November 2 in Scientology history

The same day that the appeal by Danny Masterson's accusers was heard in Los Angeles regarding Scientology's 'religious arbitration,' the federal Eleventh Circuit handed down its long-awaited ruling in the appeal by Luis and Rocio Garcia regarding the same subject. And for the Garcias, it's bad news: the federal appeals court has sided with Scientology. The decision just hit the wire and we're going to post it right away. Please read it along with us and help us see what the court's reasoning is. The timing is startling. The same day religious arbitration's elements — like the International Justice Chief's role — was being questioned by the California appellate justices, in Atlanta the federal circuit has decided that what the Garcias went through in Scientology's jackleg arbitration was not "unconscionable." Wow.

Tags: 1953, 1970, 1995, 9/11, Atlanta, Bill Robertson, California, CIA, Commodore's Messenger Organization, Cult Awareness Network, Danny Masterson, David Miscavige, International Justice Chief, Jason Scott, Jeff Jacobsen, Judge James Whittemore, Los Angeles, Luis and Rocio Garcia, Sea Org, US Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Vulture

Today at 9 am in Los Angeles (noon here in New York, 4 pm in London) we'll be listening in to the livestream at California's 2nd Appellate District as oral arguments are presented about Scientology's "religious arbitration." What's at stake is an appeal by Danny Masterson's rape accusers, who want the court to overturn a lower court ruling that has denied them the right to sue Masterson and the Church of Scientology for what they claim is years of surveillance and harassment. This is a complex case, and if you listen in, please keep in mind that pretty arcane points of law are going to be argued today, not rape allegations.

Tags: 1953, 1970, 1995, 2001, 2016, 2019, 2020, 9/11, Andrew Brettler, Bill Robertson, Bobette Riales, California, California Supreme Court, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Celebrity Centre, Chairman of the Board, Chrissie Carnell, Church of Scientology International, Commodore's Messenger Organization, Cult Awareness Network, Danny Masterson, David Miscavige, Disconnection, Fair Game, Jason Scott, Jeff Jacobsen, Jeffrey Epstein, Judge Steven Kleifield, LAPD, Leah Remini, Lisa McPherson Trust, London, Los Angeles, Marci Hamilton, Matthew Hinks, New York, Office of Special Affairs, Police, Religious Technology Center, Sea Org, Tory Christman, Vulture, William Forman

[UPDATE: Masterson's attorneys convinced the court that he's entitled to more discovery before arraignment, and so Judge Sam Ohta moved the arraignment to January 6.] Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey filed rape charges against Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on June 16, and here it is November and the That '70s Show actor still hasn't been arraigned or entered a plea. The Covid pandemic is part of the reason things are taking so long, but also Masterson is paying for high-dollar lawyering from legendary criminal defense attorney Tom Mesereau, and so the case has been delayed in unusual ways. The arraignment was first scheduled for September 18, but that morning Mesereau filed a "demurrer" on Masterson's behalf challenging the legality of the case. Demurrers are a kind of legal filing and they're fairly common in civil lawsuits. But we're still hearing from legal observers who say they've never seen a demurrer filed in order to challenge a criminal arraignment. Most likely that's because most people facing criminal charges don't have the money to pay for a longshot delaying tactic before they've even entered a plea.

Tags: 1953, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, A&E, Bennetta Slaughter, Bijou Phillips, Bobette Riales, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Chrissie Carnell, Clearwater, Commodore's Messenger Organization, Danny Masterson, David Miscavige, Environmental Protection Agency, Florida, Hollywood, Huffington Post, Instagram, Jackie Lacey, Jenni Weinman, Judge Miguel Espinoza, Ken Dandar, LAPD, Leah Remini, Lisa McPherson, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Superior Court, Marty Singer, Michael Jackson, Netflix, Passport, Robert Minton, Scientology and the Aftermath, Scientology celebrity, Sea Org, SEC, Sharon Appelbaum, Tom Mesereau, US Secretary of State, Whole Track, Wyoming, Yashar Ali

We welcome an old friend of mine, Lucas (Luke) Catton to the Fair Game podcast this week. Luke was a very prominent member of the Narconon team for a number of years, until he saw the light about scientology. He subsequently spoke out and was targeted by scientology in response. We discuss a wide range of things relating to Narconon, scientology's involvement, the effectiveness of the program and the Fair Gaming Luke has been subjected to. I will include the link as soon as it becomes available. A few of the things we mention during our talk.

Tags: ABLE, David Miscavige, Drug Free Marshals, Ethics, Facebook, Fair Game, Freedom magazine, Gary Smith, Have You Told All?, Laurie Zurn, Lucas Catton, Narconon, Narconon Arrowhead, Purification Rundown, Quicky, Rena Weinberg, STAND, Tony Ortega, Twitter, Wikipedia, Youth for Human Rights International

The Kansas City and Columbus "ideal orgs" are supposed to open over the next 2 weekends. This is no surprise — Miscavige probably stayed in the UK and is flying directly to Kansas City for the opening, which is why it is one week after the IAS. It is also timed so he could get a double whammy -announce it at the IAS and then show the ribbon yanking as main topics To prove massive international expansion at the New Years Event. He could not have an entire year with NO "ideal orgs." Back in the good old days he had them at each event throughout the year. Remember the hullabaloo about "doing it all simultaneously"? That was never meant to be an indication that all ORGS would be done at once. It was an admonition to get all the ELEMENTS done simultaneously. Fundraising. Staff recruitment. Staff Training. Files.

