TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Scientology is always hunting for new marks who can be convinced to sign the Sea Org’s billion-year contract (and no, they’re not kidding). We got leaked their latest recruiting video, and once again it makes a very interesting disclosure about the church’s overall size. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
——————–
Technology Cocktail
“The Dianetic Clear, on achieving this state, is not run further on Dianetics. He must not be run on engrams, R3RA or any version of R3R or Dianetics. He can be given Touch or Contact Assists (as can Scn Clears and OTs), but he is not to be given any Dianetic auditing assist nor any Dianetic auditing. (He can, of course, receive any actions on the Assist Summary Bulletin, excluding R3RA.) A Dianetic Clear does the Purification Rundown if not previously completed. He does the Survival Rundown unless he has completed full Objectives, each run to EP, prior to the issuance of the Survival Rundown. He is given the Scientology Drug Rundown, as needed (unless he has previously completed a full NED Drug Rundown or other Dianetic Drug Rundown). He is run on Expanded ARC Straightwire and Expanded Grades 0-IV to full Ability Gained for each Grade not previously standardly declared. (Note: On Grade IV, however, he would not be run on the R3RA section of Service Fac Handling.) A point to be made here is that it is highly important to the immediate and future well-being of the individual that he does fully achieve the Ability of each Grade and that he misses none of the Levels or actions that will enable him to eventually make it to OT.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1981
——————–
“I had a number of US Senators interested in this. As a matter of fact I had the senate dining room one day — I had lots of friends down there in those days, still would have if I went down and stuck my nose in. Every time I do, why they all say, ‘Hey, Ron! Where the hell have you been?’ you know. ‘What’s the matter, you mad at me?’ Something like that. I’d say, ‘Oh, I’ve been busy.’ And I had the senate dining room down there one noon, I remember, along about this period [in 1950]. And you could have heard a toothpick fall from one end of it to the other….I was telling them somebody had found the dynamic principle of existence and I was telling people what it was and so forth. And that place was jammed from one corner to the other with senators and so forth. The next thing you know the table outside of the perimeter of the table I was sitting at with three or four old senators and the table outside that went silent and the table outside that went silent and the table outside that went silent and the next thing you know there wasn’t anything happening in that dining room. The waiters were standing there, see. Darnedest thing you ever wanted to see, you know! And I said, ‘Gee!’ I said, ‘I’ve got a bear by the tail here, you know.’ That was actually before anything much had occurred. They had never heard of this book or anything.” — L. Ron Hubbard, March 16, 1965
——————–
“The Apollo is to be in all respects ready for the sea and all port cycles closed by 5:00 PM 18 Mar 69. The civil ‘Nomarch’ of Corfu on irregular lines verbally has ordered our departure in 24 hours despite any unreadiness and without concluding our gyro or safety inspection. We have been given no reason. There may be a connection with the visit of US vessels last week which had a report via their naval attache that we made troops desert. There is no damage really as the AOSH Greece had not really opened and is being reopened at once in Denmark. The situation is under control. There is no danger.” — The Commodore, March 16, 1969
——————–
“If I focus on the whole or being one with all, I can encompass all the possibilities. If I focus on ‘me’ or ‘I,’ it seems as if I can also see myself as whole or of component parts such as different types of identities. It is similar to seeing a car. One calls it a car to sum up all the components. Same is with a body. We can look at the planet and say, it is a planet but it is composed of billions and billions of parts and pieces. Same as expanding out even further, and labeling all as One. But, what would you call it other than the One or main thetan or God?”
——————–
1996: Dennis Erlich posted an update on Judge White’s recent rulings. “In one order he granted the plaintiff’s motion to modify the injunction against me to include a single bulletin called Routine 3D Commands, for which the scienos had failed to provide proof of copyright earlier. In the same order modifying the injunction against me, he narrowed the type of browsing from which I was enjoined. The injunction now forbids, ‘browsing’ for a commercial purpose the text of a copyrighted work resident on another computer through on-screen examination.’ Another order denies the scienos motion to impound all the material they stole from me during the raid. He asserts again my right as a church critic of fair use of the unpublished material. And he dismisses the claim that by returning the material to me, the scienos were being forced to violate the tenets of their religion and their First Amendment rights. The final order relates to my motion to find the plaintiffs in contempt for not returning the material they stole during the unconstitutional raid. The judge ordered the plaintiffs to supply me with a description of the software and methods they used to download files from my computer. He ordered that the ‘fruit’ of the seizure be returned to me. This includes films or photographs taken during the seizure. He ordered that the material not be used for any purpose outside of the litigation (as photos of the raid had been used in the scienos propaganda literature). An evidentiary hearing will be held to determine if the plaintiff has been in contempt.”
——————–
“Before today I considered Miscavige a cynical manipulating sociopath, and they’re a dime a dozen. Now he seems to be more the dangerously insane Idi Amin-style dictator. This doesn’t bode well for the future.”
——————–
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 March 9.
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, which is now fully briefed. Awaiting the setting of an oral arguments hearing.
— 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. Oral arguments hearing on March 3.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration. Trial has been set for January 10, 2028.
——————–
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?
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Scientology leader met with Clearwater council members and now wants a vote
[TWO years ago] PODCAST: Phil Jones on the billboard, Scientology, and the Aftermath Foundation
[THREE years ago] Tommy Davis accosted her in the street. Now Deb Rennard has another fight on her hands.
[FOUR years ago] Judge denies Valerie Haney do-over after Scientology’s appellate loss in Masterson suit
[FIVE years ago] Scientology goes after Mike Rinder with a document he gave only to Marty Rathbun
[SIX years ago] To help us get through the pandemic, L. Ron Hubbard’s words of Scientology wisdom
[SEVEN years ago] Miss America organization says it’s looking into Scientology’s use of Miss New York
[EIGHT years ago] Hey, IRS: You might want to look at this new photo Scientology posted of David Miscavige
[NINE years ago] Understanding Marty Rathbun: For the first time, his full deposition of 2014
[TEN years ago] Ron Miscavige book out in May: ‘Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me’
[ELEVEN years ago] Mareka Brousseau on the degradations of Scientology’s Sea Org life
[TWELVE years ago] With Scientology’s ‘disconnection’ policy finally hitting the mainstream, here’s more to consider
[THIRTEEN years ago] Xenu the The Movie Star! When Scientology Almost Revealed Its Secrets on the Big Screen
——————–
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 3,569 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 4,073 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,579 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,129 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,119 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,505 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 3,000 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,304 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,955 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,173 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,727 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 5,068 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,639 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,555 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,722 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,304 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,563 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,315 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,880 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,195 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,370 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 5,052 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,389 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,242 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,358 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,720 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,131 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,519 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,403 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,967 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,479 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,739 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,843 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on March 16, 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)
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates.
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
