June 24 in Scientology history

Tags: Aaron Smith-Levin, Chris Shelton, Quicky

(Pete Griffiths helps Cathy Schenkelberg market her one-woman play, Squeeze My Cans) We're exhausted after another full day here at HowdyCon 2017. So we're going to post some of the photos taken by Observer and Eivol Ekdal and try to recuperate for the big show tonight. From Observer:

Tags: Alanna Masterson, Australia, Bernie Headley, Brian Sheen, Cathy Schenkelberg, Cindy Plahuta, Claire Headley, Derek Bloch, Disconnection, HowdyCon, Jamie Sorrentini, Joe Reaiche, Kate Bornstein, Kim O'Brien, Lois Reisdorf, London, Lori Hodgson, Marie Bilheimer, Mary Jane Sterne, Mary Kahn, Mike Rinder, Pete Griffiths, Quailynn McDaniel, Quicky, Ramana Dienes-Browning, Renata Lugli, Sara Goldberg, Squeeze My Cans, Steve Cannane, Warren Young, Willie Jones

A code of honor sounds like a good thing to carry around in a wallet; a concise set of moral guidelines; principles on which to build a solid foundation. And yet…not all codes are equal. Some justify acts of unethical behavior in individuals. Some justify unethical conduct by organizations. Let's see how L. Ron Hubbard's Code of Honor stacks up. (Having just read Marty Rathbun's latest diatribe, I couldn't help but think how parts of this code might relate to him.)

Tags: Bridge to Total Freedom, Code of Honor, Cult, David Miscavige, Disconnection, Doctor, Ethics, Ethics Officer, International Association of Scientologists, IRS, L. Ron Hubbard, Las Vegas, Maiden Voyage, Marty Rathbun, Master at Arms, OT, OT 9, Scientology organization, Sea Org, Suppressive Person, Terra Cognita, Wogs

(Laura DeCrescenzo in the Sea Org, circa 1996) Laura DeCrescenzo's seven-year forced abortion lawsuit against the Church of Scientology now has a new judge, and a new appeal submitted by the defendant. You'll remember that we were dealing with a bit of a shock in the case recently: After denying Scientology's most recent motion for summary judgment and clearing away the path to a trial, Judge John P. Doyle surprised everyone by announcing that he had cousins who were dedicated Scientologists. Doyle said this had no effect on his decision to deny Scientology's motion, but it made him vulnerable to a conflict if any of his family members were called as witnesses.

Tags: 1963, 1996, 2007, 2013, 2017, Abortion, Appeal, California, Company, Criminal, DeCrescenzo v. Scientology, Eliseo Santana, First Amendment, Inspector General, John Sugg, Judge John Doyle, Judge Samantha Jessner, Laura DeCrescenzo, Legoland, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Superior Court, Mental Health, Merchants of Chaos, Pinellas County School Board, Police, Scott Pilutik, Sea Org, Tampa, United for Human Rights, Warwick Gregory Allcock

Tags: Quicky, Regraded Being

The Church of Scientology is planning its own media company that will spread its message around the world. Ben Mankiewicz (What The Flick?), Ana Kasparian, and Francis Maxwell (TYT Sports), hosts of The Young Turks, break it down. Tell us what you think in the comment section below. "Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology are getting into the "propaganda machine" business by launching their very own 24-hour news network and movie studio. Trying to capture the success of Rupert Murdoch, Vladimir Putin (redacted) and Queen Elizabeth II before them, the Los Angeles-based $50 million project will feature a 24-hour network to broadcast its messages to the masses - and film production facilities the "religious movement" claims is bigger and better than Paramount.

Tags: Cenk Uygur, David Miscavige, Fox News, Los Angeles, Paramount, Quicky, Rupert Murdoch, Sunset Boulevard, Tom Cruise, Vladimir Putin

(The West Coast Building on Fort Harrison Ave.) Scientology leader David Miscavige is getting more and more sneaky about his grand openings, and this time we caught him just in time. For some reason, Miscavige has been waiting until the last minute to give his followers information about specific dates and times in a couple of big recent openings, including the new television studios in Los Angeles that opened on May 28. Plans for the Ideal Org opening in Atlanta were also conducted on a need-to-know basis is well.

