint a look and let us know if you spot anything that strikes you as particularly interesting.

NAFC v. Scientology; New complaint filed in Indiana



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Scientology in Ireland stays barely alive

Ireland continues to be one of the very few countries in the world that forces Scientology to open its books every year and show detailed information about its financial health, and the new annual report became available yesterday. The Irish Times put a very generous headline on its write-up, making it sound like Scientology was actually gaining ground.

The truth is, Scientology in Ireland is still a meager thing, with only one mission operating, in Dublin. And the mission is running a deficit in its members’ fund of €173,000. But in the twelve months ending in April 2015, it had received €86,716 in donations from its members, up from the 2014 total of €49,138.

We’re sure David Miscavige will be thrilled.

“I doubt that this increase in ‘donations’ represents any genuine expansion, rather their existing membership redoing old Bridge steps as per Golden Age of Tech 2,” says Pete Griffiths, who keeps a close watch on Scientology in Ireland.

Said the Times… “The organisation, which lists its principal activities as ‘the operation of a church and the provision of religious services,’ recorded a full-year deficit after providing for depreciation of €19. This compared with a deficit of €35,594 in 2014.”

But perhaps our favorite bit was this paragraph…

In terms of possible risks that might impact on the company’s financial position, the directors listed “uncertainty of continued services due to general society problems.”

Ah, that’s Scientology for certain. If people aren’t signing up for services, it’s not Scientology’s fault!



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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 26, 2016 at 07:00

E-mail tips and story ideas to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information about the book, and our 2015 book tour, can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…

BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward

UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists

GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice

SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts

Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…

Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield