Litigation looms as the people of Clearwater fight back against Scientology’s street takeover

 
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: The signatures are being examined, and Save the Garden’s petition is moving forward. Can it stop Scientology taking over a coveted street? We talked to Brooks Gibbs about the latest in Clearwater. ALSO: Group Therapy from HowdyCon today! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]

 
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Technology Cocktail

“Old Aristotle reputedly held out for two-valued logic—at least that is the way he is interpreted. However, the world received quite an advance when Aristotle resolved and formulated some of the problems of logic. Before Aristotle there was one-valued logic, the will of the gods. Man acted because he was forced to act. Aristotle, a wildeyed radical, came along and insisted Man had a right to be right or wrong according to the dictates of circumstance. Man had a choice. If Aristotle went off into that mathematician’s land of Never-Never, the syllogism which, in abstracts, seeks to evaluate concrete entities and proves only what it assumes, he still advanced ideas about thinking. Lately Man has considered logic to have three values—right, maybe, and wrong. None of these systems of logic begin to encompass what the fabulous.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1951

 
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Source Code

“One day I was doing some processing on a Theta Clear and I had just lit a cigarette. And the Theta Clear was running this and running that, and trying to straighten himself out on this and change postulates on that and so forth, and all of a sudden the body sort of went rigid for an instant. And the Theta Clear must have been up in the corner or something of the sort, and the ashtray was out of my reach on a concrete floor, very slippery floor. And the ashtray was out of my reach and I had my cigarette and I was about to light it and I was looking around for an ashtray. And the ashtray came over, bzzt!, and I dropped a match in it. The thetan was just being polite, that was all, and had never thought twice about it. And I said, ‘Thank you,’ and the person became very confused. Because this person wasn’t up at the level where they were supposed to see or supposed to be or supposed to do things like that yet, you see?” — L. Ron Hubbard, September 22, 1952

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“The WHY of departure from the Ideal Scene personally and organizationally came back to recruiting and hats. Everywhere I look hats fell out on all posts. Some of the wows! I am hearing and the cogs and enthusiasm to get this back in promise fast progress for this action. It is interesting that it has taken 13 months of very hard work on my part to run down and isolate this WHY. THE WHY WAS THE ABSENCE OF FULLY CHECKED OUT HATS. Simple now you see it. Nothing is quite as obscure as an omitted datum. Now, with this hat project rolling I can get back to my own hats!” — The Commodore, September 22, 1970

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“Scientology’s name has been injured badly by the church. We need to reverse that. Also, with all of the corona restrictions all over the world, almost no one is progressing up the bridge. This has harmed the Free Zone like never before, especially with actions done by the church. Scientology WILL grow outside of the church, but it depends on how much volunteer time we are all going to put into it. L. Ron Hubbard managed to hold all those years because of people that have decided to devote a lot of hours a day for his technology and for it to work, so why aren’t we doing the same?”

