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 sure excited about its new ‘L. Ron Hubbard Hall’ coming to Clearwater. But what’s in it? We have the detailed plans for you to go through, room by room! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“When any disordered mind grasps the fundamentals of a thing, one cannot predict the way that mind will use the information. Zealotism has many times made religion odious to a people and zealotism is definitely undesirable to a religious group since it too often masks sadism and paranoia. Churches have long been troubled with this problem. It is not a problem of faith. An orderly faith alone can promote religion. Zealotism is a problem in aberration; it is generally caused by a manic engram and, quite unlike faith, is as likely to flash back against religion as it is to carry it forward. The action is unpredictable and the zealot alters his faith easily. On the other hand atheism, which religion has found highly obstructive, has for its origin, according to our case histories, engrams. No ‘atheist’ to date has remained an atheist after the engrams causing his objections have been removed. The atheist is activated by engrams as thoroughly as the zealot.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1950
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“Illiterate cultures do not survive and they are not very high. The natives of the tribe of the Bugga-Bugga Booga-Boogas down in Lower Bugga-Wugga Booga-Woog are mostly no longer with us or they are around waving red flags today and revolting against their central government. They’re having a bad time. Well, the British Tommy that went down there with his Snider or his Lee-Enfield and brought them higher education in the first place was only occasionally followed by anybody who taught them anything. And they didn’t learn fast. Their literacy was not up to absorbing culture rapidly. So, of course, they can be victimized by anybody who comes along. Once the line is open, if literacy doesn’t follow and if secondhand observation is not available to a people, they stultify, they die, they go to pieces, they degrade. They are struck by this tremendous volume of exterior culture. They’ve been very happily down amongst the bong-bong trees, you know, dancing up and down amongst the bong-bong trees and the highest level of their interest, and so forth, was their own back yard. They could tell you all about bong-bong trees and they could tell you all about you mustn’t step in bug-bug bushes, because you step on a thump-thump snake and this was their direct observation.” — L. Ron Hubbard, August 11, 1964
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“BREAKTHROUGH: In the last few days I’ve made about three upper level breakthroughs, two very important. One of these is comparable to the CC breakthrough. The other deals with On perception, why it’s off and how to turn it on. So my own hats have a high stat this week. About a century’s worth.” — The Commodore, August 11, 1970
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“In the last 100 or so years, science has done very little real advancing and a whole lot of chasing its own tail. Don’t imagine that most of what you see as advances in technology are triumphs of science; they aren’t. There’s a little incremental science in there and a whole lot of engineering, which is not the same thing at all. And unfortunately, most of what the God of Physics, Albert Einstein, had to say is based on false assumption and is thus false. Yet physics has been limited by his writings for a least a century. Interestingly enough, Einstein’s writings, if accepted would be the exact thing you’d promote if you wanted to keep a planetary population bound to their planet. Four years to get to the nearest star, if you could go as fast as light, which Einstein says you can’t.”
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1996: The London Evening Standard reported that a Scientologist committed suicide when his attempts to leave the cult were met with harassment from Scientologists. “A man threw himself 200ft to his death after a religious cult refused to let him leave, an inquest heard. Richard Collins, 24, joined the Church of Scientology hoping to ‘cleanse his body’. But when he tried to quit they bombarded his home and work with letters and phone calls in a last-ditch bid to make him stay. Days later he leapt off Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. The inquest ruled that Richard took his own life.”
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“Back in my punk days I would donate plasma twice a week for $20 a pop. It helped keep me in pizza.”
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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, oral arguments scheduled for June 25. 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. Now serving time in 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 June 19.
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. Oral arguments hearing set for July 23.
— 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 upheld on appeal. Scientology expected to file additional petitions before case can return to Kalra’s court.
— 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] NEW: Come to Scientology ‘church service’ and win fabulous ‘prizes’!
[TWO years ago] Scientology staff is the best job ever: We have video to prove it!
[THREE years ago] Leah Remini asks for new judge in her lawsuit against Scientology
[FOUR years ago] Lured into your own past: The seduction of an initial Scientology session
[FIVE years ago] Tom Cruise’s Scientology superpowers, No. 12: Resisting illnesses with his mind alone
[SIX years ago] Leah Remini’s podcast: Forbes and Time writer Richard Behar on being a target of Fair Game
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s efforts to suck up to power is appearing to pay off
[EIGHT years ago] Church of Fear: When John Sweeney sat down with Anne Archer and Leah Remini
[NINE years ago] Leah Remini calls for federal action: Here’s the frustrating reason the IRS may not answer
[TEN years ago] Never-before-seen photo of Diana Hubbard, daughter of Scientology’s founder
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology’s front group that targets kids gets cover from a Swiss politician: News report
[TWELVE years ago] Mike Rinder on Scientology’s pathetic PR, and the Freewinds welcomes a famous clown
[THIRTEEN years ago] Stop Picking on Scientology! Double-Fisted Wisdom from 1977
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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 3,717 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 4,221 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,727 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,277 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,653 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 3,148 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,454 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 5,103 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,321 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,875 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 5,216 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,787 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,703 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,870 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,456 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,715 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,463 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 4,032 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,343 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,518 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 5,200 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,537 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,390 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,506 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,868 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,667 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,551 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 4,126 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,627 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,887 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,991 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on August 11, 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
