Our thanks to the tipster who helps us keep an eye on the sneaky ways that Scientology’s “Foundation for a Drug-Free World” infiltrates various institutions and events, looking for opportunities to rope in unsuspecting politicians and law enforcement officials. And yes, athletes.
This time, they really landed a big fish.
Yes, that’s NBA legend Charles Barkley being gladhanded by a couple of minions from Drug-Free World at a golf tournament in August — OT 8 Scientologist John Chan on the left and OT 5 Matt Hines on the right. We just received the photo and haven’t reached out to Sir Charles, but we’re going to guess that Barkley had no idea that he was posing for a photo that the Church of Scientology was very happy to get.
So how did this happen?
Remember Chris Tucker? He’s the comic actor who starred with Jackie Chan in the Rush Hour movies. These days he has a foundation that puts on a celebrity golf tournament each year to benefit kids in the Atlanta area, where Tucker is from.
For some reason, Tucker also had Scientology’s Foundation for a Drug-Free World on hand at the event this year, which took place on August 24 at the gorgeous Stone Mountain Golf Course.
Tucker did his best to look interested in what the Scientologists had to say.
And besides Tucker and Barkley, the Scientologists also snagged a close-up photo with former New York Giants great Lawrence Taylor…
For years, we’ve been documenting how this front group has been infiltrating New York City schools with the help of the NYPD and local politicians. But it’s especially galling to see the Church of Scientology pretending that it knows something about addiction and drugs in, of all places, Georgia.
Back in 2008, when a patient at one of its bogus Narconon clinics located in the Atlanta area died from a heroin overdose, the ensuing wrongful death lawsuit filed by the patient’s family led to an avalanche of stunning evidence documenting how much the Scientology drug rehab was a deceptive disaster waiting to happen.
The clinic, for example, didn’t even have a license to house patients, but its executive director kept a double set of letterhead in order to deceive courts of law that it had the licensing for in-patient care.
Think about that for a moment. If it came out that, say, the manager of a driving school was sending fake letterhead to local judges in order to keep receiving court-ordered referrals, how quickly do you think law enforcement would have that person in handcuffs? But with Scientology, not so much.
The clinic was closed permanently after it was raided by state law enforcement looking for evidence of rampant credit-card fraud. Despite the evidence of lying to judges and double-billing patients, no one was ever charged.
But sure, Scientology today is pretending that it has legitimate expertise in fighting drug abuse, and no doubt it was thrilled to rope in a figure like Charles Barkley for use in its literature.
What an easy score.
——————–
Bonus items from our tipsters
Another fundraising opportunity…
——————–
Source Code
“Now, you’ve got the Havingness Process established. And you say, ‘Where isn’t that wall’ or whatever it is, see, whatever the Havingness Process is. ‘Thank you. Where isn’t that wall? Thank you. Where isn’t the ceiling? Thank you. Where isn’t the floor? Thank you. What have you withheld from a home?’ And the guy goes figure, figure, figure, think, think, think, clank, clank, clank, figure, figure, figure, figure, figure, figure, figure, figure, figure, figure. ‘Well, in a past life I used to take all my money down to the pub and I never gave any to the wife. I withheld money from the home.’ And you say, ‘Thank you. Where isn’t the wall? Thank you. Where isn’t that ceiling? Thank you. Where isn’t that floor? Thank you.’ Got the idea?” — L. Ron Hubbard, September 16, 1961
——————–
Overheard in the FreeZone
“There is a connection between race and the tone scale, some races are more likely to be 1.1 than others, then they end up gettting kicked out of many european countries and they claim people are mean racists when its like ‘um maybe you guys have some real bad culture business practices’.”
——————–
Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!
We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.
Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!
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 our weekly series. How many have you read?
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Scientology’s surprisingly weak attempt to turn Hurricane Florence into PR gold
[TWO years ago] Disconnected at birth — another infuriating Scientology saga
[THREE years ago] VIDEO: City council candidate exposed as Scientology spy in live public hearing
[FOUR years ago] ‘Fundamentalist’ Scientology means chasing the ideal of Neo while turning your back on family
[FIVE years ago] Scientology says it’s received $5.7 million from Google in advertising grants
[SIX years ago] TOM CRUISE IN CLEARWATER: Scientology Gathering Big Names For Product Launch
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology Dodges a Bullet in Australia: Church Told to Pay Workers, Says “We’ll Get Right On That”
[ELEVEN years ago] Jason Beghe Is Still Denouncing Scientology — This Time in Germany
——————–
Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 5,569 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 1,698 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,202 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 1,722 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 742 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 633 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 3,940 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,808 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,582 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,356 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,702 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,268 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,187 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,355 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 2,936 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,197 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,236 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 1,948 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,474 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,000 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,563 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,703 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,023 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 7,879 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,998 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,353 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,656 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,762 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,164 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,036 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,619 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,114 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,368 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,477 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on September 16, 2019 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, 1995-2018 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2018), 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, 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
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
