Tony Ortega's Blog, page 328
May 12, 2021
Scientology’s Chicago Ideal Org says it’s next to open. Is Second City ready for its closeup?
It was just a couple of days ago that we posted mailers from Scientology which claimed that the new Austin Ideal Org would be the first to open now that the pandemic is ebbing.
But hang on a minute! Our tipsters in the Chicago area sent along mailers which claim that Chicago’s Ideal Org will be the next to open, and staff is now being signed up. When will it open? We’re not sure, but in this flier, there’s an “all-Ideal” event being held on May 23. So the grand opening for the Ideal Org will happen at some point after that…
Both the Chicago and Austin Ideal Orgs had been completed and were preparing to hold their grand openings when the pandemic hit last year, and they’ve been on hold ever since.
We’ll be interested to see which one gets chosen to go first, with David Miscavige flying in for the ceremony.
Will he hold them on successive weekends, like he did with Columbus and Kansas City? We have a feeling that he will.
Meanwhile, in Detroit, more evidence that they’re trying to drum up some business after the lockdown and in a city with little Scientology presence…
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“All I’m trying to do here is show you that the most hidden factors of the mind were, of course, the things that aberrated the mind, because nobody has ever freed a mind before. So therefore, they must have been the most concealed or they would have gotten as-ised. Just as simple as that, see? Almost anybody could have come along and as-ised them if they hadn’t been very hidden. ” — L. Ron Hubbard, May 12, 1961
“RHODESIA: The anti-Scn bill in Rhodesia hit a heavy snag due to our attorney, the legal office of the government chopping down on their parliament saying its unconstitutional. The name of a notorious anti-govt psychiatrist appeared and got the govt legal dept antagonistic. Also, I had excellent PR in Rhodesia when I was there and they’re still trying to explain their actions. The Guardian Office Africa and all concerned did a fine job there. It’s all held off indefinitely.” — The Commodore, May 12, 1971
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“Back in the day there were a couple of thousand OTs auditing on OT Solo NOTs. At that same time period the world was somewhat sane (definitely as compared to now) and Church management attributed that phenomenon to the number of Solo NOTs auditors auditing. So LRH called for more and wanted 10,000 solo auditors auditing. We happen to believe that Solo NOTs being delivered in volume would tip this planet back into the direction of sanity as the theta/entheta ratio would be building back in the direction of sanity by reason of the R6 Bank getting deleted in volume. We literally are the ONLY solution to the chaos that is happening in the world. Until we get the majority of the planet clear and the SPs rounded up and handled, this planet will continue to head in the direction of destruction. So we have to shake off whatever losses we’ve had and band together and get clearing fired up again. The Church is closed down for the most part and not delivering. We need to pick up the slack.”
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1996: Lance Buckley posted a report on the lightning picket held several weeks ago outside the London Org on Tottenham Court Road. “As we descended on the org, we couldn’t help but notice that they knew we were coming. In fact they had probably been set up quite a while. I remember wondering at the time if they were getting bored waiting for us to turn up. We had our own pair of police officers to make sure the three of us didn’t start a riot or something. It’s nice to know someone cares. We said our hellos to anyone who was interested, hoisted our signs high and had at the leaflet distribution with a will. As usual we were the centre of attention for 3 or more people with cameras. Why can’t they issue decent cameras to these people? All they ever use are the ‘point’n’shoot’ models.”
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“I wouldn’t sweat it. I’ve been doing this since 2008 and I’ve given vaLLarrr and other Scientologists more than enough clues as to who my sister is that if they wanted to dox me and come after me they could have long ago. All they got left is squirrel cams, fat sleazy P.I’s and slime sites that no one reads except other Scientologists.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Preliminary hearing set for May 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff’s sentencing to be scheduled.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for May 20 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for June 18.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition for writ of mandate denied Oct 22 by Cal 2nd Appellate District. Petition for review by state supreme court denied Dec 11.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Dec 30, Judge Kleifield granted Scientology’s motions to compel arbitration. June 7: Status conference.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.
Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
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SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Scientology’s $20 million hole in the ground: The secret vault to nowhere
[TWO years ago] Scientology finds the dream solution to its recruiting woes — the QR Code!
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s toxic policy of ‘disconnection’ — we check in with the people who endure it
[FOUR years ago] One of Scientology’s most secretive temples is offering a rare look inside on Monday
[FIVE years ago] Monique Rathbun formally ends her lawsuit in Texas; Ken Dandar wins again in Florida
[SIX years ago] AUDIO LEAK: Scientology leader David Miscavige ‘makes L. Ron Hubbard out to be an imbecile’
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology is determined to conquer this Internet thing
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology Sunday Funnies: Portland Is Now Cleared, On to the Rest of Earth!
[TEN years ago] Paulette Cooper’s Statement on Tom Cruise Winning a Humanitarian Award
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 2,299 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,803 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,323 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,343 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,234 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,541 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,409 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,183 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,513 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,987 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,303 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,869 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,788 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,956 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,537 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,798 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,836 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,549 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,074 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 429 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,604 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,155 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,304 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,624 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,479 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,598 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,954 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,257 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,363 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,765 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,637 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,220 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,715 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,969 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,078 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on May 12, 2021 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
May 11, 2021
Seth Rogen: Tom Cruise claimed that Big Pharma is trying to make him look insane
The Tom Cruise revelations keep coming. On Twitter, journalist Yashar Ali posted a couple of pages taken from Seth Rogen’s new book which contain a wild anecdote about a conversation Rogen claims he had with the Top Gun actor.
Apparently referring to Cruise’s embarrassing experiences in 2005 when he briefly acted as a sort of ambassador for the Church of Scientology, which included a nutty interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show and the infamous couch-jumping incident on Oprah’s show, Cruise explained to Rogen that the pharmaceutical company was conspiring with media to make him look insane.
Rogen said that Cruise also said that his “friend” the Minister Louis Farrakhan was also being targeted. (Scientology and Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam have a longstanding and bizarre partnership.)
Here are the two pages that Yashar posted to his Twitter account. If Rogen’s memory is accurate, this suggests that Cruise is even more loopy than we realized.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 
Just this morning we had written about Cruise’s trajectory in Scientology that led up to his disastrous experiences in 2005. This conversation, also with director Judd Apatow, happened about a year later, apparently.
Scientology demonizes the pharmaceutical industry and claims that the church has always been a target of the big drug companies. We’ll soon have a piece from Chris Owen that digs into that history which we think will be very eye-opening.
