Tony Ortega's Blog, page 62
January 11, 2025
Q patriot god-emperor fans flames about fires in California
Some links to Q-related items today
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});NEW FOIA Files EXCLUSIVE: I obtained more 800 pages of Kash Patel's emails (and thousands more coming) during his stint at ODNI, which offer some insight into how he might lead FBI & raise questions as to whether he’ll use his position to settle political scores…
— Jason Leopold (@JasonLeopold) January 10, 2025
It must be so annoying to know that members of the evil cabal are cloned perfectly as soon as you kill them pic.twitter.com/HbTuNFSncC
— Will 🦥 Menaker (@willmenaker) January 9, 2025
watching people who’ve had their brains blown to crumbs by qanon adjacent conspiracies try to figure out that different materials burn at different rates. it’s the faux curiosity that’s so infuriating “can someone explain why these trees haven’t burned??” yes! many people can!
— michael wave (@michael___wave) January 9, 2025
A ridiculous lie. We have doubled the size of our firefighting army, built the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet, and increased the forest management ten-fold since taking office.
Time to serve these folks the facts. https://t.co/qITPcQDTKk
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 11, 2025
Andrew Clyde voted against wildfire relief and prevention in December, but now pretends to be concerned about the fires in California. https://t.co/HmW1jyuc2d https://t.co/dLomFkQmAp
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 11, 2025
GOP Rep. Tim Burchett voted against wildfire management and FEMA disaster relief funds, but now goes on TV to say “FEMA needs to do their job.” https://t.co/HmW1jyuc2d https://t.co/q1kUtO9puE
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 11, 2025
The far right House Freedom Caucus met with Trump and Elon Musk at Mar-a-Lago pic.twitter.com/lW6J9sDNkH
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 11, 2025
This was reposted by a GOP House member pic.twitter.com/rC5nIs2OSp
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 11, 2025
Trump posted another religious looking image of himself pic.twitter.com/b4zQqhyXFe
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 10, 2025
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent 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 January 11, 2025 at 08:00
January 10, 2025
‘Like a brother to me’: The tributes to Mike Rinder keep coming
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: The tributes to Mike Rinder have kept coming in. On Monday, we heard from ‘Going Clear’ director Alex Gibney and co-star Spanky Taylor, and on Tuesday from writer Lawrence Wright. Today, it’s two more ‘Going Clear’ participants, Tom Devocht and Hana Whitfield, and more. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“A thetan, even when pressed or suppressed to the absolute limit of near extinction, will still try, even when ‘cooperating,’ to some way be right. A thetan cannot die. His only out is to try to stop something as he himself cannot stop living. This gives rise to fixed ideas as he is trying to stop-therefore the ideas hold in time and continue. His efforts to be right continue to stop him in a reverse flow. This is true because he is already at near total effect. He also becomes the effect of his own fixed idea efforts to handle. Just as a man being crushed by a house-size rock will still put his hands out to fend it off, so will a thetan continue to fend off his believed oppressions by stopping them.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1974
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THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond
[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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“A little bulletin here: Aussies, hang your head in shame! All through the Commonwealth with the greatest of ease, I was able to slow down this government raid on the church in Washington, but not in Australia. You see, the lines go straight from Australia to the United States and back and forth. And the whole rigged government release in Washington landed scram-bang into the press in Australia. So Australia is a seething mess of ‘God ‘elp us’ now, and somebody from the Australian syndicate is coming down to see me tomorrow, and they want to know all about it. I’m not going to tell them very much beyond a fascist government raided a church. I’ll tell them, Be very, very careful, though, because apparently there’s a million dollars in the offing to fight this in the United States. They actually got all kinds of leads and money pouring in like mad from all directions, and the situation looks very dark for the United States.” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 10, 1963
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“Bless AOLA! They held their trend and all the GDSes continue to go up like rockets and their GI is over $41,000. They’re a great team, and we admire them.” — The Commodore, January 10, 1971
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“The mainstream media is a classic example of the third party law in our 4th dynamic. It’s just so damn evil and is stirring up all these problems amongst us, yet appears superficially to be just reporting the news. The people chose Trump and the media are totally assisting in the stealing of the election. They are so so bad and if we eradicated them life on earth would be so much better. They are 1.1 disgusting scum. The media is a classic example of a 1.1 industry.”
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2000: The Tampa Tribune reported this week that Bob Minton will be charged with battery for an incident during a protest at the Fort Harrison Hotel in October. “An outspoken critic of the Church of Scientology was formally charged with misdemeanor battery late Friday. New Hampshire millionaire Robert S. Minton Jr. faces a maximum penalty of one year in the county jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted of striking Scientologist Richard W. Howd Jr. during a protest Oct. 31 outside the church’s spiritual headquarters in downtown Clearwater. State Attorney Bernie McCabe had the option of not prosecuting the case, and Minton had been waiting since his arrest the night of the incident for a determination. Neither could be reached for comment late Friday. In the battery incident, Minton was carrying a protest sign up and down the sidewalk outside the Fort Harrison Hotel on Halloween night while Howd filmed him at close range with a video camera. Minton testified that he struck Howd with his placard when Howd would not back away as Minton left the area.”
