TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Scientology opens its newest shrine to founder L. Ron Hubbard today with a Canary Islands villa where he wrote the Xenu story in ’67. But Hana Whitfield tells us she visited Hubbard there, and it looked nothing like the ‘restoration’! ALSO: Another Clearwater grand opening today! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Tone 40 is a positive postulate with no counter thought expected, anticipated or anything else; that is, total control. It can also be defined as giving a command and just knowing that it will be executed despite any contrary appearances. In other words, Tone 40 is positive postulating. A Tone 40 intention includes nothing else—no counter intention specifically.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1981
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“The fact that a bank has been built and maintained and added to works against just achieving higher levels of beingness in the process of livingness. And that is all that prevents it. And this was quite revelatory to me. You’d say this is not much of a point and it’s true enough, it isn’t much of a point. It’s one of these elementary things that doesn’t change around the basic concepts of Scientology any. But it does this, it does this: it puts a different complexion on this universe; and it puts a different complexion on what you might care to do; and it puts a different complexion on your future for the next two hundred trillion years. See, this changes that. Your concept that the only thing you could do is get to a point where you could get totally out of this universe, or something like that, if you had such a concept — the only way you could ever win is to just get away from all this MEST and space and so forth — those concepts are, apparently, invalid. Which is a very hopeful happy note. I feel like a certain Pollyanna idiocy taking over, you see?” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 25, 1963
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“NEWS ITEM: Phil Wearne, whose instigation of the infamous Melbourne inquiry began the Anzo attacks and who later confessed and fully documented his lies and guilt, died recently in Sydney. Cause of death not known here. Sooner or later it seems to kill them.” — The Commodore, April 25, 1970
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“I was inserted into a meat body and lived in an age old rural space in ancient buildings. Endless study from books and tablets for several thousand of what I would call years. This space was large and somewhat Earth-like, but still separate from the general population of this universe. I was asked often about what I had learned and what I was learning. This was the portion of training in which punishment was introduced. The pain, and confusion, and disorientation implants. Electronic implants as well as deprivation implants. But it was done in such a way that it was always your fault for making errors. These implants were effective, but depended entirely on previous training and AGREEMENTS for their strength. The most powerful and most difficult implants to find and sort out were the times of ACCOMPLISHMENT. When I learned to keep a balance between keeping harmony and initiating new activity, according to the instructions, I was given praise and graduated to the next step. The abilities that I was not allowed to use in order to keep things ‘fair for all’ etc. Using mental machinery to predict occurrences is an example of things not allowed. These were VERY powerful postulates and decisions that were imposed. And this was just the most recent universe. There were many before with similar training requirements and ‘accomplishment’ implants. Each one more refined and more effective than the previous.”
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2000: Slashdot reported that online auction host eBay has been removing auctions of e-meters due to demands from Scientology under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. “Does the Digital Millennium Copyright Act cover electrical religious artifacts? Apparently the Church of Scientology thinks so. eBay has been yanking auctions of e-meters because of complaints by the CoS. In response to queries by a collector, eBay said ‘the Church of Scientology is giving us Notices of Infringement, which we are legally required to honor. These items are being ended for that reason.’ This is just one more data point in the disturbing trend of the DMCA being used as an all-purpose club to remove material from the Internet. The device itself is just an electrical mechanism, somewhat like a fancy multimeter or oscilloscope. It’s patented, but of course thousands of patented items are sold on eBay every day. To members of the Church of Scientology, however, it’s more than just an electrical device. It’s used in ‘auditing,’ which apparently helps new members advance in the program. Rod Keller, a Scientology critic, noticed that e-meter auctions were being taken down, and wrote eBay to ask why. The response was: ‘These items are not prohibited due to their nature, but the Church of Scientology is giving us Notices of Infringement, which we are legally required to honor. These items are being ended for that reason.’ When Mr. Keller expressed surprise at this, the next message went into a little more detail: ‘There is a procedure under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act whereby someone who claims to be an owner of Intellectual property can send a notice sworn under penalty of perjury that an item is infringing. The internet provider must then remove the item. The seller of the item (not a third party) can request and fill out a counter notice. If he/she does so, the complaining party who filled out the original notice has a limited period of time to file suit, or the provider can go ahead and relist the item. Based on eBay’s statements, the Church of Scientology has sworn under penalty of perjury that it has an ‘exclusive right’ to copyright on the material that was posted in the auction. To me, that seems obviously wrong. But to enjoy the protections of the DMCA, service providers must remove any material as soon as they’re told it infringes on copyright. Once material has been challenged, the service provider must act ‘expeditiously’ to remove it. Only when the material is gone can the accused user make a case to defend it.”
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“I think it’s called the ‘If you become rich & famous, all is forgiven’ tech.”
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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] Michele Fiore is 3rd Scientologist Trump has pardoned (that we know of)
[TWO years ago] Trophy life: A rare look inside the family of a wealthy Scientology ‘whale’
[THREE years ago] Opening statement a big improvement for prosecution at Danny Masterson retrial
[FOUR years ago] When Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard revealed how crazy your afterlife will be
[FIVE years ago] Scientology social media: Salvaging the planet by draining one bank account at a time
[SIX years ago] Calling all patsies: Scientology tries desperately to keep its isolated members busy
[SEVEN years ago] VIDEO: Danny Masterson accusers face down Scientology ploy at Denim Day rally
[EIGHT years ago] Former Scientology mouthpiece Tommy Davis has a new look and a new friend in his life
[NINE years ago] Someone forgot to notify the Dept. of Defense that Scientology is the world’s coolest religion
[TEN years ago] One of the best examples ever that Scientology can only be understood from ex-Scientologists
[ELEVEN years ago] Jon Atack announces a five-day Toronto conference on Scientology to take place in June
[TWELVE years ago] Video Vault: The universe is yours to duplicate, Mr. Hubbard!
[THIRTEEN years ago] FED COURT DENIES SCIENTOLOGY REQUEST: Decision on Religious Arbitration Coming Soon?
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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 3,609 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 4,113 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,619 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,169 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,159 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,545 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 3,040 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,344 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,995 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,213 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,767 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 5,108 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,679 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,595 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,762 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,348 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,607 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,355 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,924 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,235 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,410 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 5,092 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,429 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,282 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,398 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,760 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,174 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,559 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,443 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 4,007 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,519 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,779 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,883 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 25, 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
