TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Another Scientology party to celebrate big donors? Did Christmas come early in the Bunker or something? Check out this flier asking for a donation to the planned L. Ron Hubbard Hall at the Flag [...]]]>

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Another Scientology party to celebrate big donors? Did Christmas come early in the Bunker or something? Check out this flier asking for a donation to the planned L. Ron Hubbard Hall at the Flag Land Base, something church leader David Miscavige has spent years raising money for. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]

 
——————–

Technology Cocktail

“While the medical doctor and his psychiatry branch flood out the useless and destructive ‘tranquilizers,’ the nutritionist hands out a couple tablets of magnesium which actually cool a person off beautifully and far more effectively without the physical damage carried by the tranquilizer. The medical doctor and his psychiatry branch gave the world its greatest wave of drug addiction. Their friend the German-oriented psychologist, with his man-is-animal teaching of the young and destruction of orthodox religion, has given the world its greatest period of crime. They are on their way out even though they are fighting a dirty and violent rearguard action. So why bet on losers? They won’t make it.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1972

 
——————–

THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON

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

 
——————–

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

 
——————–

Source Code

“Every language has a basic word for ‘accept’ and a basic word for ‘reject’ which allows for no argument. Whereas they do have differences on such a thing as ‘associate.’ Look what Freud did with ‘associate.’ I’m being awfully hard on the old man this morning. There’s no reason to be hard on the guy, he actually was the entering wedge into psychotherapy. But I’m young and cocky and I didn’t have to write ‘Psychoanalysis: Terminable and Interminable.’ I didn’t have to write that. I will never have to write something, now, I know very well, called ‘Dianetics: Terminable or Interminable.’ Apathy, apathy. Imagine a guy beating the drum, beating the drum all those years, having to sit down and write that essay. This was one of the last essays he wrote. He knew he had failed before he died, which is the saddest thing that can happen to any man.” — L. Ron Hubbard, December 23, 1954

 
——————–

Avast, Ye Mateys

“The boot top and hull need squaring up. The gold stripe and the gold name should be handled quickly. She should be prettied up for Christmas and the New Year. She is a very nice ship. Almost any other ship would leap about madly in the seas in which we run. She is also a very pretty ship and looks more like a yacht than most yachts do.” — The Commodore, December 23, 1970

 
——————–

Overheard in the FreeZone

“Honestly, Hubbard was borderline a con artist. But at least he wasn’t a lefty or communist, and if we were all brainwashed by him that would make a better world than being brainwashed by the New World Order. They are some serious evil. Nothing is worse than the communist world order, lefties are seriously perverted and therefore I support Hubbard’s attempt to save Earth via a takeover of it using his Sea Org. Even though all the harm caused, it was still worth breaking those eggs to make the omelette.”

 
——————–

Past is Prologue

1995: A first person account was posted to a.r.s this week by Stanley Richards. He claims to have known Hubbard in 1952. “To tell the truth, though, I always knew that his genius contained an element of the charlatan or magician – perhaps shaman’ would be a better word, because the shaman recognises the necessary element of illusion or fiction required by his work. For example, there were theories in scientology about our progress toward a near perfect emotional and mental state called clear’ which I always knew to be a fiction, but which I supported because I thought it was a way of keeping people going in the process (therapy) – giving them hope and a future: hope as a necessary fantasy. Then there was the time, too, when he got everybody worked up about the threat of communism to scientology: that the big boys in the Kremlin were out to destroy scientology because it was a danger to them. Hubbard was the instigator of this scare. Every student was put through a lie detector test to ensure that there were no communist agents amongst us. Again, I knew that this was a fiction and that the Kremlin had never heard of scientology, let alone thought it a danger to them. I went along with this, too, because I thought it was a political move which would boost the prestige of scientology, making it more important in high places as well as giving scientology students a greater sense of their importance in the world. I am sure this was Hubbards motive, at least in part, so I forgave Hubbard all these deceptions because of what I thought were his overall good intentions. And that’s the thing you see: Hubbard was so sure that his intentions and his subject were for the good of mankind that he convinced everyone else – but that is what a good magician does: makes everyone believe in his illusions.”

 
——————–

Random Howdy

“One of the few things I appreciate about the cult is their retro-ness.”

 
——————–

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:

 
——————–

SCIENTOLOGY: FAIR GAME

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

LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH

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

SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z

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

 
Other links: SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?

 
——————–

THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] PODCAST: Apostate Alex helps us deconstruct David Miscavige’s recent speeches
[TWO years ago] Need last-minute gifts for the Scientologists on your list? We got your back, Santa!
[THREE years ago] INSIDER: How Scientology’s ‘Ideal Org’ scam works, and how members are victimized by it
[FOUR years ago] Political dupe of the day: KC councilman helps Scientology front group with ‘murder’ signs
[FIVE years ago] Bernie Headley, 1952-2019: A man who fought against Scientology’s ‘disconnection’
[SIX years ago] Scientology’s smear machine hurting your reputation? For $1,500 they can help with that.
[SEVEN years ago] A look back at the month when all hell broke loose for Scientology and Danny Masterson
[EIGHT years ago] LAPD needs two more weeks to respond to Leah Remini about missing wife of Scientology leader
[NINE years ago] Scientology’s 2015 in review: In March, HBO went Clear while we eavesdropped on Flag
[TEN years ago] Scientology hit with 25th lawsuit by Las Vegas attorney as he goes after Florida rehab
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology’s mecca wants you to come to Florida and run circles around a pole

 
——————–

 
——————–

Posted by Tony Ortega on December 23, 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.

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

 

Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast

 

Tony Ortega at Rolling Stone

 Some links to Q-related items today

“First and foremost, I’m a mom,” she explained. “And like any mom, I’m going to do a pivot out of nowhere into a shockingly violent story about sex trafficking.” https://t.co/jnILl20BCz

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) March 10, 2024

If the [...]]]>

 
Some links to Q-related items today

 
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent article at New York magazine as a place to start.

 
THE LOWDOWN is our blog for news, the QAnon phenomenon, and other subjects not related to our coverage of the Church of Scientology. If it’s our Scientology coverage you re looking for, please use this bookmark for our latest stories.

Posted by Tony Ortega on March 10, 2024 at 08:00

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: They’re the most famous — and most ludicrous — words in L. Ron Hubbard’s book Dianetics, the volume that started the Scientology movement. But did you know he admitted not writing them? [...]]]>

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: They’re the most famous — and most ludicrous — words in L. Ron Hubbard’s book Dianetics, the volume that started the Scientology movement. But did you know he admitted not writing them? Let us take you back to those heady days in 1950 when Ron was on the hot seat, pilgrim. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]

 
——————–

Technology Cocktail

“In a marriage, if the husband were to place the wife on an E-Meter and ask the question ‘Consider committing overts against me’ and find a wide Rock Slam immediately results, he will be then in total possession of what has been wrong with his marriage. Similarly, a wife finding this manifestation on a husband would also be informed.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1962

 
——————–

THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON

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

 
——————–

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

Source Code

“Why do people get so upset with a toothache, and why do they have this big nerve? The reason is that this happened again and again and again, and every time this happened, the theta facsimile would be used for new design. The things that appeared around the lips of these shells evidently appeared on the top side first, because there was more shelter, and then they appeared on the bottom lip. Every time these things would get disrupted they would say, ‘Next time we have got to have a tougher outer skin!’ And the next time they would make one, but in the meantime they got this sand — engram after engram after engram. Somewhere along the line you occasionally find a worm boring in there. Dentists are actually in the valence of these worms!” — L. Ron Hubbard, October 15, 1951

 
——————–

Avast, Ye Mateys

“SAILING: Evidently we sail at about 1500. Glass is up again.” — The Commodore, October 15, 1970

——————–

Overheard in the FreeZone

“I cared for my father in the last few years of his life in that body. The next day, he left the body. As I stood next to his bedside holding his hand, he let out the last breath. The nurses and doctor left. I was there alone with him and was aware of his presence, just outside of his body, dreaming as he was in his sleep moments before the body died. I communicated with him and let him know the body was finished. ‘Oh you and your Scientology’ he scoffed, communicating telepathically, but as clear as if he was using the body’s voice.”

 
——————–

Past is Prologue

2001: The St. Petersburg Times reported on October 12th 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

 
——————–

Random Howdy

“Scientology may be circling the drain but there’s no shortage of crazy waiting in the wings. It’s going to be a long uphill battle to get to the top and stop the billions of minds waiting in line to go down that slippery slope called ‘magical thinking’.”

 
——————–

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, first hearing set for Dec 4.
— 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. Next hearing set for Sept 26.
— 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.

 
——————–

SCIENTOLOGY: FAIR GAME

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

LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH

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

SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z

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

 
Other links: SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?

