Tony Ortega's Blog, page 331
April 27, 2021
Why do conspiracies proliferate on the web? Because it’s so profitable.
Some links to Q-related items today…
Did the Satanists who run Hollywood really think they could send out their secret pedophile messages during the Oscar broadcast without patriots picking up on it? Ha, think again!
Disinformation sells.
This spells out very clearly what we’ve been pushing back against for 4.5 years:
Platforms like @youtube and adtech platforms have incentivized, amplified and monetized hate and disinformation at an industrial scale.
Without accountability, this phenomenon does not change. https://t.co/yMrPoFznjX
— Sleeping Giants (@slpng_giants) April 26, 2021
Journos are not exaggerating.
I'll admit that I've been pretty fixated on QAnon. Maybe not as much as the QAnon follower who was convicted of terrorism after holding an armed standoff. And not as much as the Australian psychiatrist who lost his medical license over QAnon. But pretty fixated. pic.twitter.com/ITmKIhqPnh
— Travis View (@travis_view) April 26, 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 April 27, 2021 at 8:30
Clearwater city manager unhappy about landing on our ‘Top 25 Enabling Scientology’ list
Someone alert Glen Stilo, but Mark Bunker sent us an email this week. And boy, are we glad he did.
On Saturday we concluded our special series, The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, and as many of you had predicted, the IRS and the US federal government ended up in the top spot.
The point of our series was to focus not so much on David Miscavige or other figures within Scientology that we usually write about, but instead to give some attention to the non-Scientologists that the church relies on for help, whether it’s private investigators willing to do Miscavige’s dirty work, politicians singing the church’s praises, or companies that are quick to help with Miscavige’s “expansion” efforts.
Among the winners we announced along the way was at the #12 spot, which we awarded to the city of Clearwater, Florida. We illustrated the piece with perhaps the most famous moment from Leah Remini’s three-season A&E series, when she and Mike Rinder accompanied Clearwater resident Mark Bunker to a small park owned by the church, and within minutes Clearwater’s police force showed up in multiple patrol cars. (See photo above.)
We pointed out that it wasn’t always this way. After Scientology’s underhanded and surreptitious invasion of Clearwater in 1975, the town had fought back with public hearings that was one of the few times public testimony was ever heard about the extent of Scientology’s dirty tricks, spying, and sabotage that had been recently revealed in FBI documents.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Thirty years later, Scientology is not only still using Clearwater as its “spiritual mecca,” but after David Miscavige didn’t get a tiny parcel of land he wanted, he retaliated by secretly doubling the church’s footprint in the downtown area.
And then he moved in.
But someone differs with our analysis that Clearwater is more of a doormat to Scientology than ever. And we were rather stunned when we realized who was that critic of our countdown.
Here’s the email that Bunker shared with us…
From: Horne, William
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2021 1:25:01 PM
To: Bunker, Mark
Subject: Re: Scientology article
CM Bunker,
It is disappointing that Tony Ortega has placed the city of Clearwater in the top 25 of organizations that are enabling Scientology. He truly doesn’t know our community.
Bill Horne
Clearwater City Manager
Hey, wow, Clearwater’s manager Bill Horne checked out the Underground Bunker!
We talked to Mark Bunker yesterday to get his thoughts on the city manager’s email.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“I understand the city’s viewpoint, but I think it’s good to educate them about Scientology,” he told us. “I’ve been sending your articles around to people here.”
And is it helping?
“I think the majority of people there think that there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Well that’s discouraging.
We sent an email message to Mr. Horne last night, asking if he might want to discuss further his thoughts about Scientology and the city’s place on our list. We hope he takes us up on it.
And that’s not the only email we received from Mark Bunker. (Glen Stilo alert!)
We asked Mark about the recent attempt by Scientologists who dominate the Downtown Development Board to remove an ex-officio (non-voting) seat in order to keep Mark Bunker from participating. That attempt was shot down by the city council, and we had wondered when the next meeting of the DDB would occur. We figure it will be kind of entertaining to see the DDB Scientologists after their little power play was stymied.
Mark sent over this email, which announced that the DDB’s May meeting has been cancelled (emphasis ours).
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Dear Mayor Hibbard and CM Bunker,
I wanted to let you know that there will not be a DDB meeting in May. I requested that the Chair cancel the meeting earlier last week because there are no agenda items and I have a lot of CRA work to complete before taking maternity leave in two weeks. He graciously agreed. I realize the timing of this request may seem unusual given last week’s Council discussion on ex-officio members, however I want to assure you this was my request due to my pending maternity leave and it happened prior to the Council conversation on Thursday. CRA staff is preparing the DDB for a constructive conversation around their grant funding priorities and equity work in June. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Amanda Thompson
Director | Community Redevelopment Agency
First, we want to wish Amanda all the best on her maternity leave, and we appreciate that she cleared up that the DDB canceling its May meeting was not connected to its April putsch attempt. (We kid, we kid.)
And one more item from Mark Bunker, which he posted to Twitter. Someone vandalized his name on a city plaque!
Bird poop or Scientology crap! Chief Slaughter told me there was some damage to my name at the Crest Lake Park redo. He also said surveillance cameras would be put in so let those birds know where to go when you see them. pic.twitter.com/jXrtTM97GX
— Mark Bunker (@XENUTV) April 26, 2021
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Leah Remini podcast: Listener questions 4
Says Mike: “We cover a range of topics…The first is that Scientology paid the IRS $12.5 million as part of the settlement which resulted in tax exemption. At the event announcing the exemption, Miscavige said the bill to the IRS was $1 billion.” Here’s the episode!
