August 15 in Scientology history

We have some unfortunate news regarding a person who had a connection to a couple of different stories here at the Underground Bunker. His name was Jonathan Ramsay, and he recently ended his life in Arizona at the age of 37. We first learned about Jonathan from his uncle, Rob Ramsay, who reached out to us in 2015. Rob's brother, Peter Ramsay, had recently died, and his son Jonathan was trying to retrieve money that his father, a longtime Scientologist, had left on account. In Scientology, members are encouraged to bank large amounts of money on account in order to pay for future services. When someone changes their mind about their involvement, they can spend years trying to get that money back, and we've seen some pretty visible examples of that, including the five-year unsuccessful lawsuit by Luis and Rocio Garcia.

Tags: 1981, 1993, 2013, 2015, 2016, Arizona, Bridge to Total Freedom, David Morse and Associates, Facebook, GoFundMe, Gregg Hagglund, Joke Reeder, Jonathan Ramsay, Judge James Whittemore, Larisa Smith, Luis and Rocio Garcia, Marie Bilheimer, Mojave Academy, Narconon, New Mexico, OT 8, Peter Ramsay, Police, Saina Kamula, Scientology and the Aftermath, Sea Org, Steve Pfauth, Suicide, Tampa, The Way to Happiness

Photos published on policewomen's social media show 22 female officials aboard a Church of Scientology boat in August 2017. The policewomen spent one week aboard the controversial church's vessel 'Freewinds,' according to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo. On that same ship, Scientology carries out religious training and personal improvement sessions as it tours around the Caribbean islands.

Tags: Alberto Jose Mejia, Carlos Ramiro Mena, Colombia, David Miscavige, Freewinds, Guillermo Botero, Jorge Nieto

Here is some more gibberish from L. Ron Hubbard — taking a "small bit" from OT VIII to explain that because drugs "threaten the body" a thetan reacts by "mocking up." "Of course," Hubbard says without explaining why it is "of course," he mocks up more reactive mind (why exactly instead of something good?) and thus "under threat" he goes "out of present time." Whatever. This is a lot of assertions about what happens in just a few words... All of accepted as gospel truth though there is nothing cited to explain this. "Ron says" and so it is true. Someone at Celebrity Centre thinks this is brilliant and explains a lot about the human condition.

Tags: Celebrity Centre, OT VIII, Piltdown Man, Quicky

This week I have an extended talk with former Scientologist and Sea Org member Jeff Hawkins. He oversaw a significant amount of the marketing and promotion for Scientology during the key period of Scientology's biggest success period - the 1970s and 80s. He also lived at the Int Base in Gilman Hot Springs for years and worked directly under David Miscavige (and was physically abused by him). Jeff talks about all of this and more in our chat. SHOP FOR CRITICAL MERCHANDISE http://shop.spreadshirt.com/chrisshelton

Tags: 1970, Audio, David Miscavige, Gilman Hot Springs, Int Base, Jefferson Hawkins, Quicky, Scientology: A to Xenu, Sea Org

Tags: Leah Remini, Quicky

We hope you're looking forward to tonight's premiere of the second season of A&E's Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. But you should know, if past episodes of this series have left you emotionally battered, you're in for a real roller coaster ride tonight. Both Leah Remini and Mike Rinder are second-generation Scientologists who were brought into the church as young children, but one thing we've heard repeatedly from some quarters is that 'Aftermath' and other programs on Scientology haven't done enough to focus on the experiences of the children of Scientologists who were brought up in the neglectful (and worse) conditions as kids of Sea Org workers. Well, that gap in coverage is certainly addressed by tonight's episode, titled "Thetans in Young Bodies."

Tags: 1950, 1980, 1996, A&E, Apollo, Apollo Training Academy, Australia, Cadet Org, California, Canyon Oaks, Child labor, Dianetics, Finland, L. Ron Hubbard Way, LAPD, Leah Remini, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Melbourne, Mike Rinder, Mirriam Francis, PAC Base, Quicky, Saina Kamula, Scientology and the Aftermath, Sea Org, Wise Beard Man

Phil Jones hasn't spoken to his son or daughter in four years. The Ajax native now lives in Nevada to be closer to his children, who live in California—even though they refuse to have a relationship with him. That's because Jones—once a devoted parishioner at the Church of Scientology in Toronto—decided to leave the Church and speak out against its policies and abuses. "The thing is, if they were to get in contact with us—because we are what's called 'declared suppressive persons' because we left and criticized—then they would be declared and lose friends, family, spouses. They would lose everything that they have. So that's the threat that Scientology holds over their head," said Jones. The Church of Scientology is the brainchild of science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, who started the religion in the 1950s. The organization grew into an international network of chapters all around the world, including Toronto, which became extremely wealthy, and is no stranger to controversy. Followers pay to study "courses" and attend "auditing sessions," which are described as similar to counselling. Over his "Scientology career," Jones estimated that he spent around $150,000 on courses and services.

Tags: 1968, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1995, 2013, 2015, Anonymous, Applied Scholastics, Billboard, Canadian Mental Health Association, Casey Hill, Celebrity Centre, Clayton Ruby, Clearwater, Committee on the Healing Arts, Criminon, David Miscavige, Disconnection, Emily Jones, Globe and Mail, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Ideal Org, Lawrence Wright, Leah Remini, Mark Blumberg, Mike Jones, Mike Rinder, Narconon, Nevada, Ontario, Ontario Attorney-General, Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons, Ontario Court of Appeals, Ontario Provincial Police, Ontario Snow White, Phil Jones, Raid, RCMP, Scientology and the Aftermath, Sea Org, Suppressive Person, Tampa Bay Times, Tony Ortega, Toronto, Willie Jones

It begins tonight. A&E 9pm EDT. Looking forward to hearing your reactions tomorrow.

Tags: A&E, Quicky

(Tommy Davis as Scientology mouthpiece; his new BFFs in Hollywood, James Packer and Mariah Carey) In May, we broke the startling news that former Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis had started a new job: He's working for Australian billionaire James Packer, who at one time was Scientology's richest customer. According to his LinkedIn profile, Tommy started his new job in February as "general manager North America" for Packer's investment firm, Consolidated Press Holdings. That position comes with a role helping to run Packer's partnership with filmmaker Brett Ratner in their movie-funding business, RatPac Entertainment. After our story came out, we heard that Ratner was surprised to learn that Davis may still have some connection to Scientology. But new photos suggest that things have been smoothed over, and Davis is fitting in as a mover and shaker in Hollywood. Researcher Garry Scarff spotted a photo of Tommy and his wife Jessica Feshbach taken Wednesday at Ratner's home, and that sent us looking for more. Getty Images photographer Lester Cohen had a large collection of them posted that he took Wednesday night, and we've cropped and embedded a few images for you in the name of Fair Use.

Tags: 1999, 2000, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, Academy Award, Anne Archer, Arlette Poland, Austin, Australia, Bob Duggan, Brett Ratner, Colony Capital, David Miscavige, Deadline, Fair Game, Feshbach, Garry Scarff, Hollywood, Israel, James Packer, Jason Dohring, Jessica Feshbach, Katie Holmes, Larry King, Lawrence Wright, LinkedIn, Los Angeles, Marc Headley, Mariah Carey, Michael Doven, New Yorker, Paul Haggis, Quicky, Santa Monica, Sea Org, Silicon Valley, Steve Cannane, Terry Jastrow, Tom Cruise, Tommy Davis, United Nations, Variety, WhyWeProtest

Another installment in the ongoing series of essays by Terra Cognita. See earlier posts here: The Almighty Stat, The Reg, The Horrors of Wordclearing, Why Scientologists Don't FSM, Respect, The Survival Rundown - The Latest Scam, Communication in Scientology... Or Not, Am I Still A Thetan?, To Be Or Not To Be, An Evaluation of Scientology, Fear: That Which Drives Scientology and Justification and Rationalization. Integrity One of the most bandied about words in Scientology is "integrity."

Tags: Apollo, David Miscavige, Field Staff Member, Knowledge Reports, L. Ron Hubbard, Quicky, Scam, Scientology staff, Survival Rundown, Terra Cognita

Here is what an ideal org REALLY is. Tony Ortega recently posted some photos and a report from someone in Nashville. Who knows over what period these completions have happened. Probably months to accumulate this feeble page.

