A reader brought to our attention that they were actually served, as an advertisement at Facebook, a link to a tribute video featuring tech luminary Craig Jensen, a longtime Scientologist, extolling the virtues of church leader David Miscavige, who is really just a regular, funny, great guy, y’all.
We’ve seen some of these videos in the past, but we were surprised to hear that Scientology would actually be paying cash money to feed the videos to non-Scientology social media accounts.
Hearing that, we thought we’d take a better look at the videos, which take up a page at David Miscavige’s personal website (you can look up the link yourself).
There are 96 videos, with longtime Scientologists talking about what a great guy Dave is, and yes, it’s as fawning and cringe-inducing as you can imagine. And talk about padding: No less than five of the 96 videos feature individual members of the Jive Aces band. (After all, you can’t leave out the drummer and trombonist of your house band when it comes to bona fides about the leader who is trying to strong-arm the world.) And you know who’s missing? Any of the big celebrities (unless you count Jim Meskimen, the perpetual go-getter, as a “star”).
But you might wonder, why does David Miscavige, worldwide religious leader, ecclesiastical pillar, and hard-charging planetary boss, need to post videos with his most subjugated followers sucking up to him?
Well, it’s important to understand that, although Dave wields total control of Scientology and micromanages it, there’s one major thing that he’s lacking and it’s perpetually a contributing factor in the dwindling membership of Scientology.
David Miscavige is not L. Ron Hubbard.
Many oldtime Scientologists joined the organization because of their belief that Ron had discovered the secrets of the universe, and it has led to waves of defection whenever they have perceived that Miscavige has tinkered with Hubbard’s “technology.”
So keep in mind, these videos were not made for you. They were made for the Scientologists, the big donors, that Dave needs to convince that he’s carrying on Ron’s legacy. That way, he can keep them writing the big checks.
We’re going to highlight just a few of them because we found these figures particularly interesting.
The reason that I find such greatness in Mr. Miscavige is that he stays true to the Source of our religion. You don’t see him changing, altering, adding his own two cents or anything like that. And when you see him receive acknowledgements and they start to get to be of a certain quantity, you see him pass them right through to LRH himself. He doesn’t make himself important. The job he does is what he is making important. It’s almost embarrassing because, you know, we’re all human, right? And he’s human, but to see someone work and perform at that high super-human level, you just like, “Okay, wow. The bar has been raised!” And you know, you’re just in awe.
Tom Cummins is an entrepreneur who has made a fortune on the deregulation of electricity in Florida. We’ve included him because he’s not only the first video posted at Dave’s site, but also because he’s the iconic example of a Scientology whale, always involved in big events and showing up for bigger and bigger trophies to go along with his donations. At last count, he had donated $32.5 million to the IAS, Scientology’s membership organization and David Miscavige’s legal war chest, and probably millions more for various building projects.
I think David Miscavige has been the best leader we possibly could have had and I think Mr. Hubbard was very, very wise to have chosen him as the leader.
Sheila Gaiman is the mother of famous fantasy/science fiction author Neil Gaiman. Neil left behind his OT Scientology in the 1980s (though he has mined that past for his work), but his entire family are still major figures in UK Scientology. Sheila is a New Civilization Builder, which means she’s donated more than $1 million just for Ideal Org construction, and probably much, much more. Her late husband and Neil’s dad, David Gaiman, was the longtime face of Scientology in England, and was an unindicted co-conspirator in the Snow White Program prosecutions of the late 1970s.
We are now a mainstream religion. And we are mainstream because we are out there. We are forward facing and we are helping people every day, because he’s there pushing the drive forward and just he is the ultimate leader. I would follow him absolutely anywhere to the end of the world. I would follow David Miscavige.
As long as we’re looking at the Gaiman family, we’ll also include Lizzy Calcioli, Neil Gaimain’s sister, who is an especially hardcore and outspoken Scientologist. Her son Alessandro Calcioli married the daughter of a prominent Scientology barrister in the first legal Scientology wedding ceremony in England, which we wrote about at the time. Lizzy’s sister Claire Edwards is a Sea Org member.
He’s very professional but there’s always this twinkle in his eye. And there’s always this sense of life in him that is just—he’s magnetic. And he’s a very appealing person to watch as our leader. And then when you’re face to face with him, that’s there too. And he always has this energy and he’s just as engaging and interested in what you’re doing and talking about things beyond—you know he’s not an autocratic leader, he’s not a someone who comes and immediately wants to tell you what you should be doing and how you should be doing things. He just comes and talks to you.