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Leah Remini podcast: Steve Hassan
Says Mike: “A former Moonie, Steve is today an internationally recognized expert in the field of cults and undue influence. We cover a lot of territory, including undue influence, hypnosis and the methods used to control people. He is Founding Director of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, which provides training, consulting and support to individuals who are struggling to leave a cult, and to families and organizations that are concerned about cult behaviors.” Listen to the episode here!
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“The situation internationally, also, has improved enormously; I might make a little bulletin on that effect. The attack on Scientology in the United States has disintegrated into a rout for the government. They are now being attacked — not mildly put — by the United States Senate, and very shortly the House is going to open the ball on the FDA. Australia, their report from the inquiry has been delayed so long, the usual course of those reports and inquiries they have down there. They seem to do this quite routinely. In Victoria, they have inquiries, and then they forget about them. And the last three inquiries, as desperate as they were in progress and so forth, all wound up in no legislation. And so that one will undoubtedly dead-end too. Because its report isn’t even due in Parliament for months. And Parliament is recessing. And all of that kind of thing is happening. And if we can find Victoria, why we will set it to rights, one way or the other If we can find it. You know, you’re only dealing with a tiny little postage stamp on the face of the earth and what seems to be bowling everybody over, down in-in Australia is this fantastic news which keeps coming in to them from the United States, you see. Government runs up white flag, you see.” — L. Ron Hubbard, May 11, 1965
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“Dir I&R and MAA are to conduct a full investigation of insecurity of materials of confidential materials on board. They are to steal any they can and lock them up. List to the D/CO. Beginning at 1200 hrs today. Offenders are to be listed and handled appropriately.” — A. Jessup, C/O FAO, May 11, 1971
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“Capt. Bill Robertson describes the New Civilization Game and its goals. He describes the basic data behind its creation, what goals will be carried out by the general population, why some goals are ethics points to be carried out by Operating Thetans. In the tape, Capt. Robertson explains why some people keep voting for fascist and suppressive regimes and governments, and what the solution to this is. Want to know why your Democratic Scieno and ex-Scieno friends voted for the fascist Biden regime? They have assumed the suppressive valence of their SPs and that is why they keep voting for them! What to do with the Dem Scienos and ex-Scienos in your Facebook friend’s list that voted for Biden, voted for Obama or are going to vote for Michelle? Assign them a PTS condition and make them stop voting for the SPs. OTs can use remote command.”
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1995: Grady Ward reported this week a call to his publisher, Austin Code Works, by a man identifying himself as Eugene Ingram, a well-known Scientology PI. “He spoke for ten minutes, did not identify his employer (duh!), and made statements like: ‘Grady is the president of ACW, isn’t he?’ [No] ‘Did you know the FBI investigated Grady for his involvement with the NuPrometheus League [a group claiming responsibility for stealing and distributing Apple Computer Macintosh ROM code in June, 1989].’ ‘The FBI knew he did it because Grady was the only one fired [a provable lie!] from Apple in 1989.’ Ingram then begin to pump for financial information, such as ‘Does he make more than $10,000 in royalties [per annum, presumably] from MobyCrypto? Moby Lexicons? No? How about $5,000?'”
“The sixties counterculture turned a lot of people into Baba Dumbasses and Shirley MacLaines. People use to be a lot tougher and more levelheaded back in the day.”
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Preliminary hearing set for May 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff’s sentencing to be scheduled.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for May 20 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for June 18.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition for writ of mandate denied Oct 22 by Cal 2nd Appellate District. Petition for review by state supreme court denied Dec 11.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Dec 30, Judge Kleifield granted Scientology’s motions to compel arbitration. June 7: Status conference.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.
Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
——————–
SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Scientology ekes out small victories as the world goes to coronavirus hell
[TWO years ago] Scientology’s mental whammy is like taking one too many pucks to the head
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s bizarre international base and its near-prison life: A Marc Headley classic
[FOUR years ago] On probation and his house of horrors shut down, Tennessee Scientologist talks up Mexico
[FIVE years ago] ‘Freedom’ magazine is back after a six-month absence, and it arrived with a surprise!
[SIX years ago] As seen in the Daily Beast: ‘The Unbreakable Miss Lovely’ is on sale and ready to startle you
[SEVEN years ago] Sunday Funnies: What part of ‘rebel’ doesn’t Scientology understand?
[EIGHT years ago] PORTLAND LIVE: Mark Bunker at Scientology’s “Ideal Org” Event
[NINE years ago] The Best Reasons Why You Should Doubt the Allegations in the John Travolta Sex-Assault Lawsuit
[TEN years ago] Scientology Operation Against Washington Post Reporter Richard Leiby Exposed
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 2,298 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,802 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,322 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,342 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,233 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,540 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,408 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,182 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,512 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,986 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,302 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,868 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,787 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,955 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,536 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,797 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,835 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,548 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,073 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 428 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,603 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,154 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,303 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,623 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,478 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,597 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,953 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,256 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,362 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,764 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,636 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,219 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,714 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,968 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,077 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on May 11, 2021 at 16:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
Joe Piscopo helps pillow guy thrill the Q patriots from South Dakota
Some links to Q-related items today…
Pillow guy held a rally in South Dakota!
Joe Piscopo offers MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell praise with an original musical number. pic.twitter.com/FUOSdVg5fg
— Zachary Petrizzo (@ZTPetrizzo) May 10, 2021
Frank speech rally in Mitchell, SD! pic.twitter.com/TFUgmfmFOc
— Lindell Recovery Network (@LindellRecovery) May 11, 2021
Democracy, it was nice knowing you…
Trump supporters in New Hampshire are attempting to hijack a ballot audit and put a treasure hunter in charge. https://t.co/IJLZudsTBj
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) May 10, 2021
Zeroing in…
The @QOrigins team have geolocated the images posted in 27 Q drops based on the metadata in each image.
They have concluded those 27 images were taken in two time zones: UTC+8 and the Pacific time zone. https://t.co/cfuKZfIcpm
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) May 10, 2021
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent recent article at New York magazine as a place to start.
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THE LOWDOWN is our blog for news, the QAnon phenomenon, and other subjects not related to our coverage of the Church of Scientology. If it’s our Scientology coverage you’re looking for, please use this bookmark for our latest stories.
Posted by Tony Ortega on May 11, 2021 at 8:00
Don’t congratulate Tom Cruise until he gives back the award that really matters
We learned yesterday that Tom Cruise joined a growing protest against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — the sketchy group behind the Golden Globes awards — by returning his three Globes trophies.
