Congressional IQ

I don't write much about politics and when I do I keep it pretty even. I'm an independent and right now I am very glad that I am not a Republican or a Democrat.

Can you believe they actually passed that horrendous "bailout bill"? I'm sure all those poor suffering bank executives who made dumb investment decisions are breathing huge sighs of relief now that their buddy Hank Paulson (Treasury Secretary and the former boss of Goldman Sachs) has gotten $700 billion dollars out of the taxpayer and will soon be passing it on to them so they can temporarily prop up their ailing banks and investment companies.

It seems cronyism is not confined to people in government who used to work in the oil industry, it also extends to the financial sector.

What is even more of a wonder is that the majority of those voting for this piece of lunacy were Democrats. I could have sworn they were the ones who say they are against corporate welfare and that they are working for the poorer members of our society. Strange that they would vote for a bill that will put billions into the pockets of people with billions already in their pockets. Go figure.

Some of the truth about this monstrosity of a bill can be found here: Paulson's Reasons for Delaying Day of Reckoning. It's a shame more Congressmen didn't read it before voting.

Here is another interesting article. Ever wondered who owns the two people running for President? Here is your answer: The best candidates special interest money can buy or "Who Owns Whom?" (In case you don't go there and look, the top contributors to both candidates are the very financial institutions who will benefit from the $700 billion of taxpayer money that Congress just voted to give them).

Here is one of the few people in Congress who makes any sense, talking about this dumb bill: Congressman Ron Paul Responds to the 700B Bailout

Can you tell I'm just a bit pissed? I just finished my taxes for 2007 and all the money I'm paying it going to go to pay for stupid dumb-ass bills like this one.

Scientology in France

I just saw this: 50 Years of Scientology in France. I had no idea the church had been in France that long. The article has all sorts of info on Scientology in France, where the churches are, what sort of activities are going on. It's a great read.

Basic Scientology Books in Public Libraries

I just heard that as of a couple days ago, full packages of basic Scientology books have been sent out to 84,140 libraries all over the world. That means just 16,766 libraries remaining to have covered the entire world for those languages the books are currently available in.

So if you want to find out what Scientology really is you can go down to your local library and get a book.

The books I recommend for people new to the subject are:

• Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science - covers how the basic discoveries of Dianetics (science of the mind) was made. What earlier knowledge was used and what wasn't, etc. It's a fascinating journey and a great intro to the subject.


• Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health - from basic principles to exactly how to use it to help yourself and others. This is called "Book One" by Scientologists because it is the book that introduced the subject to the world. This book requires a bit more time and effort to read than Evolution of a Science.


• Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought - covers the basics knowledge and wisdom of Scientology. Learn about the basic principles and how you can use them to improve your life and the lives of others.


• Scientology: A New Slant on Life - essays by L. Ron Hubbard that cover the subject and how to use it in your life. You also get an insight into Ron's own viewpoints on life and how to deal with it.

So go to your library or click on the links above and buy online.

Weird ideas about Scientology

A friend of mine who is not a Scientologist recently encountered someone who claimed to be a member of "Anonymous". This person had even demonstrated outside a Scientology Church.

The subject came up when the person was critical of Star Trek because (according to him) it had been written by L. Ron Hubbard. When my friend told him that wasn't true the anonymite insisted it was.

Next he told my friend that Scientologists worship Dianetics or something to do with Dianetics (it was hard to understand what he was meaning). When my friend told him this was not correct he still insisted it was.

He said a bunch of other incorrect things, one of which is a misconception I've come across a lot in comments that have been made on my blog - he completely misunderstood the term "thetan". (I cover what it really means here: The Secrets of Scientology, the anonymite had the same weird "alien ghosts" idea that I cover in the linked post.)

The bottom line is that this anonymous guy has fallen into the same trap that people have been falling into for millennia: Someone doesn't like some other person or group so he tells lies about them and tries to make them seem weird so that others will help him to attack them.

Unfortunately there are many people out there who are easily led. When they encounter a group being demonized they just join in. If I were to be kind I would excuse them by saying that maybe they don't have any concept of history and how often this "demonizing" method has been used in the past or maybe they are not very bright and can't easily tell truth from lies. If I were to be less charitable then I would say it is just an excuse to unleash their hatred and if it wasn't Scientology then they'd find something else to attack.

But whatever the reason behind it, I would request of these people that they at least find out what they are attacking before they attack it.

Church of Scientology London Runs for Charity

The Church of Scientology of London put together a team that took part in the Bloomberg Square Mile Relay, an event that raises money for charity.

You can read all about it here: Church of Scientology London Takes Part in the Bloomberg Square Mile Relay.