 
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Scientology’s deposed queen: What it was like to ‘audit’ Mary Sue Hubbard in exile
[TWO years ago] Our story about Scientology front group in Broward Schools kicks up a fuss
[THREE years ago] Scientology rehab: A new Narconon horror story that will remind you of all the others
[FOUR years ago] Xenu-giving: We check the crowd at Scientology’s biggest org on a day of thanks
[FIVE years ago] US Sheriffs, dead or alive — Scientology is happy to use them for self-promotion
[SIX years ago] David Miscavige is gambling on Birmingham for Scientology success, and who knows why
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s latest drama in Russia: The mystery woman who infiltrated an org
[EIGHT years ago] Louis Theroux’s ‘My Scientology Movie’: A hilarious take on an unfunny bunch
[NINE years ago] A perplexing tale about Bob Duggan, the richest Scientologist in the world
[TEN years ago] Chicago’s On Fire: Jason Beghe and Christian Stolte Send Their Regards to the Bunker
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology Effervescence: Commenters of the Week!

 
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——————–

Posted by Tony Ortega on October 15, 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.

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, 1995-2022 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)

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

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

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

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

 

Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast

 

Tony Ortega at Rolling Stone

New York Times reporter Matthew Goldstein revealed today that before he was sentenced to prison on June 26, private investigator Eric Saldarriaga told Federal District Judge Richard J. Sullivan that he feared for his safety if it became public that he’d [...]]]>

New York Times reporter Matthew Goldstein revealed today that before he was sentenced to prison on June 26, private investigator Eric Saldarriaga told Federal District Judge Richard J. Sullivan that he feared for his safety if it became public that he’d tried to help the FBI investigate his clients. In particular, he’d recorded phone calls with his main client, who Saldarriaga now worried “has the means and motive and the opportunity financially to do anything, and to cause great distress to my family.”

That statement was made in the judge’s chambers, and was recorded in a transcript which was unsealed this week. But Judge Sullivan kept hidden the name of the person Saldarriaga was referring to and what outfit the person worked for. But Goldstein now says that the Times has learned that the organization employing Saldarriaga’s client was none other than the Church of Scientology.

The unidentified person that Mr. Saldarriaga taped the phone calls with is described by federal authorities as being one of his main clients in the filing. The client is said to be someone who has done investigations on behalf of the Church of Scientology, said people briefed on the case but not authorized to speak publicly.

The Underground Bunker can now officially say, we told you so.

On June 25, former Scientology spokesman Mike Rinder and I went public with the information that the two of us had been notified by the US Attorney that we had been victimized in Saldarriaga’s hacking attacks for hire. Besides both being victims of Saldarriaga, Rinder and I both appeared in Alex Gibney’s recent film on Scientology, Going Clear, and we have each experienced harassment we attribute to the church and its private investigators. We pointed out to Judge Sullivan in our “victim impact statements” that the only organization that would want illegal access to our email accounts was Rinder’s former employer. Any other scenario strained credulity, we pointed out.

Now, the New York Times has come to the same conclusion, and we can now show you the documents which reveal just how afraid Saldarriaga is of his former clients.

We’ve posted the documents that were unsealed this week, below. Eric Saldarriaga’s letter to Judge Sullivan begins on page 7, and contains this telling paragraph, which the Times now indicates is a discussion of Scientology…

 
The transcript of the discussion that took place in Sullivan’s chambers starts on page 24, and Sullivan wants some justification for Saldarriaga’s request that mention of his cooperation be put under seal. His attorney, Peter Brill, says to the judge that he must know about the “reputation” of the group they’re talking about, and later, on page 8 of the transcript (Page 31 of the pdf), Saldarriaga describes his efforts to help the FBI investigate his client. Here’s just one portion of it…

Our attorney, Scott Pilutik, pointed out that the transcript uses consistent, not proportional, spacing, and so a certain organization’s name would fit that redacted spot perfectly…

 
Here’s the document — most of which are letters of support from Saldarriaga’s family and former colleagues…

Saldarriaga Order: Letters and transcripts

 
And a letter from Assistant US Attorney Daniel Noble, the prosecutor in this case, supporting Saldarriaga’s request for redaction.

“Unlike Judge Sullivan, Noble’s letter indicates an unskeptical acceptance of Saldarriaga’s fear of a violent threat,” Pilutik points out…

Saldarriaga Order: Noble letter supporting redaction

 
Indeed, Sullivan not only was more skeptical than Noble about Saldarriaga’s fears of retaliation, he pointed out, on page 10 of the transcript, that those of us who had submitted victim impact statements had more to worry about…

THE COURT: The people who wrote letters, the victim impact statements, those are not sealed at this point.
MR. NOBLE: No, those are not sealed.
THE COURT: It seems to me that those people are at the risk of greater harassment than Mr. Saldarriaga at this point; yet there’s been no attempts to seal those submissions.

Still, Sullivan held back the name of the person working for Scientology who hired Saldarriaga. So who was it?

“I assume it’s David Lubow based on the fact that he’s been engaged in surveillance and spying against the most prominent Scientology critics over the last decade,” Rinder tells me. “Lubow is the go-to guy for Scientology when it wants dirty deeds done cheap.”