Tags: Jenna Miscavige Hill, Jennifer Pantermuehl, John Pantermuehl, Nashville, OT 7, Quicky, Shirley Young, Tony Ortega

Frequent contributor Jeffrey Augustine told us he was surprised to see how some of the language in Scientology's latest court filing — in the Laura DeCrescenzo lawsuit — dovetailed in such interesting ways with the recent explorations he's been making into the church's legal underpinnings. We told him to let that take him where it would, and here's the result... Last week we discussed the reason why no one should ever believe anything said by Scientology Sea Org or staff members. And as we saw in Thursday's column by Tony Ortega, the Church is fighting back in Laura DeCrescenzo's forced-abortion lawsuit by arguing that the brutality it visits upon its staff is fully protected religious activity. The Church's legal filing in this case provides a frightening and instructive argument for our proposition that no one should ever join the Church of Scientology's Sea Org. In the DeCrescenzo filing, the Church has made it perfectly clear that it is more than willing to weaponize the First Amendment in order to protect its shameless, self-serving, and bare-knuckled treatment of Sea Org members. When push comes to shove, the Church's message is crystal clear: Sea Org have no legal protections from Scientology's inherent brutality:

Tags: 1968, 1989, Abortion, Alex Hageli, APA, Apollo, Bert Deixler, Child labor, Clearwater, David Miscavige, Dee Findlay, First Amendment, Hacienda, IRS, Jeffrey Augustine, Johannesburg, Karen de la Carriere, L. Ron Hubbard, Lamont Jefferson, Laura DeCrescenzo, Miss Lovely, Monique Rathbun, OT, Quicky, Rehabilitation Project Force, Religious Technology Center, Sea Org, Sec Check, Sleep deprivation, STAND

Tony Ortega's blog released the incredulous LIES by Sylvia Stanard at a religious conference http://tonyortega.org/2014/07/29/scie... There is one message the Church repeatedly tried to get across in recent years:::

Tags: DC, Facebook, Google, Office of Special Affairs, Quicky, Real estate, Sylvia Stanard, Tony Ortega, Twitter, Washington

There is a steady stream of reports coming in of the new gestapo tactics being employed to try to enforce "standard tech" on the field with GAG II. It is fascinating to watch the organization eat itself. It's like a trapped rat, gnawing off its legs in a desperate attempt to avoid the inevitable, but in the process hastening the end as it bleeds out from its self-inflicted wounds. Apparently there are "Sea Org missionaires" on the warpath to shut down missions and field auditors that are not "GAT II trained" and/or don't own a Warehouse 8 meter.

Tags: ASHO, Chairman of the Board, Class V, Command Intention, Commodore's Messenger Organization, Melanie Seidler, Mission Network, OT, PC folders, Quicky, Sea Org, Student Hat

At least two of the California cases have gone to arbitration (neutral, court-ordered arbitration, not Scientology's internal arbitration which is an issue in the lawsuits of the Garcias and Vance Woodward). But so far none of the numerous motions to dismiss that have been filed by Narconon has managed to derail any of Hamilton's lawsuits. This new suit is the result of a very recent incident. On March 6, 2014, Sherri Brown was looking online for a rehab center for her daughter. She called a number at a referral agency which claimed to be independent. The person who answered, "Jake," said the Fresh Start program had a 76 percent success rate. Sherri was put in touch with Tonya Lawson at Fresh Start, and she was told the cost would be $33,000. When Sherri said he didn't have that kind of money, she was told Emily could get a "scholarship" for $23,000.

Tags: 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015, ABLE, Abortion, Angelo Amato, Basics, Ben Levy, Bert Deixler, Branden Chavez, Brown v. Narconon, California, California Supreme Court, Charis Yates, Chautauqua, Christy Courson, Christy Estrada, Colorado, David Miscavige, Dean Pugh, E-meter, Emily Brown, Georgia, Golden Age of Tech, Jack Welch, James Ramirez, Jason McClure, Jered Mowery, Jilliene Winchell, John Blumberg, Judge James Whittemore, Judge Leslie Swain, Judge Rafael Ongkeko, Judge Richard Rico, Judge Robert Hess, Judge Ronald Sohigian, Karen de la Carriere, L. Ron Hubbard, Las Vegas, Laura DeCrescenzo, Lauren Geanacopulos, Linda Phillips, Los Angeles Superior Court, Luis Garcia, Matt Coker, Michael Tarr, Mike Rinder, Narconon, Narconon Fresh Start, Narconon International, Nevada, Nikki Mott, OC Weekly, Oklahoma, OT, PC folders, Robin Jones, Rocio Garcia, Ryan Hamilton, San Bernardino County, San Diego, San Diego County, Sea Org, Sean O'Connell, Sherri Brown, Student Hat, Success rate, Sunshine Summit Lodge, Sylvia Stanard, Tonya Lawson, Tyler Matthys, US Supreme Court, Vance Woodward, Warner Springs, Watsonville

