The Scientology Volunteer Ministers South Pacific Goodwill Tour is in Auckland New Zealand.

From here they go on to Fiji and the other islands of the South Pacific.

These beautiful Maori girls have a copy of the Way to Happiness, a non-religious moral code that is also used as the basis of the criminal rehabilitation program of Criminon.

The Goodwill Tour also uses the Scientology Handbook as the textbook for providing training and one-on-one help wherever they go.

For more information on Scientology, I recommend reading excerpts from the speech by David Miscavige called This is Scientology.

Youth for Human Rights -- Public Service Announcements

I finally saw the PSAs YHRI and the Church of Scientology International produced.

Wow.

They are intense.

Three of them are on I Tunes. Search for Youth for Human Rights.

There are 30 in all and they are amazing.

Nobel Peace Laureate Nelson Mandela celebrates 88th birthday

This story appeared in the Transworld News and bears repeating:

The man credited with ending apartheid and bringing democracy to South Africa was the center of praise as media and dignitaries celebrated Mandela’s birthday on Tuesday. South African president Thabo Mbeki expressed gratitude and hope for the man he succeeded in 1999.

Opting to forgo any public appearances on his birthday, Mandela chose to spend it quietly with family in Qunu part of the Eastern Cape province. The man affectionately referred to as ‘grandfather’ is marking his eighth anniversary with wife Graca Machel as well.

Having retired from public life in 2004, Mandela now concentrates on social issues effecting Africa. Chief among these, the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Mandela spent twenty-seven years in prison for what amounted to charges of sabotage and treason. He refused an offer of conditional release for renouncing armed struggle in 1985 and remained in jail until international pressure resulted in his freedom in February 1990.

Upon his release Mandela maintained his ties to the African National Congress (ANC) and he delivered a speech to the nation declaring:

“Our resort to the armed struggle in 1960 with the formation of the military wing of the ANC was a purely defensive action against the violence of apartheid. The factors which necessitated the armed struggle still exist today. We have no option but to continue. We express the hope that a climate conducive to a negotiated settlement would be created soon, so that there may no longer be the need for the armed struggle.”

South Africa’s first true democratic election was held in 1994 and Mandela, as leader of the ANC, was inaugurated as the country’s first black State President. Mandela served as president from 1994-1999 during which the country moved away from minority rule and apartheid.

Mr. Mandela reminds me of this quotation by L. Ron Hubbard:

"Single men and determined groups have been the only makers of space in which man could walk free."

Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, now 75 and the chairman of an environmental lobby group, Green Cross International, was the Soviet president from 1985-91.

He was awarded the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the Cold War.

The mission of Green Cross International, as stated by Mr. Gorbachev, is:

"We desperately need to recognize that we are the guests not the masters of nature and adopt a new paradigm for development, based on the costs and benefits to all people, and bound by the limits of nature herself rather than the limits of technology and consumerism."

Scientology Volunteer Minister Disaster Relief Team in Java

I have a friend from Australia who is keeping me updated on what is going on in Java after the earthquake.

The team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers who arrived within days of the quake are still there. That's over a month giving one-on-one help at the scene of the disaster, living in the same appalling conditions that the local residents find themselves in.

I have so much respect for these volunteers, and the tremendous work they are doing.

Humanitarian Relief

It is a real humanitarian act when private individuals donate their time to help in the wake of disaster.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers are in Java helping the victims of the recent earthquake.

They are working in hospitals and with community groups and helping to train community groups as there are hundreds of thousands who need help.

To anyone who might have been thinking about going to Java to volunteer, but may not have skills or know how they can help, the Volunteer Ministers will provide training and work for you to do. You can contact the Indonesia Scientology Disaster Relief Team Coordinator at virginias@scientology.net for information on how you can help.

For more information on Scientology and the Scientology Volunteer Ministers visit the Scientology Press Office.

According to the Oxford Concise dictionary, humanitarian means: • adjective concerned with or seeking to promote human welfare. • noun a humanitarian person.

I think one of the greatest humanitarian documents of our time is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 30 articles, it outlines the basic rights necessary to guarantee human welfare for all.

But for 58 years since the Universal Declaration was drafted humanitarian crimes and human rights violations have continued unabated with some of the worst wars and genocides of history.