Here’s how the Hollywood Reporter described the news:
Cruise won the best actor honor in 1990 for Born on the Fourth of July and 1997 for Jerry Maguire, as well as a best supporting actor award in 2000 for Magnolia.
Earlier today, NBC announced that it would not be airing the 2022 iteration of the Golden Globes. Said the network in a statement: “We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform. However, change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right.”
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});The backlash began after a L.A. Times report detailing that the organization counted zero Black journalists among its then 87 members. Last week, the HFPA’s membership voted to approve a proposal of reforms aimed at addressing its lack of diversity and other ethics issues, but many in Hollywood, including Time’s Up and a coalition of PR Firms, noted that the reforms do not go far enough.
Cruise’s fans will no doubt laud the actor for returning the trophies, especially since he was nominated for Academy Awards for each of those same performances and didn’t win, and so he doesn’t have any Oscar statuettes to hold onto as consolation.
But we can think of another award in Cruise’s collection that, if he gave it back, would have an even bigger impact on injustice and abuse.
Cruise was first lured into Scientology by actress Mimi Rogers when they began dating in 1986. She had grown up in it and at one point even owned a satellite field office for bringing in new recruits.
They were married on May 9, 1987, which was Dianetics Day, indicating how quickly Mimi got Tom absorbed into the Scientology mindset. But then in 1990 he fell for costar Nicole Kidman while they were filming Days of Thunder, and the church made Mimi understand that she would sign a divorce settlement without a fuss.
Initially, Nicole was enthusiastic about Scientology and rocketed all the way up to Operating Thetan level two (OT 2) in only a couple of years, according to her former auditor, Bruce Hines. But then she soured on Scientology and its leader David Miscavige, and pulled away from Scientology, taking Tom with her.
We didn’t learn about it until years afterward, but from 1992 until he and Nicole split up in 2000, Cruise kept his distance from Scientology, with a few exceptions.
After the Cruise-Kidman breakup, Miscavige made it job one to get Cruise back in the fold, and Cruise was put through years of intense counseling (called auditing in Scientology). By 2003, Cruise was so gung ho again he showed up to help open a new headquarters for the Scientology front group Applied Scholastics in Missouri.
That seemed to go so well, David Miscavige hatched a wild plan. In October 2004 he gave Tom Scientology’s highest award, the Freedom Medal, but a special, larger version of it that has only been given to Cruise: The Freedom Medal of Valor.
The next part of Miscavige’s plan was to unleash Cruise on the world as Scientology’s very public ambassador, which they tried out early in 2005. The result, you may remember, was Cruise’s disastrous attempt to explain the evils of psychiatry to Matt Lauer on the Today show, and other interviews he gave at the time, including his nutty couch-jumping incident on Oprah’s show.
Cruise appeared insane, and even Miscavige realized that the plan had backfired. Cruise has been guarded and mostly quiet about Scientology since then, like other celebrities, who offer only vague testimonials about it being helpful in their lives.
But even if Cruise isn’t vocal about Scientology, his support of the organization is one of the key reasons it continues to exist at all.
It’s been amazing to see how much of a difference Leah Remini has made since she went public with her defection in 2013 (broken right here at the Underground Bunker), with an Emmy-winning television show, bestselling book, a podcast, and countless interviews and appearances.
The effect on Scientology has been huge as Leah’s work has reached a massive audience which has been made aware of Scientology’s controversies and abuses.
Now, imagine the effect Tom Cruise could have if he turned in his Freedom Medal of Valor award and acknowledged the abuses by David Miscavige. Imagine if Cruise, in an interview, talked about what he knows about Miscavige banishing his wife Shelly to a small mountain compound in California for the last 15 years.
Would Scientology survive such an offensive by Cruise? We have our doubts. And what would be the result? Thousands of workers being allowed out of indentured servitude, thousands of families with the ability to reunite and begin to mend the wounds caused by Miscavige and his policies.
Yes, it would be a much bigger deal than pressuring a sketchy press association that puts on an annual Hollywood awards show.
Will it happen?
No, sadly. Cruise is a true believer. He actually does accept that L. Ron Hubbard was the greatest human being who ever lived, and that David Miscavige is the most important person on earth today.
You think it’s insane to believe that a mid-century science fiction writer discovered the secrets to the universe? Cruise thinks it’s insane that you can’t see that Scientology is this planet’s only salvation.
Anyway, we aren’t holding our breath. And in the meantime, we’ll hold off patting Tom Cruise on the back for turning in his Golden Globes.
——————–
Leah Remini podcast: Steve Hassan
Says Mike: “A former Moonie, Steve is today an internationally recognized expert in the field of cults and undue influence. We cover a lot of territory, including undue influence, hypnosis and the methods used to control people. He is Founding Director of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, which provides training, consulting and support to individuals who are struggling to leave a cult, and to families and organizations that are concerned about cult behaviors.” Listen to the episode here!
——————–
“The situation internationally, also, has improved enormously; I might make a little bulletin on that effect. The attack on Scientology in the United States has disintegrated into a rout for the government. They are now being attacked — not mildly put — by the United States Senate, and very shortly the House is going to open the ball on the FDA. Australia, their report from the inquiry has been delayed so long, the usual course of those reports and inquiries they have down there. They seem to do this quite routinely. In Victoria, they have inquiries, and then they forget about them. And the last three inquiries, as desperate as they were in progress and so forth, all wound up in no legislation. And so that one will undoubtedly dead-end too. Because its report isn’t even due in Parliament for months. And Parliament is recessing. And all of that kind of thing is happening. And if we can find Victoria, why we will set it to rights, one way or the other If we can find it. You know, you’re only dealing with a tiny little postage stamp on the face of the earth and what seems to be bowling everybody over, down in-in Australia is this fantastic news which keeps coming in to them from the United States, you see. Government runs up white flag, you see.” — L. Ron Hubbard, May 11, 1965
——————–
“Dir I&R and MAA are to conduct a full investigation of insecurity of materials of confidential materials on board. They are to steal any they can and lock them up. List to the D/CO. Beginning at 1200 hrs today. Offenders are to be listed and handled appropriately.” — A. Jessup, C/O FAO, May 11, 1971
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
——————–
“Capt. Bill Robertson describes the New Civilization Game and its goals. He describes the basic data behind its creation, what goals will be carried out by the general population, why some goals are ethics points to be carried out by Operating Thetans. In the tape, Capt. Robertson explains why some people keep voting for fascist and suppressive regimes and governments, and what the solution to this is. Want to know why your Democratic Scieno and ex-Scieno friends voted for the fascist Biden regime? They have assumed the suppressive valence of their SPs and that is why they keep voting for them! What to do with the Dem Scienos and ex-Scienos in your Facebook friend’s list that voted for Biden, voted for Obama or are going to vote for Michelle? Assign them a PTS condition and make them stop voting for the SPs. OTs can use remote command.”
