Tony Ortega's Blog, page 333
April 18, 2021
Scientology social media: Taking the planet higher than it’s ever been
We’re indebted to our special source who lets us see what Scientologists have been sharing with each other on social media. And this week, wow, you suppressive louts are in big trouble.
Let’s start with this instant classic, with the humble brag that this grass monkey was too baked to realize he will be helping to clear the planet.
That’s a lot of packaged happiness.
Thirteen people? Tampa is on fire!
Add another front group to the pile: Equity & Help Inc.
The pandemic LARPing goes on in South Africa.
Wait until Ryan discovers on the upper level that the beard is one big angry body thetan.
The tried and true methods are the best, aren’t they? Sign here, kids!
Two years as a superhuman. Hip, hip, hooray!
Suppression is the only reason someone falls off the Bridge. This is known.
Annika is fast flow!
Miracles Outreach, a Scientology front? Hm.
Resist the V!
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“I had an example of this. I had a couple of words on a line plot, when I was auditing, and they didn’t make much sense, and I let them go by! They didn’t make any sense to me and by George, we had a wrong item! And as soon as we got the thing straightened out and they did make sense, and so forth, they rocket read, and we went ahead beautifully. The point I’m stressing here is even though you have those forms, don’t try to gobbledygook it. Because gobbledygook won’t work. But sometimes it looks a little gobbledygooky, let’s get the idea of ‘to be Catholic.’ Let’s say that somebody had a goal like that. Got it down in the Vatican or somewhere, they got implanted, and ‘to be Catholic,’ you know. And you get down to the ‘-ness’ form of the goal. And you say, well that’s obviously the beingness of a Catholic. But by George, that doesn’t work! And you finally find out that it’s ‘Catholicness.’ Makes sense, doesn’t it? Catholicness. It isn’t an English word, but it’s a perfectly decent concept. It’s the ‘-ness’ ness of being a Catholic. See? And Catholicness, you’ll find out will fire right at that point, very nice.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 18, 1963
“NAME CHANGE: The harbour recognized the ship but not the flag or name and were curious. So you better know why so you can explain it. The Hubbard Exploration Co Ltd was the original owner. It was a British Company. Because of currency restrictions the ships were sold to me, then to Operation and Transport Corporation of Panama, a Panama Company so the flag and name had to be changed. We run student cruises and came from Cadiz and will eventually be returning there. We cruise on the coasts of the Western Med.” — The Commodore, April 18, 1969
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“OT 20 is superstatic rundown. It allows you to go outside source itself and re-enter the MEST universe at any other point in time. 900 years into the future the entire galaxy was taken over by the aliens that created mind control on this planet during this time period. Those aliens have been removed from the planet now and we can now start to repair the damage. The sleeper children were created by the dark forces 900 years in the future to try to prevent Scientology from being created. INT Management has been run by alien implanted entity manipulation. That is why we can’t get CoS repaired until we get the government out of CoS. The government is using CoS to extort money out of the public to line their own pockets. We advanced Scientology in the future to a point where we could go back into the static source where all things is created from and operate in any time period we choose. We came back to this period of time to remove the alien influence and stop the future chaos from happening. If you listen to The Time Track of Theta tapes you will learn a thetan can run more than one body. Not unusual to run 20 or more other Bodies.”
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2001: Dave Bird reported a protest in Birmingham. “Ten of us picketed today in Birmingham (England): Dave, Jens, Damian, Martin, Hartley, Ian, Andy and Pam, Steve C-T, plus Santosh. It rained. It was windy, and very cold; my hands needed a good warming afterwards. One small OSA clam scuttled round the edges. He used a mobile to phone the police, who seemed to be telling him to go away and stop wasting their time. Between one and two clams carried on against our picket. He said he had a ‘surprise for us at the end,’ which seemed to be that the total of body routers went up to four the moment we departed. He followed us, taking pictures, to a pub just next to the station. Leaflets went reasonably well, we must have put out about 500.”
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“It would be fun if there were real monsters, but the only real monsters on this planet are us.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Discovery hearing on April 20, prelim 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.
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SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Scientology denied: Watch Clearwater church members calling Mark Bunker a bigot
[TWO years ago] When Scientology is caught spying, it always pretends it was the victim
[THREE years ago] Spinning cars, self-healing cuts — more ‘OT’ ghost stories from Scientologists
[FOUR years ago] DOX: Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s nutty scheme to strong-arm America’s psychologists
[FIVE years ago] Louis Theroux’s ‘My Scientology Movie’ premieres at Tribeca: Our on-scene report
[SIX years ago] Scientology hit with another federal lawsuit over refunds — but with a twist
[SEVEN years ago] The rising business star, his mother, and Scientology’s attempt to rip them apart
[EIGHT years ago] Hysterical Hyper-Sight, and Other Lost Concepts of Dianetics
[NINE years ago] One Year Ago Today: Did the Squirrel Busters Mark the Beginning of the End of Scientology?
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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 2,275 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,779 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,299 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,319 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,210 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,517 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,385 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,159 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,489 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,963 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,279 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,845 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,764 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,932 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,513 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,774 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,812 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,525 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,050 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 405 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,580 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,131 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,280 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,600 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,455 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,574 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,930 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,233 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,339 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,741 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,613 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,196 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,691 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,945 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,054 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 18, 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 17, 2021
Patriots love Lin Wood’s ‘Q’ gesture during Oklahoma speech
Some links to Q-related items today…
When frequent posters Tammy, Deb Kay, and Starla try to have a conversation about mass shootings…
More MTGs coming?
Talked to TIME about the risks of Q believers seeking office:
"If we decide [belief in Q] is O.K., then the door is effectively left open for [a] shared sense of understanding to further erode."https://t.co/NsdkDf0eHt
— Jared Holt (@jaredlholt) April 16, 2021
What, consequences?
While strangers on the internet may enjoy epic trolls, it turns out that judges don't feel the same way. https://t.co/N7WeUsDsbV
— Travis View (@travis_view) April 16, 2021
TikTok is playing whack-a-mole.
A new wave of videos are spreading QAnon and COVID-19 vaccine conspiracies despite TikTok’s efforts to scrub them from the platform. https://t.co/aCyfpbSu3Q
— Marc-André Argentino (@_MAArgentino) April 17, 2021
Leigh was here too.
OAN rapidly cuts away from Lin Wood after he starts making QAnon Q's in the air. pic.twitter.com/HUbo4B8r3S
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) April 17, 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 17, 2021 at 8:05
Scientology ‘Sea Org’ members are a cut above, and have to prove it day and night
Sunny Pereira is back, and she brings us another slice of life (so to speak) from the world of around-the-clock work in Scientology’s Sea Organization. Sign your billion-year contracts and dive in!
It was just after Sept 1991. I was 18 years old. The Time magazine cover story about Scientology had been released and, soon after that, there was an amnesty released by David Miscavige that allowed anyone wanting to get off the Rehabilitation Project Force to do so. We just had to write up our transgressions and be forgiven and we would be off the RPF, the Sea Org’s prison program. I was one of the first to take advantage. I didn’t want to spend another minute on it. I had already been there 2 and a half years.
