People talk about how the old timers say it was fun in the “good old days,” back when L. Ron Hubbard ran Scientology. And it did seem like it was more fun than it would be these days.
But fun is a relative thing, and looking back, that was part of the con. We were to an extent allowed more freedom than people who are on staff these days, but that didn’t mean we were free. What a dichotomy. I’ll try to explain.
Here I am in LA. I have a place to lay my head at night, and I am struggling to find a way to get to my (basically unpaid) job every day, and hoping to make it before the meager breakfast spread disappears. But I’m still doing what I love most, which is studying. That meant I had freedom, at least in my mind. But wow, what freedom was it really?
The letters I sent to my family thank them for their gifts of stuffed animals, decorations for the walls of my room, a poncho (which was stolen within a week), and warm socks for when the boiler was broken (which was usually). In reality, most of the stuff they sent disappeared within hours. They sent me food sometimes, and I would share it with people because I knew it would be stolen if I didn’t share it, so I just went proactive and picked who got it.
I had sold my car before I moved to Albuquerque, which means I arrived in LA with a bit of savings. That gave me a few hundred dollars more than a lot of people in Sea Org ever had. A few hundred dollars is a fortune when you’re getting $5 a week (if you’re lucky). What it meant for me is that I could buy deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, and laundry detergent when I ran out, without having to decide what was the most important item. It also meant that I had to decide whether it was worth buying the basic toiletries (considered luxuries to Sea Org staff) because the people I was living with would suspect I had money, or they would just figure out where I hid my toiletries and steal them.
I quickly learned to do my shopping at the beginning of “libs” day, around 6 am, while most staff slept in, then hide my bare minimum purchases creatively. That usually meant I got to keep most of what I bought. I had to change hiding places often, and then remember where I had hidden things. Under the mattress was out, it had to be places like nooks and crannies outside the room, sometimes at the Org. A purse was not something any of us even considered. If we had cash, we kept it on our person. When I did laundry, I would do laundry with a group of guys I knew from my division, not my female roommates who worked at different places at ASHO or AOLA. This meant that I got my own socks and underwear back when I finished doing my laundry.
And I was subjected to a whole new language once I entered Scientology, even if it sounded so much like English. I got to the point where I would say in the back of my mind “oh, here’s more Non-English English” and then, because everything in Scientology is either abbreviated or is an acronym, I would just think “NEE.” That was my word for Scientologese. The NEE intensified once I got in Sea Org.
Then you are taught early on (in NEE) that there will be “no case on post.” In English that means that you are not allowed to let anyone know how you are feeling while you are working. They don’t bother to tell you that you are going to be working around the clock so don’t expect to ever feel another feeling again. Or get to eat a meal where you just sit down and enjoy the company or even taste the mostly tasteless food, or get a full uninterrupted night’s sleep.
And studying was just tedious. Never had I endured so much repetition in studying. The constant repetition, the drills on subjects I knew but they were repeated over and over, the clay demos and the demo kits for things that I got, but the checklist said you had to do it that way. And none more so than the ever-present KSW.
The KSWhat? Keeping Scientology Working. Every single course you take in Scientology after the Comm Course starts with the Keeping Scientology Working Policy. And don’t you dare rush through it. You must be checked out on it by your supervisor before you can even read any other HCOPL (Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter) or HCOB (Hubbard Communications Office Bulletin) in the course pack.
This means I had to get checked out on KSW for my Basic Staff Hat, Staff Status, I and II, OEC 0-7 and the FEBC. That’s 12 times I had to be checked out on it just while studying to become a Briefing Course Supervisor. And yes, in case you are wondering, the Briefing Course students had to be checked out on it too in order to become auditors as well. On each level of the course, I had the “privilege” of making sure that my students fully understood KSW. I’m going to subject you to just a portion of what was thrown in our face every time: The HCOPL, written on 7 February 1965 and reissued 15 June 1970, starts out by saying (emphasis in the original):
Note: Neglect of this Pol Ltr has caused great hardship on staffs, has cost countless millions and made it necessary in 1970 to engage in an all out International effort to restore basic Scientology over the world. Within 5 years after the issue of this PL with me off the lines, violation had almost destroyed orgs. “Quickie grades” entered in and denied gain to tens of thousands of cases. Therefore actions which neglect or violate this Policy Letter are HIGH CRIMES resulting in Comm Evs on ADMINISTRATORS and EXECUTIVES. It is not “entirely a tech matter” as its neglect destroys orgs and caused a 2 year slump. IT IS THE BUSINESS OF EVERY STAFF MEMBER to enforce it.”
