Tony Ortega's Blog, page 336
April 4, 2021
Scientology social media: Does an E-meter count as a concealed weapon?
Once again we’re dipping into Scientology’s social media feeds, and this time on Easter Sunday.
Hey, let’s start in Tampa, where things are always on fire. Five Clears in a week! Hip, hip, hooray!
Catherine, meanwhile, is stoked about achieving OT 1 at the South Africa AO.
Larry Hagman’s old pad is still a Scientology quack rehab.
Yet another way for Scientologists to connect online!
An OT 8 in Japan, interesting.
Just a concealed carry class at an Applied Scholastics school. No big whoop.
Stan Gerson is still turning tricks!
The Freewinds isn’t going anywhere, but it’s still sending out webinars. Yay?
“Money money money” — yeah, that about sums it up.
Oh look, it’s only Snow White unindicted coconspirator George Pilat.
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“A fellow made a postulate. He said, ‘I’m going to square this all up. To be a pirate. That’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to be a pirate.’ And a few trillennia later, he sees a pig going down the road with a ring in its snout. And he faints and has a heart attack. Everybody says, ‘Look at what the hot weather has done to him.’ No! The hot weather might have assisted all this, but who did it to him? He did it to himself Way back down the track he said, to be a pirate. And, of course, pirates wear rings in their noses. There it is. Who did it? He did it. Well now, you can’t go around condemning this person for having done it to himself…you don’t have to blame him if you can eradicate it. Well, all of these causations for his ‘misfortunes’ are initially and basically resident in the GPM. Now, those of yesteryear have actually far more force on him, than those of today. These items here in present time — oh, those items are terribly important. Maybe he’s sitting in something that says, ‘Women who look like beatniks.’ You know? Maybe that’s the oppterm, see…And his wife’s a very neatly dressed girl and everything else and he’s always calling her a beatnik and she never can figure it out and he never can figure it out. And here are these items here, a chronic present time problem…He knows, you see, that the source of his ulcerous condition, you see, is because he eats too much harsh food. No, no. That’s the somatic ‘all women are beatniks.’ And what does he have to be? He has to be a Turk in order to combat this in some aberrated way. Well, there’s his ulcers and there’s his opposition. And he begins to think the whole environment is against him when in actual fact it’s just ‘women are beatniks.’ He sees some uncombed hair, he gets ulcers. Bang, bang, just like that — one, two!” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 4, 1963
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“ENEMY FINANCES: I found Scientologists do not know (and the world sure doesn’t) the size and state of the enemy. For years, our orgs have made more in a week than Swersh does in a year. Two years ago Swersh was 25,000 in debt with little income in sight. Last year it was far worse. Brock Chisholen their world leader, just died, very few key figures are left. Their mouthpiece ‘The Daily Mail’ has just folded and Peter Younghusband who caused the Rhodesian upset has been sacked. We have traced their origins to 2 years before Hitler and have traced the Nazi death camps and Nazi Philosophy to this group. There were not 200,000 members at their peak. So over the world we outnumber even their rank and file 25 to one at a very low estimate. We could buy all they own out of a week’s income and never miss it. Although a few skirmishes or even battles are still ahead of us, there is now no slightest question as to who is winning this war. The Nazi Psychiatrist and Nazi psychologist will most surely go the way of the dinosaur. No, there is no question now as to who will win this war. We will.” — The Commodore, April 4, 1971
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“There are currently three versions for the aplication of Scientology. 1. Anti ex-Scientologists (in our friends lists) applying reverse Scientology tech on USA (California and Democratic states). This is evolving fast into widespread implanting the likes of Gray ET underground/US military bases in the Western USA. 2. Church of Scientology applying a Marcabian version of Scientology (includes the Tax Compliance Offices in OSA). 3. And the standard application of Scientology in the Freezone.”
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2001: La Prensa reported that Scientology’s ship, the Freewinds, may be inspected for dangerous asbestos levels. “People of the Shipping Inspection expect problems in seriously dealing with the ‘Freewinds’. All buildings and ships built before 1970 were built with asbestos. All plates/panels on roofs are made of dangerous asbestos. According to a functionary of the Shipping Inspection, this is a material which provides good protection from fire. ‘Why should we begin refusing ‘Freewinds,’ when we know that all ships built before 1970 were fitted with that material? Then we would have to refuse the majority of ships,’ according to the statement. Richardson emphasizes that blue asbestos is not dangerous, as long as one
does not come into contact with it. ‘We understand that the asbestos on board is in hard, and not powder, form. We will soon inspect the ‘Freewinds.’ We will do this together with Shipping Inspection and the Port Safety Inspection, since these are the the nautical authorities in this case,’ according to Richardson’s statement.”
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“Some of my greatest wins have come from applying the ‘you seem kind of tense’ back rub tech. Last thing we want is for the WOGs — a/k/a Women On Guard — to become aware of this wondrous technology.”
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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’s sentencing delayed to April 13.
— 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, stop being so stupid during the pandemic. We have some advice for you.
[TWO years ago] Scientology’s bogus ‘arbitration’: The Garcia appeal brief is here, and it’s a beauty
[THREE years ago] Scientology cranks up its ‘noisy’ investigation of Leah Remini, and she fires back
[FOUR years ago] David Miscavige: Scientology TV launches by June 21, to show ‘planet’s coolest religion’
[FIVE years ago] VIDEO: David Miscavige’s entire speech at Scientology’s Atlanta ‘Ideal Org’ opening
[SIX years ago] ‘Going Clear’ subject Tom DeVocht visited by Burbank PD after suspicious anonymous tip
[SEVEN years ago] Video Vault: Hear L. Ron Hubbard unite Dianetics and Scientology in connubial bliss!
[EIGHT years ago] The Secret to Scientology’s “Wins” Revealed?
[NINE years ago] Mike Rinder on “The Hole,” Indoctrination, Confessions, and His Ultimate Escape
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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 2,261 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,765 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,285 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,305 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,196 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,503 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,371 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,145 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,475 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,949 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,265 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,831 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,750 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,918 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,499 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,760 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,798 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,511 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,036 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 391 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,566 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,117 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,266 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,586 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,441 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,560 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,916 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,219 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,325 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,727 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,599 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,182 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,677 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,931 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,040 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 4, 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 3, 2021
You have to hear what Q patriots think was found on the Ever Given
Some links to Q-related items today…
While the rest of the world breathes a sigh of relief after world trade resumes through the Suez Canal, Q patriots are still wigging out.
It’s all about the children…until it isn’t.