Once I had been out for a short time I was told I would be a runner for a special project at the Hollywood Celebrity Centre. I needed to report immediately to the trailers at CC and look for Jenny DeVocht or Amy Mortland and report for work. I explained to this person that I had been up for a week. Could I have about 10 hours to sleep and shower please? No, I could have 8 hours and report in the morning. I knew I would not be able to get up if I went to sleep, so I didn’t bother. I showered and got my bike and started riding around LA. It was a freedom I hadn’t had for years, being stuck in the RPF. I loved it.
I reported the next morning as requested. CC Int was still under renovations and not move-in ready. For this reason, all org services were done in trailers outside the building. However, about 100 of the 200 that came off the RPF were assigned to the Manor Hotel to build up the org. Now Amy and Jenny were tasked with setting up the Manor Hotel so it was ready for operation as soon as the building was ready. I was to be their runner. Whatever they needed, I went.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});I liked Amy and Jenny right off the bat. They were both kind and respectful to me. Truth be told, after being on the RPF, anything was better than that. The first day went by very fast, running tasks here and there. I was ready to go home when I was told I had to go help with the punch list renovations inside the building. And so, no surprise, I was up all night yet another night. I think about two weeks in it was becoming clear I needed some rest and I was allowed to sleep a night to try to catch up.
One of the many projects at the Manor Hotel was getting the restaurant up to standards. They pulled on guy, Phil Christodoulou, out of the RPF to become the chef. He had to get properly trained up and fast.
One thing to understand about Scientology is that any Scientologist can be tapped to help with anything, and you are expected to do so. Also, any connection you may have may be exploited for any reason, under whatever circumstances, to forward the aims of Scientology.
In this case, we needed Phil to get trained, and fast. It was discovered that there was a CC public who was a waitress at a Wolfgang Puck restaurant. She was tapped to get Phil into the restaurant to learn. The restaurant was called Eureka, a popular and always packed restaurant and brewery that existed between 1990 and 1993. The problem was that Phil needed to be learning California Cuisine, and this was not the restaurant to be doing it at. But it was determined that this was our best shot to get him training on the basics.
Phil was introduced to Eureka’s chef Jody Denton by the Scientologist waitress. Jody had no interest in hiring Phil. Phil explained that he wanted to learn and he would work for free. That appeared to be an agreement that was made, as Phil spent the next month or so at Eureka, practicing everything that he could.
Of course Phil, being a Sea Org member, was expected to be more than full time. Phil and I were up several times early in the mornings going to farmers markets all over LA looking for the best and freshest vegetables for the restaurant. Whatever items the chef requested, we were out looking for it. We would load Phil up with everything and send him back into the restaurant with the items. It was made to look like he was on his own, just trying to learn. I don’t know if anyone else in the restaurant knew why he was there.
It came up several times as a problem that Phil was not learning California Cuisine and there was no point keeping him there. He was, however, learning many other basics of cooking that he badly needed such as menu planning, kitchen prep, proper vegetable cuts, etc. Eureka was happy to have the free labor that went from open to close, seven days a week.
Meanwhile, Phil was reporting mostly to me, with the occasional check-in with Amy or Jenny from the mission, to check on his progress. Amy, Jenny and I also had many other assignments to deal with, this was just one of many being juggled at the same time. It was mostly up to Phil to make himself ready.
Phil had other responsibilities outside of the restaurant training as well, and came back to the org daily to do those other actions. The mission was training the staff on many other aspects of the hotel and Phil was expected to keep up with it all. He was also responsible for developing the menu for the Renaissance Restaurant at CC, which he was working on early mornings or late nights. Keeping him up late and early rises in the morning for the vegetable runs made Phil start running on empty in the energy department. This had an unfortunate consequence one day at Eureka when Phil nearly cut off his finger while cutting vegetables. He was exhausted and not paying attention. He cut his finger very deep. The staff were concerned and tried to call 911 to get him help. Of course Phil refused and covered up his hand and told them he would take the rest of that day off. He came back to see me in the middle of the day and showed me his finger. It was a deep cut and needed stiches. I tried to tell him so. He refused and said a little sleep would help and he would be back at it the next day. And that was exactly what happened. He just wrapped up his finger and rested for a bit, then went back to his training.
Phil spent the next couple of weeks continuing his training at Eureka until our restaurant was ready to open, then he just stopped going and came in to open the Renaissance restaurant.
Sea Org members are constantly tested to the limit and expected to make anything and everything go right. The future of the planet depends on what we do here and now in Scientology. Every minute counts. In the first few weeks of anyone being in the Sea Org, they learn this. At first it is forced on them until they understand it. Later into a Sea Org career, the person themselves have had it ingrained in them so hard that they push themselves to the limit without anyone else ever doing or saying anything. This is common with all Sea Org members.
Now Phil was done, and he was clearing the planet, one filet mignon at a time.
— Sunny Pereira
Jon Atack and Karen de la Carriere
“Jon and Karen talk about how language is used to control thought – particularly in Scientology and especially in its paramilitary branch, the Sea Org. They reminisce about dear friends lost to the web of this controlling group, and their hopes for the future.”
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Scientology’s anti-vaxx star keeps rising
Leigh Dundas went on right before Lin Wood yesterday at the Health and Freedom Conference in Oklahoma. “The cattle cars of Auschwitz came rolling into my town wanting my child to get on board,” she said at the outset (regarding vaccinations to help defeat a pandemic), and it just got nuttier after that. If you’re really curious about her speech, you can see it cued up here.
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“I only talk about animal psychologists because I want the beast to be known by his right name. That’s all he is and all he ever pretended to be. Any psychologist is an animal psychologist because the basic theory on which he operates is ‘man is an animal.’ So we call him animal psychologist. And I think that will effectively take care of that as the years roll along. Now, don’t ever use that word psychologist after this. See, just use animal psychologist, always. And you’ll get it around. You’ll find the Times, sooner or later, will be talking about the animal psychologist. And people will be phoning them up to take care of their horses. I wouldn’t let them though. And I don’t even like horses. I wouldn’t let them take care of my horse.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 17, 1962
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“ORG SECURITY: Mail and telex security and personal mail still must maintain security. Now and then an incompetent or false report wipes out security. The object is to make it difficult for an enemy to predict location and activity. We have had several severe upsets traceable to lack of security. You don’t name ports or detail plans in personal letters or org telexes. You carefully obscure them — Halifax becomes ‘our last port.’ ‘We intend to go to the Seychelles’ becomes ‘we’ll soon be in warmer climes.’ Lloyd’s Weekly Shipping Register was rumored to carry us port to port. This is false. We are never listed as we’re a yacht. But there are at least six other commercial Apollos. Scn orgs have taken to advertising the SO. This is silly. The SO is not their product. We are the organization three feet behind the head of Scn orgs. We succeed if we are least noticed.” — The Commodore, April 17, 1970
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“To the degree I am ARCx, I know that logically, however sane I think I am, my own Knowingness is flawed by own my assignments of other-authorship, other-ownership, pan-determinism, other-determinism, self-determinism and valence/circuit per the Responsibility Scale. I also know that sanity is found by differentiating my own assignments and assumptions of other authorship resultant in perfect duplication and as-isness plus total understanding and the vanishment of mechanical conditions of existence resultant in knowingness on the specific items being considered which naturally results in UNDERSTANDING AND ACTION IN THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE DERIVED FROM KNOWINGNESS PER THE SCALE OF RESPONSIBILITY applied from the top down.”
