TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We’re still struggling with losing Scientology whistleblower Jefferson Hawkins on Jan 5. Today, Mark Bunker offers us the interview he did with Jeff in 2011, upscaled and complete. What a resource Jeff was. ALSO: L. Ron Hubbard’s 40th death day is coming, and we have a surprise. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Once the thetan has been gotten into communication with his environment, his reach and confront is then raised on this step of the Survival RD. Three areas are covered — the outdoor environment, the individual’s personal living area & MEST, and his work space. This step alone has produced some of the most dramatic changes which occur on this Rundown. The Reach and Withdraw and the Environment Locational are not to be underestimated because of their simplicity. You must realize that, after the Purif, you have a thetan with a fresh clean viewpoint and an anxiousness to become reacquainted and causative over the physical universe which he is operating in. This Reach and Withdraw step does just that.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1980
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“This is what? [Audience: 17th.] The what? [17th.] Of what month? [January.] 17th of January. What year? [AD 12.] AD 12. And where are we? [Saint Hill.] Huh? [Saint Hill.] Yeah, I know, but what planet? [Earth.] Earth. OK. Thank you very much. All right. Thank you very much for orienting me. I’ve been flying about here and haven’t had much time to look up.” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 17, 1962
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“The ship is doing much better and starting to pull up its socks. Therefore the general condition is raised to EMERGENCY…When the ship was injured against the dock it is interesting that the 1st Mate had been goofed up in Qual previously. These names are then associated with the decline of the ship condition by being in charge of the areas: DIANE McDONALD, OTTO ROOS, PHIL QUIRINO, NATE JESSUP, BILL HOWEY, through to greater or lesser degree neglect of duty…When we didn’t push the real targets, the ship wound up on my plate and the crew got caught in the resulting storm. Certain VITAL actions had to be COMPLETED before we could operate or sail. Lots of small actions were done but the big ones got no heavy push and so left us actually inoperational. We are now doing much better and the new mate line up is functioning very well especially with 2nd Deputy Captain Eltringham on the job!” — The Commodore (1969)
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“The ideal whistleblower would be one that discloses corruption or wrongdoing without ideas of making nothing out of Scientology. Or one that offers reform. The bad whistleblower would be that one who discloses corruption or wrongdoing with the intent of making nothing out of Scientology to benefit the status quo corruption or wrongdoing of the secret government.”
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2001: The Marin Independent Journal reported that a California court has found Gerry Armstrong in contempt for speaking out against Scientology. “Marin Superior Court Judge Vernon Smith ruled that Armstrong, a former Scientology archivist, violated an earlier settlement agreement that he stop criticizing the church and discussing the experiences he had within the organization. Smith also issued an arrest warrant for Armstrong, who did not attend yesterday’s court hearing. Reached at his home in British Columbia, Armstrong said he intentionally stayed away from court for fear he would be thrown in jail. Armstrong said he also has no intention of curbing his criticism, which most often takes the form of writings he posts in Internet discussion groups. ‘This is about freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, the whole gamut. I will fight this to the ends of the Earth.’ In making their case for a contempt order against Armstrong, attorneys for the church submitted a sheaf of messages Armstrong had posted on the Internet between March 1998 and last July. Quiros, the Scientology
spokesman, said ‘We’ll probably never see a dime from Mr. Armstrong,’ he said. ‘And I doubt he’ll do any jail time because he will probably never come back to California.'” Gerry Armstrong posted his comment on the ruling to a.r.s.: “They are still faced with the same problem they had, only it’s bigger. This little big win may have cost them a million. And nothing happened. Their need to lie only serves to convince me that I am without the slightest doubt correct in my studied assessment and judgment that Scientology’s ‘contract’ is legally unenforceable, that Judge Thomas’s injunction is unlawful, that $cientology has unclean hands throughout this litigation, and that $cientology and their lawyers know these facts to be true. For my first contempt, which was for sending Judge Whyte my declaration about being threatened by attorney Andy Wilson after I was served by Grady Ward in $cientology v. Ward, Judge Thomas sentenced me to 2 days in jail and fined me $2,000. For my next 13 contempts, which were mainly talking about my religious experiences to people in Germany, Judge Thomas sentenced me to 26 days in jail and fined me $2,600, or $200 each. In this latest effort by $cientology, having me charged with 133 contempts, Judge Smith has not sentenced me to any jail time nor fined me. The clear message to me is that by continuing to communicate more and more about my religious experiences and religious beliefs, and committing more and more violations of the unlawful Thomas injunction, I have brought the price of contempt down to zero. And continuing the trend, $cientology will now be paying me to speak and write. I’m inspired.”
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“From what I’ve seen and read, status is very competitive and important in public Scientology. Except, instead of cars and homes and jewelry it’s Monty Python Roman titles, bowling trophies and dime store certificates.”
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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 now fully briefed, waiting for 2nd Appellate District court to set a hearing date. 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 (eligible for parole in two to three more years). Awaiting transfer to 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 Feb 2.
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. Leah’s respondent’s brief is due February 11.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ 15 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 is on appeal. Appeal fully briefed. Motion to replace Jane Does’ AI-tainted brief denied by court. Awaiting a court hearing date.
— 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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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] Have you got what it takes to afford the Scientology good life?
[TWO years ago] Scientology’s legacy: A look back from a remarkable new perspective
[THREE years ago] Shelly Miscavige and her beagles: A Group Therapy podcast extra
[FOUR years ago] You recruited people to Scientology: After you’re out, how do you deal with the regret?
[FIVE years ago] Portlanders, did you receive Scientology’s love letter?
[SIX years ago] VALERIE HANEY’S OPPOSITION TO ARBITRATION: A strong no to Scientology’s legal gambit
[SEVEN years ago] Danny Masterson’s attorneys pounce on A&E’s plans for resurrecting an ‘Aftermath’ episode
[EIGHT years ago] The new Freedom magazine is here, and Scientology has never looked better!
[NINE years ago] Behold, it’s Scientology Jesus as you’ve never seen him before!
[TEN years ago] How Scientology hooks public officials on its addictive anti-drug front
[ELEVEN years ago] L. Ron Hubbard fisticuffs! Scientology secrets unearthed in a new government disclosure
[TWELVE years ago] ‘The Factors’: Another video the Church of Scientology would rather you not watch
[THIRTEEN years ago] Lawrence Wright’s Going Clear: We Don’t Think Scientology Is Going to Like This Book Much
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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 3,511 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 4,015 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,521 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,071 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,061 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,447 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,942 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,246 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,897 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,115 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,669 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 5,010 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,581 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,497 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,664 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,246 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,505 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,257 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,822 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,137 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,312 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,994 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,331 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,184 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,300 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,662 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,073 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,461 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,345 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,910 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,421 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,681 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,785 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 17, 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, 1995-2024 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)
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Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