In MAGA world, it doesn't matter if you pursued high-school age girls while in Congress at 38 years old, possibly even breaking the law. It's loyalty to Trump above everything. pic.twitter.com/e9KXkLrUr9
— Jared Holt (@jaredlholt) April 2, 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 3, 2021 at 8:35
The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 3: The judges
We’d like you to imagine a scenario. Imagine that you go to an amusement park, and before you can ride a roller coaster, the park asks you to sign a waiver. In the fine print of that waiver, it says that if some dispute arises between you and the amusement park company, you will forego civil court and instead take your grievance to arbitration.
You sign the waiver, enjoy the ride, and then go home.
Some ten years go by, and then for some reason you decide to express some unrelated criticism of the amusement park on a web forum somewhere.
Soon after that, thugs hired by the amusement park company show up at your house, set it on fire, strangle your cat, and smear your entire family on websites designed to cost your loved ones their jobs.
To your amazement, when you go to court to sue the amusement park company for terrorizing you, a judge informs you that you have no right to sue the company because you signed that waiver when you rode the rollercoaster a decade before, and you will have to take your dispute to arbitration instead. And not just any arbitration, but a “court” set up inside the amusement park with a panel of “judges” made up the carnies who work the rides.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Ridiculous? Unthinkable? Well, that’s actually a pretty good approximation of the situation that several ex-Scientologists find themselves in today because of three American judges: Tampa Federal District Court Judge James D. Whittemore, and Los Angeles Superior Court Judges Richard Burdge Jr. and Steven Kleifield.
In 2015, Whittemore ruled that Luis and Rocio Garcia couldn’t sue Scientology despite evidence that they’d been defrauded of hundreds of thousands of dollars by being lied to in order to convince them to make large donations. There was testimony in that case from top former Scientology officials who swore that the contracts the Garcias signed were designed to trap them in a scheme that would force them into Scientology’s brand of “religious arbitration” which bears no resemblance to the kind of independent arbitration most people are familiar with. The Garcias went through the proceeding and told us it was a kangaroo court. They’ve been appealing Judge Whittemore’s ruling for three years now. The Eleventh Circuit heard oral arguments in the case last July, but still hasn’t ruled.
Valerie Haney’s case was next, and was substantially different than the Garcia lawsuit. She was alleging not financial fraud, but that even after leaving her position with the church she was stalked and smeared by Scientology, which accused her of sexual improprieties on smear websites. But Judge Richard Burdge Jr found that the agreements she’d signed with Scientology still obliged her to take any grievances to its internal star chamber, even though the things the church had allegedly done to her happened well after she was no longer a Scientologist.
But then came the truly stunning decision by Judge Steven Kleifield, who ruled in a lawsuit which alleges that Scientology and its celebrity Danny Masterson had conspired to literally kill two of Chrissie Carnell-Bixler’s dogs, and that she and the other plaintiffs were enduring surveillance, hacking, stalking, and libel, even years after they had left the organization. In this case, the plaintiffs are also accusing Masterson of raping them in a separate criminal case that has the That ’70s Show actor facing 45 years to life in prison. And in that case, at least, the women have been given the protection of a court order that instructs Masterson to stay away from them.
But Kleifield, incredibly, ruled that in the Scientology arbitration he’s forcing these women into, Masterson has the right to take part, and the actor has said he intends to do so.
Thanks to Judges Whittemore, Burdge, and Kleifield, and a series of rulings since 2015, the Church of Scientology is now thoroughly lawsuit-proof when it comes to former church members.
It’s an astounding situation. And we wonder when major media is going to begin paying real attention to it.
The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology
3: The judges
4: The LAPD
5: The dirty tricks private eyes
6: The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department
7: The litigators
9: The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office
10: Political shills
11: Gary Soter
12: The city of Clearwater, Florida
13: Google and other tech titans
14: The Los Angeles Times
15: Jeffrey Riffer
16: James Packer
17: Louis Farrakhan
18: Mark “Marty” Rathbun
19: Wally Pope
20: Gensler
21: Parents who subscribe to ABCMouse
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});22: Graham Norton and other celebrity strokers
23: The apologist academics
24: Rebecca Dobkin and other low-level PI grunts
25: DirecTV and filmmakers buffing Dave’s channel
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Jon Atack talks to Jamie DeWolf
Says Jon: “Jamie DeWolf, great-grandson of Ron Hubbard, talks with Jon about his infamous ancestor, and about his mission to speak out against the Scientology ‘dragon’ his infamous ancestor brought into the world.”
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Lethal attack at the Capitol
With the news of a follower of Louis Farrakhan committing an act of violence yesterday in Washington DC, ramming his car into and killing a policeman, we received a lot of questions about it. Noah Green, 25, was shot fatally by police in the incident, and it soon emerged that he had been a sadly deranged and paranoid member of the Nation of Islam.
For more than a decade Farrakhan’s anti-Semitic organization has engaged in a rather strange relationship with the Church of Scientology, which we have covered rather extensively here. But so far, we haven’t seen anything connecting Green himself with Scientology. Our expert sources are continuing to look into it.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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“The whole US civil defense system is based on the idea that there is a thing called the government which is composed of people (which already is silly) and they’re going to take over the country at the moment of an attack, see? They aren’t there now. They’re not part of the people, and they’re not human, you see? And they’re parked up someplace in Canada along the DEW line or down in Mexico or out on some island, and they don’t exist there now. And at the moment of an attack, nobody is supposed to do anything but be taken over by the government. That’s what you’re supposed to do in an attack. Consider it absolutely fascinating! It’s just as bad as Eisenhower’s design for the Normandy landing. I mean, there was nothing worse than that. I didn’t know this until the other day. I’m going to write a book on it. I’m going to call it The Great Myth. You see, I was a Pacific amphibious warfare officer before these Normandy landings occurred. And there’s certain ways you’re supposed to make landings. Well, they didn’t make them that way at Normandy. They killed men instead.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 3, 1962
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“Our trouble has been isolated to the British Government. It uses British Consuls, Lloyds and reporters as part of its intelligence service. It has been revealed that reporters in the UK, particularly those operating outside it, are members of their intelligence service while still being reporters. The US health societies, groups, foundations and agencies are all members of SMERSH which is an English takeover of the work of Clifford Beers to bring protection to mental patients. By blackmail, corruption and pretense of being ‘the very best people’ this group had the British government in its palm. It appointed the health ministers of both parties in England and throughout the Commonwealth and even Switzerland. SMERSH is a world takeover type group, full of preposterous plans. It is now actively destroying western nations whose governments look to them to dispose of malcontents without realizing SMERSH’s degraded technology is violently opposed by Western peoples. If we are careful, keep good security and continue to attack, SMERSH will collapse as they are trying to be a police state without either the police or army on their side. We must be alert to the Intelligence factors of SMERSH and safeguard against their penetration of our security. On our shoulders alone rests the possibility of freeing Mankind from the horror of one of these police states which could destroy Mankind. The rest, like sheep, have been taken in wholly.” — The Commodore, April 3, 1969
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“Parsons was dodgy, and he was murdered because he was dodgy. But more specifically he was a commie. Israel is a commie state, so it makes sense he would pass data onto them. Hubbard was anti-commie. I reckon he was sent in on a mission to disturb Parsons. Years later another agent was sent in to kill Parsons probably because he was getting too out of hands. They didn’t want to just kill Parsons straight up back in ’46, it’s better to know who is your enemy and mess with them for years wasting their time, hence Hubbard’s mission. Parson was making jet-assist take-off for the Navy, so him being dodgy annoyed the Navy, and they would get their naval intelligence to handle him, thus we see Hubbard come into his life. Now this doesn’t mean Hubbard wasn’t into black magick. You can be sent on a mission and enjoy what that mission involves. In fact he could have liked Parsons but knew he was a sicko deep down being a lefty and that he needed to be dealt with.”