Tags: 1986, 2001, 2013, Atlanta, Clearwater, David Miscavige, Flag Service Organization, Florida, Fort Harrison, Hollywood Guaranty Building, Ideal Org, Lee Arnold, Lee Arnold Building, Lisa McPherson, Lisa McPherson Trust, Los Angeles, Mark Bunker, Marty Rathbun, Mike Rinder, Quicky, Sea Org, Super Power Building, Tom DeVocht, West Coast Building

It was a real highlight for us to meet for the first time a frequent contributor to the Underground Bunker, former Sea Org worker Chris Shelton. We asked him to give us a report about his first day speaking at the Toronto conference yesterday. Here's what he sent us. Attending the Getting Clear conference here in Toronto has been a bit of a dream come true for me. I've finally met some of the real stars in the ex-Scientology community who have been kind of like legends to me for the past two years: Hana Eltringham Whitfield, Paulette Cooper, Nancy Many, Gerry Armstrong, Spanky Taylor, Jesse Prince, Jon Atack and our proprietor. In the years I was in Scientology, I always made it a point to ask those who had worked with L. Ron Hubbard what he was really like in person. This probably happened with about 15 or so people throughout that time and one-for-one, without fail, I would be regaled with tales of wonder and delight at what presence and intention and charisma LRH exuded. They would describe to me how he was the most powerful being they'd ever met, but at the same time how he always took such pains to "grant beingness" to us lesser mortals and go out of his way to make people he spoke with feel safe and appreciated. It never ceased to amaze me what an impression he made and what an obviously intense and amazing individual he must have been. They never failed to comment on his compassion and how nice he was and how he went so far out of his way to see to the welfare of his staff.

Tags: 2009, 2013, Bruce Hines, Chairman of the Board, Chris Shelton, Clear, David Miscavige, Gerry Armstrong, Hana Whitfield, Jesse Prince, Jon Atack, L. Ron Hubbard, Mark Bunker, Nancy Many, Paulette Cooper, Quicky, Rehabilitation Project Force, Sea Org, Shermanspeak, Spanky Taylor, St. Petersburg Times, The Truth Rundown, Toronto, Truth Rundown

Boy Scout Troop 313, chartered to the Church of Scientology, Flag Service Organization, held its Court of Honor Ceremony at Delphi Academy this week. Six Scouts advanced in rank and 13 merit badges were awarded. The ceremony, led by newly advanced Boy Scout Cole Sherman, was highlighted by the announcement that Life Scout William Harris had fulfilled all of his Eagle Scout requirements and was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout. In addition to completing 21 merit badges, Harris created planter boxes at Washburn Academy, where he attends high school.

Tags: 1946, 2016, Boy Scout, Clearwater, Delphi Academy, Eagle Scout, Flag Service Organization, Florida, George Cretekos, Malaysia, Washburn Academy

This is a brand new letter from the infamous Cara Golashesky, the so-called FLB "Justice Chief." It is a letter to a person who has NEVER BEEN TO FLAG. He never signed any waivers or agreements.

Tags: 1963, 1996, 2007, Australia, Cara Golashesky, Claims Verification Board, David Miscavige, Ethics, First Amendment, Hubbard Communications Office, Italy, Justice Chief, Quicky, Refund, Student Hat, Watchdog Committee

Description

Tags: Quicky, Russell Miller

This is filed under the category unabashed hypocrisy. Also known as the the gospel of the church of scientology. Tony Ortega had this in his Sunday Funnies column, but it was sort of buried among all the other nuttiness that is rounded up each week.

Tags: Australia, Quicky, Sunday Funnies, Tony Ortega, Virginia Stewart

The charity status of a north coast-based alternative medicine college is being investigated. But a Bangalow man who lodged the complaint about the College of Universal Health says legislation on the issue has too many grey areas.