——————–
1995: Grady Ward reported this week a call to his publisher, Austin Code Works, by a man identifying himself as Eugene Ingram, a well-known Scientology PI. “He spoke for ten minutes, did not identify his employer (duh!), and made statements like: ‘Grady is the president of ACW, isn’t he?’ [No] ‘Did you know the FBI investigated Grady for his involvement with the NuPrometheus League [a group claiming responsibility for stealing and distributing Apple Computer Macintosh ROM code in June, 1989].’ ‘The FBI knew he did it because Grady was the only one fired [a provable lie!] from Apple in 1989.’ Ingram then begin to pump for financial information, such as ‘Does he make more than $10,000 in royalties [per annum, presumably] from MobyCrypto? Moby Lexicons? No? How about $5,000?'”
——————–
“The sixties counterculture turned a lot of people into Baba Dumbasses and Shirley MacLaines. People use to be a lot tougher and more levelheaded back in the day.”
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Preliminary hearing set for May 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff’s sentencing to be scheduled.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for May 20 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for June 18.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition for writ of mandate denied Oct 22 by Cal 2nd Appellate District. Petition for review by state supreme court denied Dec 11.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Dec 30, Judge Kleifield granted Scientology’s motions to compel arbitration. June 7: Status conference.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.
Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
——————–
SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Scientology ekes out small victories as the world goes to coronavirus hell
[TWO years ago] Scientology’s mental whammy is like taking one too many pucks to the head
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s bizarre international base and its near-prison life: A Marc Headley classic
[FOUR years ago] On probation and his house of horrors shut down, Tennessee Scientologist talks up Mexico
[FIVE years ago] ‘Freedom’ magazine is back after a six-month absence, and it arrived with a surprise!
[SIX years ago] As seen in the Daily Beast: ‘The Unbreakable Miss Lovely’ is on sale and ready to startle you
[SEVEN years ago] Sunday Funnies: What part of ‘rebel’ doesn’t Scientology understand?
[EIGHT years ago] PORTLAND LIVE: Mark Bunker at Scientology’s “Ideal Org” Event
[NINE years ago] The Best Reasons Why You Should Doubt the Allegations in the John Travolta Sex-Assault Lawsuit
[TEN years ago] Scientology Operation Against Washington Post Reporter Richard Leiby Exposed
——————–
Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 2,298 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,802 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,322 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,342 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,233 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,540 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,408 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,182 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,512 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,986 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,302 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,868 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,787 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,955 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,536 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,797 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,835 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,548 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,073 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 428 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,603 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,154 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,303 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,623 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,478 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,597 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,953 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,256 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,362 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,764 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,636 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,219 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,714 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,968 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,077 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on May 11, 2021 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
May 10, 2021
Q patriot hatred for Anthony Fauci is reaching epidemic proportions
Some links to Q-related items today…
Death to Fauci!
The grift goes ever onward.
Harmeet Dhillon, a member of the Republican National Committee, apparently met yesterday with "QAnon John," a QAnon influencer who has organized a QAnon conference later this month in Texas (he is wearing a hat with the QAnon slogan in the photo). pic.twitter.com/ZiZgMaVJ2j
— Alex Kaplan (@AlKapDC) May 9, 2021
Death to Fauci!
The anger at Fauci on the far-right is unmatched over the last few weeks.
The InfoWarsy idea that he used COVID to unleash some sort of elaborate global control plot is now pretty common among the Trump-adjacent Q and alt-right set, even more mainstream sections of it. https://t.co/QhKTLPRrIf
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) May 10, 2021
Legal eagles!
this bonkers election lawsuit, which certainly will not prevail, asks the court in Arizona to remove certain elected officials from their positions and REPLACE THEM WITH THE PLAINTIFFS https://t.co/53ESln3j79
— allie mezei (@pinealdecalcify) May 10, 2021
Meanwhile, in Arizona…
A Republican lawmaker in Arizona who originally supported the goofy 2020 election "audit" now says he's embarrassed by the whole thing and that it makes him and his colleagues "look like idiots." https://t.co/yS2XrCVhAb pic.twitter.com/Iequl2Vc9f
— Nick Martin (@nickmartin) May 10, 2021
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent recent article at New York magazine as a place to start.
————-
THE LOWDOWN is our blog for news, the QAnon phenomenon, and other subjects not related to our coverage of the Church of Scientology. If it’s our Scientology coverage you’re looking for, please use this bookmark for our latest stories.
Posted by Tony Ortega on May 10, 2021 at 8:10
Ahoy, thetan: Ready to fondle empty bottles on Scientology’s cruiseless cruise ship?
Judging by how our tipsters are being bombarded recently with mailers, Scientology is really trying to sell its members on flying out to Aruba to spend their time (and cash) on the Freewinds, the private cruise ship owned by the church which has been stuck in port since the pandemic started more than a year ago.
We told you previously that Scientology is begging members to consider literally relocating to the ship and running their offices there. (They have high-speed wifi!) And that’s when we realized that the ship may never sail again. Who would move their office to a barge that up and moved out of range every few days? No, we think there’s a good chance that this aging wreck isn’t going anywhere.
Take a look at this new set of mailers and let us know if you agree with us. First of all, of course Scientologists are being urged to go to the ship for Operating Thetan level eight, the culminating experience of the ‘Bridge to Total Freedom.’ The ship is the only place where you can get OT 8, and it’s still the carrot that is dangled in front of wealthy Scientologists, the ultimate secret that will give you power over matter, energy, space and time.
But the Freewinds isn’t only for the upper level hijinks. For years, church leader David Miscavige has put a big emphasis on some low-level steps on the Bridge, in particular the grueling and mind-bending exercises of the “Survival Rundown,” which include such exercises as picking up empty bottles and putting them down again.
This is a very rare mailer for the SRD that actually shows a reference to that kind of activity.
The ship to nowhere also is the site for many different “conventions” where you can spend money to learn, for example, the tools for “conquering life.” And who wouldn’t want to know what those are?
