You can hardly imagine our glee when we opened the special issue of Freedom magazine that hit Scientology’s website yesterday and found what’s going to be coming soon to the Scientology television network.
The entire special issue of Freedom is about Scientology TV, which debuted with a monologue by church leader David Miscavige on March 12. Since then, on DirecTV Channel 320 and on various streaming apps, Scientology TV has been broadcasting 24 hours a day, with most of it being pretty unwatchable church propaganda about itself.
We did find one program pretty fascinating, about the nutty project of storing L. Ron Hubbard’s words so they last 12,000 years, but otherwise, trying to watch these slickly produced infomercials is simply brutal.
Until now! According to the Freedom magazine special issue, we’ll soon get to see the great minds of Freedom itself on the Scientology channel!
Freedom TV will offer news, public affairs reporting, documentary-style investigations and behind-the-scenes work stressing journalistic ethics and covering stories corporate-controlled mainstream media chooses to ignore: factual and responsible coverage addressing social justice, individual liberties and social reform.
That’s a lot of coded language, and it’s hard for us to know if that means Freedom TV will be like the extremely boring public-affairs stuff it was doing in recent years…
Or a reversion to the much more fun past, when Freedom was a goofy attack dog for taking on Miscavige’s enemy of the month…
We can hardly wait to find out.
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A Freewinds Shabbat!
Scientology loves to pretend that it’s not merely a shameless grift by setting up various “interfaith” activities. We constantly hear from Scientology shills that you can be both a Christian and a Scientologist, or a Jew and a Scientologist, or whatever. But Mike Rinder has explained in detail how that’s a sham.
Still, Scientology loves to put on a show to pretend that it belongs among the world’s actual established faiths. It held, for example, another “International Congress of Religious Freedom” aboard its private cruise ship, the Freewinds, and this was the result…
Here’s the actual caption, from Colombian Rabbi Richard Gamboa Ben-Eleazar: “First time, in the 30 years of existence of the #cruise “Freewinds”, the #shabbat candles were lighted. Merry and historical moment that shaked our hearts and fanned our #jewish souls.”
And the good rabbi couldn’t pass up an opportunity to do a little celebrity gladhanding…
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Make your plans now!
Wow, it’s already April! Our flight and hotel is booked — who’s going to join us in Chicago? Remember, Friday (June 22) is Fly Day, and Saturday night (June 23) Chicago Fire star Christian Stolte will be helping us present things on stage as we hold our event at an actual theater this year. It’s going to be a wild time. Head over to our HowdyCon 2018 website to start making your travel plans!
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Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 5,079 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 1,682 days
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 225 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,288 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,062 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 2,836 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,182 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 2,676 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 1,716 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 1,428 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 954 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,043 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,183 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 2,503 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,478 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 834 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,136 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,242 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 1,645 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 1,517 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,099 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 1,604 days.
Mary Jane Sterne has not seen her daughter Samantha in 1,848 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 12,957 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 9, 2018 at 07:00
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Our book, 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, 1995-2017 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Undergound Bunker (2012-2017), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…
BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. 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
Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten 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
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