This was sent to me for publication by a personal friend. I have not published anything quite like this on my blog before — it is a declaration by someone who doesn't give his name (though anyone who knows him knows who he is and a lot of others will be able to figure it out). I think it is good food for thought. And I especially like his views of what a real friend is. I too know Dave and Sindy Fagen. Dave's write up of his story is probably the calmest, most intelligent and devastating indictment of the current state of the "church of scientology" that has yet been published. Read it here — though it will take you a little time, its worth it. I am going to use a code name to write this open letter to people who call themselves to whatever degree, "scientologists". There is one reason for this and that is because I have tons of friends who are not scientologists and I don't want them to think that I am in any way connected with the mess that this subject has become. Nobody outside of this small group of people who would call themselves or maybe once called themselves "scientologists" gives a shit anyways.

Tags: 2010, 9/11, Anderson Cooper, Bradley Manning, Chicago, Christie Collbran, Class IV, Class V, Class VIII, CLO EU, Dave Fagen, David Miscavige, Debbie Cook, Disconnection, Edward Snowden, Ethics Officer, Facebook, Ideal Org, International Association of Scientologists, Leah Remini, Martin Luther King, New York, New York City, Office of Special Affairs, Org Board, OT, OT VIII, PC folders, Purification Rundown, Quicky, San Francisco, Sea Org, Sec Check, Sindy Fagen, Suppressive Person, Tom Cruise, Tony Ortega

Hey, gang. We received a very interesting communication recently from a librarian in Illinois, and we can't wait for you to read what he sent us. We've heard from librarians several times in the past because of Scientology's incessant efforts to get the books of L. Ron Hubbard into libraries that generally don't want them. But that hasn't stopped the church, particularly in the last year as it made a major push for the new "RON" encyclopedia (pictured, right). We saw mailer after mailer begging church members to donate money so the L. Ron Hubbard Series could be put in every library on earth — it was presented like a countdown. According to those mailers, by now you'd expect thousands of copies of that encyclopedia to be in every lending book institution from Milan to Minsk.

Tags: 1948, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1965, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1987, 1990, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, A Doctor's Report on Dianetics, A History of Man, A New Slant on Life, A Piece of Blue Sky, A Queer and Pleasant Danger, Abuse at the Top, Amy Scobee, Axioms, Bare-Faced Messiah, Basics, Bent Corydon, Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape, Blown for Good, Bridge Publications, Clear Body, Clear Mind, Counterfeit Dreams, Cult, Dianetics, E-meter, Ethics, George Malko, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, Have You Lived Before This Life, Hugh Urban, Humanitarian, Illinois, Inside Scientology: How I Joined Scientology and Became Superhuman, Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion, Janet Reitman, Jefferson Hawkins, Jenna Miscavige Hill, Jewish, John Duignan, John Sweeney, Jon Atack, Kate Bornstein, L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?, Lawrence Wright, Marc Headley, Margery Wakefield, Marty Rathbun, Memoirs of a Scientology Warrior, Mental Health, Milan, Music, My Billion Year Contract, Nancy Many, Organization Executive Course, Paulette Cooper, Pulitzer, Purification, Quicky, Robert Kaufman, Roy Wallis, Russell Miller, Science of Survival, Scientology Exposed, Scientology Handbook, Scientology: The Now Religion, The Church of Fear: Inside the Weird World of Scientology, The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion, The Complex, The Creation of Human Ability, The Fundamentals of Thought, The Problems of Work, The Road to Total Freedom, The Road to Xenu, The Scandal of Scientology, The Way to Happiness, William Burroughs

Four deaths at Narconon's signature treatment facility in eastern Oklahoma have prompted local law enforcement and health officials to investigate the center and its program. The inquiry began after Stacy Dawn Murphy, 20, was found dead in her room on July 19 after returning to the facility from a one-day leave. The cause of death is under investigation. Two other clients died within the previous nine months. Another died in 2009. In two of those cases, serious health issues were cited; the cause of the other death is unclear. In April, authorities in Quebec shut down a Narconon facility in the city of Trois Rivieres, saying certain treatment procedures "may represent a health risk."

