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British diplomats investigating the qualifications of L Ron Hubbard exposed the Scientology founder as a fraud 30 years ago. The science-fiction writer, who invented the religion now followed by celebrities including Tom Cruise and John Travolta, awarded himself a PhD from a sham 'diploma mill' college he had acquired in California. British consulate workers in Los Angeles secretly gathered information on behalf of the government. Whitehall officials launched the covert investigation after Scientologists threatened to sue over the government's 1968 decision to ban followers from entering the UK to visit the sect's headquarters in East Grinstead, West Sussex. Britain needed...

I strongly disagree with the prudential opinion expressed by Bishop Howard Hubbard: "The US bishops have given their enthusiastic support to the Waxman-Markey bill, a piece of legislation designed to address climate change, which Republican opponents have characterized as entailing "the largest tax increase in American history." The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 proposes a complicated series of schemes known as "cap and trade," ultimately imposing taxes on the carbon-dioxide emissions that are cited as a major factor in global warming. Even before the 1,200-page legislation was made available to Congress, the members of the House...

[mashup video. FRIGGIN' FANTASTIC!] What does it say about the media when we get more truth from cartoons than from the news? The sickness that is called moral relativism keeps the politically correct media from coming out and saying what’s pretty obvious to anyone with half a brain: Scientology is a crock. It’s a wacky religion concocted by a science fiction writer with too much time on his hands. It’s one of the biggest scams in history. Right up there with the “stimulus” package. Here’s a great mash-up of L. Ron Hubbard and a South Park episode. It combines the...

ALBANY — Cities across the greater Capital Region will bear the brunt of a massive plan to close 33 worship sites throughout the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, Bishop Howard Hubbard announced Saturday. Troy will be ground zero in an unprecedented consolidation the 14-county diocese is undertaking to cope with shifting demographics and a shortage of priests. Hubbard, despite lobbying to change the outcome, decided to close six of the Collar City's dozen Catholic churches. That is more than any other city. And the list of soon-to-be-shuttered Troy churches includes St. Peter's, the state's third-oldest Catholic parish.Elsewhere, St. Teresa of...

COHOES — Al Rigney knows the pain of closing a church. A decade ago, Rigney performed the grim ritual of boarding up the windows of St. Agnes, the big-steepled Cohoes landmark where he was confirmed and married. He gave up after a few. "I can't do any more," Rigney told a fellow window-boarder. "It hurts too much."The bundled-up 80-year-old spoke before the 12:10 p.m. Mass on Friday in a light wood pew at St. Bernard's, another historic treasure of this river city. It, too, may close in a new round of Albany Catholic Diocese parish consolidations that will be announced...

Secret Tapes: The History Of Xenu, As Explained By L. Ron Hubbard In 8 Minutes Click here to hear 8.03 min. audio Most of what we know about Scientology's "supreme ruler" we learned from South Park: 75 million years ago, the evil alien brought humans to earth in a spaceship and killed them; the psychic trauma of the event has affected us ever since. The Church of Scientology, embarrassed by the story, has always tried to hide its existence. Until now. The Church has been playing a cat-and-mouse game with YouTubers, getting it removed in many cases; we have the...

Nathan, Jared, and Jason Hubbard. Inga Barks filled in for syndicated talk-radio host Mark Levin last night (and did a great job). During the last 1/2 hour of the show, she spoke with sole surviving son Army Specialist Jason Hubbard and Congressman Devin Nunes about this: Forced to leave the combat zone after his two brothers died in the Iraq war, Army Spc. Jason Hubbard faced another battle once he returned home: The military cut off his family's health care, stopped his G.I. educational subsidies and wanted him to repay his sign-up bonus. It wasn't until Hubbard petitioned his local...

Called to be Church, our pastoral planning process to ensure the viability and vitality of the Church of Albany in the early years of the 21st century, has been underway for 18 months. All 165 parishes in our diocese have been involved.Our 39 local planning groups, each comprised of participants from several parishes, have met many times. Members have gotten to know each other, familiarized themselves with pastoral activities in each other's parishes, and reviewed the mission of the Church in the areas of prayer and worship, evangelization, faith formation, Christian service and stewardship.They have increased their understanding of the...