Tags: Australia, Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, Bangalow, College of Universal Medicine, New South Wales, Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing, Universal Medicine

George White on the Freewinds to do OT 8 in July 1988 More than a year ago, we started a project — 'Up the Bridge' — which we thought would be very useful for our readers, particularly those who had never been members of Scientology. With the help of experts — Claire Headley, Bruce Hines, and others — we ventured step by step up Scientology's legendary "Bridge to Total Freedom." Even members of the public with only a vague understanding of Scientology seem to realize that the church is unique in that it involves a series of ever more expensive courses or levels that members go through to reach higher states of spiritual enlightenment. But what were these steps, and how much did they cost? With Claire's help, we started at the very bottom, learning how something like "Study Tech," for example — a course about how to use a dictionary to look up or "word-clear" concepts — contributes to the organization's layers of control. Some of these lower level courses cost very little.

Tags: 1970, 1972, 1975, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013, American Saint Hill Organization, Apollo, Arnaldo Lerma, ASHO, Big Blue, Bridge to Total Freedom, Bruce Hines, Buddha, Caribbean, Carnegie Mellon, Christian, Claire Headley, Class IV, Clear, Clearwater, Cult Awareness Network, Curaçao, David Miscavige, David Touretzky, E-meter, Fishman Declaration, Flag Land Base, Florida, Frank Oliver, Freewinds, George White, Gnosticism, Hana Whitfield, Helena Kobrin, Hugh Urban, Jefferson Hawkins, Jesse Prince, Jesus, Karin Spaink, Keep Scientology Working, Kendrick Moxon, Lawrence Wollersheim, Los Angeles, Marcab, Marty Rathbun, Massachusetts, Mediterranean, Office of Special Affairs, Ohio State University, Operating Thetan, OT, OT 7, OT 8, Personality test, Quicky, Rundowns, Sec Check, South Park, Stephen Kent, Steven Fishman, Study Tech, Time magazine, University of Alberta, Vietnam, Worcester, Xenu

Please take a few moments to read the latest post on Marty Rathbun's blog.

Tags: Marty Rathbun, Quicky

I tried to walk in your shoes on Saturday. The honor of acting as the father of Christie at her wedding was bestowed upon me. Christie may have chosen me for this privilege because I remind her so much of you. She has told me as much on many occasions over the past four years that I have known her. Just about every time I flip a song, she says with her inimitable smile, 'my dad and I used to listen to that.' From Bob Marley to Van Morrison, it seems you and I ride to a similar rhythm.

Tags: Quicky

Laura DeCrescenzo's attorneys have answered the Church of Scientology's latest attempt to derail her forced-abortion lawsuit, and they've done it in only two pages. The church has until July 2 to turn over DeCrescenzo's "pc files" — thousands of pages of confessional material compiled while she was an employee of the church starting at only nine years of age. DeCrescenzo believes that the documents will bolster her claim that she was abused as a member of Scientology's "Sea Org," including her assertion that she was forced to have an abortion at 17. Scientology has already lost two appeals fighting the court order, and have now asked LA Superior Court Judge Ronald Sohigian for a protective order to keep the documents from being seen by the public. Her answer to that request is short and sweet.

Tags: 2012, Abortion, California, Judge Ronald Sohigian, Kathryn Saldana, Laura DeCrescenzo, Quicky, Sea Org, US Supreme Court

Here are some photos taken by our good friend Terry Brawley. He is not just a talented stained glass artist and wildlife guide and kayak explorer, he is also a great photographer. He is one of many we have to thank for making this such a wonderful day.

Tags: Quicky, Wedding

Denver's police honcho, Robert White We recently brought you footage of Sacramento's mayor, former NBA player Kevin Johnson, gushing about Scientology at the opening of an "Ideal Org" in that city. Since that fancy new building opened in California's capital, additional celebrations have occurred in places like Orange County and Denver, Colorado. We've written extensively about the Ideal Org program, which is Scientology's cynical way of trying to convince the public that it's thriving and expanding -- by opening unneeded large facilities when it's actually been losing membership for years. A key component of this scheme is roping in local politicians for the grand opening events to help contribute to the illusion that the church is actually a benefit to the local community.

