Jim Meskimen confirms it: The new Scientology ads are about the L.A. mayoral campaign

 
Scientology has a lot to worry about right now, what with Mike Rinder on a major media campaign for his new book ‘A Billion Years,’ and the Danny Masterson rape trial going on that is soaked in Scientology.

But it turns out the thing that has Scientology leader David Miscavige most panicked is that in the Los Angeles mayoral campaign which will culminate on November 8, the two candidates have tried to outdo each other denouncing Scientology like it’s a festering boil on LA’s backside.

As a result, about a week ago Scientology rolled out a major new advertising campaign, with television ads that were obviously very quickly cobbled together of footage going back a few years in order to make the case that Scientology is actually the best thing that ever happened to La-La-Land.

And now, Scientology’s most reliable celebrity suckup — actor and impressionist Jim Meskimen — has confirmed in an email to his friends that the ad campaign is all about countering the “bigotry” coming from the two mayoral candidates.

Here’s what he said in the email…

I don’t usually bring up my religion. It’s personal.

I respect your religion, and even your decision not to be religious.

Recently in Los Angeles, a candidate threw shade on his opponent in TV ads, condemning her for attending the dedication of one of our churches.

Apparently, speaking in support of effective drug rehabilitation, literacy programs and human rights disqualifies a candidate for public office in Los Angeles.

If that wasn’t tasteless enough, the candidate who attended the dedication backpedaled on all the kind words of support she had publicly made. She caved under the political pressure, making her look bad, too.

Disgraceful.

Our church is responding by running an ad of our own.

If you don’t mind, can you have a look and let me know what you think of the ad? The link is here: https://www.scientology.org/our-help-is-yours/

I’m not trying to proselytize or change your mind. I’d honestly like to know your opinion.

There is no place for bigotry of any kind, religious bigotry included, in an enlightened society.

Many thanks,

Jim

Meskimen is the son of Happy Days actress Marion Ross, and he’s a pretty familiar face for the many small roles he’s had as a character actor over the years. He’s also about as dedicated to Scientology as any celebrity left in the church’s shrinking stable.

For example, he’s one of only a couple celebrities who bothered to contribute a video to David Miscavige’s own personal website. (We’ve written about these videos numerous times before.) And Jim’s (see the photo above) is one of the longest. Here’s the transcript…

The Scientology religion, the Scientology movement, basically gets its direction and impetus, of course, from LRH, but in real time, it comes from the great leadership of David Miscavige. And I’ve watched this evolve over the decades and I’m always very impressed by it but, mostly lately, as things have really, really increased a lot.

We have Ideal Orgs all over the place. David Miscavige really put the pedal to the metal on that and that takes great leadership. It takes a person really pointing the way, and making it real to everybody why it’s important. And, yeah, I’m grateful for it because I didn’t have that vision, I don’t know anybody else that had that vision, really. So it took one guy to really point the way and say, “No, this is where we’re going to go,” and make it fun and interesting for us all to get involved.

I had written David Miscavige a letter prior to a Maiden Voyage. Like days prior which is terrible timing because he’s so wrapped up in, you know, night after night of events and prepping all that stuff, but I don’t know, I had to say something to him to express my gratitude about something. And when I got on the ship for Maiden Voyage, one of the Messengers brought me a handwritten letter within maybe three days of me writing to David Miscavige, with a very personal response from him. And I was very moved and touched that he would take the time to do that.

I also notice that when you talk to him he knows a little bit about what you’re doing, it’s not uncommon for him to go, “Hey, I heard about this thing that you have going on.” I’m like, how can he know that? But he obviously has a great capacity for knowing what the team is doing, knowing what his friends are doing and I’m always impressed by that. I’m impressed by everything he does. I don’t understand how David Miscavige … I would love to see what he does in a day. I think it would be absolutely flabbergasting. It would be like following Superman around, it’s like, it’s mind boggling. I don’t know how he does it, but I’m really, really grateful that he does it.

David Miscavige, Superman? Oh, Jim.

 
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Lawsuit targeting Jordan Masterson dropped by plaintiffs

We just noticed that a week ago, as his older brother Danny Masterson’s rape trial was really getting going, Jordan Masterson enjoyed a legal headache of his own going away.

We told you in May that we found out that a couple of women were suing Jordan for some kind of auto accident that happened in Los Angeles on June 27, 2021. The LAPD wouldn’t help us with any information about it, and the lawyer for the two women was similarly tight-lipped.

And now, the two women have dropped the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning they haven’t left the door open to refile it later.

Was there a payment involved? If there was, there’s no indication on the document that was filed with the court last week.

Well, the timing was good. The document was filed on October 14, just three days after Danny’s criminal trial started. That week, we did see Jordan attending with his brother during jury selection, and this past week he’s been a constant presence in the family section of the courtroom during testimony.

Now Jordan can focus on what’s unfolding in Danny’s case, at least.

 
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Technology Cocktail

“A theta man, acting in too short a space of time, may issue authority and orders without explanation. But he clarifies them and abolishes them as soon as the emergency is passed. An enMEST man issues orders and authority without emergencies and then hides any cause he might have had and exposes others. In subordinate roles the enMEST man, in severing the ARC of theta, will halt any and all communications he can which are actually ARC communications. He will let pass all reversed polarity communications. Or he will reverse the polarity of communications he is supposed to pass along. He apparently believes that he must protect himself and his friends with whatever theta he has in him whereas he actually destroys them and the basic intent was simply to destroy.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1951

 
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THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON

We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as trial begins and Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison.