You could get pretty pesimistic about this and give up.

Or you could look at why it hasn't worked.

My church conducted surveys all over the world and found that the overwhelming majority of people hadn't even heard about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and many of those who had heard about it didn't know what was covered in the document.

Education is the missing step -- helping people learn and understand what these rights are and helping them realize it is the responsibility of each of us to ensure these rights exist for everyone.

The Church of Scientology International in partnership with Youth for Human Rights International has created Public Service Announcement (PSAs) which really convey the essence of each of these articles.

Three of these PSAs are available to view online at the Church of Scientology International Human Rights News Forum site or the Youth for Human Rights Web Site.

You should watch these videos. They really smoke. I'm sure you will agree they really get the message across.

If you like them as much as I do, you can help make sure other people know about them by linking to them and contacting TV stations to ask them to air them. On any stations who agree to aire them, notify the Human Rights Director of the Church of Scientology International who will make sure they get copies of the PSA. You can e-mail her at humanrightsdir@scientology.net

Drug Abuse - Something Can Be Done About It

There are over 200 million drug abusers today-- each a human being who desperately needs help.

Law enforcement personnel know the relationship between drug addiction and crime.

I saw in a post on http://davidmiscavige.blogsource.com/ yesterday that in the 1960's when street drugs were becoming epidemic in the US, L. Ron Hubbard did a great deal of research into the effects of drugs on the mind and spirit.

Finding that taking drugs is detrimental to spiritual progress, and that the effects of having taken drugs continues to prevent spiritual gain even years after a person has ceased to take them, L. Ron Hubbard developed technology that overcomes the effects of having taken drugs.

It seems that an inmate at the Arizona State Prison found a book by L. Ron Hubbard called Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought. Using what he learned from that book, this inmate cured himself of long term drug addiction, and wrote to Mr. Hubbard to ask his permission to use this technology to help other inmates salvage their lives. He called this program Narconon, meaning "no narcotics".

I can see that Narconon is an extraordinary program that not only gets addicts off drugs, but does it without substituting another drug for the one they were on, and helps the person come to grips with what the actual source of the addiction was -- why they started taking drugs in the first place.

It's interesting to see what parents of Narconon graduates have to say:

"On the 28th of April 2000, we attended our son's graduation ceremony at Narconon. Our son's graduation event will forever be etched in our memory, as a rebirth of our child. It had been so many years since we had seen him drug or alcohol-free that we actually had a hard time recognizing him. He looked absolutely wonderful and his behavior was so accepting and calm. For years, we had wondered if we would ever see our "real" son again. We met so many people the evening of our son's graduation and we cannot remember all of their names, but we want to thank each person who took the time and effort to make a difference in our son's life. Your efforts are most likely the reason our son developed the will to change, as all other efforts that had been made through the years had not made a difference for him. You are truly the savers of life! We will never forget your faces or the wonderful things you are doing. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

Mr. David Miscavige Promotes Scientology Volunteer Ministers Good Will Tours

Last OctoberI remember hearing David Miscavige announce a brand new program to make Scientology applied religious philosophy available to people in countries where we have not had Scientology churches or missions in the past. The program is an expansion of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers (VM) program.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers are a grass roots movement, of people who help people, whether in their own community, or in disaster areas.

Now Scientology Volunteer Ministers are traveling to new countries, training new VMs and leaving behind people who can help one another with Scientology technology.

And now the plans David Miscavige announced are being done: there are goodwill tours now in Brazil, one in India, another just completed in Botswana and another in Latvia.

David Miscavige Presents IAS Freedom Medal Winners

Here's an interesting Freedom Magazine article I ran across the other day:

"Arresting the decline of drug proliferation was the first topic in Mr. David Miscavige‘s round-up of year number 19‘s accomplishments. It was, as well, the cause championed by the evening‘s first IAS Freedom Medal winners Michael Neilson and Åsa Graaf, leaders of a team of drug education specialists in Sweden who, in Mr. David Miscavige‘s words, are 'doing more to handle the drug problem than any other group on the planet.'

"Neilson and Graaf set out ten years ago to save Swedish children from a drug problem of epic proportions. In that time, they have not only salvaged an entire generation, they have created a nationwide movement for a drug-free tomorrow.

