Steven Colbert is a hero of mine. Colbert’s frank, earnest and shoot-from-the-hip style of political commentary is both irreverent and smart. Sort of like Dennis Miller, but with a pulse.

So, it’s both a blessing and curse that my other hero, Mark Bunker, XenuTV’s mastermind, is stuck in a position of having to appeal to Colbert for help in getting his YouTube account reinstated.

Here’s a new report from The Register in the on-going debate to “Free Mark Bunker:”

But wait, there’s more…

MARK BUNKER HAS THE FULL VIDEO OF JASON BEGHE TALKING ABOUT HIS NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES IN THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY. Support free speech, watch this video.

This is a test of the Google Alerts and Google News System. This is only a test. If this doesn’t show up in Google news, I will be pissed.

Scientology: Jason Beghe Interview Pt.1 from Mark Bunker on Vimeo.

Part 1

Scientology: Jason Beghe Pt 2 from Mark Bunker on Vimeo.

Part 2

Scientology: Jason Beghe Part 3 from Mark Bunker on Vimeo.
Part 3

For the rest, go here to Xenutv.com.

The Wise Beard Man is Wise. His beard is luxurious. Thank you Jason for your bravery.

As we mentioned yesterday, Glosslip Radio hit the jackpot with two wonderful guests, Mark Bunker publisher of XenuTv.com, an extremely popular information site focused on the abuses of the Church of Scientology, and Jeff Hawkins, a 35-year veteran of the Church of Scientology. Tonight’s line up will feature Jeff from 9:30 to 10:15, and Mark from 10:15 until 11:00. Due to the volume of weird calls Glosslip Radio’s been getting during these Scientology related shows, we will be fielding questions via the chatroom.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO TONIGHT’S SHOW.

I encourage anyone interested in finding out what’s going on with the current saga of Mark Bunker’s YouTube account suspension and the release of the Jason Beghe video to tune in. Be sure to tune in at the earlier time to hear from Jeff Hawkins, as he details his experiences from inside the Church of Scientology, including working with RTC President and figurehead, David Miscavige. Jeff personally witnessed Miscavige beating senior org members, including his own run-ins. Hawkins has harrowing tales to tell from inside. This really will be a great show. Read bios on both men below:

Jeff Hawkins worked for the Church of Scientology for 35 years. He worked all over the world - Edinburgh, Copenhagen, North Africa, the Caribbean, and in Clearwater, Florida. In the 1980’s, he ran a national marketing campaign for the book Dianetics. Most recently he spent 15 years at Scientology’s international base in San Jacinto, California, working with top Scientology executives. He left Scientology in 2005, and currently works as a freelance graphic designer. Jeff’s website. Audio clip of Jeff giving interview from Lermanet.com

Mark Bunker is an Emmy award winning journalist who started the popular Xenu TV website in 1999. Xenutv.com is said to get one million hits per month. As one of the most high-profile critics of the Church of Scientology, Bunker has been following the organization since 1999, when he moved to the Church’s base in Clearwater, Florida to produce videos for the Lisa McPherson trust.

In 2008, Bunker posted a video to YouTube critical of the Internet-based group “Anonymous” and asked them to tone down their campaign against the Church of Scientology; a movement called “Project Chanology”. In the video “Message to Anonymous”, Bunker urged the group to work legally and pursue peaceful ways to protest Scientology.

From Wikipedia:

According to NPR’s Morning Edition, Bunker has “become a revered voice to many members of Anonymous”, and they refer to him as “Wise Beard Man”. Anonymous has adopted a slogan referring to Bunker: “Wise Beard Man is Wise. His words are wise, his face is beard.”

When actor Jason Beghe decided to leave Scientology in 2008, he contacted Andreas Heldal-Lund, founder of Operation Clambake, who convinced him to meet with Bunker. Heldal-Lund and Bunker went to Beghe’s house, where Beghe participated in an interview about his experiences as a Scientologist. Bunker published a 3-minute portion of the 3-hour interview to YouTube in mid-April 2008 and in the video Beghe calls Scientology “very dangerous for your spiritual, psychological, mental, emotional health and evolution”

Mark Bunker photo credit: Theda Bara

This is just a brief note, a longer one will be posted later once I have all the information.

Glosslip Radio is THRILLED to announce we will be speaking with XenuTv.Com’s Mark Bunker for tomorrow night’s show. As many of you may know, Mark and Andreas of Operation Clambake interviewed actor Jason Beghe for the now infamous video on Scientology. The video, which has made headlines around the world for its candid invectives from a high profile celebrity Scientologist who has defected, is also at the center of another controversy. Mark’s YouTube account was suddenly suspended on the day when the remainder of the 3-hour video was to be released.