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“Miscavige isn’t that old and he’s got plenty of money, real estate, and willing slaves to play with. I saw an interview with Pol Pot shortly before he died and it boiled down to him saying he wished he could do some things over but he did what he thought was best for the people of Cambodia. Miscavige is either a non-believer who thinks ‘suckers get what they deserve and if it wasn’t me somebody else would be fleecing these idiots’ or he’s a believer and thinks ‘Yes, I’ve been a strongman, but that’s what was necessary to insure the survival of this organization.’ Caesar or charlatan?”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7, 2023. Appeal brief due by December 23.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing January 13, 2025.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud, awaiting sentencing.
Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1.
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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 BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. 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] Leah Remini wants an injunction to muzzle Scientology, and now we have the church’s reply
[TWO years ago] We’re back in Los Angeles to learn if Danny Masterson is getting a retrial
[THREE years ago] Another ‘Chase Wave’ witness, and Scientology’s ‘ludicrous’ money grab!
[FOUR years ago] Adding insult to injury, Valerie Haney faces a hearing for $160,000 in sanctions this week
[FIVE years ago] Activists find Scientologist French police tried for years to question about 2006 suicide
[SIX years ago] Uh-oh. Someone trusted a whole bunch of money to a wealthy Scientologist.
[SEVEN years ago] Xenu or Xemu? Here’s our take on one of Scientology’s galactic-wide mysteries
[EIGHT years ago] Tonight on ‘Leah Remini’: Once again, Scientology’s a horror show for the mentally ill
[NINE years ago] A business executive looks at Scientology as a (poorly run) business
[TEN years ago] Jon Atack: Scientology’s ‘training routines’ and their relationship to meditation
[ELEVEN years ago] Black hearts and burning crosses: Scientology litigation is getting weird in Texas
[TWELVE years ago] The Master Gets Three Oscar Nominations
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,140 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,635 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,150 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,700 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,690 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,076 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,571 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,875 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,746 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,298 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,639 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,206 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,125 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,293 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,875 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,135 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,171 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,887 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,451 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,766 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,941 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,623 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,960 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,814 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,929 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,291 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,594 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,700 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,098 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,974 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,539 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,050 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,306 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,414 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 10, 2025 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
Q patriots watched the Carter funeral and concluded, the Storm is near!
Some links to Q-related items today
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Busted! Trump’s Greenland Supporters Were Homeless and Socially Disadvantaged People Bribed With Hotel Dinners
Danish news reports on Trump’s scheme https://t.co/d7mG8Wey2j
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 9, 2025
"I want videos of my enemies being executed" That is the real QAnon. None of this "Save the children" or "Expose corruption" nonsense. It's pure bloodlust. It's a need to see their enemies slaughtered. pic.twitter.com/XgK10CcokK
— Poker and Politics (@PokerPolitics) January 10, 2025
The baking of the Carter funeral has begun. Instead of envelops we got Trump shaking down Obama. The lack of a visual prop makes this a harder sell but sell it QAnon will. pic.twitter.com/fr5rqLeqPP
— Poker and Politics (@PokerPolitics) January 10, 2025
President Q https://t.co/IVrnkqS8sW
— Poker and Politics (@PokerPolitics) January 9, 2025
We lost our house in the Eaton Fire. We're safe, but the level of devastation is impossible to convey. I won't be able to work for a while, so if you want to support us, I'd appreciate a Patreon subscription or buying one of my books. It will help.https://t.co/9WyHCPmIYC
— Mike Rothschild (@rothschildmd on blu sky) (@rothschildmd) January 9, 2025
This MAGA account believes the California fires are caused by the government using lasers. They claim the color blue is resistant to the lasers.
There is no reasoning with these people. pic.twitter.com/w05eyzR9De
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 10, 2025
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent 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 January 1, 2025 at 08:00
January 9, 2025
Scientology reacts to Los Angeles fire apocalypse, offers shelter at its orgs
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We’re watching in horror as our hometown goes up in flames. Numerous people we know have had to flee as wildfires are destroying entire neighborhoods. We want everyone there to be safe, including Scientology members, who live in L.A. at their greatest concentration in the world. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“You have in your hands the tool to take over mental therapy in full. You need not fear the insane or the psychotic break any longer. Here also is the cure for the continual self-auditing pc who is dug into his bank. It works on all pcs in fact with rave results. Do it flawlessly and we all win. THIS PLANET IS OURS.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1974
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THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
——————–
THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
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“This FBI man wanted his fortune told. So I waxed up my mustaches and readjusted the bath towel, said, ‘I see you working on a case.’ A very intelligent remark to an FBI man. Said, a case which is very, very confidential. Case number 132678.’ I said, ‘The man you want isn’t there.’ I said, ‘That’s all. Next.’ This guy goes off, and he starts figuring this out. And you could see this, you know; trying to clear this up. How did I know the number of a confidential case? Because it was the right number. Naturally it was the right number; he had the case card right in front of his face in a facsimile, and all you did was read the numbers in the upper left-hand corner.” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 9, 1957
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“Orgs should be warned. The Le Moate affair was rough on Paris and DK only because they weren”t fully warned she was a psychotic. Although why they reached for it is a bit of a mystery. There’s an old principle involved — experiential track. I have nothing against these people. Orgs are in the pc business, not Flag. We are in the management and OT business. Handling purely pcs here in these high velocity areas of top command introduces the flow at the wrong point. The purely pc flow enters at lower org levels. It is our job to put orgs there that can handle such cases. Sooner or later orgs will have to acquire and start running an institutional annex. It is too hard on them handling psychotics without these facilities. A psychotic is in a Condition of Treason on the first dynamic and extends it to the third and fourth with covert destruction. This isn’t because anyone else declared the condition. It just happens to be a fact. Being in treason on the first dynamic doesn’t always mean covert destruction on the other dynamics. Unhappy people, unhappy subject.” — The Commodore, January 9, 1971
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“You are right on the threshold casewise to undertake what in my book is the greatest adventure yet, Solo NOTs. When are you starting? Based on the gains, spiritual betterments as well as new abilities, especially in handling what appear to be impossible tasks, I consider this level more important than my immediate physical life. Merely the fact that I KNOW I cannot be planted back into any area, body, identity or autorun activities any longer is beyond anything I could ever have bargained for when I came into Scientology.”