"The next Freedom Medal recipient, Bruce Wiseman of Los Angeles, is president of the Citizen‘s Commission on Human Rights International, a group founded by the Church of Scientology in 1969 to monitor and eradicate human rights abuses at the hands of the psychiatric industry. The Los Angeles businessman has, for 14 years, been exposing multi-billion dollar and multi-national psychiatric scams. He has brought to the American public and political consciousness the views of parents who, due to the proliferation of psychiatric drugging of school children, were once powerless in keeping their children drug-free. In returning the power of choice to the families, he has not only opened the eyes of a nation to psychiatry's greatest hoax — the unscientifically documented diagnoses by psychiatrists of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) — but also broke their spell over American education by spearheading resounding prohibitions of mandatory child-drugging in state and federal legislatures.

"Australian, Wendy Honnor, the third Freedom Medal recipient, is a Scientology Volunteer Minister working one-on-one with residents of all social strata in her native Tasmania.

"'Our final Freedom Medal Winner didn‘t just answer a call — she led a charge,' said David Miscavige in introducing Honnor, “In fact, her personal mission of bringing real help has given new meaning to that old phrase charity begins at home.'

"Ms. Honnor assists local leaders in communities throughout her island home state with the 19 technologies a Scientology Volunteer Minister is trained in. In so doing, she has helped to change the tune of media headlines from those that once trumpeted 'the land of gloom and doom' — marked by the nation‘s highest suicide rate and 10-year economic slump — to the upbeat of a state now enjoying a full social and economic resurgence."

Here is an excerpt from a web site called "L. Ron Hubbard - Tribute."

Mr. David Miscavige opened the annual celebration of L. Ron Hubbard’s birthday at Scientology’s spiritual mecca, the Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida, with news of the growing popularity of L. Ron Hubbard’s Dianetics and Scientology technologies. An excerpt of his speech can be read online here:

Opening Address In honor of L. Ron Hubbard’s Birthday 1994

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Asian Disaster Relief Team

There is still so much help needed in the tsunami areas of South Asia. Here is information on who to contact to support the effort as a volunteer or through donations:

Tom Cruise: Scientology Freedom Medal of Valor Award Winner

Last fall Mr.Tom Cruise was awarded the International Association of Scientologists Freedom Medal of Valor, which was presented to him by Mr. David Miscavige.

At the event there a summary of his humanitarian activities were presented. These included the following:

Tom Cruise is a founding board member of the Hollywood Education and Literacy Project (HELP) for which he earned the Excellence in Mentoring Award for Program Leadership. HELP's effectiveness is due to its use of L. Ron Hubbard's study technology.

He has been the driving force behind making L. Ron Hubbard detox technology available free-of-charge to 9/11 rescue workers in New York. He personally raised $1.2 million at an event he held, which enabled the New York Detox program to open a second office in Queens where many of the fire fighters live.

The world is in trouble with the scourge of drugs, criminality and war forcing millions to lead desperate lives. Yet solutions to these problems exist in Scientology and Tom Cruise has done a tremendous amount to make these solutions available and make them known.

Mr. David Miscavige Whirlwind Tour

In 2003 in the course of just about a month, Mr. Miscavige visited Scientology churches on 3 Continents and the British Isles. , with a special message to Scientologists. Just two years after his famous wake-up call following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, members of Scientology churches around the world had responded, resulting in the greatest expansion in the history of our church.


Mr. Miscavige began with Johannesburg, South Africa -- his first visit to that country. There, he spoke at the grand opening of the Church of Scientology of Johannesburg in its greatly expanded premises, now capable of providing help to the community at a completely new level.

Next, he traveled to Buffalo for the grand opening of the church in that city.

His final visit was to San Francisco, California for their grand opening just before Thanksgiving.

I think the following story givens an accurate picture of the Buffalo grand opening.

SCIENTOLOGY OPENS NEW CHURCH WITH FANFARE

The Buffalo News

MARK SOMMER; News Staff Reporter

DATELINE: BUFFALO

"A large insignia engraved on a dramatic backdrop towered over a red-carpeted stage.

"In front rested a commanding wooden podium flanked by a TelePrompTer.

"Politicians and celebrities sat among rows of filled white seats....

"Meanwhile, hundreds of red, white and blue balloons waited to be released.

