It's been my observation that one of the indulgences afforded the rich, and moreover, the rich celebrity; is the means and capacity for self-delusion. I doubt Mr. Cruise would fare all that well, were he deprived of his wealth & status, and subjected to the realities that the common man or woman must deal with on a daily basis. Even more so were he unfortunate enough to find himself dealing with the black dog of depression.

He is in an insulated position where he can (so far) take potshots at Brooke Shields, and by proxy all who suffer from depression and are treated with medication. All this (again, so far), without supporting his position with a shred of factual evidence. That's a shame. Those who suffer from depression (and yes, I belong to that club) have enough on their plates already. They hardly need such disinformation floating around.

I read the article in the link you provided. Having had a more-than-casual acquaintance with the CoS in my youth, I wasn't surprised. His slanderous statements concerning psychiatry are nothing more than the sycophantic regurgitation of standard Church of Scientology propaganda. It is laughable to anyone with two brain cells to rub together. My thought on the matter is that he should stick to what he does best... acting out ficticious roles in motion pictures.

Fortunately, I doubt we'll hear too much more from him on this topic. There's a limit to what the ticket buying public will tolerate. And there are other moderating factors as well. I doubt the APA would maintain their silence if Scientology's current media darling continued his campaign of slander & libel. And not every producer and casting director in Hollywood is enamored with the CoS. Were Tommy Boy to stop bouncing off of couches and shouting down Ms. Shields for a bit, he might learn that there are people in Hollywood that have been hurt, some quite maliciously, by his cherished CoS. But alas, it is the nature of self-delusion to avoid confronting such realities.

As an aside to this, I did stop using Paxil about a year ago. It had nothing to do with statements by Tom Cruise, or by anyone else for that matter. It was a simple matter of economics. I have found myself, at best, only marginally employed since September 11th, 2001. Without any form of insurance, it came down to choosing either the Paxil, or amenities such as a telephone and running water. I gave up the Paxil in favor of taking showers and staying in touch with my elderly parents four states away. That's an option I don't recommend, if you can avoid it. Boy, what I wouldn't give to have the means for a little self-delusion. Thanks for letting me rant.

I hope your day is a good one. Peace.

RM