We’ve really enjoyed working with Alexander “Apostate Alex” Barnes-Ross lately, and we’re pretty thrilled by the idea that he’s planned a major protest to greet Scientologists on their way to the IAS gala in East Grinstead, England this coming weekend.
We recorded this conversation before Alex got the news that his request for a march in East Grinstead had been approved. (Read about that development here.)
We had a lot of fun talking about the big impact he’s made in a short amount of time, and we hope you enjoy it too.
——————–
Technology Cocktail
“The thetan is not the body. The bank belongs to the thetan, not to the body. You are running a thetan and his bank while helped and hindered by the body. The body helps the auditor because it provides a communication relay to a thetan who cannot yet speak, hear or act without a body. The E-Meter cans are held by the body’s hands, the body’s voice box magnifies the thetan’s speech and body lips, larynx, etc, add diction. The ears magnify the auditor’s voice. The body relays various senses and somatics to the thetan. The body discolors when mass from the bank is brought in on it.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1963
——————–
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.
——————–
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
——————–
“The condemnation of science is long overdue and, what do you know, has already occurred on the European continent and has occurred even in a more advanced state in England. Today the word science is so bad that when I started calling what we’re doing Scientology I got in to a minor revolution. It wasn’t anything but the fact that the English people today believe that science has let them down but thoroughly. And anything with science connected with it is something they rather smile sarcastically about. It’s not that they’re interested in humanity. They just know science doesn’t work. And what do you know, they’re drawing right back out of science. They are not following scientific method worth a nickel.” — L. Ron Hubbard, October 28, 1953
——————–
“AOLA: It is reported very quiet there — still peaceful. People very polite. No hum. No body traffic. Way below confusion. My guess is when our CO Mission hits it will go up into total confusion, find a major stable datum, began to cool off, find the new CO and begin to be an org again. A Former CO of AOLA is flabbergasted at the number of 41 staff members to run an AO. AOs run on high volume with half that many. We are putting in a big stable datum. The terminal of a ‘backed up CO.’ The two orgs we’ve sent ‘backed up COs’ to are zooming! Here goes the third.” — The Commodore, October 28, 1969
——————–
“The Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) is in accordance to the fundametals of LRH ethics tech. It handles PTSes and SPs and that is the main points of ethics in society or groups or the Sea Org and in composite cases. And remember, the Sea Org is not a Shan-gri-la paradise for diletantes.”
——————–
2000: Former Scientologist Tory Christman reported that she has been declared a suppressive person by Scientology. “Today, on October 28th, 2000 almost 3 months exactly from when I left the Church, I received on goldenrod my official Declare! It says I abandoned my husband. This is false. It says I abandoned my friends. This also is false, and in fact, when I have tried to call them, they have hung up on me. In 1969 I read Dianetics and I hitchhiked from Chicago to LA to study Scientology. I have been there for 30 years. During much of this time I have fought my own battle with people mislabeling me as ‘PTS’ and people treating me as if there was something wrong with me, because I have a physical condition. Well, now they have changed their minds. I am no longer PTS, I am an official SP.”
——————–
“Being an old school punk/junkie I wish I had a buck for every bad thing I’ve ever heard said, written or depicted about people of my ‘ilk.’ Never mind all the verbal and physical assaults me and my friends had to endure back in the day from the supposedly ‘normal’ people. It goes with the territory called ‘freak.’ Get use to it. Wear it as a badge of experience.”
——————–
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. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Complaint filed August 2, Scientology submitting anti-SLAPP response Oct 26.
— 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: Discovery phase.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.
——————–
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?
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Danny Masterson shatters suppression, Scientology style, as his trial heats up
[TWO years ago] Israel’s Ministry of Justice threatens to ‘dismantle’ Scientology’s Tel Aviv Ideal Org
[THREE years ago] Scientology chiro pleaded guilty to fraud, but we may get to see a sort of trial anyway
[FOUR years ago] Thetan-tastic: Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas skewer Scientology on ‘The Kominsky Method’
[FIVE years ago] Scientology so desperate for Narconon patients, new offer drops all pretense of separation
[SIX years ago] Ray Emmons, 1942-2017: Clearwater’s cop who sniffed out Scientology’s secrets
[SEVEN years ago] Talking with Tiponi Grey, who quit her Scientology job and announced it on YouTube
[EIGHT years ago] Troublemakers: The women who won’t keep quiet about Scientology
[NINE years ago] Finally, Scientology has an answer for last year’s Super Bowl power outage
[TEN years ago] Scientology’s Trust Issues: A Possible Garcia Legal Strategy?
[ELEVEN years ago] Sunday Funnies: Scientology Price Increase!
——————–
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 3,196 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,711 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,261 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,251 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,132 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,436 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,307 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,412 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,859 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,201 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,767 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,686 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,853 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,435 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,696 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,732 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,448 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,012 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,327 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,502 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,053 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,184 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,522 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,377 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,496 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,852 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,155 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,261 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,659 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,535 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,100 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,613 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,867 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,976 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on October 28, 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