We made numerous attempts to reach Lubow in the last week to try and ask him about this case, but he’s made himself scarce.

We hope the FBI has some interest in looking him up as well.

 
——————–

BOOK NOTES

We didn’t get a chance to include photos in our book, so we’ve posted them at a dedicated page. Reader Sookie put together a complete index and we’re hosting it here on the website. Copies of the paperback version of ‘The Unbreakable Miss Lovely’ are on sale at Amazon. The Kindle edition is also available, and shipping instantly.

Our upcoming appearances (and check out the interactive map to our ongoing tour)…

 
July 12: Washington DC, Hill Center DC-Drummond Hall, Center for Inquiry, 2 pm (with Paulette Cooper)

July 14: Hartford, MARK TWAIN HOUSE (with Tom Tomorrow)

July 17: Denver, The Secular Hub, 7 pm (with Chris Shelton)

July 20: Dallas, Times Ten Cellar, 7 pm (with Robert Wilonsky)

July 22: Houston, Fox and Hound, 11470 Westheimer Road, sponsored by Humanists of Houston

July 24: San Antonio, Folc Restaurant/Park Social, 6 pm

July 25: Austin

July 29: Paris, Le Bistrot Landais, 19:00 (with Jonny Jacobsen)

August 4: London, Conway Hall, (with John Sweeney)

August 24: Boston, Boston Skeptics in the Pub, 7 pm (with Gregg Housh)

Sept 15: Arizona State University

Sept 23: Cleveland

Sept 24: Minneapolis

Sept 27: Portland

Sept 28: Seattle

Sept 30: Vancouver, BC

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on July 8, 2015 at 16:00

E-mail your tips and story ideas to tonyo94@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. Here at the Bunker we try to have a post up every morning at 7 AM Eastern (Noon GMT), and on some days we post an afternoon story at around 2 PM. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…

BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of LA attorney and former church member Vance Woodward

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

PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer
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

Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield

But the real stars of the show — the ones who provided an emotional wallop — were sitting around us as we [...]]]>

Tobey Maguire was sitting in the row behind us. Alec Baldwin was down near the front. Morgan Spurlock and Kathryn Bigelow had joined us in the green room with Alex Gibney and Lawrence Wright.

But the real stars of the show — the ones who provided an emotional wallop — were sitting around us as we watched Gibney’s documentary about Scientology, Going Clear, at its Sundance premiere.

There was Sara Goldberg, who had been forced by Scientology officials to make a choice between her son and her daughter because of the toxic “disconnection” policy. There was Spanky Taylor, who had been forced to rescue her infant daughter from filthy conditions at the cadet org and make a run for it. That daughter, Vanessa, was in attendance too. And so was Marc Headley, who doesn’t appear in the film but references are made to him, and as we were walking out of the theater, I could see that he was in tears.

“Finally, this is what we’ve been waiting for,” he told me.

Going Clear is not only the single best film or television show made about Scientology, it’s masterful storytelling and it packs a serious punch squarely at the people who have allowed the organization’s abuse to go along for so long.

Tom Cruise and John Travolta, you are now on notice.

Because Gibney’s film was based on Lawrence Wright’s epic 2013 book of the same name, we knew that it would have a strong Hollywood angle. But this is a punch to the gut that will be hard for the celebrities to dodge.

We hear from Marty Rathbun, for example, that when he was auditing Cruise, the actor was frustrated in his relationship with Nicole, and wished he knew what she was doing — he half-joked about wishing she was being wiretapped. Rathbun told church leader Miscavige about what Cruise had said, and Miscavige took it seriously — get it done, Miscavige said. Rathbun was also told to convince Isabella and Connor Cruise that their adoptive mother was a “suppressive person” to assure that Tom not only broke up with Nicole but ended up with the children.

UPDATE AND CORRECTION: We had heard the allegation by Marty Rathbun that Scientology tried to drive a wedge between Isabella and Connor and their mother, Nicole. But Rathbun pointed out that the wiretapping allegations are new and he’s right. He had told this numerous times to news organizations, but Gibney is the first to make it public.

There are numerous surprises here — including first-person accounts by Sara Northrup, L. Ron Hubbard’s second wife, read by an actress for the film — that have never been made public before. Also, many new photos and film footage that are amazing.

But for the most part, this is not new material. These are not secrets. But it doesn’t matter. What matters is that for two hours, Alex Gibney has put together a spellbinding tale about Hubbard, a madman who created “psychological folk art” as Wright called it, in order to deal with his own mental demons, and in the process roped in thousands of others.