And in these dark days for Scientology recruitment, why not learn how to talk up the Scientology TV network and become a better disseminator of the tech? Your friends and neighbors will surely appreciate it!
Meanwhile, as the selling of the Freewinds goes on and on, we’re seeing more and more signs that new Ideal Orgs are going to be having their grand openings soon. And first on the list appears to be Austin. Here’s more evidence that it’s ramping up in anticipation of Miscavige coming to town…
——————–
“The FB, the FAO and the FSO presented me with an enormous KEY TO THE PLANET to celebrate 9 May, the 21st Anniversary of the publication of ‘Dianetics the Modern Science of Mental Health.’ THANK YOU! A party was proposed but was considered too little notice and everyone too rushed. The presentation was appreciated. These fantastic stats also came up on 9 May. It was quite an anniversary.” — L. Ron Hubbard, May 10, 1971
——————–
“NOTICE: We are extending our stay in this port until Wednesday 12.5.71 so that we can complete a heavy campaign to strengthen PRO Area Control. A Dinner Dance is being held at a top local hotel on Tuesday night for shore VIPs, Contractors and business associates.” — Lt. N.F. Starkey, Captain FSO, May 10, 1971
“I want to clarify something. All those who say that the Clear Theta Clear does not exist and that L. Ron Hubbard is a liar need to go to a psychiatrist. Why? All gifted children are Clear Theta Clear. Including me. All the children of God are Clear Theta Clear, because they were created in the image and likeness of God, says the bible. Genesis 1:26. Including Me. Now if you don’t have the ability to use your inner power, it’s not our fault.”
——————–
2001: The Los Angeles Times reported that the fraud case against Scientologist Reed Slatkin has reached $600 million. “Slatkin took in hundreds of millions of dollars from a nationwide network of investors, which included Internet moguls, fellow Scientologists, venture capitalists, Santa Barbara socialites and Hollywood producers. Slatkin has less than $21 million in various brokerage accounts, most of it invested in EarthLink stock, Pachulski said. About $100 million in investors’ funds was funneled by Slatkin into limited partnerships and real estate deals, but attorneys said they don’t know how much those investments are worth now. U.S. Trustee Brian Fittipaldi said no one is sure how much money was invested with Slatkin, but claims could range as high as $600 million. Some attorneys say they believe the amounts could be higher. ‘It’s a very serious, staggering amount of money that’s at stake,’ said Richard Wynne, an attorney for the creditors’ committee of investors. ‘And I don’t believe personally we’re going to find [the money] stashed overseas.'”
——————–
“The gambling analogy for Scientology is more appropriate than the drug one. At least with drugs you actually get something real for your money — the fact it may be really bad for you is a different story. In Scientology all you get is air and worthless slips of paper, just like the lottery.”
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Preliminary hearing set for May 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff’s sentencing to be scheduled.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for May 20 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for June 18.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition for writ of mandate denied Oct 22 by Cal 2nd Appellate District. Petition for review by state supreme court denied Dec 11.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Dec 30, Judge Kleifield granted Scientology’s motions to compel arbitration. June 7: Status conference.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.
Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
——————–
SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] On Mother’s Day, the moms who suffer and defy Scientology’s cruel ‘disconnection’ policy
[TWO years ago] More signs that things are really going totally great for the Church of Scientology right now
[THREE years ago] How much do the Don Rogers letters shake up early Dianetics history? Two experts weigh in.
[FOUR years ago] Nazanin Boniadi’s FBI testimony: Cast as Tom Cruise’s girlfriend by Scientology
[FIVE years ago] Phil and Willie’s excellent adventure: Taking on Scientology’s ‘disconnection’ policy in L.A.
[SIX years ago] Ryan Hamilton files his 28th fraud lawsuit against Scientology’s drug rehab network
[SEVEN years ago] Jamie DeWolf: I’ve found the last memoir of the son of Scientology’s founder
[EIGHT years ago] SCIENTOLOGY FILES TO REMOVE GARCIA ATTORNEYS FROM FRAUD LAWSUIT
——————–
Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 2,297 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,801 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,321 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,341 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,232 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,539 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,407 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,181 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,511 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,985 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,301 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,867 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,786 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,954 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,535 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,796 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,834 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,547 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,072 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 427 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,602 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,153 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,302 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,622 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,477 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,596 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,952 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,255 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,361 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,763 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,635 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,218 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,713 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,967 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,076 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on May 10, 2021 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
May 9, 2021
Q patriots wonder if Bo’s death is really code for something else
Some links to Q-related items today…
Beloved family dog dies? No, it must be code for something…
“Please hit the Vatican.”
The grift goes on and on…
Yesterday, a Telegram channel purportedly by Michael Flynn was created. It already has 150,000 members and its posting stuff like this: pic.twitter.com/e6uSWiKzkU
— Arieh Kovler (@ariehkovler) May 8, 2021
…and on.
Former White House Social Media director Dan Scavino is still posting content that originated with the QAnon community.
Yesterday on the platform Rumble he uploaded a video created by once-promient QAnon promoter "Julian's Rum." pic.twitter.com/hJk6TaqRrS
— Travis View (@travis_view) May 9, 2021
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent recent article at New York magazine as a place to start.
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THE LOWDOWN is our blog for news, the QAnon phenomenon, and other subjects not related to our coverage of the Church of Scientology. If it’s our Scientology coverage you’re looking for, please use this bookmark for our latest stories.
Posted by Tony Ortega on May 9, 2021 at 8:05
The Scientologist and the superstar hacker: A stock market fable for our times
Kevin Mitnick (b. 1963) was on the FBI’s most wanted list in 1992. As the most notorious and skilled hacker in the US, Mitnick had first crossed the line in the 1980s when he hacked into corporate networks and stole entire computer programs. Mitnick was arrested in 1988, served a year in prison, and was released on supervised probation.
After his release from jail, Mitnick found the temptation to hack too great to resist and reoffended. Mitnick went on a three year rampage. He hacked and destroyed computer networks, stole proprietary data, and generally did whatever he wanted to do online. A US Federal arrest warrant was issued for Mitnick in 1992.
The elusive Mitnick disappeared and kept hacking from the shadows. In one of his capers, Mitnick hacked a computer and stole over 20,000 credit card numbers belonging to powerful players in Silicon Valley. In another, Mitnick hacked a California phone network and was able to wiretap and listen in on the FBI agents in the task force that were pursuing him.
