In 2011 we spent the month of August counting down a list of the “Top 25 People Crippling Scientology.” Nine years later, Scientology is still hurting, but church leader David Miscavige learned long ago that paid membership was only one resource that kept him in business. He also relies on a small army of enablers, some paid, some not, who help him stay in business even though they aren’t Scientologists themselves. So we thought we’d recognize them with this countdown.
As Leah Remini revealed here at the Underground Bunker on July 27, there really is a lot to ask Tom Cruise about his involvement in Scientology, from the way his marriages have been broken up by David Miscavige, to the disappearance of Dave’s wife Shelly, to the way Tom has cut his daughter Suri out of his life to protect Scientology.
But Cruise is a big movie star, and big movie stars never get asked those sorts of questions.
Why not? Well, Graham Norton explained it to Jenny McCarthy on her SiriusXM radio show in May…
I’m not that guy. I’m there to facilitate you telling some funny stories and talking about your movie or your book or whatever — that’s not my job. You know, people say, you know, if I have someone like Tom Cruise on, they’re kind of like, oh, did you ask him about Scientology? Like, no of course I didn’t, because I’d like him to come back, you know. And he’s an interesting one where he doesn’t say, he doesn’t say ‘don’t talk about anything.’ He he comes in and you can ask him anything. But he knows that his cachet as a star is still high enough that I don’t want to piss him off. I want to keep him happy. And also, what am I gonna get? Like I’m not gonna get, he’s not gonna go, Graham, I’m so glad you asked me, let me tell you, let me tell you everything.
There you have it. So even though the most interesting thing about Tom Cruise is that despite being the biggest movie star in the world, he’s allowed his utter devotion to Scientology to rip apart his own family so that he doesn’t see his own daughter, he never gets asked about it. Or that the best man at his last two weddings, David Miscavige, is the worldwide leader of an international human trafficking organization that employs child labor, forces young women to have abortions, and has banished his wife to a small mountain compound for the last 15 years.
How hard is it, really, to ask Tom Cruise why Shelly Miscavige doesn’t get to visit her own family? David Miscavige could literally not get away with imprisoning his own wife if it were not for, in part, the star power that Cruise lends Miscavige and his organization.
Some day, someone is finally going to get the chance to ask Tom Cruise this question: How did you make the choice to throw aside your own daughter for your dedication to a dead science fiction writer who wrote these words in 1950: “The seven-year-old girl who shudders because a man kisses her is not computing; she is reacting to an engram since at seven she should see nothing wrong in a kiss, not even a passionate one. There must have been an earlier experience, possibly prenatal, which made men or kissing very bad.”
When Tom is confronted with that question, it will bring the sort of worldwide attention that would make even Graham Norton shiver. Perhaps he’ll even be in the gallery at the courthouse with us when it happens.
The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology
3: The judges
4: The LAPD
5: The dirty tricks private eyes
6: The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department
7: The litigators
8: The ghost private eyes
9: The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office
11: Gary Soter
12: The city of Clearwater, Florida
13: Google and other tech titans
14: The Los Angeles Times
15: Jeffrey Riffer
16: James Packer
17: Louis Farrakhan
18: Mark “Marty” Rathbun
19: Wally Pope
20: Gensler
21: Parents who subscribe to ABCMouse
22: Graham Norton and other celebrity strokers
23: The apologist academics
25: DirecTV and filmmakers buffing Dave’s channel
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Bonus items from our tipsters
Yesterday’s leak of Scientologist Sea Org Day posts had a huge response. So our tipster sent over a few more that came in late…
“Some prenatal engrams (you find this out when you are clearing a case) will have slumbered 20 or 30 years with no reactivation, yet will be vicious engrams. For instance, in one case there must have been about 110 engrams, each one of which called for an enormously powerful migraine headache, and not one of them reactivated until the person was 22 years of age. Then, chain fashion, they all reactivated. The mysterious cause of the migraine headache was evidently an airplane crash where the person got a headache. Actually there was not even a head injury in the airplane crash, but there were about three words spoken while the person was unconscious which reactivated the chain.” — L. Ron Hubbard, August 15, 1950
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“Only PTS people are susceptible to catching diseases, according to LRH.”
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“Oops, sounds like Marty had what they call in A.A. a ‘slip.’ Hopefully it doesn’t turn into a full blown relapse.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Arraignment scheduled for September 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay’s sentencing is set for August 27 in White Plains, NY
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Next pretrial conference set for Jan 12 in Los Angeles
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Motion for reconsideration denied on August 11
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Sept 4 (CSI/RTC demurrer against Riales, Masterson demurrer), Oct 7-19 (motions to compel arbitration)
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach bankruptcy appeal: Oral arguments were heard on March 11 in Jacksonville
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021
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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?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] ‘Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath’ will end with a 2-hour special August 26
[TWO years ago] A life connected to some of our biggest Scientology stories ends in a terrible way
[THREE years ago] Leah Remini goes there: Child molestation in Scientology for tonight’s ‘Aftermath’ premiere
[FOUR years ago] Former Scientology mouthpiece Tommy Davis is settling into his new role as Hollywood exec
[FIVE years ago] Why no one should ever join Scientology’s ‘Sea Org’
[SIX years ago] Ryan Hamilton files 19th lawsuit against Scientology’s drug rehab network
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology is Obsessed with Getting Books in Libraries — Here Are the Real Stats!
[NINE years ago] The Top 25 People Crippling Scientology, No. 21: Kendrick Moxon
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 2,030 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,534 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,054 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,074 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 965 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,272 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,140 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,914 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,718 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,034 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,600 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,519 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,687 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,268 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,529 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,567 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,280 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,805 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,335 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,895 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,035 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,355 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,210 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,329 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,685 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,988 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,094 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,496 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,368 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,951 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,446 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,700 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,809 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on August 15, 2020 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, 1995-2019 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2019), 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, 14 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