Top White House economic adviser Allan Hubbard is expected to leave his post at the end of this year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday in its on-line edition. The resignation, the latest in a spate of White House departures as President George W Bush's term winds down, could be announced later in the day, the Journal said. Hubbard, 60, joined the White House as director of the National Economic Council after Bush's re-election in 2004. His departure would come as the Bush administration is facing a crisis in the mortgage industry that has caused rising housing foreclosures and...

A US soldier is to return home from Iraq under a military proviso known as the "sole survivor" rule after losing both of his brothers in the war. Jason Hubbard, 33, will be re-united with his family in Clovis, California after his brother Nathan, 21, died in a helicopter crash in Iraq on Wednesday. His other sibling Jared Hubbard was killed by a roadside bomb in 2004. The "sole survivor" policy, which has allowed Jason to leave Iraq, formed the premise of movie Saving Private Ryan. Nathan and Jason Hubbard had joined the army in 2005, shortly after their brother,...

Yesterday I joked that it was too bad we didn't' trade Bishop Hubbard for Bishop Herzog in the Diocese of Albany. Today I received the VOTF newsletter praising a new program by Bishop Hubbard "Called to BE Church." You know right off it VOTF is praising it that it is really not worthwhile and reading the program you can see exactly why the bishop is putting all his eggs in Pastoral Associates to run parishes because of their priest shortage. At the Called to BE Church page the Bishop has a document called The Mission of the Contemporary Parish [PDF]...

WATERVLIET -- One of two Watervliet churches scheduled to celebrate their final Masses on Sunday asked the Vatican this week to reverse Bishop Howard Hubbard's decision that the church must close. The appeal contends the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany manipulated the system that decided which of six churches targeted for consolidation would stay open, according to a copy obtained by the Times Union."I'm saying they rigged the process to get the outcome they wanted, right from the beginning," said John Razzano, a General Electric Co. chemist who wrote the appeal on behalf of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.Hubbard...

"In some ways, you can say we're not a dot on the map anymore," said Sister Linda Hogan, CSJ, of her experience with pastoral planning at St. Cecilia's Church in Warrensburg. "We have to connect the dots, to work together."After working together on a "consuming" five-year pastoral planning process that changed the face of a small North Country church, parishioners and planning teams at St. Cecilia's expect to use lessons culled from their own experience on a larger scale with the upcoming "Called to be Church" process."The whole thing was a miracle," said Sister Linda.Looking aheadOn the retirement of St....

ALBANY (AP) -- Bishop Edwin B. Broderick, who led the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany for seven years, died Sunday. He was 89. Broderick was appointed the eighth bishop of the diocese by Pope Paul VI in 1969 and served until 1976, when he was named executive director of Catholic Relief Services. He held that post until 1983. During his time in Albany, the bishop served on the state commission that investigated the Attica prison riots. Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, who succeeded Broderick in Albany, said his predecessor was "a true churchman who implemented the vision of the Second Vatican...

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany hopes involving members of the diocese -- from its top clerical leaders to its average parishioners -- will stifle apprehension as the Catholic church begins a two-year pastoral planning process that will reshape the diocese and close some churches. "I believe we have before us ... an opportunity to dream a new church into being; an opportunity to evangelize and re-evangelize," Hubbard said Monday in a prepared speech to diocese leaders in Albany. The meeting was closed to the public, but copies of his speech were provided to the...

Tom Cruise and fiancée Katie Holmes have declared their love for each other in a bizarre “wedding” ceremony — on a ship. The couple exchanged rings emblazoned with triangular Scientology symbols as fellow cult members John Travolta and Kirstie Alley looked on. An insider said: “Katie wore a flowing white dress and Tom was in a black suit as they exchanged rings during the brief 30 minute ceremony. “The couple then walked across a tiny bridge — a Scientology symbol for the journey to total freedom.”

