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 since 2012 that Shelly Miscavige, wife of Scientology’s ruthless leader, vanished in late summer 2005, and has been kept at a secluded compound in Southern California. Now, Scientology itself has admitted as much in a new court document. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Examine some of the current theories in vogue, one of which is the belief that sex is the prime motivation of life. After you have thought about it for a while and compared it to the known universe you may find that someone has left out a factor or two from their calculations. Consider the theory that pain is the prime motivation of the human being. Ask yourself whether an organism keeps pain or whether he associates things with pain. You may suddenly find that you have extrapolated an engram. You might arrive at the engram independently, and in doing so come up with some brand-new workable concepts.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1951
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“There’s another item that’s posted on the bulletin board, has to do with one R. — I think it is — R. M. Nixon. You notice that on the bulletin board? And John is attributing the fact that we clobbered Nixon to the fact that he’s clobbered. I don’t know to what point this extends, but it’s interesting that that is the first political figure in the United States that we really have clobbered. Of course, we hit him hard. Mary Sue isn’t here. Mary Sue isn’t here, so I can tell you that actually I hit him because he hit at Mary Sue. It’s almost that corny. But this fellow was using the United States Secret Service as a sort of a private Gestapo. And he’d been doing this all over Washington and so forth. So I just didn’t think it was good political, I didn’t think he had the right political color, somehow or another.” — L. Ron Hubbard, November 15, 1962
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“BIRTH CONTROL PILLS — these apparently cause severe depression and severe damage to female sexual organs. It is of interest that these four things are the direct product and tools of the same people who for 20 years financed and pushed the attacks on Dianetics and Scientology. Thus we are looking at the current center of psychosis on the planet. The drug companies and their primary pushers — the psychiatrist and medicos. About half the ringleaders in attacks on us are disabled or dead. It’s like audint a planet already.” — The Commodore, November 15, 1970
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“This is a war of implanters vs free thetans. Get more auditing. I recommend the Excalibur course to see the command of the collectivists, ‘we are one.’ I don’t know if you are old enough to remember how many governments and media sources came out with bogus and biased stories to destroy Hubbard and Scientology in the 60s and 70s. The implanters bring spiritual pressure down on their minions to harass and destroy all good people and prophets who make breakthroughs to free thetans. This is the way it’s been throughout human history. It is successful because beings above us in space are suppressing us in real time. I am not even done with Excalibur, but I came face to face with the real suppressive forces and see a direct link to their attacks on Hubbard and now also Trump. If you are against Trump, then you do not know who he is or what he is doing for America and the world.”
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2001: The St. Petersburg Times reported that the city of Clearwater, Florida has agreed to give small parcels of land to Scientology. “Clearwater commissioners voted Thursday to give several city alleys and easements on a block of land downtown to the Church of Scientology despite objections from a Pinellas County official, who argued that the county should receive some of the land. Ed Armstrong, an attorney for the church, said that laws governing the vacation of property should determine who gets the land if the city has no use for it. Armstrong contended that legally only the church was entitled to the property on a block southwest of Franklin Street and East Avenue, where the church plans to build a parking garage to serve its new $50 million Flag Building that is under construction. City officials agreed.”
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“Those who still believe in the tech will say that they ‘know’ that it works from personal experience and that science hasn’t caught up to LRH yet. vaLLarrr used to ask us if we thought we loved our mothers or if we knew we loved our mothers in her attempts to defend the tech as being empirically provable. It’s all self delusional mind games they’re playing with themselves.”
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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 heard and submitted, waiting for ruling. 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. Scientology’s attempt to gut the case failed, and appeals court upheld. Back to trial court in December.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ 17 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. Case returning 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. Hearing on arbitration motion set for March, 2027.
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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] Tom DeVocht: Watching David Miscavige watch Lisa McPherson and her faulty ‘needle’
[TWO years ago] Aging, white, and rich? Scientology can help you with that!
[THREE years ago] Mick Wenlock, 1953-2023: A Scientology escapee who helped others recover their dignity
[FOUR years ago] Closing arguments today at the Danny Masterson trial: Come along for the ride
[FIVE years ago] Scientology at a crossroads: When the ruthless upstarts pushed out the less compliant
[SIX years ago] Scientology has your certificate, pilgrim. Join these big beings around the world!
[SEVEN years ago] The new leaders of ‘Scientology’ tell us about their fight to free the world
[EIGHT years ago] Eric Saldarriaga, private eye who took the fall for Scientology, 1973-2017
[NINE years ago] Jared Fogle, former Subway huckster, turned to an indie Scientologist for failed ‘appeal’
[TEN years ago] In court today: Flop filmmakers who met in Scientology face 75 years for Ponzi scheme
[ELEVEN years ago] Tom DeVocht: Watching David Miscavige watch Lisa McPherson and her faulty ‘needle’
[TWELVE years ago] Judge calls for February mini-trial in Garcia case, and we have text of the Lemberger lawsuit
[THIRTEEN years ago] Judge James Whittemore Reins In the Garcia v. Scientology Case
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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 3,813 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 4,317 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,823 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,373 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,749 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 3,244 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,550 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 5,199 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,417 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,971 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 5,312 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,882 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,799 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,966 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,552 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,811 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,559 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 4,128 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,439 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,614 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 5,296 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,633 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,486 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,602 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,964 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,763 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,607 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 4,222 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,723 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,983 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 16,087 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on November 15, 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, 1995-2025 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
