| The Underground Bunker

Tony Ortega is a journalist who was formerly the editor of The Village Voice. He's written about Scientology since 1995, and in May 2015 released a book about Scientology's harassment of Paulette Cooper titled 'The Unbreakable Miss Lovely.' He continues to monitor breaking developments in the Scientology world from an undisclosed location in an underground bunker he shares with four cats and one of them wrinkly Shar Pei dogs. Despite his super-secret security protections, you can still reach him pretty easily by sending him a message at tonyo94 AT gmail.com (Drop him a line if you'd like to get an e-mail whenever a new story is posted.) [Header image courtesy John Rickard]

Scientology sells spirituality, but delivers crushing debt: A case study

[So you want to go OT?]

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Patty Moher is a great addition to our Group Therapy podcast, and we’ve dived into her history as a Scientology spy. But she also was lured into the church’s […]

Leaked document: How Scientology handled a journalist’s uncomfortable questions

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We have another fascinating document that was dug up by a team of researchers which has been helping us out. This time, we get a peek inside what it’s like when Scientology deals with […]

Dianetics 75 countdown: New Scientology song from the original volcano ad genius!

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: The 80s Dianetics TV ad by Jeff Hawkins made L. Ron Hubbard’s turgid 1950 volume a bestseller again. Geoff Levin came up with the music that helped make the ad a hit. Now Geoff […]

Elisabeth Moss front row again for Scientology celebration of founder L. Ron Hubbard

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: A year ago we were stunned to see a very pregnant Elisabeth Moss at Scientology’s annual L. Ron Hubbard birthday in Florida. Now the church has posted photos of this year’s event, and once […]

Oh look, Scientology held another ‘Writers of the Future’ thing for some reason

[Marisol Nichols was positively thrilled to be there]

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: A few science fiction types have admitted to feeling conflicted about Scientology’s ‘Writers of the Future’ contest, which brings them to LA for a week of pampering […]

Scientologist larping as a rabbi becomes Colombia’s Director of Religious Affairs

[Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro and Gamboa Ben-Eleazar]

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: The Jerusalem Post is reporting on a ‘fake’ rabbi who got himself appointed Colombia’s Director of Religious Affairs, and the ensuing scandal there. But we know Richard Gamboa […]

San Francisco rules the Scientology universe — for this week, at least

[The Golden Gate gang!]

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox, or go to this link: Scientology has not yet sent out a press release about its annual birthday bash for founder L. Ron Hubbard, but already one secret from it has […]

Clearwater caves to Scientology again: Mark Bunker on last night’s vote

[Mark Bunker on Dave getting his way again]

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox, or go to this link: The Clearwater city council voted last night to vacate Garden Ave, the first step in selling the street to Scientology for $1.3 […]

Scientology in the time of Trumpism: Tom Cruise getting rehabbed by the right?

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox, or go to this link: We’ve been telling you lately about the surprising connections between the second Trump administration and high-level Scientology donors. But as an old Tom Cruise interview goes viral, could the […]

Scientology staff scores with a new all-star: Pro dunker Connor Barth!

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox, or go to this link: Although plenty of evidence suggests that Scientology is struggling to staff its facilities as it dwindles in general, it does still manage to rope in a few suckers — […]

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