 
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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

— The Underground Bunker Podcast

[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH

— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see

[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf

— SPECIAL: Your Proprietor’s updates on the Danny Masterson trial

[1] Sep 21 [2] Sep 28 [3] Oct 4 [4] Oct 10 [5] Oct 11: Day One [6] Oct 12: Day Two [7] Oct 13: Day Three [8] Oct 17: Day Four [9] Oct 18: Day Five [10] Oct 19: Day Six [11] Special interview with Chris Shelton, Oct 19 [12] Oct 20: Day Seven [13] Oct 21: Day Eight

— The Underground Bunker Podcast on YouTube

[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper

 
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Source Code

“I heard about something the other day that made me feel rather bad. I dropped the I-76 or the Imperial Japanese Navy Trans-Pacific Submarine down into the mouth of the Columbia River, dead duck. And it went down with a resounding furor. And that was that. I never thought about it again particularly except to get mad at all the admirals I had to make reports to because of this thing, see? This was one out of 79 separate actions that I had to do with….My dad suddenly sprung on me the fact that my submarine had been causing a tremendous amount of difficulty in the mouth of the Columbia River….It’s got jagged steel sticking out at all ends and angles, and it’s a big submarine! …And the fishermen coming in there and fishing are dragging their nets around in that area, and it’s just tearing their nets to ribbons — they’ve even hired a civilian contractor to try to blow the thing up and get it the devil out of there — and has evidently been raising bob with postwar fishing here for more years than I’d care to count….I was asking my father for the address of the fishermen’s association up there to write them a letter of apology.” — L. Ron Hubbard, October 23, 1956

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“RIGGS ECKELBERRY is assigned as Intell Officer I/T, FSO. He is replaced as Expeditor in Dissem Div by Gary Reisdorf, DFP. Riggs is to groove Gary in on all his current cycles before moving on to his new post. Riggs is to be programmed in Dept 13 for the study required to meet all requirements he has not completed. He is also to be programmed for all requirements needed for this new post. He will then report to the Dean of the Hatting College for enrollment and part time study after post hours.” — The Commodore, October 23, 1971

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“If this biblical God is outside of space-time, how does He communicate with the MEST universe if he has nothing in common with it? Kent Hovind falls again in the old Cartesian duality trap. If God is not affected by space-time matter, but created it, he is on a one-way flow. But he is, per Hovind, supposed to be immanent as well as transcendent. If this were true, God could not even perceive the universe as he is not affected by it. To perceive something you must be affected by it to some degree. Something not right here. One cannot affect something when one is totally different from it. And his God has nothing in common with space-time.”

 
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Past is Prologue

2000: Former Scientologist Tory Christman reported that she has been declared a suppressive person by Scientology. “Today, on October 28th, 2000 almost 3 months exactly from when I left the Church, I received on goldenrod my official Declare! It says I abandoned my husband. This is false. It says I abandoned my friends. This also is false, and in fact, when I have tried to call them, they have hung up on me. In 1969 I read Dianetics and I hitchhiked from Chicago to LA to study Scientology. I have been there for 30 years. During much of this time I have fought my own battle with people mislabeling me as ‘PTS’ and people treating me as if there was something wrong with me, because I have a physical condition. Well, now they have changed their minds. I am no longer PTS, I am an official SP.”

 
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Random Howdy

“When they landed on the Moon, the adults in my neighborhood were crying. I couldn’t understand it at the time.”

Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Trial began October 11 in Los Angeles.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Arraigned on August 29.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff scheduled to be sentenced on Oct 28.
— Rizza Islam, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for October 24 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for September 19.
— Yanti Mike Greene, Scientology private eye accused of contempt of court: Found guilty of criminal and civil contempt.

Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Complaint filed April 28 in Tampa federal court, Scientology moving to compel arbitration. Plaintiffs filed amended complaint on August 2. Hearing scheduled November 17 to argue the arbitration motions.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Selection of arbitrators underway. Next court hearing: February 2, 2023.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Appellate court removes requirement of arbitration on January 19, case remanded back to Superior Court. Stay in place, next status hearing October 25.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Third amended complaint filed, trial set for December 6.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: New trial ordered after appeals court overturned prior ruling.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Lawsuit filed by the FTC and state of Georgia in August, now in discovery phase.

 
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SCIENTOLOGY: FAIR GAME

After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.

LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH

An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.

SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z

Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

 
Other links: 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] Jon Atack: Is Scientology really a ‘church’?
[TWO years ago] Leah Remini: No such thing as Scientology ‘arbitration’ — judges are being duped
[THREE years ago] Scientologist defendants plead not guilty as Medi-Cal fraud trial scheduled for Nov 21
[FOUR years ago] In 1949, psychiatrists wouldn’t touch Dianetics — so L. Ron Hubbard invented one who would
[FIVE years ago] The technology of ‘ruining’ people: Jefferson Hawkins on Scientology’s opening pitch
[SIX years ago] Vote for Xenu! Scientologists are looking to L. Ron Hubbard for advice on the coming election
[SEVEN years ago] The technology of ‘ruining’ people: Jefferson Hawkins on Scientology’s opening pitch
[EIGHT years ago] L. Ron Hubbard explains to a friend the real reason he wrote ‘Dianetics’
[NINE years ago] LIVE FROM LOS ANGELES: Summary Judgment Hearing in DeCrescenzo Forced-Abortion Lawsuit
[TEN years ago] British Newspaper The Sun Sneaks Reporter into Scientology Annual Gala!
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology Targeted South Park’s Parker and Stone in Investigation

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on October 23, 2022 at 07:00

E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now 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, 1995-2021 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2021), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…

Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.

Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele

 

Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast