TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: It’s been a long time since we had the latest hype video out of Scientology. The point of them is to get Scientologists to ignore the extreme fundraising and harsh ethics and get back on the Bridge. These videos are strictly not for the general public and it’s pretty obvious why. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“A Dianetic pc who couldn’t honestly say he was a well and happy human being would need more somatic items run out R3RA. One would never try to rehab a Grade the pc had never really been run on, or for instance, Q and A with a pc who asserted he was a Grade 2 Release because he went to confession as a youth. The Abilities Gained of the Grades are attained only by auditing on the various processes of each Grade. The results of well-run Grades are light years above anything that other fields or practices can offer, so don’t sell them short by omitting or quickying them.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1980
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“It’s the inability of the Catholic Church, and the inability of the Methodist and Angelican and other faiths, to unravel the why that lay behind human-emotion-and-reaction that convinced them utterly that man was a sinful being and that was born in sin, and he was conceived in sin and born in sin and would die in sin, and that he was evil. You can see them now on the rostrum, on the platform shaking their fingers at their congregations and how they were evil sinners, and they were all sinners. That’s just all, they didn’t have the right why. So, your own future morale pursuing a line as an Establishment Officer actually is greatly dependent on your ability to penetrate a situation and discover a correct why.” — L. Ron Hubbard, March 2, 1972
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“Al Bornstein is ordered to thorough daily 2 hour study on his post hat. I have already sent Org Officer FAO a full checksheet on promotion for use in his hat.” — Lt. Cmdr. Diana Hubbard, Distribution Aide, March 2, 1971
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“Able Body Bill said (in the UFO lecture) that siding with the EU and its Marcabian masters was better than siding with the USA and its gray Andromedan masters. Marcab controls the population through economics and tax, while the grays from Andromeda use brain chips and implants.”
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1996: Karin Spaink posted an account of her day in court in the case of the cult vs. numerous Dutch Internet providers. “Nauta Dutilh started: Hermans took the stand and said that many people did not hold his client in high esteem, and that no matter what that criticism was worth, they have rights, among them copyrights – and that these were what was at stake here; nothing else. ‘The controversial nature of my clients is irrelevant here.’ He explained that, as RTC held the secrecy of these materials very dear and had a vested interest in this confidentiality, they could not allow publishing or quoting the OT’s in any way whatsoever. Then Bakker Schut took the stand. He went on in great detail about Fair Gaming, how CoS treats its critics, the harassment of a.r.s, the rmgroup message, the lawsuits. He explained about OT 2 and about OT 3 – the complete Xenu story. He explained about the recent warnings given and measures taken by the German government, and quoted extensively from the brochure issued by the German government. He explained how the OT’s ended up in a court file and that they had leaked before; he explained that quoting parts of them was not only a right and fair use, it was also a right defended by both freedom of speech and public interest. Pors, for Planet Internet, took the stand, explaining that he only wanted to talk about the position of the providers. They had not been given evidence by plaintiffs to prove the alleged infringement; I had been able to explain to them that there was reason to doubt the infringement, so what were they to do? Tied up between their duties towards their subscribers and the complaints of an outsider. And only now, last week, RTC and NEPI had provided them with partial proof. Which only showed that it pays not to listen to RTC etc too soon – their claim was now much smaller than it had been earlier. Bakker Schut again explained about the OT’s – having them available was a matter of public interest because so many people had encountered psychological problems over them. (Both this time and before, when he mentioned OT 3, some CoS members could be seen stuffing their fingers in their ears. They did not want to hear this.) When the president of the court was about to adjourn the meeting at 16:30, Hermans got up and said: ‘Considering the great number of accusations that have been thrown at my client, could Mr. McShane please be allowed to speak and counter them?’ ‘NO,’ said the judge, ‘YOU were the one who started your speech saying that the controversial nature of your clients was not an issue here anyway.’ Verdict due on Tuesday. We are optimistic.”
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“Even after all this time I’m still shocked at how this ‘religion’ is able to turn people into the biggest bunch of liars, bullies and amoral a-holes I’ve ever come across. I’m use to associating with junkies, prostitutes, and various other sundry shady types, but generally speaking, those people have more of a moral compass than your militant Scientologist.”
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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 March 9.
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, which is now fully briefed. Awaiting the setting of an oral arguments hearing.
— 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. Oral arguments hearing on March 3.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration. 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] Here it is, Scientology’s secret plan to end psychiatry as we know it
[TWO years ago] PODCAST: She infiltrated Scientology in Austin, and returned for its ‘Ideal Org’
[THREE years ago] Chris Shelton breaks down wild interview with current Scientologist Katie Lohmann
[FOUR years ago] Rough seas? Tough cookie, sailor. In Scientology, you upchuck at your own peril
[FIVE years ago] Save the date: Special ‘Cult City’ tour with Marc Headley for L. Ron Hubbard’s birthday
[SIX years ago] DRONE FLYOVER: The Gold Country mine where Scientology stores its scriptures
[SEVEN years ago] Mike Rinder on Scientology’s smears, Miscavige’s fears, and waiting for ‘Aftermath’ news
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology TV is now installed at the Ideal Orgs — when do the rest of us get to see it?
[NINE years ago] Leah Remini’s ‘Troublemaker’ finally gets a UK publisher — and you can probably guess who!
[TEN years ago] EXCLUSIVE: Lawrence Wright’s Scientology epic ‘Going Clear’ finally getting U.K. release
[ELEVEN years ago] NEW TODAY: Memoir with shocking claims by notorious Scientology spy, Merrell Vannier
[TWELVE years ago] Sunday Funnies: Scientology nuttiness on Oscar Day!
[THIRTEEN years ago] Scientology Mythbusting with Jon Atack: That L. Ron Hubbard TV Ad!
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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 3,555 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 4,059 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,565 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,115 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,105 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,491 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,986 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,290 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,941 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,159 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,713 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 5,054 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,625 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,541 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,708 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,290 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,549 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,301 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,866 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,181 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,356 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 5,038 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,375 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,228 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,344 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,706 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,117 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,505 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,389 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,953 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,465 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,725 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,829 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 2, 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