We were spot on when we predicted the eight former Scientologists who were interviewed for the film — Jason Beghe, Tom DeVocht, Sara Goldberg, Paul Haggis, Marty Rathbun, Mike Rinder, Spanky Taylor and Hana Whitfield. And they are terrific and used to the best possible effect.

Your proprietor also gets considerable screen time, which we were very humbled about, and prepare for things to get really busy at this website!

All in all, a devastating portrayal of a totalitarian organization whose tax exemption should be under question, and whose celebrities need to be called out for their complicity. This will hit hard when it plays on HBO. We can hardly wait.

We have to rush now to join the HBO party being thrown for its documentary filmmakers. We will post many photos and videos tomorrow. In the meantime, thanks for keeping up the party here in the Bunker!

Some additional notes before we rush off…

— Really superb footage was found by Gibney’s team from all eras of Scientology. From film of the Sea Org on the Apollo, to Miscavige working in his office with Marty Rathbun, to extended cuts from the War Is Over announcement in 1993.

— The music in this movie has a kind of throwback 1950s science fiction feel to it in places — it’s eerie and unsettling, and it goes perfectly with the content.

— Jason Beghe and Paul Haggis could not have been better. They both cracked up the audience numerous times. These guys are accomplished and funny, and Haggis is so great when he’s trying to explain how he felt when he read the OT 3 materials — “What the FUCK?”

— Indies, your man Hubbard does not get a pass in this film. Larry Wright’s book hammered L. Ron, and so does Gibney’s film.

— There is so much packed into this two-hour film, but even Gibney get couldn’t everything in. There’s nothing about Shelly Miscavige and her disappearance, for example.

— One of the things we try to do at this website is put a lot of disparate events and stories into a coherent narrative. And ‘Going Clear’ does this to great effect. It’s so important to see the entire arc of elements — from Hubbard to the Sea Org to the IRS to Tom Cruise — in a coherent whole, and Gibney succeeded beautifully.

 
UPDATE: We’re seeing that a lot of the press coverage is focused on the “Scientology broke up Tom and Nicole” thing, which is a bit disappointing. If that’s all you take away from this film — why a couple of movie stars broke up more than a decade ago — you’re really missing the impact of this movie.

But we think most people who actually sit through it will come away with two questions in their minds: Why does this organization still have tax exempt status, and when is Tom Cruise going to wake up?

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 25, 2015 at 20:00

E-mail your tips and story ideas to tonyo94@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. Here at the Bunker we try to have a post up every morning at 7 AM Eastern (Noon GMT), and on some days we post an afternoon story at around 2 PM. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…

BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of LA attorney and former church member Vance Woodward

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

PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer
The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

We’ve mentioned Professor [...]]]>

We’re starting off the new year with a special treat. One of the all-time most important scholars of Scientology is Carnegie Mellon University professor David Touretzky, who, among other things, provided crucial support for early users of the Internet who wanted to post and maintain information about the church and its alleged abuses.

We’ve mentioned Professor Touretzky often in these pages, and now we’re thrilled that he has written for us a piece that examines the way that decades before L. Ron Hubbard came along, another church leader had figured out an effective method of control that Hubbard himself would adopt. And what’s more, one person who sussed out this technique was none other than author Mark Twain. Take it away, Dave…

 
People unfamiliar with cults are apt to confuse Scientology with Christian Science, the religious healing movement founded by Mary Baker Eddy. In 1899 Mark Twain published a critical examination of Christian Science, and this and several other essays on the topic were collected in his 1907 book of the same name. As Twain was the original gonzo journalist, his takedown of Mrs. Eddy’s “cult” (his term) remains an amusing read.

Their doctrines differ, but reading Twain is rewarding for Scientology watchers who will recognize the cunning mechanisms Mrs. Eddy erected to control her church and her followers. If L. Ron Hubbard had wanted guidance in perfecting his own cult, he needed look no further than Christian Science. One wonders whether he ever studied Twain’s explication of its workings.

In this brief note I want to focus on just one aspect of the parallelism between the two cults: Scientology’s prohibition of verbal tech. It is literally a “high crime” in Scientology to attempt to explain the meaning of Hubbard’s writings. Any utterance that was not a direct quotation would by definition be a personal interpretation. Hubbard called this “verbal tech”, and no one, not even COB, David Miscavige, has the freedom to express such thoughts.

Here’s what Twain wrote about verbal tech in Christian Science services, talking about the role of “readers” in the church:

READERS

These are a feature of first importance in the church machinery of Christian Science. For they occupy the pulpit. They hold the place that the preacher holds in the other Christian Churches. They hold that place, but they do not preach. Two of them are on duty at a time — a man and a woman. One reads a passage from the Bible, the other reads the explanation of it from Science and Health — and so they go on alternating. This constitutes the service — this, with choir-music. They utter no word of their own. Art. IV, Sec. 6, closes their mouths with this uncompromising gag:

They shall make no remarks explanatory of the Lesson-Sermon at any time during the service.