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2000: The St. Petersburg Times reported that permits have been issued to begin the above ground portions of Scientology’s new Super Power building in Clearwater, Florida. “The pair of towering white cranes that loom over the project, mostly idle since the fall, will come to life once more. For 16 months, the building has taken shape below ground as workers shaped a foundation and a giant basement that will serve as a dining facility for Scientology’s uniformed staff. The crowning feature of the $45-million building will be a 15-story tower, visible from blocks away, topped by an eight-point Scientology cross made of bronze. At 384,000 square feet, the building will be the largest Scientology has ever constructed. It also will be the largest building in downtown Clearwater and one of the largest in Pinellas County.”
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“We Farsecians are not evil. We are the Knights Templar of the Universe. We are the Keepers of the ARC of the Covenant.”
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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’s sentencing delayed to April 13.
— 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’s new attempt to force ‘religious arbitration’ on Danny Masterson’s accusers
[TWO years ago] A stunning Scientology call to arms for our politically divided times on this dirt ball
[THREE years ago] Newly released documents: Scientology leader L. Ron Hubbard tried to ‘buy’ an African nation
[FOUR years ago] Scientology leader David Miscavige launches new personal attacks at Leah Remini
[FIVE years ago] David Miscavige and a bussed-in crowd cut the ribbon on Atlanta’s new Scientology ‘Ideal Org’
[SIX years ago] How Scientologists are dealing with the popularity of Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear’
[SEVEN years ago] We asked David Miscavige’s tailor for his exact height — and here’s what he told us!
[EIGHT years ago] LEAK: Scientology’s Rehab Went from $5,000 to $2.5 Million in Insurance Revenue in One Year
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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 2,260 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,764 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,284 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,304 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,195 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,502 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,370 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,144 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,474 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,948 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,264 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,830 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,749 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,917 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,498 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,759 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,797 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,510 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,035 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 390 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,565 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,116 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,265 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,585 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,440 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,559 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,915 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,218 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,324 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,726 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,598 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,181 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,676 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,930 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,039 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 3, 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 2, 2021
After defending him for a day, Q patriots start to reconsider Matt Gaetz
Some links to Q-related items today…
After a day of defending him, Q patriots start to have second thoughts about Matt Gaetz.
And, gulp, maybe it’s time to rethink Trump as well?
Washington Post embarrasses itself by freaking out over “Travis View” being a pseudonym.
are you telling me the guy with a stock image for his avatar is operating under a pseudonym?
hard to read this story as much beyond WaPo looking up and feeling embarrassed they forgot to ask Travis what his name was https://t.co/K7ivtcN81F
— Jared Holt (@jaredlholt) April 1, 2021
Yikes.
Suspect In Three Vancouver Masonic Lodge Fires Shared Antisemitic, QAnon-Related Content On Facebook https://t.co/OpIQ5IK5nX
— JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) April 1, 2021
This guy is a menace.
Social media and Fox News amplify bloviating contrarian cranks suffering from terminal Dunning-Kruger, and turn them from internet trolls into dangerous morons trying to sabotage public health for fame and profit as their fans become collateral damage. https://t.co/AjF2QhrGC3
— Greg Fish (@GregAFish) April 1, 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 2, 2021 at 8:35
SNL produced the best parody of Scientology ever — and then hired a Scientologist
Our readers are very familiar with Saturday Night Live’s absolutely brilliant 2015 parody of Scientology, the music video “Neurotology.”
A take-off on a 1990 music video produced by Scientology itself, “We Stand Tall,” SNL’s funny vid managed to pack in a ton of great references to Scientology’s many controversies, and we detailed them in this earlier post.
From “Meepthorp,” the Neurotology leader who died of pink eye, to book titles like “Ignoring Your Brain,” to really obscure Easter eggs like a fleeting reference to a big cat, the geniuses at SNL really nailed Scientology in a way that equals or surpasses South Park’s notorious 2005 episode “Trapped in the Closet.”
And the best part was that SNL had managed to poke fun at Scientology while also making reference to its very serious scandals, from missing former executives to litigating people into oblivion.
So imagine our surprise when we learned that just four years after that perfect skewering of Scientology, SNL hired a Scientologist cast member!
On September 12, 2019, NBC announced that comic actress Chloe Fineman was joining the cast, and she’s had a chance to shine during two seasons now.
Fineman has not only been a talented addition to Weekend Update and in SNL’s faux commercials, but she’s also a skilled impersonator. Her Drew Barrymore was so spot-on, Barrymore had her on her show in October and gushed about what a fan she is.
Fineman’s parents are David Fineman, a biotech CEO, and Ellen Gunn, an artist. Both are listed in Scientology’s own publications as Clears.
We have spoken to two former Scientologists who remember David Fineman being an influential wealthy church member and donor.
Joey Chait, for example, tells us he remembers seeing Fineman and Gunn at the Advanced Organization and the American Saint Hill Organization in Los Angeles around the year 2000. When we told him that Scientology records indicate that they are both Scientology Clears, Joey said it was obvious to him that they were beyond that, into the OT levels.
Chloe went to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts but then in 2011 moved to Los Angeles, and looked for her break in the business.
According to Scientology publications, in 2015 she did two very grueling courses, the Student Hat and the PTS/SP course, which teaches Scientologists how to “shatter suppression” that might be holding them back.
