alt_religion_scientology/FACTNetARS19980227

From: FACTNet International < XXX-Obsolete.email.Deleted-XXX >

Subject: Has Primary Colors become Clinton's Cultgate?

Date: 1998/02/27

Message-ID: <34F799A2.A02@rmi.net>

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Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology.squick.squick,alt.religion.scientology.xenu,alt.support.ex-cult

Has President Clinton made a deal with the Scientology cult through John

Travolta in exchange for a more respectable portrayal in Primary Colors?

Have the cast and promoters of Primary Colors turned normal pre-movie

talkshow promotions into a worried damage-control mission?

Primary Colors, due out in March, centers around a southern governor,

who is actually modeled after Clinton. The New York Post quoted Travolta

as saying, "You have to be dead not see that the film favors Clinton.

More than anything, it promotes what a decent person he is." [2/12/98,

"Travolta Admits Bill Used Sects Appeal to Woo Him"].

George says in its March issue that manipulating Travolta was part of

Clinton's efforts to soften his portrayal in the film. Travolta went to

Washington to promote Scientology just before "Primary Colors" began

filming, reported George. Travolta told the magazine, "The next day, I

met with Clinton. He told me: `Your program sounds great. More than

that, I'd really love to help you with your issue over in Germany with

Scientology.' I was waiting for the seduction that I had heard so much

about. I thought, `Well, how could he ever seduce me? And after we

talked, I thought, `Bingo!' He did it. Scientology is the one issue that

really matters to me."

Germany considers Scientology an anti-democratic cult that cheats

members out of huge amounts of money and harasses critics and ex-members

in a Mafia-like manner. For these reasons, Germany refuses to recognize

Scientology as a religion. Travolta and other Hollywood Scientologists

have petitioned the U.S. government claiming that Scientologists in

Germany face religious persecution.

According to George, "[Clinton] went to the extraordinary length of

assigning his national security advisor, Sandy Berger, to be the

administration's Scientology point man." Berger even briefed Travolta as

would a senior senator, George reports.

George Magazine was first to report the incident and its implications.

Since then, the story has been brought up in White House press

conferences, on Fox news in the Wall Street Journal and is widely

distributed by media. Meet the Press on February 15th questioned

national security advisor Sandy Berger on the issue. Tim Russert asked

Berger, "Did you or the president hope to influence Mr. Travolta, and

make `Primary Colors' more favorable to the president?" and "But isn't

it unusual for the national security advisor to brief an actor from

Hollywood?" Berger told Russert, "Uh, it sounds to me, Tim, like you're

getting, you're getting uh, developing your own conspiracy theories

here."

The Washington Post (2/20/98) printed a syndicated column by Mary

McGrory on the op-ed page called, "Amid the Monica uproar, a call to

arms." In the column McGrory states:

"Hollywood pretty much has the run of the Clinton White House, even we

have learned lately, the National Security Council. National security

adviser Sandy Berger parlayed with actor John Travolta on the matter of

the Germans being less beastly to the Church of Scientology, of which

John Travolta is a member. The Germans say that Scientology is not a

religion but a cult, a position that was long held by our government.

Time magazine called Scientology `a hugely profitable global racket that

survives by intimidating members and critics in a Mafia-like manner'...

Embarrassed, overworked White House spinners explain that Clinton is a

bear for religious freedom. They are shocked that anyone would think

there was any quid pro quo in the equation, even if Travolta plays

Clinton in a forthcoming movie, Primary Colors...."

Travolta's remarks have brought the Cultgate affair into the limelight,

embarrassing the president and creating a nightmare for Primary Colors'

studio and investors. Primary Colors has become an on-screen non-event

because everyone knows the real plot. It's a story about Scientology and

John Travolta leveraging Clinton to get the German government to leave

Scientology alone in exchange for Travolta's warm and favorable

portrayal of the Clinton character.

In a thinly-veiled attempt at damage control, the Primary Colors

promoters are trying to cover up the sham by over-selling the idea that

the president isn't going to like the film.

The Cultgate story poses troubling questions:

Was Travolta as dumb as Vinne Barbarino in revealing the Clinton deal or

did Scientology and Travolta feel the president didn't deliver enough in

Germany? Was it time for a little pay back or for a new party in the

White House?

Who pulled the full Entertainment Tonight interview with Travolta in

which Travolta was supposed to talk about his private interview with

Clinton? Was the White house involved or did E.T. pull its own hot

Cultgate story?

Should the Primary Colors studio and investors be calling their lawyers

to file suits against Travolta and Scientology for distorting what might

have been a profitable movie?

==================================

For other Cultgate updates, see:

under "Headlines"

Despite a few big name Hollywood Scientologists -- Tom Cruise, Ann

Archer, Lisa Marie Presley, and Nicole Kidman -- many celebrities do not

view Scientology favorably. Actors Jim Carrey and Nicholas Cage have

"prank-called" Scientology's Celebrity Center in Los Angeles. Seinfeld,

David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and Ellen have all poked fun at

Scientology on television, and Howard Stern makes frequent humorous

reference to the cult. The Simpsons and Millennium have devoted entire

episodes to stories surrounding ominous Scientology-like cults. Music

bands Black 47, Tool, and Faith No More make unfavorable references to

Scientology in song lyrics. Tennis player Boris Becker threatened to sue

Scientology if his name and photo were not removed from its web pages,

and racecar driver Mario Andretti had Dianetics logos removed from his

car.

For more information on Scientology and celebrities, see:

For more information on Scientology and religion, see:

For more information on Scientology in general, see:

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January, 1997.

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