Bruce Hines &#8211; The Underground Bunker

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 Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.

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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

[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

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones

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“You look at the basic mechanism of life, and we see this fellow kicks off as Ebenezer Snouzer and gets born as young Billy Jones. And nobody is more convinced when he becomes young Billy Jones that he has never been Ebenezer Snouzer. Does this have any liability to him? It certainly does. Because the inescapable truth of the matter, contained in earlier postulates, is that he was and is Ebenezer Snouzer. And so Ebenezer Snouzer, to some slight degree, goes on living. And we have past lives cropping up, and fellows going around pleading with us to believe that they can’t shoot, can’t ride, girls just begging to be believed that they have no charm, you know? That’s to keep Ebenezer or Betty Schnouzer from living on, don’t you see?” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 4, 1957

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“Above case gain is COMPETENCE. If you want to see a 9 foot tall OT, look at one who is also competent! And knows it. Like our Qual Auditors. They create new people! After case gain comes progressing improvement by new Competence attained. There have never been Thetans who were Clear OT and COMPETENT. Something new has been added.” — The Commodore, January 4, 1971

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“Personally I think we’ve got the best PR and Marketing Tech. All that has to be done as with the tech in general is to apply it before trying something ‘new.’ For instance years ago there was this whole ‘broken brand’ debate whereas the idea was that instead of correcting the Church — which is currently responsible for dragging the Scientology name through the mud — its proponents suggested changing the name, which was as far as I’m concerned is just a lousy Q&A. Not to mention a suppressive act.”

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2000: Chud.com reported on the upcoming movie Battlefield Earth. “So will “Battlefield Earth” be good or not? Is the Church of Scientology funding it? These are among the questions that you readers have been asking since my last two ‘Battlefield Earth’ articles a few days ago. Battlefield Earth is a crock. The only way you could possibly enjoy it is as a satire of the Golden Age, whose weaknesses it bloats to elephantiasis. Unfortunately, I doubt very much that Hubbard meant it that way. Judging by his introduction, he meant it quite seriously as the epitome of SF: what the stuff should be at its best. Scott Pilutik sent me some fun facts about Scientology. Read on and learn or skip it, but you’re missing a ton of fun: ‘Irregardless of what the Post printed, _EVERYTHING_ written by L. Ron Hubbard is considered ‘Scripture’ to any member of the Church of Scientology. That is the church’s position, not rumor. Every letter of every word that he ever wrote is considered infallible, unalterable, and absolute. So whether or not it has ‘nothing’ to do with Scientology, it most certainly does. Two major backers (financial) of this film are John Travolta and ASI (Author Services Inc.). Travolta is neck deep in this cult and ASI is one of Scientology’s most profitable front companies (in a legion of many that all funnel money back into the ‘church.’) When a church has a vested financial interest in the finished product of a work of art, it most certainly has ‘something to do with it.’ ‘In case you still think, hey, this is still only a movie based on a stupid sci-fi pulp novel, realize this; A few years back, Scientology sued CAN (the Cult Awareness Network) for libel, amongst other things. CAN was a non-profit organization that was the one of only a few choices families had if a member wound up in a cult. Scientology litigated them into bankruptcy, then bought CAN out. They kept the phone numbers, offices, and letterhead and proceed to operate as if nothing ever happened. The (obviously unstated) goal of CAN is now to route people into Scientology. There’s much more than meets the eye when it comes to the church and it is truly fascinating stuff.’ Scientology views this film as a very important recruiting tool. In many ways it will be just another bad sci-fi film that will come and go, but for the church it is a project they have been trying to make since the 70’s. Bridge Publications, which is a branch of Scientology that handles all of Hubbard’s writing, is going all out to publicize the release of this movie. Scientology also put the money together for the production in a manner that makes ‘Get Shorty’ look sane.”

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“The only thing I want from Disqus is to bring back the downvote, make the AV image bigger and make the YouTube video image much smaller.”

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

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7, 2023. Appeal brief due by December 23.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing January 13, 2025.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud, awaiting sentencing.

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.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1.

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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.

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.

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] Here’s our story about big 2023 donors Scientology doesn’t want you to see
[TWO years ago] VIDEO: Scientology’s latest promo to audit away your own space cooties at home!
[THREE years ago] PI stalking Leah Remini for Scientology was unlicensed, it turns out
[FOUR years ago] Scientology celebrates its pandemic response in latest Impact magazine
[FIVE years ago] Scientology, disconnection, and the worst Christmas ever
[SIX years ago] Tiponi Grey’s daughter: She knew her life might end at any time
[SEVEN years ago] Even in 2018, Scientology is still selling L. Ron Hubbard like he had the universe figured out
[EIGHT years ago] Aaron Smith-Levin appears on ‘Leah Remini,’ hours later gets own Scientology attack site
[NINE years ago] Scientology’s appeal on rehab zoning fight in Maryland to be heard today
[TEN years ago] Sunday Funnies: Scientology now selling the idea it solved the Ferguson crisis
[ELEVEN years ago] MONIQUE RATHBUN FILES FOR SANCTIONS, SUBMITS SCIENTOLOGY LEADER’S FOUL-MOUTHED TEXTS
[TWELVE years ago] Blogging Dianetics, Part 1: Vance Woodward Helps Us Parse L. Ron Hubbard’s Masterpiece

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Scientology disconnection, a reminder

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.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,134 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,629 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,144 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,694 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,684 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,070 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,565 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,869 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,740 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,292 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,633 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,200 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,119 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,287 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,869 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,129 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,165 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,881 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,445 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,760 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,935 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,617 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,954 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,808 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,923 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,285 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,588 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,694 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,092 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,968 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,533 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,044 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,300 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,408 days.

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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 4, 2025 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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

Parents learn the hard way how bad Scientology is for their kids

Tony Ortega — Sun, 13 Oct 2024 18:00:09 +0000

[Bruce Hines and his then four-year-old boy in Los Angeles]

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]

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Technology Cocktail

“As there is not an infinity of games in progress, one is apt, as he comes down seventy-four trillion years of track, to play out the available games and to put them in the category of ‘it must not happen again.’ One then becomes bored. One is only bored when there is no game possible, from his viewpoint. Actually, all he has to do is become enthusiastic about the game on his own consideration and he will begin to know more about it again. A thetan considers that some form or mass is necessary in order to have a game. He gets into the belief that he cannot create new masses, and so he begins to hold on to old masses, and here, whether he is exteriorized or in a body, we find him holding on hard to old facsimiles, old significances, old decisions, rather than taking on new decisions.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1972

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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

— 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

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

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“I was asked to study the physical universe. I was being asked to study nuclear physics, atomic, and molecular phenomena, all sorts of odds and ends and incomprehensibles, and they had not basically resolved the most fundamental things they had to resolve, which are: space, energy and time — what are these things? They’re psychological phenomena. That’s all they are. And the whole science of physics, then, is entirely dependent upon the mind. You want to know why, then, did a nuclear physicist ever go into the field of the mind? Why did we ever get Dianetics and Scientology? Why did I become interested in it? Well, I became definitely interested in it because the smallest unit of energy I could find must be a mental unit of energy.” — L. Ron Hubbard, October 13, 1954

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“I have an annual stat of major programs (C/S Course, Target Packs, Data Series, Personnel Series, Expanded Lower Grades to name some of those of 1970). This stat is shooting into affluence this year since 1967. Having gotten Power redone into ‘New Power’ as a Tech Advance and developed tested (by Flag Qual) and issued OT VII I am now working out OT VIII and have made several breakthroughs on it in the last 10 days. If comparable work on Flag Income and production and Flag Org on GDSes and Bureaux on operation will now follow in we can book this rather quickly. Orgs are teams and all of Scientology is a team. It takes team work and back up to make things go right and stay right.” — The Commodore, October 13, 1970

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“Wise Scientologists are adopting the advice of Captain Bill Robertson regarding this civilization, that is, ‘Do not support the Old Civilization.’ They just need to take the next step. That is to ‘Support the New Civilization.’ Captain Bill Robertson already set an admin structure and definitions for that New Civilization. Examples: The monetary standards is going to be the value of an auditing intensive. Note: It should be noted that Donald Trump, just like Ronald Reagan before, does not fit into the parameters of the Old Civilization.”

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2001 The St. Petersburg Times reported that a community group is asking that a street be renamed in honor of former Clearwater mayor Gabe Cazares. “‘We’ve had this in mind for some time, and we feel it’s time,’ said Edward Quinones, the chairman of Uno Federation Community Services, a non-profit group based in Clearwater. ‘We think it’s fairly obvious in this area, with such a large Hispanic population, that this would be appropriate.’ Uno’s board suggested that former Clearwater Mayor and County Commissioner Gabe Cazares, a Mexican-American, would be a good person to name a road after. Uno’s board also proposed that a major road such as Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard be considered. Generally, the city does not name things after people who are still living, Horne said. Cazares is very much alive at 81. Another problem is that the city avoids changing names of major roads that are controlled by the state or county, Horne said. Cazares said he was flattered that anyone would want to name a road after him. Cazares was mayor of Clearwater from 1975 to 1980 and later served one term on the County Commission. But he predicted that naming a street for him would draw opposition from the Church of Scientology, who aggressively targeted Cazares with a nasty smear campaign in the 1970s to silence his criticism of the church. ‘I would count on them opposing it 100 percent,’ Cazares said. ‘I haven’t counted on any memorialization yet,’ Cazares said. ‘I’m still a young man of 81 years of age. Normally, you shouldn’t name a street or building or anything after a living person. But I do appreciate the thoughts of those who are recommending it.’ Cazares said he wouldn’t mind if people considered memorializing him in a few years.”

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“I’m not here to change anybody’s mind. I’m a soldier.”

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

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing May 31, 2024.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.

Civil litigation:

— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Leah seeking to amend her complaint.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: motion to file new complaint, hearing on May 29.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, on hold until appeal over new judge heard.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.

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

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THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Report: Scientology Sea Org women forced to get IUD inserted before they can marry
[TWO years ago] Confirmed: Lisa Marie Presley, Marty Singer on witness list in Danny Masterson trial
[THREE years ago] 13,046 DAYS: David Miscavige goes ahead of L. Ron Hubbard as leader of Scientology
[FOUR years ago] The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 12: The city of Clearwater, Florida
[FIVE years ago] Just what Panama City needed, a new Scientology ‘Ideal Mission’!
[SIX years ago] A queer story about Scientology, gender, and L. Ron Hubbard’s sweet pile of Swiss cash
[SEVEN years ago] After pausing to reflect, Marie Bilheimer takes on Scientology’s attack of her ‘Leah Remini’ spot
[EIGHT years ago] Attempted murder, a fancy lawyer, and the long path to healing: A Scientology life, exposed
[NINE years ago] Back in London for the next Scientology summit, featuring Russell Miller!
[TEN years ago] Kelly Preston finally blows away the last of her Scientology space cooties!
[ELEVEN years ago] Sunday Special: Remembering Some People Who Mattered

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Scientology disconnection, a reminder

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.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,051 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,546 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,061 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,611 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,601 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 4,987 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,482 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,786 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,657 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,209 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,550 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,117 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,036 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,204 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,786 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,046 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,082 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,798 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,362 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,677 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,852 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,534 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,872 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,725 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,840 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,202 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,505 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,611 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,009 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,885 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,450 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,962 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,217 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,325 days.

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Posted by Tony Ortega on October 13, 2024 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.

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.

Scientology’s top-down control of its Narconon rehabs? I was part of it.

Tony Ortega — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 11:00:30 +0000

[Scientology’s biggest Narconon (inset) was once located on an Indian reservation]

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: At the Underground Bunker we’ve provided mountains of evidence that Narconon rehabs are a branch of Scientology, even if Narconon reps say otherwise to credulous reporters. Now, we have an account of that control and his role in it, once again from the excellent Bruce Hines. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]

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Technology Cocktail

“Often the C/S, unseen by the pc, is sometimes never suspected but quite often adored by those for whom he C/Ses. One often sees this in success stories, ‘Thank you, thank you to my great auditor (name) and the C/S (name) and Ron.’ Sometimes it’s only the auditor. But mos. pcs know the C/S is there. This awareness is also a great trust and it is a trust that is earned by great results and is never betrayed. To the majority of pcs, then, it is a trio—always in the same order—his auditor, his C/S and myself. He trusts us. And we do our best for him.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1971

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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

— 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

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

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“I know it’s fashionable for the newspapers to say I never went to college and there are several colleges at this particular time that are wishing that I hadn’t gone there. But I can also assure you that you give them another decade or so, those colleges I haven’t even done more than go to a prom at will have some plates on ’em. You know? Man is silly, you see?” — L. Ron Hubbard, July 28, 1966

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“SAILING: We sail at 1600 today regardless of barometer (which is falling) waves (which are rising) and restraint of Rulers and Princes (there are no restraints) Perils of the Sea (which are only too real) and Acts of God (means things you can’t figure out how you goofed). Standby to take on Dramamine (called so because it keeps one from ‘drama’-tizing). Secure everything and tie down everything except the watch. In short let’s get the blue blazes out of here!” — The Commodore, July 28, 1971

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“At one point, about 2 weeks into the Rundown, I found that as I ran around that tree, there were literally blue sparks and loud crackings of electrical energy, between myself and that anchor point. I felt like I was recharging, as a being, and as I ran, like a turbine, my energy levels increased and I spotted the cause of this energy – me. I could swing my body around that tree with next to no effort – and while running more than a marathon daily, I was full of energy, life force and zest. The rundown has nothing to do with the physical body — and is all about you, as a spiritual being. So simple, but so powerful.”

