Yvonne Schick for Senate?

I learn from Xenu Barb that Yvonne Schick is running for Senate as a Libertarian candidate. Yvonne Schick is a Scientologist. And should we care about that? The small-l libertarian in me says that, up to a point, the answer is no.

There is a coda to that, though. We, hopefully, assess our candidates based on a variety of attributes, and like it or not, belief figures in that. I wouldn't want to see a health minister that believed that vitamin C cured AIDS. I wouldn't want a prime minister that believed in the tooth fairy. But how do I measure that suitability of belief? Why, I measure it against my own beliefs! And in order for me to do that, I need to know what the candidate's beliefs are. Political ideologies are a form of belief, no more or less sacred than religious beliefs, and it would be an odd election indeed that ascribed someone's political beliefs the same level of privacy we often attach to their religious beliefs. This might seem unfair to some who view it as not being a matter for political debate, so here's the thing - if you think it unfair, disregard the information. It's all going to a vote any way, so let those who think it important vote the way they want, and we'll see who wins. The beauty of democracy.

So to clarify, my position is that no-one should be forbidden from candidacy based on their belief, but those beliefs should be open to scrutiny, because they are material to assessing a candidate's suitability. Many of Scientology's beliefs are quite deliberately hidden from public view; they claim that this is right and proper, and similar to many other religions. Whether or not that is the case is a debate for a different time. Yvonne Schick has completed OTIII. This suggests she may believe in Incident 2 and all that that entails. Let's ask her. I shan't insult any below OTIII Scientologist readers by repeating that oft-told tale, but it is important to state that it is a genuine part of Scientology literature, and shall surely stand between Yvonne Schick and a fair few votes.

(if you really want to know about OTIII, start at Wikipedia, then progress onto Scientology vs. Providers and Karin Spaink (1996), the legendary court case that saw CoS, in defending their copyright for OTIII, saw it entered onto the public record, making any future denial of its contents impossible)