In another exploit, Mitnick hacked the computers of the computer security expert, white hat hacker, and Cal Tech computational physicist Tsutomu Shimomura. Outraged at Mitnick’s theft of materials from his computer, Shimomura was determined to settle the score by tracking down Mitnick. Using sophisticated traffic analysis methods and working with the FBI, Shimomura tracked Mitnick to an apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The FBI moved in and arrested Kevin Mitnick at 1:30 am in February 1995. Mitnick was denied bail and spent the next four years in jail before agreeing to a plea deal in which he served another year in jail. When he was released after five years, Mitnick was a legendary figure in the computer world.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Mitnick created his own security company and became a white hat hacker. In this capacity, companies and government agencies pay Mitnick to try to hack their computers. Mitnick is very successful and almost always hacks systems. He then explains how he did it and helps his clients reinforce their networks.
One key element in Mitnick’s services is to train employees to not download unknown files or give away information to people on the phone. Mitnick has said the the human element is the weakest link in any computer element. In one of his cases, Mitnick posed as an employee of an alarm company. He showed up at a client’s facility and said he needed to make some adjustments to the alarm system. The employee allowed him in and gave him access to the company’s network.
Kevin Mitnick calls this “social engineering” which he defines as the ability of a hacker to manipulate people into giving the hacker what he or she wants. This can include passwords, access to systems, names of key people, and other data a hacker would find useful.
In 2010, Scientologist Stu Sjouwerman (pronounced “Shower-man”) created a company called KnowBe4. Sjouwerman’s company essentially followed Kevin Mitnick’s methodology of training the employees of client companies about social engineering. KnowBe4, based in the Scientology stronghold of Clearwater, Florida, teaches employees about phishing, indiscriminately downloading files in e-mails, and other tricks used by hackers.
After training employees, KnowBe4 staff conducts simulated cyber attacks on a client to see how well its employees have learned the lessons. Sjouwerman’s company wants employees to “KnowBe4” they do something on a computer: To be forewarned is to forearmed.
Sjouwerman’s company showed steady growth from 2010 until 2015, when it reached $7 million in revenue.
It was in 2015 that Stu Sjouwerman said he met super-hacker Kevin Mitnick through a mutual friend. According to a Cybercrime Magazine article, Sjouwerman had an ephiany:
“I can own 100 percent of a muffin or I can own 50 percent of a really large pie, so what am I going to do?” KnowBe4 founder and CEO Stu Sjouwerman asked himself in the formative days of the company.
Sjouwerman went for the pie. “I gave him — Kevin Mitnick, KnowBe4’s chief hacking officer — half the company for his 30 years of hacking experience. The rest is history.”
Sjouwerman’s bet appears to have paid off. According to KnowBe4 published figures, the company skyrocketed after Mitnick came aboard, to $175 million in revenue in 2019.
On April 22, Sjouwerman and Mitnick took KnowBe4 public, raising about $175 million.
Which is pretty amazing, when you think about how companies around the country are trusting their most intimate security issues to an OT Scientologist and his hacker partner. Ah, capitalism!
Underground Bunker readers will also remember Sjouwerman for his performance at the Clearwater City Council last year, asking it not to appoint Scientology critic and new city councilman Mark Bunker to a non-voting seat on the Downtown Development Board.
Stu is also a Diamond Meritorious donor, having given at least $5 million to the IAS, Scientology’s membership organization.
In other news regarding Scientologists and their money, Scientology donor Grant Cardone succeeded in getting a class action lawsuit filed by investor Luis Pino dismissed. A judge threw the case out on the grounds that Pino had failed to prove that Cardone was making misleading claims on social media about investing in his company, and also that Cardone had the right to suspend payments to investors in April and May 2020 as the pandemic hit.
Cardone told the Real Deal: “It is a shame that in our society, ambulance seeking, vampiric blood-drinking litigation attorneys attempt to threaten people like me who are trying to build businesses,” Cardone said. “The case was completely baseless. There was zero truth to the allegations.”
The Real Deal also noted that Grant and Elena Cardone have purchased Tommy Hilfiger’s $28 million Golden Beach mansion in South Florida.
— Jeffrey Augustine
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Bonus items from our tipsters
Chicago is rambling toward a grand opening.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 
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Happy Mother’s Day
Here in the US we’re celebrating Mother’s Day today, and we hope that you’re getting to have some reunions out there now that vaccinations are taking hold and the pandemic is gradually retreating.
But we reserve a special greeting to those moms out there who have a difficult time not only this year but every year because of Scientology’s toxic policy of disconnection. We’re with you, and we want you to know that we’re looking forward to the day when you can overcome this totalitarian organization’s forced separations.
— The Proprietor
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‘Sons of Sam’ on Netflix
Several people have reached out to us about the new ‘Sons of Sam’ documentary about David Berkowitz and journalist Maury Terry on Netflix, which has a brief mention of Scientology.
After viewing the series, we’ll say that we’re glad that some voices of reason like former NYPD Detective Joseph Borrelli play a prominent part in it.
Also, it was a real treat to see Wayne Darwen, someone we have encountered before, and whose participation says a lot about this series. His thirst for a story that sells, whether it’s true or not, certainly is reflected in our own experience with him. And to that end, we encourage you to read our unusual 2000 story for New Times Los Angeles (which we previously reprinted here at the Bunker), Sex, Spies and VideoTape.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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Dianetics at 71
Thank you, Sunny, for reminding us that it’s Dianetics Day today. On this date in 1950, L. Ron Hubbard published the book that turned everything around for him and launched what would become the Scientology movement, ‘Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.’
Please see our story on this date last year when we celebrated the 70th anniversary of this august occasion.
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“The US in a Masterpiece has officially stated it has no responsibility for its money. They can say that twice. The scoop is that genius Nixon’s Federal Reserve Board lowered bank rates in the US, causing US investment money to flee to Europe. Nazi bankers caught the ball so deftly tossed to them by their US agents and began a smash attack on the dollar. Exchange is still 3.8 francs to a dollar in Switzerland. It should be 4.3. Costing us our shirts. We don’t dare deposit and lose. Somebody in the US Federal Reserve is working very hard for his Iron Cross First Class.” — L. Ron Hubbard, May 9, 1971
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“ALL CREW: Please submit to me knowledge reports on any injustices that you may know about. Injustices must be righted. Thank you.” — Lt. Cmdr. Diana Hubbard, May 9, 1969
“LRH got to the point where he was able to perceive what is actually happening here and in the local (galactic) area and so I would not dismiss any concerns about SPs taking over here. I like to look at it from the viewpoint that sowing a seed on one planet would not be sufficient. What if it did not grow and was thwarted before it could turn into a tree? Not every acorn becomes a mighty oak. I would go out and do what every oak tree does. Sow thousands of acorns. And LRH is a lot smarter than I. And as for being welcome in other areas, Well, when you get to OT I think that is a different matter. You can go where you bloody well like. ESPECIALLY if you have training and experience in your repertoire. This planet may or may not be fucked (to coin a phrase) but the Galaxy isn’t.”