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2001: The Los Angeles Times reported that Scientologist Reed Slatkin is missing over a half a billion dollars of investors’ money. “Fallen money manager Reed E. Slatkin owes investors and other creditors $576 million but apparently has assets of less than $45 million, according to a report filed by a court-appointed trustee in Santa Barbara this week. The first official accounting of Slatkin’s finances is probably incomplete because the unregistered money manager cooperated only intermittently in identifying his assets and debts, trustee R. Todd Neilson, a forensic accountant, said in the report. Bankruptcy officials believe Slatkin managed money on behalf of as many as 850 investors, including Hollywood celebrities, Internet executives and socialites from around the country. According to the trustee’s reports, Slatkin’s assets include more than $12 million in loans made to some of his investors and associates, including $835,200 to fellow EarthLink co-founder Kevin O’Donnell, $1 million to investor Anthony Podell and $1.1 million to Santa Barbara resident Denise Del Bianco. In the three months before he filed for bankruptcy, Slatkin paid out more than $26 million to investors, creditors and vendors – including $3 million to his own relatives, according to the report. Slatkin also donated more than $200,000 to various Scientology causes in the year before his bankruptcy. He also gave $257,000 to Santa Barbara charities, including $224,000 to the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, which raises funds for a local entertainment venue.”

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“Someone please find the e-mail they sent out telling the clams how to go to the dentist and get their gold fillings extracted for cash to donate. That is the ultimate example of what Scientology really is for me.”

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

Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Leah seeking to amend her complaint.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: motion to file new complaint, hearing on May 29.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, on hold until appeal over new judge heard.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.

——————–

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

——————–

THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Scientology has a toxic effect on family: A testimonial
[TWO years ago] VIDEO: Katie Holmes in the front row at a 2007 Scientology event with Tom Cruise
[THREE years ago] More Scientology euphoria: What it looks like to finish Grade 3!
[FOUR years ago] Leah Remini: In Scientology, all sickness comes from enemies of the church
[FIVE years ago] Scientology uses actor Jason Dohring as bait in what ends up as a false imprisonment case
[SIX years ago] Scientology in Europe: ‘A scapegoat always had to be found when something went wrong’
[SEVEN years ago] Bryan Seymour takes a Scientology field trip, and we’re the better for it
[EIGHT years ago] As Stacy Murphy lawsuit heads to crucial hearing, two Scientology entities settle
[TEN years ago] Scientology’s fight with Ryan Hamilton delivers dox: The Eric Tenorio affidavit and more
[ELEVEN years ago] With Leah Remini Under Attack on Twitter, TV Actor Christian Stolte Was a First Responder

——————–

Scientology disconnection, a reminder

Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 2,975 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,470 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,985 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,535 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,525 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,406 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,710 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,581 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,133 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,474 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,041 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,960 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,128 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,710 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,970 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,006 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,722 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,286 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,601 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,776 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,327 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,458 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,796 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,649 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,770 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,126 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,429 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,535 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,933 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,809 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,374 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,887 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,141 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,249 days.

——————–

Posted by Tony Ortega on July 28, 2024 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.

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.

Scientology’s obsession with secrecy is in its DNA, and it results in absurdities

Bruce Hines — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 11:00:04 +0000

Obsession with secrets and secrecy is an integral aspect to the bizarre world of Scientology. It seems to me that it stems from some kind of megalomanic paranoia of the founder of that cult, Lafayette Hubbard, and of his successor, David Miscavige.

There are numerous examples. For many years, the location of the international headquarters was known to relatively few Scientologists in the world. The first time I went there, I rode in a van for about an hour, got dropped off in an out-of-the-way parking lot, and then got picked up by another van that drove the rest of the way to the “Int Base.” And that was after having to endure hours of security checking, part of an elaborate screening system to keep undesirable people from knowing where that place was. These days, thanks to the Internet, it is easy to find out where Gilman Hot Springs is, and that this is the location of units that used to make up the top management of Scientology. I don’t think international Scientology is still managed from that location these days. I wonder if the fact that the secret is out has anything to do with that.

Ever since Hubbard had to leave England and decided to start the Sea Project, relatively few people knew where he was. The same is now true of Miscavige. Messages between key executives, plans, strategies, projects, the activities of private investigators, finances, legal actions, and many other things are all on a strict need-to-know basis.

The fixation on confidentiality extends to the theory and techniques involved in most of the auditing and training levels on the “Bridge to Total Freedom.” (Boy howdy, that’s a misnomer!) These subjects include all of the so-called “OT Levels,” “Power Processing,” and the original “Clearing Course.” Only people with the appropriate clearance are allowed to learn about them. Getting the clearance includes receiving and passing lengthy security checking (interrogation while connected to a kind of lie detector), having a good ethics record, having reached the right “case level,” having contributed sufficiently to the “church,” and having atoned for any past transgressions.

Hubbard wrote quite a bit about the necessity of keeping the materials associated with these levels under lock and key (his words) and to carefully limit who has access to them. He said bad actors might misuse information to the detriment of others. He also said that a person who learned about such things before they were mentally prepared could get sick or severely mess up their mind. That seems to be an attempt to scare people off. But I wonder if the real reason had to do with maintaining a monopoly for monetary gain. Methinks yes. Plus, it is an effective carrot to keep people paying money to gain more and more magical knowledge.

Belying this reasoning is the fact that for years now, it has been relatively easy for anyone to read all about this super-secret information on the internet. No one has been harmed by doing so. I have never heard of someone getting pneumonia from reading about the “Wall of Fire.”

Anyway, I’ll give an example that illustrates the extremes to which the powers that be will go to to keep these secret materials out of the wrong hands. In 1991, I happened to have been sent on a “Sea Org Mission.” At that time, all of the “bulletins” that describe auditing at the levels of “New OT V” and “New OT VII” had been revised. These levels are also known as “NOTs” (“New Era Dianetics for Operating Thetans”) and “Solo NOTs.” Supposedly, if you believe the PR, the information in those materials was being corrected and gotten more “on-Source.” That wasn’t actually true. The main people working on that revision, Sue Koon and Rat Mithoff, and of course ultimately approved by Miscavige, added all kinds of instructions and auditing steps to those bulletins. The auditor’s actions in delivering NOTs to someone changed considerably. Those “corrections” were quite an undertaking. The name at the bottom of all those bulletins was L. Ron Hubbard, making it appear that he had written, or at least approved, those issues. However, clearly, he had been dead for something like five years.

Once all those materials had made it through the rigorous approval process, they had to be printed in the characteristic red ink on white paper and placed in fancy binders. The people working on that part similarly had to have appropriate clearances. The binders themselves had to be designed and approved by Miscavige.

Next came the “release.” An elaborate plan had to be drawn up, approved, and put into action. This is where I got involved. Part of my mission was to get all these binders securely locked up on the Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida. My tasks also included briefing the crew, getting all the auditors and case supervisors trained on the new materials, overseeing the auditing done based on the new materials, and getting the old materials destroyed in a way that ensured confidentiality.

It is mind-boggling how paranoid scientologists are about keeping people from reading any of their secret stuff and the extreme lengths to which they will go. They refer to the binders with the bulletins in them as packs. Each pack had an electrical connection hard-wired to it. The packs were stored in special filing cabinets that had numerous jacks that mated with the plugs on wires from the binders. Each cabinet was connected to an elaborate security system that would loudly go off if protocol weren’t followed.

In the Sand Castle building at the Flag Land Base, there is a course room where people were trained to audit themselves on Solo NOTs. The door to that room had an electronic lock that could only be entered with a key card. The windows to that room had some kind of high-tech windows that turned opaque when it got dark outside. This was to prevent someone from sneaking up to see or maybe photograph through the window. Pages in an open course pack lying on a desk might be visible. Inside the course room was a separate room where the filing cabinets stood. A student would sign out a pack and then have something like 60 seconds to get to their chair and plug the pack into a jack on the desk. If that didn’t happen, alarms would sound and security personnel in another room in the building would be alerted. The whole time the student was reading the materials, their pack was connected electrically by a wire to the desk. At the end of the study period, the procedure was reversed to get the binder back into its filing cabinet.

Oh, I almost forgot, the “paper” in the packs was a super-strong plastic that could not be torn out. A special printing process was used to get the words onto the sheets. The binder rings were extra strong and could not be opened.

All those new materials had to be shipped from the Int Base in California to Clearwater. A couple of sea org members, who were authorized to see read the confidential information and had a high enough case level, went on their own mission for this purpose. They traveled with the boxes that held the packs. Ideally those boxes would never have been out of their sight. I imagine, though I’m not sure, that arrangements were made so that they could directly observe the loading and unloading of the boxes into and out of the luggage compartment on the plane. Then they flew on the plane as passengers. After landing they guarded the boxes as they were transported from the Tampa airport to the Flag Land Base in a dedicated van. There was an official handoff to me once the boxes were delivered into the appropriate areas.

The strangest part was destroying the old confidential materials that were already at Flag. These were also in packs in filing cabinets, albeit ordinary ones. The idea was that these outdated materials were “non-standard” and none of them could remain. One option would be to shred all those pieces of paper. That would have been a herculean task. There were, as I recall, about 100 packs, each a half to one inch thick. They all had to be gathered up, being sure no nooks or crannies were missed. There were several areas in that complex where packs were kept. Then they all had to be put into boxes and securely taped up.

The plan, that someone had somehow come up with, was to burn those boxes. But they had to be burned in such a way that only ash remained. You couldn’t just place the boxes in a vacant lot or something and light them on fire. So, what to do? Well, the city of Clearwater has a huge power generation plant. It burnt trash and garbage in very large furnaces that got to very high temperatures. The energy from all that heat was then converted into electricity.

Trucks drove into an immense staging area and unloaded their trash onto the floor. Then humongous cranes scooped up piles of the stuff and dropped them into hoppers that fed into the furnaces. There was continuous activity. It was quite an operation to behold.

The operators of that facility offered a service whereby companies or organizations could dispose of large amounts of confidential material. That is what the “church” had decided to do with all this NOTs stuff. I went with a driver in a van to that place with all the boxes in the back. We carried the boxes up to a higher level where there was a platform. From there was a doorway opening onto a conveyor belt. We watched as some workers loaded the boxes onto the belt and watched them travel towards the furnace. The only problem was that I couldn’t see the boxes actually go into the fire. That would have been impossible. But I requested the nearest possible access point and watched as long as I could. Still, I felt a little guilty. What if some evil people wanting to take down scientology were secretly at a point down the way who took those boxes off the belt? Or could there be a mechanical failure resulting in a box falling into an accessible area? Like I said, all that confidentiality involved a lot of paranoia. I wonder what those workers thought of me. They were pleasant and accommodating. But there I was marching around in my Class A uniform. That means I was dressed in something like a naval dress uniform — dark blue, and because I was an officer, a gold lanyard, gold buttons, gold stripes on the sleeves, and little campaign ribbons above the left-side pocket. Usually, a missionaire was required to be dressed in that way. Looking back, it was incredibly silly and frankly embarrassing. But I was inured to such situations and pretty oblivious to effects I was creating.

Think of the expense that scientology went to just to keep the wrong people from reading those arcane and inane writings. The special paper, the special binders, the special filing cabinets, the special printing process, the special and highly customized security system, and many other details large and small.

But I’m sure those efforts paid for themselves before too long. All the people in the world who had received NOTs auditing in the past were called in to get corrective auditing. This was the typical pattern. That part of the “technology” had been corrected and brought into a form that aligned with Hubbard’s actual intentions. Some bad people in earlier years had messed it up. So to get the full benefit of that type of auditing, one had to basically re-do that level. It was required, having been ordered by the case supervisor. That meant that a whole lot of people had to pay for more intensives. In this case it was usually at least two intensives, or 25 hours of auditing. That would be something like $15k a pop. Maybe more or a bit less, I don’t remember exactly.

But, really, what the hell?

