One of our tipsters forwarded this message to us that showed up on Facebook. It appears to claim that Scientology’s Sea Organization now requires new members to be at least 16 years old and to have a high school diploma.
We reported earlier that he had ended the notorious prison program the Rehabilitation Project Force, and that extreme pressure to donate at events might also have been toned down.
These may be reactions to so much bad press in recent years, specifically Leah Remini’s show, and we also wonder if Miscavige is listening to outside consultants that he’s known to hire.
We asked Marc Headley for his thoughts — could he see Miscavige making some changes to deal with the bad press, and does that mean Scientology has fundamentally changed for the better? Or is this just window dressing and the important problems are still in place?
Marc Headley: I’d compare this to Scientology claiming that the Fair Game Policy was “canceled” in 1968. They never “canceled” the policy of Fair Game in regards to suppressive persons. They just canceled the term “Fair Game.” Apparently, from numerous and continually documented accounts for the last 50 years, Scientology and their policy of Fair Game of people they consider SPs is alive and well.
Some random public member having a conversation with a former Cadet Supervisor means little. I do believe that Scientology and the Sea Org are not interested in being in the educating children business. They have demonstrated an appalling record and history in this area and have no business pretending to educate anybody, much less children. When Hubbard was still alive he showed his disapproval with the cadet program and this is the reason the policy became to forbid Sea Org members having children and this policy is still in place today.
To interpret this as them not recruiting children into the Sea Org is a stretch. In 1989, when I was being recruited into the Sea Org, it was stated that I would have to study daily if I did not have a GED. But as soon as I turned 16, the laws in California at the time did not require children aged 16 to attend school, and I never attended one day of school after I joined the Sea Org. Even though I did not have a GED or High School Diploma, schooling was regarded as “useless” endeavor and that what I would learn in the Sea Org would be more productive.
Additionally, after I arrived at the Int Base in 1990, numerous children showed up for full-time posts that were much younger than I. Many of these children had spent years in the Sea Org before arriving at the Int Base, and they were as young as 13 or 14 working 100-hour weeks minimum. All of this was taking place after this so-called “16 Years old” rule had been put in place. Let’s also not forget that these kids are also smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, swearing and acting like adults. Some of these kids are even interrogating 50-year adults about their sexual proclivities and “crimes” in excruciating detail.
There is also a Scientology “rule” that they are not supposed to illegally charge credits cards or members for products that did not or are not planning on purchasing. We have seen how they follow this rule in recent times.
Scientology has proven time and time again that they will “bend” or break the rules and laws as needed to suit their needs.
Then, when they get caught breaking the rules or regulations, depending on what day of the week it is or what the circumstances are will depend on their response or position.
The bottom line is that L. Ron Hubbard instructed in his writings that persons being trained to be Commodore’s messengers should be young children, and this tradition has been going on for decades.
Scientology policy states that LRH is “Source” and that what he has written can never be changed.
If Scientology is making changes because of bad press from Leah’s show, I believe those changes are being made to what people are being told and not what they are doing.
I’d bet if we were to make a list, we could come up with at least 100 kids under 16 years of age that were recruited and joined the Sea Org after the 16-year old rule was in place in the 1980’s.
——————–
Things turn ugly for Colombian Scientologist beauty magnate
We’re still hearing almost nothing from the Colombian media about the Scientology scandal it was obsessed with only a month ago. But there have been new developments in the prosecution of wealthy Bogotá Scientologist Stella Durán, who was arrested along with 13 other people for corruption involving products sold at her chain of beauty clinics around the country. The latest is that the 74-year-old businesswoman (and OT 7 Scientologist) has been allowed to go home on house arrest (despite fears that she would bribe her way out of trouble), while the other 13 are still in jail.
And now stories and images are emerging of her businesses being seized by the government. One of the businesses linked to Durán was named Torch of Light (Antorcha de Luz), and it put out “esoteric” products, including a liquid marketed as “Beloved Woman’s Milk” that promised to provide “psychic and mental powers to attract love, luck, money, and good fortune.”
It turned out to be made from an air freshener and no ingredients were actually listed on the label.
——————–
Underground Bunker TV
The programming just keeps coming at Underground Bunker TV. After posting short videos about ABCMouse, Bob Duggan, and Scientology attorney Gary Soter, today we have another short spot that brings up something we’ve covered here before. We hope these vids will draw people back here to the Bunker to seek more information. So please help us get them out into the world!
——————–
Scientology’s celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs’
We’re building landing pages about two of David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, his celebrities and his ‘Ideal Orgs.’ We’re posting a couple of pages each day, and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about each of them, in order to build a record and maintain a watch as Scientology continues its inexorable decline.
Previously, we posted pages for celebrities Anne Archer, Beck Hansen, Catherine Bell, Chick Corea, Elisabeth Moss, Erika Christensen, Ethan Suplee, Giovanni Ribisi, and Greta Van Susteren. And for the Ideal Orgs of Portland, Oregon; Sydney, Australia; San Diego, California; Denver, Colorado; Nashville, Tennessee; Perth, Australia; Tokyo, Japan; Sacramento, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Today it’s Jenna Elfman and Silicon Valley, California!
——————–
MEANWHILE, AT FACEBOOK…
Please join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
——————–
Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 5,244 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 1,847 days
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 390 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 278 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,453 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,227 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,001 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,347 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 10,913 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 2,581 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 2,841 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 1,881 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 1,593 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,119 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,208 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,348 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 2,668 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 7,524 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,643 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 999 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,301 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,407 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 1,810 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 1,681 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,264 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 1,769 days.
Mary Jane Sterne has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,013 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,122 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on September 21, 2018 at 07:00
E-mail 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. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
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
