This week marked the annual UN International Day Against Drugs, and the Church of Scientology International and Scientology churches  commemorated the day with anti-drug activites all over the world.

Here’s a photo of Italian Scientologists at a "Say No to Drugs" booth, where they help kids decide not to start using drugs in the first place.   

I guess you can tell I’m a Juliette Lewis fan.  I think she’s an utterly brilliant actress.

I’ve never heard her music, but I’m really impressed with someone just deciding that’s what she wants to do, and making the transition from one career, as a very well recognized actress, to doing the band circuit without any perks, just as any other band has to do it….

And getting such great recognition for her work.

And I love her quotes about Scientology, such as this one I read in a livejournal blog today:

 "’I'm fiercely independent and defiant and its all the stuff that I’ve done in Scientology that has helped reinforce that and make me even more of an individual.’ ‘it’s a true non-conformist religion.’"

There’s a good article on Juliette Lewis in the UK Telegraph.

Here are some of the things she is quoted as saying:

On her band Juliette and the Licks- 

‘I get asked all the time if I am "performing" when I’m on stage or if it’s the real me,’ Lewis tells me. ‘And the only way I can answer is by saying that I feel 100 per cent who I am on stage, and that’s this primal little fireball that gets unleashed through music and through doing a live show. Yes, I could release little sparks of it when I was acting, but until I was singing there was always a hunger in the pit of my stomach.’

About her lifestyle -

There are so many weird assumptions that get made about you when you are an actress,’ Lewis says. ‘You know, that you’re a millionaire or that you travel a certain way. People create some kind of mythical thing about the world of Hollywood. I have to laugh at it. It’s not as if I ever had a red carpet outside my door with a horse and carriage waiting. And now that I’m on tour I’m just travelling with my band of brothers and, yeah, we don’t shower enough, and, yeah, it’s completely non-stop, but you see I asked for this.’

 About her theater debut in London -

‘It requires the level of emotion of ten rock shows. And you’ve seen how I do a rock show. But that’s the challenge. I was at home in LA making a new Licks’ album [with Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters on drums, no less] when I got sent the play. I had to read it and make a decision about doing it over the weekend. I couldn’t not do it. It moved me so much. It’s this insane tug-of-war about being imprisoned by love and wanting to break out from that.’

On the Scientology religion -

‘It is totally significant for me. It keeps me rooted and grounded. I’m a defiant person and I’m questioning, so if I’m going to do something, it’s got to be important and meaningful. Scientology is something that you apply to your life, not something you retreat into.’

 On drugs -

‘It’s something that is so in the past tense. I’ve been drug-free for ten years. And I resent, especially in the rock ‘n’ roll world, the "tell us some drugs and sex stories" attitude. It’s real boring. It’s not radical to take drugs any more. There are no more excuses.’

It you’re in the Hollywood area, tomorrow night, may I recommend a really great event?  At the  Celebrity Centre Garden Pavilion there will be a live performance of Johnny the Town Tamer, one of L. Ron Hubbard’s classic fiction works from Golden Age of Sci Fi.

I’ve seen performances of L. Ron Hubbard’s Science Fiction in this kind of setting before.  They’re terrific.  Great acting, great stories.  And this has got to be the best deal in town! Admission $5.

After the show there’s a reception at the Renaissance Restaurant (always a treat to eat there!)
 

At the Grand Opening of the Church of Scientology of Buffalo, Mr. David Miscavige expressed the philosophy Scientologists embrace about the need to help their communities with the effective Scientology tools we have.

 "As we look down these streets, we can speak of unemployment, we can speak of the need for renewal, we can speak of all else that plagues every part of this world in terms of addiction, illiteracy, criminality and immorality not to mention economic instability. But, if we do, my friends, let’s not speak in terms of those "problems". Let’s speak in terms of "solutions"—solutions for that which can solve every one of them. Because what drives it all is the individual—the forgotten worker and our prominent leaders.

"If revitalization is what we seek, then let’s help revitalize the individual himself. For the Scientologists of Buffalo, the church that stands before you is something we have dreamed about for decades."

 Mr. Miscavige goes on to say:

 "To work together and serve as an inspiration to others. For if evil, pain, bewilderment and injustice are fundamental facts of today’s existence, let’s all of us demonstrate with a stronger conviction that something can be done about it. Because, we believe in man. We know there is hope. And, because we can help, working together we will make a difference. In that light, and in recognition of this new church and the tomorrow it will bring, it is my honor to present you with this: It begins with these words from our Founder:

"’All great cathedrals began their building by the placement of a single stone.

"The building unit of a great society is the individual.’"

 Since that is exactly how I feel about it, I thought I would share it here.