— Bruce Hines

——————–

Technology Cocktail

“Whereas the pc may only have been in Scientology 3 days, before Scientology there were other types of “sessions” such as psychoanalysis. And before that, in Rome and Greece, dream therapy in which one was “visited by a God”. And before that—well, the chain can have a very far back basic. One does not of course suggest ever what the earlier incident may be. There is no telling what the pc may confuse with a session.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1969

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——————–

THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

— 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

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

——————–

“Suzette Hubbard is assigned to the post of Quartermasters Mate Div IV Ship and her pay resumed when she takes post. She did this post well but was both overloaded by added duties and given no assistance on major work actions. She has in the past done several posts well but overload and overwhelm has driven her off them. She is to learn coastal and celestial navigation in part time study so as to be able to train personnel in them. There are too few reliable navigators aboard.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 11, 1970

——————–

“WELCOME ABOARD: Three new arrivals, Evelyn Webster-Parsons who is our WW Representative, Paul Preston who is Deputy Ops for US Area, and Janice Tidman, returning to the ship, are welcomed aboard. …MORALE: I am getting a steady flow of reports of increased morale. I think we can have a happy ship.” — The Commodore, April 11, 1970

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“Revealing overts in advance is done to protect against the withhold/missed withhold kickback mechanism plus the double whammy basic/basic-basic is standard practice. In Reverse Scientology the 5 illogics are referred to as the 5 Magics which as we know when misapplied with destructive intent are the anatomy of insanity. The entire set of phenomena and reverse Scientology audits out as an implant GPM case mechanism, including the double whammy which concerning the actual virus and the 5G immune sytem suppressor is something to be cognizant of.”

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1999: Cinescape reports that casting has begun on the upcoming movie Battlefield Earth, based on a book by L. Ron Hubbard. “Reports that Saving Private Ryan standout Barry Pepper has signed on to John Travolta’s upcoming sci-fi epic Battlefield Earth are premature. The Insider followed up on the buzz only to hear from Pepper’s management that the actor has simply read for the part — he’s not signed. Whether he will end up starring in the movie’s the lead role of Jonnie Goodboy Tyler remains still up in the air.”

——————–

“Ingo Swann was a Scientologist at one time and also a superstar of the make-believe magical circus. He was confirmed as being a ‘genuine psychic’ by Professors Dumb & Dumber (Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff), the same suckers who were conned by Uri Geller.”

——————–

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

Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Leah seeking to amend her complaint.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs allowed interlocutory appeal to Eleventh Circuit.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: motion to file new complaint, hearing on May 29.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, hearing on April 16.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.

——————–

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

——————–

THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] L. Ron Hubbard 2.0 starting new Scientology offshoot and says he’s getting out of jail soon
[TWO years ago] Scientology’s saddest celebrity, Eddie Deezen, arrested again
[THREE years ago] Scientology social media: Never a better time for learning to shatter suppression!
[FOUR years ago] Scientology’s desperate response to pandemic is to let us see just how creepy it really is
[FIVE years ago] Pageant official: Miss New Yorks are clueless about Scientology and we’re OK with that
[SIX years ago] A new academic book takes apart Scientology and pop culture, and the apologists hate it
[SEVEN years ago] Federal judge to Scientology: I’m taking over the arbitration, and it’s jail if you interfere
[EIGHT years ago] Spying, intimidation, and ruin: Two lives caught up in Scientology’s notorious ‘Fair Game’
[NINE years ago] Garcias ask for reconsideration on judge’s error: ‘We never agreed that Scientology is a religion’
[TEN years ago] VERDICT: Scientology’s Quebec rehab facility violated human rights of David Love and 2 others
[ELEVEN years ago] Dianetics: Your Life Was Ruined Before Birth by Your Parents and Their Dumb Culture

——————–

Scientology disconnection, a reminder

Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 2,867 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,362 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,877 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,427 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,417 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,298 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,602 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,473 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,025 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,366 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,933 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,852 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,020 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,601 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,862 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,898 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,614 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,178 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,493 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,668 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,219 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,350 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,688 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,541 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,662 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,018 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,321 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,427 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,825 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,701 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,266 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,779 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,033 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,142 days.

——————–

Posted by Tony Ortega on April 11, 2024 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.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2022 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2022), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

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.

Building a Scientology prison camp meant ducking for cover when planes flew by

Bruce Hines — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 12:00:06 +0000

[An aerial shot from ‘Missing in Happy Valley’]

“Break time!” These words came to me across the valley with urgency. Then I heard other voices repeating the signal. It was a code. It meant that I should stop what I was doing, drop any tools, and immediately walk, not run, to a place where I would not be visible from the air.

Walking was good. Normally we had to run everywhere, no walking allowed. And the idea of any kind of break was very appealing. In our day-to-day activities, I was secretly hoping I’d hear those words.

Prompting this interlude was a small, single-engine plane, visible in the sky. It wasn’t very close, but we couldn’t take any chances.

What on earth was this all about? Well, you see, I was on the Rehabilitation Project Force. This was a special part of Scientology’s Sea Organization. In it were Sea Org members who had been deemed in need of rehabilitation. They had purportedly failed to live up to the standards of that “elite” group. I’d say a majority of Sea Org members, at least at that time, had been through an RPF program at least once.

The RPF retention camp was located in a place known as “Happy Valley.” It was, in fact, in a valley, surrounded by rugged mountains. It occupied about 500 acres, and had been used for a variety of things during the time Scientology owned it. It was located a couple of miles up a windy road from the town of San Jacinto, California, and roughly 10 miles due west of Mount San Jacinto, which is the big mountain visible to the west from Palm Springs.

Various incarnations of the RPF had been located there, as well as where the children of Sea Org Members who worked at the Int base were stashed to keep them out of the way — it was a kind of faux boarding school where there was no real education and the kids lived a paramilitary life with a lot of manual labor. For a time there was also farming and orchards as part of a “self-sufficiency project” with the idea that produce from there (eggs, lots of various crops, and even pork) could someday feed the workers at the Int base. Some Sea Org workers who had gotten in trouble and even some who had gone into a psychotic episode were put out there in a building called the Campbell House for “handling” (like maybe the infamous “Introspection Rundown”).

Some months earlier, in March 1998, a helicopter had flown over and filmed the property and also the Int base. Parts of the footage were used in a documentary that aired in Germany named “Missing in Happy Valley” (you can find it on YouTube). The subject was a woman named Wiebke Hansen, who had been the Executive Director of the Scientology organization in Hamburg, Germany. After she got in big trouble for reporting false statistics up to international management, reflecting how much money had been taken in and how many services had been delivered, she disappeared. Family and co-workers in Germany didn’t know what had happened to her.

Such a documentary airing about Scientology was a “flap” of epic proportions. It was horrendous PR. So much so that three years later the RPF was disbanded there and some time after that the property was sold. That’s why we RPFers were trained to keep a lookout for anyone who might be filming us from the air and to get out of sight if that were a possibility.

One time, David Miscavige got Tom Cruise’s helicopter pilot to fly over the RPF site. I remember that the helicopter made several passes very low directly overhead. I’m not sure what the purpose of that was. Maybe to intimidate us? Maybe to see how much would be visible from close range? I don’t know if either Cruise or Miscavige were in the helicopter. It happened midday. I had been up all night “on watch” and was lying in bed trying to get a bit of sleep. I secretly hoped that civil authorities were taking action to shut the place down. Alas, that was not to be.

The documentary showed the red trailers and a large green army tent that marked the RPF site, which was located hundreds of yards away from other buildings on the property. It was isolated and out of sight. I have wondered how the documentarians (Peter Reichelt and Ina Brockmann) knew to film that area.

How did that RPF internment camp get there? It started in 1995. At that time there was no RPF located on the Int base nor on the Happy Valley property (generally referred to by the acronym, HV). Wayward Sea Org members were being sent to RPF sites in LA or in Clearwater, Florida, at that time. I was one of the lucky group of twelve people who built that facility at HV. Others in that group included Barret Oliver (child actor), Janadair Hockaday (one of the early Commodore’s Messengers), Pablo Lobato (who had been on the Watchdog Committee), Jean Discher (who had been the head of Scientology Missions International), a guy named Jeff Kretz (who had been at the Church of Spiritual Technology base near the town of Crestline in the mountains above San Bernadino), Wiebke Hansen herself, Francesco Frau (an Italian guy), and some others I am forgetting.

Starting in February of that year, most of us slept in trailers in a secluded area of the Int base, under 24-hour watch by security guards. We had meals in an old greenhouse. For the first few months we worked on projects on the Int base property — like clearing a road that ran along the hills behind the base on the north side. And then getting an irrigation system along that road repaired and running to green up the vegetation that grew along it, which was supposed to create a fire break. We weren’t yet doing the RPF program. We were just forced to do manual labor all day long. There was a lot of digging up weeds and moving large rocks and boulders.

Then, in June I think it was, we started being taken in a van out to Happy Valley, where we created that RPF site out of nothing. Four old, used mobile homes had been purchased and towed to the site at HV. A couple of Int base staff had been put on a special project to move those trailers into their final locations. When we first arrived, there they sat with no electrical power, no water, and no sewage system. They were surrounded by many oak trees of a certain type indigenous to that area.

In our initial briefing out there, we were instructed to say, if by some chance an outsider asked, that were were itinerant workers and those trailers were our living quarters. We were also briefed about the rattlesnakes, tarantulas, scorpions, mountain lions, coyotes, cactus, and poison oak all around us, to discourage us from trying to escape.

For the next few months, the twelve of us worked to make those four trailers inhabitable. One would have showers and a laundry area; one would be for meals and meetings; one would be for sleeping, with three-high bunkbeds packed in; one would be for studying and auditing. First, we built in a culvert (a long metal pipe about five feet in diameter) to channel a stream that ran near the RPF site. Often that stream was dry, but in the rainy season quite a bit of water could flow through it. Then we constructed a bridge by piling a whole lot of dirt over the culvert and tamping it down. Luckily, one of the staff on the special project operated a backhoe to accomplish that. Then cars could drive to the RPF site, as that road was the only way in.

For water, we tapped into a line that ran down from a well to the main part of the HV property. That point was a couple of hundred yards from the trailers. We dug trenches from there to the trailers, again with the benefit of the backhoe. Many large rocks had to be removed. We dug the smaller trenches into the rock-hard desert soil using pickaxes and shovels. Then we ran the pipe that carried the water, gluing together long pieces of PVC. Some of these were heavy, being maybe 8 or 10 inches in diameter.

The electrical and sewage lines were put in similarly. But it was complicated by the fact that building codes required a specific amount of separation between those three types of lines. Somehow after much toil, often in intense desert heat, that pipe and conduit got run and covered up.

We screwed 8 x 10 foot pieces of plywood to the sides of the trailers. Then we painted those bright red, as can be seen in the documentary footage. The idea was to make them the color of old-time school houses. The task of spray painting them red, using an old gasoline-powered sprayer, fell to me. Actually that part was fun.

There was a lot of carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work to do to get everything ready. Finally, after some months, the twelve of us moved into those trailers. As time went on, the RPF grew, and more and more things got built. After about five years, there were about 120 people on that RPF. Hey, I just realized that was 10X expansion!

At long last, we were made to begin our RPF programs, which consisted of a long series of prescribed steps, supposedly leading to being rehabilitated. Generally that took a couple of years or more. We wanted that, though, as it was the only way to get back in the good graces of management. Then we could be with our spouses and friends and co-workers at the Int base again. We would no longer be persona non grata.

However, that was when the real hell began.

— Bruce Hines

——————–

Technology Cocktail

“An “engram” sometimes didn’t exist. A pc can be trying to run being run over by a car when he never was. What needs to be done, when the incident won’t run, is get the pc’s incident of running over somebody. It also works in reverse. A pc can be trying to run an engram of running over somebody when he was in fact only run over himself and never did run over anyone.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1967

——————–

——————–

THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

— 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

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

——————–

“This idea of somebody full-armed from the brow of Jove or something like that, coming down and helping man, and so on, that’s an old story. That isn’t even news. But somebody by his own bootstraps, even as you, pulling himself up through this thing, that is news. And whatever you have done and been on the Whole Track, or whatever I have done and been on the Whole Track, it still amounts to the fact that a guy just like you made this. And has made it, and also ‘physician heal thyself,’ has been broken all ways from the middle. Because it never happened before. That’s what’s news. I suppose my bank to a large degree’s been keyed out but over a period of time has been keying in harder and harder and harder and about knocked my head off, and I was working out technology by which you could get Clear, and I hadn’t had any auditing to amount to anything for a couple of years, actually. Mary Sue rolled up her sleeves and there we went and here we are. And this is a very satisfactory, well, I won’t say an end to the story, because the story is a long way from ended. But I will say it’s a very satisfactory denouement on the question, ‘Can one lift himself by his own bootstraps and beat all the laws of God and men in this whole universe from one corner to the other?’ And the answer, of course, is yes.” — L. Ron Hubbard, February 21, 1963

——————–

“The UKLO WW SH team, Phyll Stevens, Linda Parselle, Anne Tampion, Darlene Regenas and Margaret Hodkins are leaving today. They have worked hard and done very well. They graduated from the FEBC and attained Grade Clear OT. The Flag Bureaux has totally replanned SH spatially and have re-integrated the successful ’67 pattern. WW is now the UKLO Management Bureau. We wish them very well. The officers and crew have worked very hard completing the entirety of this very extensive project. Now it is up to them to put a UKLO and SH and SH Foundation there and bring SH back to its former glory. Good-bye, god bless, good luck. We wish you well. This is a major completion. A great one.” — The Commodore, February 21, 1971

——————–

“I just wanted to say that I really enjoy the ‘Overheard in the Freezone’ daily feature. It is the first time I have seen thoughts similar to mine, thought processes and interests and realities of a ‘post-Scientology’ similar to mine in a very long time. And I feel at home for the first time in years, the first time since I left Scientology. Except that I could not trace those comments to their writers and comment back. I wish I could. Many of them are really interesting, and I’d like to get to know them and discuss ideas. Please keep the feature going, it is really interesting and worthwhile. It shows some very interesting perspectives that augment mine in a thrilling way, which is rare anywhere.”

