TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Yesterday, we learned from Karen de la Carriere that her former husband, Scientology president Heber Jentzsch, had died. Today, she sends us this remembrance of him and the price he paid for a life under Scientology control. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“No matter how complicated or confusing the environment is getting, if you have a stable datum of exact action it can see you through. The Prepared List provides the auditor with a stable action when a session or case is confusing and can bring things under control. The idea of such lists and their development are original to Dianetics and Scientology. They are made possible because these subjects embrace the full extent of thought, the spirit and actual and potential aberration. Thousands of hours of research and development have gone into these lists. Thousands of case histories have been reviewed and condensed to make the lists possible. They are, in themselves, a considerable tour de force. They have often meant the difference between a failed case and a spectacular result. Just as they are important, a knowledge of them and skill in their use is vital to auditing success.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1980
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“A little bulletin here: Aussies, hang your head in shame! All through the Commonwealth with the greatest of ease, I was able to slow down this government raid on the church in Washington, but not in Australia. You see, the lines go straight from Australia to the United States and back and forth. And the whole rigged government release in Washington landed scram-bang into the press in Australia. So Australia is a seething mess of ‘God ‘elp us’ now, and somebody from the Australian syndicate is coming down to see me tomorrow, and they want to know all about it. I’m not going to tell them very much beyond a fascist government raided a church. I’ll tell them, Be very, very careful, though, because apparently there’s a million dollars in the offing to fight this in the United States. They actually got all kinds of leads and money pouring in like mad from all directions, and the situation looks very dark for the United States.” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 10, 1963
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“Bless AOLA! They held their trend and all the GDSes continue to go up like rockets and their GI is over $41,000. They’re a great team, and we admire them.” — The Commodore, January 10, 1971
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“It all just makes it real to me of what LRH says on OT2 about the effect of implants and also just how well the CIA has hijacked the tech for both the church and FZ. What I have been witnessing is one huge confusion. It will require one seriously strong being to find the stable datum around which all else will unconfuse. And then we will still have fucknuts insisting that their version is the only correct one. Much like the circus called Christianity.”
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2001: The Los Angeles New Times published letters to the editor this week in response to its cover story on Raul Lopez. “Scientology’s treatment of Raul Lopez is outrageous: New Times is to be commended for its courage in publishing Ron Russell’s article about how a disabled adult was taken advantage of by a litigious cult masquerading as a church. The analogy likening this young man to a girl being passed around at a Hell’s Angels party is very accurate. Scientology has gotten away with this type of behavior for too long. They have influenced public officials who are too lazy to research the cult’s long history of abuses. They have avoided responsibility for their actions by screaming ‘religious intolerance’ and calling anyone who protests them bigots. I would like to know what kind of religion includes taking advantage of the disabled as a religious tenet and right! I note that the Scientology lawyers are already trying to put the blame elsewhere, this time upon Lopez’s mother! And, of course, they imply that they are the victims of a pair of lawyers representing Lopez by denigrating them as self-proclaimed ‘cult busters.'” – Barb Graham, San Diego “How dare you compare us motorcycle gangsters to Scientologists! As an ex-member of El Paso, Texas’ Thunderclouds (a motorcycle gang that ruled the streets way back in the late 1970s), I emphatically object to your paper likening Scientology to a motorcycle gang. No ‘motorcycle gang’ (we call them ‘bike clubs’ now) would have treated Raul Lopez as badly as those Scientologists did! Motorcycle gang members follow a code of honor that requires aggressive defense of people who are mentally disabled or ‘slow.’ We protect such people like brothers or sisters. Ninety-nine percent of motorcycle gang members would be livid with rage if they saw what those Scientologists have done to Raul Lopez. Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as Scientology.” – Name withheld upon request, San Pedro “The story of Raul Lopez is sad, and to be exploited by a ‘church’ is the zenith of tragedy. Scientology is proving itself, over and over again, with an ever swelling number of testimonials on the Internet (search for ‘Xenu’) of people who have abandoned the church after suffering its abuses, that it is truly the evil empire of this century. If you printed all of the Web pages on similar church abuses, it would rise from the floor to the ceiling.” – Name withheld upon request, San Diego “Why is it you guys never say anything good about Scientology, or about L. Ron Hubbard? As a man who originated the most successful drug rehabilitation program in the world, Narcanon, and the most used literacy system, Applied Scholastics, Hubbard ought to merit some favorable mention in your pages. Isn’t your slanted reporting a little obvious, even to you? Sometimes your reporting is excellent, but on this subject, you go off like a bunch of wackos. I’ve been involved in Scientology for 20 years. It got me off drugs. It helped me handle problems I had as a gay man, coming out. In all my 20 years involved, including three years as a staff member at several organizations, I’ve never observed the kind of negative stuff New Times reports on.” – Keith Relkin, West Hollywood
