TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Scientology has posted its photos from this year’s big IAS gala at its UK headquarters, and we have the highlights for you. One surprise: voice of Bart Simpson actress Nancy Cartwright finally got her Freedom Medal, the highest award for an L. Ron Hubbard space cadet! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“For some fifteen years I have been studying, amongst other branches of philosophy, the subject of ART. The reason for this is: Art is the least codified of human endeavors and the most misunderstood. What is Art? is one of the least answered of human questions. Art abounds with authorities. It was chosen because «that field containing the most authorities contains the least codified knowledge.» The obvious invitation is to answer the question and codify the subject. This has now been done. The subject was originally brought up in a conversation with Donald H. Rogers at 42 Aberdeen Road, Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1950. As this zone of human activity seemed to stand outside the Field of Dianetics and Scientology, I thereafter worked with it on a casual basis. Having published 15,000,000 words between 1929 and 1941, I was not unacquainted with the arts. Since 1950 I have worked with other arts than that of literature in order io make an advance on the general subject of ART.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1980
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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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“Nobody ever objects to anybody in India being found dead. So they’re dead. They’re dead. They get married when they’re 12 or 14, kick the bucket when they’re 21, 28 — real quick. The only trouble with the people is, it’s too hot there and they key in all the prenatals they’ve got. It is about 90. Any time you get a climate which is approaching 98.6, you can get the whole prenatal bank keyed in almost perpetually, because that’s the temperature in the prenatal bank, 98.6. That’s why hot countries turn feminine, so forth, so it’s not a hardy country. But way up north, those boys live with kind of wild abandon, too. They always have.” — L. Ron Hubbard, November 24, 1953
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“COMMENDABLE: CS-1 Cmdr Hana Eltringham is commended for getting out and duplicated the CLO org bd and MOs for getting it into action at CLOs in UK, DK and US. A very nice, rapid production requiring no further correction. All who helped her are also thanked.” — The Commodore, November 24, 1970
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“Scientology is the Science of Certainty. You gain certainty in your ability to audit by auditing. I know most of you have given up on the idea of being able to clear the planet. But with thousands of idle OTs (‘do nothing OTs’) to help us if they would just do something, we might still have a chance.”
1995: Former Scientology member and current supporter Wolftrip posted excerpts from Freewinds magazine concerning past lives and implants. “WARNING! SEVERE TURBULENCE AHEAD you are piloting your way through a highly charged part of the track – through an incident the pc hasn’t seen in 200 lifetimes. Miss a read and you could wrap the case in a ball. Wouldn’t you want to fly with the best instrumentation possible? EARTH WAS COLONIZED 35,000 YEARS AGO. (picture of ice cubes) YOU ARRIVED IN AN ICE CUBE…. Where were you 35,000 years ago? And what incidents lie buried in human memory? Discover the ‘coffee grinder’ incident, called Fac One, which laid in a bone deep somatic with a series of electronic stuttering ‘baps’. The halver, which is at the root of religious aberration, and many other implant incidents which have been found common to all preclears on earth. Discover also the ‘Injected Entities’ – the source of voices in your mind, and much more. Read this cold-blooded, factual account of your past, and be protected the next time you find yourself *between lives*”
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“My take on it is that Hubbard created Dianetics as a ‘short con’ and when it took off on a level he didn’t expect and when everyone by the early 60’s had reached ‘Clear’ and the gravy train started to slow down he created the ‘long con’ of the OT levels. The $64,000 question is whether due to mental illness and perhaps drug use did he start to believe in his own bullshit? When he says at the end of OTVIII ‘now that you know what you aren’t are you ready to find out what you really are?’ I see this as phase 2 of the long con. Hubbard is saying ‘Hey, guess what kids, I took a detour and I was on the wrong road but now I’m on the right one, so lets go.’ The bottom line and perhaps unanswerable question is how much was calculated and how much was crazy.”
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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. DA’s response to appeal brief due August 13.
— ‘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 December 1.
Civil litigation:
— 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 Does’ response to Scientology’s appeal brief submitted July 30. Scientology’s reply due October 20.
— 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. Trial has been set for January 10, 2028.
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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 needs your help making secret dossiers on an island paradise!
[TWO years ago] For decades he made Scientology look good. Now he’s out and telling the ugly truth.
[THREE years ago] Special Thanksgiving Podcast: ‘A Billion Years’ author Mike Rinder on Scientology’s epic fails
[FOUR years ago] Check out the US government’s new whales: Feshbachs go Diamond Meritorious for the IRS!
[FIVE years ago] Scientology predictably trashes Valerie Haney’s request for state supreme court review
[SIX years ago] Scientologists use faith healing to convince fire victims they’re actually helping
[SEVEN years ago] Xenu’s first public outing: Robert Kaufman’s stunning 1972 testament, ‘Inside Scientology’
[EIGHT years ago] KID CORPS: When a disease outbreak brought Scientology unwanted attention
[NINE years ago] Leah Remini’s Scientology series opens with a gut-wrenching story of ‘disconnection’
[TEN years ago] Strange scenes from the Moscow hearing that banned Scientology yesterday
[ELEVEN years ago] Jon Atack: At the heart of Scientology is L. Ron Hubbard’s paralyzing use of contradiction
[TWELVE years ago] Jenna Miscavige Hill on Scientology’s New Dawn: “I Can’t Believe People Still Buy This BS”
[THIRTEEN years ago] Radio Daze: Talking Scientology with John Hines of WCCO
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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 3,457 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,961 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,467 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,017 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,007 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,393 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,888 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,192 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,843 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,061 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,615 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,956 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,527 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,443 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,610 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,192 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,451 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,488 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,203 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,768 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,083 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,258 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,940 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,277 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,130 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,246 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,608 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,019 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,407 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,291 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,856 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,367 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,627 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,731 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on November 24, 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, 1995-2024 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)
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, 20 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
