|
|
The Underground Bunker is thrilled to have the chance to premiere the video of Roslyn Cohn’s recent one-time-only, one-woman performance, “DiffiCULT to Leave.” From 1985 to 2008, Roz was a member of the Church of Scientology, and like many others she left the church during a period that’s seen a lot of longtime members break away. Some people who leave never speak up, wary of Scientology’s legendary reputation for retaliation. Others have dared to speak up, particularly in the last few years. But Roz did something unique: she turned her Scientology story into a musical revue! Continue reading EXCLUSIVE: Roslyn Cohn’s one-woman show skewering Scientology — complete!
 While Boing Boing recently went bananas over a single piece of Scientology mail (which itself consisted of only a single line of writing), our loyal readers here at the Underground Bunker know that week in and week out, we bring you a mother lode of wacky Scientology mailers that we call Sunday Funnies.
And this week, we have quite a haul. From San Diego to Scotland, we have quite a collection of notices put out by various Scientology organizations as they do their best to convince members to sign up for courses or make donations. As usual, we look forward to your interpretations and close readings of these nutty fliers. Continue reading Sunday Funnies: Scientology celebrates the holidays!
 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 on Saturdays he’s helping 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.
Jon, you’re going to challenge one of Scientology’s essential tenets again, aren’t you? Well, let us have it. JON: The central conundrum of Scientology is in the right to communicate. The Creed of the Church of Scientology states, and emphatically so, “We of the Church believe: That all men have the inalienable rights to think freely, to talk freely, to write freely their own opinions and to counter or utter or write upon the opinions of others…and that no agency less than God has the power to suspend or set aside these rights, overtly or covertly.” Continue reading Jon Atack: What we have here — in Scientology — is a failure to communicate
 Ray Jeffrey We talked to Ray Jeffrey, attorney for Monique Rathbun, who confirmed that Judge Dib Waldrip has granted Monique’s motion for a continuance in her harassment lawsuit against the Church of Scientology so she can have the time to depose its leader, David Miscavige. And although Scientology attorneys asked that it be a written deposition, Jeffrey tells us the judge did not agree to that. “He has ordered the deposition of Miscavige with no restrictions. It will be a regular deposition like any other,” Jeffrey said. Continue reading TEXAS JUDGE ORDERS DEPOSITION OF SCIENTOLOGY LEADER DAVID MISCAVIGE
UPDATE: Judge Dib Waldrip has decided that Scientology leader David Miscavige will be deposed in Monique’s lawsuit. See our new story for the latest updates. Monique Rathbun’s harassment lawsuit against Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, resumes today in the Comal County courthouse in New Braunfels, Texas, and we should be getting dispatches from both Mike Bennitt and Derek Bloch. Judge Dib Waldrip will continue to consider Monique’s request for a continuance — a delay in the case — so she can depose Miscavige, who has asked to be let out of the suit because he says the court has no jurisdiction over him. And that means both sides will continue to argue whether Miscavige was the kind of hands-on leader who would have obsessed over every aspect of the years of surveillance and harassment Monique and her husband Mark “Marty” Rathbun experienced (Monique’s version of events) or Miscavige’s version, that he’s the spiritual leader of a thriving church and had nothing to do with the surveillance that was being run by one of Scientology’s entities he has little do with. Continue reading Monique Rathbun back in court today: DAVID MISCAVIGE WILL BE DEPOSED, JUDGE DECIDES
 If you’ve been following our coverage of Luis and Rocio Garcia’s federal fraud lawsuit against the Church of Scientology, you know the suit recently hit a strange snag.
Ten months after the lawsuit was filed in January, Scientology suddenly announced that the Garcias had chosen the wrong venue for their complaint, because several of the defendants — Scientology entities which are trusts — have their trustees in California, where the Garcias live. Under a basic legal concept known as “diversity jurisdiction,” those California trustees make a Florida federal court the wrong place for the Garcias to file. But the Garcias complained that Scientology had sand-bagged them by waiting so long to bring this problem up, and they also complained that Scientology’s information about the trusts and trustees was incomplete and confusing. And now, Judge Whittemore has agreed, and is giving the Garcias the right to gather information about Scientology’s secretive entities. Continue reading Judge Whittemore grants Luis Garcia discovery of Scientology’s murky trusts in fraud lawsuit
We couldn’t leave the Bunker today for the big hearing in New Braunfels, Texas, but our man Mike Bennitt is on the scene, and we expect to get numerous dispatches from him, as well as video.
On the docket today are two big issues in Monique Rathbun’s harassment lawsuit against Scientology leader David Miscavige. Issue one: Miscavige wants out of the lawsuit, arguing that this Texas court has no jurisdiction over him. Issue two: Scientology has filed an anti-SLAPP motion, arguing that Monique Rathbun’s action is a cynical one intended to stifle Scientology’s free speech rights. For both issues, Monique’s attorneys have filed motions for continuances, hoping to delay both matters. Monique’s attorney Ray Jeffrey will be making the argument this morning that these matters cannot be settled, and should be delayed, until Miscavige himself can be deposed under oath. Continue reading TEXAS SKIRMISH: Mike Bennitt is on the scene as Monique Rathbun’s lawsuit is back in court
 Claire Headley is taking us on our journey to train as Scientologists. She and her husband Marc were Sea Org workers who escaped from Scientology’s International Base in 2005. She spent years working with Scientology’s “tech,” and was trusted to oversee the auditing of Tom Cruise. Go here to see the first part in this series.
And now, it’s time for the big reveal. We have a lot of ground to cover. Thankfully we have Claire and Bruce Hines to help us understand this stuff. So after several years of devotion and a couple of hundred thousand dollars in fees (not to mention additional donations and other costs), it’s finally time for us on our trip up the “Bridge to Total Freedom” to see what’s kept in that locked briefcase they open up for you on Operating Thetan Level III. What you’re shown is some handwritten pages which L. Ron Hubbard scribbled in 1968. Continue reading The big reveal: What you actually learn on Scientology’s Operating Thetan Level Three
 Laura DeCrescenzo (center) with Marc and Claire Headley as word emerged that Scientology’s motion for summary judgment had been defeated The Church of Scientology has already demonstrated that it will go to extraordinary lengths to fight and derail the lawsuit filed in 2009 by former Sea Org member Laura DeCrescenzo. Just to contest an order to turn over evidence in the lawsuit, for example, Scientology filed multiple appeals — even petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court — but was ultimately forced to fork over the 18,000 pages of documentation which bolstered Laura’s case that she was manipulated as a child worker of the church, including being compelled to have an abortion at 17. Continue reading Scientology asks for psychiatric examination of Laura DeCrescenzo in forced-abortion lawsuit
 Now that Scientology has re-jiggered its Bridge to Total Freedom, by golly, there’s no holding it back. And next stop on its crusade to take over the world is a new “Ideal Org” in Taiwan.
Our tipsters came through again this week with a great collection of new Scientology mailers and fliers from around the world. At Saturday’s grand opening in Kaohsiung, Taiwan it looks like a fine time was had by all. We’re still waiting to hear if Scientology honcho David Miscavige made the scene. In this photo, a local dignitary appears to be on screen leading the festivities… Continue reading Sunday Funnies: Scientology Gets Ideal in Taiwan
|