Lots of words later, you get to the part we also had the privilege of doing Chinese school (everyone in a group reading loudly in unison) at musters. This is the part any person who was in Scientology for more than a few months can probably still repeat in their sleep:
Getting the correct technology applied consists of:
One: Having the correct technology.
Two: Knowing the technology.
Three: Knowing it is correct.
Four: Teaching correctly the correct technology.
Five: Applying the technology.
Seven: Hammering out of existence incorrect technology.
Eight: Knocking out incorrect applications.
Nine: Closing the door on any possibility of incorrect technology.
Ten: Closing the door on incorrect application.
While in I had been drilled so thoroughly on the steps of KSW that almost 30 years later, in 2011, when I got called by someone in an attempt to “recover” me in and the person on the other end of the line started spouting KSW to me and asked me in NEE if that “indicated,” I said it’s KSW, so what? My first call from Scientology almost 30 years after I left was in NEE.
More than anything, we were all trained to Keep Scientology working. Note step 2. Knowing it is correct. If you read those steps over and over, you are scared to color outside the lines even a little bit. But even while I was being trained, I also knew that once my studies were over, I would be supervising the Briefing Course. That was frightening to me! I voiced my concerns to my senior: How could I, someone who had only done co-auditing to that point, who had barely started their Class IV internship, be the lead supervisor of the Saint Hill Special Briefing Course and help train auditors who would be training on things I had never trained on?
Don’t worry, I was told, you’re just the supervisor. You don’t need to know the material. You just need to make sure that these people know their study tech and apply it while taking the courses. How fake I felt, being in charge of a whole group of people who had so much more knowledge of the supposedly vaunted tech than me, and yet it was my job to ensure that they learned and applied it correctly. But by then, I felt like half my world was fake anyway. I got up exhausted and hungry every morning. At least 10 percent of the time I didn’t get breakfast due to transportation issues, so I was hungry until noon. I had a headache by then. My back hurt horribly from my car wreck and I was standing for hours (we had to walk the floor the entire time the Course was in session) so I just started figuring out how to fake it.
Fake enthusiasm, a Scientology hallmark.
But, even through all this, I was one of the luckier ones. I met Heber Jentzsch one night while I was coming back from dinner the first week I was there when I was still studying. He was sitting in the lobby. Since I was not scheduled to be on the evening course, I could stay and talk without getting in trouble. I didn’t know, at the time, that he was the president of the Church (although, that was really only an honorary title).
He started a conversation with me, and we had background in common. He came from a polygamist family. My grandparents on both sides of the family were raised in polygamist families. I know he had a bad rap in the later years, but back before Miscavige turned him into a caricature of himself, he was quite an entertainer and very loquacious. He invited me to go to Celebrity Centre with him to meet Yvonne. At the time CC was still located at 1809 West 8th Street, just under two miles from ASHO. So he wanted me to go with him to CC to have dinner with Yvonne and him occasionally.
Occasionally turned into at least once a week. Heber would pick me up (Yvonne was always busy) and we would eat in Yvonne’s office with people rushing in and out while she worked. It was a nice break from ASHO and an interesting view at the difference between how celebrities and other people in Scientology were treated. It was kind of an oasis in the insanity.
But in the meantime, I continued to study and then I was thrown onto being the head supervisor of the vaunted Saint Hill Briefing Course ASHO Day.
As a course supervisor, I was trained to say a few specific phrases when I was asked a question. “What do your materials state?” “What word don’t you understand?” “What were you reading just before you got confused?” “Please refer to source.” I was not trained on how to thread a reel-to-reel tape recorder. Thank goodness I not only knew how to do that but also how to splice a broken tape.
After the first couple of weeks, I got lucky, by then I had befriended enough students that I had one of the students, Mark F. (not my ex-husband) who offered to pick me up every morning and bring me in. He was willing to get there early (so he could get to one of the highly coveted tape players) and that worked out for me because then I could have breakfast. No, he didn’t have any other intentions. He had a fiancée back home who he was very much in love with. He just had a motorcycle, which we could ride between the center lane of rush hour traffic on the 101 every morning, and he went by the Hollywood Inn every morning on his way to the same place I was going. I usually got a different ride home.
In that way, it really was looser discipline, although it was just a group of people who would not step over certain lines hanging together all the same. The students did hang around the Sea Org members. Mark F. and a few other students would come over to the Hollywood Inn on libs day. Sometimes, they’d bring some King Taco! One evening, Mark F. and I were leaning on the car, people watching in front of the Hollywood Inn and we were approached by a drunk gay guy who said “I hope you guys aren’t married. I hope you don’t have children.” Then he walked off. We just laughed.