Tags: 1990, Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, David Miscavige, Detroit, Facebook, Fundraising, Harlem, Ideal Org, Inglewood, International Association of Scientologists, Kansas City, New Year's Eve, Orlando, OT, Quicky, Salt Lake City, Twitter, UK

Whatever you think of state Sen. Jeff Stone, he knows how to stand out. From wading into the Scientology debate to calling for a divided California, Stone, R-La Quinta, leaves behind an outspoken and unique legacy as he departs Sacramento for a job with the Trump administration. Here's a look back at five of the more notable episodes from Stone's time in public life.

Tags: Int Base, Jeff Stone, Quicky

In the third and final part of this no-holds-barred livestream series, friend and fellow activist Sherrie D'Souza joins me to share her perspective on the administrative chapters from the "Shepherd the Flock of God" elder's manual, which is off limits to rank-and-file Jehovah's Witnesses - and women in particular. Sherrie's thoughts on the judicial chapters Sherrie's thoughts on the child abuse chapter

Tags: Apostate, Child abuse, Escape, Jehovah's Witnesses, Legal, Medical, Patreon, Quicky, Sherrie D'Souza, Twitter, Wedding

2017: Photo from Jeffry Schneider's blog. Names of key GPB officials (current and former) tagged by the Scientology Money Project. In the media firestorm surrounding the indictment of GPB Capital Chief Compliance Officer Michael Cohn on felony obstruction charges, a new class action lawsuit against GPB Capital was filed on October 25, 2019. A reader kindly informed us of this lawsuit. The complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. Captioned Kinnie Ma Individual Retirement Account , individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated vs. Ascendant Capital LLC, Ascendant Alternative Strategies, GPB Capital Holdings, David Gentile, Jeffry Schneider, Mark Martino, et, al. The complaint names dozens of defendants including GPB's Broker Dealers.

Tags: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, Austin, Cult, David Gentile, Fraud, GPB Capital Holdings, Michael Cohn, New York, Phoenix, Ponzi scheme, Quicky, SEC, Texas

Wow, this is a fun one, kids. An Underground Bunker reader has leaked us video that they shot while attending an event at Scientology's Birmingham, England "Ideal Org" earlier this year. We have the video for you, as well as a transcript, and we want to set it up a little so you fully understand what it is you're seeing and hearing. We go way back with the Birmingham org, which has consistently been one of the most fascinating Scientology outposts over the years. We certainly remember the fundraising efforts in Birmingham to go Ideal. In 2011, there was a leak from Birmingham's computer system, and Anonymous got its hands on a lot of photos from fundraising events that were never meant to be made public, along with a song that had been made for an event. Someone at Anonymous put the music and photos together for a wince-inducing video that really captures how awkward Scientology fundraising can be…

Tags: 1953, 1986, 2011, 2017, 9/11, Advanced Org, Africa, Anonymous, Bill Robertson, Birmingham, Canada, Chairman of the Board, Clearwater, Commodore's Messenger Organization, Dan Sherman, David Miscavige, Edinburgh, England, Florida, Ideal Org, International Association of Scientologists, Kansas City, L. Ron Hubbard, Manchester, Mexico, Religious Technology Center, Roger Ellory, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Say No to Drugs, Scientology TV, Sea Org, UK

Jeffrey Augustine concludes his series on the history of Scientology's private barge, the Freewinds. See his earlier parts one and part two. In 1984 David Miscavige and L. Ron Hubbard were under intense scrutiny by the US government. Miscavige referred to this period in a speech to Scientologists at an IAS event on October 8, 1993: Nine years and one day ago, the International Association of Scientologists was formed to protect and defend Scientologists and the Scientology religion. At that time, in October of 1984, we found ourselves under vicious external attack. From the media. In civil courts. And by the government. The attacks were of such intensity and velocity - so sustained in nature - that we knew our very survival could only be assured if all of us - as Scientologists - banded together to create a worldwide association. Only in this way could we gather the wherewithal to survive such attacks and hopefully expand.

Tags: 1984, 1988, 1993, 2016, Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Caribbean, Cartagena, Church of Scientology International, Curaçao, David Miscavige, Dominica, First Amendment, Flag Ship Service Organization, Freewinds, Grand Cayman, Grenada, International Association of Scientologists, IRS, Jeffrey Augustine, Knowledge Reports, L. Ron Hubbard, Legal, Miami, Narconon, OT, Panama, Quicky, Religious Technology Center, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Donato Properties Corporation, Sea Org, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Tax exempt, Transcorp Services S.A.