“They’re both a pain in the ass. They’re really long. If she did the new PTS/SP, it’s a really involved, grueling course,” says musician Geoff Levin, who spent decades at Scientology’s Celebrity Centre in Hollywood. “She probably credits those two courses for why she’s doing so well,” he says.
Levin says he’s still getting mail from The Acting Center, a Scientologist-run outfit that works to be a conduit for Scientologists into show business. Chloe Fineman was a student there, and the school has boasted about her getting to SNL.
In February 2020, about halfway into her first season as an SNL cast member, Fineman gave tickets to a taping to her friend Denice Duff, a Scientologist actress who Levin characterizes as “hardcore.”
When we pointed that out to Levin, that just last year Chloe Fineman had invited hardcore Scientologist Denice Duff to a taping of the show, he told us it suggests to him that Fineman is still a deeply involved church member.
We sent detailed messages to both Chloe and her father David Fineman, asking them for their thoughts on SNL’s treatment of Scientology in the “Neurotology” parody, and we’ll let you know if they get back to us.
——————–
“Now, if you were to duplicate teeth on a preclear, you just say, ‘All right. Now, let’s duplicate teeth.’ And he starts duplicating teeth, teeth, teeth, teeth, teeth, till he gets lots of teeth, lots of teeth, lots of teeth. First thing you know out of this big pile of teeth which he’s gotten out there, he’ll start to get the emotion ‘Whee! Let’s all be teeth. Let’s fill the whole universe up full of teeth. Everything’s got to be teeth.’ Well, of course this is the central motive as far as teeth are concerned. Everything must duplicate teeth. Any object has this as an obsession. It must be duplicated. If it goes downhill it gets down to a point, finally, where, of course, it must not be duplicated, which is it must hide, withdraw, get very small, be hard, compact.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 2, 1954
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“I hope no desperate casualties resulted from the APRIL FOOL OOD. All Fools Day originated when they changed the Gregorian Calendar in 1564. The first day of the year was April 1st before then. When New Years Day became January 1st, those who persisted in celebrating it as April 1st became targets. It originated in France where they are called APRIL FISH and went to Scotland where they are called APRIL GAWKS. Through the English speaking world it is APRIL FOOLS. All from a PR stunt to teach the new Calendar! So when Al Bornstein, FAO PR wrote up an April Fool OODs with Geoff Barnes and Gorman the Management carried out a reversal even on them. In the Immortal Words of Product Officer FAO Amos Jessup, ‘Anyone who was taken in by that OOD had better review his Data Series!’ So would the FEBCs do a Data Analysis on that April Fools OOD as an exercise. Self preservation demands they be able to recognize real OUT POINTS when they get back to their orgs. People were in stitches over the results of the joke, so I hope no bruised feelings remain.” — The Commodore, April 2, 1971
——————–
“I want to do a Purif but I’ve had soo many drugs pumped into me as a sick child, I’m so scared. I mostly want to do a Purif because of how many psych meds I’ve been on. I actually just got out of a 72-hour psychiatric hold and I still feel weird from all the drugs they pumped into me.”
——————–
1999: CNET News reported the settlement agreement between Scientology and Factnet in their copyright infringement lawsuit. “The Church of Scientology International has won a long-standing legal battle to repossess about 2,000 unpublished and copyrighted documents and keep them from being accessed by computer users in the future. Under a settlement reached in a U.S. district court earlier this month, a Colorado-based nonprofit group called FACTNet is permanently enjoined to pay the church $1 million if FACTNet is found guilty of future violations of church copyrights. ‘They have to give back all of our illegally copied materials written by L. Ron Hubbard,’ Warren McShane, president of Religious Technology Center, said today. Religious Technology Center is the legal name of the Scientologist church. The settlement would seem to stave off for now one avenue for publishing trademarked church materials on the Net, but the church continues to be scrutinized by online critics. Cases such as this have been widely observed because they pit copyrights and online free speech against one another.”
——————–
“Why would Scientologists feel love for each other? According to Hubbard they are just random thetans occupying random meat bodies. Your children aren’t really ‘your’ children. That’s one of the reasons it seems so easy for some Scientologists to disconnect. Your relatives are merely other pod people.”
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’s sentencing delayed to April 13.
— 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] Scientology is dying to keep you well from the pandemic it doesn’t believe in
[TWO years ago] Thetans in the Jungle: Scientology in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands
[THREE years ago] Mike Rinder: Scientology is ‘disappearing at a consistent unchanging unwavering rate’
[FOUR years ago] Scientology for your plants? In the grand tradition of L. Ron Hubbard, yes!
[FIVE years ago] Scientology’s demonology: Where L. Ron Hubbard got the idea for your space cooties
[SIX years ago] Robert Vaughn Young on L. Ron Hubbard’s final days — another ‘Secret Lives’ video outtake
[SEVEN years ago] Florida attorney Ken Dandar hit with $1 million penalty for taking on Scientology
[EIGHT years ago] Why Isn’t Scientology More Open About Its Space Opera Beliefs? It’s the Best Part!
——————–
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 2,259 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,763 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,283 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,303 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,194 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,501 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,369 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,143 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,473 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,947 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,263 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,829 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,748 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,916 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,497 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,758 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,796 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,509 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,034 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 389 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,564 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,115 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,264 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,584 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,439 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,558 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,914 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,217 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,323 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,725 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,597 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,180 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,675 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,929 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,038 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 2, 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 1, 2021
Izzy Chait, renowned art dealer and major Scientology figure, dead at 74
Isadore M. “Izzy” Chait, the well known dealer in Asian art and Scientologist OT 8 who fiercely defended the organization, died this morning of kidney failure at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 74.
Chait was born on April 21, 1946 in Germany and moved to Los Angeles as a child, and by 1969 was dealing in Asian antiques and art, opening up a gallery in West Hollywood and then moving to Beverly Hills.
But his later years were marked by a few different controversies stemming both from his Scientology involvement and government investigations of his legendary art gallery.
On the Scientology side, Chait was convinced by church leader David Miscavige to attempt, awkwardly, to be an enforcer for the church. A widely seen video showed him in 2011 ambushing then-defector Mark “Marty” Rathbun at Los Angeles International Airport when Rathbun was flying home to Texas.
“Why do you have to separate yourself out from it? Is that something LRH would want you to do?” he asked Rathbun, who at that time was leading an “independent Scientology” movement. Chait also tried to convince Rathbun that Scientology was expanding at its greatest rate ever.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});By then, 2011, Chait’s gallery was under investigation by federal law enforcement, which was looking into the gallery selling illegal items from its “natural history” department.
In 2007, Chait sold a Tyrannosaurus bataar skull to Nicolas Cage that the actor ended up giving back to Mongolia when it turned out to be have been illegally removed from the country.