Tags: 1970, 1995, 2002, Arizona, Australia, California, Celebrity Centre, Central Files, Chuck Beatty, Clear, Clearwater, Colorado, Columbus, David Miscavige, Debbie Cook, Denver, Denver Post, Eric Gorski, Facebook, Flag Service Organization, France, Gold Meritorious, Guadeloupe, Hawaii, Ideal Org, Joe Childs, Josh Dulaney, L. Ron Hubbard, Mat Pesch, Neil Gaiman, Orange County, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Phoenix, Police, Quicky, Robert White, Sacramento, Sea Org, Sheila Gaiman, Skip Press, South Africa, Sunday Funnies, Tampa Bay Times, The Master, Tom Tobin, UK

The following is the conclusion of the interview that Editor in Chief of the Village Voice conducted with Janet Reitman, author of the new book Inside Scientology: If the celebrities are being more cautious, it's fascinating to see the new "Independent Scientology" movement flourishing as former high-level members like Marty Rathbun rebel against Miscavige's rule. "Scientology is a very doctrinaire church, way beyond Catholicism. I mean a really all-encompassing, all-demanding, highly judgmental, cripplingly controlling, organization. And these Independents are saying, 'Fuck the organization, we're just going to go do this on our own, we're going to pay a lot less money for it because really, this stuff should be free. And we're going to live better lives.

Tags: Catholic, David Miscavige, Independent, Independent Scientology, Janet Reitman, Quicky, Village Voice

Janet Reitman On Tuesday, we sat down with Janet Reitman, author of the terrific new book Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion, which is just hitting bookstores and will be released officially in July. Inside Scientology is a masterful telling of Scientology's history, from L. Ron Hubbard's pulp fiction career in the 1930s to events happening just last year as an Independence movement splits with current Scientology leader David Miscavige. Along the way, Reitman brilliantly focuses on individuals like Jeff Hawkins and Nancy Many and Lisa McPherson to help us understand the appeal of Hubbard and his "technology," as well as the controversies that have rocked the organization over many decades. We wanted to know: who is Janet Reitman, and how did she put together such an amazing book?

Tags: 1930, 1992, 2004, 2005, 2006, California, CCHR, Clearwater, Congress, David Miscavige, Florida, Hemet, Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion, Iraq, Janet Reitman, Jefferson Hawkins, Lisa McPherson, Mike Rinder, Nancy Many, New York, PTSD, Quicky, Rolling Stone, Tom Cruise, Tommy Davis

Continued from page 1 "Abuse to me is psychological abuse. The abuse of always feeling that Big Brother is watching you. Of not knowing who to trust. That your thoughts could be used against you," she says. On the one hand, Reitman is somewhat skeptical that Scientology leader David Miscavige has been physically abusive with his employees. "I can't tell you whether he hit people or not. I don't know. I don't know the man. To me he sounds like the worst CEO ever."

Tags: 1995, 2005, Abuse, Brooklyn, Catholic, Clearwater, David Miscavige, Dianetics, Disconnection, Fair Game, Fort Harrison, Germany, Hare Krishna, Independent, Independent Scientology, Israel, Janet Reitman, Jenna Elfman, Kirstie Alley, Lisa McPherson, Marty Rathbun, Quicky, Sea Org, Tom Cruise

What the show didn't say was that Cardone is a wealthy and high-level Scientologist with cozy ties to Scientology leader David Miscavige. In 2007, Cardone sent an e-mail to fellow Scientologists attacking Milton Katselas, a well known and admired acting coach who had, in the view of the church, not kept up his duties as a compliant Scientologist. Now we have more detail about that, with an additional letter that Cardone sent directly to Katselas, the acting teacher's reply to Scientology, and also Cardone's public responses since we outed him as someone willing to do Scientology's dirty work.