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2000: From the Washington Post: “We hear that members of the Church of Scientology were being urged last weekend to see, over and over again, Scientologist John Travolta’s universally panned movie ‘Battlefield Earth,’ based on the novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. An e-mailed message exhorted: ‘Battlefield Earth MUST beat Gladiator on the first weekend B.E. comes out. Anything after that doesn’t count!’ Alas, the hugely expensive ‘Battlefield Earth’ did a disappointing $11.5 million in weekend business, compared with $24.6 million for ‘Gladiator.’ Church spokesman Mike Rinder yesterday insisted the Church had nothing to do with the e-mail. ‘It’s pretty sickening,’ he told us. ‘The last three weeks have been consumed with people telling people not to see the movie.’ We suppose he means film critics.”
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“Hey, a free trip to America and free rice and beans probably sounds pretty good to a fairly large segment of the world’s population.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Preliminary hearing set for May 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff’s sentencing to be scheduled.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for May 20 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for June 18.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition for writ of mandate denied Oct 22 by Cal 2nd Appellate District. Petition for review by state supreme court denied Dec 11.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Dec 30, Judge Kleifield granted Scientology’s motions to compel arbitration. June 7: Status conference.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.
Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
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SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Dianetics at 70: Scientology’s bible, endorsing child molestation since May 9, 1950
[TWO years ago] Death in the Timor Sea: The darkest war secret of Scientology’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard
[THREE years ago] Early witness Don Rogers on Hubbard and ‘prior lives’: ‘Nothing but a parlor hypnosis trick’
[FOUR years ago] Danny Masterson hires Michael Jackson criminal defense attorney Tom Mesereau in rape probe
[FIVE years ago] 66 years ago, L. Ron Hubbard transubstantiated from pulp writer to god among men
[SIX years ago] Scientology answers Garcia motion: We are definitely a bona fide worldwide religion!
[SEVEN years ago] Ryan Hamilton adds Colorado in new lawsuits against Scientology’s rehab network
[EIGHT years ago] Search Warrant Affidavit: Scientology’s Atlanta Drug Rehab Billed $3 Million in Insurance Fraud
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 2,296 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,800 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,320 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,340 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,231 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,538 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,406 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,180 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,510 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,984 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,300 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,866 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,785 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,953 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,534 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,795 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,833 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,546 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,071 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 426 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,601 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,152 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,301 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,621 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,476 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,595 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,951 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,254 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,360 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,762 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,634 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,217 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,712 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,966 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,075 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on May 9, 2021 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
May 8, 2021
Is there anyone more persecuted today than the anti-vaxx Q patriot?
Some links to Q-related items today…
Is there anyone more persecuted today than the anti-vaxx Q patriot?
It’s everywhere.
Watching a random YouTube video about tile…..and fuck ……Qanon. 😂 @travis_view pic.twitter.com/PkxqjcH5RK
— Josh Russell (@josh_emerson) May 8, 2021
This is ugly.
Where to start? Wearing yellow stars, giving a Nazi salute. Just beyond disgraceful.
Anti-vaccination candidate performs 'Nazi salute' outside Glasgow election count @Glasgow_Times https://t.co/9YpTEpCIHw
— Karen Pollock (@KarenPollock100) May 7, 2021
Oh, Van.
‘They Own The Media’: New Van Morrison song amplifies antisemitic trope https://t.co/whoD9Gcc3B
— Anti-Fascism & Far Right 🥤 (@FFRAFAction) May 7, 2021
The Beast on Tucker.
"He knows anti-vaxxers are easy marks and, in a world where cable news ratings are in freefall and there are all of a sudden two other conservative channels fighting for oxygen, you can see why he would keep trying to amp up the outrage" – @MollyJongFast https://t.co/s52qLDKPir
— Amarnath Amarasingam (@AmarAmarasingam) May 7, 2021
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent recent article at New York magazine as a place to start.
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THE LOWDOWN is our blog for news, the QAnon phenomenon, and other subjects not related to our coverage of the Church of Scientology. If it’s our Scientology coverage you’re looking for, please use this bookmark for our latest stories.
Posted by Tony Ortega on May 8, 2021 at 8:15
With lawsuit in limbo, Danny Masterson accusers still trying to serve David Miscavige
So here’s the situation: We’re now only ten days away from the all-important preliminary hearing in the criminal rape prosecution of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson, and everything he and defense attorney Tom Mesereau have thrown at the case has failed to push that date back.
Danny is facing 45 years to life in prison if he’s convicted of raping the three women he’s accused of attacking in incidents between 2001 and 2003, and as we’ve explained in the past, because these women were Scientologists at the time and blame the church for preventing them to come forward sooner, the prelim is liable to be very bad for Scientology itself.
On the other hand, there’s a civil lawsuit these three women filed in 2019 against Masterson and the church, and it’s had a very different trajectory. The three alleged victims, one of their husbands, and another woman sued Masterson and Scientology not over the alleged rapes, but for the harassment campaign they say they’ve endured since the women came forward to the LAPD in 2016. But a December 30, 2020 ruling by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Steven Kleifield denied the former Scientologists the right to trial, and forced them to take their grievances to Scientology’s internal “religious arbitration.” After petitioning an appeals court and being denied, the plaintiffs have now asked the state supreme court to review the case and overrule Kleifield. (The court just announced that it will delay ruling on the request for review until June 17.)
In the meantime, Masterson’s accusers are still trying to tie up loose ends regarding the other person they named as a defendant in the 2019 lawsuit, Scientology leader David Miscavige, who still hasn’t been formally served.
The last time we saw new paperwork on this, we learned that another attempt to serve Miscavige at the Hollywood Guaranty Building on Hollywood Boulevard had been tried in November by a private investigator named Carlos Fernandez.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Since that time, Miscavige’s own attorney Jeffrey Riffer and Scientology’s publication Source magazine have both proclaimed that Miscavige is no longer a California resident, and has in fact moved to Scientology’s “spiritual mecca,” the Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida.