… [Mrs. Eddy] will have no preaching in her Church. She has explained all essential Scriptures, and set the explanations down in her book. In her belief her underlings cannot improve upon those explanations, and in that stern sentence “they shall make no explanatory remarks” she has barred them for all time from trying.

Scientology churches hold Sunday services mainly for show; few members attend regularly. At these spiritual charades there are readings from Hubbard, but no interpretation of the “Lesson-Sermon” — no preaching — precisely because that would be verbal tech. The same prohibition holds in the Scientology course room, where there are no instructors, only course supervisors who are forbidden to explain or amplify Hubbard’s material. They can only direct the PC what to read, and if questions persist, order them to go back and find their misunderstood word, until they learn to stop asking.

Twain thought the point of the prohibition was preventing differences of interpretation that would lead to schism. He remarked: “If it had been thought of and put in force eighteen hundred and seventy years ago, there would be but one Christian sect in the world now, instead of ten dozens of them.” And Hubbard had similar concerns, which is why Scientologists are taught to aspire to “exact duplication” rather than any sort of enlightenment. KSW (Keeping Scientology Working) is all about enforcing orthodoxy. But an equally important consideration is that the prohibition of “explanatory remarks” or “verbal tech” prevents discussion of the scripture’s conceptual errors and incoherencies. Twain’s introductory chapters poke fun at the absurdity of Christian Science’s insistence that disease, injury, and pain aren’t real. Scientology offers a far richer collection of absurdities, from Hubbard’s misuse of physics jargon (frequency, wavelength, mass, charge, energy), to his “recollection” of volcanoes that didn’t exist 75 million years ago, to misidentification of the age of the universe (13 billion years, whereas Hubbard’s whole track goes back to at least four quadrillion, and by the way, how would an immortal thetan know what a terrestial “year” was?).

Rigid control of the membership is a defining feature of cult groups, so it should not surprise that Christian Science and Scientology share prohibitions on critical examination of their scriptures. Marty Rathbun’s publicly rejecting that gag order is part of what makes him so dangerous to Scientology. Other interesting parallels between the groups, such as Mary Baker Eddy’s use of corporate machinery to maintain absolute control of her church’s finances, will have to wait for another day.

There is no “fair game” in Christian Science. Mark Twain suffered no retribution for his attacks on Mrs. Eddy’s church. But his contempt for her cult did not protect his family from its influence: his daughter became a Christian Scientist. And decades later the actress Anne Archer, who was raised a Christian Scientist, would become a Scientologist.

 
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Hey, lawyer, here’s how you qualify to work for Scientology

Another fun video from Karen de la Carriere, J. Swift, and Angry Gay Pope…

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 1, 2014 at 07:00

E-mail your tips and story ideas to tonyo94@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. Here at the Bunker we try to have a post up every morning at 7 AM Eastern (Noon GMT), and on some days we post an afternoon story at around 2 PM. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

We’d been looking forward to seeing Brandon Ogborn’s play about celebrity and Scientology since it opened in Chicago for a very successful run. And after we got to see the [...]]]>

One of the highlights of this eventful year was our August night in the Village to see the TomKat Project with a group of Bunker regulars.

We’d been looking forward to seeing Brandon Ogborn’s play about celebrity and Scientology since it opened in Chicago for a very successful run. And after we got to see the hilarious comedy, we heard from a lot of readers who wanted to know — when is the show coming to Los Angeles?

It’s a natural for LA, which is all about both celebrity and L. Ron Hubbard’s cabal. And now, you can help send Brandon and his troupe to the iO West Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, just steps from one of Scientology’s most important landmarks — the Hollywood Guaranty Building!

The HGB houses the L. Ron Hubbard Life Exhibition on the ground floor, and the upstairs offices have been the site of some pretty amazing Scientology history — including Jenna Miscavige Hill’s thought of tossing herself out a window!

Anyway, TomKat Project producer Dein Sofley has secured November 15 (8 pm), November 16, (8 pm), and November 17 (7 pm) for shows at the iO West. But in order to get the cast to the venue, they need some help!

Yesterday, Sofley set up a Kickstarter campaign with the modest goal of $15,000 — and raised ten percent of it the first night.

We loved Ogborn’s sharply-written satire of the odd triangular relationship between Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise, and Scientology leader David Miscavige, much of it told with actual quotes from entertainment media. Help ’em bring the show to Hollywood!

