Travolta's Scientologists are 'profiteering' in Haiti

Members of the sinister Church of Scientology are reportedly swarming to the Caribbean island of Haiti in the aftermath of its recent devastating earthquake for  reasons more appalling than you might have thought - tragedy profiteering.

Hollywood actor and Scientology follower John Travolta, arranged for one plane of supplies to get to Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, and personally flew another Boeing 707 there himself. Those planes contained much needed food, equipment and genuine doctors. But they also contained volunteer ministers, ready to spread the word of Scientology.

New York based news website Gawker quotes one of their sources, a long time veteran of the church, as stating that the Scientologists who have descended on Haiti, "genuinely think that only they can help in an emergency." They are misguided, but well-intentioned. But there are others who "are just total buzzards." Those, he says, are engaging in a vain attempt to profit from the tragedy — a tale corroborated by another former church member. This email is doing the rounds:

By 'help', they mean money. And if those seminars result in confused and vulnerable Haitians signing up for any further courses in Scientology- unlikely as that seems, given the poverty in that country- these Global Pioneers get a 12 per cent cut of their future course fees. Apparently over 100 plan to go to Port-au-Prince. Gawker’s source adds that he gets email and Facebook spam all day from 'Pioneers' seeking donations.

It appears that the email had been circulated before and after the earthquake. However, this press release from Global Pioneers was sent by the same man who sent the above missive - a Cary Goulston- outlining their achievements in Haiti since the earthquake:

The original page includes video.

* Ten American missionaries detained last week while trying to take 33 Haitian children out of the country were charged on Thursday with kidnapping children and criminal association, a government official said.

Information Minister Marie Laurence Lassegue's announcement came shortly after the five men and five women left a hearing at the prosecutor's office.

They have been held since they were taken into custody. Appearing solemn, they did not respond to questions from reporters. A few sang hymns. Under Haitian law, anyone accused of kidnapping a child is not eligible for bail, the attorney general's office said.

Conviction on the kidnapping charge carries a maximum penalty of nine years in prison.