——————–

1998: The Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber, a weekly newspaper, ran an article on Scientology’s attacks on the cat kennel run by Scientology critics Vaughn and Stacy Young. “Island animal lovers are rallying behind Robert and Stacy Young, days after an anonymous flier alleged the Youngs brought an ‘illegal and diseased’ cat kennel to Vashon. Vashon Island Pet Protectors board member Anne Nanthrup said she has been at the Youngs’ home a couple times and disputes any allegations of mistreatment. ‘I can highly recommend the Youngs as animal lovers,’ Nanthrup said. The flier alleges that the Youngs have between 200 and 300 cats but that a final tally is hard to determine ‘because of all the births and deaths from disease.’ Fair Isle Animal Clinic veterinarian Don Wolczko said the flier seems to be aimed at garnering an emotional reaction. The flier asserts the cats have FIP ‘(Feline Infectious Peritonitis) which is also known as AIDS.’ It goes on to urge anyone with a cat to get themselves and their pet tested. But FIP is a completely different virus than FIV, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, Wolczko said. Furthermore, there has not been a single case of a human contracting HIV or FIV from their cat, he said. The couple say the fliers are part of an ongoing effort by the Church of Scientology to silence their criticism. Both Robert and Stacy Young say they are former members of the church and they continue to be vocal critics. She recently appeared in an episode of 60 Minutes about the church. On Sunday, two teens were handing out the fliers at Thriftway until a store employee told them to stop. He said the young men told him they were paid $10 to hand out the fliers by a man they had never met. Islander Jolene Lamb said she saw a man in his 40s putting fliers on car windshields in downtown Vashon on Sunday. Lamb said she approached him and asked for his name. She said he refused to give her his name but did say he was doing it for his mother and that she also wanted to remain anonymous. ‘If you can’t back it up with your name, it isn’t worth nothing,’ Lamb said she concluded.”

——————–

“Pleasure and pain are what motivates everyone on the most basic level. People do things because they make them feel good, whether it be dope or Scientology. Even after drug addiction becomes destructive, people keep doing it because it’s become their way of life and people fear change (and pain) more than anything.”

——————–

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

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing February 26, 2024.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.

Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Complaint filed August 2, motion to strike/anti-SLAPP motions by Scientology to be heard January 9, 2024.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs allowed interlocutory appeal to Eleventh Circuit.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: motion to file new complaint, hearing on March 20.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, hearing on March 26.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.

——————–

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

——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Richard Belzer, and that time he got us in to see Tom Cruise roast Matt Lauer
[TWO years ago] After a court restored the Danny Masterson suit, Scientology is apoplectic with rage
[THREE years ago] Scientology social media: The world’s coolest religion is on fire!
[FOUR years ago] Thanks to some Scientology OTs, you can now rent a cabin only a mile from Shelly Miscavige!
[FIVE years ago] If you thought Scientology’s ‘Axioms’ were dumb, the ‘Logics’ are even dumberer
[SIX years ago] Hubbard’s ‘Brainwashing Manual’ — how a crude Scientology hoax became a far-right touchstone
[SEVEN years ago] As Scientology shrinks, its leader dreams up new ways to convince followers otherwise
[EIGHT years ago] When Scientology was in trouble in 1955, L. Ron Hubbard told prosecutor he was a ‘psychologist’
[NINE years ago] When Scientology was pouring on the ‘religious’ angle very thick: A video mystery
[TEN years ago] Friday’s Scientology internal video: L. Ron Hubbard’s special course in ‘Human Evaluation’!
[ELEVEN years ago] Narconon Staff Certifications in Jeopardy After New Whistleblower Comes Forward

——————–

Scientology disconnection, a reminder

Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 2,817 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,312 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,827 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,377 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,367 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,248 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,552 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,423 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,975 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,316 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,883 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,802 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,970 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,551 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,812 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,848 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,564 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,128 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,443 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,618 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,169 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,300 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,638 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,493 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,612 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,968 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,271 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,377 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,775 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,651 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,216 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,729 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,983 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,092 days.

——————–

Posted by Tony Ortega on February 21, 2024 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.

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.

Life in Scientology: Saving the planet and lining your pockets at the same time!

Bruce Hines — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 12:00:37 +0000

Anyone who has been involved in Scientology likely knows about “FSMing.” FSM stands for Field Staff Member. In the 1960s founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote a policy letter that established this system.

In short, it enabled people who are not on staff in an organization to make money through sales commissions. The “field,” in Hubbard’s jargon, is made up of non-staff Scientologists who have taken service or bought something from the org. They were dubbed “staff members” even though they are not on staff.

If an FSM gets a person to pay for auditing or training at the org, they earn 10 percent of the amount that the person pays. If the person buys books, the commission is 15 percent. Obviously, the intent of the system is to increase income.

I am no expert on the policies related to FSMs. While I don’t know how or why, for a time staff members in “lower orgs” and even in the Sea Org could make book commissions. Maybe that is still true.

This all relates to one of the more surreal episodes in my Scientology life. It was in the mid-1980s when I was working in the Flag Service Organization. It involved two relatively well-known guys who were Sea Org members at the Flag Land Base at that time. One of them was Ron Norton, who was Captain FSO. The other was Jon Lundeen, who held the post of, if I remember correctly, Flag Finance Director.

These two guys made a lot of money in a relatively short period of time. They did this by getting well-to-do people to buy book packages. They would arrange to meet with their marks and then proceed to do a sales job. This activity had nothing to do with their actual jobs. The Captain FSO is the top boss in that organization, who is supposed to manage its activities with the aim of maximizing production. In other Sea Org units, that post is called “Commanding Officer,” but someone thought that at Scientology’s “spiritual mecca” the title “captain” sounded better.

The Finance Director is kind of like a CFO. Because those two guys were top executives locally, they could get some of their underlings to set up these sales sessions. The sale of books generally takes place in a relatively minor section in the organization chart, out of many, many other more important jobs. It was like the top manager at a Macy’s going to the shoe department to personally make sales.

This is not to say that book sales have not been a big deal. At that time, because L. Ron Hubbard was the author, he personally got a cut. I don’t know the specifics of that. But consequently, there have always been programs to get Scientologists and new saps to buy books and audio recordings by Hubbard. One such campaign involved the donation of Scientology publications to public libraries. Another was the purchase of large quantities of The Way to Happiness booklets for distribution by various front groups. The aim was to get Scientologists to buy huge amounts of books and book packages that would not be received by the purchaser, but would be set aside for use in broader dissemination efforts.

In the high-pressure sales meetings, the potential buyer would be hammered with the usual arguments of saving the planet and the individual’s responsibility of expanding Scientology. Some rich person might pay ten thousand dollars, or even much more in big transactions, to feel the satisfaction of, say, helping the make the words of Hubbard available to “wogs” (non-Scientologists) in libraries all across the country. Fifteen percent of 10,000 is $1,500. Adding up a few such sales per week, in a matter of months Norton and Lundeen had taken in a sizable chunk of cash.

There was an added benefit to those executives selling lots of books. That money taken in was included in the organization’s statistic of gross income (GI), in my recollection. In all Scientology organizations, that stat is one of main ones that the executives live and die by. It is generally the most important one and engenders the most pressure from the international level.

Norton and Lundeen were helping themselves in that way too.

So, what did they do with their windfalls? Well, they both went out and bought Corvettes. Sensible, right? For those who might not know, a Corvette is a fancy, high-end sports car put out by the Chevrolet company. And these weren’t old used ones. They were sleek and shiny and red. One would see those two driving to and from their “berthing” (in Sea Org parlance, that is the place where one sleeps and keeps some personal belongings) and the location of their work, which was the Fort Harrison Hotel at that time.

Sea Org members back then were allowed to have children, which was cancelled in about 1987. Both Norton and Lundeen and their families therefore lived in the “QI” (short for Quality Inn, an old hotel that the Sea Org had purchased for Sea Org members with kids), as did I. Those Corvettes would be cruising along U.S. Highway 19, where the QI was located, and Gulf to Bay Boulevard in and out of downtown Clearwater.

Were those two guys satisfied with flaunting their fancy rides? Oh no. They also had to get Rolex watches. As I recall they weren’t the lower end of the Rolex line, but were gold time pieces. These became a kind of symbol, in an odd way of thinking, for the success of Scientology. In addition, those recently flush Sea Org members acquired uniforms that were spiffier than everyone else’s.

This was all in stark contrast to the existences of almost all Sea Org members before that time and since. Low pay, budget food, cramped quarters, and the like has been the norm. The vast majority of staff at Flag would not have had the time nor opportunity to corner some wealthy public person somewhere to do a sales job on them. Most of us could only look on in wonder.

One might ask how these behaviors could be justified. A lot of people were asking that. As is often the case, pieces of the writings from Hubbard could be used, probably out of context, to excuse wild goings-on. There was the concept of “flourish and prosper,” which supposedly was the best answer to attacks against Scientology. There is also the idea of “havingness,” related to “beingness” and “doingness.” This is an abstract and far-reaching part of Hubbard’s weird philosophical system, which became over-simplified to mean how much stuff a person owns. This became equated, unfortunately and insidiously, with the power and influence of a being. To make matters worse, financial success is often thought of as a representation of how “OT” a person is. OT is an abbreviation for “Operating Thetan” and OTs are supposed to possess supernatural abilities. Hubbard even said that Sea Org members were supposed to be OT regardless of how much auditing they had received.

In any event, Norton and Lundeen showcased their new-found success. Many folks — staff and public alike — came to view it as cool and somehow gratifying. “See, this is the power of Scientology!” Even I, who at first resented what was happening, came to admire their ingenuity.

But it turned out that their little dash through glory was not meant to be. While I don’t know the details, someone in international management got wind of the situation and put an end to it.

Jon and Ron sold their cars and did something with their watches. Possibly they had to pay back some of their commissions, though I’m not sure. Certainly they had to go through some kind of “ethics handling” behind the scenes. Then life in that crazy world went on as before.

What a strange little interlude.

— Bruce Hines

——————–

Technology Cocktail

“It is easiest to run R6 on pcs who have at some time or another been cleared. It is also possible to run R6 immediately on some rare pcs because they are just about clear anyway. It is risky to attempt R6 on the average pc who has not been cleared. Some pcs can’t be audited at all on R6 until they are cleared.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1964

——————–

——————–

THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

— 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

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

——————–

“By the way, professional football is nowhere near as successful as college football; that is to say, people go to see college games. Well, actually I won’t go see a college game because I know most of those players are on the payroll. I was, by the way, the first boy in America to bust that story to the print, to the newspapers: professional paid football players on college teams. I didn’t get expelled for it, my fellow editor got expelled. But he didn’t really get expelled, he just simply got disgusted. And he is now one of the top sports editors of America. But the two of us found that college, the college — our own college — was paying considerable salary under the name of scholarships and bonuses and things like that, to good football players in order to make a good football team. And they were getting in more money at the stadium for every game than they were getting in through the tuition window. And this was an interesting story, we thought. So we broke it in the college paper and broke it over the Scripps-Howard newschain, which I was associate editor of the paper and my pal was also a sports reporter, as well as a student, on the paper.” — L. Ron Hubbard, December 17, 1954

——————–

“B. BEREZ: Goodbye Mr. Berez. You who used ethics most wrongly were found with a huge tin of marijuana to be the most out-ethics person aboard. B. Berez, you were the longest aboard in all the out ethics days of the old RSM. We can blow some charge on that. So goodbye Mr. Berez. I trust you will soon go up in smoke.” — The Commodore, December 17, 1968

——————–

“Ron after 1972 was not himself anymore. Whatever happened to him, he was destroyed. Game over for him. He was either a clone or a heavily PDHed messed up shadow of his former self. I can say that I consider Ron as the best genius on this planet. But in my view, clearly after 1972 he is not that anymore. He’s fake after that. Whoever got him, be it CIA/FBI or Aliens, Marcabs, matter less. He was being used by others to destroy Scientology from within.”

