Last night Mike Rinder and Christie Collbran posted a message of hope that we wanted to make sure you saw if you haven’t already.
We were all stunned to learn last month that Mike was diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer, and it had resulted in breathing difficulties because of fluid in his lungs.
Mike appeared last night to give us the hopeful news that he’s improved steadily since treatments began, with much less fluid to deal with and other issues.
He explained that Christie has been his “bulldog” dealing with bureaucracy and red tape getting him the things he needs in our completely screwed up excuse for a medical industry and its insurance headaches.
And we’re certainly feeling emotional after hearing how much it means to Mike to get the outpouring of support he’s experiencing. Grab a tissue, listen to Mike and Christie, and lend your support to #TeamMike.
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Technology Cocktail
“Small objects are much easier for the preclear to make disappear than large ones. You have not told him to make it disappear but only to ‘get the idea of making it disappear.’ Preclears usually literally interpret you and try like mad to make it disappear — and it usually does for a short time.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1958
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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 as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
[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 [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— 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
— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond
[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney
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“There is a pool of thought, and all of a sudden one day a black spot appears in the middle of it, and the fellow can’t move. That incident you will find on most time tracks. Here was the pool of illusion, and if you ever want to see grief pour off a case, it is the individual’s loss of his home universe. They will tell you in various ways. You can take the most hard bitten preclear and run him back to a point of the track where all of a sudden the stars are falling down in his universe. He will cry and cry. He had a universe, he was probably one of several who invented this universe, and it was a perfectly good universe, and one day all of the stars fell down. Why? Somebody else got a universe invented, and it sort of overlapped and ate it all up. And that is what our MEST universe is doing, evidently. It is an expanding universe, and it just keeps on eating into everybody’s time and space.” — L. Ron Hubbard, June 23, 1952
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“LA CONGRESS: That sure should be quite a Convention in LA. Looks like we made it on Flag. They had no program, two halls with two ‘Congress’ programs, different, going on in each. Tony is there by now getting it grooved in. They did great selling tickets and publicity. Originally they wanted me to do a colour film for them. You ever stand under enough light to shoot colour? It’s about 150 degree F fry. All joking aside, it’s impossible.” — The Commodore, June 23, 1970
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“I could not run past lives. She would ask the question to go earlier and there was a complete blank. So then I ran a flow through my head to see if something was there and no meter reaction so I ran a flow through my head and put something there and the meter reacted and she said, ‘that.’ I popped completely out of this universe to a void of complete nothing. It would be like going from all noise to complete silence on EVERYTHING. Can’t feel body weight or the matter, energy, space, and time of any part of the physical universe. An instant after being in the void I pop back into the physical universe around 750 AD and everything turns on again with the exception is I am out of body in that lifetime looking down at castle in France or England. I took a look and popped completely out of that time back into the void of nothing and then back into PT, (present time). It is like nothing you can imagine unless you did it. Turning everything off completely and then everything on completely. They can’t take me in into the past because I was created from the static in the future with no automatic 25 picture a second recording memory.”
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1999: A film by Mark Bunker shot at the Hollywood opening of John Travolta’s film The General’s Daughter was listed in Film Threat, a newsletter and web site of alternative film. “If you were not able to attend the world premiere of ‘The General’s Daughter’ last week, don’t fret — Xenu TV brings it to you on the web. Xenu TV is the creation of documentary filmmaker Mark Bunker who is using his talents to create the ultimate doc on the world of Scientology. Bunker and his crew brought along Scientology’s evil overlord Xenu to meet John Travolta. Or a guy dressed as Xenu. Travolta was not amused. Next stop — The ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ premiere with Tom and Nichole.”
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“I have never advocated for violence or vandalism against the cult for the obvious reason it would turn them into martyrs.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Trial scheduled for August 15.
— Rizza Islam, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for June 26 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.
Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs asking permission for interlocutory appeal.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— 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 at least through June 28.
— 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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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] Transcript: When Valerie Haney completed her escape from Scientology by vowing not to sue
[TWO years ago] The celebrity Scientologists going out on a bit of a media blitz right now
[THREE years ago] The key thing about Danny Masterson’s ‘DJ Donkey Punch’ nick is why he stopped using it
[FOUR years ago] Scientology is hiring for a drug rehab whose location is a secret
[FIVE years ago] Scientology and celebs: ‘Miscavige had several of us catering to Tom Cruise behind the scenes’
[SIX years ago] We have your Scientology ‘Maiden Voyage’ robo-call invitation, Los Angeles!
[SEVEN years ago] This is your brain on L. Ron Hubbard: Watergate, Scientology, and late-night radio
[EIGHT years ago] Reed Slatkin dies of heart attack — Scientologist served time as major Ponzi schemer
[NINE years ago] Marc Headley continues his Scientology tour, and Steve Hall describes his defection
[TEN years ago] Sunday Funnies: Scientology Gets Colorful!
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology’s Enemies List: Are You On It?
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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 3,069 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,580 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,130 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,120 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,005 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,309 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,180 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,285 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,732 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,074 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,640 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,559 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,726 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,308 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,569 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,605 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,321 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,885 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,200 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,375 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,926 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,057 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,395 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,250 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,369 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,725 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,028 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,134 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,532 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,408 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,991 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,486 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,740 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,849 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on June 23, 2023 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, 1995-2022 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2022), 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