But it was Chait’s sons who ended up facing the music. In 2013, the FBI served a search warrant on the gallery. In January 2014, Izzy suffered a heart attack that left him mostly incapacitated. Then both Joey Chait (in 2014) and Jacob Chait (in 2017) were charged for making illegal sales of rhinoceros horn from the gallery.
Joey was on his own by that time — his parents had “disconnected” from him in the Scientology way after he decided to leave the church. In his sentencing memo presented by his defense attorney, Joey described coming out of Scientology’s Sea Org and then working for his father in a kind of indentured servitude. He had no bank account of his own and did not even know what his salary was. His father was in almost complete control of his life, including telling him what to buy and sell for the gallery.
The implication was that it was really Izzy Chait that the federal government had been investigating, but with him incapacitated, it settled on prosecuting his sons. Joey served a year in prison, his brother Jacob was given two years of probation.
Joey let us know his father died this morning.
“I was able to spend the last three weeks with my dad in the hospital and we talked a lot,” Joey tells us. “We both had a lot to say and I’m very blessed to have had that time with him, despite Scientology’s disconnection policy. The only way I was able to see him was because he was out of the house, and my mom wasn’t around. If she was there, she would have kicked me out of the hospital room. He had some strong opinions about Scientology and expressed remorse for having forced me into it at such a young age.
“One of the most hard hitting things he said to me was about my appearance on Leah’s show. He said that it was a good thing and he was glad to see me telling my story. Overall, he was proud to see how happy I was now compared to what it was like before.”
——————–
“OK, and this is the 1st of April 1954, little more on simple procedures, basics. The problem which the auditor faces is a very simple problem. That’s what makes it so difficult. He has a human being who is out of present time. Ordinarily this is the target of the auditor, although you can use auditing on cats, dogs and horses, and so forth. As a matter of fact, I was auditing a horse the other day. Got him into present time, too. It’s very easy to audit a horse. All you make him do is reach for you and you retreat until he feels good and dangerous. And his spirits will come up and he’ll be in present time enough to be rid.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 1, 1954
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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“OVERTS: In the interests of more truth on board, anyone feeling nattery should write up their overts and witholds and post them on the crew’s notice board with a copy to me. Hiding the real reasons behind natter roughs it up for the rest of us. We are after all a true group. Truth is the basis of group ARC.” — The Commodore, April 1, 1970
——————–
“I don’t know if the movement started by Bill Robertson could be considered to be a reform. The original tech and admin of LRH is preserved, but some modificaton was done to the OT levels and they were expanded beyond OT VIII. This is the most high-toned ‘reform.’ The Bill Robertson bridge is an example of a positive alternative. In fact Capt. Bill Robertson states in a video that the Ron’s Org is an alternative path for when the government SPs block Scientology for the people and reserve it for the rich few. With the IRS inside OSA, and Chairman of the Board David Miscavige in charge of the GAT inquisition, it is more than clear that the OT levels have been blocked. Then there is the most extreme reform ever. Which in a sense is a kind of bypass. Sky Bunny has posted that he comes from the future, where Scientology tech has been developed to levels where it is now possible to create new games. In these new games the flubs of a reactive mind have been avoided and a new game is being created now. So, in this case, it doesn’t matter what happens to this universe and game. A new one using Scientology tech is being started. This one being notified to take advantage of that reform. And this with the ‘authority’ of Maitreya.”
——————–
1998: Grady Ward posted an update on his copyright violation lawsuit this week. “Just returned from a settlement conference in front of Chief Magistrate Judge Edward A. Infante of the Northern District of California. After three hours of negotiation in front of the Judge the negotiations broke down. The Judge was visibly angry as he left us. So, we are definitely going to trial. Although the current date is April 13, 1998 that will almost certainly change since the Hon. Ronald M. Whyte has asked to hold another pretrial conference and we are working on the joint pretrial statement which must be finished before the conference is scheduled. Depositions of various witnesses are going ahead in spite of the trial date flux. The cult is officially asking for $9,900,000 in damages plus what is likely to be over $2,000,000 in attorney’s fees and costs of probably several hundred thousand dollars. My neighborhood was mailed yet another dead-agent attack upon me and my family. It’s hard to get a copy when the neighbors throw it away in disgust thinking ‘those Scientologists are pretty sick folk, aren’t they?'”
——————–
“Better to be pissed off than pissed on.”
——————–
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’s sentencing delayed to April 13.
— 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] Scientologists are convinced that they can rescue the planet from deadly pandemic
[TWO years ago] Sword-wielding, Bentley-driving man killed by police at Scientology org identified
[THREE years ago] Scientologists are trying to convince each other that the new TV network is a roaring success
[FOUR years ago] Scientology’s spies: L. Ron Hubbard’s twisted legacy that proved his sickness
[FIVE years ago] Augustine: One weird trick every Scientologist needs to learn for real ‘total freedom’
[SIX years ago] CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST SCIENTOLOGY DRUG REHABS IN CALIFORNIA
[SEVEN years ago] Hey, you guys, the new Scientology E-meter is a hit!
[EIGHT years ago] LEAK: Narconon’s Legal Affairs Director Admits No Scientific Basis for Advertised Success Rates
[NINE years ago] Sunday Funnies: LRH Gets an Answer from Tricky Dick!
——————–
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 2,258 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,762 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,282 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,302 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,193 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,500 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,368 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,142 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,472 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,946 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,262 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,828 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,747 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,915 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,496 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,757 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,795 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,508 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,033 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 388 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,563 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,114 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,263 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,583 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,438 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,557 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,913 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,216 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,322 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,724 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,596 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,179 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,674 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,928 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,037 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 1, 2021 at 13:34
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
Study: Despite ban, Alex Jones got message out through Facebook before Capitol riot
Some links to Q-related items today…
People are getting vaccinated to stop a lethal disease, and it’s worse than Nazi Germany.
Facebook implicated again…
Facebook banned Infowars in 2018 and Alex Jones in 2019.
So how did articles and videos from Alex Jones and Infowars urging followers to “prepare for war” received over 1M interactions on Facebook in the 30 days leading up to the Capitol insurrection?https://t.co/a8ZsZ45NqJ
— David Gilbert (@daithaigilbert) April 1, 2021
The Q/Sovereign Citizen melding is particularly troubling.
Nothing to see here, just QAnon celebrities continuing to promote SovCit lines of rhetoric to their audiences https://t.co/JobOYOalHx
— allie mezei (@pinealdecalcify) April 1, 2021
Gaetz gets excused, part 1.
QAnon loves to claim their sole purpose is to "Save the Children" yet when one of their heroes gets accused of being a sex trafficker they don't care in the slightest about the charges and proclaim his innocence immediately. pic.twitter.com/6Ieovrwoud
— Poker and Politics (@PokerPolitics) April 1, 2021
Gaetz gets excused, part 2.
QAnon experts @jaredlholt, @rothschildmd, and @travis_view tell @Salon that most QAnon believers are flocking to Matt Gaetz's defense, despite claims of sexual misconduct. https://t.co/3wWXQJPKoz
— Zachary Petrizzo (@ZTPetrizzo) April 1, 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 1, 2021 at 8:55
Why is Scientology sending so much money to places like Australia and the British Isles?
We’ve told you over the years that in some countries Scientology can’t be as secretive with its finances as it is here in the US. Places like Ireland, England, and Australia require Scientology to open the books.
Now, Ben Schneiders at The Age has taken a detailed look at how Scientology has shifted large amounts of money from the US to Australia in recent years.
Schneiders found that although Scientology is down to only about 1,700 members in that country of 25 million people, it made a net profit of $65.4 million between 2013 and 2019. And as Bryan Seymour pointed out years ago, Scientology in the UK uses an Australian address in order to avoid paying taxes there. Schneider confirms that and says that Scientology has some $150 million in assets in the UK.
In previous stories, we’ve talked about how Scientology has also invested heavily in Ireland, where the most recent census recorded only 87 Scientologists. But even with almost no members there, Scientology has spent millions on new buildings.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});When Schneiders contacted us a few weeks ago asking why Scientology was sending so much money overseas, we made sure he understood that for a couple of decades now church leader David Miscavige has been on a building frenzy in Australia, in the US, and in many other places, even as membership has been dwindling.
Miscavige can’t show expansion in membership, so he tries to make up for it with new buildings, all in order to impress his big donors and convince them that Scientology is thriving.
And it’s working. In our regular updates about what the major donors are forking over, we’re seeing more and more $1 million-plus donations, even as the orgs appear to have fewer and fewer customers.
Miscavige’s ability to convince wealthy Scientologists to part with such huge amounts is simply astounding.
In Australia in particular, a lot of that spending can be explained by Miscavige’s desire to build a new “Advanced Org” there, something he’s also been doing in other parts of the world.
Scientologists can go to their local “Ideal Org” to get a certain amount of progress up Scientology’s “Bridge to Total Freedom,” but at some point if they want to keep progressing they have to go to an Advanced Org, which are located in Sydney, Los Angeles, Florida, England, Copenhagen, and South Africa, with more planned for Canada and Mexico. Then, if they want to reach the highest levels, they have to go to the Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida, which is Scientology’s true moneymaker. And then the culminating experience, “OT8,” can only be experienced on Scientology’s private cruise ship, the Freewinds, which has been docked in Aruba for a full year now because of the pandemic.
Paul Burkhart was the last high-ranking Sea Org executive to defect from Scientology’s upper management, in 2013. And he confirms that when he left, Miscavige had put a big emphasis on building or upgrading Advanced Orgs around the world as a show of “expansion.”
Even while I was there, the church had a heavy push for every Advanced Org to be renovated or a new building bought. The AO’s (one for each continent — AOLA, AOSH UK, AO Canada, AO Latam, AOSH EU, AOSH AFRICA, AOSH ANZO, and Asia) are all Sea Org staffed and centrally owned. Fundraising for these Advanced Orgs would partially come from the whales. There was a big push at events with announcements of the building purchases and flythru videos of the AO building designs. Whales will contribute a lot more for a Continental Advanced Org than an individual church in Durban, etc. Also an AO makes lots more income and sends more to central management than any individual org. There was probably some tax reasons as well to spend some assets on ‘church activities’ instead of just amassing it all in cash. As far as dwindling membership goes, management, staff and public would never agree with that fact, even if shown the numbers. All the events claim massive expansion everywhere!
In the case of Australia, Scientology’s new Advanced Org was located in a massive former national acoustics lab in a suburb north of the city. When it was planning the $50 million project, Scientology admitted to the New South Wales government that only a tiny number of people were actually going to be using it. An environmental impact report we got our hands on showed that Scientology said the massive facility would only be serving about 87 people on a given day. (And even that was probably an inflated exaggeration.)
Small membership and large assets adds up to a pretty wild ratio. In 2019, when it was revealed that the Mormon church had an astounding $100 billion socked away in a secret account, that worked out to about $6,667 per member in an organization with a population of 15 million. We estimated that Scientology has closer to $3 billion, but with only about 20,000 members around the world, that results in a mindblowing ratio of about $150,000 in assets per member, we reckoned.
Schneiders came to a similar conclusion in his excellent piece.
Scientology has built up enormous wealth in a relatively short time. An analysis by The Age and the Herald shows Scientology’s assets in Australia are worth $102,535 per adherent. By comparison, a 2018 Age investigation estimated all the entities related to the Catholic Church in Australia had wealth of about $30 billion, equating to an average $5,600 per Catholic in Australia.
So once again, we learn that Scientology is amazingly effective at getting huge amounts of money out of people, then it pays no taxes and pays its workers pennies an hour, and so it is able to amass huge piles of wealth. And unlike other entities that call themselves churches, Scientology does nothing to help the larger community, and we know it spends a lot of that money on hiring attorneys and private investigators so it can surveil its enemies and pursue expensive litigation.
When are governments going to take a stand?
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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“OK, and this is the 1st of April 1954, little more on simple procedures, basics. The problem which the auditor faces is a very simple problem. That’s what makes it so difficult. He has a human being who is out of present time. Ordinarily this is the target of the auditor, although you can use auditing on cats, dogs and horses, and so forth. As a matter of fact, I was auditing a horse the other day. Got him into present time, too. It’s very easy to audit a horse. All you make him do is reach for you and you retreat until he feels good and dangerous. And his spirits will come up and he’ll be in present time enough to be rid.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 1, 1954
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“OVERTS: In the interests of more truth on board, anyone feeling nattery should write up their overts and witholds and post them on the crew’s notice board with a copy to me. Hiding the real reasons behind natter roughs it up for the rest of us. We are after all a true group. Truth is the basis of group ARC.” — The Commodore, April 1, 1970
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“I don’t know if the movement started by Bill Robertson could be considered to be a reform. The original tech and admin of LRH is preserved, but some modificaton was done to the OT levels and they were expanded beyond OT VIII. This is the most high-toned ‘reform.’ The Bill Robertson bridge is an example of a positive alternative. In fact Capt. Bill Robertson states in a video that the Ron’s Org is an alternative path for when the government SPs block Scientology for the people and reserve it for the rich few. With the IRS inside OSA, and Chairman of the Board David Miscavige in charge of the GAT inquisition, it is more than clear that the OT levels have been blocked. Then there is the most extreme reform ever. Which in a sense is a kind of bypass. Sky Bunny has posted that he comes from the future, where Scientology tech has been developed to levels where it is now possible to create new games. In these new games the flubs of a reactive mind have been avoided and a new game is being created now. So, in this case, it doesn’t matter what happens to this universe and game. A new one using Scientology tech is being started. This one being notified to take advantage of that reform. And this with the ‘authority’ of Maitreya.”