——————–

2001: The Buffalo News reported that the city is still considering tearing down the Buffalo Scientology org to make room for a parking ramp. “Planners want to seize two downtown properties, demolish an office building, then construct a 10-level addition to the city-owned Owen B. Augspurger ramp on West Huron Street, between Pearl and Franklin streets. But opponents say the city shouldn’t tear down more buildings, especially occupied structures, for parking. The four-story Hurst Building at 43 W. Huron is owned by the Church of Scientology, which occupies the first two floors, according to attorney William R. Crowe. He said the third floor is used for storage, while the top floor is vacant. Crowe said his client wants to remain in the building, despite a $425,000 purchase offer from the city.”

——————–

“After Waco the political will to do anything about cults vanished. The main reason they finally did something about Warren Jeffs and the FLDS was because it was a pedo factory. America is a very religious country and it’s also a celebrity-obsessed country. When you have names like Cruise and Travolta running interference for you, you can run a long way.”

——————–

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

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing January 29, 2024.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.

Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Complaint filed August 2, motion to strike/anti-SLAPP motions by Scientology to be heard January 9, 2024.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs allowed interlocutory appeal to Eleventh Circuit.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Discovery phase.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.

——————–

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

——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Florida Bar past president hired to stop court from serving lawsuit on David Miscavige
[TWO years ago] Growing up in Scientology’s Sea Org, and encountering David Miscavige: A look back
[THREE years ago] Scientology hopes to benefit from Michael Jackson estate’s arbitration win against HBO
[FOUR years ago] The Scientology spy who wants desperately to come in from the cold
[FIVE years ago] Finally, Scientology spells out its crazy ideas in a video you weren’t supposed to see
[SIX years ago] Mexico officially recognizes Scientology as a religion, Miscavige claims at New Year’s event
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology is totally reading your comments here — and you’re scaring them senseless
[EIGHT years ago] FELONY RAPS FOR SCIENTOLOGISTS RUNNING L.A. REHAB SCAM WITH CORRUPT EDUCATORS
[NINE years ago] Scientology’s Clark Carr: Those letters after my name were no good and I didn’t know it
[TEN years ago] At OT 3, you learn you have space cooties — how do you get rid of them? Scientology exorcism!
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology Quick to Exploit Newtown Tragedy

——————–

Scientology disconnection, a reminder

Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,246 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,761 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,311 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,301 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,182 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,486 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,357 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,909 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,251 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,817 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,736 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,904 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,485 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,746 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,782 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,498 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,062 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,377 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,552 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,103 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,234 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,572 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,427 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,546 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,902 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,205 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,311 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,709 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,585 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,150 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,663 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,917 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,026 days.

——————–

Posted by Tony Ortega on December 17, 2023 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.

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.

Bruce Hines: Life in Scientology’s Sea Org was brutal, but it could also be absurd

Bruce Hines — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 11:00:26 +0000

This is a silly little thing about something that happened while I was in Scientology’s Sea Organization. I laugh every time I think about it. I just find it amusing. And it is a little snapshot of the insane existence inside that organization.

It has to do with a guy named Hansueli Stähli. He is from Switzerland. He married a lady named Heidi. Both of them were well-known people at the Int Base (the international management headquarters Scientology in Gilman Hot Springs, California). I got to know them in 1980 when I became an auditor in the Flag Service Organization in Clearwater, Florida. They were also auditors there. Back in those days it was possible to get a leave of absence. It was (and still is) official policy of the Sea Organization that a member is entitled to two weeks of vacation per year. From what I have heard, today it is next to impossible to get any time off at all. But at the time, Hansueli and Heidi wanted to take a trip back to Europe. In order to do that they had to get approval via a CSW (Completed Staff Work).

This CSW needed to show that their posts would be covered while they were gone. Heidi’s difficulty in this was that she was auditing people who had come to Flag from German-speaking areas. She needed another auditor who could audit in German or she would not be allowed to leave. She and I were both assigned to units that audited people who were already on their “OT Levels.” Because I had some fluency in German, I was the only other auditor who might be able to serve as her “replacement” during her leave.

I had lived in Germany but had not spoken German in five years. Plus, I was not familiar with the the German equivalents of the special terminology used in auditing, especially on the wacky OT levels. After hours, she drilled me on auditing at those levels until she felt satisfied that I could do it. She was then able to take her vacation while I audited some people from Germany. It all went OK. After that Hansueli and Heidi were good friends of mine.

Some years later we had all been transferred to work at the Int Base. We all ended up with posts that had something to do with auditing and the “technology” of Scientology. Much of the time Heidi was in the same unit as I. Hansueli went to Religious Technology Center (RTC), the highest entity on the base. David Miscavige called him “Hank,” as he had some kind of difficulty with the actual name. The people in RTC were strongly discouraged from “fraternizing” with folks who were posted in lower units. So, Hansueli couldn’t act friendly towards me, though on occasion some human warmth did shine through.

But one day, in the early 1990s, there could be no trace of friendship. Hansueli came down from on high to the unit where I was working to set us straight. It was a situation, often seen in the Sea Organization, where a more senior person calls some more junior people on the carpet, acting all tough and mad and “unreasonable.” This was not his true nature, though he could muster up a passable show of it. I don’t think he really had his heart in it. Some Sea Org executives seemed to relish such situations, apparently being innately mean.

Though Hansueli knew English well, he still spoke with a distinct Swiss accent. Also, for a person speaking in something other than their native tongue, figures of speech and idioms can
be a problem. Sometimes he said unexpected things.

Our offices were in a building named Del Sol on the Int Base. It was a wooden two-story structure that had served as a hotel back in the days when that property was a resort. Doors could be opened to connect adjacent rooms. We had three of them, with the Senior Case Supervisor International in one and some of his staff in the next two. We sat there going about our business, which mainly consisted of looking at those old CRT computer screens, sending messages, and digging through auditing records. Suddenly Hansueli burst through from the hallway, shouting and stomping around. He was acting angry about us not having done our jobs well enough. That usually meant that some higher-up in RTC had deemed that a program or order, out of literally hundreds, was not getting sufficient attention. Progress had been too slow. Hansueli was informing us of this in a very loud voice. There were six or seven of us listening to him. I remember him kicking the door that separated two rooms, causing it to slam against the desk next to it. At one point, in the most condescending, disgusted voice he could muster, he said, “You eager beavers!”

I had a hard time keeping a straight face. We were supposed to act respectful and repentant, promising to do better. I’m not sure what he was trying to say. For sure no one tried to correct him. Generally being called an eager beaver would be a compliment in the work place, right? It was certainly amusing. The Swiss accent made it even funnier.

The last I knew, both Hansueli and Heidi were still at the Int Base. I don’t believe they were on high posts any more. Through all the travails of life at that place, I always had a good relationship with them. There had been a lot of pressure on and indoctrination of Hansueli to get him to act that way. I’d love to see them again. It is too bad they are still caught in that web of lies.

— Bruce Hines

——————–

Technology Cocktail

“The public is warned not to accept Scientology processing except from Academy trained auditors and is additionally warned not to embark on being cleared except by a properly certified auditor in consultation with a Class IV clearing consultant The rewards of clearing are enormous. The perils of clearing in unskilled hands are too numerous to mention.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1963

——————–

——————–

THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

— 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

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

——————–

“The Fifth Invader Force came in to use this area, and the name of this solar system is Space Station 33. They started to use this area without suspecting that the Fourth Invader Force had been there for God knows how many skillion years, had been sitting down, and they have their installations up on Mars, and they have a tremendous, screened operation…Now, as I say, this sounds science-fictiony. Well, don’t let it sound science-fictiony to you, because the truth be told, it’s not science fiction. In the first place, it’s not fiction, and it really isn’t very closely resembling what you read and call science fiction. Science fiction is just a very chimerical sort of a picture of it. Space is wild. There aren’t any writers down here and there’s no audience down here that could take real stuff about space. It’s wild!” — L. Ron Hubbard, October 30, 1952

——————–

“The ship lately has been lying too much in the harbor, has not been at sea enough. This is usually very bad for a crew. A ship, by definition, is something that goes to sea. After a day or so, people who tend to get queasy get over it and on short jumps do not get a chance to do so. You will also notice that the first few days at sea, a crew tends to stand around and not work. But after it has been at sea for three or four days, they get their sea legs and work and routine go on as usual.” — The Commodore, October 30, 1971

——————–

“I think that a Seck Check for all returnees (LRH or not LRH) must be a mandatory action.”

——————–

1995: Karin Spaink reported that Scientology is suing systems and an individual in the Netherlands for hosting the Fishman documents on a number of web servers. “It will be a ‘kort geding’, a summary proceedings. When such a summary proceedings is filed immediately after the plaintiff has gained knowledge of the alleged crime, it is usually dealt with within days; but because the first Fishman-homepages are by now almost two months old, the judge will not be quick to schedule it. The law suit may not be dealt with before December or January. In their telephone conversation with Bakker Schut, Nauta Dutilh announced their intention to sue XS4ALL, Cistron, Dataweb, DDS and me. Planet Internet has been dealing with Nauata Dutilh through a different lawyer; I do not know whether they have received such a notification, but my guess is that both Planet Internet and Euronet will be sued too. The law suit has been set for December 14, 10:00, The Hague. The defendants are: XS4ALL, DDS, Cistron, Dataweb and me. I am the only individual sued, because CoS considers me to be the ‘motivating force’ behind all this.”

——————–

“When people say they got some good out of Scientology, I think to myself, ‘Yeah, telling your problems, fantasies or opinions to anybody, including hookers and homeless people, makes everybody feel better…derp!.’ This blog is my ‘auditing’.”

——————–

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

Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Complaint filed August 2, Scientology submitting anti-SLAPP response Oct 26.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs allowed interlocutory appeal to Eleventh Circuit.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Discovery phase.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.

——————–

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

——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Paul Morantz is remembered for Synanon rattler, but he also faced Scientology’s fangs
[TWO years ago] What you aren’t going to hear at this week’s appeal of Scientology ‘religious arbitration’
[THREE years ago] Riley Keough to outdo Elisabeth Moss for most hypocritical Scientologist?
[FOUR years ago] SCIENTOLOGISTS FACE ADDITIONAL CHARGES IN NARCONON FRAUD CASE AHEAD OF TRIAL
[FIVE years ago] Scientology hails study vindicating its rehab program — so we take a closer look
[SIX years ago] Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard as a cop in Los Angeles: What’s the real truth?
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology will go after your kids with its quack ideas on drugs — even at a Christian school
[EIGHT years ago] Leah Remini dishes on Scientology — Live-blogging the ABC 20/20 special
[NINE years ago] Scientology outside the official church: ‘I’m quite happy with the world the way it is’
[TEN years ago] Clearwater Tent Showdown: Scientology Reportedly Getting Ready for Events Next Week
[ELEVEN years ago] Another Scientology Victory: Photos of Marc Headley’s Roof Being Repaired!

——————–

Scientology disconnection, a reminder

Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,198 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,713 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,263 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,253 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,134 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,438 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,309 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,414 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,861 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,203 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,769 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,688 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,855 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,437 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,698 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,734 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,450 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,014 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,329 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,504 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,055 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,186 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,524 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,379 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,498 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,854 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,157 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,263 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,661 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,537 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,102 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,615 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,869 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,978 days.

——————–

Posted by Tony Ortega on October 30, 2023 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.

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.

Bruce Hines: Scientology made David Mayo out to be a villain, but I knew the real man

Bruce Hines — Sun, 22 Oct 2023 11:00:38 +0000

[David Mayo, 1940-2017]

Something like a dozen years ago I got an email from someone saying that David Mayo had posted on a message board, “I wish I could talk to Bruce Hines about dark matter.” David had started writing some things on one of the anti-Scientology sites, maybe the Ex-Scientologist Message Board or the Operation Clambake Message Board. I had not been aware of this and was rather surprised. And I had no idea that he had any inkling of who I am. Apparently, he had somehow learned something about my work at the time.

David Mayo is one of the more well-known (or infamous, depending on whom you ask) people in the rocky history of Scientology. Much has been written about him on the internet, including on the Underground Bunker. A lot has been said about him inside the world of that cult. Here, I lay out my personal experiences with him.

During my time in Scientology, I laid eyes on the man only once. This was in the early 1980s when he held the post of Senior Case Supervisor International. At that time I was an auditor in the Flag Service Organization, but still knew very little about him. He had left Flag (the Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida, Scientology’s “spiritual mecca”) prior to my arriving there to go “over the rainbow” (to the ultra secret location of top management near Hemet, California). In 1981, he came to Flag on a “Sea Org Mission” to oversee the setup of a new Hubbard Guidance Center.

