After a three-year drought, Scientology’s big tent party for celebrating its wealthy donors — the annual IAS gala — is returning to Saint Hill, Scientology’s UK headquarters in East Grinstead, England. According to a flier, the three-day shindig is returning for the weekend of November 3-5, and the excitement is palpable.
Finally, church leader David Miscavige will be emerging from his hidey hole in Clearwater, Florida, flying across the Atlantic (and possibly in Tom Cruise’s personal plane, as he has in the past), and then retaking his proper place in front of a giant expensive display evoking the Nuremberg rallies for his three-hour stemwinder.
It will be just like old times. And speaking of old times, we thought we’d help amp up the anticipation with some really interesting photographs that were sent to us this week from a Scientologist who, during the 2012 IAS event, decided to memorialize the moment by snapping some photos, even though they suspected that they were not supposed to be doing that.
Oh well!
The nice thing is, we get a fun sense of what it was like to join the cattle call when Dave was able to corral a couple of thousand people in his big tent (which then became a crowd three or four times bigger when the church put out a press release extolling Dave’s speech as the best thing ever).
Will Dave be able to fill up the tent this time, with Scientology in such tatters after the pandemic? And will Cruise be on hand this time, along with the big donors who will be there to pick up their new trophies, and the Freedom Medal winners there to be feted as the best Scientologists ever?
We can hardly wait to find out.
For now, however, enjoy this trip back to October 2012. And what a time that was. Just a few months after Katie had ditched Tom. And after the Haifa mission had broken away. And while Marty Rathbun’s blog was still essential reading. And, come to think of it, only a few weeks into the existence of this website. Oh, the nostalgia!
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Technology Cocktail
“Auditing today is not an art, either in technology or procedure. It is an exact science. This removes Scientology from every one of the past practices of the mind. Medicine advanced only to the degree that its responses by the practitioner were standardized and the practitioner had a professional attitude toward the public. Scientology is far ahead of that today.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1962
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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 [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman
“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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“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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“Who thinks LRH is Donald Trump? I think Trump has come in and is derailing the new world order program, the program to ‘make happy slaves of us all’ that is mentioned in the truth revealed breifing. He said he would come back as a misunderstood politician to save the day. Trump is a big thetan like LRH was.”
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2001: An e-mail to Scientologists described the opening of the new mission in San Francisco, SOMA, or South of Market. “The Mission is located in a 3 story building on Mission Street in SF, between 5th & 6th streets. I would estimate 500-600 people were on hand. The city had allowed the Mission to close one lane on Mission Street and a podium had been set up on the sidewalk. Cindy Feshbach opened the ceremony with a speech about Scientology and about the Mission. We had major media coverage including a camera & interview team from Entertainment Tonight. Also there was a Golden Era Productions crew getting all the theta. Cindy presented SF Police Department Captain Tony Perra with a plaque which contained on it a pledge from the Mission and from Scientology to assist the SF police and the city to help it with its problems. Captain Perra gratefully accepted the plaque and publicly pledged the SF police department’s support of the Mission in its humanitarian endeavors. Next to speak was none other than Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board RTC. He gave an incredibly inspiring speech about how Scientology has the solution to the problems of society and the world. This was really a dissemination speech because he knew we were getting major media coverage. He read some awesome LRH quotes about war and ended his speech with a statement that the real enemy of man was the Reactive Mind. His presence is awesome. Next to speak was Jenna Elfman, who has sponsored the Mission. She spoke of her devotion to the arts, to San Francisco, and of her sincere desire to help the people of this beautiful city. As part of her speech she announced that along with the opening of the Mission, a Children’s Center for the Arts had been established in the basement of the building, fully equipped with a stage, ballet facilities, and others so that any children of the SF area could come there and learn/practice arts for free. By the way, SF org is getting a new building I can’t say much about it yet but it is happening.”
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“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: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentencing on Sep 7.
— ‘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.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Complaint filed August 2, first hearing set for Dec 4.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs allowed interlocutory appeal to Eleventh Circuit.
— 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 sentencing of Masterson on Sep 7. Next hearing set for Sept 26.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Next hearing Nov 6.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.
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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] PODCAST: Mirriam Francis is thriving since defying Scientology’s code of silence
[TWO years ago] Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s cosmos: An ancient battlefield shot through with ‘psychs’
[THREE years ago] The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 13: Google and other tech titans
[FOUR years ago] Scientologists will face trial after judge cites ‘sophisticated fraud’ scheme
[FIVE years ago] With Scientology TV premiering a new ‘season’ tonight, David Miscavige is having a moment
[SIX years ago] Guelph quest: Scientology sets up temporary shop in Canadian town and faces stiff opposition
[SEVEN years ago] Atack: The forgotten history of disproving Scientology’s status as a “religion”
[EIGHT years ago] For some reason, news sites are keeping quiet about who found Cat White’s body. So here he is.
[NINE years ago] EXCLUSIVE: Scientology didn’t want you to see this letter it sent to the San Francisco Chronicle
[TEN years ago] William S. Burroughs and Scientology: Setting the Record Straight
[ELEVEN years ago] Your Thoughts on The Master: Who Was Freddie Quell?
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology Symposium: Commenters of the Week!
[THIRTEEN years ago] Daniel Montalvo, 19, Leaves Scientology, Which Convinces LA Sheriff to Jail Him For 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 3,176 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,691 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,241 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,231 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,112 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,416 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,287 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,392 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,839 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,181 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,747 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,666 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,833 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,415 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,676 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,712 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,428 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,992 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,307 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,482 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,033 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,164 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,502 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,357 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,476 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,832 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,135 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,241 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,639 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,515 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,080 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,593 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,847 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,956 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on October 8, 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