Tags: 1933, 1965, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, Allen Barton, Beverly Hills Playhouse, Bodhi Elfman, Catherine Bell, David Miscavige, Facebook, Giovanni Ribisi, Grant Cardone, Jeffrey Tambor, Jen Harris, Jenna Elfman, Knowledge Report, Marty Rathbun, Milton Katselas, New York Times, OT V

Knowledge Report: RPF and Other Abuses from Mark Bunker on Vimeo. One of the people who made the Scientology's Enemies List, which we wrote about yesterday, is Mark Bunker, dubbed "Wise Beard Man" by the Anonymous movement. I sent him an e-mail to make sure he saw it. Today, I received this reply from him: "What a day. You send me this news and then an hour or so later I hear that my mom has died. I'm cutting my road trip short to go back for

Tags: Abuse, Amy Scobee, Anonymous, Bonnie Elliott, Knowledge Report, Mark Bunker, Quicky, Rehabilitation Project Force, Scientology Documentary, Vimeo, Wise Beard Man

In recent years the Church of Scientology worked hard to present a kinder, gentler image to the public, claiming it had cast aside the criminal activities, dirty tricks and abusive behavior of the past that brought it widespread condemnation and sent some of its former leaders to prison. But a St. Petersburg Times special report this week revealed the reality behind the new facade: At its core, the Church of Scientology has not changed. It is an organization that uses intimidation and brutality to control its employees, places financial ambition above spiritual service to its members and stops at nothing to undermine its critics.

Tags: 1986, 1993, Clearwater, David Miscavige, Internal Revenue Service, IRS, Joe Childs, Lisa McPherson, Marty Rathbun, Mental breakdown, St. Petersburg Times, Tax exempt, Thomas C. Tobin

Even before it started, the 1986 trial of Lawrence Wollersheim v. the Church of Scientology of California caused a mob scene at L.A.'s downtown superior court. When a judge decided during pretrial motions that documents describing confidential Scientology beliefs should be put in a file open to the public, 1,500 Scientologists swamped the court clerk's office to keep anyone else from requesting them. The next day, the judge resealed those records. But an L.A. Times reporter managed to get past the crush of Scientologists and copy the file. Newspapers around the country had a field day with what the Times reported: the documents showed that high-level Scientologists are taught that each human contains the souls of alien creatures banished to Earth 75 million years ago by a galactic overlord named Xenu.

Tags: Applied Scholastics, Celebrity Centre, Charles O'Reilly, Church of Scientology International, Criminon, CSC, Daniel Leipold, David Chodos, David Miscavige, Donald Alexander, Earle Cooley, E-meter, FACTNet, Fair Game, Ford Greene, Frank Oliver, Fred Goldberg, Freewinds, Guardian's Office, Heber Jentzsch, IRS, Jason Beghe, Joseph Yanny, Judge Robert Hess, Lawrence Wollersheim, Legal, Leta Schlosser, Linda Hight, Narconon, Office of Special Affairs, OT III, Paul Streckfus, Religious Technology Center, RICO, Robert Vaughn Young, Sea Org, SLAPP, Snow White Program, Stephen Kent, The Way to Happiness, Tory Christman, Xenu

Maisonneuve, a magazine which likes people to think of it as Canada's New Yorker, uncorked a nice piece this week about a British Columbia man named Gerry Armstrong. To the folks who write about L. Ron Hubbard and the prank he played on the world—Scientology—Armstrong's name is very familiar, although you usually hear it uttered in a certain way. As in, "Poor Gerry Armstrong," with a solemn shake of the head. Read Bruce Livesey's entertaining piece to learn how Gerry went from a man so trusted by Hubbard the old coot authorized Armstrong to write his official biography, to a bankrupt, hounded target of Scientology harrassment who risks being arrested if he ever steps foot in the United States.

Tags: British Columbia, Bruce Livesey, Canada, Gerry Armstrong, Maisonneuve, New Yorker

The extent of the feud might stem from the immediate backlash that Hubbard received from mainstream mental health organizations. Dianetics was published in May 1950; by September, the American Psychological Association had advised therapists to avoid it. Not long after, the board of medical examiners in Hubbard's home state of New Jersey pursued legal action against him for practicing phony medicine.