"One could have been forgiven for thinking Vice President Cheney was in Buffalo a day early. Instead, it was the grand opening of the Church of Scientology's restored building at the southwest corner of Main and Virginia streets.

"Despite a chilly, gray afternoon, a crowd estimated by organizers at 1,400 came out to hear outdoor speeches, get a tour of the restored 1893 building and celebrate Scientology's expanded presence in Buffalo.

"It is the latest chapter for a worldwide organization that has long been accused of being a cult rather than a religion.

"'What we have here in Buffalo are great people, great architecture, great opportunity, and I think this represents the best of the best here today,' said Mayor Anthony M. Masiello, who read aloud a proclamation that declared Church of Scientology Day in Buffalo.

"'Like so many of you, I've been looking forward to this moment for some time,' Masiello said.

"Other speakers, including David Miscavige, chairman of the Scientology-related Religious Technology Center, and Ellicott Council Member Brian Davis, praised the work of the church and its potential impact on ."

For more information about David Miscavige, there is a good page on the RTC web site.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Banda Aceh

There is great humanitarian work being done in the wake of the tsunami. There are thousands of stories to tell. Here’s one that I read, and which I’m passing on. It is from a young Buddhist man from Singapore who has just trained to be a Scientology Volunteer Minister and joined the relief effort in Banda Aceh:

“I am Nick Sim from Singapore and I am a Buddhist. This is my first trip to Banda Aceh together with the Scientology people. We are here to do volunteer work for the Indonesians who are affected by the tsunamis. This morning I went to the refugee camp. While doing an assist, I encouraged those standing behind to learn. The response was overwhelming. Many of the refugees were enthusiastic to be trained by me. After a while, they were doing assists for each other happily. I admire their spirit. Despite losing their houses and family members, they are still eager to learn the assists and care for each other. After every assist they will say “bagus,” which means GOOD in English.”

Scientology Volunteer Minister Nick Sim with children from Aceh

Here's a humanitarian in the making.

Sasha wins a trip tothe UN for speaking her mind
Times Media Limited
Sunday Times (South Africa)
June 27, 2004
SASHNI PATHER



Sasha Rajah, a Grade 7 pupil at Summerhill School in Midrand, will represent South Africa at the Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) Youth Summit at the UN from August 22-24.

A 12-YEAR-old girl's essay on the importance of educating the youth on human rights has earned her a trip to the United Nations in New York.

The purpose of the summit is to teach young people around the world about human rights and help them become advocates for tolerance and peace. The competition was run in 20 countries.

"We were asked at school to write about why it was important to educate the youth about human rights," said Rajah, who will present her essay at the summit.

Displaying a maturity beyond her age, she wrote down all the things she considered wrong in the world and suggested ways of remedying them.

"I went to India recently with my family and was shocked by the poverty in that country and realized how fortunate we are. Most of the human rights are not even practiced there," she said.

Her parents, Lalitha and Deena Rajah, will be accompanying her.

Said her mother: "Sasha is a very bubbly child who speaks her mind and is not shy to get what she wants. If she feels something is wrong, she is always very direct about it, but in a respectful way."

Her father said she had had just one day to complete the essay.

"After reading it, I realized her potential and was very impressed. She discussed global issues and then wrote about South Africa and gave her opinion on how violations of human rights can be rectified."

Summerhill principal Sonja Anderson-Morshead said nine pupils of the school were chosen to write essays, which were sent to Los Angeles.

"We are very proud of Sasha and view this as an amazing achievement. Sasha is a very mature girl and quite serious in her thinking. She obviously gave her effort a lot of thought, and her passion for human rights was very evident."

The coordinator of YHRI in South Africa, Sharleen Wohrnitz, said her essay was the best in the country.

"Her message was very clear, and this young girl put across her viewpoints clearly. The judges looked at the content and strong message."

Rajah wrote in her essay: "As South Africans, all we read about in the local newspapers is crime, mainly murder, rape and theft. This means there are South Africans out there with no respect for human life or property.

"We, the youth of our nation, can make the difference. We can influence the lives we lead by practicing good, sound human rights and setting the example to those who totally disrespect it. Remember, you are the future: the future lies in the youth of today."