We grew up loving The Waltons, and so it breaks our heart every time we see what a rabid lifer Scientologist Judy Norton is. She was on the team raising money for the Sacramento Ideal Org which, like all the others, went moribund after it served its purpose of a grand opening and then a brief rush of activity. Judy seems like such an intelligent, compassionate soul. Will anything ever get through?
This man is completely, utterly dedicated to our religion, to what L. Ron Hubbard set out for us to do, making sure that the legacy of L. Ron Hubbard’s technology is kept pure, that it’s applied exactly as it should be, that the results are obtained, that there’s no possibility, no possibility whatsoever of it being corrupted or altered. I know that he’s there holding that line and I would do anything to help make sure that he is successful at that from here on out.
Craig Jensen’s association with Scientology goes way back, and when he was making a fortune on early home computer systems and networks, it caused some controversy, particularly in European countries that didn’t like that Microsoft Windows was shipping with software coming from a company owned by a Scientologist. With Scientology’s reputation for skullduggery, it was not surprising that this caused concern.
In ten years the expansion that … that I’ve observed in Scientology has been massive. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’ve experienced it. I’ve been there. I’ve been in orgs around the world. And it’s a complete and total change than it was ten years earlier to that. And that was it. You know what I mean? It’s just … it’s not even like … the change in Scientology with Mr. Miscavige isn’t just, “Oh, wow, we’re expanding.” It’s like, “Oh, wow, we’re doing it, we are doing Scientology as LRH always wanted it to be done.”
Fran Andrews contributed a video? Wow. Fran is married to one of Scientology’s most legendary “bag men,” as Mike Rinder called him, the longtime private eye Russ Andrews. We unmasked Russ last year, and we expect that he will come up again before too long. But sure, Scientology, great idea having the wife of one of your dirty tricks operators providing a testimonial for your ecclesiastical pontiff.
The concept of the Ideal Org was put in place by L. Ron Hubbard but it is only come to fruition because of David Miscavige and the executives that he surrounded himself with. So, we have gone from orgs, like our org in Pasadena that was not a huge org. Now we have a huge and thriving org, with literally hundreds of people that are on services there.
Speaking of dirty tricks operators, oldtimers may raise an eyebrow to see that one of the testimonials was submitted by none other than Joel Phillips. Yes, that Joe Phillips, the guy who for years operated one of the nastiest Scientology-affiliated websites, Religious Freedom Watch. This was a hub for some of the cruellest smearing of anyone who dared to speak up about Scientology, and in the familiar hate-filled vocabulary so characteristic of Scientology attack sites. But sure, he’s a great person to speak up for Dave. Why not.
He’s incredibly genuine and he’s incredibly real and I think that’s what would surprise people. I think some people might have the idea that he—because he’s the leader of a religion that he is set apart from others and he’s not. He is a funny, fun, you know, incredibly dynamic person who gets a lot done, while still being a very genuine and lighthearted person.
And finally, we were tickled to see Kannon Feshbach speak up for C.O.B. Our longtime readers will understand why we are highlighting Kannon, and we will spare you the image you know we are dying to post here again. But for those that are curious, yes, you can see it here.
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Jon Atack and Karen de la Carriere
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“In August I wrote Kennedy; he was offered by me at that time help in the space race, speeding up the IQ, straightening out pilots. And this, the White House has already asked us twice for presentations of Scientology and we’ve granted them, and they have done weird things like fire the fellow who asked for them and that sort of thing….And anyway, in August, thinking that it would be a good gesture I wrote him a letter concerning this, at the White House, and time rolled along and the FDA suddenly became very interested and the organization was sniffing around the corners. And suddenly the US government — let’s not compartment this thing down, see, it’s just the government — issued a smear campaign in the Washington press, calling us all sorts of hard names, organized this thing completely, down to the last detail and actually the papers were on the streets before anybody appeared at the organization. Interesting, isn’t it? Hours later somebody appeared at the organization. Anyway, they raided a church and seized philosophical and religious texts for burning and meters. Armed raid on a church. Stop and think about it for a moment. How could they get away with this? How’d they do this?” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 8, 1963
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“An International hard news story is about to come off in this port. Nothing to do with us. But reporters will be all over the place and our rat guards are not very effective. A ‘Hard news Story’ means a staged or actual event as different than a statement by someone. As this particular staged event is not very newsworthy really and as we are lately in the news in our effort to hit at the UK Parliament, the reporters would probably use us to justify their being here. Policy is to avoid hard news stories. Don’t get mixed up in International events like revolutions or International PR efforts. Therefore, although all is cool, we’ll slide down the coast long before the event and stay here lengthily another day. DDT kills flies. What de-verminates reporters? So we sail the 11th. Hey, the reporter who painted up the Dekki Le Moate scene in DK is rumored to have been sacked! Maybe his paper had good sense after all. Holland is apparently also under control on this I hear.” — The Commodore, January 8, 1971
“There is a recognition point that occurs when a person blows the current cycle of existence and rehabilitates spiritual reality where the person understands they have multiple eternities running concurrently, each with its own timeline, or as LRH puts it, theta line, and that they can choose to view that timeline at any moment. So they come up with multiple selves and timelines in independent universes….I am aware of beings in parallel universes who are able to peer into this one. However, to date these appear to be techno based civilisations whose basic intent is some form of manipulation or programming at the level of elsewhereness, albeit the elsewhereness consists of a parallel universe and alternative theta line.”
