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 Merry Christmas! We hope you’re having a lovely Saturnalia as we continue to look back at the most significant stories we covered here in the Underground Bunker in 2014. In this installment we’re looking at the stories we covered in May.
One of the things that characterized 2014 was the rising number of Scientology defectors prepared to tell their stories right after leaving. It can take a former member years to decide to speak publicly, and many or most never do. But this year, we were stunned repeatedly by people talking about their Scientology experience only weeks after walking away. Continue reading Scientology’s 2014 in review: May your days be merry and bright!
 Luka Magnotta was convicted of first degree murder yesterday after a 10-week trial in Montreal, and he was given an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years. News of the verdict gave media organizations another chance to tell the grisly details of the crimes Magnotta committed in 2012.
Magnotta lured a Chinese engineering student by the name of Jun Lin to his apartment with the use of an online ad for kinky sex. Magnotta killed Lin, dismembered his body, and then mailed some body parts to Canadian institutions with messages that contained political screeds. Continue reading As Luka Magnotta is convicted, questions about his Scientology involvement remain
 Ryan Hamilton has now filed his 25th lawsuit against the Church of Scientology’s drug rehab network, Narconon, and this time he’s opened up a new front — in the state of Florida.
Hamilton began filing his lawsuits in February, and limited them to cases in California, Nevada, and Colorado. They follow a pattern which grew more robust over the year — they accuse Narconon of running a deceptive scam that advertises drug counseling and instead delivers Scientology training. Continue reading Scientology hit with 25th lawsuit by Las Vegas attorney as he goes after Florida rehab
 We’re continuing our countdown of the best stories we covered this year, and we’re looking at what happened in February.
The month started out with a new lawsuit, filed by an attorney in Las Vegas, Ryan Hamilton (a/k/a “Hambo”), who would become a very familiar name here in the Underground Bunker. Continue reading Scientology’s 2014 in review: In chilly February, Hambo began his onslaught
 We’re racing toward a new year again, and so it’s time to look back at the territory we covered in yet another twelvemonth here in the Underground Bunker.
As ever, we want to wish our commenting community a happy holidays and offer another big thanks for making the Bunker what it is. We hope our longtime readers will enjoy some reminders about the important stories of 2014, and maybe our newer readers will consider this a guide to things they might catch up on. Continue reading The Underground Bunker’s 2014 Scientology year-in-review starts today!
 Jon Atack is the author of A Piece of Blue Sky, one of the very best books on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. He has a new edition of the book for sale, and for more than a year on Saturdays he helped us sift through the legends, myths, and contested facts about Scientology that tend to get hashed and rehashed in books, articles, and especially on the Internet. He was kind enough to send us a new post.
Jon, it’s been another great year with you here in the Underground Bunker. What better way to head into the holidays than with another deep dive from you into what challenges people face when they leave the Church of Scientology… Continue reading Jon Atack looks back at his final Scientology auditing session — and how he broke free
 Here’s a little treat we thought we’d put out before your holiday weekend kicks off. (Tap, tap. Is this thing on? Anyone there? Ha.)
Over at WhyWeProtest.net, and then here in the comments section of the Underground Bunker, there’s been a coordinated effort by folks who do their best to “flag” deceptive ads that Scientology posts on Craigslist pages. (We have never condoned nor prohibited this activity in our comments section, where readers are free to do what they want.) Continue reading Scientology’s Craigslist expert issues new instructions after so much ad flagging
 Chris Shelton was a longtime Scientology Sea Org worker who only recently left the organization. Since then, he’s become one of the best former Scientologists at actually explaining what Scientology is and why it’s doomed.
It also doesn’t hurt that the man has some good video skills. We’ve posted a number of his great short films that help both never-ins and former church members understand how L. Ron Hubbard’s “technology” and “admin tech” lead to contradictory logic that only gets more messed up by the crew that Scientology leader David Miscavige runs today. Continue reading Chris Shelton’s new video: Scientology is coming apart at the seams
 Back in the fall of 1995, we noticed an interesting letter to the editor in the Arizona Republic. It was from a man named Rick Ross who complained that the Republic‘s story about a lawsuit (which had gone against Ross) had failed to include the most important things about it — namely, that the newspaper had left out all mention of the Church of Scientology’s role in it.
We’d read a little about Scientology and were intrigued by it. And the newspaper we worked for at the time, the Phoenix New Times, encouraged us to find stories that the local dailies had ignored or had done badly. We reached out to Rick, and it led to our first cover story for the paper. It also put us on a path of developing sources about Scientology, a path we’ve been on for 19 years now. Continue reading Rick Ross has a new book that will help you get someone out of Scientology
 Olivier Morice [UPDATED: See correction, below.] A French investigating magistrate is pressing charges against Scientology’s Celebrity Centre after a long-running probe into the movement’s activities at a school here. Also, Cabinet Morice, the law firm representing the plaintiffs, tells The Underground Bunker that two other Scientology organizations are still under investigation. Continue reading New investigation of Scientology in France on criminal charges
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Merry Christmas! We hope you’re having a lovely Saturnalia as we continue to look back at the most significant stories we covered here in the Underground Bunker in 2014. In this installment we’re looking at the stories we covered in May.