During that time, a group of us from the BC did go to coffee usually once a week on Friday, if we were for sure going to have libs the next day, and a student would bring me a Tommy’s burger at least once a week as well. The students knew we were broke and they always paid.
After I left, I remembered those things because they were mostly light and easy. and it was hard to remember anything else because there are places your mind really doesn’t want you to go. Even sitting down to write about them makes my shoulders tense.
When I was still at the Salt Lake Mission, I got creative with my study. We were supposed to write up a little thing on what each level of the Tone Scale meant – just the basic Tone Scale, not the expanded Tone Scale. I wrote a poem for each level. In going through my papers, here is the one I wrote for 1.1, covert hostility.
I greet all my friends with a smile,
But I’m really plotting all the while.
Unrestrained, I’d do them in,
With friendly handshake and a grin.
1.1 is my name
Covert Hostility is my game.
When reading this poem now, I realized that if you were to analyze the “tone” of the average Scientologist, it would always be 1.1. They are required to pretend to be happy at all times, but they are hiding so much behind that smile.
That’s what my days really were.
The first time I was assaulted was the day Irene Howey called the mid-day muster because CF was behind. We pulled an all-nighter that night. Like a good little Sea Orger, I did what was asked and carried boxes of addresso cards (oh the memories) back and forth, sorting through them. All of a sudden, a senior executive pulled me aside.
The first time wasn’t much, more a show of superiority and “I can have you any time I want,” then sending me back out. He basically jerked off against me then sent me back out to do my stuff. I was so humiliated, but hey “no case on post.” Back to work.
He started pulling me into dark closets and pushing himself into me every chance he got when I was on my way to lunch, and I got in the habit of getting in the middle of a group of people when I was going to lunch. But more often than not, he would be able to cut me off from the herd because of who he was. This meant that not only would I have to go to the nearest bathroom and clean up as best I could and be humiliated when I returned to supervise course for the afternoon, but I also didn’t get lunch at least once a week. But, no case on post. I was cheery and happy…I think. I don’t think any of my students suspected anything.
But then, again, I didn’t think my parents suspected anything either. This went on for about three months before Heber and Yvonne let me know that I was not acting like myself. I spilled the beans, crying my eyes out. They believed me. But, because this man was who he was, they, to an extent, had their hands tied. They told me to go back to work like everything was OK and they would get something worked out.
A couple of days later, I was pulled off at the end of course and pulled into Irene Howey’s office. I was told that I was “beached” for “out 2-D.” Students were still hanging around after course. I walked out of her office and ran into a student who offered to let me stay at her house that night. I did. The next morning, she woke me up and let me know that I couldn’t stay there any longer because she would get kicked off course if I did.
The next morning, the students on the briefing course were being read my “SP Declare” (which I never saw) in which they were told that I had been beached for having sex with students to raise student points. Mark Plummer said it was the weirdest SP declare he had ever read.
In the meantime, I had been told to go to my room the next day to pick up my clothing, etc. after the staff had left for the day. Heber and Yvonne met me there and let me know that the whole out 2-D thing was a ruse and that I was being transferred to the Guardian’s Office, Scientology’s spy wing.
It was all going to be OK.
Riiiiight.
— Valerie Ross
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Technology Cocktail
“If Chaldea could vanish, if Babylon turn to dust, if Egypt could become a badlands, if Sicily could have 160 prosperous cities and be a looted ruin before the year zero and a near desert ever since—and all this in SPITE of all the work and wisdom and good wishes and intent of human beings, then it must follow as the dark follows sunset that something must be unknown to Man concerning all his works and ways. And that this something must be so deadly and so pervasive as to destroy all his ambitions and his chances long before their time. Such a thing would have to be some natural law unguessed at by himself. And there is such a law, apparently, that answers these conditions of being deadly, unknown and embracing all activities. The law would seem to be: A THIRD PARTY MUST BE PRESENT AND UNKNOWN IN EVERY QUARREL FOR A CONFLICT TO EXIST.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1968
THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond
[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman
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“Look at the laudable withholds of a lady. She withholds herself from drinking. She withholds herself from swearing. She withholds herself from rowdy companions. She withholds herself from dirt, you know, and getting dirty. Withholds herself from getting sweaty. See, all the things a lady withholds herself from. Withholds herself from sex, from pleasure, from pleasurable excitement. This starts to look like a very interesting series of withholds. And we finally find out that a lady’s primary mission was to hold herself from living. Not that that’s — things I have mentioned are the total composite of living.” — L. Ron Hubbard, February 27, 1962
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“The trick in books is the ‘stock book.’ Whenever a title in stock gets low through sales you reorder before you are out. You don’t just sell it all the way out of stock before reordering. Once youve let a title vanish off the shelves you’re in trouble as it takes a while to reprint. Meanwhile backorders and complaints swamp the comm lines and there goes the old ball game. A pubs activity can’t remain solvent on paperbacks or bulk discount sales! Theres a special skill to the mail order book business. The keynotes are promote, have them on hand, deliver within 24 hours and order receipt. It will take a lot of work by the SO to get this back in.” — The Commodore, February 27, 1971
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“I have much track with Ron, as I’ve run out in my prior auditing, including my participation in what Ron called the OT III incident. It is good to search out a matter, and also good to be aware of the technology that can produce what is colloquially called a ‘chiphead,’ which is of course a degrade of the mind after it is scanned and copied onto a chip. Has anyone come across this?”