Tags: American Psychological Association, CCHR, Dianetics, L. Ron Hubbard, New Jersey, Tom Cruise

Los Angeles school officials are warning campuses not to use a drug prevention program linked to the Church of Scientology while California's schools chief has ordered an investigation to determine whether the anti-drug presentations are scientifically sound and free from the religion's influence.

Tags: California, Clark Carr, Jack O'Connell, Los Angeles, Maria Reza, Narconon, Tim Buresh, Tony Bylsma

Mrs Nallathambi, a Hindu, was unaware that The Athena School is Sydney's only Scientologist school. But she liked what she saw, and enrolled Raja at the beginning of last year. "Now he's more confident, there's no more tears," she said. "At the other school he had no friends, now I can't get him to come home at the end of the day.". The Athena School has 90 pupils, from pre-school to year 10, and eight teachers, who have reportedly completed six months training in L. Ron Hubbard teaching techniques, rather than holding formal qualifications. Fees are about $1500 a term.

Tags: Athena School, Australia, Clare Holbrook, Newtown, Pam Nallathambi, The Way to Happiness

Snow White began in 1973 as an effort by Scientology through Freedom of Information proceedings to purge government files of what Hubbard thought was false information being circulated worldwide to discredit him and the church. But the operation soon mushroomed into a massive criminal conspiracy, executed by the church's legal and investigative arm, the Guardian Office.

Tags: Conviction, Earle Cooley, FBI, Guardian's Office, IRS, L. Ron Hubbard, Mary Sue Hubbard, Paulette Cooper, Snow White Program, US Department of Justice

Scientology is determined that the words of L. Ron Hubbard shall live forever. Using state-of-the art technology, the movement has spent more than $15 million to protect Hubbard's original writings, tape-recorded lectures and filmed treatises from natural and man-made calamities, including nuclear holocaust.

Tags: Church of Spiritual Technology, Lake Arrowhead, Trementina

What is Scientology? Not even the vast majority of Scientologists can fully answer the question. In the Church of Scientology, there is no one book that comprehensively sets forth the religion's beliefs in the fashion of, say, the Bible or the Koran. Rather, Scientology's theology is scattered among the voluminous writings and tape-recorded discourses of the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, who founded the religion in the early 1950s.

Tags: Christ, Implants, Music, OT III, Space Opera, Venus, Xenu

Typed on Blackfeet Nation stationery, it states: "To commemorate the seventieth anniversary of L. Ron Hubbard becoming a blood brother of the Blackfeet Nation. Tree Manyfeathers in a ceremony re-established L. Ron Hubbard as a blood brother to the Blackfeet Tribe." The document actually is meaningless because none of the three men who signed it were authorized to take any action on the tribe's behalf, according to Blackfeet Nation officials. The document was created by Richard Mataisz, a Scientologist of fractional Indian descent. Mataisz said in an interview he tried to prove that Hubbard was a Blackfeet blood brother but came up empty-handed.

Tags: Blackfeet, Blood brother, Hugh Dempsey, L. Ron Hubbard, Richard Mataisz

The Church of Scientology today is run by a high-school dropout who grew up at the knee of the late L. Ron Hubbard and wields power with the iron-fisted approach of his mentor.

Tags: David Miscavige, Heber Jentzsch, Pat Broeker, Religious Technology Center, Vicki Aznaran

From a life haunted by emotional and financial troubles, L. Ron Hubbard brought forth Scientology. He achieved godlike status among his followers, and his death has not deterred the church's efforts to reach deeper into society.

Tags: Aleister Crowley, Arthur Ceppos, Doreen Gillham, Earle Cooley, FBI, Forrest J. Ackerman, Gene Denk, Gerry Armstrong, Hana Whitfield, Jack Parsons, Judge Breckenridge, Mary Sue Hubbard, Pat Broeker, Quentin Hubbard, Ron DeWolf, Sara Northrup, Snow White Program, Sonya Bianca

The Times' series on Scientology ran in 1990 and gave a rare look at the church's beliefs, practices and history.

Tags: Joel Sappell, Robert Welkos