Our video source is back to help us keep tripping through Scientology recent history. Last time, we showed you the first portion of the 2006 IAS gala in England. We would show you the rest of that celebration, but it melted our brains in boredom, so we’re going to spare you.
Instead, we’re moving ahead to the next big date on the Scientology calendar, and today we have the first portion of the New Year’s Eve 2007 party in Los Angeles.
After another patented 10-minute intro reviewing Scientology’s accomplishments in 2006, leader David Miscavige once again comes out on stage to soak up the adulation of the crowd at the Shrine Auditorium.
Ah, the good old days, when Scientology could actually fill a hall as big as the Shrine. One thing we kept thinking as we watched Miscavige brag and boast: This is the year of “The Basics,” and the start of the real exodus from the ranks of the longtime disaffected. You’re watching a group on the brink of major decline.
Miscavige is in classic form as he announces with typical machismo that Scientology is “about to stuff and mount another year on the wall, so lock and load!”
He then goes into his usual spin about how 2006 was the greatest year ever, yadda, yadda, yadda. But we found his boasting about an increase in press coverage particularly interesting. Look closely at the imagery that flies by, and you can see that what Miscavige considers positive press for Scientology was actually coverage of “the wedding of the century” — the November 2006 wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.
Miscavige calls it “More coverage of Dianetics and Scientology in the last year than in the last decade.”
So if you ever had any doubt what Scientology wants from Tom Cruise, now you know.
Miscavige also cites a bunch of large numbers about how Scientology is expanding at light speed. But one stat stood out to us: A new OT 7 or OT 8 every day.
Wait, a new OT 7 or OT 8 every day? You mean, in 163 countries with thousands of orgs and groups (yeah, right), Scientology can only manage 365 new OT 7s and OT 8s a year?
Maybe this planet won’t be cleared soon after all.
Anyway, Miscavige then turns to Scientology’s number one campaign in 2006 — the “global obliteration of psychiatry.”
And this one actually got them in a little trouble. Some portions of this video were leaked back in 2008, which showed Miscavige talking about how “We booby-trapped the whole psychiatric eco-system.”
Miscavige then turns to campaign #2, the use of a human rights campaign to rope in kids around the world (thanks, Legoland).
And then campaign #3, to get a copy of the bland moral guidebook, The Way to Happiness, into the hands of every person on earth.
As part of that campaign, Miscavige features “Hip-hop fashion queen Kimora Lee Simmons,” who was married to rap mogul Russell Simmons at the time, and her face on the cover of a custom TWTH.
The psychiatry threats and Simmons on the cover got Scientology into a little hot water in the press when that portion was leaked in 2008.
Miscavige then runs through the accomplishments of the Volunteer Ministers and the early successes of the Ideal Org program, and then makes everyone sit through video of the opening of the Ideal Org in London.
Then, a bittersweet moment for us. Miscavige brings out ABLE president Rena Weinberg to talk about Criminon and Narconon.
As we reported years ago, Rena was seen later that year by other prisoners of The Hole, and she’s never been seen in public since. We’d love to know if she’s all right.
Rena pointed out something about Criminon that we hadn’t thought of before, and we couldn’t help get a chuckle from it. She notes that all criminals will eventually be re-entering society. If not in this lifetime, then another one. Well, she’s got us there!
Enjoy this look at Scientology before things started to get really ugly. Let us know if you see anyone interesting in the crowd!
Oh, hey, and did you notice this? At one point Miscavige talks about beaming video into Iran, and who do you think they featured?
Yep, that’s Nazanin Boniadi. Who, in 2006, was apparently still in the church despite what she had been through in late 2004 and early 2005, serving as the church-appointed girlfriend to Tom Cruise.
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Bare-Faced Messiah now in paperback!
Humfrey Hunter of Silvertail Books put Bare-Faced Messiah back in print in 2014, 27 years after its first publication. Russell Miller’s epic biography of L. Ron Hubbard is, for our money, the finest book in the Scientology field, and we can’t recommend it highly enough.
Now, Humfrey has let us know that he’s put Bare-Faced Messiah in paperback, and it’s now available at Amazon. Pick up your copy in time for Christmas!
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Bonus photos from our tipsters
It’s a clay demo orgy in Brazil!
Gorsh, the Freewinds is swell. OK, where’s the bar?
ClearTrack studio in Clearwater — this is clam-related, right?
Thanks, Legoland. Now kids in India have to listen to these creeps.
In Latvia, Mr. L. Ron Hubbard comes with caek!
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BOOK NOTES
We didn’t get a chance to include photos in our book, so we’ve posted them at a dedicated page. Reader Sookie put together a complete index and we’re hosting it here on the website. Copies of the paperback version of ‘The Unbreakable Miss Lovely’ are on sale at Amazon. The Kindle edition is also available, and shipping instantly.
Our book tour is concluded for now. (But you can re-experience it through this nifty interactive map!) We’ll let you know about future appearances. Previous events: Santa Barbara (5/16), Hollywood (5/17), Orange County (5/17), San Diego (5/20), San Francisco (5/22), New York (6/11), Chicago (6/20), Toronto (6/22), Clearwater (6/28), Washington DC (7/12), Hartford (7/14), Denver (7/17), Dallas (7/20), Houston (7/22), San Antonio (7/24), Austin (7/25), Paris (7/29), London (8/4), Boston (8/24), Phoenix (9/15), Cleveland (9/23), Minneapolis (9/24), Portland (9/27), Seattle (9/28), Vancouver BC (9/29), Sydney (10/23), Melbourne (10/25), Adelaide (10/28), Perth (10/30)
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Posted by Tony Ortega on December 12, 2015 at 07:00
E-mail your tips and story ideas to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. Here at the Bunker we try to have a post up every morning at 7 AM Eastern (Noon GMT), and on some days we post an afternoon story at around 2 PM. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…
BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of LA attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
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
PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer
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
Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield
