Cults: Scientology

Excellent Slate article about L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology. I can understand Tom Cruise and John Travolta being members (they're actors!) but was taken aback that Beck is too. This poorly-edited anti-Scientology website says his parents were/are members. And Beck's mom (as a midwife) delivered Beck's wife!

There's a line in Leonard Cohen's song, "Famous Blue Raincoat" ("Did you ever go clear?") that's a Scientology reference. This Stereogum post has some good info on the Cohen connection - one excuse is that he just joined to meet chicks. Cohen is such a lovable fraud himself that I'm sure he was just investigating out of professional curiosity.

But the question remains: Why are they dead?