There has been plenty of speculation on the way the fabulous Katie Holmes is to give birth to her baby. The little one could come at any moment and it appears that Tom Cruise and Katie are already battling over the baby. No - they are not battling over how the baby will be born, but what happens if the pair split after the little one emerges. The rub reportedly is the baby's religion - Catholicism or Scientology? Life & Style Magazine details in this week's report that Katie is miserable and if there is a split - as that...

Katie Holmes Called 'Stepford Wife' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Susan Hatch Apr 7, 2006 It was only a matter of time. The fabulous Katie Holmes has been dubbed as behaving like a 'Stepford wife.' She has been quite odd since this whole - I wanna marry my dream guy Tom Cruise thing stated. Katie Accused: Stepford Wife Now here come the brainwashing hints. Who better to deliver the story than Page Six. The gossip column asks - What's up with Katie Holmes? *** The once vivacious actress is like a "Stepford" wife ever since she hooked up with Tom Cruise and Scientology....

-snip- Former or current practitioners include Kirstie Alley, Beck, Jenna Elfman, Al Jarreau, Kelly Preston (Travolta's wife), Juliette Lewis, Karen Black, Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley, Nicole Kidman (Cruise's ex), Anne Archer, Chick Corea, Chaka Khan, and Nancy Cartwright, who voices Bart Simpson. -snip-

Who knows whether Cardinal Edward Egan is sleeping soundly these days. But as head of the New York archdiocese—as the top Roman Catholic prelate in the state—he'd have every reason to be restless after the recent advent of a little-noticed lawsuit. The suit, now pending in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, was filed on December 13 by Bob Hoatson—a 53-year-old New Jersey priest considered a stalwart ally among survivors of sexual abuse by clergy. Hoatson, the now-suspended chaplain for Catholic Charities in Newark, is suing Egan and nine other Catholic officials and institutions, claiming a pattern of "retaliation and harassment"...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Tom Cruise's faith in Scientology was nurtured at a secretive Southern California desert compound that catered to his needs around the clock, it was reported Saturday. Long before Cruise sprang onto Oprah's couch or blasted Brooke Shields for taking antidepressants, the Hollywood superstar undertook intensive study and counseling at the compound in the late 1980s and early 1990s, current and former Scientologists told the Los Angeles Times. Cruise also trained at the church's better-known facilities, including those in Hollywood, Calif., and Clearwater, Fla. But much of his time was spent at the compound 90 miles east...

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany has criteria to address issues raised and meet the requirements in the Vatican "Instruction " on the admission of homosexual candidates to the seminary and priesthood. Bishop Howard J. Hubbard made the remarks Tuesday in response to the Vatican’s official release of the "Instruction" document on gays in the clergy. In its document, the Vatican said men with "deep-seated " homosexual tendencies should not be ordained, but those with a "transitory problem" could be if they had overcome the tendencies for three years. In his one-page written response, Hubbard said "issues of sexual orientation...

The "rules of enclosure" that have isolated Carmelite sisters in Schenectady from the outside world for 82 years have been relaxed lately.Mother John of the Cross, prioress of the Monastery of St. Teresa of Jesus, described helpers trooping into the monastery to pack boxes into vans and drive them to Pittsford, New York -- the sisters' new home."What's necessary must be done," Mother John shrugged -- an adage that also fits the Discalced Carmelite community's move to the Diocese of Rochester.Time to leaveIt's been three years since the sisters at the cloistered monastery began discerning whether to leave the Albany...

Katie Holmes Continues Purge of Inner Circle Katie Holmes fired her publicist of nearly eight years on Tuesday. During her conversation with Leslie Sloane-Zelnick, Holmes did not mention that she was pregnant by fiancé Tom Cruise. The next day, the news broke. In short order, since meeting Cruise in April, Holmes has now fired her manager, changed agents and discharged her publicist. All had been her longtime allies. And let's not forget the broken engagement to actor Chris Klein back in March. That's a lot of activity for seven months. Where does that leave our Katie? I'm told that Holmes...