Tags: 1970, 1993, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, ABLE, Abuse, Associated Press, Clark Carr, Clearwater, Dallas Morning News, David Love, Deaths, Department of Children and Families, Destin, Florida, Gary Smith, IRS, Karin Pouw, Katie Holmes, Kaysie Werninck, Mental Health, Montreal, Narconon, Narconon Arrowhead, Narconon International, Oklahoma, Paris, Pittsburg County, Quebec, Richard Hull, Spring Hill, Stacy Murphy, Success rate, Texas, Thomas C. Tobin, Tom Cruise, Tulsa

See the latest email promotion from the IAS (International Association of Scientologists): From: IAS Administrations <desiree@iasmembership.org> Date: August 14, 2012 12:33:22 AM EDT To:############ Subject: RECORD NUMBERS OF PEOPLE VISIT SCIENTOLOGY.ORG WEEKLY RECORD NUMBERS OF PEOPLE VISIT SCIENTOLOGY.ORG WEEKLY

Tags: Chinese, David Miscavige, Foundation International Membership Services Administrations, Fraud, International Association of Scientologists, L. Ron Hubbard, Quicky, Review, Russia

Ed Bryan's arrest report summery: WHEN I MADE CONTACT WITH DEF HE ADVISED ME THAT HE DID IN FACT TAKE A USED CREDENTIAL PASS OUT OF THE TRASH SO THAT HE COULD ENTER THE EVENT TO HARASS AN UNKNOWN PERSON WHO HAS BEEN SPREADING UNTRUTHS ABOUT HIS CHURCH. DEF KNOWINGLY ENTERED THE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL EXPO AT THE MIAMI BEACH CONVENTION CENTER WITHOUT PAYING THE $79 ENTRY FEE. IN DOING SO HE KNOWINGLY DEFRAUDED THE VICTIM. DEF ARRESTED AND TRANSPORTED TO MBPD/DCJ WITHOUT INCIDENT.?

Tags: Arrest, Ed Bryan, Mike Rinder, OT, Video

After public humiliation at Ingleside on the Bay, the star of a recent post - Miscavige's prize "OT H8" Ed Bryan - was shuffled off with a group of 8 other Miscavige operatives to Miami. Reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLOj_f_0P9g They were flanked by Miscavige shill Jim Lynch impersonating a reporter for Freedumb along with yet another crew. For more on Lynch and his shill status see: http://www.caller.com/news/2011/jul/09/church-of-scientology-magazine-seeks-to-hire-in/ Their mission: attempt to disrupt a trade convention attended by Mike Rinder in an effort to destroy his livelihood.

Tags: Bert Leahy, David Miscavige, Ed Bryan, Ingleside, Jim Lynch, Miami, OT, Phoenix, Quicky, Rome

After public humiliation at Ingleside on the Bay, the star of a recent post - Miscavige's prize "OT H8" Ed Bryan - was shuffled off with a group of 8 other Miscavige operatives to Miami. Reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLOj_f_0P9g They were flanked by Miscavige shill Jim Lynch impersonating a reporter for Freedumb along with yet another crew. For more on Lynch and his shill status see: http://www.caller.com/news/2011/jul/09/church-of-scientology-magazine-seeks-to-hire-in/ Their mission: attempt to disrupt a trade convention attended by Mike Rinder in an effort to destroy his livelihood.

Tags: Bert Leahy, David Miscavige, Ed Bryan, Ingleside, Jim Lynch, Miami, Mike Rinder, OT, Phoenix, Quicky, Rome

The Church of Scientology has its press list all mixed up. We got an email through today asking us to edit an article about Janet Reitman's new expose of the group, Inside Scientology.

Tags: Anonymous, Janet Reitman, Karin Pouw

Moxon goes back so far, before he was an attorney he was caught up in the government's crackdown on Scientology's "Guardian Office," which carried out what is still the largest illegal infiltration of federal agencies in this country's history. That covert operation, dubbed "Operation Snow White" by the GO, was a massive undertaking, an attempt to quietly break into government offices to steal documents that were unflattering to Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. In 1977, four years after it began, the operation resulted in FBI raids in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, and 11 church officials ultimately pleaded guilty or were convicted of obstructing justice and other charges. One of the officials was L. Ron Hubbard's wife, Mary Sue. Hubbard himself, like Moxon, was named an "unindicted co-conspirator," and wasn't prosecuted.