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“Miscavige isn’t that old and he’s got plenty of money, real estate, and willing slaves to play with. I saw an interview with Pol Pot shortly before he died and it boiled down to him saying he wished he could do some things over but he did what he thought was best for the people of Cambodia. Miscavige is either a non-believer who thinks ‘suckers get what they deserve and if it wasn’t me somebody else would be fleecing these idiots’ or he’s a believer and thinks ‘Yes, I’ve been a strongman, but that’s what was necessary to insure the survival of this organization.’ Caesar or charlatan?”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7, 2023. Appeal now fully briefed, waiting for 2nd Appellate District court to set a hearing date. Masterson has also submitted a habeas corpus petition.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Pleaded guilty on Nov 10 to a 17-year prison sentence (eligible for parole in two to three more years). Awaiting transfer to state prison.
— Aaron Matthes charged for SA of child under 12 years old: OT Scientologist facing multiple mandatory life sentences. Next pretrial court hearing set for Feb 2.
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. Leah’s respondent’s brief is due February 11.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ 15 days of arbitration completed, Val waiting for further word from the IJC.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal. Appeal fully briefed. Motion to replace Jane Does’ AI-tainted brief denied by court. Awaiting a court hearing date.
— 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. Trial has been set for January 10, 2028.
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Other links: The prosecution of Danny Masterson. Leah Remini’s Fair Game Podcast. Leah Remini’s A&E Series. Scientology’s Celebrities, from A to Z. Bryan Seymour’s suppressed series, 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] ‘Like a brother to me’: The tributes to Mike Rinder keep coming
[TWO years ago] Leah Remini wants an injunction to muzzle Scientology, and now we have the church’s reply
[THREE years ago] We’re back in Los Angeles to learn if Danny Masterson is getting a retrial
[FOUR years ago] Another ‘Chase Wave’ witness, and Scientology’s ‘ludicrous’ money grab!
[FIVE years ago] Adding insult to injury, Valerie Haney faces a hearing for $160,000 in sanctions this week
[SIX years ago] Activists find Scientologist French police tried for years to question about 2006 suicide
[SEVEN years ago] Uh-oh. Someone trusted a whole bunch of money to a wealthy Scientologist.
[EIGHT years ago] Xenu or Xemu? Here’s our take on one of Scientology’s galactic-wide mysteries
[NINE years ago] Tonight on ‘Leah Remini’: Once again, Scientology’s a horror show for the mentally ill
[TEN years ago] A business executive looks at Scientology as a (poorly run) business
[ELEVEN years ago] Jon Atack: Scientology’s ‘training routines’ and their relationship to meditation
[TWELVE years ago] Black hearts and burning crosses: Scientology litigation is getting weird in Texas
[THIRTEEN years ago] The Master Gets Three Oscar Nominations
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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.
Mike Rinder (1955-2025) did not see his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in his final 7,589 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,504 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 4,008 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,514 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,064 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,054 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,440 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,935 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,239 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,890 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,108 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,662 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 5,003 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,574 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,490 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,657 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,239 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,498 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,250 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,815 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,130 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,305 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,987 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,324 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,177 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,293 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,655 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,066 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,454 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,338 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,903 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,414 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,674 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,778 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 10, 2026 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter.
Our book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is 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, 1995-2024 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2024), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
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Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
