Neil Gaiman’s Scientology upbringing, and how he mined it for content

 
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: With the disturbing allegations against Neil Gaiman blowing up after a New York mag story this week, we noticed people are interested in our previous reporting about Neil and his Scientology upbringing. We decided to bring together that information and to add some updates. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]

 
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Technology Cocktail

“C/S ACTION — CLEARED CANNIBAL STEP. The C/S’s action is a direct comm line to the person by notes. The person is provided with paper and pen to reply. The C/S must determine the person’s responsibility level. Example: ‘Dear Joe. What can you guarantee me if you are let out of isolation?’ If the person’s reply shows continued irresponsibility toward other dynamics or fixation on one dynamic to the exclusion of others damaged the C/S must inform the person of his continued isolation and why. Example: ‘Dear Joe. I’m sorry but no go on coming out of isolation yet. Your actions threatened the survival of hundreds of people indirectly and 6 families directly by burning down their houses. You are unaware of the effects this could have had and still only concerned about your own welfare. You must hate the human race quite a bit.'” — 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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Source Code

“Take any given action. Let’s take kissing a girl, just take that as an action. I don’t know whether you’re familiar with this action or not, but — kissing a girl. All right. Now, let’s take a look at the various societies and their various regards of it. And you find out it’d be very interesting. The Marriage Counselors Society of Los Angeles. Of course, this is a very laudable action and therefore you are a very evil man if you don’t kiss a girl. If you’re not the type of man who kisses girls, then you’re an evil man. That’s according to the mores of the marriage counselors. Because of course the more girls that get kissed, the more business they have. Elementary. Elementary. All right. Now, let’s take the Sex Is Evil Society of New York City. The Sex Is Evil Society. All right. Every time you kiss a girl, you see, you are evil. So you’re an evil man because you kiss a girl. Now, you go down to Hollywood, for instance, and kiss a girl, they think you’re crazy. I didn’t mean it as a crack, and so forth. I didn’t mean it as a crack, a derogatory. In the first place, it couldn’t be derogatory because you can always explain cracks about Hollywood on the same basis, ‘It isn’t critical — it isn’t a critical thought because it’s true!’ You hear that?” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 16, 1962

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“The factor of income-outgo is that one must have more income than outgo for an org to live at all. This is the primary thing that EOs and staffs overlook. It is the only thing really that can wipe out an org. ASHO in November ran at less income than outgo (loss of $3,000) which is why there is an effort to combine ASHO and AOLA. In management this factor — the income-outgo ratio — is just something that can’t be ignored as it can destroy an org and is, by experience, the only thing which can. It is also the hardest thing to get across to ECs. One has to increase income to exceed outgo and also decrease outgo so it is less than income — both actions are usually necessary. I doubt there is a more important management datum than this. Or one which is more consistently ignored in orgs.” — The Commodore, January 16, 1970

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“‘KUCDEIOF: know, unknow, curious, desire, enforce, inhibit, none of it, false.’ KUCDEIOF may be and is currently being applied in reverse to install false and substituted stable data and a false and substituted operating basis. The 1st step is to persuade the person by foul means or fair to unknow what they actually know to be true, for example to persuade the person to suspend disbelief, a standard pyramid sales technique. Then it’s generate curiosity and desire followed swiftly by enforce and inhibit. Then the lollipop is taken away at absence of and none of it is applied to ensure a total rejection of the original truth. Finally the false and substituted stable datum and operating basis is installed. At this point whatever it is that the person originally knew to be true and was persuaded to unknow is considered false. In actuality an inversion, reversal, denial and substitution of truth is what takes place. And how on earth do we end up in such a mess in the first place? By unknowing what we actually know to be true.”

Past is Prologue

1999: Scientology opponent and lawyer Graham Berry announced that his partnership has dissolved because of pressure from Scientology. “Today, with 5 scieno lawyers against me, the judge not only gave me an opportunity to respond in an orderly manner to the barrage of
‘overwhelming’ discovery that caused the partnership dissolution but commented that although the law may have required him to keep them in, that it made more sense to let them out. In the same spirit it gave me the time to meet the mountain of scientology discovery demands. Next week scientology takes days 7-12 of my deposition. After the Reveillere (OSA) v Pattinson document inspection tomorrow it is then on to deal with Moxon’s opposition to Michael Pattinson’s motion for leave to file a third amended complaint in Pattinson v. CSI. In those papers Moxon denies that clearing the planet means scientology technology ruling the world!” Graham also reported increased investigations from Scientology PI Eugene Ingram. “Right now the scientology litigation blitzkrieg is all over me and harassing witnesses with PI’s. Ingram even called the DA’s office which then called me. ‘Some PI by the name of Gene Ingram is trying to obtain information on you but he is not going to get it unless we speak with you first. I also expect to be taking the depositions of Miscavige, Moxon, Rinder and Ingram within the next 8 weeks in two different cases, in the Berry cases and in Pattinson.”

 
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Random Howdy

“Steve Allen and Johnny Carson hated 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 February 24, 2025.

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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SCIENTOLOGY: FAIR GAME

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] We’re in LA for the hearing in Leah Remini’s lawsuit against Scientology
[TWO years ago] Grant Cardone at Flag: Again, Scientology turns to its professional ham hock to fill seats
[THREE years ago] When Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard decided to get tough with squirrels
[FOUR years ago] More proof that governments are aware of how Scientology abuses its own members
[FIVE years ago] Lawsuit filed in death of man shot by police at Scientology’s Inglewood ‘Ideal Org’
[SIX years ago] Another elderly victim gets soaked by Scientology, is talking to law enforcement
[SEVEN years ago] Leah Remini and Mike Rinder cite Scientology interrogations as they support Paul Haggis
[EIGHT years ago] What Scientology is telling its members: Things have never been better!
[NINE years ago] Atack: What I meant when I said Scientologists suffer from arrogance when they leave
[ELEVEN years ago] High crimes and misdemeanors: Jefferson Hawkins on Scientology’s bizarre criminal code
[TWELVE years ago] TONIGHT: Nancy Many’s Story of Scientology Spying and Interrogation on ID at 10 PM

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 16, 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

 

Tony Ortega at Rolling Stone