ALBANY -- Three years after the clergy sex abuse scandal exploded into the public consciousness, dozens of priests have finally been stripped of their duties by the Vatican in recent months.Those defrocked, which means they cannot act as a priest or receive financial support from the church, include four clergy in Boston, six from the Rockville Center Diocese downstate and another nine in Philadelphia. But here in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, none of the 13 surviving priests of the 20 removed from ministry will have his case reviewed by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.Bishop...

...[S]ome U.S. political leaders claimed a victory in the campaign to blame Chinese "market manipulation" for external imbalances facing the U.S..... The inherent conflicts in the phrase ("socialist market economic system," and "market supply and demand" with capital controls and a managed float) highlight both the central economic challenges facing China and the need for a comprehensive U.S. economic policy toward China. On the one hand, China's hesitancy to give up its currency stability is understandable. Currency stability contributed to confidence by foreign investors to build capacity in China and stimulated an export-led surge.... On the other hand, the currency...

Church of Scientology worshipper Tom Cruise expressing himself to Oprah Winfrey on her May 23 show. Cruise jumped around the set, hopped onto a couch, fell rapturously to one knee and repeatedly professed his love for his new girlfriend, the actress Katie Holmes.

Most of you have seen the picture of a priest baptizing a naked baby by dipping its butt into a baptismal "pool". It constituted a thread here on FR and we all wondered where this had taken place. The full story appeared today in The Wanderer. Here it is, hand transcribed. * * * * * ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Diocese of Rochester’s Sacred Heart Cathedral, which Bishop Matthew Clark insists is the model for Catholic worship for the entire diocese, was the setting for a bizarre baptismal ritual of questionable validity on Pentecost Sunday, as Rainbow Sashers received Communion....

Former Bush economic adviser R. Glenn Hubbard on May 12 outlined for the President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform a new consumption-based business tax system that would repeal the interest deduction and replace depreciation with full expensing while also broadening the base for individuals and eliminating the alternative minimum tax as well as deductions for state and local taxes and home mortgage interest. With President Bush’s marginal rate cuts and tax reductions on saving and investment, the groundwork for his proposal has already been laid, Hubbard, now with Columbia Business School, told the panel. “I think we’ve already started,”...

...[T]he case against Mr. Bolton keeps morphing to suit the convenience of the accusers. Early on, the charge was that he holds unacceptable views about the U.N. "It's hard for me to know why you'd want to work at an institution that you said didn't even exist," Senator Barbara Boxer told the nominee. Yet her Democratic colleague Chris Dodd insists he does not oppose Mr. Bolton based on his "substantive views," and that "in fact, I agree with some of Mr. Bolton's conclusions about the United Nations." Next we heard the nominee's problem was his temper. "You have a habit...

Scientology, The Clearwater Bar Association, and Judge Greer Judge George W. Greer presides over Florida's Sixth Judicial Circuit Court. He is known internationally for the Terri Schindler Schiavo guardianship case. Pat Anderson, former attorney for the Schindlers, characterized Judge Greer's unprecedented rulings as "The Rule of Terri's Case." The Clearwater Bar Association is delighted with Judge Greer's performance in this particular case. They presented the John U. Bird award to the Pinellas-Pasco Circuit judge on May 15, 2004. This prestigious award, which is the Clearwater bar's highest honor for a judge, was granted to Judge Greer for the way he...

Albany’s new district attorney was endorsed by pro-abortion groups NARAL and NOW and by drug users and homosexual activists. His opponent was pro-life and tough on drug use. So, guess who participated in his swearing-in by giving him a blessing? Bishop Howard Hubbard, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, joined Protestant, Jewish and Muslim leaders in bestowing blessings on the new district attorney. “You are a man who offers to us a new vision and fresh alternatives,” Hubbard said. “This responsibility is a tall order. We pray you accept this challenge … and fulfill it." Yes, but is his...