——————–
1998: Grady Ward posted an update on his copyright violation lawsuit this week. “Just returned from a settlement conference in front of Chief Magistrate Judge Edward A. Infante of the Northern District of California. After three hours of negotiation in front of the Judge the negotiations broke down. The Judge was visibly angry as he left us. So, we are definitely going to trial. Although the current date is April 13, 1998 that will almost certainly change since the Hon. Ronald M. Whyte has asked to hold another pretrial conference and we are working on the joint pretrial statement which must be finished before the conference is scheduled. Depositions of various witnesses are going ahead in spite of the trial date flux. The cult is officially asking for $9,900,000 in damages plus what is likely to be over $2,000,000 in attorney’s fees and costs of probably several hundred thousand dollars. My neighborhood was mailed yet another dead-agent attack upon me and my family. It’s hard to get a copy when the neighbors throw it away in disgust thinking ‘those Scientologists are pretty sick folk, aren’t they?'”
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“Better to be pissed off than pissed on.”
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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’s sentencing delayed to April 13.
— 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] Scientologists are convinced that they can rescue the planet from deadly pandemic
[TWO years ago] Sword-wielding, Bentley-driving man killed by police at Scientology org identified
[THREE years ago] Scientologists are trying to convince each other that the new TV network is a roaring success
[FOUR years ago] Scientology’s spies: L. Ron Hubbard’s twisted legacy that proved his sickness
[FIVE years ago] Augustine: One weird trick every Scientologist needs to learn for real ‘total freedom’
[SIX years ago] CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST SCIENTOLOGY DRUG REHABS IN CALIFORNIA
[SEVEN years ago] Hey, you guys, the new Scientology E-meter is a hit!
[EIGHT years ago] LEAK: Narconon’s Legal Affairs Director Admits No Scientific Basis for Advertised Success Rates
[NINE years ago] Sunday Funnies: LRH Gets an Answer from Tricky Dick!
——————–
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 2,258 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,762 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,282 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,302 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,193 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,500 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,368 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,142 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,472 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,946 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,262 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,828 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,747 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,915 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,496 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,757 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,795 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,508 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,033 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 388 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,563 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,114 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,263 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,583 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,438 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,557 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,913 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,216 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,322 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,724 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,596 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,179 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,674 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,928 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,037 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 1, 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
March 31, 2021
Q patriots finally get their wish with Matt Gaetz probe, but of course don’t believe it
Some links to Q-related items today…
Finally! Proof of what Q has been saying all this time, that the elites are in fact pedos who traffic young girls…um, well, maybe not.
April is the cruelest month.
Where is that Emergency Broadcast System when we need it?
This case got extremely weird very quickly last night.
So the probe against Gaetz for sex trafficking stems from his friend, a Seminole County Tax Assessor, getting charged with sex trafficking. Here is a picture of Gaetz and his buddy at dinner with Roger Stone. https://t.co/vvrYnzv6sO
— Robert Evans (The Only Robert Evans) (@IwriteOK) March 31, 2021
Keep digging, Matt.
love to implicate my friends in sex trafficking on live TV. real "chosen family" vibes. https://t.co/T2fQPz03On
— Robert Evans (The Only Robert Evans) (@IwriteOK) March 31, 2021
Q patriots never disappoint.
For some reason, QAnon people are refusing to take their dream scenario coming true — a sitting congressman being investigated for child trafficking — at face value. They love Gaetz’s inscrutable double agent story because it sounds like 5D chess.
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) March 31, 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 March 31, 2021 at 9:05
The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 4: The LAPD
You’ve seen a lot of media coverage of Danny Masterson’s legal troubles lately, but here’s what the other news organizations never bring up: Danny would not be looking at the potential of 45 years to life in prison for raping three women if those women had not stood up to the Los Angeles Police Department for almost botching their investigation.
On March 3, 2017 when we first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation, we also revealed that the probe, which had been going on since October, was already in crisis. We revealed that on February 22 of that year the woman we referred to then as “Victim A” and who later identified herself as Chrissie Carnell-Bixler had written a lengthy letter to then-Chief Charlie Beck complaining bitterly about the way she and the other two women had been treated by the department.
One of the things Chrissie explained to the chief was that when she reported her allegations, she was told by LAPD officials that her case could not be handled at the Hollywood Division because it was hopelessly compromised in its relationship to the Church of Scientology. She said that she was told her case not only needed to be handled by a downtown unit, but that they would be keeping her case out of the department’s computer system to make sure Hollywood detectives wouldn’t even know about the investigation.
Again, let us make this clear: Chrissie was told by the LAPD that parts of it were in thrall to Scientology and could not be trusted even to know that a crime against a major Scientology celebrity was being investigated.
But even with those precautions in place, Chrissie was shocked by how the downtown unit handled the case, with a detective who treated them inappropriately and didn’t interview key witnesses. Chrissie’s letter to Chief Beck listed numerous problems with the investigation. As a result of the letter, Chief Beck reassigned the detective and put another in charge of the investigation. That detective saw the investigation through and delivered the case to the DA’s office.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Because Chrissie had stood up for herself, these women got the investigation they deserved. But it turns out that their timing was good. Since then, the LAPD has dismantled the downtown special task force that handled their case, and if Chrissie Carnell-Bixler were coming forward to the LAPD today, she would have no choice but to trust the Hollywood Division, where her allegations occurred.
Yes, the Hollywood Division that even the LAPD itself told them is hopelessly corrupt because of its fawning attachment to Scientology.
The LAPD has also been very helpful to David Miscavige in keeping his wife Shelly Miscavige under wraps. In 2013, Leah Remini filed a missing-person report on Shelly, who vanished in 2005 and has only been seen in public one time since then, in 2007. The LAPD told us that two of their detectives had met with Shelly, who said she was fine and didn’t want to make a public statement. When we asked Lt. Andre Dawson if any other church officials were present at the time, he told us “That’s classified.” And when Leah later tried to get copies of documents involved in that operation, which were a direct result of her own missing-person report, she was turned down.