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2000: Mark Ebner reported that a Scientology official visited Mean Magazine with concerns over a recent article on L. Ron Hubbard and Jack Parsons. “LA Scientology PR operative Kat Tebar showed up at the Mean Magazine office today to purchase a copy of the issue featuring journalist Lisa Derrick’s article on Jack Parsons and his relationship with L Ron Hubbard. While at the office, she made every attempt to try and discredit Derrick, calling her a ‘bigot,’ who is out to get Scientology. The editor’s response was priceless: ‘If we published something critical of the Catholic church, I don’t think the Pope would send someone by our office.’ He went on to inform Tebar that she is welcome to buy an ad or write a letter to the magazine, otherwise, she should ‘find something better to do.'”
“It all depends on what the definition of a ‘win’ is. Somebody claiming they were cured of their asthma or allergies is ridiculous. Somebody saying that auditing made them happier is vague BS also. The only thing you ‘win’ in Scientology is the Booby Prize.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Masterson arraigned Jan 20. Discovery hearing on April 20, prelim 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: Charged in Brooklyn federal court on Feb 4. Arraigned on Feb 9. 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.
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SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] New amended complaint packs a wallop in Miami Scientology child sex assault lawsuit
[TWO years ago] Spyentology: For Scientology, operating as an intelligence agency is a religious mandate
[THREE years ago] More proof that L. Ron Hubbard really did want Scientologists to consider him the Antichrist
[FOUR years ago] Before Scientology’s Xenu was a genocidal galactic overlord, he was a … mountain?
[FIVE years ago] Louis Theroux’s ‘My Scientology Movie’ at Tribeca today, & more in our social media review
[SIX years ago] Is France dropping its anti-Scientology fervor because Tom Cruise is just too délicieux?
[SEVEN years ago] Leah Remini ‘Fair Gamed’ by Scientology? Her sister gets a visit, and Tony Dovolani is tailed
[EIGHT years ago] Love in the Time of Miscavige
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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 2,274 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,778 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,298 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,318 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,209 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,516 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,384 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,158 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,488 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,962 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,278 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,844 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,763 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,931 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,512 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,773 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,811 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,524 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,049 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 404 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,579 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,130 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,279 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,599 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,454 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,573 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,929 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,232 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,338 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,740 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,612 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,195 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,690 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,944 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,053 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 17, 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 16, 2021
Q patriots know what side they’re on when it comes to Putin and Biden
Some links to Q-related items today…
Rootin’ for Putin!
Ivanka gets the jab and patriots go nuts.
A boy and his dog.
As you wish! Here's @fr_brennan reuniting w/ his doge after about 5 months had passed.#QIntoTheStorm https://t.co/ClchXXiqJN pic.twitter.com/t52H3PD95j
— Cullen (@CullenHoback) April 15, 2021
Real victims of imaginary conspiracies.
#BREAKING: @SnoCoSheriff says 3 missing kids taken by their father have been found SAFE in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. The childrens' mom told police she was extremely fearful for their safety because their father was convinced of governmental #Covid conspiracies and "trusts no one" pic.twitter.com/OhE23XySKV
— Ryan Simms (@RyanKIRO7) April 15, 2021
Why pay attention to a group that produced an insurrection? Shrug.
FBI director Wray said again today that QAnon is something "we look at very seriously" when it "gets wrapped up in a violent criminal act" but made clear the bureau is not investigating the online movement "in its own right."https://t.co/HvUI88KKRI
— Zachary Cohen (@ZcohenCNN) April 15, 2021
Some manage to find their way out.
NEW – I interviewed Catherine about her escape from the anti-vax rabbit hole.
She lived an alternative lifestyle growing up. When social media came along, she was a huge believer in online conspiracy theories – until she realised she was being conned. https://t.co/Xh2uPluVWt
— Marianna Spring (@mariannaspring) April 16, 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 16, 2021 at 8:05
Matt Willis pressured to divorce by Scientology? Our experts back him up.
Matt Willis is better known in the UK, where he was part of the pop band Busted and starred in a number of reality shows, and he’s married to another reality TV figure in England, Emma Willis, but the story Matt is telling about his brief foray into Scientology has reached our shores, and it’s a doozy.
He was only in Scientology for about three months, but the detail that the press has seized on is that he says he felt pressured to divorce Emma almost right away in order to make progress on the church’s Bridge to Total Freedom.
“They were like, ‘There’s someone in your life who’s actually draining you, who’s a negative force, and it’s normally the person closest to you’. And it’s like, I think they’re trying to split my fucking marriage up now,” he told The Sun.
And that’s when we knew Matt Willis was telling the absolute, unvarnished truth.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Time and again as we’ve covered Scientology, we have run across stories from its former members about being put under pressure to divorce. Scientology may call itself a “church,” but this heinous practice of pitting spouses against each other in order to leverage more loyalty to Scientology is shockingly common.
To help people understand how Willis’s story fits in that larger context, we asked some of our experts about their own experiences in Scientology. Were they under pressure to divorce a spouse, or did they see it happen to others? And how common was it?
Mike Rinder: Not to me personally. But even in the Sea Org this was routine. Spouses in different level orgs — at the top — were encouraged to divorce spouses in lower orgs. This was absolutely the case in RTC [the Religious Technology Center, the subsidiary nominally controlling Scientology] and I know for a fact it happened with Claire Headley being told to divorce Marc because he was in a lower org. And it was the case with many others in RTC. And generally, for those who were at Int Base and had spouses who did not “qualify” to be at Int, the answer was to get a divorce. Nobody was ever expected to stay married under those circumstances as they would eventually have to “abandon their post” to be with their spouse. In the Sea Org that is a High Crime.
Marie Bilheimer: Yes, I was encouraged to divorce my husband, Aaron, while we were in the Sea Org. The reason we were given was our difference in qualifications. He was disqualified for certain positions and I was “Int cleared.” A handful of people told me I could “do better.” My senior actually pulled me in to a private conversation with several ethics policies referenced to try to convince me to divorce him. Feeling like my commitment trumped my qualifications and the fact that I loved him, I refused. I know of a number of people, specifically in the Sea Org, who have been married three to four times because of the qualifications divorce issue. I was shamed for remaining married to Aaron and in the end they used that against me in his death, him being so out-ethics.
Claire Headley: Yes, divorce is extremely common. The driving factor is whether divorce benefits Scientology. It if does, then pressure is exerted to divorce. For public scientologists, it might be because a spouse is against Scientology, drifting away, or is opposed to spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on services. In the Sea Org, and in my case, I was pressured to divorce Marc for years. The pressure was so heavy it got to the point that I wrote Marc a letter and sent him my rings back at one point, in an effort to get him to “get his act together” since it was at a time he was considered to be not performing as expected. While Marc never really forgave me for that, it was a solution for me at the time that was a brighter alternative to sending him divorce papers, which is what was expected of me at the time. I figured we’re even now, since he escaped without me!
