Reply #10: The follow-up [View All]

[Dogmudgeon]

(I looked this over and it came off a little harsh. But there's a lot of information, so I left it pretty much unchanged. This isn't a flame -- but it does contain criticism of some anti-Scientology and anti-vitamin critics. Nothing personal is implied or intended, and I am grateful for the opportunity to rant on a few of my favorite subjects. --bkl)

You're right, but ... a lot of criticism of Scientology and "health fads" itself misses the point, and can do a lot of damage, too.

This was evident in some of Operation Clambake's links, which consistently focused on trivial issues. In one of the letters, "megavitamins" were criticized, and the doses given -- RDA vs LRH -- made LRH look good, especially as more medical information comes in about the safety and efficacy of megavitamin therapy. And scant attention was paid to the saunas, which can be very good for a person -- and can kill someone with heart disease, or post-heatstroke syndrome (among other things). The National Council Against Health Fraud itself is one of the most ill-informed, quasi-scientific clearinghouses of (mis-) information out there. It's better than Hubbard's idea of medicine, but it's still a minefield.

So, how does anti-Scientology and anti-"fad nutrition" criticism miss the point? Belief in Xenu and the use of the E-Meter are trivial aspects of Scientology compared to the Rehabilitation Project Force, the private system of gulags Scientology maintains. And taking 110 mg of Niacin and 800 iu of vitamin E daily is not likely to have any ill effects on anyone, but spending four hours a day in a sauna alternating with running to the rest room to poop out a pint of electrolyte-carrying fluid out is like having cholera in the third world.

Although I respect Operation Clambake's efforts, their zeal to fight Scientology has set them up for their own "Operation Foot Bullet." Keith Henson struck out against the Co$ emotionalistically, and they destroyed his life; and the Bob Minton saga is the stuff of which Grisham novels are made.

In addition, there is a large and growing movement within Scientology to reform the church, FWIW.

Why am I delving into this? First is previous history with Scientology -- I've had several friends who have been involved directly, and I myself was insterested enough to read most of Hubbard's publically-available "scriptures". I carry no flag for Scientology, but Niacin therapy has worked very well for me.

There is a lot of nonsense out there, but the crusaders against nonsense often simply fight for a new kind of nonsense. For years, the FDA used to caution patients against taking vitamin E. They also mounted a half-backed effort against Coenzyme Q10, in spite of 30 years of solid clinical and experimental research showing that it reduced congestive heart failure. How many heart and cancer patients died (determinable by biostatistics methods) before the FDA stopped being the pharmaceutical industries' hired muscle?

Compare, if you will, to the mass administration of drugs and vitamins to children, especially where quality control is less of an issue than saving The Taxpayer's™ Money.

Until and unless people become directly involved in issues held to be the domain of Experts -- religion and medicine being two of the big ones -- abuses will continue, including sick and dead children, and then Xenu and his sweat program will seem like quaint little indulgences of celebrities, Trustafarians, and eccentrics.

--bkl