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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“A Clear apparently is the — oh, not apparently, it’s true — he’s the original electric eel, and so on, and apparently affects physical objects without half trying in that state. That is to say, you can warm something up or something. This isn’t phenomena that you would consider even very good phenomena; I mean, it isn’t very advanced, don’t you see? Now, you can see very easily that throwing a lightning bolt couldn’t be very much of a trick. It merely depends on practice in holding your position. If you could hold your position very accurately, why, you could throw a lightning bolt that would probably char the Empire State Building. But that’s beside the point. That’s just theoretical. What you’ve got here in actual fact is that by staring at things you can make them warm, and things like this, you know. You pick up a, here’s a glass with some ice in it, you know? You stare at it for a few minutes and you haven’t got a glass with ice in it. It’s the warmest Coca-Cola you have ever had anything to do with, don’t you see? This is very, very low-scale phenomena. It’s just monkey business.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 27, 1965
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“I’ve just written an HCO Pol Ltr on ‘Death Wishes’ of interest to the ship.” — The Commodore, April 27, 1969
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“There is a taped lecture called ‘On Rhodesia’ and in it LRH describes the setting up of Scientology in South Africa in case Scientology was taken down in the USA and the establishing of the Sea Org as a means to put ethics in in case of a Scientology takedown in America. But the SO being associated with the Galactic Confederacy’s ‘Galactic Patrol’ it put its authority outside of this planet, and that makes LRH’s intention stick in this case. Namely that the planet might fall prey of international chaos, but the off-planet authorities will be able to put ethics in.”
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1995: Mojo Nixon has included a song ridiculing L. Ron Hubbard on his latest album, Whereabouts Unknown, on the Ripe & Ready label.
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“The big difference between Scientology and the mafia is the mafia actually go to church on Sunday.”
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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: Pretrial conference set for Apr 29.
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] Have Jane Doe’s attorneys figured out how to serve Scientology leader David Miscavige?
[TWO years ago] Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard on family and sex: As enlightened as you’d imagine
[THREE years ago] Strange days for a woman accusing Danny Masterson of rape — and for her rocker husband
Scientology submits names of 500 members to federal court as ordered, but there’s a catch
[FIVE years ago] LIVE IN L.A.: Hearing in Laura DeCrescenzo’s Scientology forced-abortion lawsuit
[SIX years ago] Should Louis Theroux be worried? What a Scientology ‘documentary’ actually looks like
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology Sunday Funnies: More scenes from the End of Days
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology’s Notorious R2-45 Policy: Is There a Smoking Gun?
[TEN years ago] Michael Fairman Talks to the Voice After his Scientology Excommunication
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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 2,284 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,788 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,308 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,328 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,219 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,526 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,394 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,168 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,498 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,972 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,288 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,854 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,773 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,941 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,522 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,783 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,821 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,534 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,059 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 414 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,589 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,140 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,289 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,609 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,464 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,583 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,939 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,242 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,348 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,750 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,622 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,205 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,700 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,954 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,063 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 27, 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
April 26, 2021
Q patriots watched last night wishing the mass arrests had started with the Oscars
Some links to Q-related items today…
While the Satanist baby-eaters were giving each other Oscars on the teevee last night, patriots wistfully dreamed they were witnessing mass arrests instead.
More Q/bleach connection…
QAnon influencer & bleach promoter Jordan Sather has lashed out in response to this criminal indictment against a family accused of selling bleach as a coronavirus cure. https://t.co/wNND8ry8lf pic.twitter.com/haGOax0xrB
— Alex Kaplan (@AlKapDC) April 25, 2021
Another Q patriot gets elected.
QAnon conspiracy theorist Tracy Beanz has been elected to a leadership position in the Horry County GOP in South Carolina after being endorsed by Michael Flynn (also, Lin Wood was a keynote speaker.) https://t.co/vEgNcFAxSn pic.twitter.com/HGoH0tBiNG
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) April 25, 2021
More of this, please.
It takes a lot of guts to stand up in public and admit everything you believed in was wrong. It’s OK to change your mind. https://t.co/83tGCjxYFH
— Alistair Coleman (@alistaircoleman) April 25, 2021
Noting a trend…
As I'm reviewing my footage and audio from the "SaveTheChildren" rally yesterday, one thing that sticks out is the increased presence of Proud Boys acting as 'security' for the group.
Some were wearing body armor, and at least two members had combat knives on their waists.
— Jake Rockatansky (@RealRockatansky) April 25, 2021
Meanwhile, in Arizona…
The GOP ballot recount in AZ is huge in far-right media. Alleged QAnon ringleader Ron Watkins and his pals are obsessing over individual counters and getting extremely mad when they aren't scrutinizing the ballots enough with UV light. pic.twitter.com/mqWWaKta6V
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) April 26, 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 April 26, 2021 at 8:00
Scientology is not a cult: The reasoning of an OT 3 Scientologist
In the name of equal time, we’re going to turn over the blog today to an OT 3 Scientologist who recently posted a defense of his 50-year involvement in the organization. We look forward to reading your responses to his description of Scientology and its critics.
I recently had a conversation with a cousin of mine who referred to my religion as a cult. I was quite taken aback, a little ticked off at her. She is a decent human being but tends to believe some nasty rumors about what my religion is and does.
I have been involved with this organization for over 50 years. I have a lot of friends that are also part of this and most of them are pretty normal. Most. They have families, work hard and just want to get along in life like pretty much most people in the world.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});I’ve heard comments like, ‘It’s not a religion.’ or ‘They believe in aliens.’ You know, Scientology.
Those comments are kind of meaningless. The people that make those statements, I believe, are just trying to make Scientology sound weird. Most of the key religions have some pretty weird stuff in their texts.
There was a TV show and has been a movie, ‘exposing’ Scientology. My sister pointed out that is like going to the Gestapo of the Nazi regime to ask their opinion of the Jews.
In this world of instant gratification many younger people don’t go past the surface. They won’t do due diligence, proper research. Sorry, not just young people. My cousin is 70+ and won’t take a proper look.