Tags: 1977, 1980, 1995, 1999, 2007, alt.religion.scientology, Bowles and Moxon, Canada, Fair Game, FBI, Gerry Armstrong, Graham Berry, Guardian's Office, Helena Kobrin, Kendrick Moxon, L. Ron Hubbard, Los Angeles, Mary Sue Hubbard, Mike Rinder, Office of Special Affairs, Religious Technology Center, Robert Cipriano, Snow White Program, Squirrel Busters, Timothy Bowles, Warren McShane, Washington

Things have been getting too thick. We're applying a little Theta-MEST theory today. Sacagawea coaching Pocahontas In LA they call it sushi, in Corpus we call it bait

Tags: Quicky

Anonymous Pictures presents "The Fall of Miscavige", a psychological thriller based on the life of controversial cult leader David Miscavige.

Tags: Anonymous, David Miscavige, Video

Here's another news item culled from the recent Freedom Magazine: "In 2008, to celebrate her 20th anniversary, the Freewinds underwent the largest refit in her history. Far more than a cosmetic upgrade, the ship was stripped from stem to stern, below the water line to the top of her stacks, covering all six decks." Here's what they don't tell you: The Freewinds, ever since its construction, has been contaminated with blue asbestos. Blue asbestos is the most hazardous form of asbestos, and is a major cause of mesothelioma, an incurable form of cancer which can develop in the lining of the lungs and chest cavity. Until the 1960s, when the Freewinds was built, blue asbestos was often used in shipbuilding, as it was not known at the time to be carcinogenic.

Tags: 1960, 1987, 2001, 2008, Asbestos, Caribbean, Curaçao, Curaçao Drydock Company, David Miscavige, Flag Ship Service Organization, Freedom magazine, Freewinds, Google, L. Ron Hubbard, Lawrence Woodcraft, Nordica Engineering, OT VIII, Poland, Potential Trouble Source, Quicky, Rehabilitation Project Force, Sea Org

Three months after cutting off all ads served to Enturbulation, a site dedicated to promoting activism against the Church of Scientology and all its related organizations, Google has done the same with a similar site known as Epic Anonymous. Earlier this week, administrators at Epic Anonymous received the same email that turned up at Enturbulation back in May. "While going through our records recently, we found that your AdSense account has posed a significant risk to our AdWords advertisers," the email said. "Since keeping your account in our publisher network may financially damage our advertisers in the future, we've decided to disable your account."

Tags: AdSense, Alexander Vanino, Anonymous, Google, Matthew Danziger

Threat Level is running a poll where you can track and vote on the most shameful and/or disturbing Wikipedia edits found with Virgil Griffith's new Wikipedia search tool. For those that missed the story, Griffith created a tool that unmasks the anonymous edits made to Wikipedia pages.

Tags: Wikipedia

A computer linked to the Church of Scientology's network was used to delete references to links between it and a group dubbed the "Cult Awareness Network".

Tags: Cult Awareness Network, Wikipedia

As a 60-year resident of Pittsburgh and a 20-year member of the Church of Scientology, I am compelled to set the record straight on your July 24 articles about Scientology. The article missed the help the church and its members are extending to millions around the world, including residents of Pennsylvania.

While the shock and grief of his son's suicide were still fresh, Bob Bashaw read back through their decades-long correspondence, looking in particular for references to Scientology. "I wanted to see what there was here I missed," he says. His son Greg had been a member of the Church of Scientology for more than 20 years. During that time other relatives, fearing he belonged to a cult, had voiced concerns. But Bob supported his son's choice, because he believed people should be free to practice their religion without getting hassled about it -- and because he couldn't find a good enough reason not to. That changed in November 2000, when suddenly, he says, Greg broke into "a hundred pieces." He'd recently lost his job in advertising. And now, Greg told his father, his church had excommunicated him. Seven months later, more than $50,000 in debt, he ended his life on the shoulder of a Michigan road, leaving behind a wife of 20 years and a teenage son, to whom he'd written a brief, unemotional note.