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on October 12, 2013 at 07:00

E-mail your tips and story ideas to tonyo94@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. Here at the Bunker we try to have a post up every morning at 7 AM Eastern (Noon GMT), and on some days we post an afternoon story at around 2 PM. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

If you’d like to help support The Underground Bunker, please e-mail our webmaster Scott Pilutik at BunkerFund@tonyortega.org

Well, not everyone loves Lawrence Wright’s book, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief. The Church of Scientology isn’t very happy about it, but neither is Steven Hassan, who writes about cults and mind control. He wishes Larry had said more about undue influence in Scientology, and we’d like to hear what you [...]]]>

Well, not everyone loves Lawrence Wright’s book, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief. The Church of Scientology isn’t very happy about it, but neither is Steven Hassan, who writes about cults and mind control. He wishes Larry had said more about undue influence in Scientology, and we’d like to hear what you think about that in the comments.

Hassan has produced a second edition of his book on helping people leave cults, and its title is Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults and Beliefs. You can learn more about it at Steve’s website.

And if you watch the short video above, Steve has another announcement that we thought you should hear about.

For us, Jon Atack’s 1990 book A Piece of Blue Sky remains one of the very best on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. Atack’s encyclopedic knowledge and coldly straightforward writing style affected us deeply when we read it some 15 years ago, and we were thrilled when he contacted us recently to let us know, as Hassan says in the video, that he’s putting out a new version of the book.

Jon Atack

Atack is restoring some material that he was forced to expurgate for legal reasons in 1990. But more importantly, it’s great that the book may find a new audience. He’s having some issues with getting the book ready for people to download, but as soon as it is available, we’ll let you know.

Last week, Hassan posted a fascinating interview he did with Atack about a year ago. It’s nearly an hour long, but worth every minute. Give it a look and tell us here what you took away from it!

Please also see Jonny Jacobsen’s story about A Piece of Blue Sky‘s battle to get published originally and Atack’s plans for the new edition.

Also, we’ll just drop this hint that Atack and the Bunker are cooking up something special for all you Scientology watchers, but we’re going to have you wait a little longer before we make the big reveal.

Finally, as for Steve’s complaints about Wright’s book, we tend to side with Larry on this issue. As we explained on a recent appearance on Canada’s national nightly news, for a journalist it seems like a waste of time to argue over whether Scientology is a “cult.” (And you might have noticed, if you’ve been with us the last couple of years, we rarely ever use the “c-word”.) We’d rather raise questions about the way Scientology’s members and ex-members and critics are treated, and not get bogged down in debates about what to call the organization. Scientology calls itself a church, and so we do as well. But to us, that makes its very un-churchy behavior all the more noteworthy.

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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 28, 2013 at 07:00

A decade ago, when we were writing for a [...]]]>

Just saw the news that Jenni Rivera, the Mexican-American singer from Los Angeles, is missing after her plane lost contact with air traffic controllers in Mexico. (The latest news is that wreckage of the plane was found, and there were no survivors. This is really sad news.)

A decade ago, when we were writing for a newspaper in LA that doesn’t exist anymore, New Times LA, we had the privilege of getting to know the Rivera family, in particular Jenni, who was already a huge star among the Latino population there but completely unknown by the mainstream media.

We wanted to share with you the wonderful young woman we got to know at the end of 2001.

We’re putting up the final portion of a longer cover story about the Rivera family and how they became a musical dynasty through the rise of the narcocorrido.

——–

From “Viva Los Outlaws!” published January 10, 2002 in New Times Los Angeles

…Today, Lupillo Rivera is the most popular member of the family, a Chalinito who draws huge crowds on either side of the border. Juan and Gustavo each have gained ground on him in the past few years.

But the most interesting, and most surprising Rivera singer, is their genre-busting sister.

Jenni Rivera says it’s a hard thing to do, but she has to turn down the many requests she gets from the teenage daughters of drug dealers to play their quinceañeras. “I get letters every day: ‘My daddy can pay anything for you to play for us,’ they’ll say. I try to be as nice as possible. But I tell them I’m just too busy. I don’t want to offend them,” says Rivera, 32. She and her brothers have a strict policy: They only play on stage, and not at private parties, where things might get sketchy.

On the other hand, it was a drug trafficker who ended up introducing Jenni, if indirectly, to her husband. She had been at a concert in 1995 at a club in Lynwood — someone else’s concert, she was only standing in the audience — when a local gangster began saying he would pay anything to see Jenni sing her signature hit, “La Chacalosa.” She says she told him to keep his money, she’d do it for free. When she got onstage, another fan named Juan Lopez jumped up to take his picture with her. They ended up getting married and today live with their five children — three from her previous marriage — in a house in Corona.

