Nick Xenophon attack on scientology celebrity backfires
Nick Xenophon attack on Scientology celebrity backfires
Is Senator Nick Xenophon being rational about his attack on The Church of Scientology’s celebrity?
Nick Xenophon’s legal footing destroyed; The Australian Broadcasting Commission reported: “Independent Senator Nick Xenophon has made a ferocious assault on the Church of Scientology late at night and under parliamentary privilege.” http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2009/11/19/2747455.htm
Nick Xenophon attack on Scientology celebrity backfires
Senator Nick Xenophon pushed the toothpaste out of the tube about Scientology with a speech crafted in an obvious tone of hatred mixed with falsehood and attempts to re-open allegations of illegal deeds long ago cleared by police services.
Xenophon’s attack was intertwined with snide references to “so called religion” and openly stating that his aim is to deprive the fastest growing religion in the world of funds by calling for an inquiry into its tax-exempt status.
Scientology is a worldwide religious movement with more than 8,000 Churches, Missions and groups in 165 countries. The Church and its members dedicate their time and resources to numerous humanitarian programs that Scientology has become known for around the world, including combating drug abuse, immorality, illiteracy and human rights violations.
Nick Xenophon attack on Scientology celebrity backfires
Is there a rational basis for Nick Xenophon’s ranting attack on Scientology? – is it a publicity stunt? – or must the secret “Da Xenophon Code” be uncovered?
Surely Nick Xenophon’s assertions of crimes read to a near empty Senate Chamber late at night would perhaps have been more suitable to suitable the goings on at a military base rather than a church. There are no perfect organizations in the world that’s for sure. Xenophon’s speech was more an embittered and irrational rave by a closing attorney before an empty jury, rather than a seasoned and professional political senator amongst his peers.
In his first speech in the senate Independent Senator Xenophon said “…I do not swear allegiance to a party and that is why I do not owe allegiance to any one ideology. That is what I believe Independents must do. An Independent must take every issue as it comes and ask, ‘If we change things, who might it hurt and who will it help?’ and then hopefully make the right choice. http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/senators/homepages/first_speech/sfs-8IV.htm
What is Xenophon’s Game Plan?
From a legal frame of reference The Australian Newspaper published an Article from the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership on Saturday November 21 stating the implausibility of a legal remedy against The Church of Scientology as the High Court of Australia has ruled it is a legitimate religion [ 1983 judgment of the High Court in Church of the New Faith v Commissioner of Payroll Tax (Victoria) ].
The Australian Article also states that Section 116 of the Australian Constitution denies the Australian Parliament the right to legislate in respect of religion – Section 116 – “The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.” (1) http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/political-pursuit-of-religion/story-e6frg6zo-1225800617136
If the parliament has no legal powers in respect to deny Scientology as a religion, then what is Nick Xenophon really up to in his witch hunt?
To deny The Church of Scientology its tax-exempt status all other religions would have to re-classified as not being religions as well, this would include Anglicans, Lutherans, Catholics, Buddhists, Hindu, Moslem etc. And this is impossibility at any rate as the parliament has no power to legislate to change the status of religions.
So what is Nick Xenophon up to if there is no legal method to deny the religious tax-exemption from the inquiry he seeks against The Church of Scientology?
If Xenophon’s attack seeks to ban The Church of Scientology then all religions likewise would have to be banned. This is obviously an impossibility.
In his speech Nick Xenophon called The Church of Scientology a “so called religion” which is not true according to the High Court of Australia.
Nick Xenophon then stated his aim to be to deprive The Church of Scientology of its tax-exempt status, something Section 116 of the Australian Constitution prohibits.
What other legitimate motives could Nick Xenophon have in attacking Scientology?
For a lawyer by profession one would imagine Nick Xenophon would be able to deal in facts, not untrue assertions and character assassination of the world’s fastest growing religion The Church of Scientology.
So is it a publicity stunt by a man who is seeking to prove himself the dominator of the Australian Senate as he often holds the balance of power as an unaligned Independent Senator?
Perhaps it is, but a brutal attack on a religion firing bullets with such obvious hatred and falsehoods and no legal footing must backfire on Nick Xenophon in the end.
Maybe it is Nick Xenophon who is in self destruct mode?
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Nick Xenophon attack on scientology celebrity backfires
Nick Xenophon Scientology Attack motives Political Pursuit Of Religion
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Tags: attack, backfires, celebrity, scientology, xenophon
Nick Xenophon, Uncategorized | admin | 
November 21, 2009 4:48 am | 
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