Julian Wain: For Scientology, separating couples is their bread and butter. They would rather isolate an individual to be able to keep control over them, and they issue a thing called a separation order which forbids the two people from interacting. This was done to Katherine and myself, in an attempt to keep Katherine in the fold while they planned an attack to expel me from Scientology. I have seen this with several couples, and even know of a husband and wife (my friend’s parents) who got a divorce from the pressure from the cult. This same attack is used on friend vs friend, parent vs kids, in fact any time they can either get you to do more cult services or you get ostracized. While it isn’t always such an obvious push by them, they are constantly indoctrinating their members to only have relationships that are “pro-survival” i.e. pro-Scientology. You are subtly encouraged to keep friends or relationships that align with keeping you doing more Scientology, and to jettison anybody who has differing opinions, or isn’t active in the cult, or is in bad standing or is being an actual real human being (not a cult zombie who just follows along). I broke up with a long term girlfriend while on training because she “wasn’t a Scientologist enough.” This was not my idea, but for sure the brainwashing I had endured daily. Any time you are ill, not doing well, having feelings other than the “faux-phoria” induced from love bombing and certificates, you are labeled PTS and have to find somebody to remove from your life or you have to “fix them.” I would say most people just cut and run, unless they are family and even then it ends that way.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 
Phil Jones: In the early days in Scientology I had a fair bit of money so was the target of a lot of regging which resulted in my paying for lots of auditing and training. During that time I met Willie and we immediately hit it off. Over the next few months we got pretty serious. One day I was told by a Scientology executive that my relationship was a distraction for me getting up the Bridge and I needed to break up with Willie. I argued the point but they insisted, and since I was a young, impressionable (read gullible) teenager I agreed to do it. I went home that evening and told Willie that even though I didn’t want to that we had to split up. I then left to go stay somewhere else. After that I was a basket case. I couldn’t function without breaking down and after a while I missed her so much I went and got back with her. We went along together for only a short while before they broke us up again. It didn’t last and we got together again. Finally they put more pressure on and this time it came directly from the ED (Executive Director) himself. That was the final breakup and Willie ended up moving back out west to Winnipeg. I was again broken. I went along for months just caved and crying all the time. One day I finally ran out of money. Scientology then left me alone. I quit staff and moved out west to try to get back with Willie. She took me back immediately. We stayed out of Scientology for a number of years after that until, having moved back to near Toronto, we were coerced back into Scientology by my sister and older brother. Once we were back in Scientology Willie joined staff at the Toronto Org and that nearly broke us up again. This time they were influencing her to split with me. I remember one night it came to a head. They basically weren’t even letting her come home. I had her quit staff and that settled things out enough that we were fine after that. Scientology is not good for any kind of family relationship no matter what they tell you. It always boils down to what they consider is best for Scientology and often they consider family and marriage to be a distraction from what they want from those people in their fold.
Mary Kahn: They had my husband spy on me by going through my emails to see if he could find anything incriminating such as communications with SP’s, apostates, squirrels, or communications with disgruntled Scientologists, or with Marty Rathbun in particular at that time. My husband also agreed to let Ethics Officers (MAA’s) and OSA reps into my house without me knowing or agreeing to it. While I was out on a walk, my husband let these people were let into my house who then ambushed me upon my return and harangued me to come into the organization to get “handled.” This is something the church does really well; they get your loved ones (or close friends) to do things that are such a violation of that relationship that it does damage to it, sometimes irrevocable. It’s a wonder I didn’t divorce my husband on the spot. While I hated what he was doing, I knew his own head was spinning as to what the hell was going on and all he wanted to do was save his marriage and his son. Because the pressure was too horrible to bear for both of us, I got an apartment in my hometown and would go back and forth. My husband was in a state and didn’t know what to do to save his son (who the church had already gotten to disconnect from me) and his wife. He told church officials he was going to divorce me but strung them along for about two years when he was called into his MAA’s office and was asked definitively if he was going to divorce me. He said no; within the month he was declared a Suppressive Person. Our son then moved out of the house where he was raised a good part of his life and disconnected from his father immediately. The Church of Scientology destroys families without shame, guilt or remorse.
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Neil Gaiman turns his creepy Scientology upbringing into a stage play
In 2013 we explained how Neil Gaiman’s short novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane was actually based on some real and strange things that happened while he was a kid living near Scientology’s Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead, England.
In that article, we looked at how the odd death of a South African Scientology student who had been lodging at the family’s large house had haunted Gaiman ever since and became the basis for the book. And we offered in our close reading a theory that Gaiman was providing backup for his father David Gaiman’s assertion that the suicide was a result of gambling debts, not Scientology.
David Gaiman was at one time the most well known Scientologist in England, its spokesman there, and he was also named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Snow White spying operations that resulted in the imprisonment of 11 top Scientologists in the early 1980s.
Neil has generally been pretty quiet about growing up in Scientology, and the way the church used him as a prop at one point, so we were surprised that he took on this material if not head-on, then at least in an interesting, eerie fictional account.
And now, the book has been adapted for the stage and will be opening soon in London. We hope reviewers get a chance to look over the material we put together for that 2013 backgrounder on Neil and his Scientology past.
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“There is a civilization a few galaxies over here that, it’s got spaceships and backpacks and infantry zerp guns, and it’s got this, and it’s got certain types of motorcycles, and it’s got that, and so forth. Probably a lot of you are from there because every time it loses a battle they ship the people over here — the enemy does. They know how to get even. So anyway, this old civilization is just about the meanest area to try to put an idea into it you ever had. You see, they worked it out for years and eons and eons. Been going for billions and trillions and trillions of years with an uninterrupted flow, which is pretty unusual in civilizations anyhow, see, and is on a complete, perfect no-Change. And you say, ‘We got an idea for spaceships.’ Their spaceships aren’t all that good. They’re as good as spaceships can be, but you could undoubtedly make a better spaceship, you see. But they blow up on occasion and they do this on occasion, they do that on occasion. They mess up one way or the other. And yet to try to get any idea across to them fills the hierarchy of that particular activity with absolute horror. Because they’ve lived with and through all of the areas of innovation, and innovation to them is dangerous on a departure from the highly workable.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 16, 1964
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“Division III where has the packaged soup come from? This is strictly against Flag Order. Where are such dishes as bean and ham soup, Irish stew, beef ragout, noodles and tuna, chicken and noodle soup, green pea soup and ham, chili con carne, fresh vegetable soup, baked beans and franks, shepherd’s pie, chicken and dumplings, lentil soup, potato soup, and chicken and rice soup. Midday meals are to be such as these — good and sustaining.” — MarySue Hubbard, Captain, April 16, 1969
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“Leah said on TV that Scientology’s advanced levels are just deluded ‘space opera’ fairy tales. Are Leah and her handler Mike Rinder working for the Shadow USA government?”
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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1999: MSNBC reported on Scientologist John Coale‘s relationship with the U.S. President. “John Coale, the high-profile Washington lawyer who has been behind several big anti-tobacco cases, continues to solidify his White House ties. Coale, and his high-profile wife, CNN commentator Greta van Susteren, are high-level Scientologists. Some say Coale is taking on certain cases to get closer to Clinton in his anti-tobacco cases and to further Scientology’s various causes. ‘No one ever accused John Coale of being dumb,’ says a source who has dealt with him often as an adversary. ‘His and Greta’s ties with the Clintons certainly don’t hurt them.'”
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“I took two trazodone at least six hours ago and I woke up and it’s only an hour later. What the hell is going on? Did the Fifth Invader Force land?”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Discovery hearing on April 20, prelim 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.
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SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Ex-con who says he’s returned L. Ron Hubbard has an indie Scientology revolt on his hands
[TWO years ago] Leah Remini: Where’s the outrage about Scientology’s disappeared?