But now we learn in a new filing that the plaintiffs’ legal team, not yet aware of the Florida disclosure, sent out Fernandez another time in December, and this time they say they really nailed the “substitute service” thing.
Once again, Fernandez went to the Hollywood Guaranty Building and appeared at both of its entrances, on Hollywood Boulevard and Ivar Avenue, and this time, he reported that he not only got inside the door at Ivar Avenue, but he found a shelf marked “mail packs” to put the legal papers on, and took photos!
Well, that’s fun. We give Fernandez props for keeping a cool head and delivering the papers at what is clearly listed as the place of business for the Religious Technology Center, the Scientology entity that lists Miscavige as its “Chairman of the Board.” (This is why Scientologists refer to him as “C.O.B.”)
Also, in these new papers, we finally get some explanation for what happened to the plaintiffs’ attempt to serve Miscavige by publication after his attorneys had fought so hard over previous service attempts.
Kleifield refused to hear the motion, saying that it was something the court clerk handles. But the court clerk said that they couldn’t grant such a motion since it was opposed by the other side.
And the clerk, Robert Ramirez, added something very telling: “The Clerk’s Office rarely, if ever, received oppositions to applications for publication.”
See, this is what Scientology litigation is all about. With an unlimited budget, Miscavige has his attorneys fight every little battle, oppose every step, no matter how simple or logical that step might be. In this case, they are opposing something the clerk admits no one ever opposes, and it prevents him from granting the right to serve Miscavige by publication, which should have been a mere formality more than a year ago.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});According to the court papers, Judge Kleifield will be asked to make a ruling on this latest service attempt on May 12, but we don’t see that date listed on the docket. Will it happen? Will Miscavige finally be added to a lawsuit that has already been derailed and is waiting for a longshot ruling by the state supreme court? Can the civil side of this equation be any more fouled up?
Well, at least on the criminal side of the equation the prelim is about to hit like a ton of bricks. We certainly are looking forward to that.
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Jon Atack’s latest
“From Hubbard’s ‘reactive mind’ and Freud’s ‘id,’ to the dybbuks, maras, and gedongs of world religions, we have been taught for centuries to fear and distrust our own inner nature. But should we? Jon and Sam take a different view.”
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“The nitty-gritty of the West German raid on the dollar is to be found in a proposal to form a World Central Bank that ‘adjusts all the worlds currency.’ This is about the most cold-blooded effort at world domination I’ve ever seen. A country that surrenders its currency surrenders its sovereignty. It was Nazi banking expertise that saved the Third Reich and opened the door to WW II. What we DON’T need is Nazi control of all nations. Along with that goes psychiatric control, gas chambers, obliterated ‘impure’ minority groups. Heil Hitler. For the sake of German Scientologists of which there are now many, and the rest of the world, the new Nazi resurgence must end before it winds up in another blood bath.” — L. Ron Hubbard, May 8, 1971
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“FB: The FB including CS-G did a splendid fast job on the program to beef things up in event of a hostile UK ‘Enquiry’ finding release. Some Enquiry! Never called on us to testify on anything. Its secretary, Miss Lee, was a member of Smersh! Correction: Sir Joseph is the Minister of Social Services. He has it now. When the cabinet okays it maybe it will be out.” — The Commodore, May 8, 1971
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“LRH said that he had devised plans to survive a last effort by the SPs to end up taking over this planet. I don’t know if those plans were the underground bunkers like the one in Trementina or California that protect the technology for future generations. I would suppose those bunkers were to protect the tech against nuclear war. Now it seems that the danger of nuclear war was taken care of. So, if now the underground bunkers have to protect the tech materials from hordes of Democrats joining and supporting the ranks of BLM and Antifa, then I would say that that is an improvement on the situation of the planet. Nuclear war downgraded to BLM/Antifa/Dem hordes running around California intent on destroying every vestige of civilization.”
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1999: Kristi Wachter received revenge pickets. “At least two revenge picketers, Craig and Nick, graced the sidewalk in front of my apartment building today. I noticed them at 1:50 and they were gone when I went down at 2:15 to say hello and engage in the obligatory photo shoot. They had affixed two bigot fliers to the gate of my building. In addition, yesterday, someone tossed two bigot fliers through the gate, where they sat, face down, unnoticed. Craig, Mick, and Joanna stopped by today for another quick revenge picket. I noticed them at around 2 pm and they left at about 2:15. Joanna had a new hand-lettered sign without a stick. Joanna asked me again, ‘Don’t you have a job?’ even though we went over that last Thursday (I had explained that, as an independent contractor, I have a lot of control over when I work). Mick harped repeatedly on the psych history he’s certain I must have, asking whether I’d taken my medication today and inviting me to tell him how psychiatry had helped me. I repeated for the umpteenth time that I’m not interested in discussing my personal life.”
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“I’d bet the farm that this isn’t the end of the battle for the mind of poor Suri. This was only round one. Things will get ugly, real ugly, further down the road.”
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Preliminary hearing set for May 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff’s sentencing to be scheduled.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for May 20 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for June 18.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition for writ of mandate denied Oct 22 by Cal 2nd Appellate District. Petition for review by state supreme court denied Dec 11.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Dec 30, Judge Kleifield granted Scientology’s motions to compel arbitration. June 7: Status conference.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.
Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
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SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Scientology’s mystery sandwich: A ‘church’ where deception is a sacrament
[TWO years ago] New York Scientologist chiropractor pleads guilty in $80 million Medicare scam
[THREE years ago] Witness to Dianetics: For the first time, the letters of key Hubbard ally Donald H. Rogers
[FOUR years ago] DRONE FLYOVER: Scientology’s Int Base and its hilltop camouflaged ‘Eagle’s Nest’
[FIVE years ago] Giant certificates and other weirdness from Scientology in our weekly online review
[SIX years ago] A voice from inside the Church of Scientology: Yes, the ‘Survival Rundown’ drives you insane
[SEVEN years ago] OREGON SENATOR RON WYDEN ASKS IRS FOR SCIENTOLOGY REVIEW
[THIRTEEN years ago] Scientology Spokesman Gives Non-Answers on CNN
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 2,295 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,799 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,319 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,339 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,230 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,537 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,405 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,179 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,509 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,983 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,299 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,865 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,784 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,952 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,533 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,794 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,832 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,545 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,070 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 425 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,600 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,151 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,300 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,620 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,475 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,594 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,950 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,253 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,359 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,761 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,633 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,216 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,711 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,965 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,074 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on May 8, 2021 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
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