One day he gave a briefing to all of the technical personnel about what was happening. When I saw him he seemed tired and haggard, likely due to stress and lack of sleep, typical of someone on mission. I was somewhat dismayed to watch him flick ashes from his long, brown cigarette (anyone remember the brand “More”?) onto the carpet of the room where we had all gathered. In those days nearly everyone in Scientology smoked, since Hubbard himself was a heavy smoker.

Over the next several years life became quite intense for Mr. Mayo. Most of what happened I was unaware of at the time. In short, he was ousted by David Miscavige, he was forced onto a draconian “rehabilitation” program, he left the Sea Organization, he started a “squirrel group,” and he spearheaded a major schism in Scientology. I don’t know the numbers, but a significant number of people left the official “church” then. In 1983 a writing was issued broadly in the Scientology world titled, “The Story of a Squirrel, David Mayo.” I remember it being in blue ink on blue paper (such things were color-coded). As I recall, Sea Org members were required to read that document. The man being written about must have surely been the devil incarnate.

Four years later I found myself being a new member of the Office of the Senior Case Supervisor International. As such, I was required to study a number of official writings as part of my training. Some of this information was in the form of “LRH Advices.” It could not appear that Mr. Hubbard was running Scientology, for some legal and security reasons. But he could offer advice. These documents were letters (called “dispatches”) sent from Hubbard to key people in top management. They were addressed to a particular person and usually had many info copies that went to other top executives. These missives were couched as advice, but were actually orders. It was a major deal if someone received one of these, and there was much activity aimed at getting a rapid reply to Hubbard demonstrating compliance to his directives.

The advices were all preserved. They were treated as unalterable policy. All members of the Office of the Senior Case Supervisor International had to study the ones related to technical matters (i.e. related to auditing or training) or to that office. Then they had to be “word cleared” and an oral examination (“starrate checkout”) had to be passed. One of these advices made a particular impression on me. It is a rather famous one. It was addressed to David Mayo when he held the Senior C/S Int post.

The tone of this letter was very friendly. As I recall it was dated April 1982. In it, Hubbard wrote some remarkable things. One of these was that Mayo should hold the fort on keeping the application of the technology standard when Hubbard was gone. That is, Hubbard was expecting that he would pass away in the not too distant future. What’s more, when Hubbard was not around, Mayo should be the one to develop new technology. Hubbard even wrote that this directive would probably come as a shock to Mayo. It had been gospel that only Hubbard could come up with new tech. Also, it was in this dispatch that Hubbard said that after he died he would be gone for 15 or 20 years and then be back. During this period Mayo was to be the top dog on the technology of Scientology. It was a definite passing of the torch. To top it off, Hubbard mentioned that it would be a good idea if Mayo became the head of a new unit, dealing with “the tech,” that would not be under the control Scientology management. This was all certainly at odds with the later treatment of David Mayo, whereby he was utterly vilified. Just a couple of years later he became the scapegoat for many supposed non-optimum situations. I think it is pretty clear that David Miscavige viewed Mayo as a significant rival or barrier to taking over the organization, and decided to get rid of him. It would have made things particularly difficult for Miscavige if Mayo was running his own autonomous unit that had control of all things technical.

When my OT VIII sister passed away at the age of 52 from cancer, the explanation espoused by the Scientologists that knew her was that she had received “Mayo NOTs.” NOTs, New Era Dianetics for Operating Thetans, is a type of auditing that came out in 1978. The original technical bulletins on how to audit NOTs were compiled by Mayo. They were mainly excerpts from transcriptions of Hubbard’s own spoken words. I can’t imagine that Hubbard himself had not seen and given official approval of those bulletins. Yet just a few years later many held the opinion that Mayo had “sabotaged NOTs.” The truth is that my sister died so young because she refused medical treatment for a type of cancer that is routinely successfully treated; she had bought the bogus ideas about illnesses and the medical profession that Hubbard put forth.

Anyway, after all the bad things I had heard and read about Mayo, when I saw about thirty years later that he had mentioned my name in a post on an anti-Scientology website, I was skeptical and reluctant to do anything about it. Maybe some of the bad stuff I’d heard about him was true. Plus, I wondered if the person doing the posting was actually an OSA (Office of Special Affairs) troll. I decided to read other things that he had posted. It seemed he really was David Mayo.

I reached out to him in a private message and that turned into an email conversation. He had been studying various scientific subjects, he said. He was interested in pursuing it further. He informed me that he was going to be coming to Denver, where I was living, and asked if I would like to get together. I agreed, though I was now even more leery that this was some kind of OSA operation.

It turned out that he had been living in New Zealand, his home country. He had found out that at the University of Colorado, where I was working, a senior citizen could audit classes for free. He had an interest in science and wanted to take courses to advance his knowledge. He was looking at moving to Denver, and was traveling to check out places to live, possibly even a house to buy.

We discussed his trip in emails. We agreed that I would meet him at a particular time in the restaurant of a hotel relatively close to the airport. We ended up having a pleasant meal there, talking for hours. He was accompanied by his lovely wife, Julie. She had also been a high executive in Scientology, earlier known as Julia Gillespie. But she went by Julie.

I found both of them to be friendly, soft-spoken, and articulate. I’d even say they were humble. We talked a bit about Scientology, but not a lot. He was interested in discussing other things and seemed to done with anything to do with that subject. One thing David did say was that he didn’t think that the OT levels were real. He told about some harrowing, life-threatening harrassment he’d experienced, especially in the Dominican Republic. But most of the discussion was about what it would be like to live in the Denver area and about the University of Colorado. He and Julie told me about their life in New Zealand, how beautiful that country is, and their photography, hiking, maintaining their house, and other pursuits. The next day they were going to look at some houses that were on the market and at some apartments, and then fly back home.

A month or two later I heard from them that they were coming back to Denver. They were evidently serious about finding a place to move to. They indeed arrived and I got to spend another pleasant evening with them. I was surprised to learn that when David was still Snr C/S Int, he had been planning to move me from the Flag Service Organization in Florida, where I had been posted, to work in his office. I had no idea he knew anything about me. But before that could happen he got busted by Miscavige.

I’m not sure what else they did on that trip. They returned to New Zealand and I didn’t hear from them for a while. Then in early 2018 I got an email from Julie. David had passed away a couple of months earlier. She sent me a link to a website that she had set up in his honor. They had decided to move further north in New Zealand where it was warmer, and not to Denver. They found a house that didn’t need so many repairs. She said that they had enjoyed our visits in Denver and invited me and my family to stay at her place should we ever be in New Zealand. I was very touched by her warmth and kindness.

The David Mayo I got to know was nothing like the person portrayed by the Scientology PR machine. I am appalled at the efforts undertaken by that “church” to ruin the life of a man who, in my estimation, meant well. He was certainly not a “darling of the psychs.” He was well-read, knowledgeable about many things, and had a variety of pastimes. He struck me as being kind and open, which to me was not just something put on for show or effect. I am very glad that I was able to get to know him and his wife, outside the false world of Scientology.

— Bruce Hines

——————–

Technology Cocktail

“The reason why Routine 2 errors are more deadly than purely auditing errors is that Routine 2 is handling the pc by batches of lifetimes. All the stress and gore- and agony of generations exist on the lists of any one package. An auditing error can be gross and get by unless it is sitting on a Routine 2 error. Then the tiniest auditing flub can produce a reaction like an earthquake.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1962

——————–

——————–

THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

— 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

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

——————–

“You want to know what is wrong with the fellow? Let’s say that when he is very young somebody decides to take his tonsils out….Later on he meets some doctor who says, ‘Well, the reason you have ulcers is because … ?’ Actually, it was because one of the doctors during the tonsillectomy — this fellow’s earlier colleague — had an elbow in the patient’s stomach. I think doctors knew this all the time, by the way. I am sure they had this all worked out. The doctor leans his elbow on this young would-be writer’s stomach, and he grinds this elbow down while he is holding the patient. Later on the fellow has to be operated on for ulcers. You can make more money this way and send your children to better colleges.” — L. Ron Hubbard, October 22, 1951

——————–

“Sea Org members are highly acceptable to one another. Where evidence seems to be to the contrary it is an urgency to uphold the standards of the group which after all has a very arduous and important job to do.” — The Commodore, October 22, 1970

——————–

“Ron’s invention of auditing: quite probably the single greatest advance in the history of mankind. And it works because life comes before, and is senior to, the physical universe; auditing confirms this. Life errs when thinking the physical universe has domain over it. Auditing undoes this fallacy.”

——————–

2001: John and Claire Swazey posted their Suppressive Person Declare this week. They have been Scientologists and contributors to the alt.religion.scientology newsgroup. “John and Claire have been associating with SPs for more than 2 years and have continued to do so despite clear Church policy. They have not been availing themselves of the true source data but have been getting false data from the SPs they have been associating with. As of May 2001 they went beyond associating with them and started assisting them in their attempts to attack the Church by spreading Black PR. They have publicly disavowed Scientology and Church management using a broad public medium and have violated the trademarks of the church and the laws of the land. Claire has broadcast entheta about Church management and Scientology, and associated with SPs using a broad public medium for more than 2 years. On the 29th of April 2001 she publicly disavowed the Church of Scientology and Church Management using a broad public medium, as well as giving enemy lines about Senior Management terminals. Claire has also been associating with a Church staff member feeding him entheta and false data about the Church resulting in his no longer wanting to work as a staff member in the Church. Claire and John are guilty of the following suppressive acts: PUBLIC DISAVOWAL OF SCIENTOLOGY OR SCIENTOLOGISTS IN GOOD STANDING WITH SCIENTOLOGY ORGANIZATIONS. ENGAGING IN MALICIOUS RUMOR MONGERING TO DESTROY THE AUTHORITY OR REPUT OF HIGHER OFFICERS OR THE LEADING NAMES OF SCIENTOLOGY OR TO ‘SAFEGUARD’ A POSITION. CALCULATED EFFORTS TO DISRUPT CHURCH SERVICES OR THE FLOW OF PUBLIC UP THE BRIDGE THROUGH THE CHURCHES. ACTS CALCULATED TO MISUSE, INVALIDATE OR ALTER-IS LEGALLY OR IN ANY OTHER WAY THE TRADEMARKS AND SERVICE MARKS OF DIANETICS AND SCIENTOLOGY. FAILURE TO HANDLE OR DISAVOW AND DISCONNECT FROM A PERSON DEMONSTRABLY GUILTY OF SUPPRESSIVE ACTS. IT IS A HIGH CRIME TO PUBLICLY DEPART SCIENTOLOGY. Any certificates or awards which may have been given to Claire and John Swazey are hereby canceled. Any membership agreements they may have signed are also hereby canceled and they have no right to use the Dianetics and Scientology marks in any manner whatsoever. Should they come to their senses and recant they are to do the steps A to E. Their only terminal is the International Justice Chief via the Continental Justice Chief. WUS JUSTICE CHIEF, APPROVED BY INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE CHIEF”

——————–

“So when your certificates get canceled, whose job is it to track down all those engrams and body thetans and tell them they need to re-implant and re-attach themselves?”

——————–

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

——————–

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

——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] PODCAST: Looking back at the first week of testimony in the Danny Masterson trial
[TWO years ago] Could a Scientologist be the next governor of Nevada?
[THREE years ago] Could Marsy’s Law foil Scientology’s attempt to force rape victims into ‘arbitration’?
[FOUR years ago] DAVID MISCAVIGE, YOU HAVE BEEN SERVED
[FIVE years ago] A call to arms for Scientology voters: ‘Religious freedom’ vs. the evil psychs!
[SIX years ago] Wally Hanks, Scientology ranch terror recently portrayed on ‘Leah Remini,’ dies at 70
[SEVEN years ago] Who was responsible when Scientology finally paid Lawrence Wollersheim a lot of thin dimes?
[EIGHT years ago] A Scientology childhood: What it’s like to grow up under the Hubbard spell
[NINE years ago] om Cruise and his Freedom Medal of Valor: Where’s the tabloid press?
[TEN years ago] Scientology Has No City Permit for IAS Gala or Other Events: Is It Keeping The Party Private?
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology’s Sea Org Application: What Are Your Crimes?

——————–

Scientology disconnection, a reminder

Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,190 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,705 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,255 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,245 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,126 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,430 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,301 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,406 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,853 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,195 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,761 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,680 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,847 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,429 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,690 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,726 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,442 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,006 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,321 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,496 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,047 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,178 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,516 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,371 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,490 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,846 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,149 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,255 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,653 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,529 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,094 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,607 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,861 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,970 days.

——————–

Posted by Tony Ortega on October 22, 2023 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.

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.