[THREE years ago] Scientologists, gullible? Would they fall for a felon saying he’s the returned L. Ron Hubbard?
[FOUR years ago] She ‘graduated’ from Scientology’s drug rehab, which told her she was cured. Now she’s dead.
[FIVE years ago] More Atlanta video: David Miscavige cuts the ribbon on Scientology’s new real estate venture!
[SIX years ago] Scientology spy caught trying to interview Paul Haggis as fake ‘Time’ magazine reporter
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology takes aim at the latest move by the Garcias in their federal fraud suit
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology Means Never Having to Tell an Ashtray You’re Sorry
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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 2,273 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,777 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,297 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,317 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,208 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,515 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,383 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,157 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,487 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,961 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,277 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,843 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,762 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,930 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,511 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,772 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,810 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,523 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,048 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 403 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,578 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,129 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,278 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,598 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,453 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,572 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,928 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,231 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,337 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,739 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,611 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,194 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,689 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,943 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,052 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 16, 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 15, 2021
Clearwater city council rejects move by Scientologists to remove Mark Bunker from DDB
At tonight’s city council meeting, Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard announced that he was opposed to the Downtown Development Board’s resolution to reduce the number of ex-officio seats from two to one, and the other members then followed suit.
As we explained last week, the DDB, which is controlled by Scientologists, had come up with the bizarre excuse that they didn’t want to waste church critic Mark Bunker’s time by having him in the room as an ex-officio member.
The DDB’s two ex-officio members, who don’t vote on the board but sit in on meetings, are Mayor Hibbard and city councilman Mark Bunker. The DDB’s attorney, Elise Winters, said that two weren’t necessary and they were wasting Bunker’s time. The DDB, with its Scientologist majority, voted on a resolution to ask the city council to reduce the number to one, but they didn’t have the right to say who they wanted to be removed.
Mayor Hibbard opened up the discussion tonight by saying he was inclined to reject the resolution, and even if they did adopt it he would want Bunker appointed to the remaining seat.
Councilmember David Albritton, who was DDB chairman for eight years in the past, said he had always wondered why there were two non-voting members and perhaps it was a waste, but he also said that if it were reduced to one, Bunker should get the seat.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Councilmember Hoyt Hamilton then spoke and said the timing made the request too obvious: “You’d have to be deaf, dumb, blind, and dead not to see a connection of timing of this resolution and what the DDB’s makeup is, and who the ex-officio members are. And for that reason, I agree with the mayor, his first gut reaction is not to accept the resolution.”
Bunker then spent some time explaining how he wants to get along with everyone on the DDB and is not there to cause a problem.
“It’s good to have me in the room, and I hope I can stay,” he said.
The city council then rejected the resolution without a vote.
Here’s video of the meeting. The discussion about the DDB resolution begins at about 1 hour 24 minutes in.
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“Don’t, by the way, think I’m utterly mad when I talk about this, because I am afraid that the very, very best and most conservative churches of the land would rather be found dead than to disagree with me on the fact that man does have a soul. And the quest of an auditor, in working with a preclear, is to discover and rehabilitate that soul and actually help the individual to find out where heaven is. If we use those terms, of course, it becomes very comprehensible, in a past frame of reference. But heaven isn’t what you think it is, and hell is right here….But isn’t it strange that whenever I talk to somebody about this, they are much more willing to accept this concept than they were willing to accept such things as prenatal engrams and so forth. The most violent reactions I get from people, ordinarily, ‘You mean I HAVE lived before and I WILL live again?’ And you say…’Yeah, and the race has lived for an awful long time, and you could probably do so-and-so and so-and-so, and step out of your body and soar off to Venus if you wanted to.’ Used to be I’d say to somebody…’There’s such things as prenatal engrams and a child records when it’s in its mother and so forth.’ And they’d say, ‘Yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak.’ No agreement on the line. But people are agreeing with me on THIS in the most unexpected quarters, unexpected quarters. Most people are atheists because they know that the way it was drawn up and presented to them wasn’t the way it is. That’s why they’re atheists. So don’t have any great fear about this theta track and theta beingness, or even in relaying it to people, because you’re in for some surprises. They’ll sit there and they’ll say, ‘Is that so! Tell me more.’” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 15, 1952
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“CORFU: It may be of interest that ‘Major’ Forte the British Consul in Corfu who messed the area up with lies is about to be sued by us in Corfu for libel and slander proven by his own testimony.” — The Commodore, April 15, 1971
——————–
“I would say Hubbard’s Bridge was incomplete, with lots of unrepaired loose ends (he was notorious for interfering with his C/Sing and solo running new processes, according to old timers) coupled with the fact that it’s hard to know of a terminal where his previous time track would be validated. This is made worse by people who clearly are not LRH claiming publicly to be. I have heard of this effect in non-Scientology fields amongst the ‘past life’ crowd where everyone seems to have been Cleopatra, Henry VIII, etc, but then this poses a serious problem where if either of these individuals show up for real, they are going to face substantial invalidation both internally and externally.”
——————–
1998: The Washington Post published an article which included discussion of comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s involvement in Scientology. “Seinfeld, while he says he is not a member of the Church of Scientology, took pains during an interview to defend the controversial sect. He said he had taken Scientology courses years earlier and found them to be very ‘pragmatic’ and helpful. He said he was ‘interested in Eastern religions generally,’ apparently thinking Scientology to be one of them. ‘I think the stuff I learned there really did help me a lot,’ he said. When reminded then that Time magazine had just run a cover story about Scientology that included charges it was a ‘thriving cult of greed and power’ and a ‘ruthless global scam,’ Seinfeld scowled and dismissed the article as ‘poor journalism.'”
——————–
“The only thing standing between Scientology being viewed in the same light as FLDS, Peoples Temple or Branch Davidians by the general public is Tom Cruise and the rest of the celebs.”
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Masterson arraigned Jan 20. Discovery hearing on April 20, prelim 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: Charged in Brooklyn federal court on Feb 4. Arraigned on Feb 9. 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] ‘Rona blues: Court delays, Shelly on the menu, and more Scientology nonsense
[TWO years ago] L. Ron Hubbard: Scientology will thrive when medical doctors are reined in
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s space opera ideas aren’t just for the upper levels, as one key early book shows
[FOUR years ago] Scientology is No. 1 with No. 2! Or, how the Church of David Miscavige stinks up Clearwater
[FIVE years ago] Scientology rips apart families with its ‘disconnection’ policy — but why?
[SIX years ago] Another leak of outtakes from 1997’s ‘Secret Lives’ — Scientology’s finance ‘dictator’
[SEVEN years ago] Jefferson Hawkins helps us understand Scientology’s L Rundowns!
[EIGHT years ago] We Need Your Help, Scientology Watchers
[NINE years ago] Writers of the Future, Today! Scientology Gets Its Party On
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology Bigwigs Get the Classic Scientology F-U
[THIRTEEN years ago] Scientology’s First Celebrity Defector Reveals Church Secrets
——————–
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 2,272 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,776 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,296 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,316 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,207 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,514 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,382 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,156 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,486 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,960 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,276 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,842 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,761 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,929 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,510 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,771 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,809 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,522 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,047 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 402 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,577 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,128 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,277 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,597 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,452 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,571 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,927 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,230 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,336 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,738 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,610 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,193 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,688 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,942 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,051 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 15, 2021 at 20:03
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
Q patriots convinced ‘med beds’ are about to arrive to cure disease, grow limbs
Some links to Q-related items today…
Q patriots have a lot to say about “med beds,” which are just around the corner or something.