* * *

The Youth for Human Rights International Youth Summit at the United Nations was co-sponsored by the Church of Scientology International, overseen by the Leisa Goodman, Human Rights Director of the Church of Scientology International

Here's a link to an article that appeared 4 years ago in the St. Petersburg Times. It is about Scientology, but features a great deal of information on Mr. David Miscavige, who is a great humanitarian.

The Man Behind Scientology (David Miscavige)

Ghandi was one of the great humanitarians of our era.

Here is a brief biography of Gahndi, from http://www.engagedpage.com/

Mohandas K. Gahndi was born in 1869 to Hindu parents in the state of Gujarat in Western India. He entered an arranged marriage with Kasturbai Makanji when both were 13 years old. His family later sent him to London to study law, and in 1891 he was admitted to the Inner Temple, and called to the bar. In Southern Africa he worked ceaselessly to improve the rights of the immigrant Indians. It was there that he developed his creed of passive resistance against injustice, satyagraha, meaning truth force, and was frequently jailed as a result of the protests that he led. Before he returned to India with his wife and children in 1915, he had radically changed the lives of Indians living in Southern Africa.

Back in India, it was not long before he was taking the lead in the long struggle for independence from Britain. He never wavered in his unshakable belief in nonviolent protest and religious tolerance. When Muslim and Hindu compatriots committed acts of violence, whether against the British who ruled India, or against each other, he fasted until the fighting ceased. Independence, when it came in 1947, was not a military victory, but a triumph of human will. To Gandhi's despair, however, the country was partitioned into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. The last two months of his life were spent trying to end the appalling violence which ensued, leading him to fast to the brink of death, an act which finally quelled the riots. In January 1948, at the age of 79, he was killed by an assassin as he walked through a crowed garden in New Delhi to take evening prayers.

Some day we will be enlightened enough that a man of peace can live in safety among his fellows.

L. Ron Hubbard

One of the true humanitarian's of all time, not only did L. Ron Hubbard dedicate his life to helping others, but he took great care to ensure to pass his knowledge and skill on to others.

There have been great men, even saints, who have helped many people. But when they left, what remained was the memory of what they could do.

But today, millions of people are living better lives because Mr. Hubbard took the care to work out exactly how anyone could learn to do what he had done.

He applied scientific method to what was traditionally the field of the humanities and came up with technology that works every time it is used, provided it is used exactly.

The results from the technology L. Ron Hubbard developed are almost inconceivable. We hear and see the shattered lives of people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol, and even those who manage to pull themselves up out of their dependencies learn they have to live one day at a time and that they will always be addicts - always plagued by the very problems they "solved" by abusing drugs and alcohol in the first place. Yet Narconon, which uses L. Ron Hubbard's technical breakthroughs, has over 75% success rate. And Narconon would like nothing better than to share it with any group that wants to use it. Yet we still have "authorities" on drug addiction asserting that it is incurable and you have to hook an addict on some other drug to cure his being hooked on the first drug. Crazy.

It is very positive to see more and more people becoming aware of the brilliance of L. Ron Hubbard and his invaluable legacy.

Traditionally each year there is an anniversary celebration for the IAS (International Association of Scientologists) and the "IAS Freedom Medal Winners" are announced.

The event takes place at St. Hill Manor in England, the location where the IAS was first established.

Mr David Miscavige is the Master of Ceremonies each year, and part of the proceedings involve the validation of those who, as members of the IAS, have contributed above and beyond the call of duty.

Here is a list of IAS medal winners from the USA:

IAS Freedom Medal Winner - Anne Archer (USA)
IAS Freedom Medal Winner - Bud Reichel (USA)
IAS Freedom Medal Winner - Keith Code (USA)

IAS Freedom Medal Winner - Isaac Hayes (USA)

IAS Freedom Medal Winner - Chick Corea (USA)

IAS Freedom Medal Winner - John Travolta (USA)

IAS Freedom Medal Winner - Jane Allen (USA)

Other Countries:

IAS Freedom Medal Winner - Anne Roberts (UK)
IAS Freedom Medal Winner - Martha Ballasteros and Javier Ramirez (Venezuela)
IAS Freedom Medal Winner - Elana Roggero (Italy)
IAS Freedom Medal Winner - Lawrence Anthony (South Africa)