The Death of Catholicism in Albany By Stephen Brady -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Warning: It is assumed that individuals reading this report are true Catholics. Those who reject even one of the truths of the Catholic faith are, by definition, not Catholic and therefore could not possibly comprehend the depravity of Bishop Howard Hubbard's actions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday, February 14,2004, Father John Minkler left a message on my voice mail asking me to help him with Bishop Howard Hubbard. Unfortunately, I did not check my voice mail until Monday morning and Fr. Minkler was already dead. My first trip to Albany was November 24, 1996....

The Successor to Greenspan Has a Very Tough Act to Follow WHEN Alan Greenspan finally retires from the Federal Reserve, will he leave behind any of his DNA? Now in his 18th remarkable year as Fed chairman, the owlish and idiosyncratic Mr. Greenspan is required by law to step down in January 2006. Nominating a successor could be President Bush's biggest economic decision next year, given Mr. Greenspan's mythic reputation as the guardian of price stability and economic growth. A big uncertainty is how any successor will extend Mr. Greenspan's approach to monetary policy, which has been as much an...

President Bush plans to overhaul his economic team for the second time in two years and wants to tap prominent figures outside the administration to help sell rewrites of Social Security and the tax laws to Congress and the country, White House aides and advisers said over the weekend. The aides said the replacement of four of the five top economic officials -- including the Treasury and Commerce secretaries, with only budget director Joshua B. Bolten likely to remain -- is part of Bush's preparation for sending Congress an ambitious second-term domestic agenda.

Pastor of both Columbia County churches says the union would "ensure their continuation" ALBANY -- Two Columbia County parishes are set to start discussions that are likely to result in their merger, possibly at a new nearby site, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany announced Monday. The Pastoral Councils at Sacred Heart Church in Philmont and the Church of the Holy Cross in West Taghkanic unanimously agreed in August to explore uniting, the diocese said. The Church of the Holy Cross worship space is a former Grange hall built in 1927 that was never intended to be a permanent church....

Hubbard tells Catholics to vote with conscience Bishop urges those at annual parish convening to view morality of issues Clarification: Bishop Howard Hubbard told a church gathering Saturday that Catholic voters should weigh all issues in light of church teachings and then vote based upon their conscience, rather than choosing a candidate based on a single issue. Only after such a full consideration, he said, might a Catholic conclude that a single issue overrides all others. TROY -- Catholics should focus on the "moral dimensions" underlying the issues and not vote based on one religious consideration, like abortion or the...

FBI REPORTS ON JOHN KERRY (talktorusty.com)

ALBANY — A Roman Catholic official has admonished Assemblyman Daniel Hooker for distributing what he called a "right-wing" and "simplistic" voter's guide for church members. Hooker, R-Saugerties, recently mailed about 150 copies of the "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics," published by a conservative California group, to priests and deacons in his Assembly district. The pamphlet urges Catholics to avoid voting for candidates who "endorse or promote intrinsically evil policies" such as abortion, embryonic stem-cell research and same-sex marriage. In a letter to Hooker, the Very Rev. Thomas Berardi, dean of the Schoharie Deanery, said the pamphlet presents a "narrow and...

ALBANY - A Saratoga County man filed a sexual abuse lawsuit Tuesday against one former Albany priest with whom the diocese settled a $1 million lawsuit and another who is deceased. Michael F. Mooney, 42, of Charlton, claims to have been abused by now-deceased Rev. Donald Starks and Mark Haight, who left the priesthood after his alleged past of sexual misdeeds with minors came back to haunt him in 1996. Mooney claims he was 14 years old when Haight, and later Starks, allegedly molested him during separate trips to Massachusetts, which is where a $3 million lawsuit was filed Tuesday....