The man keeping Q stuff online.
Excellent write-up of Jim Watkins' main business associate, @LimTheNick, the man who keeps 8kun's QAnon drops, The Daily Stormer, and other similar shitholes online.
By @WilliamTurton, published in @business.https://t.co/irEcsrzSoA
— Fredrick Brennan (@fr_brennan) April 14, 2021
Oh no, Ivanka, you too?
QAnon influencers are furious with Ivanka Trump for taking a Covid vaccine and encouraging others to do the same.
Jordan Sather: "This disappoints me enormously."
GhostEzra: "Moses could take the vaccine and we still won't take it."
QAnon John: "Is it even REALLY her?!" pic.twitter.com/d7Kdw9dPQT
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) April 14, 2021
Tucker is working the grift.
It's worth noting that not only has Tucker Carlson been lauded by the white nationalist internet, he's also been praised by QAnon supporters for becoming TV's highest profile defender of the conspiracy theory. https://t.co/ZDGL7BFHYE https://t.co/V4y53fc86m
— Alex Kaplan (@AlKapDC) April 15, 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 15, 2021 at 9:05
Kirstie Alley’s daughter: ‘Everyone’ is ditching Los Angeles for Clearwater
For a few years now, we’ve been telling you that all signs point to it: Scientology is fleeing Southern California, formerly its most formidable stronghold.
That exodus is being led by Scientology leader David Miscavige, who some seven or eight years ago abandoned “Int Base” near Hemet, California about 90 miles east of Los Angeles after it became the focus of an FBI investigation. The compound, also known as “Gold Base,” had been Dave’s primary home for some 25 years, and he had overseen the construction of a massive monument to himself there, the behemoth “Building 50” offices for the Religious Technology Center, the subsidiary that nominally runs the Scientology movement.
After spending tens of millions for the building, including very expensive special interiors meant to be a landmark for the use of just one man, Miscavige simply walked away from it.
[Building 50, with some of Dave’s motorbikes and its custom interior]The church itself has revealed that Miscavige now makes his home in Clearwater, Florida, where Scientology has its “spiritual mecca,” the Flag Land Base. Dave is reportedly living in another major monument to himself that he had built over a 20-year period, the Flag Building on Fort Harrison Avenue.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, is looking more and more like a Scientology ghost town.
It’s true that Scientology has been in decline all over the world for decades, and that its numbers have dropped dramatically in places like Australia and the UK, as census figures show. But Southern California has been such a storied center of Scientology power going back to L. Ron Hubbard’s first demonstrations of Dianetics in 1950, so it’s been surprising to see it increasingly becoming an afterthought to the church while Clearwater gains importance.
It’s no accident, we think, that Tom Cruise chose to build his double-level penthouse condo on a building inside the Flag Land Base footprint, just a short walk from where his best pal Miscavige lives at the Flag Building.
And we know it’s only anecdotal, but we thought it was interesting to see what Kirstie Alley’s daughter Lillie Parker posted at her company Instagram account this week, about her own move from Los Angeles to the Clearwater area:
We have a pretty big announcement!!!
We have a new studio… And that’s not all… Our new studio is in the Tampa Bay, FL area!
With our first kid on the way and everyone moving out of Los Angeles we decided this was the best move for our growing family and business.
This is our first stand alone studio and we are very excited with what we can do with it! We attached some renderings to share our vision.
Thank you to everyone who has helped us get to this point. We are so excited for all that is to come.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});CHECK OUT OUR NEW STUDIO!
It was just yesterday that the Hollywood Reporter wrote that Lillie’s mom, actress Kirstie Alley, had sold her Los Angeles villa for $7.8 million, after also selling her Maine place, but she still has an expensive home where? Yeah, Clearwater.
And hey, the gang’s all here! Carol Masterson responded to Lillie’s post, and learned that they now both have businesses in Clearwater within about a block of each other.
Carol has a business in Clearwater? Who knew!
The Masterson family, we’ve noted, has been selling homes in the LA area, and we’ve wondered if they’re all moving somewhere. Danny has seemed interested in Oregon, but could the clan be headed east for Florida?
The other thing we can’t help noticing is the friendly nature of that exchange between Lillie and Carol. Some have asked us if Danny’s criminal charges would result in the Masterson family getting the cold shoulder from Scientology. This evidence suggests that’s not the case.
We know, we know, we need to be careful about reading so much into an exchange on Instagram. We’ll keep an eye out for counter-evidence, but for now we’re seeing various pieces of evidence that suggest Scientology’s tilt from L.A. to Clearwater is real.
——————–
Leigh delivers the fastest minute ever!
The Orange County Board of Supervisors might have limited her to only a minute Tuesday, but you know Leigh Dundas is going to make the most of it. Marvel at her theta delivery!
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
——————–
Luke Catton: Will the FBI ever seize Scientology’s assets?
The latest from the Narconon whistleblower.
——————–
“Don’t, by the way, think I’m utterly mad when I talk about this, because I am afraid that the very, very best and most conservative churches of the land would rather be found dead than to disagree with me on the fact that man does have a soul. And the quest of an auditor, in working with a preclear, is to discover and rehabilitate that soul and actually help the individual to find out where heaven is. If we use those terms, of course, it becomes very comprehensible, in a past frame of reference. But heaven isn’t what you think it is, and hell is right here….But isn’t it strange that whenever I talk to somebody about this, they are much more willing to accept this concept than they were willing to accept such things as prenatal engrams and so forth. The most violent reactions I get from people, ordinarily, ‘You mean I HAVE lived before and I WILL live again?’ And you say…’Yeah, and the race has lived for an awful long time, and you could probably do so-and-so and so-and-so, and step out of your body and soar off to Venus if you wanted to.’ Used to be I’d say to somebody…’There’s such things as prenatal engrams and a child records when it’s in its mother and so forth.’ And they’d say, ‘Yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak.’ No agreement on the line. But people are agreeing with me on THIS in the most unexpected quarters, unexpected quarters. Most people are atheists because they know that the way it was drawn up and presented to them wasn’t the way it is. That’s why they’re atheists. So don’t have any great fear about this theta track and theta beingness, or even in relaying it to people, because you’re in for some surprises. They’ll sit there and they’ll say, ‘Is that so! Tell me more.’” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 15, 1952
——————–
“CORFU: It may be of interest that ‘Major’ Forte the British Consul in Corfu who messed the area up with lies is about to be sued by us in Corfu for libel and slander proven by his own testimony.” — The Commodore, April 15, 1971
——————–
“I would say Hubbard’s Bridge was incomplete, with lots of unrepaired loose ends (he was notorious for interfering with his C/Sing and solo running new processes, according to old timers) coupled with the fact that it’s hard to know of a terminal where his previous time track would be validated. This is made worse by people who clearly are not LRH claiming publicly to be. I have heard of this effect in non-Scientology fields amongst the ‘past life’ crowd where everyone seems to have been Cleopatra, Henry VIII, etc, but then this poses a serious problem where if either of these individuals show up for real, they are going to face substantial invalidation both internally and externally.”
