John Sweeney, jet engine or exploding tomato?

Poor JohnSweeney. I dunno, a man loses his temper (a little bit) just once and the next thing he knows he's public enemy number one. The barrage of heavily edited anti-Sweeney footage on Youtube and everywhere else has been nothing short of hilarious. He's allegedly a lunatic (really, his moods are affected by the movements of the moon? For real?), an embarrassment, a nut-job blah blah blah...
I'm not the most patient person in the world, I've got a wee temper on me when caught by the right thing at the wrong time...It would take some goading to get me to shout like that, but goddamn it that Tommy Davis appeared to be doing a good job of it.

John, like many people, finds it rather frustrating when persistently talked over, contradicted, interrupted and generally when subject to a frustrating and infuriating incorrect accusation, and isn't allowed to defend himself.

It's all a storm in a teacup - the two of them had a go at each other, it was quickly over and reconciled, and should have passed into nothingness along with the zillions of other arguments people have over silly things. And don't tell me his professional context changes things, arguments happen at work too.

As the other half of a journo-type, I'm well aware that entering that profession is entering a lion's den of misunderstanding, misinterpretation and, well, saying the wrong thing to the wrong person.

Can't we just see that he's an investigative journalist and a man beyond it all, there's no need to demonise the guy - it's not like he killed anyone!

John has my full support....


As for the Church of Scientology - the whole religion/cult argument aside, there are a few things that I find baffling about it. Firstly, using the e-meter during counselling, they locate areas of 'torment' within the person and talk those out until the person is no longer tormented by them. This sounds like a therapeutic process, which is probably very satisfying, however it doesn't, to me, warrant an indoctrinated following, it's something you might pay for then go home and get on with your life. Why is it being called anything more than a hobby? Is it because they request that you dedicate your life to it, and why?
Secondly, these people scare me. I dislike their accusatory nature. They seem to be focused on other people's crimes and wrongs. Are they using their metered form of counselling as a way to 'atone' for their own 'sins', thereofre achieving a sense of inner peace and the self-gratification that goes along with that? That sounds very inviting (not to me) but disturbing and frightening. it seems to me the people who would be attracted to that may have problems and this financially-led pursuit of enlightenment might be more damaging than helpful?

They have people-power - they have the numbers and the determination to put whatever spin they like on to whatever they like...

As a relative of a former member of another organisation which surfs the religion/cult line, I am forever wary of these things, and would prefer to find answers within myself, and keep my bank balance at the meagre figure it is now, no lower!