 
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Past is Prologue

1996: The Scientology org in Portland, Oregon was attacked this week by a gunman who shot four people and started a fire with a can of gasoline. The Associated Press reported: “Jairus C. Godeka, 38, who was under court order not to have any contact with the church, surrendered after walking out with a female hostage who was heard shouting: ‘Don’t do anything. He’s got a gun to my head.’ Police talked Godeka into releasing the woman unharmed and dropping his gun. Another woman, who is at least four months pregnant, was shot in the shoulder and hospitalized in critical condition. Firefighters found church worker Helen Burke, 44, hiding in a stairwell. The center’s executive director was in fair condition with a wound to his right side and another man was in serious condition with a wound to his chest. The fourth victim was treated for a wound to his buttocks and released. Firefighters quickly put out the blaze, which did not cause serious damage. The man had carried a 1-gallon can of gas and ignited the floor near a reception desk. Godeka was arrested on charges of attempted aggravated murder, arson, kidnapping, assault and burglary. The church, however, denounced it as a hate crime. ‘There’s a lesson here, and the lesson is about the damage religious hate mongers cause,’ said a statement issued by the church’s Los Angeles office.” The Portland Oregonian ran a profile on the suspect. “He came form Kenya in 1979 to ‘accomplish something in America,’ he said, his hopes fueled by high expectations from friends and family. But Jairus Godeka felt his dream fade to ‘gloom and doom,’ after he was introduced to the Church of Scientology in 1980, he told police. Interviews with friends, acquaintances and former in-laws, and an examination of police records, reveal a man who was hard-working and earnest but whose past is plagued by alcohol abuse, violent behavior, a broken marriage and financial problems. They also show a man obsessed by the belief that his troubles all stem from the Church of Scientology. A judge entered a not-guilty plea for Godeka Thursday, after he was arraigned in the Justice Center in Portland on charges of attempted aggravated murder, arson, kidnapping, assault and burglary. The turn of events shocked at least one friend, who described Godeka as a gentle man who was “mild-mannered and had a great desire to please everyone’ – someone who was far from crazy and worked hard to make a fledgling business successful. In a long, sometimes rambling statement to police in February, Godeka detailed a variety of grievances he had with Scientology and said how for years he felt the organization should be made to pay $50,000 for ruining in life. Born in Kenya in 1958, Godeka said he came to the United States on a visa. Godeka’s in-laws, who asked that their names not be used, said Thursday that he came to study business administration at a college in Vancouver, Wash., several years ago. They said he and his estranged wife, Christina, met while he was a student. The two married in Vancouver and lived there for three or four months before moving to Portland. About five years into the marriage, they said, Godeka found Scientology. A month after he did, the in-laws said, Godeka sold his belongings, including a stereo the couple owned, and left his wife. ‘The Church of Scientology told him he had to cleanse or purify himself and to leave her,’ Christina’s mother said. ‘He was fine until he got involved with that church.’ In his statement to police, Godeka said he became attracted to Scientology after a session at the Portland branch to familiarize himself with the group’s philosophies. He then took a free personality test and bought some books. At some point, however, he began to feel that several church employees were controlling his mind, he said. One person particularly troubled him: Burke, the receptionist at the Portland branch, who would become one of his gunshot victims. ‘It was Helen,’ he said in one interview with police. ‘Helen’s kept me a prisoner all these years.’ Burke, who is in serious condition, could not be reached for comment.”

 
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Random Howdy

“Scilon is a play on ‘Cylons,’ the robotic invaders in Battlestar Galactica. It is particularly appropriate because Hubbard was a science fiction writer, and the top-seekrit ‘OT levels’ are based on the belief that we are infected with ‘body thetans,’ the confused, immortal souls of space aliens who became disoriented 75 million years ago when the evil space warlord Xenu brought them to Earth (or Teegeeack, as it was known then), dropped them into volcanoes and blew them up with nuclear weapons. ‘The Scilons tried to talk me into taking a Free Personality Test.’”

 
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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] What politicians need to know about Scientology’s anti-psychiatry agenda
[TWO years ago] Your Scientology superpower is here, Thetan, and it’s for the birds!
[THREE years ago] Predictable: Scientology tries to derail Jane Doe 1 lawsuit with ‘religious arbitration’
[FOUR years ago] Scientology is fuming about Mike Rinder, Valeska Paris testimony in trafficking case
[FIVE years ago] Scientology and anti-vaxx, a marriage made in heaven?
[SIX years ago] VIDEO: See Danny Masterson’s initial court appearance on rape charges
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology is making plans for a Narconon drug rehab in the land of the rising sun
[EIGHT years ago] Get a look inside Nathan Rich’s unique book about his Scientology upbringing
[NINE years ago] Scientology’s tiger: How L. Ron Hubbard created a language trap
[TEN years ago] ‘The Unbreakable Miss Lovely’ goes on sale as an audiobook on September 29
[ELEVEN years ago] Visualizing Scientology’s latest ‘Going Clear’ public relations disaster
[TWELVE years ago] New videos leaked from Scientology, including a sobering call for help from Nashville
[THIRTEEN years ago] The Scientology Guide to Craigslist

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 22, 2026 at 07:00

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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.

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