Scientology has one last grab for your kids in 2024

 
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Let’s dive into the mail bag again one more time and thank our many correspondents who have sent us so much good stuff in 2024. For parents, of course, this last week of the year can be a challenging one with the kids underfoot and out of school. #Scientology has the solution! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]

 
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Technology Cocktail

“Persons called upon to handle PTS people can do so very easily, far more easily than they believe. Their basic stumbling block is thinking that there are exceptions or that there is other tech or that the two above data have modifiers or are not sweeping. The moment a person who is trying to handle PTSs gets persuaded there are other conditions or reasons or tech, he is at once lost and will lose the game and not obtain results. And this is very too bad because it is not difficult and the results are there to be obtained.” — 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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Source Code

“I got a frantic wire the other day from a scientific congress that was occurring in, I think, Boston, and they wanted to know if I had any proof I could offer that thought created matter. They’d suddenly stumbled onto some mathematical proof of this one way or the other, and they wanted to know if I had any proof of this at all, and I sent ’em back a wire telling ’em that, yes, we’d had somebody mock up large mock-ups and stuff ’em into his body and increase his weight thirty pounds in a few weeks and then, by getting the reverse flow, to reduce his weight back again. We’ve actually made that experiment. That’s quite an experiment to make, by the way, because it takes a devilish lot of auditing and the fellow has to be awfully good at solid facsimiles and mock-ups and things of that character before you can perform the series. But we have done it, taking thought alone, without increasing somebody’s diet, and increasing his weight and decreasing it. So, I sent ’em this data and I got back a highly enthusiastic wire saying that my data, as sent to them, had been of great assistance, so I hope they were all edified. That’s all I’ve heard about it.” — L. Ron Hubbard, December 29, 1957

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“LIBERTY: You may have a proper 24 hour liberty under more favorable weather conditions in the near future. The barometer, Neptune and acts of god and perils of the sea have operated to delay the 24 hour liberty. Consensus is, Who wants any liberty in this weather? As it is dangerous to use the sled in such weather for large parties and too hard on Division IV, we will run only minimal shore boats and only then for vital business. So that no one can say you had one when you didn’t, we will cancel this one for now.” — The Commodore, December 29, 1970

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“Suddenly, in this lonely universe, on a heavy gravity planet on the edge of nowhere, you’re presented with a definite hope of freedom. The catch: that promise of freedom comes at the price of your loyalty to an organization, one organization which is the exclusive owner of the way out. Despite its resemblance to every trap you’ve ever encountered before, it looks like a worthwhile bargain. And so you sign up. And you do get some increases in perception, ability, and the like. But remember, you made an unspoken promise: you would be loyal to this entity, and they would continue to provide you with periodic tastes of freedom, the freedom you hoped for for trillions of years. And as time wears on, this organization to whom you’ve implicitly sworn your allegiance, starts to look like every betrayer you’ve ever encountered down the track. And that freedom they promised you starts to look more and more precarious. You want the freedom. You want it like nothing you’ve ever wanted in the whole rest of your existence. But it starts to look further and further away. And your loyalty to the ones providing it begins to turn to horror at the trap you now seem to find yourself in. Welcome to a carbon copy of the last however many trillions of years of your existence. Can you say ‘confusion?’ And you’re stuck. Because, guess what? You promised.”

Past is Prologue

2001: The December issue of Impact Magazine published a speech by Mike Rinder, the director of the Office of Special Affairs, at the annual IAS meeting. “Officials from the Moscow prosecutor’s office called in so-called experts from the Serbski Psychiatric Institute, notorious for its treatment of dissidents during Soviet days. Finding nothing, they invented a claim that our organizations were engaged in financial fraud, taking ‘creative accounting’ to criminal extremes to create fake evidence. Then they issued outrageous tax assessments and opened a criminal case against the Mission of Moscow. In March this year it all came to an end. The court declared the activities of our mission religious and exempt from tax, found the prosecutor guilty of extensive violations of criminal law, the governments cases were dismissed and the prosecutor was ordered to pay all our costs. Within a few short years, lawyers, justice officials, city and regional government personnel and every high level judge in the nation will truly understand Scientology. Because last month, the first official course on Scientology, using our books as the curriculum, became part of theology studies in every university and all institutes of higher learning in Russia! In Geneva, The runners from seven nations arrived at the United Nations Plaza on October 11. Local, national and international dignitaries joined us in force. More that fifty United Nations organizations and members of government delegations representing thirteen nations came, including the United States, Canada, Denmark, and Switzerland. They all pledged their commitment to the goals of the European Marathon for Human Rights and signed our petition. CCHR has been touring thousands through the Death Exhibit, from doctors and lawyers to legislators and authors. No matter their view when they walk in, when they leave, they are at cause, armed with the truth and ready to put and end to psych abuse. As we arm prosecutors with our evidence, they are having greater success than ever putting these criminals where they really belong. The number of psychs jailed this past year was 222, another highest ever. But not only are we putting more psychs behind bars, we are eradicating their habitat. In the past year alone, 489 facilities have closed their doors. That’s more than double last year and another highest ever.”

 
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Random Howdy

“To my mind all religion is organized superstition and magical thinking that was created to explain the unexplainable and to get people to behave. Also, financial reward and social power for the creators has sometimes played a significant role. Some of it was made up thousands of years ago, some of it was made up much more recently. If you can get people to believe it’s a religion…it’s a religion.”

 
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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, 2023. Appeal brief due by December 23.
— ‘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 January 13, 2025.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud, awaiting sentencing.

Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Judge Hammock’s ruling is on appeal.
— 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. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1.

 
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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] Do Scientologists celebrate Christmas? Well, the London org sure did.
[TWO years ago] David Miscavige lives in Florida when he’s sued in LA, and in LA when he’s sued in Tampa
[THREE years ago] Juliette Lewis tells the NY Times she doesn’t identify as a Scientologist: What gives?
[FOUR years ago] Scientology sounds so different from those still in and those who have left
[FIVE years ago] Scientology’s sneaky front groups and building projects under the microscope in 2019
[SIX years ago] How Marc and Claire Headley’s Scientology lawsuit is being used by the NXIVM defense
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology sues Laura DeCrescenzo in latest plot to kill her 8-year forced-abortion claim
[EIGHT years ago] The disturbing detail other media missed about TMZ’s Scientology scoop yesterday
[NINE years ago] Scientology’s 2015 in review: In September, Erika Christensen was out of this universe
[TEN years ago] One Scientologist is out to teach HBO a lesson for its upcoming documentary
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology’s 2013 in review: A summer of delicious scoops!

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on December 29, 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

 

Tony Ortega at Rolling Stone