I have this friend in a nearby city, we were sitting around chatting. I thought he knew that I was a Scientologist. We had chatted a couple of times a month for several years, and knew each other quite well. Somehow the subject came up and I mentioned that I was a Scientologist. He looked at me and then looked away for a good couple of minutes. Didn’t say a word for that time; two minutes is a long time. He then turned to me, smiled, and said ‘OK.’ Then we continued our conversation. He basically tried to align the data that he had about Scientology with what he knew about me. And that was all it took for him to throw out the false information that he’d heard about my religion. We are still very good friends.
Some people can do this easily and quickly. Look at two bits of information and figure out which is true and which is false. Or maybe it is somewhere in between. Others have a hard time reconciling. They will like me as I am, hopefully, a fairly decent human being, but cannot fit that with the fact that I’m a Scientologist. The horror!
I hear some people calling my religion a cult. The problem here is the definition of terms. What exactly do you mean by ‘cult’ when you accuse my religion? Per most definitions of the word ‘cult,’ Scientology is no different than Christianity or Judaism, or Buddhism or any other mainstream religion.
The definitions, referring to something like Scientology, Christianity or other religions, generally speak of a belief system, religious rites and a deity. In Scientology, we have a belief system, sort of, we do have marriage rites and such, but the concept of a deity is left up to the individual.
There is a concept that is promoted in Scientology that ‘what is true for you is what you have experienced to be true for yourself’ — this concept is attributed to the Buddha. You can’t force belief. If it works for you, great. All is good. If not, well, that is your observation, your choice.
I have very good friends that are not Scientologists. I have very good friends that are Scientologists. I have very good friends that are no longer Scientologists.
BUT, if you attack me and/or mine, don’t expect me to be your friend. I have another relative who continually badmouths my religion online and to friends. Then complains to the same that I won’t hang out and be pleasant to him. I really don’t want toxic people in my life.
Most governments of the world have acknowledged Scientology as a bona fide religion. Religious leaders throughout the world have acknowledged Scientology as a bona fide religion. So, who are you that has not studied any religion, much less Scientology, to sit in judgement?
My wife, who is not a Scientologist, says about Scientologists: ‘they seem pretty normal to me.’
Scientology organizations have been raided by government agencies around the world. Canada, France, Spain, Germany, the USA to name a few. These agencies were always attempting to shut the Church down. When the charges go to court, the Church wins. In the decades of raids and attempts to hinder the Church of Scientology, no organizations have been shut down as a result. Nobody is that good at hiding stuff. Police organizations have had spies working in various Church of Scientology Organizations around the world, discovering no crimes. The crimes just aren’t there.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});I know people that would hesitate to criticize a Muslim as afraid of being called a ‘-phobe’ of some sort, but has no issue getting on the bandwagon against Scientology. Just because it seems to be the thing to do. ‘My friends hate that religion so, as I don’t want to rock the boat, I will as well.’
Even Kanye West defends Scientology with respect to people just getting on the bandwagon and not thinking for themselves. I have no idea if he is a fan or not but he at least defends the idea that one should have the right his or her own beliefs!
I really thought by this time, religious persecution would be a thing of the past.
I know people that believe that it is OK to drive stoned on marijuana and think that I should not educate children on the dangers of pot. Then they would attack someone for their religious beliefs.
So, again, if you want to discuss the subject of Scientology, let us first define our terms. If you are going to call it a cult, then define exactly what you mean by that.
Similarly, I was having a discussion with someone regarding marijuana. It wasn’t going anywhere until I realized that, though I considered marijuana a drug, which, by definition, it is, this person completely disagreed that it was a drug. As a result, the conversation was doomed. The person refused the definition.
So, calm down, and get on the same page.
If you really want to know about the subject, instead of asking the Nazis of the world, go to the source of the subject and find out.
— An OT 3 Scientologist
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“That which men fear, they become. That’s a cinch. That which men resist, they become. Now, you know the Christian idea of turn the other cheek? Well, let’s get a comparable idea in Scientology. Not comparing Scientology to Christianity, but let’s get the comparable idea. The Christian idea of turn the other cheek had a little truth in it. Let’s get the comparable idea, and that is assume the other viewpoint. No more vicious and horrible person could possibly be alive than one who is willing to assume any viewpoint whatsoever. The MEST universe has rigged up more fairy tales to condemn people who would do this….You see, the MEST universe really wouldn’t be here at all unless people didn’t object to shifting viewpoints. People insist continually on a persistent viewpoint. They say you must have the same viewpoint over and over, day after day, year after year, century after century, and if they could enforce it they would put you into solid concrete and give you just the one viewpoint at the center of the solid concrete and say, ‘There you are and you had certainly better stay there or we’ll get impatient with you.’ You can’t control anybody who won’t assume the same viewpoint continuously.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 26, 1954
“GOOD NEWS: With the return of 3 Missionaires a flood of good news was brought. The US Court of Appeals fired back and refused the FDA petition for a re-hearing in the meter case. So that is definitely ended. John McMasters has been touring with huge successes in the Western US and Hawaii and has been seeing many wigs in higher favourable interviews and has been on many national TV shows in the US all very well done. He has been highly commended and his mission ordered to be reinforced. We have a lovely new base all bought. We have been invited to participate in a beachhead. Plans are afoot from a new active group to open up Latin America. They already have a fine beachhead secured.” — The Commodore, April 26, 1969
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“L. Ron Hubbard was right: Christianity is today an Illuminati trap. The hearth of Judaism and Christianity, Jerusalem, is today the house of the Illuminati. ‘Biblical prophecy’ is under the control of the New World Order. According to Capt Bill Robertson of the Freezone, the auditing research indicates that the Illuminati founder, Adam Weshaupt, is the chap that has sunk planet Earth in disaster and chaos since 70 million years ago. So Illuminati disclosure is the very truth.”