With thousands of media outlets (including blogs) waiting for this never-before-seen footage with a bona fide critic who witnessed Scientology’s undeliverable promises first hand, we’ve seen a growing movement on the internet virtually EXPLODE with both anger and frustration. Censorship is alive and well on the internet.

Details coming……in the meantime, watch this video, it makes short men cry.

Ok, last I heard on this matter from my sources inside, there was some communication with Viacom, the owners of the original Steven Colbert clip Mark Bunker used the first time his account was suspended on YouTube.

YouTube is showing their true stripes for continuing to play hardball on this TOS issue, making an example out of an “EMMY AWARD WINNING JOURNALIST” who posted a video HE OWNED AND PRODUCED because someone (in OSA looking to “up” their stupid-ass stats for the week as I was informed earlier) alerted YouTube to the fact that this Mark Bunker is the same Mark Bunker they banned a while back.

There are a couple salient points in all of this. On one hand, YouTube is being watched closely enough that they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they let Mark Bunker’s account be reinstated, they will open the flood gates to all sorts of complaints and issues from those they penalized in the past for similar violations, and if they leave it suspended they will be viewed as fascist cult lovers.

This is a lose-lose situation for YouTube. I feel for them, but not much. Then there’s Viacom, and so far their opinion as it can be perceived based on their inaction is one of “eh, why should we get involved, this isn’t our problem,” which technically it isn’t, but……they could be the heroes in this by making a simple phone call to YouTube rescinding the original DMCA complaint, thereby allowing YouTube to graciously restore Mark’s account.

In the end, Mark can go anywhere he wants with this video, including my account on YouTube which I cheerfully offered of course, but that would be for my own agenda. Mark knows this, and he knows there are about 10000 other Glosslips/anonymous folks who would LOVE to have that video in their hot little hands.

This isn’t the answer. The answer as I see it is to give Viacom polite, but insistent pressure en masse to step in and be the heroes. They could go either way. I have no read on their stake in all of this.

In the end, Mark will post the video SOMEHOW, and he’s a savvy enough guy to figure this out on his own, but it would be a shame for him to have lost his videos, the time and effort of those who’ve voted, commented and rated them will be gone, as well as, the most visible and easily distributable forum for hosting this video from Jason Beghe.

Any way you slice it, one thing remains perfectly clear: the Church of Scientology really, really, really sucks.

Good luck Mark, whatever you do, we will stand behind you.

CoS, I said it earlier, and it bears repeating, all you’ve done is PISS off some very interested parties, as well as some potentially unmanageable elements on the internet. You haven’t stopped the internet OR the flow of information, you’ve merely proven to the world how sick and twisted you really are.

Let us know how that works out for you.

Ok, I just got off the phone with Mark “Wise Beard Man” Bunker of XenuTV.com. He is wise and his beard is scruffy. He told Glosslip exclusively the following:

“Scientology tries to stop free speech, but they can’t stop the internet and their efforts to silence critics will blow up in their face. It is outrageous the way they behave. They gloated about taking down Tory’s account (Tory Christman aka Magoo) on the A.R.S (Alt Relgion) and they threatened to take me down next. Jason Beghe was contacted by the Church of Scientology today and he told them they had ONE HOUR to get my account and his video back up. YouTube has been involved in this story from the beginning, even when I addressed Anonymous about going up against the Church of Scientology in a LEGAL WAY. This is a YouTube story. I have had over 10,000 subscribers to my video channel on YouTube and close to 600,000 viewers to the Jason Beghe video from all over the globe. If YouTube wants to walk away from this story that would be their choice, but it would be dumb.

The remainder of the Jason Beghe video is going up over the weekend one way or another. It can go up on YouTube if they restore my account, or it will go up somewhere else. The choice is theirs.”

Mark and I talked about this and there are some additional quotes, but I am going to forward those to Wikinews to report. I feel confident that Mark’s account will be restored. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because YouTube, as part of the Google company, has tried to set a standard of free speech on the web. If YouTube caves due to loopholes and bylaws (see wikinews article) from pressure by the Church of Scientology this issue will be a footbullet to them both.

As Mark told me, “YouTube can have the balls and give me my account back or I will post it elsewhere.” So I say, YouTube show us your balls.

The video above is from today when Mark posted up on Tory’s restored Magoo44 account.

CoS let this be a lesson to you, you can’t stop the internet and you can’t and will not stop the flow of free speech.