The following is my opinion along with the facts I base it on.
The Cruise camp’s only three utterances since the divorce filing of Holmes were:
1) First, reports that Tom Cruise was ‘suprised’ by the filing and was ‘saddened.’
2) Next came a ‘source’ from Cruise’s camp expressing dismay that people would think Scientology had anything to do with the matter since Katie had nothing but wonderful things to say about Scientology.
3) Cruise’s attorney Bert Fields taking the incredibly childish swipe at Katie for allegedly orchastrating the international media storm of the past week.
2 and 3 above give strong indication that Tom Cruise is still listening to his best man, Scientology Inc. cult leader David Miscavige. They both sound like vintage Miscavige.
As to the claim that they are so suprised because Katie only expressed ‘love’ for Scientology, that is right out of Miscavige’s well-worn strategy to use pressured, documented, positive utterances (called success stories) against former members in the following wise. Success stories are required after every Scientology Inc service (counseling or study courses) in which the individual puts in writing how the counselling or course changed his or her life for the better. Those succcess stories are the first thing that are mustered and organized for defense when a former member sues or speaks ill of Scientology Inc. to the media. Miscavige has Scientology Inc lawyers and hacks wave about previous success stories and claim that Scientology Inc. is shocked the person who wrote such stories has ‘suddenly’ had a change of heart. Along with that comes their baseless, shrill charges that the person must have been ‘deprogrammed’ by ‘enemies’ with horrid, anti-religious motives.
As to #3, Miscavige and Scientology Inc can’t help but play the victim with queer media conspiracy theories. Has Katie Holmes made a single utterances publicly about the divorce in the past week? No. Yet, the august, venerable Bert Fields snidely claims as a fact that Katie has been working the media against poor Tom.
Based on Miscavige’s white-collar-criminal/abusive-wealthy-corporation way of going about business of late, here is how I see Miscavige/Cruise dealing with this unprecedented public relations flap.
Well before the first court appearance, or next filing in the case, that could set off further media storms, aggressively and intensively negotiate the case to settlement.
Likely terms Miscavige/Cruise will obtain at an astronomical price (Miscavige may even need to dip into Scientology Inc’s war chest to help pay the price):
a) Katie signs a document that indicates there is to be joint/equal custody of the daughter of Tom and Katie. However, there will be a side agreement (that will sit locked up in their lawyer’s safes) that gives Katie sole custody, control over education, and some visitation rights to Tom.
b) Katie signs a document that indicates that Scientology was never an issue nor consideration in the filing for divorce.
Miscavige and Scientology Inc hacks then make the media and their sources wrong for having allegedly jumped the gun to insinuate Scientology into the matter in order to bludgeon Scientology Inc, Miscavige and Cruise.
Miscavige, at bottom, loves the victim card and when his back is against the wall he always plays it, and plays it well. He has, and will, pay untold sums of money to orchastrate the apparancy that he and Scientology Inc. were the victims.
The scenario I predict (buy silence at any price) is precisely what he did earlier this year when former member Debbie Cook testified that Miscavige ordered her to be tortured by associates (see post, Debbie Cook Tells The Hole Truth). He has been doing it for thirty years. The price to accomplish it keeps getting higher. While the price will likely be in a whole new strata when it comes to Katie Holmes, Cruise and Miscavige have plenty of cheese in their Scientology Inc. war chest to pull it off.
In the brave new world of Miscavige/Cruise’s Scientology Inc., image is the only thing.
Update: For those unfamiliar with the character of Miscavige, this just in from the BBC’s John Sweeney writing for the UK Independent, Sweeney on Miscavige.
UPDATE 7/9/12: Village Voice Acknowledges Accuracy of Prediction.
Moving On Up a Little Higher 