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1997: Martin Ottmann posted excerpts from Scientology News International No. 3, including new bulletins, apparently written by David Miscavige. The issue announces a new set of Scientology inspectors, the Deputy Inspector Generals. “The first, from May of 1996, was Inspector General Network Bulletin #22: ‘A New Golden Age of Tech’. As the title implies, this Bulletin comprised a summary of the extensive investigation that led to the pivotal whys behind all training failures, culminating in the tools we now possess for the making of perfect auditors in any organization worldwide. Those tools, of course, include: that revolution in training, the Drills Simulator: that realization of the perfect E-Meter, the Quantum: and the training drills for our new generation of auditors. In short, the subject of IG Network Bulletin #22 is nothing less than a revolution in the application of LRH tech, and the consequences of that revolution are, at the very least, planetary. Sheer quantity of gain, is the real subject of IG Network Bulletins #27 and #27-1, and that gain is made possible with a series of revolutionary drills for the Solo NOTs auditor. As noted with the original release of those drills, the Solo NOTs auditor is required to employ a full 79 separate auditing skills – a greater number than at any level of The Bridge. Turning over his (Hubbard’s) keeping Scientology hat presented unique problems. Ultimately, he realized that he needed to duplicate his complete exterior, the Scientology religion of all time. That organization is Religious Technology Center. And in forming RTC, he gave his KSW hat a name – that name is Inspector General. And today the hat of Inspector General is worn by Captain David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board RTC, his Deputy Inspector Generals and the Inspector General Network – soon to span the globe with representatives at every Sea Org service org.”
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“The ‘church’ had to admit to TR-L in the Canadian trial when they questioned the veracity of the prosecution’s ex-Scientologist witnesses by stating to the judge their testimony couldn’t be trusted because they had been specifically trained to lie while in the church.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing February 26, 2024.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Complaint filed August 2, motion to strike/anti-SLAPP motions by Scientology to be heard January 9, 2024.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs allowed interlocutory appeal to Eleventh Circuit.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: motion to file new complaint, hearing on March 20.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, hearing on March 26.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.
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After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: 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] David Miscavige insists he was still not served, asks court for time to object to ruling
[TWO years ago] Clark Carr, 75, who gave up comedy dreams to become Scientology’s drug rehab mouthpiece
[THREE years ago] Another Scientology OT jumps from a tall building
[FOUR years ago] Balloons? Here’s what Scientology should really be apologizing for
[FIVE years ago] A letter of surrender, written from the basement of Scientology’s ‘Big Blue’ HQ
[SIX years ago] New memoir ‘Flunk. Start.’ richly illuminates the appeal — and betrayal — of Scientology
[SEVEN years ago] Keep your Oscars, we won a Scientology ‘bigot’ award!
[EIGHT years ago] Augustine: How Scientology makes it so hard to get your money back
[NINE years ago] Gerry Armstrong’s full 1997 ‘Secret Lives’ interview about L. Ron Hubbard
[TEN years ago] Is Ukraine’s proposed new prime minister a Scientologist? Says his niece: ‘That’s crap’
[ELEVEN years ago] Lori Hodgson Appeals to Scientology’s “Spin Doctor,” Michael Sitrick
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 2,823 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,318 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,833 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,383 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,373 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,254 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,558 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,429 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,981 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,322 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,889 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,808 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,976 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,557 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,818 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,854 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,570 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,134 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,449 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,624 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,175 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,306 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,644 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,499 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,617 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,974 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,277 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,383 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,781 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,657 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,222 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,735 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,989 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,098 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on February 27, 2024 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now 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, 1995-2022 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2022), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