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2001: The St. Petersburg Times reported that a Scientology-affiliated community group has reversed its decision to refuse memorial bricks donated by Scientology critics. “Lisa McPherson will be memorialized in a downtown alley next door to a Church of Scientology building. A group that sold hundreds of engraved bricks to beautify the city-owned alley has reversed an earlier decision, deciding to allow a McPherson memorial brick and two other bricks submitted by Scientology critics. ‘The decision not to order three bricks has been rescinded,’ Citizens for a Better Clearwater wrote in a letter received this week by John Merrett, an attorney for the Scientology critics. ‘Upon receipt, these bricks will be placed in the Cleveland Street Gas Light Alley with other inscribed bricks.’ The brick request by Jeff Jacobsen and Stacy Brooks, both staff members at a Scientology watchdog group named the Lisa McPherson Trust, touched off a tremor downtown, demonstrating how seemingly innocuous efforts can become controversial because of the relationship between the church and its opponents.”
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“If it weren’t for the celebrities, David Miscavige would have less name recognition than Marshall Applewhite or whoever is running the Raelians.”
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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: Pretrial conference set for Apr 29.
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 shows that if government gives it even an inch, it tries to take over like a virus
[TWO years ago] Scientology, breaking bad: Signs of desperation here and abroad
[THREE years ago] Kim Poff, finally free to speak: ‘I want this story out. I want people to know what Narconon did.’
[FOUR years ago] Scientology retaliates against Clearwater land deal by trying to shiv a beloved dolphin
[FIVE years ago] SCIENTOLOGY LEADER DAVID MISCAVIGE THREATENS TO SUE FATHER OVER BOOK
[SIX years ago] EXCLUSIVE: Secretly taped briefing uncovers precarious state of Scientology right now
[SEVEN years ago] Selling out, and other strange side-effects of Scientology watching
[EIGHT years ago] RAID ON SCIENTOLOGY’S DRUG REHAB CENTER IN ATLANTA
[TEN years ago] Is Tom Cruise Worthy of a Simon Wiesenthal Award?
——————–
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 2,283 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,787 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,307 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,327 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,218 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,525 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,393 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,167 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,497 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,971 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,287 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,853 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,772 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,940 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,521 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,782 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,820 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,533 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,058 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 413 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,588 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,139 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,288 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,608 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,463 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,582 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,938 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,241 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,347 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,749 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,621 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,204 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,699 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,953 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,062 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 26, 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
April 25, 2021
Q patriots save the children, ponder time travel, defend their beef burgers
Some links to Q-related items today…
Q patriots: They’ll take my hamburger from my cold, dead hands!
The Q/bleach connection.
Jordan Sather, one of the earliest and most steadfast QAnon promoters, sells a product called "Miracle Mineral Solution," aka chlorine dioxide. It's bleach for internal consumption used as a cure-all.
The feds are prosecuting the most prominent MMS guru.https://t.co/bLroaIbEIJ
— The Q Origins Project (@QOrigins) April 24, 2021
Travis View is on the scene.
I'm at Hollywood and Vine for the QAnon-flavored "Save The Children" rally. The gathering is fired up about their factually confused conception of human trafficking. I see several references to "adrenochrome" and the false belief that children are trafficked under the Getty. pic.twitter.com/baAmsujcUb
— Travis View (@travis_view) April 24, 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 April 25, 2021 at 8:15
Scientology social media: Salvaging the planet by draining one bank account at a time
Our special source comes through again and gives us a glimpse of what’s going on at Scientology’s social media streams. Let’s see what’s happening to salvage the planet this week!
Hey, that new place for Scientologists to gather is gaining steam! Anyone want to rent an apartment?
Robert is investing in his eternity, how about you?
Someone has to stand up for a drug-free world.
Scientology TV? Is that thing still going?
Another Clearwater mainstay…
Renee has no time for your suppression!
Another LRH Hall donor!
Throw another front group on the pile.
Chase those body thetans goodbye.
Field Staff Member = Superman
HAS = HCO [Hubbard Communications Office] Area Secretary. Acronyms within acronyms!
Pirate party today in Clearwater! Bring your wallet!
Another look at this front operation, Miracles Outreach…
——————–
Bonus items from our tipsters
Says our tipster: “Sony apparently isn’t going to let Danny keep Mo Collins or Terry Crews from getting some streaming royalties from their stoner movie ‘Puff Puff Pass,’ which they’ve decided to add to their lineup of late night B-movies at Crackle. Thankfully it is leaving April 30, so make sure to not watch it until then! And apparently, as so many have pointed out: Celebrity Scientologists can do drugs and all other normally verboten behavior to publics, as long as it’s in the name of celebrity and making money.”
——————–
“The fact that a bank has been built and maintained and added to works against just achieving higher levels of beingness in the process of livingness. And that is all that prevents it. And this was quite revelatory to me. You’d say this is not much of a point and it’s true enough, it isn’t much of a point. It’s one of these elementary things that doesn’t change around the basic concepts of Scientology any. But it does this, it does this: it puts a different complexion on this universe; and it puts a different complexion on what you might care to do; and it puts a different complexion on your future for the next two hundred trillion years. See, this changes that. Your concept that the only thing you could do is get to a point where you could get totally out of this universe, or something like that, if you had such a concept — the only way you could ever win is to just get away from all this MEST and space and so forth — those concepts are, apparently, invalid. Which is a very hopeful happy note. I feel like a certain Pollyanna idiocy taking over, you see?” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 25, 1963
——————–
“NEWS ITEM: Phil Wearne, whose instigation of the infamous Melbourne inquiry began the Anzo attacks and who later confessed and fully documented his lies and guilt, died recently in Sydney. Cause of death not known here. Sooner or later it seems to kill them.” — The Commodore, April 25, 1970
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“This girl was being sec-checked and didn’t want to disclose that she had another body on another planet that another LRH was opening up Scientology on. She attested all the way to OT 30 and with floating needles and floating tone arms when they stopped it and caved her in by telling her to start at OT 1. She says she can’t do OT 1 because it violates policy, meaning you can damage your case by doing OT levels a second time, after you’ve already completed it before. So she hunts everything LRH wrote and finds the time track of theta tapes where LRH actually says there is another LRH on another planet doing Scientology. Now question is, why the commands for locating your other timelines are on the tapes and why they never put them on the gradation chart and deliver these processes? And she would be willing to take me off track so she could have a verification to try to prove she has another body on another planet where another LRH is doing Scientology and her attest to OT 30 being valid.”
