Mark Bunker reacts to the Wall Street Journal’s look at Scientology in Clearwater

 
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We thought the Wall Street Journal did a fine job with an overview of Scientology’s efforts to grab even more influence in Clearwater, Florida. But we really wanted to hear from Mark Bunker, who is running again for city council there, and he came through. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]

 
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Technology Cocktail

“A release is effected chiefly by removing from the case all grief engrams. As much work in the basic area and other areas of the case is done as may be required to facilitate the release of grief. When the main grief charges are removed from a case, the chronic somatics will often be found to have been released as well, even when they are not specifically contacted in engrams. This may be a special type of case. It is only known that when a release via grief discharge can be effected readily, chronic somatics vanish. If a release of grief is effected and yet chronic somatics still hold, the basic area is contacted and the unconsciousness is thinned on the case. After that the specific engrams which hold the chronic somatics are contacted and reduced. The reason unconsciousness is removed from the case in the basic area is that such removal thins the tenacity of all other engrams in the case. When striking for a specific chronic.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1950

 
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Source Code

“One patient, who all morning, every morning, had to be kept in an institution in a wet pack, promptly at noon with a smile would jump out of bed, after having been in a fetal position all morning, very happily get dressed, go around and talk to everybody, as sane as anyone you wanted to meet. But the attendants would come around the next morning and there she would be curled up in a fetal position, so they would again put her in a wet pack until noon. This went on every day, and had been going on for five years — an interesting example of a time clock running on an engram.” — L. Ron Hubbard, July 8, 1950

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“TREATMENT: I have been reading a book in which water and bathing is covered as a cure for everything from hangnails to leprosy. It began in 1829. In 1850 Dr. John Bell of Philadelphia brought this treatment to a fine art. His book was called ‘Dietical and Medical Hydrology: A Treatise on Baths; including Cold, Sea, Warm, Hot, Vapour, Gas and Mud Baths…All this has nothing to do with soap or getting clean. It’s how the MDs treated various diseases in the 19th Century — soaking, boiling chilling patients. (The psychiatrist is still stuck in that period and still uses wet packs and shocks, namely an ‘Electric Bath’.) It’s all very funny. So you see, throwing people overboard is NOT disciplinary at all. It’s the practice of Hydropathy (water treatment) guaranteed to cure them of anything they have. As the medicos did it for nearly a century and psychiatry still does it, then of course, it is the thing to do. Thus we should immediately get in a Hydropathic Registrar and Invoice line for all flubbing students or recruits and sign them up for ‘A Hydropathological Treatment’ and throw them overboard. Who are we to go against a century and a half of solemn medical tradition?” — The Commodore, July 8, 1971

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“Scientology operates on the Organizing Board. It is its own form of government. The Org Board can be used to run an org, the freezone, a country or the planet. The field in Europe has its own authorities. Only the American indies have a cowboy mentality.”

 
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Past is Prologue

1997: The Tampa Tribune published a column on Scientology activities in Ybor City, near Tampa, Florida. “Some say street vendors of all types have the right to peddle their wares in Ybor. But others worry the center, sponsored by the Church of Scientology, will chase wary patrons away from Seventh Avenue. That wasn’t the case with Berrios. She and her friends followed the man to a bare room off 16th Street, just a few steps south of the pedestrian-filled Seventh Avenue strip. There, Berrios clutched metal cans hooked with wires to a pink machine with a meter. As she talked to a center volunteer about her problems, the needle on the meter waved wildly. ‘It showed I was completely stressed, almost over-stressed,’ Berrios says. She has an appointment to return this weekend to begin a self- paced study course on Dianetics. ‘I’ll be paired up with someone who has problems like me,’ she says. She hopes to learn to solve her problems through the study of Dianetics. The philosophy of Dianetics was developed by the late, prolific author L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology. The testing center is sponsored by the Clearwater-based organization. Critics say the organization takes too much control over the lives of members, who study Hubbard’s teachings. However, members, including celebrities Michael Jackson and John Travolta, credit much of their success to their involvement with the group. Berrios says no one at the center mentioned Scientology. Nothing on the bare walls or in the basic literature she carried home mentions the church. That makes the center even more of a concern, says Marian Lasher, who owns the nearby Joffrey’s Coffee Co. franchise. Recently, Lasher found two new Dianetics manuals on a counter in her store. She threw them away. ‘I’m not fond of what they believe and I don’t want them in my store,’ she says. ‘It’s like they’re preying on young people. They’re coming down here where people are under the influence of alcohol. They’re taking advantage of that.'”

 
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Random Howdy

“Why does any henchman remain loyal to a corrupt leader? It’s because they are reaping some of the rewards also, whether it be money or power, or in Mary Sue’s case, both.”

 
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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, oral arguments scheduled for June 25. 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. Now serving time in 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 June 19.

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. Oral arguments hearing set for July 23.
— 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 upheld on appeal. Scientology expected to file additional petitions before case can return to Kalra’s court.
— 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] Scientology, the graphic novel? French team explores Hubbard history
[TWO years ago] The new Scientology miracles are here! Totally true stories of OT abilities, pilgrims!
[THREE years ago] PODCAST: Film critic Luke Y. Thompson on Tom Cruise as action star and Scientologist dope
[FOUR years ago] The Insider: What I’m seeing is a Scientology in big trouble
[FIVE years ago] John P. Coale, OT 6 Scientologist, among attorneys suing Big Tech for Trump
[SIX years ago] Scientology celebrity Catherine Bell’s July 4th was on fire!
[SEVEN years ago] David Miscavige misses out on $30 billion building project proposed by Scientologists
[EIGHT years ago] Masterson witness fears for safety as investigation drags on and on
[NINE years ago] Scientology and the Spoonbenders: Jon Atack on a previously unpublished Ingo Swann essay
[TEN years ago] Our money man takes another look at new (and grim) Scientology financial disclosures
[ELEVEN years ago] NYTimes reports link between Scientology and hack of two who appeared in ‘Going Clear’
[TWELVE years ago] Ryan Hamilton files lawsuit 16 against Scientology’s drug rehab network
[THIRTEEN years ago] SCIENTOLOGY CELEBRITY REBELLION: Leah Remini Dared to Ask, “Where’s Shelly?”

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on July 8, 2026 at 07:00

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