1999: The Los Angeles Daily News published an article this week on Scientology celebrity Nancy Cartwright. “The longtime voice of Bart has a life-size statue of a black-and-white cow on the lawn of her Northridge home. As you walk through the multi-colored gates of her one-acre homestead, it doesn’t take long to realize that Cartwright has at least one thing in common with the eternally 10-year old Bart – a sense of playfulness. Cartwright, a Scientologist for the past decade, has adopted L. Ron Hubbard’s administrative techniques, and points are accessed for any forward motion. For instance, booking an on-camera acting job is worth 1,000 points. ‘It is misunderstood like all new religions,’ Cartwright said of Scientology. ‘Critics just need to read a book to find out what it really is. I wanted something very practical to give me stability. Certainly being an artist in Hollywood is an unstable profession,’ she said. ‘Scientology gives me a basis for which to operate.'”
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“I’ve never ever really been worried about a Scientology Jonestown. There’s no apocalyptic scripture and it’s too much about the money, and the participants are way too yuppie white bread for something like that.”
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7, 2023. Appeal brief due by December 23.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing January 13, 2025.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud, awaiting sentencing.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Judge Hammock’s ruling is on appeal.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1.
——————–
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 BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. 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] English councillors squirm over question about Scientology abuses
[TWO years ago] David Miscavige says 4 new Scientology ‘Ideal Orgs’ are coming soon — but where?
[THREE years ago] Is Scientology clown prince Grant Cardone slagging on super-richie Bob Duggan now?
[FOUR years ago] Scientology’s tough marketing sell, from the man who sold Dianetics to the masses
[FIVE years ago] MASTERSON: Scientology wants Bobette Riales dismissed, others forced into arbitration
[SIX years ago] Scientology slimes ‘Aftermath’ guest with its favorite tactic: The P.O.W. video
[SEVEN years ago] ‘It was my job to get Mike Rinder’s trash’ — A former Scientology spy begins to spill her guts
[EIGHT years ago] L. Ron Hubbard’s writing about women that Scientology DOES want you to see!
[NINE years ago] ‘Archetypical newshound’ Paulette Cooper described in ‘thrilling account’ — Kirkus
[TEN years ago] Full Forrest Ackerman interview from 1997 ‘Secret Lives’ film released for first time
[ELEVEN years ago] Jeff Hawkins: How Scientology’s ‘Third Party Law’ explains anything they want it to
[TWELVE years ago] Excerpts of Lawrence Wright’s Book on Scientology are Predictably Awesome
——————–
Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,139 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,634 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,149 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,699 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,689 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,075 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,570 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,874 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,745 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,297 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,638 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,205 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,124 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,292 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,874 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,134 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,170 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,886 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,450 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,765 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,940 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,622 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,959 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,813 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,928 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,290 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,593 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,699 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,097 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,973 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,538 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,049 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,305 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,413 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on January 9, 2025 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
Q patriots see the LA fires and think, there go the Jewish space lasers again
Some links to Q-related items today
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});BREAKING: The Pacific Palisades fire is now the most destructive in Los Angeles city history, with an estimated 1,000 structures destroyed.
Follow AP's live coverage. https://t.co/8TuYlfzwJw
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 8, 2025
Governor Newsom’s office fact-checks Trump’s lies: pic.twitter.com/ha7CzKR9tz
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) January 9, 2025
The MAGA / QAnon types have thoughts on the California fires pic.twitter.com/wAUAOLuLU7
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 8, 2025
Crockett: It was my ancestors that built the White House. If we have been good enough to build this country, we are good enough to serve in other ways. Stop trying to act as if only white men are the ones that are capable because you’re sitting with 3 very capable black women pic.twitter.com/x20Vw2sQ6O
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 9, 2025
Trump continues to defend H1B visas and Elon Musk despite cries from MAGA base pic.twitter.com/7BZMuGum9J
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 9, 2025
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum claps back at Trump using a map from 1607 to say that parts of the United States should be renamed 'Mexican America' (voice translated with AI) pic.twitter.com/qdWeO443dT
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) January 8, 2025
NEW: The Greenland man Trump has made the face of his movement to take over the territory is a convicted drug dealer, violent criminal, and serial offender, according to Danish media outlets DR News and B.T. https://t.co/QF1ZU3oJL4
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) January 7, 2025
Every morning around 5am, Elon Musk awakens from the worst 37 minutes of sleep anyone can ever have and decides to start a satanic panic somewhere in the world.
