It was bound to happen sooner or later, high-profile figure suffers health problems while undergoing a Scientology "treatment."
The Albuquerque Journal featured a story about boxing champion Johnny Tapia, who was sent to Albuquerque's state-funded Second Chance program.
Second Chance is basically the same thing as Narconon, only with inmates as its target. It involves taking Scientology courses as well as their "Purification Rundown," a bit of Hubbardian junk science that has been reviewed and discarded as nonsense by legitimate medical personnel.
The Purification Rundown is a Scientology detox treatment invented by science fiction writer/college dropout L. Ron Hubbard. Involving toxic doses of niacin coupled with dangerously long sauna sessions, it can result in permanent liver damage and blindness from the levels of niacin administered. Yet, somehow, programs which include this debunked "therapy" are still getting the green light from legislators who are either uninformed, ignorant, or under Scientology influence. When an organization worth billions of dollars has your ear, you might listen to the sound of donations piling up in your campaign chest.
Or, you might be too damned busy to look past the brightly colored, glossy brochures extolling the virtues of the program. Either way, the taxpayers lose, and scofflaws are involuntarily forced into exposure to Scientology teachings and potentially dangerous quackery.
Tapia was sent to Second Chance by court order. The Journal reports, "Former boxing champion Johnny Tapia has been released from a drug-rehab program because of a medical problem that complicates his treatment, Assistant District Attorney Mark Drebing said Friday."
Of course, we won't hear what the exact nature of the medical problem really is, but might it be due to spending 5 hours in a sauna while slurping down cooking oil and toxic doses of niacin?
Assistant District Attorney Drebing had this to say, "It's not that he wasn't doing well," Drebing said. "It was just that some health issues were raised and because of (some treatment conflicts) with the program, alternatives are being looked into."
Treatment conflicts? Tapia has a seventeen year record of problems with cocaine. Chronic users of cocaine and other other substances often suffer liver damage and are not in the best of health to begin with. So why are Albuquerque courts assigning addicts to this medically unsound, thoroughly debunked Scientology quackfest?
It is astonishing that a program like Second Chance would even be allowed to get its hands on these vulnerable people, let alone spend public money to fund it.
Scientology seems to have focused on the Four Corner states in its attempt to install its programs in state prisons and court systems.
Utah, Arizona and Nevada rejected them. One out of three isn't bad, considering New Mexico is the state that spent money on talking urinal cakes to warn bar patrons not to drink and drive. Perhaps it's no surprise that New Mexico fell for the glib claims of Second Chance success. These claims are easily disproven, for they contain inaccurate, misleading and outright false information, coupled with anectdotal meaningless testimonials.
The lack of effort spent in researching critical information on these Scientology front groups is a serious problem at legislative levels. These are the people who determine whether or not a program gets the green light and thousands of green dollars.
The best sources of critical information are easily found on the web with a google search. Scientology knows this, and does its best to get these critical sites taken down, with little success. Once in a while, it does manage, but by the time it does, the information is already "out there" on the web.
A good recent example of this is outlined on Chilling Effects. In this case, the ruling body of Scientology, the Religious Technology Center, or RTC, sent a complaint to Google about copyrighted information being posted.
In the complaint, RTC's legal team states, "We also represent Bridge Publications, Inc. ("BPI"), exclusive licensee of the copyrights to the published works of the Scientology religion, which includes the work, "Purification Rundown Case Data Purification Rundown Case Data," registration number TX 1 328 179, and "The Nature of a Being," registration number TX 3-090-515."
This is valuable as confirmation that the material posted is genuine.
And it's little wonder that the "church" of Scientology would not want this information available to outsiders. Take this little gem, for example:
"The Purification Rundown is a Spiritual activity based on and administered according to the doctrine and practices of the religion of Scientology as set forth in the writings of L. Ron Hubbard and adopted by the Church. No part of the Rundown is intended as the diagnosis, prescription for, or treatment of any bodily or physical condition or ill."
I would like to ask the Albuquerque District Attorney why a program that includes a "spiritual activity" in a way contraindicated by church documents themselves is being utilized and court mandated in this manner.
"No part of the Rundown is intended as the diagnosis, prescription for, or treatment of any bodily or physical condition or ill."
Is this sentence incomprehensible? The Purification Rundown is used by Narconon, Criminon, Second Chance and the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project. Hundreds of naive, hopeful people have had their health put at risk by placing trust in a Scientology front group! Others are put at risk by judges who either support the program or know little about it.
Here it is, right from the source! "No part of the Rundown is intended as the diagnosis, prescription for, or treatment of any bodily or physical condition or ill."
Yet this is precisely what they're using in their "secular" programs! This sentence cannot say it any plainer, it's a religious ritual which does nothing.
Despite all the solid evidence weighing against the Purification Rundown, the cult still manages to scrape up supporters for it.
Last year it was reported that NYC councilwoman Margarita Lopez shoveled over $600,000 of public money into the NY Rescue Workers Detoxification Project, which opened to great fanfare when Tom Cruise arrived to promote it.
The current New Yorker shilling for this front group is
Councilman Hiram Monserrate, who seems to think it's the best thing since crunchy peanut butter. Who doesn't think that a regimen of toxic vitamins is a Good Thing for rescue workers exposed to potentially dangerous substances? Show of hands? (it should be noted here that, in keeping with Scientology beliefs about pharmaceutical drugs, firemen have reported being urged to quit taking any medication they might be on. Can you say "practicing medicine without a license?")
The best way to fight this fraud is by informing yourself and your local government. Scientology is very good at influencing the naive, ignorant and greedy. They invite "opinion leaders" to glitzy events.
They have front groups bestow awards on those they would like to cultivate. And then, they trot out their stable of celebrities! Like some lurking online pedophile, they groom the naive, become their friend and advisor.
This isn't a religious issue. It's simply an issue of a powerful cult selling a fraudulent product to suck up public money, while using that opportunity to indoctrinate and recruit new members.
Cult spokespersons deny that there is any link between Scientology and these secular front group programs, despite the fact that the elements used are identical to the courses purchased by practicing Scientologists. This is a blatant and easily disprovable lie.
You've got to wonder, what keeps these politicians from seeking the truth about the Purification Rundown and Scientology?
Are they afraid Tom Cruise will no longer take their calls?