After that, we noticed that Lt. Dawson after his retirement became a featured speaker at Scientology events.
It was also the Hollywood Division that actually put a Scientology kiosk on its station house, until an atheist organization complained and it was removed.
Last year we published some shocking emails from LAPD Capt. Cory Palka, showing just how chummy his relationship was with the church.
In one example, the LAPD captain was writing to Detroit police on behalf of Scientology, who wanted the Detroit department’s help with the opening of a new building. What a pal!
Palka has left the LAPD, but we’ve seen no evidence that the department has shown any interest in shaking off its decades-long history as David Miscavige’s lap dog.
The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology
4: The LAPD
5: The dirty tricks private eyes
6: The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department
7: The litigators
9: The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office
10: Political shills
11: Gary Soter
12: The city of Clearwater, Florida
13: Google and other tech titans
14: The Los Angeles Times
15: Jeffrey Riffer
16: James Packer
17: Louis Farrakhan
18: Mark “Marty” Rathbun
19: Wally Pope
20: Gensler
21: Parents who subscribe to ABCMouse
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});22: Graham Norton and other celebrity strokers
23: The apologist academics
24: Rebecca Dobkin and other low-level PI grunts
25: DirecTV and filmmakers buffing Dave’s channel
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“We pick up somebody. Let’s say he’s a Marine captain or something, and we’re auditing him. He’s been a Marine years ago. Obviously, this person is no mystic. This person is no spiritualist. He knows nothing about these things. Let’s audit him, and get through, and so forth. And we audit him for about five hours, and he’s making very slow progress. And he’s liable to ask you at the end of the five hours if you really think his guardian angel approves of the techniques you’re using. Don’t be too alarmed if you hear such a reaction, because there’s practically 100 percent of the populace, one time or another, have been mixed up with spirits, spiritualism, mysticism or any one of the allied lines by which man has sought truth and has gotten booby-trapped. This Marine, you find out, served a long hitch in Santo Domingo. And all the time he was in Santo Domingo he was talked to continually by a mamaloi. Otherwise, this boy’s been sane ever since. He receives all of his directions from a witch doctor, or a witch. Yeah, he’s been ordering troops around on the advice of a witch doctor for years. This is not uncommon. Because a thing is not spoken about is no reason it doesn’t exist or isn’t known. And that’s a good rule for you to go on.” — L. Ron Hubbard, March 31, 1954
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“My thanks to S. Moreau, R. Savage, Gerry Armstrong, and H. Harrison for helping on a voluntary basis cleaning up Fwd Tween Decks and Storage and mest moving in Hold 1 last night. L.H. 2 has been cleaned and restowed. Anyone littering or enmesting the area of any hold space will be dealt with severely by Ethics. These spaces (as well as all ship spaces) must be kept neat, clean and secure.” — Capt W.B. Robertson D/Captain FSO, March 31, 1971
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“You kind of just put body thetans in their place. See, they come at you full of light, sometimes as powerful beings. THAT LIGHT IS YOURS! Tell them, and take it back. And it kind of spins around and they blow as entities. Anyway, they do blow, it will vary from case to case. I never have any difficulty with them. Maybe a bit of SRT in the past somewhere can kick it all sideways? I don’t know, I just keep my eyes on the horizon. It’s true there are lots of very interesting areas to get sidetracked into. But this is the way to failure in solo auditing. Keep on the path and audit it off, don’t go into something because it seems exciting. That can hurt you and get you pretty mixed up. I keep in mind all I want is charge off. Between sessions that helped me stay focused. It doesn’t mean I don’t write my own side notes, cognitions, and odd phenomena experienced on the way. But I never let it pull me off just getting charge off. You can look at the whole thing afterwards, as there are many, many cogs to be had. But getting charge off gives them.”
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1997: The Wall Street Journal printed an editorial titled “The Scientology Problem”: “Scientology is currently demanding acceptance throughout the world, mostly on the basis of a 1993 Internal Revenue Service ruling extending it 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. The State Department’s human rights report, an ad by Hollywood figures and others have berated Germany over persecution of Scientologists. Other sects have also started with odd theology and behavior; is Scientology now traveling the road to respectability? Conceivably so, though the Scientologists have more history than most to live down, most of it written in court decisions here and abroad. Scientology performs its ‘auditing’ and ‘clearing’ according to a schedule of set fees. Those who are ‘cleared’ at one level go on to the next with further training and further fees. To many authorities, not to mention alienated former Scientologists, Mr. Hubbard’s creation looks a lot like the business of personal counseling or psychiatry (to which Scientology also raises theological objection). There have been repeated reports that Mr. Hubbard told his science-fiction colleagues that the way to get rich is to found a religion. The Scientologists promote anti-drug and anti-crime efforts, but even in the post-Hubbard era have been a magnet for controversy. For one thing, they are confronting the Internet, using copyright and other laws to inhibit their critics, who gather in a discussion group called alt.religion.scientology. Scientologists have succeeded with U.S. copyright suits against the posting of secret Hubbard texts, but have angered the Internet community. The texts keep appearing, for example on a Norwegian site calling itself Operation Clambake. Further litigation is currently under way in San Jose and Denver, with the patience of presiding jurists being tested by both Scientologists and ‘netizens.’ Internet defendants are now challenging the validity of the copyrights, and seeking to depose the secretive Mr. Miscavige about the circumstances of their transfer.”
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“Hubbard thought ‘1984’ was a How-To manual.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay’s sentencing delayed to April 13.
— 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] Mark Bunker, now as city councilman, confronts issues with Scientology on day one
[TWO years ago] Scientology is putting Ideal Orgs in every country where it operates — except one
[THREE years ago] A Scientologist is running for lieutenant governor in Nevada — and it’s who you probably suspect
[FOUR years ago] Jonny Jacobsen: The tweets about Scientology that got a comedian in hot water
[FIVE years ago] Reason Rally 2016 in Washington DC: The Underground Bunker wants to see you there!
[SIX years ago] Can you help French prosecutors find these witnesses to the death of a Scientologist?
[SEVEN years ago] Paris elects its first female mayor — and you have to see her record on Scientology!
[EIGHT years ago] Easter Sunday Funnies — Also: Our SMERSH Madness Championship!
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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 2,257 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,761 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,281 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,301 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,192 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,499 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,367 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,141 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,471 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,945 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,261 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,827 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,746 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,914 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,495 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,756 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,794 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,507 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,032 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 387 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,562 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,113 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,262 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,582 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,437 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,556 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,912 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,215 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,321 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,723 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,595 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,178 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,673 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,927 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,036 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 31, 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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