——————–
1998: The Washington Post published an article which included discussion of comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s involvement in Scientology. “Seinfeld, while he says he is not a member of the Church of Scientology, took pains during an interview to defend the controversial sect. He said he had taken Scientology courses years earlier and found them to be very ‘pragmatic’ and helpful. He said he was ‘interested in Eastern religions generally,’ apparently thinking Scientology to be one of them. ‘I think the stuff I learned there really did help me a lot,’ he said. When reminded then that Time magazine had just run a cover story about Scientology that included charges it was a ‘thriving cult of greed and power’ and a ‘ruthless global scam,’ Seinfeld scowled and dismissed the article as ‘poor journalism.'”
——————–
“The only thing standing between Scientology being viewed in the same light as FLDS, Peoples Temple or Branch Davidians by the general public is Tom Cruise and the rest of the celebs.”
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Masterson arraigned Jan 20. Discovery hearing on April 20, prelim 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: Charged in Brooklyn federal court on Feb 4. Arraigned on Feb 9. 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] ‘Rona blues: Court delays, Shelly on the menu, and more Scientology nonsense
[TWO years ago] L. Ron Hubbard: Scientology will thrive when medical doctors are reined in
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s space opera ideas aren’t just for the upper levels, as one key early book shows
[FOUR years ago] Scientology is No. 1 with No. 2! Or, how the Church of David Miscavige stinks up Clearwater
[FIVE years ago] Scientology rips apart families with its ‘disconnection’ policy — but why?
[SIX years ago] Another leak of outtakes from 1997’s ‘Secret Lives’ — Scientology’s finance ‘dictator’
[SEVEN years ago] Jefferson Hawkins helps us understand Scientology’s L Rundowns!
[EIGHT years ago] We Need Your Help, Scientology Watchers
[NINE years ago] Writers of the Future, Today! Scientology Gets Its Party On
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology Bigwigs Get the Classic Scientology F-U
[THIRTEEN years ago] Scientology’s First Celebrity Defector Reveals Church Secrets
——————–
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 2,272 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,776 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,296 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,316 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,207 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,514 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,382 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,156 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,486 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,960 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,276 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,842 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,761 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,929 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,510 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,771 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,809 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,522 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,047 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 402 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,577 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,128 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,277 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,597 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,452 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,571 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,927 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,230 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,336 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,738 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,610 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,193 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,688 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,942 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,051 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 15, 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 14, 2021
Uh, FBI? You might want to see this map of the Capitol from December
Some links to Q-related items today…
Come on, people, can’t you see that giving up the White House, Senate, and House to the Democrats is just part of the plan? Hold the line!
Pillow guy has news.
Mike Lindell announces that his new "free speech" social media platform will ban swearing and taking the Lord's name in vain because it's a "Judeo-Christian platform." https://t.co/cJ2o4Yyu8e pic.twitter.com/Pm4pb7IXTX
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) April 13, 2021
A cautionary tale.
An elementary school teacher's descent into Qanon has divided this California city.
Great piece from @AllMattNYT https://t.co/0w4oFz2ueg
— Scott Rodd (@SRodd_CPR) April 13, 2021
Still feeding the grift.
Crowd at a Michael Flynn speech goes wild, gives a standing ovation when someone says QAnon motto "Where we go one, we go all."
Flynn: "That's a great phrase." pic.twitter.com/VuDM2cbkcB
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) April 13, 2021
More Q candidates are on the way.
The political aspirations of extremists are just beginning
"This QAnon-Loving ‘Stop the Steal’ Leader Wants to Be Arizona’s Next Secretary of State" https://t.co/42UqYjbUmh
— Marc-André Argentino (@_MAArgentino) April 14, 2021
This seems significant.
Not sure how I didn't see this before, but here's a map from TheDonald on 12/28 talking about storming the Capitol on January 6th.
In the comments, people are talking about sabotaging the tunnels so lawmakers can't escape when they overwhelm their estimate of 3500 guards. pic.twitter.com/s5hFUqChhe
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) April 13, 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 14, 2021 at 8:15
Scientology’s founder said Mars was inhabited, & now a Scientologist helps run Perseverance!
Yesterday, NASA reported that Ingenuity, the helicopter carried by Perseverance to Mars, will have to put off its maiden flight until at least next week.
Well that’s a bummer. On the plus side, with their down time perhaps the folks at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory might answer some emails we sent them.
Here, we’ll show you.
Email sent April 9:
Dear Mr. Hogg,
I was looking through a 1963 L. Ron Hubbard lecture, “Between Lives Implants,” and ran across this description of the planet Mars:
“Now we notice that Mars doesn’t have any atmosphere either and won’t support life. In spite of the fact that it turns green and red and purple with the seasons, it doesn’t support life. We understand – there’s lots of things we understand about this system – heh-heh! Isn’t it? But this is a carefully maintained station. And a space-opera, meat-body type society maintains it very carefully. They have a hospital, there’s space craft hanging around there, dispatcher stations, landing platforms, this type of thing. It’s all highly civilized, but they carefully maintain this one. And it’s very interesting, they maintain this one. They’ve maintained it for thousands of years without any change. Why, it’s fascinating. Why are they maintaining this thing? Why? Why is it so important to them?”
In other lectures, which I assume you are familiar with, he talks about “implant stations” where the thetans of human beings from Earth are taken to receive processing between their lifetimes. These implant stations are run by an invader force from the Marcabian civilization, which has been erasing the memories of thetans in this solar system for tens of thousands of years.
As an OT Scientologist and IAS “Crusader” are you disappointed that so far the Perseverance mission has turned up no evidence of Hubbard’s version of Mars?
And if Hubbard was wrong about Mars, does it shake your faith in the efficacy of his ‘technology,’ including the training as an auditor that you were doing as recently as 2019 with the professional metering course?
These seem like interesting questions for someone in your position as the Perseverance deputy mission manager.
I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Tony Ortega
Email sent April 12 to JPL/NASA media relations specialist DC Agle:
Mr. Agle,
One of the more interesting claims about Mars by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986) is that an “invader force” from the Marcabian civilization operates “implant stations” on the planet where the souls of humans that have perished on the Earth are brought for mind-wiping before being sent back.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});The reason I’m bringing that up is that as a journalist who has investigated the abuses and controversies of the Church of Scientology for more than 25 years, I was intrigued to learn that a lifelong, second-generation Scientologist who has an extensive history with the “Operating Thetan” auditing levels as well as training as an auditor — some of which, Scientology records show, he paid for as recently as 2019 — is Robert Hogg, deputy mission manager for the Perseverance mission.
I have sent Mr. Hogg an email asking him about L. Ron Hubbard’s statements about Mars, but he has not responded.
I am asking JPL/Nasa to provide me a statement about Mr. Hogg’s involvement in the mission: Is the Perseverance mission, with an OT Scientologist like Mr. Hogg running things, looking for evidence of Mr. Hubbard’s assertions about the planet?
Sincerely,
Tony Ortega
Email received from Adam Pires on April 11:
Last I remember Robert was working towards doing OT IV and Super Power. His mother finished OT 7 back in like the 80’s or 90’s. His dad was part way through OT 7 but never finished. They ended up running out of money like most Scientologists. And at this point they need to redo the Purif and SRD and possibly some of their OT levels because they didn’t do them on GAT II. They own a school nearby LA in La Cañada. It used to be a complete grade school but now is only a preschool and kindergarten called Hogg’s Hollow. By now Robert is more than likely on OT 7, but I can’t confirm that. Surprisingly, we’re still friends on Facebook.
