Anonymous is Legion!
- Posted by VRWCanon on February 10th, 2008 filed in General, Guest Posts, Internet, Politics, Stupid, Why is this guy still alive? Anonymous · cults
This may be teh best viral internet act evar.
CLEARWATER - Members of Anonymous, a Scientology protest group, marched around downtown Clearwater today holding anti-Scientology signs and wearing wigs, sunglasses, bandanas or hats to disguise their identities.
Most wanted to remain anonymous, fearing retribution from Scientologists, they said.
Scientologists coerce members into paying exorbitant amounts of money, ostracize loved ones they believe to be a danger to the church and harass and stalk critics, said Anonymous member Joshua Nussbaum, a 19-year-old protest organizer.
About 80 protesters, many of whom were in their late teens or early 20s, came out when the event started about 11 a.m. today, Nussbaum said. He said the number swelled to about 180 in the early afternoon.
[...]
Issues between Anonymous and Scientologists sprung up recently after video clips from actor Tom Cruise, a church member, appeared on the Internet. Scientology officials said the clips were copyrighted and asked for them to be removed from YouTube and other sites.Anonymous then posted a video announcing a campaign to destroy the church and calling for worldwide protests today, Nussbaum said. He said Anonymous felt Scientologists’ actions regarding the clips encroached on freedom of speech.
Yeah, it’s mostly a bunch of kids, but how great is it that they’re out causing grief for Scientologists? LULZ. They did this today because this would be Lisa McPherson’s birthday, but the cult killed her.
More links here. Also here. Find a Church Cult of $cientology to annoy sometime here.
Newsweek has more about Anonymous vs. the Cult of Scientology.
The attack, says Anonymous, was spurred at least in part by what they consider to be the latest example of the church’s secretive and litigious nature. Earlier this year, an internal 2004 church interview with Tom Cruise was leaked online. The actor, who called being a Scientologist a “blast,” was seen railing against the practice of psychiatry and boasting, among other things, “we are the authorities of the mind … we can bring peace and unite communities.” The church attempted to have the videos taken down from the gossip site Gawker, claiming the material was copyrighted, selectively edited and that Cruise’s performance was meant for private consumption. It’s an argument that does have legal merit. “As I understand it, Scientology has a lot of internal documents and when people try to publish them, Scientology seeks to stop them under copyright law,” Eugene Volokh of the UCLA School of Law tells NEWSWEEK. “The fact is under American law they’re entitled to take their unpublished works and use copyright law to protect them.”
Here’s a video from the head of the Scientologists’ niece, who has left the cult.
Did you know the Cult of Scientology has tax-exempt status? You can thank Slick Willie Clinton and the IRS for that. It’s an expensive, dangerous cult, and they get tax-exempt status. You can help change that. Get informed.
Hail Xenu! LOL.
davebones says:
There are only five people who are actually members of Anonymous the rest are just people who like dressing up.
Mad Irishman says:
Thank you for all of your support. Our Bloggers have become quite literally McCain’s entire online presence. We are the basis of the “Grass-Roots” efforts. Our new ‘google-groups’ launch (you’ll see soon) will add to that effort greatly assisting both McCain Victory 08 and the official campaign.
Keep UP The Great Work!!
Slainte’
Mad
Executive Director McCain Victory 08
sfolger@mccainvictory08.com
http://www.mccainvictory08.com
http://madirishmaninc.blogspot.com/
The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas-a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated.
Ronald Reagan
Lord Bitememan says:
Unfortunately, scientology no longer would really qualify as a cult. Wackjob religion? Definately. But, with the death of its “prophet” it is no longer strictly held together by the magnetic personality of its central figure and instead relies on established teachings. That said, scientologists scare the hell out of me. They’re a new, young religion, and that is generally when religions are in their most dangerous state. That’s the time they get militant.
Beth says:
I did a bunch of research about those freaks after this was posted, and DAMN. Their current leader is scary, and the fact that they’ve been given tax exempt status is beyond appalling. http://www.lermanet.com/
Look at this video from their cult leader David Miscavige.
raz0r says:
Not sure I’m ready to call it a religion just yet. Think I’ll stick with cult a bit longer. While the original cult leader is dead, successors were groomed to keep it going. And Cruise is being used (willingly) to take it to the next level. And if I remember correctly, Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple were pretty militant and lethal while still a cult. I’d say one could ask Leo Ryan, but he and several others are unavailable for comment.
Lord Bitememan says:
With regards to successors, the problem with them is they cannot wield the same sort of power over the religion as the original prophet. The original prophet is the one who gets to shape doctrine at will. Once he departs his positions on matters tend to be fixed. In other words, Hubbard’s successors can’t just up and say “Yeah, Thetans don’t exist, but these cool new things called ‘Martoks’ do.” These doctrines are fixed, and once the doctrines become fixed and are out of the hands of a central personality who can change them at will, it ceases to be a cult.
You bring up Jim Jones. It should be mentioned that Jim Jones maintained control up until the end. It should also be mentioned that cults are inwardly destructive, very rarely outwardly. Congressman Ryan was, ostensibly, killed while penetrating inside the cult, not reached out to from outside and killed (yes he was killed at the airport, but this was after he had penetrated their inner cloisters, so to speak, and was within a stronghold region). The primary destruction in cults like Jonestown, Branch Davidian, and Heaven’s Gate was directed at its own membership. Even Aum Shinrikyo, the most prominant example of an outwardly aggressive cult, only launched attacks on the populace when fears arose of police searches of their assetts.
Scientology is beyond this point at the moment. Even if they were threatened by a government investigation into their financial practices, it’s unlikely scientologists would begin offing themselves. That doesn’t mean Scientology is any less dangerous. Far from it, it’s now entering a state where they’re beginning to carve out a central base of power populated by loyal adherants. For Islam, Zoroastrianism, the Aztecs, and numerous other religions this stage was the precursor to brutal wars and expansions. That’s far more of a danger than the prospect of a Waco-style seige at Tom Cruise’s house.