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2000: The doors of the Lisa McPherson Trust opened this week in downtown Clearwater. “An organization that says it wants to reform the Church of Scientology has followed through with its plans to open a headquarters at the epicenter of the Scientology world. The group, led by New England millionaire Robert S. Minton, on Wednesday purchased a small office building at 33 N Fort Harrison Ave., just 30 feet from a major Scientology building downtown. Minton and a five-member staff say they plan to educate local residents — including existing Scientologists — about abuses within the church. Scientology reacted Wednesday with strong words. ‘These guys are nobodies,’ said church official Marty Rathbun. ‘They bring absolutely nothing to this community.’ He compared it to the Ku Klux Klan opening an office in North Greenwood, a Clearwater neighborhood with mostly black residents. He said the notion that a group of outsiders needs to reform Scientology is absurd. Support for the church is higher than ever among its members, Rathbun said. He also said Scientology has worked hard to normalize relations in Clearwater, where city officials have included the church in discussions about downtown redevelopment for the first time since its controversial arrival in Clearwater during the late 1970s.”
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“It really doesn’t matter if the people still in the Church of Scientology are happy or not because the organization itself is a criminal conspiracy that needs to be brought down. Are we suppose to go easy on organized crime because its members might be, generally speaking, having a good time?”
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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 February 8. Trial scheduled for August 29, 2022.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), false imprisonment, aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Next hearing scheduled for January 18.
— 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 January 22 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for February 11.
— Joseph ‘Ben’ Barton, Medicare fraud: Pleaded guilty, awaiting sentencing.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Eleventh Circuit affirmed ruling granting Scientology’s motion for arbitration. Garcias considering next move.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ US Supreme Court denied Valerie’s petition Oct 4.
— 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 held November 2, awaiting a ruling.
— 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. Awaiting a ruling.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Lawsuit filed by the FTC and state of Georgia in August, now in discovery phase.
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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] Scientology continues to harry Mark Bunker over his every utterance
[TWO years ago] If Scientology forced your children to disconnect from you, what would you do?
[THREE years ago] Tonight, Leah Remini makes it clear how much Scientology worships money above all else
[FOUR years ago] Joy Villa’s ex talks about her domestic violence arrest and the child she put up for adoption
[FIVE years ago] Talking to the FBI agent who canceled her talk at Scientology’s ‘mecca’
[SIX years ago] Jon Atack: The best thing ever written about the language traps in Scientology’s Bible, ‘Dianetics’
[SEVEN years ago] Jefferson Hawkins provides Scientology a way to happiness that actually works
[EIGHT years ago] We talk to Ray Jeffrey about today’s brutally long day in a Texas court battling Scientology
[NINE years ago] Nancy Many’s Life in Scientology Dramatized on January 16 Investigation Discovery Series
[TEN years ago] Scientology Sunday Funnies: Happiness Coming to a Library Near You!
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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 2,539 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,044 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,564 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,584 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,475 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,782 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,650 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,424 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,755 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,228 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,544 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,110 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,029 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,197 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,778 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,039 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,075 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,790 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,315 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 670 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,845 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,396 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,545 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,865 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,720 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,839 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,195 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,498 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,604 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,002 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,878 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,461 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,956 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,210 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,319 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 8, 2022 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
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
