PODCAST: Mirriam Francis is thriving since defying Scientology’s code of silence

 
Earlier this week, we received a surprise. It was a message from someone we haven’t heard from in a few years, and someone we really admired.

It was Mirriam Francis, who made such a strong impression during Leah Remini’s second season of Scientology and the Aftermath, and who also helped us out with a couple of pieces here at the Bunker.

If you haven’t seen her episode of the Aftermath in a while, which was the premiere episode of the second season, you really should reacquaint yourself with it to remember what a brave act it was for her to reveal that she had been abused by her own Sea Org father in Scientology.

She gave us a great piece to publish this week to help us understand what it’s like to come forward with allegations of abuse, in the hopes that helps us understand a little of what Danny Masterson’s accusers are going through as they wait for the trial to begin this week. And even better, she agreed to talk to us from Australia for the podcast.

Today, we’re releasing the sixteenth episode of The Underground Bunker Podcast to our paid subscribers at Substack. You should receive it presently at your email inbox if you’re on the list.

Not a paid subscriber? Well, we have something for you, too. Last week’s episode was with historian Jon Atack who talked with us about Mike Rinder’s new book. In the weeks before, we talked to Mark Bunker, Jesse Prince, Paulette Cooper, Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan, Jefferson Hawkins, Marc Headley, Patty Moher, Geoff Levin, Pete Griffiths, Sunny Pereira, Jeffrey Augustine, and Claire Headley.

Those first fifteen episodes are now free to all of our subscribers, paid and unpaid. All of our podcast episodes can be found here.

 
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Scientology is on fire, you doubters!

Hey, it’s been a while since we checked in with some Scientology propaganda, but rest assured everything’s still the best ever!

Today’s Scientology happy news. Yes, an excerpt from an actual press release put out by the church this week.

With 19 counties in the wake of Hurricane Ian now receiving emergency declarations the need for help is enormous.

Coordinating volunteer response throughout the state, the Florida Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (FL VOAD) has been working together with Volunteer Florida, the state’s lead agency for volunteerism and national service in Florida, as well as national and local disaster organizations.

Daily calls with nonprofits, churches and others commenced immediately after Hurricane Ian came on shore. Churches of Scientology Disaster Response (CSDR) along with scores of other disaster organizations stepped up to help those in the landfall areas around Ft. Myers in Lee County, and those in Sarasota County and nearby areas.

The Florida Scientology Volunteer Ministers, headquartered in Clearwater, FL, initially focused on Lee and Sarasota counties. Arriving in Ft. Myers, the first teams deployed to various city locations to help with street and sidewalk debris removal and to flooded neighborhoods, clearing the way with chain saws.

Driving over 2300 miles from Salt Lake City to Clearwater, Florida, Ms. Joava Good, Deputy National Director of CSDR, joined her teams to help. She commented, “Hurricanes always give disaster organizations a huge challenge. Their path of destruction is wide and affects thousands of citizens. There is much work to be done. Some organizations have been helping since landfall. Others are just arriving with supplies and hot food, but in all, the volunteers are stepping up and will continue to help.”

 
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Chris Shelton and Karen de la Carriere

 
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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

— The Underground Bunker Podcast

[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis

— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see

[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf

— SPECIAL: Your Proprietor’s updates

[1] Sep 21 [2] Sep 28 [3] Oct 4

— The Underground Bunker Podcast on YouTube

[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley

 
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Source Code

“These memory recordings aren’t passed along from cell to cell. They could be, but they are not stored as electrical energy. You start examining this any way you want to and you will find that there isn’t an energy in the physical universe — at least which we know about — which has a small enough wavelength to store memory recordings. Oddly enough, this was a discovery I made in 1932 when I was in atomic and molecular physics at George Washington University. I made an exhaustive study of the matter. There aren’t wavelengths small enough; physical scientists would know that. The boys fooling around in medicine would not know it because they don’t know the laws of energy, and as a consequence they have postulated, as the best postulates which they can offer, that memories are stored in punched protein molecules. That is cute!” — L. Ron Hubbard, October 8, 1951

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“The cholera shot knocked quite a handful down. They’re mostly well again. Those not trained in Scientology possibly don’t realize one has to decide to be ill before one does. One can also decide to be well. Those off duty on MO lines are also off allowances and bonuses. Doc Robinson is cleaning up a lot of lifetime cycles. She’s a whiz at it. She’s looking for volunteers for a health food diet just sent in by a former Ship’s Rep.” — The Commodore, October 8, 1970

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“This planet is hungry for help, peace and tolerance. When Christianity came along and offered that in a barbaric and cruel world it grew like mad. Scientology, with its unbelievable tech to help, spread like wildfire. As Ron pointed out Christianity made the huge mistake of becoming intolerant and attacking others. And our Church under DM has become utterly intolerant and attacks people of goodwill. DM has joined the ranks of the WFMH and any government allies of naming us, real Scientologists who are helping others, as his enemies! SPs do not want others to be helped! We are very fortunate to have the full tech of helping others and the full tech of spotting and handling those who would stop us helping others.”

