TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Valerie Ross really moved us with this new update on her journey after Scientology, as she discovered something that had eluded her for so many years. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“It has been known for many many years that the phenomenon of ‘Mutual Out Ruds’ existed. This means TWO OR MORE PEOPLE WHO MUTUALLY HAVE RUDS OUT
ON THE WIDER GROUP OR OTHER DYNAMICS AND DO NOT GET THEM IN. Example: A husband-wife co-audit team never run O/Ws on the rest of the family because both of them have similar overts and so consider it usual. Example: Prisoners engaged in co-auditing (as in Narconon) may have similar overts, withholds, ARC Brks and/or problems with the rest of society and so do not think of handling them as out-ruds. Example: Two top class auditors co-auditing, have similar overts on the junior auditors and the org and so never think to get them in. THIS CAN STALL CASES!” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1974
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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 [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
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“I do not know if it can be established for sure what I say about the deteriorating size of a thetan is a curve, but I believe it to be, and that the composite track of 74 trillion years might be the banks of cells which you now have, which once ran bodies. And you might have a rather brief tenure on the track really. Because it would be almost impossible to separate these things. And that’s why you couldn’t give a damn whether you have a past life or not. It just doesn’t matter. The point is you’ve got a future one.” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 12, 1953
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“A new CLASS VI (plus HDG) recruitment campaign is being telexed out to CLSs. We are offering a Petty Officer (Tech) rating to field VIs, VIIs, VIIIs, so they become fully contracted SO Members. They will be shipped direct to Flag where we will jump them through AB, Mission School, SS I, SS II, Class VIII, IX and X. These will be purely tech ratings…Target is to make every Scn org as big as SH was in 1967. So that’s where we’re going. The blocker is Tech Personnel and we’re hammering hard on that.” — The Commodore, January 12, 1971
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“Clear isn’t what Hubbard cracked it up to be. The person has a win, feels great, attests to Clear, then this good feeling fades away with time. If the person doesn’t get into the next level then they will realise as time goes by that Clear is kinda shit and start spotting this borderline scam that Scientology is, then they will leave it. But if he goes onto the next level any problems or not feeling good the guy has can be blamed on the new level he is now doing. See how clever Hubbard is? Also any ‘Clear not feeling so goodness’ can be blamed on this vulnerable area they are in. ‘I knew I should have gone straight onto OT 1’ the scio thinks if they ignored the warning. It’s called the non-interference zone. So if the person starts thinking Clear is shit, well then that’s because they are in this vulnerable zone and quickly need to get onto their next level, not that the Clear state kinda doesn’t exist. Oh gosh it’s such a scam, but it also isn’t a scam, it’s a mixture of both. That’s why it’s such a controversial religion and is fascinating to study.”
2002: The Evening Standard published an article on Scientology celebrity John Travolta and his new movie, Domestic Disturbance. “When Tonight Show host Jay Leno asked John Travolta to appear as a guest to discuss Ground Zero, he felt the request merited a trip to view the devastation and rescue effort for himself. ‘I had to know what I’d be talking about,’ said Travolta. ‘I hadn’t been to Ground Zero. And when I got there, the reality really hit me, especially the fact that those firemen and rescue workers were prepared to give their lives for those of complete strangers. His new film, Domestic Disturbance, racked up a reasonable $44 million in the US last year, while Swordfish, which he terms now ‘an anti-terrorism movie,’ fared even better with a whisker under $70 million. He dropped his fee to $10 million for the roundly panned Battlefield Earth, adapted from a novel by L Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology. Ask him if there’s a film he regrets making and one might hope he’d cite the latter. But not a bit of it. The endlessly upbeat Travolta says he ‘loved it.’ He claims the film ‘made 100 million bucks,’ though its US run made only $21.5 million. ‘And it was the first Hubbard film to make it to the screen. He’s a great science fiction writer. There’s still the second part of the same book we might do.’ He worries more these days about issues like the ‘drugging of children in school – Ritalin and other drugs they put kids on which seem really unnecessary. A drug like Ritalin will quieten down a child and make them less of a problem, but it will only lead to a bigger problem. That drug simply connects them to the next thing they’re presented with, be it cocaine or whatever.'”
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“Burroughs thought that psychedelics could help him break his junk addiction, but he also thought the same thing about Scientology.”
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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, 2023. Appeal brief due by December 23.
— ‘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 January 13, 2025.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud, awaiting sentencing.
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.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1.
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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] Scientology has a permit in Austin for this Saturday, but the ‘Ideal Org’ looks unready
[TWO years ago] The prosecution’s argument that won the day for a retrial of Danny Masterson
[THREE years ago] VIDEO: An unprecedented glimpse inside Scientology’s royal family
[FOUR years ago] Scientology’s anti-mask star Leigh Dundas may have overdone it at Capitol riot
[FIVE years ago] Scientology honors its bodysnatchers with stars on its Xenu-rrific walk of fame
[SIX years ago] David Miscavige in South Africa: The new ‘Advanced Org’ gets its castle
[SEVEN years ago] When Scientology tried to convince the FBI that a college prof ran a cabal of critics
[EIGHT years ago] LAPD to Leah Remini on her records request about missing Scientology leader’s wife: ‘Go fish’
[NINE years ago] A great peek into how Scientology uses fronts to love-bomb a public official
[TEN years ago] Monday Funnies: More evidence that Scientology is gearing up for a really tough 2015
[ELEVEN years ago] Gary Weber: Another former Scientology official talks about women forced to have abortions
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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.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,142 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,637 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,152 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,702 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,692 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,078 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,573 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,877 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,748 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,300 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,641 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,208 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,127 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,295 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,877 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,137 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,173 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,889 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,453 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,768 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,943 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,625 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,962 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,816 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,931 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,293 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,596 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,702 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,100 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,976 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,541 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,052 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,308 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,416 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 12, 2025 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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