— Jacob Silverman (@SilvermanJacob) January 8, 2025
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent 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 January 9, 2025 at 08:00
January 8, 2025
Scientology is back to business as usual in 2025, and wants to hear from you!
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: As 2025 begins, it appears to be business as usual for Scientology as David Miscavige’s minions continue to squeeze money out of a dwindling membership. But before they can turn the entire country ‘Ideal,’ they need to hear from you! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
——————–
Technology Cocktail
“I have made a technical breakthrough which possibly ranks with the major discoveries of the Twentieth Century. It is certainly the greatest advancement of 1973 and is now being released after a final wrap-up of research. It is called the Introspection Rundown. The purpose of the Introspection RD is to locate and correct those things which cause a person to fixate his attention inwardly, on himself or his bank. This RD extroverts the person so that he can see his environment and therefore handle and control it.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1974
——————–
THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
——————–
THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
——————–
“In August I wrote Kennedy; he was offered by me at that time help in the space race, speeding up the IQ, straightening out pilots. And this, the White House has already asked us twice for presentations of Scientology and we’ve granted them, and they have done weird things like fire the fellow who asked for them and that sort of thing….And anyway, in August, thinking that it would be a good gesture I wrote him a letter concerning this, at the White House, and time rolled along and the FDA suddenly became very interested and the organization was sniffing around the corners. And suddenly the US government — let’s not compartment this thing down, see, it’s just the government — issued a smear campaign in the Washington press, calling us all sorts of hard names, organized this thing completely, down to the last detail and actually the papers were on the streets before anybody appeared at the organization. Interesting, isn’t it? Hours later somebody appeared at the organization. Anyway, they raided a church and seized philosophical and religious texts for burning and meters. Armed raid on a church. Stop and think about it for a moment. How could they get away with this? How’d they do this?” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 8, 1963
——————–
“An International hard news story is about to come off in this port. Nothing to do with us. But reporters will be all over the place and our rat guards are not very effective. A ‘Hard news Story’ means a staged or actual event as different than a statement by someone. As this particular staged event is not very newsworthy really and as we are lately in the news in our effort to hit at the UK Parliament, the reporters would probably use us to justify their being here. Policy is to avoid hard news stories. Don’t get mixed up in International events like revolutions or International PR efforts. Therefore, although all is cool, we’ll slide down the coast long before the event and stay here lengthily another day. DDT kills flies. What de-verminates reporters? So we sail the 11th. Hey, the reporter who painted up the Dekki Le Moate scene in DK is rumored to have been sacked! Maybe his paper had good sense after all. Holland is apparently also under control on this I hear.” — The Commodore, January 8, 1971
——————–
“Is it possible that Scientology PCs and OTs could just be sitting in a chair imagining all the time and not really running engrams or BTs? It’s all imagination. Now I don’t know if that is the case but after looking into how abberrated Hubbard and many OTs are it wouldn’t surprise me if running these things are just a waste of time. Seriously, like fact check OT 3, fact check the whole religion. It might ruin Scientology for you but I’ve concluded certain parts are great, maybe 50 percent of it, but the rest is terrible and some people get gobbled up by it all.”
1998: CBS investigative show Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel aired a broadcast about Lisa McPherson’s death at the hands of Scientology. Sue M. provided a transcript. Some excerpts: “She was not rich, famous, or powerful. but in death, Lisa McPherson is grabbing headlines normally reserved for Scientology’s celebrity followers. That’s because after two years, the death of Lisa McPherson remains to many a mystery. Lisa, a devout Scientologist, spent the last 17 days of her life confined to a room inside this hotel owned by Scientology. Church records show that during that time, Lisa became violent, refusing to eat or sleep. The tragedy has left Lisa’s aunt and closest living relative, Dell Liebreich, searching for answers. KRISTEN JEANNETTE-MYERS: Do you think criminal charges should be filed? LIEBREICH: I definitely do. I definitely do. Because I feel like they killed her. BONNIE PORTALANO: Lisa and the accident scene was behind our ambulance. And he says, ‘You’re never going to guess what she’s doing,’ speaking of Lisa, and I said, ‘What?’ And he said, ‘She’s taking off her clothes.’ And it was like a few seconds later she came walking down the side of our ambulance with not a stitch on. As I went to get her, you know, I said, ‘Lisa, Lisa,’ you know, ‘Why did you take your clothes off?’ And she said, ‘I wanted people to think I was crazy so then I could get some help.’ DENNIS ERLICH: I was in it for 15 years. I know that it is a cult. The step consists of locking a person in a room where they cannot communicate with anyone. No one is to communicate with them. And they’re to be kept there until they supposedly come out of their psychotic state. JEANNETTE-MEYERS: Rest and relaxation sounds like a wonderful idea. But the records say that two days into her stay she was spitting out food and vomiting, four days into her stay she was ashen faced and feverish, and then she became violent, striking the attendants, hallucinating, thinking that she’s L. Ron Hubbard, being too weak to stand, soiling herself, crying, babbling, breaking things. At that point, isn’t it clear that it’s not working? MIKE RINDER: What’s not working? JEANNETTE-MEYERS: Resting, taking her away? RINDER: I don’t think that that’s clear at all. I don’t think that you can draw inferences or conclusions from what is said. You can read other reports and later on there is a different perspective. KEN DANDAR: So could you imagine Lisa McPherson, who is mentally unstable according to Scientology, is having these people come in and try to force feed her, and she’s yelling and screaming at them. She’s banging on the wall. She’s fighting with them. She’s asking them questions. But they are not allowed to respond to her. All they can do is turn around and walk out the room, and then write a report to the case supervisor and close the door behind them. And she’s not allowed to leave. RINDER: Dandar is an idiot. That’s my response to that. He hasn’t got a clue. He is the worst of the worst of what makes the American legal system so out of control. He is an ambulance chasing gold digger. DANDAR: My reply to that is simple: If they had called an ambulance for Lisa McPherson, I wouldn’t be here today. BRYANT GUMBEL: Those affiliated with Scientology ran an orchestrated campaign pressuring us to not run the piece you just watched. Do you not consider the mysterious death of a young woman in the care of Scientologists as a valid reason for outside questions? HEBER JENTZSCH: I consider the fact that your people were given information, Bryant, that they did not put on the show, and there were various specific information that they could have used. Joan Wood, the medical examiner, she never did the autopsy on this case. And that was known to your people. It was done by a Dr. Davis, and he did the actual autopsy, OK? And in his autopsy, he said he did not agree with Joan Wood, the medical examiner. Davis did about 25 autopsies, 24 were completed. One was not completed. The reason that one, on Lisa McPherson, was not completed was because his notes were not available. They were not available because Joan Wood, the medical examiner, destroyed those notes. Then, she goes on national tabloid TV and starts blabbing about all these kinds of accusations and so forth. That is sickening to me. It is sickening that it has to be done that way when your people had the information. And then she says to Davis, who did — GUMBEL: Mr. Jentzsch, even if I accept that those people loved her and wanted to take care of her, your own logs clearly depict a woman with a deteriorating mental condition and failing health. Do your people have no responsibility to have those maladies professionally addressed? JENTZSCH: You’re saying that a psychiatrist is going to do something which is gonna be better. You know, there s a case in Miami, Florida which dealt with this directly. And there was a fellow who was also dramatizing like this and carrying on. You know what they did to him? Eleven attendants jumped him. They threw a blanket around his head. They kneed him in the back, they knocked him down — GUMBEL: I never mentioned the word ‘psychiatrist’, sir — JENTZSCH (raising voice more): I know, but you and I talked earlier today and I did mention it and you know that that’s part of this case and you know that was part of the–the problem with this, okay? Psychiatrists destroy people’s lives. They have the highest incidents of rape and so forth. She didn’t want to go there. It’s very clear — GUMBEL: They have the highest incidents of rape? JENTZSCH (raising voice more): Of any profession. There’s 2,500 indictments against psychiatrists in this country last year alone. Why would you go to a bunch of people like that who use electric shock? And that causes brain damage. That destroys people lives. She didn’t want to go there. She had a right not to go there with a psychiatrist.”
——————–
“It really doesn’t matter if the people still in the Church of Scientology are happy or not because the organization itself is a criminal conspiracy that needs to be brought down. Are we suppose to go easy on organized crime because its members might be, generally speaking, having a good time?”
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7, 2023. Appeal brief due by December 23.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing January 13, 2025.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud, awaiting sentencing.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Judge Hammock’s ruling is on appeal.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1.
——————–
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 BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. 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] Have you made your Scientology ‘postulates’ for the new year, space cadet?
[TWO years ago] VIDEO: Danny Masterson on the best way to make a move on a woman
[THREE years ago] Scientology leader David Miscavige praised in videos on David Miscavige’s website
[FOUR years ago] Scientology continues to harry Mark Bunker over his every utterance
[FIVE years ago] If Scientology forced your children to disconnect from you, what would you do?