 
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Past is Prologue

1999: An affidavit by Scientology leader David Miscavige was posted to a.r.s this week, filed in the Wollersheim case. Some excerpts: “A great deal has been made of my role and authority in the Scientology religion because of my position as RTC’s Chairman of the Board. Let me emphasize that I am not ‘Chairman of Scientology.’ It is RTC, as a whole, that is responsible for the orthodoxy of the Scientology faith. It then follows that as Chairman of RTC, its most senior executive, I am entrusted with the ecclesiastical position that has the highest scriptural authority within the religion. My authority derives exclusively from that position and extends no further than RTC’s mission. In summary, my job is to ensure RTC carries out its function of assuring the orthodox and proper use of the Scientology religious ‘technology.’ My duties are completely unrelated to, and I do not participate in, the ecclesiastic governance of the many churches of Scientology around the world. That function is performed by Church of Scientology International. As Chairman of RTC, I am not the ‘successor’ to L. Ron Hubbard. Plaintiff attempts to mislead the Court regarding Mr. Hubbard’s and my role in the religion. Mr. Hubbard was the Founder of the religion and the sole Source of its Scripture. In that capacity, he will never have a ‘successor.’ A primary and fundamental doctrine of our faith is that the teachings be kept pure and that the only source of those teachings is Mr. Hubbard. When plaintiff and his witnesses say I am ‘just like L. Ron Hubbard,’ that is the highest compliment one could receive in the Scientology religion, if their intention were to communicate that I am keeping the religion true to his teachings. Of course, their statements are accompanied by an inaccurate and negative description of Mr. Hubbard’s character and role in the religion. But even if that were not the case, I would still reject their compliment as I simply am not and never will be what Mr. Hubbard was to the religion. By way of analogy, consider an apostate Roman Catholic claiming, in the context of litigation, that the Pope is ‘just like Jesus Christ, and assumed his role after Christ’s death.’ Needless to say, this would be offensive to any Roman Catholic, as a matter of religious belief. The Pope may be the keeper of the Roman Catholic faith, but it would be heresy to say he was, in any manner, Christ himself.”

 
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Random Howdy

“Not all of us are rich enough to afford cable and some of us think it’s a wasteland.”

 
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Jury selection scheduled to begin October 11.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Arraigned on August 29.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff scheduled to be sentenced on Oct 28.
— Rizza Islam, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for October 24 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for September 19.
— Yanti Mike Greene, Scientology private eye accused of contempt of court: Found guilty of criminal and civil contempt.

Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Complaint filed April 28 in Tampa federal court, Scientology moving to compel arbitration. Plaintiffs filed amended complaint on August 2. Hearing scheduled November 17 to argue the arbitration motions.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Selection of arbitrators underway. Next court hearing: February 2, 2023.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Appellate court removes requirement of arbitration on January 19, case remanded back to Superior Court. Stay in place, next status hearing October 25.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Third amended complaint filed, trial set for December 6.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: New trial ordered after appeals court overturned prior 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.

SCIENTOLOGY: FAIR GAME

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 founder L. Ron Hubbard’s cosmos: An ancient battlefield shot through with ‘psychs’
[TWO years ago] The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 13: Google and other tech titans
[THREE years ago] Scientologists will face trial after judge cites ‘sophisticated fraud’ scheme
[FOUR years ago] With Scientology TV premiering a new ‘season’ tonight, David Miscavige is having a moment
[FIVE years ago] Guelph quest: Scientology sets up temporary shop in Canadian town and faces stiff opposition
[SIX years ago] Atack: The forgotten history of disproving Scientology’s status as a “religion”
[SEVEN years ago] For some reason, news sites are keeping quiet about who found Cat White’s body. So here he is.
[EIGHT years ago] EXCLUSIVE: Scientology didn’t want you to see this letter it sent to the San Francisco Chronicle
[NINE years ago] William S. Burroughs and Scientology: Setting the Record Straight
[TEN years ago] Your Thoughts on The Master: Who Was Freddie Quell?
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology Symposium: Commenters of the Week!

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on October 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, 1995-2021 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2021), 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