From an article dated 2002 at the JPL website:
“Hogg’s Hollow” to “Hogg Heaven”
Hogg credits his dad, a technologist and educator, with sparking his interest in computers at the early age of 5, when he brought home a used computer for $5,500. The huge system is archaic now, but at the time it was revolutionary.
In exchange for helping his dad lug the monstrosity to school and back, Hogg was able to play computer games and test brand-new programs.
Hogg’s parents were so interested in educating their only son that they established their own preschool called Hogg’s Hollow, at which Hogg was the first attendee. The school grew and branched off to form a comprehensive elementary, middle and high school, called Pinewood Academy, located right around the corner from JPL in La Canada. Hogg attended Pinewood Academy for more than 14 years, often visiting JPL as a child, listening to engineers and scientists discuss various missions and programs.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Hogg is grateful for how his parents ran Pinewood Academy.
Meanwhile, over at Facebook, Hogg celebrated the opening of the Inglewood “Ideal Org” in 2011.
In 2010 he spent time at the Freewinds and posted numerous photos of his experience, including this one.
More recently, Hogg posted propaganda for Scientology’s most unhinged front group, anti-psychiatry agitator Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR).
From Atlas Obscura:
ON HALLOWEEN DAY IN 1936, a group of five young men known as the “rocket boys” gathered in the Arroyo Seco and attempted to test fire a self-built rocket motor there on the dusty flood plain. They failed, but the group from that day — including notorious occultist Jack Parsons — succeeded in November of the same year. This modest experiment would eventually lead to the formation of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and from there to the Apollo missions, the Space Shuttle, and the Mars rovers that now roam the surface of the red planet…
Parsons, a devoted Thelemite, was one of the earliest American devotees of Aleister Crowley, the notorious British occultist who was denounced by the popular press as “The Wickedest Man in the World.” In 1942, Crowley chose Parsons to lead the Agape Lodge of the secret society, Thelemic Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), in California.
During this time Parsons performed a ritual known as Babylon Working, while his friend and Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard took notes. These rituals were a series of sexual magick ceremonies that, in effect, would produce a living Goddess who would help Parsons, playing the Anti-Christ, to change the course of history. It is said that after completing the first phase of Babylon Working, Parsons immediately met a woman, Marjorie Cameron, in his own home.
Parsons and Hubbard believed that Cameron was the living incarnation of the divine feminine Babylon, or the Scarlet Woman, who Crowley had often written about in his texts. Despite dating Sara Northrup at the time, Parsons began a series of sexual magick workings with Cameron in an attempt to conceive a Moonchild. Though a child was never conceived, Cameron and Parsons eventually married, and Hubbard ran away with Northrup.
Note: They actually spelled it “Babalon Working.”
Wherever they are, Crowley and Hubbard must be enjoying the show.
If we hear back from JPL or NASA, we’ll let you know.
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“In the Western world there’s not even a Tradition of philosophy. There’s no Tradition of — what equivalent Western word is there for a guru? There isn’t, and yet an Indian wouldn’t know how to go through his day without knowing this word, guru, somehow or another. You get the idea, see? We did a survey in Washington, DC about 1955 which was a very intriguing survey. Because I wanted to know, I thought these birds would realize that the psychiatrists were — let’s put it in a more elegant sense than it deserves — that the psychiatrists were cutting into their racket. So we got ahold of all the ministers in Washington, DC on the idea that they might have some sensibility with regard to all this and asked them if they thought this was the case. No, No. Any time one of their congregation showed the least signs of becoming nervous, they instantly rushed him to the electric shock machine. Seventeen hundred and eight ministers out of seventeen hundred and ten were wildly in favor of the mental hospital and the electric shock machine as soon as possible. Why, the poor dopes! They didn’t realize that that religious ecstasy was the only thing which kept them whizzing. If anybody had suddenly stood up in their congregation and said, ‘I embrace the Lord,’ or something like that, they would have said, ‘Dr. Sparks, would you please send a wagon over right away, quick.’ See? In other words, the whole field of religion had been eaten up in this particular direction which I thought was rather amazing.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 14, 1964
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“Several people are nominated to the Never-be-a-smuggler Club. Turning on bright lights, flashing flashlights toward the beach, opening up unnecessarily on the radio all disqualify one from being an Expert Smuggler. Such club members wind up in calabogos (jail) on suspicion. Pausing off the port as we did is not very good practise. Thanks to the guys who opened the cattledoor. They should however use lifelines when working so. And please can’t we oil all these reluctant hinges some calm day? Anyway our telex traffic was all good news. You can get off mail you see.” — The Commodore, April 14, 1969
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“Just a couple of days before I completed New OT V, I was amazed on how I reacted on a person who decided to totally invalidate and degrade me in a status meeting. I was totally exterior, not being affected at all and actually seeing that the other members weren’t even really listening to him. I just gave him an acknowledgement and he sat down. And the meeting continued as if nothing happened. Normally this would have been dramatic and I wouldn’t sleep for days wondering what the others thought. Now, as a New OT V, I can attest that that event actually never happened; it just died and faded away. It is not part of any universe or any track. It is erased.”
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1997: Los Angeles’ Berendo St. was officially renamed L. Ron Hubbard Way this week, and a.r.s poster “Roger” provided a first hand account of the event. “My guess would be that the crowd was easily 5,000 people. I was very surprised by the strong support of Hubbard and Scientology demonstrated by the political types who spoke. (Head of the LA City council, someone from public works, and reps of the Governor and Mayor). After the ribbon cutting and the speeches, the politicians, the President of Scientology, Travolta, Kirstie Alley and David Miscavige linked arms and walked the length of the street as the band played on. I’m not particularly a ‘star-struck’ type, but it was a kick to see Travolta and Kirstie close-up. (Could have reached out and touched them) The power of celebrity is very real.”
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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“Brand new account created just for this idiotic hit and run. These people couldn’t troll if their lives depended on it.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Masterson arraigned Jan 20. Discovery hearing on April 20, prelim 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: Charged in Brooklyn federal court on Feb 4. Arraigned on Feb 9. 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.
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SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Scientology logic: Blame the media for fake virus news while promising superhuman powers
[TWO years ago] L. Ron Hubbard defines religion for you skeptical non-Xenu believers
[THREE years ago] Another Scientologist runs for office in Nevada — but her campaign says she’s not a member
[FOUR years ago] Scientology invited local business owners to its Clearwater celeb party. Well, except one.
[FIVE years ago] GARCIAS BACK IN COURT AFTER SCIENTOLOGY MAKES ARBITRATION IMPOSSIBLE, THEY SAY
[SIX years ago] Announcing a new video series — The stories of young Scientologists not told in ‘Going Clear’
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology litigation always has surprises: A new wrinkle from Narconon’s attorneys
[EIGHT years ago] Writers of the Future Live-Blogging! Black Tie Not Required
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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 2,271 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,775 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,295 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,315 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,206 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,513 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,381 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,155 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,485 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,959 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,275 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,841 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,760 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,928 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,509 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,770 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,808 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,521 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,046 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 401 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,576 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,127 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,276 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,596 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,451 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,570 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,926 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,229 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,335 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,737 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,609 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,192 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,687 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,941 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,050 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 14, 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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