It’s a long way from a childhood growing up in west Long Beach, where her father worked in a factory and money was tight. Jenni’s dad dreamed of being a musician, not a gangster. He tried to interest her in singing as well. At 11, she remembers, her father, Pedro, took her to a competition. “I forgot the song in the middle and ran out crying.” (Later, as a sort of revenge, she ended up recording that very tune.)

Pedro was having trouble finding publishers for his music, so he decided to start his own label. And he financed it with a unique scheme in 1984.

“Somebody sold my dad this huge bag of defective Olympic pins,” Jenni remembers. “He fixed them and had each one of us at different corners at the Coliseum and the Sports Arena. We sold a lot of them, at a dollar apiece. That’s how he raised the money for the label.”

The Cintas Acuario label was born. But Jenni would not have much to do with it for quite a while. After getting pregnant while attending Poly High School, she dropped out and finished at a continuation school. “I was married and tied down to one of those macho men,” she says. But she was determined to do something for herself, and began a career in real estate. Her first marriage ended in 1992. The next year, she began to record occasionally with her father’s label. Her brother Lupillo had already started putting out records, and she saw it as a part-time thing to do, a hobby to supplement her real estate job.

But then, the Chalino Sanchez phenomenon hit the label. “Chalino was selling like crazy,” she says. “Lupillo was looking for new talent. My dad asked me to work full time for the label.”

So she did, helping with the business end of things. But, being the savvy American careerist that she is, she took a long look at the emerging Chalinito narcocorrido craze and brainstormed a way to make a real impact on the scene. She decided to record a corrido, something that was simply not being done by other women.

“I was a businesswoman,” she says. “I knew you had to have something unique to market. And writing was my best subject in school. So I wrote a corrido. It took me 30 minutes. I recorded it the next day.”

“La Chacalosa” was an instant hit. Soon, she was being called the First Lady of Corrido. “The song is about a girl, a daughter of a drug dealer, and how she’s on the run. It’s a Thelma and Louise thing. She’s the ‘bad one,'” Rivera says, which is a loose translation of “Chacalosa,” a word that literally means the “jackal-woman.”

Los amigos de mi padre me enseñaron a tirar/

Me querian bien preparada, soy primera al disparar/

Las cachas de mi pistola de vuelo han de brillar

(My father’s friends taught me how to shoot/

They wanted me well prepared, I’m the first to shoot/

The bullets from my gun shine as they fly)

“The reaction was like, “Wow.’ The CD was selling even without radio play,” she says. Until 1999, she points out, radio stations seemed to want nothing to do with the narcocorrido boom. Then, La K-Buena 105.5 FM began playing Chalino, the Riveras and El As de la Sierra. Today, it’s the fourth most popular Spanish-language station in L.A.

Rivera says the reaction to her songs was amazement: “How could a female have the guts to do that?” Soon, she had carved out a niche all for herself: the feminist narcocorrido. She began recording songs about uppity women who were determined to show that they could pull off drug deals and win gunfights just like the men.

But she says there’s been a downside to her success. Now that she’s known for busting the male grip on the corrido, she’s afraid that’s all her fans want her to do. “It’s been hard to convince other people that I can do something other than the corrido.”

As more Chalinitos appear on the scene to cash in on the boom, the Riveras say they’re beginning to get away from the narcocorrido.

Jenni Rivera says that on her latest album, which will be hitting stores soon, she doesn’t have a single corrido. Instead, she is trying to break even more boundaries. Now that young Mexican-Americans have found the music of their parents and made it their own, Rivera says, she’s experimenting with bringing to that ranchera style the music they listened to while growing up. On her latest album, Dejate Amar, for example, there’s a banda rendition of Freddie Fender’s “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights.” She says it’s gone over huge with her fans. More startling cross-cultural pairings will appear on upcoming records, she promises.

She agrees with Wald that the real appeal of the ranchera and narcocorrido has been the music’s ability to make young Mexican-American fans feel truly Mexican. She acknowledges, however, that some people are uncomfortable with the drug themes. But she claims that it’s a harmless subject for songs that speak more to feelings of belonging and rootedness.

Author Elijah Wald agrees: “This is not dope-smoking music. There’s nothing menacing about the sound of an accordion polka. The music is really saying that this is down-home.

“The reality of L.A. is that it’s becoming a Mexican city,” Wald says. “And this is the music of a Mexican city that isn’t pretending to be anything else. It’s a fascinating world. Forty years ago people would say “I’m not Mexican, I’m Spanish.’ Thirty years ago they said “I’m not Mexican, I’m Chicano.’ And today, if you read the L.A. Times, you would think that young people are going around saying “I’m not Mexican, I’m Latino.’ But they’re not. They’re saying, “I’m Mexican.'”