[SIX years ago] Tonight, Leah Remini makes it clear how much Scientology worships money above all else
[SEVEN years ago] Joy Villa’s ex talks about her domestic violence arrest and the child she put up for adoption
[EIGHT years ago] Talking to the FBI agent who canceled her talk at Scientology’s ‘mecca’
[NINE years ago] Jon Atack: The best thing ever written about the language traps in Scientology’s Bible, ‘Dianetics’
[TEN years ago] Jefferson Hawkins provides Scientology a way to happiness that actually works
[ELEVEN years ago] We talk to Ray Jeffrey about today’s brutally long day in a Texas court battling Scientology
[TWELVE years ago] Nancy Many’s Life in Scientology Dramatized on January 16 Investigation Discovery Series
——————–
Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,138 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,633 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,148 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,698 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,688 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,074 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,569 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,873 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,744 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,296 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,637 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,204 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,123 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,291 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,873 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,133 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,169 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,885 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,449 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,764 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,939 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,621 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,958 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,812 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,927 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,289 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,592 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,698 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,096 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,972 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,537 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,048 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,304 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,412 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on January 8, 2025 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
Canuckistan: Trump eyes starting three wars in N. America for Manifest Destiny
Some links to Q-related items today
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Moving the burned-out remains of what little trust and safety they intend to retain out of California and into Texas is the most dog-whistly dog whistle you've ever heard https://t.co/0Pl8qaUn97
— Chris Stokel-Walker (@stokel) January 7, 2025
More with @MikeIsaac —
"Mr. Zuckerberg grew frustrated with the lack of credit the company was given for trying to tamp down misinformation, two people close to the chief executive said. He felt that the time and effort Meta had put into the initiative was seeing diminishing… pic.twitter.com/YvE0YeDzJj
— Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) January 7, 2025
New from 404 Media: Facebook is deleting internal employee criticism of its new board hire UFC president and CEO Dana White. Facebook also deleting internal employee posts asking why the first ones deleted https://t.co/eN2Bpnd7Qn pic.twitter.com/jWK12U6fl6
— Joseph Cox (@josephfcox) January 7, 2025
Per court filngs, there *were* guns amid the mob on Jan 6https://t.co/PWVM4YExPq pic.twitter.com/owTRlA3hjb
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) January 7, 2025
Yikes pic.twitter.com/hsWyKcuaZO
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 8, 2025
Just posted by Trump. Unhinged. pic.twitter.com/cDp8GJvJvA
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 8, 2025
The tales of time traveler Harry Truman https://t.co/jrr0iccyii
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 7, 2025
I was saying this to my Mom earlier. The same guys who celebrated "four years, zero wars," are now celebrating starting three wars simultaneously. https://t.co/o0WYflJZAJ
— Eric the Deep State Operative (@NotBadgers) January 8, 2025
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent 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 January 8, 2025 at 08:00
January 7, 2025
The Mike Rinder they knew, from Lawrence Wright, John Sweeney and more
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Yesterday, we posted tributes from Alex Gibney, Spanky Taylor, Tracey McManus and others, but the messages keep coming with memories of Mike Rinder that we knew you would want to see, from author Lawrence Wright, journalist John Sweeney, Claire Headley, and more. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
——————–
Technology Cocktail
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“Quite often an injury or illness will miraculously clear up before one has run all the steps possible. If this is the case one should end off any further assist. All auditing of injured or ill people must be kept fairly light. Errors in TRs (such as a bad TR 4), errors in tech rebound on them very heavily. An ill or injured person can easily be audited into a mess if the processes are too heavy for him to handle and if the auditor is goofing. Very exact in-tech, good TRs, good metering sessions are all that should be tolerated in assists. An auditor has it in his power to make pcs recover spectacularly. That power is in direct proportion to his flawlessness as an auditor. Only the most exact and proper tech will produce the desired result. If you truly want to help your fellows, that exact skill and those results are very well worth having.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1972
——————–
THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
——————–
THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond
[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
——————–
“There is nothing more simple than for a fellow to duplicate himself any place in the universe because he isn’t any place in the universe because he is every place in the universe. Any one of you immediately, any one of you immediately answers up to the definition that has been given the anthropomorphic itself entitled God. Any one of you, because you’re everywhere on omniscient and omnipresent, and on the bus, and everything.” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 7, 1954
——————–
“ETHICS: JOHN and DORA HANNIDES are assigned a Condition of Treason for leaving the SO under false pretenses. They may not be audited or trained until they have fully applied the formula. They may not be communicated with. Their only terminal is an Ethics Officer in a Continental Liaison Office or S.O. ship.” — Flag 3rd Mate for L. Ron Hubbard, Commodore, January 7, 1971
——————–
“The Satanic cult of the Elite have many names, they go by Deep State, Illuminati, Globalists, the Cabal, and many others. Their front organizations include the Fed Reserve, UN, CIA, FBI, IRS, CNN, ABC, NBC, BBC, Hollywood, Planned Parenthood (mass murderers), Disney, CONcast… they own and control nearly all of the Main Stream Media including nearly all newspapers and TV. They own all the Central Banks, they own all railroads, all energy companies, most of the great manufacturing, they own and control all the drug cartels. They formerly owned and controlled North Korea, Iran, China… all of the terrorist states, all terrorist organizations. They were responsible for all the school shooter events, all false flag events including 9-11, Last Vegas shooting, the California fires, Pearl Harbor, you name it. They created WWI, WWII. They created Socialism, the NAZIs (a Socialist party), Fascism, Communism. They owned and controlled the Democratic party and until recently also the Republican party. Every US President was one of [them] with the exception of JFK whom they murdered, and Regan whom they tried to murder, and Donald J Trump who is beating them all with the help of Patriots in the US Military. The Cabal owned/controlled almost everything. And literally everything we thought we knew about how the world worked was wrong just like everything some of us once thought we knew about Scientology was wrong. How could anyone bring down the Church of Scientology as long as Big Brother had the CoS under their wing? It was hopeless. The correct target to end CoS corruption was to bring down the Deep State so I shifted my support to that end. Incredible strides have been made.”