——————–
2000: From Ifuse.com: “Crew members working on the latest John Travolta movie say they can’t wait to wrap, citing a ‘creepy’ level of Scientologist fervor surrounding the set of potential summer sci-fi blockbuster ‘Battlefield Earth.’ The movie is about a futuristic battle for Earth between opposing political movements. The ‘good’ that wins out is supposed to represent the ideology of Scientology. ‘It’s weird man,’ said a member of the camera crew, interviewed by iFUSE on the set Tuesday. ‘Half these people are Scientologists. Travolta’s hired all of them to be here. It’s like this weird, religious epic. ‘It’s creepy, man.’ Some crew members went so far as to call their Scientologist co-workers ‘freaks,’ saying they constantly speak wistfully of founder Hubbard and how wonderful their faith is. Others — who happen to be Scientologists — said they were fine with the atmosphere. ‘This is a film that I wanted to work on,’ said a Scientologist member of the production. ‘Hubbard just knew so many secrets about what really goes on, and his books made those ideas come to life entertainingly, so it’s great to be making this into a movie that, hopefully, a lot of people will see.'”
——————–
“I think it’s called the ‘If you become rich & famous, all is forgiven’ tech.”
——————–
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: Pretrial conference set for Apr 29.
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] Calling all patsies: Scientology tries desperately to keep its isolated members busy
[TWO years ago] VIDEO: Danny Masterson accusers face down Scientology ploy at Denim Day rally
[THREE years ago] Former Scientology mouthpiece Tommy Davis has a new look and a new friend in his life
[FOUR years ago] Someone forgot to notify the Dept. of Defense that Scientology is the world’s coolest religion
[FIVE years ago] One of the best examples ever that Scientology can only be understood from ex-Scientologists
[SIX years ago] Jon Atack announces a five-day Toronto conference on Scientology to take place in June
[SEVEN years ago] Video Vault: The universe is yours to duplicate, Mr. Hubbard!
[EIGHT years ago] FED COURT DENIES SCIENTOLOGY REQUEST: Decision on Religious Arbitration Coming Soon?
[THIRTEEN years ago] Nightline Swings at Scientology, Misses
——————–
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 2,282 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,786 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,306 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,326 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,217 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,524 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,392 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,166 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,496 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,970 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,286 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,852 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,771 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,939 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,520 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,781 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,819 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,532 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,057 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 412 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,587 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,138 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,287 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,607 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,462 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,581 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,937 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,240 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,346 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,748 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,620 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,203 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,698 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,952 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,061 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 25, 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
April 24, 2021
All eyes on Arizona as the vote recount resumes after a pause
Some links to Q-related items today…
The party of the satanic pedophiles files to stop the Arizona audit!
Vaccine horror stories? We got ’em!
Pillow guy’s team was, frankly, not up to it.
An elite team of "Certified Drupal Grand Masters" told Salon that Mike Lindell's new social media platform "Frank" was doomed to fail from the start because Lindell's developers appear to have not even passed "Drupal 101." https://t.co/tZWilrtIUz
— Zachary Petrizzo (@ZTPetrizzo) April 23, 2021
Pick up lines we wish we’d thought of.
“I did storm the Capitol. I made it all the way to Statuary Hall!”
“We are not a match.”
^ a real conversation that happened https://t.co/H9YiHKLurf
— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) April 23, 2021
Q’s still big in Japan.
Japan's QAnon disciples aren't letting Trump's loss quash their mission https://t.co/loyoeHrEJ5
— Marc-André Argentino (@_MAArgentino) April 24, 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 April 24, 2021 at 8:10
The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 1: The Feds
Last August we started this countdown because we wanted to shine a light on the non-Scientologists who help keep Scientology in business, and who end up enabling Scientology’s worst abuses.
Along the way we’ve touched on various attorneys and private eyes and businesses that help church leader David Miscavige maintain his control over this multi-billion dollar enterprise, and who protect him from investigations, lawsuits, and prosecutions.
Many of you anticipated who was going to end up in the top spot. There’s simply no question that the number one reason Scientology is still ripping apart families, extorting the elderly, forcing young women to have abortions, and generally treating its employees (even children) as indentured servants is that the US federal government doesn’t do a damn thing about it.
As Lawrence Wright explained so well in the movie Going Clear, Scientology is protected because a bunch of accountants at the Internal Revenue Service determined in 1993 that Scientology was a legitimate nonprofit religious organization that deserved tax exempt status.
That gives Scientology, and Miscavige personally, a powerful shield against investigations and lawsuits, as we’ve seen time and again over the years.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});When is the government going to act? In 2017 there was an intriguing lead: Huffington Post writer Yashar Ali reported that a close Trump aide, Lynne Patton, had told Leah Remini privately that she had watched Leah’s show with the Trumps and that the new president was interested in revoking the church’s tax exempt status.
With Jeffrey Augustine’s help, we then pointed out that if this were true, Trump could have his Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, ask the IRS to initiate an investigation of Scientology’s exempt status.
That never happened, and Patton’s claim was never confirmed. Also, we’ve pointed out that for years the IRS, led by Commissioner Charles Rettig since 2018, has been decimated by Congress with budget cuts and was hardly in a position to initiate the kind of years-long, bruising battle that an investigation of Scientology would result in.
Will there be a difference with another new president? There are early indications that Biden wants to beef up the IRS and increase its auditing strength. That’s perhaps a move in the right direction. Also, we can’t help remembering that the three previous major federal investigations of Scientology — in 1963 by the FDA, and in 1977 and 2009 by the FBI — were all under Democratic administrations. Is that a reason to believe that the Biden administration would be interested in an IRS audit of David Miscavige? We don’t know.
We completely understand why ordinary citizens take it upon themselves to write countless petitions asking the IRS to investigate Scientology, or submit personal reports to the agency, hoping that the government simply needs to hear about Scientology’s abuses before it can act.
But that’s just not the case. The US government is fully cognizant of Scientology’s true nature, and has been for more than 50 years. The government knows that Scientology is in violation of its secret IRS agreement, and that it uses criminal methods to enforce its rules and extort its members. Evidence is not what the government lacks. It’s political will.
The IRS is only one part of the problem, however. The other federal agency with the power to do something about Scientology’s abuses is the Department of Justice, under the attorney general. Your proprietor has personal knowledge that federal investigators have been interested in Scientology’s crimes, and some of the people we have profiled here, such as elderly victims of financial extortion, have been interviewed by federal agents in the last few years.
Based on those investigations that we have personal knowledge of (and assuming that there are perhaps many others that we don’t know about) we believed there was a significant chance that under the Trump administration the Department of Justice might make a move. But again, it didn’t happen. There’s now a new attorney general, Merrick Garland, under a new president. He inherits a law enforcement apparatus that has sat on its hands regarding Scientology for decades now.
Does a new sheriff in town mean that the investigations we know have been taking place will actually result in some charges?
We try to remain optimistic, at least because we know so many victims of Scientology, each of whom deserves justice. But until this government acts, Merrick Garland and his counterpart at the IRS, Charles Rettig, will remain at the top of our list of Scientology enablers.
The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology
1: The feds
2: Monique Yingling
4: The LAPD
5: The dirty tricks private eyes
6: The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department
7: The litigators
8: The ghost private eyes
9: The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office
10: Political shills
11: Gary Soter
12: The city of Clearwater, Florida
13: Google and other tech titans
14: The Los Angeles Times
15: Jeffrey Riffer
16: James Packer
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});17: Louis Farrakhan
18: Mark “Marty” Rathbun
19: Wally Pope
20: Gensler
21: Parents who subscribe to ABCMouse
22: Graham Norton and other celebrity strokers
23: The apologist academics
24: Rebecca Dobkin and other low-level PI grunts
25: DirecTV and filmmakers buffing Dave’s channel
——————–
Jon Atack and Ed Stratton
“Ron Hubbard probably got the idea of the anti-social personality from Hervey Cleckley. Ed and Jon talk about the original list, Robert Hare’s update, Hubbard’s points and Jon’s model of the human predator.”
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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“The first time you ask your preclear, ‘Now let’s go out across the country until we find a sawmill running. All right, now step into the buzz saw.’ He’s going to say gulp. It’s going to astonish him. But you’d be surprised what happens to him when he finds out he can do just that. He’s going to realize all of a sudden that there he is. He can be anything. Well, if he can be anything then he can have an unlimited number of viewpoints. If he can have an unlimited number of viewpoints, then he can know anything, can’t he? Well, if it’s written down, he can certainly be in the middle of a book at the library and read it. Well, that’s very easy. Or if somebody knows it at that time, he can go pick that somebody’s brains. That’s right. Read somebody’s mind.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 24, 1953
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“It is NOT hygienic to leave damp towels flung DOWN on bunks when they should be hung UP to air; it is NOT hygienic to have dirty sheets left on unoccupied bunks. It is NOT good to have those areas emmesty and NOT squared up and looking decent and clean. Therefore, all occupants of men’s and women’s dorms may expect a thorough inspection tomorrow forenoon, Saturday.” — W/O Bob Prior, April 24, 1970
——————–
“To knowingly reg for money when you are not qualified to properly deliver materials is fraud, plain and simple. I am asking for $5,000 for the L11 I thought I was purchasing from someone I thought was qualified but is not. Just the fact that he is so controversial says something. The controversy was all before me. I trusted someone who is untrustworthy and now he laughs at me. What does that say? We are talking ethics here. Don’t sell things you can’t deliver. I don’t care how cheap, that’s not the point this is spiritually altering material. It doesn’t belong in the hands of people untrained to deliver. It’s not an argument of cost or ‘oh he gives good deals.’ The fact that he did wheel and deal so easily made me suspicious because an auditor should know their worth. I should have made a better decision based on that red flag. I accept that I continued with him on the L but I assumed he was qualified. If I am representing Spiritual material I wouldn’t rob you. Know what you are buying, look at certifications, research everything you can before laying down money because in the end just like with me. They laugh at you and create lies and justifications of their thievery. That’s what thieves do. Who in their right mind delights in playing detrimental games with people?”
——————–
1999: Grady Ward posted a letter to Scientology lawyer Tom Hogan this week, in which he rescinded his settlement agreement. “This letter is to give notice to your client that I elect under California Civil Code 1689(b) to rescind the settlement contract that you believe we entered into on May 12, 1998. Pursuant to California Civil Code 1691, I hereby offer to return to you all consideration given me such as forbearance of any claim(s) in the district court for alleged copyright infringement, upon condition that you likewise return or void all consideration that I have tendered to you such as the $200 monthly payments, order and consent to judgment and permanent injunction. Your client, R.T.C. and its attorneys have shown a clear intention to dishonor the settlement negotiations entered into between us by repeatedly breaching the contract’s implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing by wrongfully trying to deprive me of the very income I need to pay the $200 a month sum owed to you for life specified in the May 12, 1998 settlement negotiations. At least twice Marty Rathbun, a member of the board of RTC and a principal in the May 12, 1998 settlement negotiations has tried tortiously and in bad faith to interfere with my employment with Robert S. Minton and F.A.C.T.Net even though there was no justifiable reason to do so.”
