TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: It’s only a single data point, but a report from one of our inside correspondents suggest something may be changing in Scientology regarding one of its most toxic practices. Reason for hope? Or a mirage? [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“In mocking up sacrifices the auditor should use all the skills of creative processing and ensure that the preclear is actually mocking up and is not dragging in old facsimiles from the bank and restimulating genetic line incidents. This can be obviated by having the persons in the mock-ups dressed in modern clothing; mocking up the incident as happening tomorrow; altering the mock-up in some manner, such as turning the face green or something of this nature. Any reasonable way in which you can ensure that you are dealing with mock-ups and not past track facsimiles.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1972
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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 [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
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“Down in Arizona they put an H-bomb nine feet below the ground and blew it up. Why? To find out if it’d lift dust? Well, it certainly did!….In 1947 it was very easy to run an engram. Even in early 1950 it was still fairly easy to run an engram, but it was a little harder. By the end of ’50 it was getting difficult to run engrams. In 1951 we had to beef up our processes like mad in order to run an engram cleanly. By 1952 we were beginning to run into nothing but whole track. 1953, we just had to look for other processes than engram running. And we had to look hard, and we looked into exteriorization. In ’54, in ’55 and in ’56 we have actually been researching further and further, into more and more powerful techniques. Why?….People haven’t changed, have they? Not at all. We even see a difference of techniques which, run two or three years ago, don’t work very well today. This fascinating panorama has just unfolded before my view as a distinct possibility. And it may or may not be true, but it is certainly a distinct possibility, and there is a coordination here between the amount of radiation in the atmosphere and the difficulty of auditing a preclear.” — L. Ron Hubbard, November 8, 1956
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“BEEF: Not all the meat on a haunch of beef can be used for steak. If you want steak you have to have two or three haunches and plan what to do with the rest. Roundsteak has to be floured and pounded, peppered and salted before frying. If not pounded it will be tough.” — The Commodore, November 8, 1969
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“If a person comes to the freezone offering you to become a super OT that can now bend spoons with the mind and win the one million Amazing Randi Challenge for that, then you know for sure that that ‘tech’ is most probably Ray Mithoff’s reverse Scientology and black Scientology. If on the contrary, a person comes and offers you tech that is making it possible to achieve the abilities for OTs as described in the Philadelphia Doctorate Course Lectures of the Early 50’s, then you know that it is valid Tech based on the Scientology fundamentals. The right thing to do is to be trained on the technology so as to undo any black Scientology that the dark side wants to impose on us or the society.”
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1998: CNN newsreader Greta Van Susteren is the subject of a story in this month’s issue of George magazine, including her relationship to Scientology. “Raised as a Catholic, Van Susteren apparently left the church after marrying Coale, who was already a Scientologist, and she converted to his faith. Both Van Susteren and Coale have reached senior levels in the Church of Scientology, having passed a stage called ‘The Bridge to Total Freedom’ some time ago. But for Coale, Scientology is not just a church; it is a business. He has represented fellow adherent Lisa Marie Presley in her divorce from Michael Jackson. His firm, Coale, Cooley, McInerney & Broadus, has employed Loretta Miscavige, the mother of David Miscavige, who is currently the head of the church. Scientology’s ‘spiritual headquarters’ are located in Clearwater, Florida, where Van Susteren and Coale keep a vacation home. Friends of Van Susteren’s are at a loss to explain what appeal the church holds for her. Several surmise that her relationship with Coale is the determining factor. In any case, her colleagues at CNN consider her religious affiliation to be immaterial. ‘We’ve all looked for it,’ says CNN veep Gail Evans. ‘I’m a Jew. If people went at me about my religion they way they do Greta, there would be defamation groups all over the country.’ In 1994, Van Susteren and Coale used WISE to arrive at a settlement for their ex-partner Phil Allen. Also a Scientologist, Allen said he had been introduced to the church by Van Susteren after he joined her law firm, and relied on the church for help in overcoming marital problems. GEORGE obtained documents relating to the Allen separation that show Van Susteren can slip easily into the strange jargon of WISE arbitration. Participants file ‘knowledge reports,’ counterfile ‘false reports,’ and disclose information about each other in ‘Things That Shouldn’t Be’ reports. The detail in these documents is remarkable: In one of them, Van Susteren reports that a colleague at the firm, a man only tangentially related to the arbitration but a new adherent to Scientology, indulged in pornography and that she had found women’s lingerie under his desk. True or not, neither claim appears to have much relevance to the dispute with Allen. According to Van Susteren and Coale’s version of events, Allen had a problem with ‘honesty and candor.’ As a result, Allen was ‘in liability’ to them, which made it necessary for him to be ‘handled’ by a Scientology counselor. For Scientologists, being in liability is a result of committing ‘overts’, the church equivalent of a legal tort. The only way to get out of ‘liability’ is to write a ‘liability formula’, a written plan on how to make up for the offense to the church and the injured party. In a September 1994 letter to Allen, Van Susteren alleged that he had confessed to committing overts against her, Coale, and the law firm – acts that created ‘enormous enturbulation,’ a phrase apparently unique to Scientology.”
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“Monsanto made everybody fat, TV made everybody stupid, and the Internet made everybody crazy.”
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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. Sentenced to 30 years to life 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. Next pretrial hearing May 31, 2024.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.
Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: motion to file new complaint, hearing on May 29.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, on hold until appeal over new judge heard.
— 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] Now this is the kind of celebrity endorsement Scientology desperately needs
[TWO years ago] Danny Masterson sis-in-law Chynna Phillips after watching trial: Seeing the light?
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s magic and mysticism, as told by L. Ron Hubbard’s blogging son Arthur
[FOUR years ago] John Travolta crashes the Scientology social media feed as we dip back in for a look
[FIVE years ago] Columbus going Ideal! David Miscavige to open 2nd Scientology cathedral in a week
[SIX years ago] Scientology’s weirdly detailed shrine to L. Ron Hubbard in Florida even has ocean sounds
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology plan to shut road through its secretive ‘Int Base’ in California foiled again
[EIGHT years ago] It’s Election Day, but screw that — Chick Corea is finally superhuman thanks to Scientology!
[NINE years ago] Up next for Scientology: Sending out Tom Cruise to put on a grand performance?
[TEN years ago] The Heinlein Letters: What L. Ron Hubbard’s close friends really thought of him
[ELEVEN years ago] The Tom Cruise Smear Machine: Accusations From His Deposition You Haven’t Heard
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,077 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,572 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,087 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,637 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,627 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,013 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,508 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,812 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,683 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,235 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,576 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,143 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,062 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,230 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,812 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,072 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,108 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,824 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,388 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,703 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,878 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,560 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,897 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,751 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,866 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,228 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,531 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,637 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,035 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,911 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,476 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,987 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,243 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,351 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on November 8, 2024 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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