——————–
1997: Jeff Jacobsen received a mailing from the New CAN, also known as Scientology. “I got ‘Information Series #2 from the Cult Apologist… er, Awareness Network, titled ‘Fact vs. Fiction – Scientology: the inside story at last’. What bogus junk. ‘All denominations are welcome in Scientology.’ Ha. It’s just a short summary of the basic public mumbo jumbo the church puts out. So, it appears that CAN is now promoting religions! Strange, you wouldn’t think another organization would be needed to promote some religion, but there it is.”
——————–
“Phew, I’m just getting back after sitting in the alley for 2 hours with the cats after some asshole in the building tried to set some other guy’s door on fire. The firemen said we were very lucky the ornament that the asshole tried to start the fire with went out otherwise we would have all been toast. Isn’t life grand?”
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7, 2023. Appeal brief due by December 23.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing January 13, 2025.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud, awaiting sentencing.
Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1.
——————–
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 BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. 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] Judge is fed up with sniping between legal teams for Scientology and Leah Remini
[TWO years ago] PODCAST: Karen de la Carriere says former president of Scientology is in a nursing home
[THREE years ago] Scientology celebrates the sheer competence of a superpower OT 8, and so will we
[FOUR years ago] Eyewitness: David Miscavige presided at New Year’s Eve party at Scientology’s Flag Land Base
[FIVE years ago] Henning Heldt, 1945-2020: Scientology’s 1970s spymaster went to prison for L. Ron Hubbard
[SIX years ago] A Scientologist on trial for double murder: A story the church is very nervous about
[SEVEN years ago] When two political longshots spar over Joy Villa and Scientology, everyone wins
[EIGHT years ago] Phil and Willie Jones launch a new effort for billboard about Scientology disconnection
[NINE years ago] AUDIO: Hear Scientology boast about the $5.7 million it got from Google in free ads
[TEN years ago] The new Scientology ad running on TV — and maybe for the Super Bowl
[ELEVEN years ago] See Scientology’s new TV ad before it’s released — and more IAS gala video!
[TWELVE years ago] John Sweeney Talks The Church of Fear, Which Comes Out Today
——————–
Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,137 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,632 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,147 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,697 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,687 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,073 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,568 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,872 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,743 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,295 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,636 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,203 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,122 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,290 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,872 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,132 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,168 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,884 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,448 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,763 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,938 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,620 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,957 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,811 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,926 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,288 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,591 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,697 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,095 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,971 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,536 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,047 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,303 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,411 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on January 7, 2025 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
Hulk Hogan hears boos from fans for his Trump support
Some links to Q-related items today
New — Trump’s co-defendants in the classified docs case are asking Judge Cannon in an emergency motion for a hearing and to block Special Counsel Jack Smith from issuing a Final Report https://t.co/yl4ZAMS1TW
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) January 7, 2025
Wife leaves MAGA influencer who was caught posing as a Black woman online pic.twitter.com/CrB11iaqVL
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 7, 2025
"Don’t let Trump and his acolytes rewrite your memories of that awful day. Take them with you, speak of them often, tell those too young or disengaged to have been watching what you saw. Don’t allow them to cynically deny what they did."https://t.co/TiC6Cao4Bb
— Mike Rothschild (@rothschildmd on blu sky) (@rothschildmd) January 6, 2025
January 6th “peaceful protester” pic.twitter.com/iL6q3CLgyQ
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 6, 2025
NEW: Donald Trump's attorneys were in court on the anniverasry of the Jan. 6 attack arguing that the Supreme Court's immunity ruling should help them defeat civil lawsuits stemming from the violence.
