Free Republic

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Tom Cruise's faith in Scientology was nurtured at a secretive Southern California desert compound that catered to his needs around the clock, it was reported Saturday. Long before Cruise sprang onto Oprah's couch or blasted Brooke Shields for taking antidepressants, the Hollywood superstar undertook intensive study and counseling at the compound in the late 1980s and early 1990s, current and former Scientologists told the Los Angeles Times. Cruise also trained at the church's better-known facilities, including those in Hollywood, Calif., and Clearwater, Fla. But much of his time was spent at the compound 90 miles east...

Mortensen Defends Bush Criticism The Lord Of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen refuses to apologize for his recent attack on President George W. Bush - maintaining the political leader is a "beast." The outspoken actor hit out at Bush after his controversial handling of Hurricane Katrina, but also disagrees with the President's Iraq policies, gossip site The Scoop reports. He fumes, "I'm not anti-Bush; I'm anti-Bush behavior. In other words, I'm against cheating, greed, cruelty, racism, imperialism, religious fundamentalism, treason, and the seemingly limitless capacity for hypocrisy shown by Bush and his administration. Cindy Sheehan (peace activist whose son was...

Two members of a civilian border-patrol group similar to the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps were depicted as guilty of murder in tonight's episode of NBC's "Law & Order."

Is NBC accusing the Minutemen, the civilian border-patrol group, of murder? That's the charge of the group's president, Chris Simcox, who points to a commercial for tonight's "Law and Order" episode dealing with illegal immigration. Simcox has sent a letter to NBC demanding the network "cease and desist" airing the promo. According to Simcox's Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, the promo includes the following verbiage: