Scientologists for Ron Paul

http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2012/08/26/ron_paul_and_scientology_religion_shows_up_in_force_at_convention.html


By David Weigel | Posted Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, at 9:39 PM ET




TAMPA -- Most people who've spent afternoons walking in crowded cities know what the sign means. FREE STRESS TEST? Here there be Scientologists. The church founded by L. Ron Hubbard took up decent real estate at the P.A.U.L. Festival, an unsanctioned tribute to presidential candidate Ron Paul. Walk past the booth for a new alternative currency in Breckenridge, Colorado (the "Mile High Hour," or "Rado&quot and you'd see many copies of Dianetics and four e-meters, manned by church members, checking Ron Paul supporters for thetans.

This was a crowd of people familiar, and fed up, with being labeled kooky. "I asked them if they'd ever met Stan Marsh," snarked a Texas-based Ron Paul fan named Danny Bessoms, referring to an episode of South Park in which the character becomes head of the church. So, why did the Scientologists fork over $500 for a booth and court Ron Paulians?
I approached the both and joined reporter Garrett Quinn in an obviously unwelcome Q&A session with the Scientologist manning the booth -- a fit young man dressed in white and black and a Sea Org belt. (Nearby Clearwater, Fla. is a nexus of Scientologists.) "We'll get Aaron over here and he'll talk to you," he said. Soon enough, Aaron Doerges returned to the booth to explain why Scientologists and Paulians could be friends.

"The bottom line is that the guys who are Ron Paul supporters are free-thinkers," said Doerges. "They're more literate. They're able to actually look at data, and make decisions about it. That's sort of the keynote of Scientology -- it literally means 'the study of knowledge.' The think on it, as we decided to do the both, was: Look, you've already got guys here who actually know that the mainstream media is full of crap. They actually know that there's more out there than what you're being fed. Let's get in front of some of those people, get in front of some of the false data they have on the subject, get them interested in something that actually helps able people become more able."

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