A month ago my disconnected Scientology OT 3 brother went to California with his wife to attend his son’s wedding. My brother and his wife are both strongly anti-vaxx. My other brother, a non-Scientologist and a medical doctor tried to convince our anti-vaxx brother before he left to get vaccinated but he wouldn’t have it. He said he’d done some “research” on it. Sure.
Anyway, they were in California for several weeks. I saw the wedding photos and there were mostly all Scientologists there, and not one mask in sight. There was also no social distancing shown in plenty of group photos.
So, I just heard from my doctor brother that my OT 3 brother and his wife got back three weeks ago, and both tested positive for Covid at the border. Since then they’ve been terribly sick, coughing and hacking for the last 3 weeks.
When asked if he’s going to get vaccinated now my brother said, “No” and that he’s happy he didn’t get vaccinated because of his “research.” Say what?
I realize this isn’t something that’s only related to cults, but Scientology thinking does lean to this type of reasoning. Hubbard was rabidly anti-pharma anything, at least in his writings. Most Scientologists take it very literally and distrust anything that comes from the pharmaceutical industry. There’s no nuance. It’s black and white to many Scientologists.
Sure, there’s been over prescribing of drugs, and drug companies putting money over safety at times, but there are also some very excellent treatments that have prolonged the lives of many. Many Scientologists just won’t have anything to do with any of it.
I worry that some, or even many of those wedding goers got infected with Covid while attending, and god forbid any of them get more than just sick. I hope some of them were smart enough to get vaccinated beforehand.
I wonder if my OT 8 sister, who my OT 3 brother lives with, is giving him touch assists, or any Scientology assists. Maybe an OT 8 “postulate” would cure him.
— Phil Jones
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Jon Atack reflects on his time in Scientology
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“One day I was doing some processing on a Theta Clear and I had just lit a cigarette. And the Theta Clear was running this and running that, and trying to straighten himself out on this and change postulates on that and so forth, and all of a sudden the body sort of went rigid for an instant. And the Theta Clear must have been up in the corner or something of the sort, and the ashtray was out of my reach on a concrete floor, very slippery floor. And the ashtray was out of my reach and I had my cigarette and I was about to light it and I was looking around for an ashtray. And the ashtray came over, bzzt!, and I dropped a match in it. The thetan was just being polite, that was all, and had never thought twice about it. And I said, ‘Thank you,’ and the person became very confused. Because this person wasn’t up at the level where they were supposed to see or supposed to be or supposed to do things like that yet, you see?” — L. Ron Hubbard, September 22, 1952
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“The WHY of departure from the Ideal Scene personally and organizationally came back to recruiting and hats. Everywhere I look hats fell out on all posts. Some of the wows! I am hearing and the cogs and enthusiasm to get this back in promise fast progress for this action. It is interesting that it has taken 13 months of very hard work on my part to run down and isolate this WHY. THE WHY WAS THE ABSENCE OF FULLY CHECKED OUT HATS. Simple now you see it. Nothing is quite as obscure as an omitted datum. Now, with this hat project rolling I can get back to my own hats!” — The Commodore, September 22, 1970
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“I wouldn’t be surprised if Mark Twain and LRH were the same being. Both were prolific writers. Both were very well traveled at a young age. Both achieved notoriety.”
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1996: Attorney Graham Berry announced that he will be opposing the name change of Berendo Street in Los Angeles to L. Ron Hubbard Way. “On Tuesday, October 1, 1996, at 10:00 A.M. in the Council Chambers, Room 340, City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, California 90012, the full City Council for the City of Los Angeles will consider members John Ferraro and Richard Alatorre’s proposal to change the name of Berendo Street to ‘L. Ron Hubbard Way.’ Berendo Street abuts the Scientology complex in Hollywood. Council sources advise me that Scientology lobbyists have been pressuring each council member to vote for the proposed name change on a daily basis and have been approaching them at public functions for the same purpose. They are also conducting a major letter-writing campaign to council members and can be expected to have a large number of Scientologists turn out at the council meeting on October 1st, 1996, at which time each person wishing to speak will be given two minutes in which to make remarks. Accordingly, as many people as possible who are opposed to the name change, should be at the City Council meeting and sign in for that purpose as early as possible. Those same persons, and those who cannot attend, should at the very least e-mail the City Council members at the e-mail address provided below. The e-mail messages should provide as many reasons, and as much information as possible, preferably in verifiable detail, as to why the City Council should NOT approve the proposed name change.”
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“Scilon is a play on ‘Cylons,’ the robotic invaders in Battlestar Galactica. It is particularly appropriate because Hubbard was a science fiction writer, and the top-seekrit ‘OT levels’ are based on the belief that we are infected with ‘body thetans,’ the confused, immortal souls of space aliens who became disoriented 75 million years ago when the evil space warlord Xenu brought them to Earth (or Teegeeack, as it was known then), dropped them into volcanoes and blew them up with nuclear weapons. ‘The Scilons tried to talk me into taking a Free Personality Test.’”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Next hearing set for November 10. Trial tentatively scheduled for February.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff’s sentencing to be scheduled.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Pretrial conference October 7 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for November 19.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30, 2020 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition to US Supreme Court submitted on May 26. Scientology responded on June 25.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: California Supreme Court granted review on May 26 and asked the Second Appellate Division to direct Judge Steven Kleifield to show cause why he granted Scientology’s motion for arbitration. Oral arguments scheduled for Oct 5.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Third amended complaint filed, trial set for June 28, 2022.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 23. Appeal hearing held Aug 23-27.
Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— 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.
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THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links, including our four days in Los Angeles covering the preliminary hearing and its ruling, which has Danny facing trial and the potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison.
After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. 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 a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] VIDEO: See Danny Masterson’s initial court appearance on rape charges
[TWO years ago] Scientology is making plans for a Narconon drug rehab in the land of the rising sun
[THREE years ago] Get a look inside Nathan Rich’s unique book about his Scientology upbringing
[FOUR years ago] Scientology’s tiger: How L. Ron Hubbard created a language trap
[FIVE years ago] ‘The Unbreakable Miss Lovely’ goes on sale as an audiobook on September 29
[SIX years ago] Visualizing Scientology’s latest ‘Going Clear’ public relations disaster
[SEVEN years ago] New videos leaked from Scientology, including a sobering call for help from Nashville
[EIGHT years ago] The Scientology Guide to Craigslist
[TEN years ago] Scientology Overseas: More Bad News in Australia, Israel, and the UK
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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 2,431 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,936 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,456 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,476 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,367 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,674 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,542 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,316 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,646 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,120 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,436 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,002 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,921 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,089 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,670 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,931 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,968 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,682 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,207 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 562 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,737 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,288 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,437 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,757 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,612 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,731 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,087 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,390 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,496 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,894 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,770 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,353 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,848 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,102 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,211 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 22, 2021 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, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), 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, 15 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