For the second time in a month, a Massachusetts judge ruled against the Albany Diocese's motion to dismiss or move a clergy sex abuse case against defrocked priest Dozia Wilson to New York state. According to Suffolk County Superior Court documents released Monday by attorney John Aretakis, the court denied the Albany Diocese's request and will try the lawsuit, accusing Bishop Howard Hubbard and former Boston Cardinal Bernard Law of harboring a predatory priest. Should the case make it to trial, Hubbard and other church leaders could be called upon to testify, much like Law was forced to testify in...

Bishops in New York state are preparing to meet with the Pope. Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard and other bishops statewide will meet with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican next week. The bishops are expected to get advice from the pontiff on issues like the declining number of priests at regional parishes and the clergy sexual abuse scandals. In a statement earlier this month, the Pope said there is a "crisis of confidence" in American church leaders in the wake of the scandal.

The original article appears to have disappeared from the Times-Union's website, but it read in part: [Sharon] Witbeck also questioned the [Diocesan abuse mediation] program's independence since it and [sprogram system administrator Howard] Levine's $350-an-hour salary, are funded by the diocese. For more details see previous post: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1224106/posts

Attorney asks for priest's records Aretakis wants personnel files on cleric who accused him of slander ALBANY -- A lawyer representing victims of sexual abuse by priests is trying to force the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany to turn over the personnel records of a priest who has filed an ethics complaint against him. John Aretakis filed the lawsuit Wednesday in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, claiming he can't defend himself against the Rev. Carl Urban's attacks until he sees all the evidence. Aretakis claims the records will show that church officials covered for Urban's behavior. "We haven't seen the...

ALBANY -- Retired Court of Appeals Judge Howard Levine announced today an assistance program for victims of clergy sex abuse aimed at mediating issues with the church, rather than litigating them. Levine worked for 10 months on the program that is funded with $5 million from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. In addition, Mary Jo White, the former federal prosecutor who recently cleared Bishop Howard Hubbard of sexual misconduct allegations, donated $225,000, carrying out her pledge to directly assist victims with a portion of her fee. Levine said the focus of the program is on healing and reconciliation, and...

A Massachusetts judge has denied the Albany Diocese's motion to dismiss or move to New York state a clergy sexual abuse case against defrocked local priest Dozia Wilson. According to Suffolk County Superior Court documents made available this week by attorney for alleged victims of clergy sex abuse John Aretakis, the court will try the lawsuit accusing Bishop Howard Hubbard and former Boston Cardinal Bernard Law of harboring a predatory priest. As a result, Hubbard and other church leaders could be called upon to testify in the case that the Albany Diocese has already reached an estimated $500,000 settlement on...

ARLINGTON -- Bush-Cheney '04 today announced the members of its Debate Negotiations Team.  The team, lead by James A. Baker, III, will represent Bush-Cheney '04 in negotiations of the terms of the presidential debates between President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry and between Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator John Edwards.     "We are honored that Secretary Baker will lead negotiations on behalf of our campaign.  I am confident that he and the other seasoned members of our team will conduct negotiations in a thoughtful manner to ensure a robust debate of the critical issues facing our country," said...

Parish mourns as St. Casimir's closes Albany-- Tears and anger during final Mass at church that was the heart of the Polish community About 300 people packed the pews of St. Casimir's Church Sunday to say goodbye to the Catholic church that was considered the heart of the city's Polish community. Parishioners watched through teary eyes as the last Mass was celebrated at the Sheridan Avenue church. In his homily, the Rev. Thomas Krupa said the closing means it's time for a "new direction, a new spirit to take over." "No longer do the Polish ladies wash their sidewalks on...

Who Is Al Hubbard? A look at John Kerry’s old crowd. April 23, 2004, 9:01 a.m. By William Overend EDITOR'S NOTE: This article appeared in the June 1, 1971, issue of National Review. Al Hubbard is the executive director of the Vietnam Veterans against the War. I first met him the morning of April 21 at the VVAW "camp-in" on the Capitol Mall in Washington. He was sitting on a flatbed truck, explaining to a circle of six hundred or so members of his group that the Supreme Court had upheld the earlier ruling that the Veterans would not be...