Tags: Anti-Deprogramming League, CCHR, Cult Awareness Network, Cynthia Kisser, Engrams, Erich Fromm, FACTnet, Fair Game, Greg Barnes, Greg Bashaw, International Association of Scientologists, Introspection Rundown, Jason Scott, Jim Beebe, Lawrence Wollersheim, Lisa McPherson, Lisa McPherson Trust, Margaret Singer, Mary Anne Ahmad, Nazi labelling, Noah Lottick, Operating Thetan, Philip Gale, Potential Trouble Source, Quentin Hubbard, Reg Alev, Religious Technology Center, Sea Org, Steven Hassan, Sue Strozewski, Suicide, Suppressive Person, Wellspring

Meet Michael Jackson, family man. It's hard to imagine how our unstable world, which recently witnessed the evisceration of the singer's career by accusations of child molestation, is going to accommodate the notion. But we probably have no choice. On Aug. 1, Lisa Marie, 26, Elvis Presley's only child, issued a statement confirming the whispers that had been swirling for weeks: She had indeed wed the 35-year-old pop genius. "My married name is Mrs. Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson," said the announcement, issued three weeks after a Dominican Republic judge produced a marriage license for all to see, dated May 26 and bearing the couple's signatures. "My marriage to Michael Jackson took place in a private ceremony outside the United States weeks ago," Presley-Jackson's statement continued. "I am very much in love with Michael, I dedicate my life to being his wife. I understand and support him. We both look forward to raising a family."

Tags: 1967, 1973, 1977, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1998, Danny Keough, David Miscavige, Dominican Republic, Donald Trump, Elvis Presley, Hollywood, Jehovah's Witnesses, John Coale, John Travolta, Jon Atack, Kirstie Alley, Lisa Marie Presley, London, Michael Jackson, New York City, New York Post, OT, Palm Beach, Santa Barbara, Tom Cruise, Washington, Wedding

The state Mental Health Board quickly and quietly exempted the controversial Narconon Chilocco New Life Center on Friday from the drug-treatment certification requirements it has spent months trying to enforce. The board's decision likely means the center, which has been tied to the methods of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, will soon be able to open fully and accept any clients, Narconon attorney Harry Woods Jr. said. Only eight months ago, the same board rejected the center's methods and ordered it emptied.

Tags: Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, Dwight Holden, Garry Bilger, Guy Hurst, Harry Woods, Narconon, Narconon Chilocco, Newkirk, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Board of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Stewart Beasley

Less than a year after calling Narconon Chilocco New Life Center's treatment program unsafe and experimental, the Oklahoma Board of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services voted unanimously Friday to exempt the facility from a state requirement to be certified. The decision came after Narconon showed it had gained approval from a private organization, the Commission for Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. That allows for an exemption under state law, Patrick Ryan, an attorney representing the board, said. Ryan said the board's decision was based entirely on the statutory exemption.

Tags: CARF, Chilocco Indian School, Gary Smith, Harry Woods, Narconon, Narconon Chilocco, Newkirk, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Board of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Patrick Ryan

The state Mental Health Board still does not approve of the Narconon Chilocco drug-treatment center in Newkirk even though the board granted the center an exemption from state certification, an attorney for the board says. The board granted the exemption on a unanimous vote Friday after Narconon showed it had gained approval from an external organization, the Commission for Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. That allows for an exemption under state law, said Patrick Ryan, a private attorney representing the board. "That's different from certifying them," Ryan said. "The board has not ever, and did not by today's action, give a stamp of approval of Narconon. It simply says because of the statute, we're going to recognize it (the exemption)."

Tags: Bob Lobsinger, Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, Garry Bilger, Gary Smith, Narconon, Narconon Chilocco, Newkirk, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Oklahoma Health Department, Olahoma, Patrick Ryan

Crown attorney James Stewart has asked Mr. Justice James Southey to impose a fine of "at least" $1 million after the church and three former members were convicted of spying on police and the government during the mid-1970s. Stewart suggested jail terms of six months for church "case officer" Jacqueline Matz and of 30 to 90 days for Scientology "plants" Janice Wheeler and Donald Whitmore.

Tags: Canada, Conviction, Donald Whitmore, Jacqueline Matz, Janice Wheeler, Ontario, Snow White Program, Spying, Toronto