——————–
“You can’t even receive auditing if you’re engaged in other ‘spiritual’ practices like meditation. The whole ‘other religions are OK with us’ is demonstrably false.”
——————–
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: Pretrial conference set for Apr 29.
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] Raising money in the time of the virus: Scientology will always find a way!
[TWO years ago] It’s an anniversary of shame for Scientology: Will they go for a repeat?
[THREE years ago] Scientologist pair running for office double down on their denials about church involvement
[FOUR years ago] Nan McLean in 1973: Rare Scientology documentary goes online, and it rocks
[FIVE years ago] Texas Supreme Court asks for Monique Rathbun’s response to Scientology’s petition
[SIX years ago] Scientology opens a new ‘Ideal Org’ in Basel this weekend — nearly a year after its last one
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s drug rehab hit with another lawsuit; Laura D asked to turn over computer
[EIGHT years ago] Claire Headley Tells Us How to Keep Scientology Working
[NINE years ago] Charges Dropped Against Scientology Executive Jan Eastgate
——————–
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 2,281 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,785 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,305 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,325 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,216 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,523 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,391 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,165 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,495 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,969 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,285 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,851 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,770 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,938 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,519 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,780 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,818 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,531 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,056 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 411 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,586 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,137 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,286 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,606 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,461 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,580 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,936 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,239 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,345 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,747 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,619 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,202 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,697 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,951 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,060 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 24, 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
April 23, 2021
Q patriots urged to dance through all this waiting for the storm
Some links to Q-related items today…
The House approved DC statehood and Q patriots are wondering what’s real anymore.
More claims of Facebook culpability…
Exclusive: An internal report reveals how Facebook failed to prevent the "Stop the Steal" movement from using the platform to "spread conspiracy, and help incite the Capitol insurrection.” This new evidence contradicts public statements from Zuck/Sandberg: https://t.co/VEAI8BoS8G
— Craig Silverman (@CraigSilverman) April 22, 2021
Arizona never disappoints.
Maricopa Co.'s vote audit kicks off today (nonbinding, all theater). It's led by a tech co. whose CEO tweeted conspiracies at Ron Watkins. Another auditor lost a police job for lying, won office, and tried changing a law to get his name off the Brady list. https://t.co/t9u9NeW23r
— Kelly Weill (@KELLYWEILL) April 22, 2021
Helping patriots get through the waiting for the storm.
Austin Steinbart is throwing a weekly online dance party for his followers who believe he’s Q pic.twitter.com/NtRJlL9iYs
— Italien Feeld 🕳 (@julianfeeld) April 22, 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 April 23, 2021 at 8:05
We still get asked about Scientology mouthpiece Tommy Davis, so here’s your update!
A decade after Tommy Davis lost his job as Scientology’s pugnacious spokesman, we still get asked about him. He was a fan favorite, and his run-ins with media figures were kind of legendary back when he was speaking for the church (circa 2006-2011).
We told you in 2019 that he was tying the knot again, this time in Morocco and with Egyptian actress Maie Ibrahim. Tommy is not very communicative with us, but the way we found out about his nuptials was that his godmother is film producer Kate Edelman Johnson, and she tends to spill the beans about him at her Instagram page.
Kate has turned her Instagram account private, but she still revealed enough on her Twitter account to give us reason to celebrate: Tommy now has a Tommy Junior!
Our congratulations to the happy couple. Meanwhile, one of our tipsters managed to track down some video from the wedding ceremony that we hadn’t seen before…
And for those still endlessly curious about him, here once again is our rundown of what Tommy has been up to since he left his job at Scientology…
By 2011 we noticed that Tommy had seemed to have disappeared. He turned up in Austin, where his wife Jessica Feshbach’s family had some property, and in 2013 Davis testified in a deposition that he was “on leave” from his job in the Sea Organization but was still a member of the Church of Scientology.
The next year, in 2014, the Davises moved to Los Angeles, as Tommy found work at billionaire real estate investor Tom Barrack’s Colony Capital. (Tommy’s father, William Davis, a wealthy real estate investor who died in 2015, was a close friend to Barrack). But then in February 2016 Tommy left his job working for Barrack and became “general manager North America” for Australian billionaire James Packer, helping to run Packer’s Hollywood studio, RatPac Entertainment.
Davis and Packer knew each other from Scientology. Packer had been brought into the church around the year 2001 by his friend Tom Cruise, and according to Steve Cannane’s excellent book on Australian Scientology, Fair Game, Packer left the church around the year 2006. A decade later, he hired Davis to help him run his movie studio. But then 2016 turned into a nightmare year for Packer as he had setbacks to his gambling empire, broke up with fiancée Mariah Carey, and his studio also took a bath on a Ben Affleck flop. Packer ended up bailing out of RatPac, and in that chaos Tommy left his job and went back to work for Barrack as a consultant. In May 2017, Tommy filed for divorce from Jessica, with whom he had two young daughters.
In the meantime, Tommy still hasn’t responded to Mike Rinder’s challenge to come forward about what he saw working for David Miscavige in the Church of Scientology.
The last we heard Tommy is still working for Tom Barrack as a consultant, but if you’ve heard something different, please let us know!
