Re: CoS on Donahue

My quick evaluation of the Donahue show:

Not a puff piece, but not a knockout punch either. More like a glancing blow. I doubt it will do lasting damage to CoS, but they certainly won't want to use this video to recruit new members either.

I liked how Donahue feigned ignorance of Scientology at first, but then launched into an effective attack regarding the cost of auditing & training, the large number of loudly disaffected ex-members, the attacks on psychiatry ("aren't you against Prozac just because it's a competitor?"), and so on.

Unfortunately he didn't bring up the Internet, the RPF, disconnections, the "Fair Game" policy, or the 1970s Guardian Office shenanigans (though a Toronto police officer brought this up in a question near the end). Can't have everything in 48 minutes, though.

The two adjectives that best describe Heber Jentzsch are "smarmy" and "unctuous". (In the past, I've described Donahue the same way, but my opinion of him went up several notches after this show.) -- Ron Newman Email: <rnewman@mit.edu> Web: <a href="http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/rnewman/home.html">http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/rnewman/home.html</a>(I speak only for myself, not for any part of MIT.)