TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We asked readers to send memories of Mike Rinder, and the response has been overwhelming. Here are just some of the messages we received, from ‘Going Clear’ director Alex Gibney, to co-star Spanky Taylor, to journalists Tracey McManus, Steve Cannane and Bryan Seymour, and more. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Painters and artists buy the idea they are benefited by aberration. ‘Be glad you are neurotic’ was a trick being played by the late and unlamented psychiatrists on artists. One paints because he can push into execution what he visualizes. The best painters were the least aberrated. Greenwich Village or Left Bank artists, when they don’t paint, never suspect it’s because they just can’t overcome hand inertia to push a paint brush!” — 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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“Now, I have actually seen auditors get jealous of their preclears simply because the preclear did so well. And the auditor couldn’t rest till he dropped a vase on the preclear’s foot or upset the ashtray or did something. I know of one case — very, very remarkable — of a guy very highly connected, and in fact the source of trouble in the Wichita Foundation, who had a blind man with his sight on and who forcefully and violently kicked the foot of the bed on which he was auditing this blind man. You know, the sight came on and he kicked the foot of the bed. And the shock was considerable there and it took the blind man’s sight off. Nobody else processed the blind man, either. As far as I know he’s blind to this moment.” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 6, 1955
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“WRITING: My writing hat has backlogged due to storms and ship reorganization. I am trying to get onto it. So much new data has been developed that the recording of if would be 10 full time jobs. Fortunately it is simple in structure.” — The Commodore, January 6, 1971
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“David Miscavige is likely to be swept up in a series of mass arrests in the coming weeks/months. There are 163,469 sealed indictments waiting to be unsealed. 12,275 politicians, CEOs, etc., have been quietly forced to resign. Ships are stationed on the east and west coasts, the military is ACTIVE, and Gitmo is waiting. Military Tribunals may try those charged. Q communicates on a military hardened website called 8kun. He communicates to the Anons. If you remember, the Anons made history calling out the Church of Scientology. The Anons ‘never forget’.”
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1996: The proceedings of the New Years event at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles were posted this week. Keith Spurgeon wrote: “Miscavige begins to speak – he immediately launches into an attack against lies, liars, and the tech of how to get to the bottom of lies; he says
that the culprits for the ‘lies’ are the ‘whole track psychs’. Miscavige does not get into any more detail about it; this is the most interesting
speech I’ve ever seen Miscavige give in an event – I’ve never seen Miscavige look paranoid or scared, although most watching probably didn’t have the same impression that I did. The statistical growth of Scientology is presented throughout the event by Church bigwigs such as Marc Yager, Ray Mithoff, Ronnie Miscavige, Guillaume Leserve, etc. Even Heber Jentzsch makes a speech, which is enlightening only to the extent that it reveals Heber’s mental condition. Too many laps around the pole, I guess. The stats that were cited this year as signs of Church expansion were all pretty lame: Missions, Groups, and Orgs were combined into one statistic, for example. The problem is that any time two people get together and do auditing outside of the Church (like to do Dianetics -Book 1- auditing at a seminar, that could constitute a group). Heber’s classic comment of the night went something like this: ‘There are some deep dark areas of this planet where only uttering the name L. Ron Hubbard will guarantee you safe passage, because LRH’s name COMMANDS RESPECT!!!’ Go figure where he was talking about… RPF!!?? Apparently, the Colombian Army is being trained in the Way to Happiness.”
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“Scientologists have had a King Arthur fetish going back to day one. LRH moving to England buying a ‘castle,’ very expected and cliched to say the least. Knights of the Three Card Monte Table, here to save the world.”
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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.
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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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: Remembering Andreas Heldal-Lund with Tory Christman
[TWO years ago] Danny Masterson wants rape charges thrown out, citing our jury foreman interview
[THREE years ago] Another Scientology ‘Chase Wave’ eyewitness drops by, and brings a check
[FOUR years ago] Danny Masterson’s attorneys scheduled to enter not guilty plea for him today
[FIVE years ago] Scientology’s ‘Purif’ detox gets the ‘Reckless Ben’ treatment in video debuting here today
[SIX years ago] Scientologists told to seize on Australian stabbing death as a recruiting opportunity
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology actress Jenna Elfman fully stoked by church’s new expansion push!
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology’s disgusting secret: Young teens used to interrogate adults about their sex lives
[NINE years ago] Scientology becoming a ghost town; ALSO: Illinois man arrested for threatening Miscavige
[TEN years ago] Ryan Hamilton makes it 26 lawsuits against Scientology’s drug rehab scheme
[ELEVEN years ago] VIDEO LEAK: Scientology’s November IAS Gala, featuring a slimmed-down David Miscavige
[TWELVE years ago] Sunday Funnies: Scientology Finds a Better Use for ‘Dianetics’!
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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 3,136 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,631 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,146 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,696 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,686 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,072 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,567 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,871 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,742 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,294 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,635 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,202 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,121 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,289 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,871 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,131 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,167 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,883 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,447 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,762 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,937 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,619 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,956 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,810 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,925 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,287 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,590 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,696 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,094 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,970 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,535 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,046 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,302 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,410 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 6, 2025 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
