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 Jefferson Hawkins was once the top marketing executive for the Church of Scientology and helped it reach its greatest extent with the famous “volcano” TV ads in the 1980s. He’s told his tale of getting into and out of the church with his excellent books Counterfeit Dreams and Leaving Scientology, and he’s helping us understand the upside-down world of Scientology “ethics.”
We’re really looking forward to this week’s episode in this series, Jeff. The notion of justice in Scientology is another strange one. JEFFERSON: We’re getting towards the end of Introduction to Scientology Ethics now. This week we’ll be going over Chapter 11. It’s called “The Scientology Justice Codes and Their Application.” The bulk of the chapter consists of long, long lists of things that are considered offenses in Scientology. Continue reading High crimes and misdemeanors: Jefferson Hawkins on Scientology’s bizarre criminal code
 Leah Remini talked about Scientology this evening on Access Hollywood, interviewed by her friend Holly Robinson Peete, and managed to say virtually nothing more than she already has.
Holly told Leah that she had been very public and honest about the transition and that she handled it gracefully. What was it like going through that and Dancing with the Stars at the same time? Was it a supportive environment? Yes, you go through transitions in your life and there are lessons you go through, she answered, and you hope you learn from them. Continue reading Leah Remini talks briefly about Scientology on Access Hollywood, says very little
 While we wait for word of legal happenings in Texas, we have a few fun items to tide you over today.
One of our tipsters sent us another issue of the Fort Harrison newsletter, the house organ of Scientology’s mecca in Clearwater, Florida. This is our second issue, and already we’re charmed by the upstat publication. We look forward to your comments on it. We only wish we could watch the BIG GAME at the Hibiscus! Continue reading Cheese from Scientology’s mecca, raspberries from Éire, and a Puerto Rican dessert!
 Bruce Hines After our holiday break, it’s time to get back to moving up the Bridge to Total Freedom! When we left off in December, Claire and Bruce had taken us all the way through Operating Thetan Level Three and L. Ron Hubbard’s epic handwritten tale about the galactic genocidal warlord, Xenu. This week, it’s on to OT 4, but initially we’re going to look at “old” OT 4, which Claire tells us she didn’t experience. BRUCE: like Claire I never did the old version of OT 4, nor did I study it. After the release of Dianetic Clear and NOTs in September, 1978, very few people did this older version of OT 4. And after about 1982, no one did it at all. In fact, these days, of the OT levels, only OT 2 and OT 3 are the same as their original versions. Continue reading Being and nothingness: And now we move on to Scientology’s Operating Thetan Level Four!
 A surprising new story out of France today has huge implications for Scientology in that country. Our man in Paris, Jonny Jacobsen, has the lowdown for us. Take it away, Jonny…
Scientology, already convicted in France of organised fraud, is in trouble with the courts here again. The Paris Court of Appeal is resurrecting a case dating back to 1998 in which a private school allegedly sneaked Scientology material onto its curriculum. Lawyer Olivier Morice, a longstanding opponent of the movement in the French courts who is acting for some of the plaintiffs in this case, broke the news on Monday. Continue reading New criminal case for Scientology in France could shut it down permanently in that country
 Our video sources came through again, and now, only a week after we brought you video of the November IAS gala, we have Scientology’s full New Year’s Eve party!
In a break from tradition, the event on December 27 was held in Clearwater, Florida — usually, Scientology celebrates the new year in Los Angeles. But as we’ve been pointing out, this year saw a big consolidation of events and staff in Scientology’s Florida “mecca” at the expense of both Los Angeles and the headquarters in England. Continue reading VIDEO: Scientology’s New Year’s Eve celebration — ‘2014 belongs to us’
 Gary Weber was one of several GO members who paraded in Nazi uniforms outside the Clearwater Sun offices in 1979 to protest how the newspaper was treating Scientology Gary Weber first went public about his past as a member of Scientology’s Guardian’s Office seven or eight years ago at Arnie Lerma’s site. It’s an excellent read, and we recommend that you go over there for the full account from Gary about his tenure as a Scientologist, a member of the Sea Org, and an operative in Scientology’s original spy corps, the GO. He’s now agreed to a video interview with Karen de la Carriere, and we’re happy to premiere the first episode today. We also talked to him last night by telephone, and he told us about what he did as a Guardian’s Office member, circa 1979: “I would go into the Org and get these folders of the parishioners, and brought them to the GO, where they were putting together dead-agent packs for anyone who might turn on them.” Continue reading Gary Weber: Another former Scientology official talks about women forced to have abortions
 On Tuesday, we showed you a leaked copy of video from Scientology’s big IAS gala in November, during which Scientology leader David Miscavige previewed their new television ad.
We told you we figured it would soon be showing up on network TV, and we were right! Just after the first half of the Patriots-Colts playoff game, folks started reporting to Twitter that they’d seen the ad. (One of our readers quickly notified us, and let us know it was the same ad we’d shown earlier in the week.) It looks like most of the tweets were located in Los Angeles — did you see the ad in other parts of the country? Let us know. Continue reading Yes, that was a Scientology ad you saw during the football game — we told you it was coming!
 Our man in Paris, Jonny Jacobsen, has a report for us on how things are going in Belgium, where federal prosecutors will soon be making an important decision about Scientology in that country. Take it away, Jonny…
A Belgian court has begun considering whether two criminal investigations against Scientology, one dating back as far as 1997, should go to trial — and if so, who should be in the dock. The Chambre de Conseil in Brussels is looking at two cases in which federal investigators laid charges not just against individual Scientologists, but the movement itself. Its hearings are expected to last four weeks. Continue reading Our man in Europe reports on Belgium’s criminal prosecution of Scientology
We asked the very talented Observer to create for us a fun take on the meme that has grabbed hold of the Bunker this week after we learned about how the phrase “black heart” came up during a court hearing in New Braunfels, Texas. Continue reading Black hearts and burning crosses: Scientology litigation is getting weird in Texas
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Jefferson Hawkins was once the top marketing executive for the Church of Scientology and helped it reach its greatest extent with the famous “volcano” TV ads in the 1980s. He’s told his tale of getting into and out of the church with his excellent books Counterfeit Dreams and Leaving Scientology, and he’s helping us understand the upside-down world of Scientology “ethics.”