The time Scientology healing was used on a broken bone at Tom Cruise’s house

Bruce Hines — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 11:00:37 +0000

The year was 1993 or 1994. It was a brief segment of my 24-year career in Scientology’s “Sea Organization.” The location of my post then was on the “Int Base” (the international headquarters of the entire Scientology network) near Hemet, California. The location of this 500-acre property was top secret in that strange world, known to only a small percentage of Scientologists everywhere.

However, at that time I was spending most of my time in Los Angeles, which was about 90 miles away. Usually I was in LA Monday through Friday, then drove back up to the Int Base Friday night, and back to LA again in the wee hours between Sunday and Monday. Because of my close proximity to Scientology-related things in LA, I sometimes was tasked with matters that had gotten the attention of some people in top management.

So, one day I was instructed to go see a lady named Jenny. She was a very pleasant person, tall and slender and blond and attractive. She was an Int Base staff member who was on a special “project” in LA. It is the nature of this project that makes this little tale interesting. Some may remember that Tony has written things about work being done by Sea Org members to benefit Tom Cruise personally. One such story was about John Brousseau customizing an airplane hangar and other things. In a similar vein, Jenny was the person in charge (the Project I/C) of work to do renovations and decorating in a house in the LA area belonging to Cruise.

A project in the Sea Organization is a very formal thing. “Project Orders” get drawn up and reviewed and corrected and tweaked and finally approved by some high-up person. Since this project had to do with Cruise, the approving person would have been a senior member of the Religious Technology Center. I was not privy to those details, but I’d be willing to bet that David Miscavige and his wife, Shelly, were involved. The orders list out detailed tasks and other “targets” that are aimed at accomplishing the purpose of the project.

Qualified people then get selected to go on the project. They must be “not in ethics trouble,” have abilities and/or training related to the actions to be performed on the project, and have a record of having been productive in similar situations. They would have to receive and pass a “Security Check” (a kind of interrogation conducted while the person is connected to an electronic device) related to the project. They would have to carefully study the Project Orders and then pass an oral examination. They would have to build “Clay Demonstrations,” using playdough, showing the key tasks to be accomplished. They would then receive a special briefing and get “fired” (sent out) to begin the project.

I don’t know how many people were on this particular project in LA. But one could assume that it was at least three and probably more. While on a project, which might be expected to take weeks or months to complete, the person in charge would have to send “Daily Reports” (DRs) at the end of each night to a person at the Int Base responsible for “running” the project (the “Project Ops”).

These reports would go via an internal email system. A reply from the Project Ops would have to be received by the Project I/C before commencing the next day’s work. These replies gave instructions intended to keep the project members on task and making progress in the expected time frame.

The members of the project, including Jenny, all had posts on the Int Base. But while working on the project they were forbidden from doing anything related to their post. They could only work on the project. Some poor souls who worked in the areas of the project members’ actual posts were expected to pick up the slack, in addition to doing their own posts. The project members had to write up “hat turnovers” that laid out the things they were leaving behind that had to be taken care of by someone else.

Jenny’s actual post was in the “Commodore’s Messenger Organization for Golden Era Productions” (CMO Gold, which was separate from CMO Int). Jenny’s last name had been Gaynor prior to getting married. I don’t know if she is still in the Sea Org. In any event, it was unusual that I was ordered to get involved in some project. It wasn’t that I did any of the work that the project was doing. It was needed that I do some auditing on Jenny. She had broken her wrist from a minor accident working on Tom Cruise’s house. She had a cast on her arm when I arrived to see her. That state of affairs would not be a big deal in most normal organizations. She could still type the DRs, supervise the work being done, relay orders, and do other project work while her arm healed, right? That break would heal in a matter of weeks, after all.

However, in the Scientology world as laid out by L. Ron Hubbard, this was a serious situation. You see, it meant that Jenny was a “Potential Trouble Source.” She was “PTS.” That meant, in the “technology” of Scientology, that she was liable to make mistakes, foul things up, have accidents and injuries, get sick, and even take on characteristics of a “Suppressive Person.” And she was in charge of an activity that was making changes to Tom Cruise’s private property — as ordered by David Miscavige in order to impress him or woo him or something. Heaven forbid that anything got damaged.

Mr. Hubbard wrote a lot of things about the subject of “PTSness.” He wrote more on that topic than he did on almost anything. A person can be “Type I PTS,” “Type II PTS,” “Type III PTS,” “Type A PTS,” “Pretended PTS,” or “False PTS.” There are detailed descriptions of all of these categories, each with their own handlings, which can be relatively simple or quite complex.

The problem was that these supposed cures for PTSness did not work. That’s why, in my opinion, over many years Hubbard had to keep coming up with new explanations for PTS phenomena and what to do about them. Any person alive can occasionally make mistakes or have a minor accident or get ill. This includes all Scientologists, regardless of whatever “handlings” for PTSness they had undergone previously. It follows then that people who have been in Scientology for quite a while have experienced numerous attempts to deal with their “PTSness.” It can get quite messy. I remember withholding that I had caught a cold so that I wouldn’t have to go through being dealt with as a PTS.

Anyway, this was Jenny’s plight. I went to Cruise’s house where she and the other project members had been working. I don’t remember where that house was nor much else about it. I went in the evening when it was dark. I audited her in a small room near the front entrance and didn’t see the rest of the house. I gave her some “assists” (various auditing processes that were supposed to help her wrist heal faster). I gave her a “PTS interview,” which had the purpose of finding out details of her PTS situation. I believe I went there twice. I made written records that went into her auditing folder and then to some “Case Supervisor” who was located “uplines” (at the Int Base). The Case Supervisor would then have to decide what to do about this PTS situation.

My involvement ended there. I don’t know what happened to Jenny. She may have been “recalled” and replaced with another Project I/C. I also don’t know what work was being done at that house. I recall some mention of difficulties with large furniture getting moved and arranged. But the project would not have just been dealing with furniture. It is possible that it included managing outside contractors, though that is just a guess on my part. But one thing is for sure. There were an awful lot of Sea Org man-hours expended in a grand effort to win over Tom Cruise. There were many such efforts over many years. Anyone familiar with the goings-on at the Int Base would know that only David Miscavige could be behind those activities. It seems to have paid off.

— Bruce Hines

——————–

Technology Cocktail

“What exactly does the E-Meter read? It reads the degree of mental mass surrounding the thetan in a body. A thetan accumulates mental mass, pictures, ridges, circuits, etc, to the degree that he misassigns responsibility. If he does something and then says that it was done by something or someone else then he has failed to assign cause rightly and, doing so, he is of course left with an apparently uncaused mental mass.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1960

——————–

——————–

THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

— 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

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

——————–

“You’ve heard time and again how dangerous it is. You mustn’t fool around with the mind! Perfectly all right to take a meat ax to the brain, but you mustn’t fool around with the mind! I got my belly so full in 1950 of psychoanalysts telling me how dangerous it was to fool around with the mind. But I finally more or less rejected it with laughter, because I looked at who was talking. And when he said fool around, man, he meant fool around, because I found out he could not study Dianetics; he could not do it. And do you know our main departure from training psychoanalysts and psychiatrists and medical doctors is not really based on the fact we are antipathetic toward them at all. It’s the fact that they can’t seem to duplicate study materials. And it’s just so hard, it’s so tough.” — L. Ron Hubbard, August 18, 1966

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“CONDITION: Bill Blundell, on Dep LRH Comm data of 3 days absence from Qual as an auditor, and from Dir Rev on insolence and refusal to audit is assigned DOUBT. If Bill persists with his SO record of invisibility, the condition will be lowered. There comes a time when all men have to stand up and be seen and do their jobs in life. That time has arrived for Bill Blundell.” — The Commodore, August 18, 1969

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“We as Scientologists don’t need to fumble around figuring out what kind of future we want. We already have clear plans to implement in the fourth dynamic and for its future. One is LRH’s International City, the creation of a One World Capital in Northern Africa. Another is LRH’s Organization Board. And the other is Captain Bill Robertson’s New Civilization Game. The agenda to implement a One World Government for Earth and the incorporation of Earth to the Galactic community.”

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1999: Scientology attorney Kendrick Moxon is suing the state of Maryland for a task force to investigate cults on college campuses. From the Associated Press: “The suit, filed Monday, alleges that the state General Assembly has ‘determined that it is both unnecessary and harmful for students to think for themselves.’ The plaintiffs, which include the International Coalition for Religious Freedom, funded primarily by Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church, claim the Task Force to Study the Effects of Cult Activities on Public Senior Higher Education Institutions is violating the establishment and free-exercise clauses of the First Amendment. ‘The government cannot, absolutely cannot, get involved in adjudicating what’s a right religion and what’s a wrong religion,’ said Kendrick Moxon, a Los Angeles civil rights attorney representing the plaintiffs. The suit seeks an injunction against the task force, as well as a declaration that the inquiry is unconstitutional.”

——————–

“Not only are there numerous loopholes allowing dangerous cults to operate freely, there are numerous loopholes allowing idiots to buy wild, endangered animals. A portion of these animals end up at canned hunting operations in Dumbfuckistan where they are gunned down by Dick Cheney and evil fucks of that ilk. It’s gotta stop.”

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

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentencing on Sep 7.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Trial scheduled for August 15.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.

Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Complaint filed August 2, hearing on proof of service on Oct 3.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs allowed interlocutory appeal to Eleventh Circuit.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— 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 at least through sentencing of Masterson on Sep 7.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Next hearing Nov 6.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.

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

——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] EXCLUSIVE: An eyewitness account of the place where Scientology is keeping Shelly Miscavige
[TWO years ago] Laura Prepon claims she’s out: ‘For Scientology this is catastrophic’ says Mike Rinder
[THREE years ago] Leah Remini’s podcast: Paulette Cooper, Scientology’s ‘OG of Fair Game victims’
[FOUR years ago] Scientology is staffing its Narconon in Ireland like it’s already won court approval
[FIVE years ago] From Jon Atack’s ‘Blue Sky’: Reorganizing Scientology as L. Ron Hubbard’s life waned
[SIX years ago] As he predicted, Pastor Willy Rice gets the Scientology ‘Fair Game’ treatment
[SEVEN years ago] New Scientology financial disclosures reflect the dire state of its chief drug rehab
[EIGHT years ago] Google helps Scientology huckster Per Wickstrom bury a rehab patient death
[NINE years ago] Scientology graduation videos from Copenhagen? Yes, please!
[TEN years ago] Sunday Funnies: A Scientology Advertising Bonanza!
[ELEVEN years ago] Former President of Narconon Oklahoma Now Calls It ‘Watered-Down Version of Introductory Scientology’
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology Watching Hits the Beach!

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Scientology disconnection, a reminder

Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,125 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,640 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,190 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,180 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,061 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,365 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,236 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,341 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,788 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,130 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,696 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,615 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,782 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,364 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,625 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,661 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,377 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,941 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,256 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,431 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,982 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,113 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,451 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,306 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,425 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,781 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,084 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,190 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,588 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,464 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,029 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,542 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,796 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,905 days.

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Posted by Tony Ortega on August 18, 2023 at 07:00

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Scientology and statistics: How L. Ron Hubbard’s fetish for bureaucracy lives on

Bruce Hines — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 11:00:59 +0000

[Still frame from a Scientology video about its Flag Building]

It has been commented many many times that statistics are a really big deal in the nutty world of Scientology. It is part of founder L. Ron Hubbard’s “management technology.”

Every staff member on the entire planet has their individual statistic, by which they pretty much live or die. Anybody with some familiarity with Scientology likely knows something, or a lot, about this subject. But I’ll explain a bit anyway.

Staff members, in missions, in local orgs, and in the Sea Organization, are supposed to be productive. They need to pull their weight. “Production is the basis of morale,” as Hubbard wrote. They need to be “in-exchange” (i.e. what they give to the organization should be equal to or exceed what they get in return). Those who are productive should get rewarded and those who aren’t get punished.

The measure of a staff member’s production is their statistic. If a staff member’s post is “Book Seller,” their stat would be “number of books sold.” If the post is “registrar,” their stat would be “gross income” (the amount of money that staff member brought into the organization).

In Hubbard’s policies, a week begins at 2:00pm on Thursday and ends at 2:00pm the following Thursday. A person’s stat for the week must only include the things “produced” between those two points in time. If the weekly statistic is higher than the previous week’s, the staff member is considered to be in a good “ethics condition.” If the stat is down, the person is then in a bad ethics condition.

I won’t go into the ethics conditions here, as that subject is pretty complicated. Suffice it to say that life is relatively easy if a staff member’s stat is up, and pretty unpleasant if their stat is down. Thursday morning, or maybe Wednesday night, there is often a mad dash to try to improve one’s weekly statistic.

At the international headquarters of Scientology near Hemet, California, for external-facing managers the counting of stats was an involved and complicated affair. Every Thursday night there was something called “stat evolution” that went on for hours.