Now on to a couple of follow-ups on our recent stories here. We told you last week that Kirstie Alley’s daughter Lillie Parker had announced her move to Clearwater and said that ‘everyone’ was moving there. We noted it as another piece of evidence that, indeed, Scientologists seem to be favoring Florida over the former power center of Southern California.
And now, another data point.
Minor Scientology celebrity Hal Ozsan (NCIS: New Orleans) used his Instagram account to announce that he was also giving up on Los Angeles and had relocated to Safety Harbor, which is right next to Clearwater.
Is he really happy about it though? You tell us.
And finally, one more update: Alanna sold her house!
We told you recently that the Masterson clan has been pulling up stakes. Carol and Christopher both sold houses as 2021 was dawning, and Alanna put her small 2-bedroom Atwater Village cottage up for sale as well.
But look at the price she pulled in! $1.595 million for a 2 bedroom house. These late-pandemic prices are NUTS.
——————–
“Here we have this fellow now and he recognizes this principle and he’s on the destroy end of the curve, you see. He recognizes that a nothingness should exist where that body is. But he doesn’t know why a nothingness should exist — he doesn’t know anything about communication or duplication — he just knows that the best thing to have where that body is, is nothingness. So he goes and blows his brains out. And if the society insists he has too many responsibilities to go blow his brains out, why, then subterfugenously he lowers himself under the wheels of a taxi cab or steps on a third rail or lands himself, and some people haven’t quite nerve enough to make the good clean job of it, so they keep making themselves sick. And that’s psychosomatic illness. That’s all there is to psychosomatic illness, it’s a covert effort on the part of the thetan to make nothing where the body is. But it is an effort which is balked by the society to such a degree that he knows he can’t quite get away with it. So he still goes on with this faint impulse which is just make the body sick, don’t reduce it to zero.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 23, 1954
——————–
“OTL DK has lost several important mail packets from the 24 March run. We find that OTL had just changed Supercargoes. The new one Connie (Campleman) Stevens was logging her first mail. The DK Post Office or the WW post office or Connie has lost several packets. This flap was not reported by Wayne Alkire to Flag and was not given proper attention by Susan Pomeroy. We now, by phone, have the packet numbers still lost and Aides must make them up again for the next courier. This of course calls for a severe reshuffle of lines and personnel. We must be very accurate on mail slips, relays and posting. A fantastice scramble can occur and the work of a lot of executives can be messed up or destroyed. Comm Evs are being convened on S. Pomeroy, W. Alkire, and C. (Campleman) Stevens. Mail routing will be changed.” — The Commodore, April 23, 1970
——————–
“LRH was the basic engram, and he was carrying the cruel tactics and spirit of the Anglo-Saxons. Therefore there was no need to seek for any enemy outside, because LRH’s attitude and the complicity of his followers was enough to explain the ultimate failure of the Church of Scientology.”
——————–
1998: German TV producer Peter Reichelt posted details on his arrest by Scientologists outside Gold Base near Hemet, California. “Ina Brockmann and I rented at around 11 am a helicopter to seek for the highly secret Scientology children/adult prisoner camp called ‘HAPPY VALLEY’. Near the entrance on the right side is a large watch-tower. The entrance gate looked very similar to the entrance gate of the NAZI concentration camp AUSCHWITZ. Dogs secured the place. Around the compound is a big fence. There is current traffic along the fence by motor cycles and jeeps, like the area in front of the former East German wall. We drove in the mountains by car to get to ‘Happy Valley’ on the road. Four cars followed us on our way to the prison camp. One mile before we reached the camp in the mountain desert, short after a curve, the public street was blocked by a yellow bulldozer, with a man in dark blue Scientology uniform sitting on. We tried to turn around to go back, but our way out was blocked by a white van and other cars. Several men, altogether around 8, left their cars walking and running to us and screaming ‘put your cameras down, you are arrested’. It was Ken HODEN, who arrested us, the General Manager of ‘Golden Era Productions’. They have been armed, one man had the whole time his hand on a gun. We knew, he would use it if we try to escape. I taped a lot with my Digital camera from inside our car and my cameraman from outside with his Betacam camera. The Sheriff and his deputy arrived with two cars to free us. After viewing the taped material the Sheriff arrested Ken Hoden and three other Scientologists for ‘false imprisonment’ charges.”
——————–
“What got me here was a lifelong interest in the weird and macabre, combined with a sister who joined the cult in 1980. In 2008 I heard about a video on YouTube that featured Tom Cruise taking about Scientology. I started following the comments by the anons and Scilons, and I realized I really didn’t know as much about Scientology as I thought I did, so I got busy.”
——————–
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: Pretrial conference set for Apr 29.
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] Philly lawyers suing Danny Masterson don’t want Scientology to have their home addresses
[TWO years ago] Brad Pitt’s Scientology adventure: The sauna, the auditing, the… lizard?
[THREE years ago] It’s only April, but we already have a leading contender for Scientology mother of the year!
[FOUR years ago] Scientology loves to gladhand Florida politicians, even though it usually has little effect
[FIVE years ago] Why Scientology’s inability to pay its tax bill in Montreal is not a sign that it’s struggling
[SIX years ago] See ‘Going Clear’ star Hana Whitfield describe L. Ron Hubbard in a leaked 1997 interview
[SEVEN years ago] NARCONON EXPOSED: Scientology’s flagship drug rehab facility is struggling, records show
[TEN years ago] Michael Fairman, Familiar TV and Film Actor, Makes Public His Expulsion from Scientology
——————–
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 2,280 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,784 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,304 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,324 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,215 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,522 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,390 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,164 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,494 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,968 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,284 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,850 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,769 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,937 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,518 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,779 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,817 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,530 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,055 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 410 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,585 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,136 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,285 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,605 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,460 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,579 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,935 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,238 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,344 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,746 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,618 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,201 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,696 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,950 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,059 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 23, 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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