If there’s one person out there in the public relations field who really creeps me out it’s this guy, Mike Rinder, who leads the “Church” of Scientology’s Office of Special Affairs, the department that handles much of the cult’s public image and persona.

Rinder most recently appeared publicly on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 doing among other things, denying that BBC reporter John Sweeney had been followed by cult members while working on a segment for Panorama called “Scientology and Me.”

Despite the cult’s sickening and outright attempt to intimidate the reporter, Sweeney ended up the most memorable person in the story for his unethical shouting match with the totalitarian cult spokesman Tommy Davis. Although Sweeney’s reporting may not have been the best–he shouted to John Travolta during the London premiere of Wild Hogs–the job he did to illustrate the cult’s fanatical behavior was decent.

During the taping of the program Sweeney is clearly followed by several cars as well as confronted while conducting a private interview by Davis.

Scientology’s fear of sunlight should be clear to most people, nevertheless there’s Rinder last month flat out denying that Sweeney was followed as he denied during an A&E documentary in 1998 although footage of German journalist Mona Boutros clearly shows as many as three cars following her as well.

It’s with a strange and sinister aplomb, reminiscent of Josef Goebbels, that the Australian-born Rinder can flat out lie. It’s as if he wants you to know he’s lying that he simply doesn’t care because in the end it doesn’t matter, his cult will do what it has to do, spin any lie, cover up any controversy, attack any critic and fabricate any story that it must to get ahead.

Although I’ve hardly been the victim of Scientology, certainly I’ve been reached by Scientologists in the last week in harmless and innocuous ways. My Myspace profile has been visited by supporters Narcanon, the drug rehabilitation program founded by the habitual liar and drug user L. Ron Hubbard who Rinder goes through such lengths to defend. Just this morning I found an invite to a profile called “Stop Psychiatric Abuses”. Certainly, my profile being attached to my blog which contains a few shots at the cult, explains this. I’m hardly a candidate for the “church’s” “fair game” policy, although I have been receiving dozens of spam messages into my personal account since I posted my little Xenu contest.

Back to Rinder though, this guy is creepy. I’d like to find out more about him. He seems like a true-believer who speaks through his neck.