By way of example, there was a person in the “Executive Strata” (a part or level of international management) whose post was “Books Exec Int” (BEI). This person was supposed to oversee the sales of books in the entire world. They were supposed to write “programs” and get them approved by people senior to them in the management hierarchy. These programs were a step-by-step series of actions to be executed in lower organizations in the world. Some staff members in the lower-level organizations would then get pestered to complete “targets” on these programs. One such staff member at a local org would be the “Book Store Officer.”

Getting these programs done were supposed to result in ever-increasing sales of books in the world. And so, the BEI’s stat would be something like “total book sales internationally.” I’m not sure if their statistic was the total number of individual books that got sold in that week or the dollar value of books sold in that week. Maybe it was both. Part of the stat ev, as it was affectionately known, was to get all the local organizations to report their book-sale numbers “up the lines.”

The book-sales stats were some of many, many numbers that the local organizations had to report up to management. Someone at the org had to send a “telex” with a long list of weekly statistics up to the “Conts” (which stands for continental, referring to the middle-management units — the Continental Liaison Offices or CLOs — in LA, NYC, St. Hill, Denmark, Mexico City, Toronto, and Sidney). Each Cont then compiled all of those statistics from all of the orgs in their area into a larger telex that got sent to international management in LA. There the statistics for the whole world were added up and forwarded up to the Int Base near Hemet.

The BEI, for example, and other people at the international headquarters, had to wait for that whole process to complete in order to know what their own statistic was for that week. Also, because there were different time zones involved, stats from around the world came in at different times. The CLO in LA (which was responsible for the western U.S.) had to wait for the Hawaii org, where their 2:00pm was three hours behind Pacific time. The Australian orgs were the first to report their stats and the West U.S. orgs were the last. The whole thing would invariably get delayed because some person or org or computer had problems. Imagine getting a long list of statistics from Harare, Zimbawe, to Johannesburg then to Copenhagen then to LA then to the Int Base.

By the way, from what I have read, there is no longer the position of Books Exec Int. Nor do most of the management posts at the Int level still exist. That is a whole other story that has to do with the current head of Scientology. So, I doubt that all of this stat gathering happens any more, or at least not in the same way.

In the late 80s and early 90s, I happened to have a post at the Int level and my own stat was one that depended on what had happened that week in all of the local orgs in the world. That meant that I had to take part in the weekly stat evolution. It was generally an ordeal. Beginning Thursday evening, and usually lasting until about 6:00 Friday morning, we all sat in front of computer screens. There was an internal network of personal computers sitting on desks in many offices belonging to various management units. These computers were not connected to the Internet. They were part of Scientology’s own system. We could log on to our own account. We could send a type of email to each other called “mercs” (short for Mercury, a name somebody came up with that was supposed to indicate speed or quickness). We could also send “telexes” from our account.

My post title was “Tech Correction Director International” and my stat was “FN%” internationally, which was the average of the FN% stat of all orgs in the world. After every auditing session, the person being audited is supposed to go to the “Examiner.”

There, the Examiner puts the person on an E-meter and looks to see if there is a “floating needle.” The percentage all sessions given in a particular org that ended in an FN at the Examiner was what my stat was based on. It was supposed to indicate the quality of technical delivery.

There I sat for hours, staring at the screen and typing, sending messages to try to chase up my stat, doing “stat analyses,” composing telexes that would go to the “Senior Case Supervisors” in each Cont, and getting these telexes approved by some special people in the Religious Technology Center (RTC, the most senior body at the Int base).

In retrospect, I think it is funny that we typed telexes in all caps. That was because the earlier actual telex machines sent messages in that form. Kind of like old telegrams. There were a number of archaic policies related to telexes that Hubbard had ordained, which we had to follow.

At some point in the middle of the all that commotion, we got “midrats,” which stands for midnight rations (another U.S. Navy term adopted for use in the Sea Org). People who worked in the galley in Golden Era Productions, who were responsible for feeding the whole base, put some sandwiches, coffee and other things together, and brought them up to some of the management buildings. I always looked forward to that little break.

Once we got our telexes approved and they were sent out, we could go to bed. We still had to be present in fresh uniforms at the after-lunch muster, which meant we typically got four or five hours of sleep. The telexes were supposed to be instructions to people at Cont level, and from there to local orgs, that would get staff members to re-inforce successful actions and/or change things that didn’t seem to be working. It included the assignment of an “Ethics Condition.” It was all with the aim of improving statistics.

There was a particular small org in Mexico City that had no auditors and did not deliver any auditing. There was a term in use back then, “small and failing orgs.” There were a number of such orgs in the world, despite the boasts from the top people in Scientology about how great the expansion was. If that org reported zero as their FN%, it had a significant effect on the international stat. It had an even bigger effect on the stat of the Snr Case Supervisor LATAM (for Latin America), who was posted at another, larger org in Mexico City. That person came up with a solution for this, which also solved it for me and for the Senior Case Supervisor International, my direct boss. That guy traveled across town in Mexico City to the small and failing org, found someone to whom he gave a “Touch Assist,” and then gave him an after-session exam to get a floating needle. Then that org’s stat got reported as 100%.

All of the policies and activities associated with the weekly stat evolution were based on some idea of many active, large or at least large-ish, organizations delivering lots of Scientology services. While there were some local orgs like that in those days, there were many that were not. Many orgs had maybe ten staff and not even a Book Store Officer. Nor were many other posts filled, which had statistics assigned to them that had to be reported in those weekly telexes. All of the required activity and terminology and self-importance was more like a pretend army in a banana republic. What’s more, since the early 90s, orgs have shrunk and shrunk, almost without exception.

Fast forward to 2002, which was my initial motivation for writing this piece. By then I was in New York holding a low post in the CLO there. The New York org building was going to be renovated. Then it would be an “Ideal Org.” That meant that the staff of the org had to be relocated while the renovations were going on. After all, there could be no drop in production just because everyone had to move out of their offices.

The unit I was part of got tasked with organizing this move. A building had been rented, located on 43rd Street and about 6th Avenue. I remember looking towards the east up 43rd and seeing Grand Central Station. We had to move all of the furniture and files and stuff, occupying seven floors in the NY Org building, located on 46th Street, just west of Times Square where Broadway and 7th Avenue intersect. While it was only a few blocks, it was still a major task through the traffic and bustle of Midtown Manhattan.

Now, one very odd thing, in my mind, was that the building into which we were temporarily relocating the org belonged to the Moonies (Unification Church). The way I understood it, the Moonies had their headquarters for the U.S. in NYC in that building, but they were moving this management center to Washington, D.C. I’m not exactly sure, but that’s how I remember it. The Moonies were moving out as we were moving in. Their offices occupied several floors in that building.

One morning, the time arrived when we were to go to the Moonie building and start laying out various spaces where parts of the Scientology org would be operating. I and other members of the unit I was part of arrived there around 9:00am. Somehow we had access to the building. We went in and began going through the premises. Much to my surprise, I saw in a few rooms people sitting staring at computer screens and typing.

They were wearing some kind of uniform. They appeared to be from Korea, as one might expect. When we got there, these people logged off and stumbled, bleary-eyed, out the front door. It appeared they were going someplace to get some sleep after being up all night.

It would have been about 10:00pm in Seoul at that time. Were they sending and receiving emails from some people there? Were they sending management-type instructions to other Moonie centers in the U.S.? I can only guess.

Witnessing that scene was a significant moment for me. It was uncannily similar to my own experiences as part of the stat evolution at Scientology’s international headquarters some years earlier. This created another breach in my Scientological worldview. I suddenly came face to face with people in a cult doing cult-like things wearing cultish clothes. Complete with sleep deprivation. It was like someone holding up a mirror so I could take a look at aspects of my own existence.

I was able to dismiss such thoughts. After many years of indoctrination along with various thought-reform techniques, I had mental mechanisms (like thought-stopping cliches) in place. Any thoughts or observations that went against the false reality of my own cult became instantly devalued and chalked up as results of my own failings. That memory persisted however — seeing those poor Moonies in a predicament eerily similar to my own. A few months later, after my conditioning had gradually unraveled, I was able to escape from all that craziness.

— Bruce Hines

——————–

Technology Cocktail

“We can now do these things: 1. Theta clear people. 2. Train auditors to theta clear people. (It’s now done at new HCA level and at HCS level at the Academies in Washington and Los Angeles.) 3. Supervise HAS co-auditing clear preparation plus home co-auditing (muzzled) to prepare for clearing plus broadly practice these processes on a wide public basis. In short, we’ve definitely won. And it won’t be long before everybody knows it. If you knew what fifty people well released by HAS co-auditing could do for Scientology in one town, you’d know we had it made. Well, you’ll know even better subjectively soon enough. And that’s clearing.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1959

——————–

——————–

THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

— 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

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

——————–

“If we don’t know how to date accurately, we are soon going to have a case which isn’t producing any tone arm action. Well, there’s the importance of dating. The greatest importance of dating is accuracy. Now, this doesn’t mean accuracy down to the last microsecond. You can still do approximate dating. Of course, it makes my brains creek a little bit when somebody says 10.5 trillion trillion years to me. I can see this enormous span, don’t you see, of the life term of this planet, according to modern science, can be dropped into that date at random! Approximately 10.5 trillion trillion years ago. You could just drop this solar system’s whole history, you see, into that date several times and never miss it! Well, is it 10.51? 10.52? Oh, my God. Do you know what you’ve got there? The difference between 10.51 trillion trillion years ago, and 10.52 trillion trillion years ago? You go figure it out some time, and you see what I mean. That’s a lot of years. Vast panorama. And your brain will go ‘creak’ underneath this sort of thing.” — L. Ron Hubbard, July 17, 1963

——————–

“The watches have been worrying about submarines and radio messages. The radio message was a call to all ships for weather data and barometer readings from Radio Marseille. The ‘sub’ seen on radar yesterday appearing at 5.5 miles, 15 minutes later vanishing at 6 and then much later reappearing at 15 miles and vanishing was probably a whale. They hang around here, what few there are left in the world.” — The Commodore, July 17, 1969

——————–

“There is a three person team who are continually attacking productive people in the FreeZone. They know who they are. They feel like it’s productive to publicly attack and invalidate people who are productive and getting people up the bridge. Their only product is upset.”

——————–

1995: Helena Kobrin, chief legal intimidator of Scientology, kept busy this week with several threatening letters, both to participants in a.r.s, and to their site administrators. Martin Poulter’s sysops suspended his account for one day last week while they investigated her complaint. Martin described the complaint this week. “Her complaint is specifically about a message I posted to a.r.s on Sunday, which contained a small extract from OT7 material. She demands that I remove this post from the Internet (which is, of course, impossible). She claims that the OT7 document is copyrighted *and* a trade secret. She is emphatic that Fair Use does not apply, specifically because the documents are *unpublished*. She also says that there is no Fair Use (Fair Dealing in England) defense to trade secret misappropriation. She claims that downloading of SCAMIZDAT is a breach of copyright and trade secret laws.”

——————–

“When you get to the end of OT 8 he tells you that everything up until then was a BIG WHOOPS. Sorry kids, I had it wrong all along, but now I’m on the right road to total freedom. Wheeeeeeee!”

——————–

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

Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs allowed interlocutory appeal to Eleventh Circuit.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— 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 at least through sentencing of Masterson on Sep 7.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Next hearing August 1.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.

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

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THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] A 2004 photo reminds us of Danny Masterson’s punchy DJ persona. But will his jury see it?
[TWO years ago] How many Scientologists are in your town, part two: Getting down to the details
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s antivaxx warrior Leigh Dundas unleashes another amazing Two Minutes Hate
[FOUR years ago] Leah Remini’s ‘Aftermath’ nominated for another Emmy: Tell her your favorite scenes
[FIVE years ago] In Colombia, Scientology’s ‘Casa Hubbard’ has a pretty interesting neighbor
[SIX years ago] New book peels back the cover on Scientology celebs and their legendary acting coach
[SEVEN years ago] VIDEO: A look inside Scientology’s program to rally Russian members after police raids
[EIGHT years ago] The Surviving Scientology podcast: Growing up in the Age of Miscavige
[NINE years ago] Texas appeals court gets Scientology leader David Miscavige out of testifying in harassment lawsuit
[TEN years ago] SHELLY SPEAKS: Scientology Leader’s Banished Wife Says She’ll Get Out ‘Only One Way’
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology’s Shame: Karen de la Carriere Stuns KFI Radio; ALSO: Katie and Suri’s Accident
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology Blowout: Commenters of the Week!

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Scientology disconnection, a reminder

Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,093 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,608 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,158 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,148 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,029 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,333 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,204 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,309 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,756 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,098 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,664 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,583 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,750 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,332 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,593 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,629 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,345 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,909 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,224 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,399 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,950 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,081 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,419 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,274 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,393 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,749 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,052 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,158 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,556 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,432 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,015 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,510 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,764 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,873 days.

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Posted by Tony Ortega on July 17, 2023 at 07:00

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