w/ @joshgerstein https://t.co/h5TsvVnnAZ
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) January 6, 2025
ICYMI, I was featured in this NPR story about QAnon and January 6th which ran on Morning Edition last week. It's always a thrill to be on national radio, even if it's for something awful.https://t.co/DExCYrGOv7
— Mike Rothschild (@rothschildmd on blu sky) (@rothschildmd) January 6, 2025
Twitter is now giving me ads for videos on how to become a litigious sovereign citizen. I used to get ads for Disney and Apple pic.twitter.com/xCZVi0ZCP6
— Aric Toler (@AricToler) January 6, 2025
Trump supporter Hulk Hogan was greeted with boos during a surprise appearance on Monday Night RAW in Inglewood, CA. pic.twitter.com/IJyf0sHGHY
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 7, 2025
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent 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 January 7, 2025 at 08:00
January 6, 2025
Memories of Mike Rinder from people who knew and admired him
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We asked readers to send memories of Mike Rinder, and the response has been overwhelming. Here are just some of the messages we received, from ‘Going Clear’ director Alex Gibney, to co-star Spanky Taylor, to journalists Tracey McManus, Steve Cannane and Bryan Seymour, and more. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
——————–
Technology Cocktail
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“Painters and artists buy the idea they are benefited by aberration. ‘Be glad you are neurotic’ was a trick being played by the late and unlamented psychiatrists on artists. One paints because he can push into execution what he visualizes. The best painters were the least aberrated. Greenwich Village or Left Bank artists, when they don’t paint, never suspect it’s because they just can’t overcome hand inertia to push a paint brush!” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1972
——————–
THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
——————–
THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond
[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
——————–
“Now, I have actually seen auditors get jealous of their preclears simply because the preclear did so well. And the auditor couldn’t rest till he dropped a vase on the preclear’s foot or upset the ashtray or did something. I know of one case — very, very remarkable — of a guy very highly connected, and in fact the source of trouble in the Wichita Foundation, who had a blind man with his sight on and who forcefully and violently kicked the foot of the bed on which he was auditing this blind man. You know, the sight came on and he kicked the foot of the bed. And the shock was considerable there and it took the blind man’s sight off. Nobody else processed the blind man, either. As far as I know he’s blind to this moment.” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 6, 1955
——————–
“WRITING: My writing hat has backlogged due to storms and ship reorganization. I am trying to get onto it. So much new data has been developed that the recording of if would be 10 full time jobs. Fortunately it is simple in structure.” — The Commodore, January 6, 1971
——————–
“David Miscavige is likely to be swept up in a series of mass arrests in the coming weeks/months. There are 163,469 sealed indictments waiting to be unsealed. 12,275 politicians, CEOs, etc., have been quietly forced to resign. Ships are stationed on the east and west coasts, the military is ACTIVE, and Gitmo is waiting. Military Tribunals may try those charged. Q communicates on a military hardened website called 8kun. He communicates to the Anons. If you remember, the Anons made history calling out the Church of Scientology. The Anons ‘never forget’.”
——————–
1996: The proceedings of the New Years event at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles were posted this week. Keith Spurgeon wrote: “Miscavige begins to speak – he immediately launches into an attack against lies, liars, and the tech of how to get to the bottom of lies; he says
that the culprits for the ‘lies’ are the ‘whole track psychs’. Miscavige does not get into any more detail about it; this is the most interesting
speech I’ve ever seen Miscavige give in an event – I’ve never seen Miscavige look paranoid or scared, although most watching probably didn’t have the same impression that I did. The statistical growth of Scientology is presented throughout the event by Church bigwigs such as Marc Yager, Ray Mithoff, Ronnie Miscavige, Guillaume Leserve, etc. Even Heber Jentzsch makes a speech, which is enlightening only to the extent that it reveals Heber’s mental condition. Too many laps around the pole, I guess. The stats that were cited this year as signs of Church expansion were all pretty lame: Missions, Groups, and Orgs were combined into one statistic, for example. The problem is that any time two people get together and do auditing outside of the Church (like to do Dianetics -Book 1- auditing at a seminar, that could constitute a group). Heber’s classic comment of the night went something like this: ‘There are some deep dark areas of this planet where only uttering the name L. Ron Hubbard will guarantee you safe passage, because LRH’s name COMMANDS RESPECT!!!’ Go figure where he was talking about… RPF!!?? Apparently, the Colombian Army is being trained in the Way to Happiness.”
——————–
“Scientologists have had a King Arthur fetish going back to day one. LRH moving to England buying a ‘castle,’ very expected and cliched to say the least. Knights of the Three Card Monte Table, here to save the world.”
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7, 2023. Appeal brief due by December 23.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing January 13, 2025.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Judge Hammock’s ruling is on appeal.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1.
——————–
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 BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. 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] PODCAST: Remembering Andreas Heldal-Lund with Tory Christman
[TWO years ago] Danny Masterson wants rape charges thrown out, citing our jury foreman interview
[THREE years ago] Another Scientology ‘Chase Wave’ eyewitness drops by, and brings a check
[FOUR years ago] Danny Masterson’s attorneys scheduled to enter not guilty plea for him today
[FIVE years ago] Scientology’s ‘Purif’ detox gets the ‘Reckless Ben’ treatment in video debuting here today
[SIX years ago] Scientologists told to seize on Australian stabbing death as a recruiting opportunity
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology actress Jenna Elfman fully stoked by church’s new expansion push!
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology’s disgusting secret: Young teens used to interrogate adults about their sex lives
[NINE years ago] Scientology becoming a ghost town; ALSO: Illinois man arrested for threatening Miscavige
[TEN years ago] Ryan Hamilton makes it 26 lawsuits against Scientology’s drug rehab scheme
[ELEVEN years ago] VIDEO LEAK: Scientology’s November IAS Gala, featuring a slimmed-down David Miscavige
[TWELVE years ago] Sunday Funnies: Scientology Finds a Better Use for ‘Dianetics’!
——————–
Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,136 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,631 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,146 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,696 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,686 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,072 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,567 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,871 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,742 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,294 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,635 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,202 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,121 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,289 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,871 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,131 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,167 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,883 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,447 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,762 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,937 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,619 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,956 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,810 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,925 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,287 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,590 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,696 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,094 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,970 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,535 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,046 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,302 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,410 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 6, 2025 at 07:00
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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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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…
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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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