Operating Cretin

Earlier this week, Salon (subscription only) published the first of a four-part series on Scientology, focusing first on the behavior of that imploding lip-syncher of Bob Seger wedding reception standards, Tom Cruise. It is believed that Cruise has attained the level of OT-VII, or the seventh level of Operating Thetan in his L. Ron Hubbard-authored religion. This is the level that impels the adherent to go publicly batshit about his awakening, call morning show hosts "glib," ruin powerful women's furniture in front of millions of people, let lesser Thetans make adaptations of "Battlefield Earth" and whisk doe-eyed sylphs away to be wed under the harsh, knowing gaze of Xenu.

This may explain Cruise's atrocious, seventh-grade behavior, but it does not excuse his unbidden critique of Brooke Shields, whose recent book, "Down Came the Rain," chronicles her experience with postpartum depression. Shields has treated the subject thoughtfully, yet her discussion of her genuine struggle and the help she received from Paxil was met with an unwarranted and hateful rebuke by Cruise, whose 51-year-old religion eschews SSRIs.

In response and, CTTC should add, with considerable grace, Shields has written an Op-Ed for the New York Times that should really be the final word on the subject.

"I couldn't bear the sound of Rowan crying, and I dreaded the moments my husband would bring her to me. I wanted her to disappear. I wanted to disappear. At my lowest points, I thought of swallowing a bottle of pills or jumping out the window of my apartment. I couldn't believe it when my doctor told me that I was suffering from postpartum depression and gave me a prescription for the antidepressant Paxil. I wasn't thrilled to be taking drugs. In fact, I prematurely stopped taking them and had a relapse that almost led me to drive my car into a wall with Rowan in the backseat. But the drugs, along with weekly therapy sessions, are what saved me - and my family."

Anyone who cannot understand that this woman only did what was needed to save her own and, indeed, her child's life, deserves nothing but our collective contempt. We would also enjoy a mid-forties slide into direct-to-video thrillers co-starring Eric Roberts, Jennifer Tilly and Leo Rossi. That should be fair.