Oarsome: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Paddle Their Way To Marital Bliss in Hawaii
‘Talk about birds of a feather.
Friend of Tom Cruise and closet $cientologist Will Smith went paddle boarding in Hawaii yesterday, while his pal was doing the same thing in Malibu.
But the 44-year-old actor didn’t keep all the fun for himself, because bringing up the rear was wife Jada Pinkett.
Now that’s a woman who looks like she has an impressively firm grip on her pole.
But the best picture from the family holiday over the Father’s Day weekend is this one of big Willie double fisting a couple of ice creams as he skipped off to play a round of golf.
Those red trousers are going to keep making me laugh all day.
I Can't Stop Watching Scientologists Getting Sprinklers Turned On Them
Last night, the U.K.'s Channel 4 aired a special called Scientologists at War, which profiled the Church of Scientology's former Inspector General of the Religious Technology Center, Marty Rathbun. Once a spiritual mentor to the likes of Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, and Greta Van Susteren, Rathbun left the church in 2004 to practice Scientology independently. He runs a blog called Moving On Up a Little Higher, and has been vocal regarding his displeasure over many of the Church's practices. He says this has resulted in harassment.
Last year, footage of such harassment by a group calling themselves the Squirrel Busters went viral. Scientologists at War showed some more of the Squirrel Busters in action, including discussions of Rathbun's sex-toy preferences and a surreal scene in which one cackles with glee when Rathbun turns his sprinklers on her group. The reaction is Westboro Baptist Church-levels of demented-giddy provocation.
The Church of Scientology's various responses to Rathbun's and the documentary's accusations, as well as the Busters' actions, made up the wacky postscript of Scientologists at War. Here it is in full:
The Church of Scientology states that Marty Rathbun has never been part of its ecclesiastical management and although he has been publicly attacking the Church for four years, his claims have had no discernable effect whatsoever. It says there is no evidence of a global independent movement and the Israeli mission in Haifa only ever numbered a few people and that some have since rejoined the Church. The Church of Scientology states there is nothing inappropriate about using sustained legal pressure to obtain legal redress and that the idea harassment was used to achieve tax-exempt status is “obvious nonsense.” It also denies sending the Squirrel Busters. While acknowledging that some were Scientologists, Squirrel Busters Productions is a wholly separate organization. The Church of Scientology denies putting Marty under surveillance but admits conducting a legal investigation into him “in furtherance of potential ligation.”
Rathbun has also posted footage on YouTube of him turning an actual hose on Squirrel Bustersto the tune of "Car Wash." He uses the Christina Aguilera/Missy Elliott version from Shark Taleand not Rose Royce's original, so I don't know if he can be fully trusted. He has also posted the entire Scientologists at War documentary on his blog.
watch video bit here: http://gawker.com/i-cant-stop-watching-scientologists-getting-sprinklers-514027504
Church of Scientology Lands in Takedown Hall of Shame
The Church of Scientology International (“CSI”) has often been accused of pulling out all the stops to suppress speech critical of the organization. Surprisingly, however, they have not yet made it into the EFF Takedown Hall of Shame.
Until now. Last week, CSI demanded that GoDaddy take down a website, cheerupwillsmith.com, that used parody and satire to tweak CSI, its alleged relationship to actor Will Smith, and its reportedly aggressive control over the activities of its members. The site included a letter, purportedly from Scientology leader David Miscavige, ordering CSI members to see After Earth, a new movie starring Will Smith that hasn’t done well at the box office, at least three times. The site also demanded that CSI members make videos supporting Smith.Pointing to the presence of CSI logos and a photograph of Mr. Miscavige on the site, CSI told GoDaddy the site violated CSI’s copyright and trademark rights, and asked the company to take it down. GoDady promptly complied. CSI also claimed that the creators of the site had violated California Penal Code section 528.5, which forbids the credible impersonation of a human person online. Section 528.5 was intended to be used to combat cyberbullying; as we anticipated, however, it’s now being used to target political speech.
As we explained in a letter to CSI, however, none of these claims holds water. With respect to the copyright allegations, the noncommercial site was obviously designed for purposes of criticism and comment. It used no more than was necessary for its purpose, and caused no conceivable harm to any market for CSI works. In other words, it's precisely the kind of speech the fair use doctrine is intended to protect.
The trademark allegations are equally silly. The website simply uses parody and satire to comment on CSI, its reputation for controlling its members, and its alleged relationship to Will Smith, star of the film “After Earth.” That kind of speech is protected by a variety of legal doctrines, not to mention the First Amendment.
As one federal court put it, trademark law “regulates only economic, not ideological or political, competition . . . ‘Competition in the marketplace of ideas’ is precisely what the First Amendment is designed to protect.”
Finally, the claim that the site violated the California Penal Code is equally absurd. Section 528.5 applies only to “credible” impersonations. No viewer would think the site offered a credible impersonation of Mr. Miscavige—but perhaps CSI knows something we don’t?
Given the outrageousness of CSI complaint, it’s shocking that GoDaddy would respond without hesitation. Activists of all kinds should take heed and look for service providers with backbone. In the meantime, congratulations to CSI: you made it to the Hall of Shame at last.
Files
lettertosoter.pdfDocumentary examines Scientology’s sway
British film probes links to Tom Cruise, other Hollywood stars
Read more:http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Documentary+examines+Scientology+sway/8544086/story.html#ixzz2WdET8c8C
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