TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We’ve been telling you about Scientology’s big new initiative aimed at kids, and more keeps reaching us about how it’s going. A new item suggests that Scientology parents are under a lot of pressure to get in gear with this creepy new vibe. ALSO: Chris Shelton’s new book is out! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Good Word Clearing is a system of backtracking. You have to look earlier than the point the student became dull or confused and you’ll find that there’s a word that he doesn’t understand somewhere before the trouble started. The student will brighten up the moment he spots the word, even before the word is cleared. And if he doesn’t brighten up there will be a misunderstood word even before that one.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1981
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“We find our people, as we process them, further and further along on this curve of create, through survive, to destroy. And when we get well past survive, we get to an individual who can think in no terms but suicide. He tries to kill himself and those around him. He would not even dream of getting, you might say, out of the body. All he can think of is being in the body and destroying things. He has bought the physical universe. Well, we try to process this individual. We normally find him in sanitariums, and so forth, because he’s no longer able to promote the biological line; and we find his anxiety on the subject of sex very, very great, but it’s very destructive. It’s not the type of sexual activity that would lead to an unending stream of protoplasm. Quite on the contrary, it would be a type of sexual activity which said ‘The unending stream of protoplasm must now end,’ which is to say homosexuality, other misconducts. And we’d find him over on the physical universe side of the ledger over here. And he would be very involved with rocks and solid masses of various things. He’s really left the biological line.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 22, 1954
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“The VIP Party was a huge success, Governor, Lord Mayor and all. Div VI must receive full cooperation on set ups and drills, however. We are at our best in Billing and Drilling. It’s been an awful long time since I heard the rush and pound of feet getting a drill drilled. Guest drill is just another drill. The Supercargo is reponsible for having a well drilled ship. The smartest ships ever were the heavily drilled Enchanter, Avon River and the pre-Melilla RSM! So WE DRILL 1700 to 1800 DAILY HEREAFTER, at sea or in port Supercargo and Ship LRH Comm Take note please.” — The Commodore, April 22, 1970
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“Over the last 10 years I have been on a structured, methodical, examination of my past. I do positive work as well to stay well and fully in PT, but discovering and understanding my experiences has been the bulk of my activity. With over 10,000 hours of looking, I have built up a fair understanding of my timeline with a pretty good knowledge of the key eras of our existence. These major eras seem to have the greatest affect on who we have become, with additional various incidents acting as locks, solidifying the primary postulates, decisions. For example, most recently the rise of large, common universes and how we were drawn into, then locked into this system of existence.”
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1997: Jeff Jacobsen reported that the most recent Freedom newspaper gave details about a recent Scientology celebration and PR spin on the case of a woman who fled the Ft. Harrison hotel to jump into the bay. “Freedom newspaper issue 11 has a story ‘An evening celebrating the birthday of L. Ron Hubbard’ which is pretty interesting. David Miscavige was MC for the 3500 attendees. The article is noteworthy in that it gives NO figure to show that the church is expanding; only the claim that church is one ‘of the most vital and rapidly growing religions on earth.’ They don’t mention that they have claimed 8 million members since 1991. Some figures DM did give were; 3.8 million kids are now literate, 250,000 people gotten off drugs, 76,000 firms use Hubbard management tech, 53 million people furnished with the Way to Happiness. Also, they claim 17 million hits on their web pages since opening, and 7.5 million hits in the last 2.5 months. Dan Sherman is working on a bogus biography of Hubbard that again touts the idea that he was a war hero. A new church in London England and Florence Italy are now open. ‘Thought Police’ in Clearwater? which is about the woman who on March 1 ran out of the Ft. Harrison hotel at 5am. This article claims that the police saw her and decided to get involved so they could *deprogram her* from Scientology! ‘Her time there [at the police station], in essence, amounted to an unsuccessful attempt to ‘deprogram’ her from her religion.’ This article also states that Detective Tom Miller ‘helped members of the former CAN to stage a ‘demonstration’ in Clearwater in March 1996.’ This is bogus. The police were talking to both sides and trying to strike a deal wherein the police would have no problems that day. Detective Miller NEVER told us what to do or even made any suggestions. He was there for us to tell him what our plans were.”
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“At least two thirds of the people who showed up on the top five anti-Scientology vids on YouTube from 2008-2010 representing themselves as Scientologists were in fact FAKE. And I was usually the person who busted them.”
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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 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.
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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] A Scientology attorney, his secret work for the church, and his Paris legacy
[TWO years ago] Val Ross: Midnight terror in the career of a Scientology spy
[THREE years ago] A warrior’s journey in and out of Scientology
[FOUR years ago] When L. Ron Hubbard assigns you to the deep: A slice of Scientology in new book
[FIVE years ago] Why Danny Masterson’s attacks on Leah Remini aren’t helping him in court
[SIX years ago] Even a pandemic can’t stop Scientology from tracking you down, apostate!
[SEVEN years ago] Where is Scientology dying most Ideally? Could it be our neighbor to the north?
[EIGHT years ago] Everything — even Scientology — is up to date in Kansas City, and here’s who’s responsible!
[NINE years ago] Scientology denied twice in wrongful death lawsuit as parents grieve for Tabatha Fauteux
[TEN years ago] Another depressing piece of evidence that Scientology advocates splitting apart families
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology: Making fools of your local elected lunkheads since 1952
[TWELVE years ago] The Garcias take one more shot at Scientology before their fraud suit will live or die
[THIRTEEN years ago] GARCIAS RESPOND TO SCIENTOLOGY: YOU’RE A BIG RIPOFF
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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 3,606 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 4,110 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,616 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,166 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,156 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,542 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 3,037 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,341 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,992 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,210 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,764 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 5,105 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,676 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,592 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,759 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,345 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,604 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,352 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,921 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,232 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,407 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 5,089 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,426 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,279 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,395 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,757 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,171 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,556 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,440 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 4,004 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,516 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,776 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,880 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 22, 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