Tags: Quicky, Regraded Being

This week, lawyer Ciprian Ivanakoff and I dissect Scientology's system of ethics and justice, looking at its similarities and differences to the military justice code and our Common Law-based legal system. Most important, we describe exactly how Hubbard's system all but ensures that Scientologists will experience nothing but injustice. Enjoy! SHOP FOR CRITICAL MERCHANDISE http://shop.spreadshirt.com/chrisshelton

Tags: Audio, Quicky, Scientology: A to Xenu

Rape allegations against That 70s Show star Danny Masterson have resurfaced in wake of the Harvey Weinstein sex abuse scandal as four women have now come forward to accuse the actor of sex attacks. The historic claims against the 41-year-old, who is starring in The Ranch on Netflix, all date back to the early 2000s. Yet, despite 'overwhelming' evidence, according to source familiar with the case, the actor has never been charged with any crime, according to the Huffington Post.

Tags: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2011, A&E, Ashton Kutcher, Bijou Phillips, Brett Ratner, BuzzFeed News, Danny Masterson, Hollywood, Hollywood Reporter, Huffington Post, LAPD, Leah Remini, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County District Attorney, Marty Singer, Pennsylvania, Police, Quicky, Rape, Reinhold Mueller, Scientology and the Aftermath, Sexual assault, Suppressive Person, Underground Bunker

A monthslong investigation into multiple allegations of rape against actor Danny Masterson has inexplicably stalled, despite the Los Angeles County district attorney having compelling evidence in the case, multiple sources told HuffPost. Four women have accused Masterson of raping them in the early 2000s. Masterson is a longtime member of the Church of Scientology, an organization that has a history of covering up allegations of misconduct leveled against the organization and its members. At least three of the women who have accused him of rape were also Scientologists and reported the incidents to the Church of Scientology at the time. Masterson, star of the sitcom "That '70s Show," has denied that he engaged in any sexual misconduct. In May, journalist Tony Ortega revealed that Masterson hired power lawyer Thomas Mesereau to serve as his criminal defense attorney. Bill Cosby also hired Mesereau for a retrial of sexual assault charges in Pennsylvania.

Tags: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2016, Brett Ratner, Danny Masterson, Hollywood, LAPD, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County District Attorney, Los Angeles Times, Marty Singer, Pennsylvania, Police, Quicky, Rape, Reinhold Mueller, Sexual assault, Suppressive Person, Thomas Mesereau, Tony Ortega

Ray Emmons was an experienced vice and intelligence sergeant with the Clearwater Police Department in 1981 when he began the assignment that would become his legacy. By then, the mysterious group that arrived six years earlier and bought major downtown buildings under a fake name had been revealed as the Church of Scientology. But still much was unknown about this new organization that, government documents showed, spied on local journalists and politicians, framed the mayor in a hit-and-run accident, and wrote a manifesto of plans to take over Clearwater. Mr. Emmons went to work investigating Scientology for the city and produced a 10-volume report in 1983 declaring it a criminal moneymaking scheme. He later talked about being followed, seeing his trash stolen and having his home phone bugged. But Mr. Emmons, according to colleagues, never once flinched

Tags: 1960, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1976, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, Clearwater, Clearwater Beach, Clearwater Police Department, Congress, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Fort Harrison, Gabe Cazares, Jesse Prince, Ken Dandar, Largo, Lee Strope, Lisa McPherson Trust, Mark Bunker, Merrell Vannier, Obituary, Ohio, OT, Pasco County, Private investigator, Ray Emmons, Texas, Tracey McManus, Vietnam, Washington

Guelph ON protest against the Church of Scientology -- 28th Oct 2017

Tags: Guelph, Kitchener, Quicky

(Marty Singer and Danny Masterson) Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times reported that six women, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, are accusing director Brett Ratner of sexual misconduct, the latest in what is becoming a crisis for Hollywood since similar accusations were made against producer Harvey Weinstein in stories appearing last month in the New York Times and the New Yorker magazine. The L.A. Times article, written by Amy Kaufman and Daniel Miller, included this paragraph about the denials of Ratner's lawyer, legendary Hollywood attorney Marty Singer...

Tags: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2018, Amy Kaufman, Brett Ratner, Chris Shelton, Daily Beast, Daniel Miller, Danny Masterson, Hollywood, LAPD, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Times, Marty Singer, New York Magazine, New York Times, New Yorker, Office of Special Affairs, Police, Quicky, Tom Mesereau, Tory Christman, Twitter

In this video, I talk with former Scientologist Tory "Magoo" Christman about the kinds of covert operations and sabotages that the Church of Scientology's Office of Special Affairs engages in to disrupt the lives and livelihood of Scientology critics. There have been a lot of blow-ups recently on social media between Scientology critics and this video explains how and why those blow-ups happen and how to avoid them in the first place. SHOP FOR CRITICAL MERCHANDISE http://shop.spreadshirt.com/chrisshelton

Tags: Audio, Critic, Office of Special Affairs, Quicky, Ruin, Scientology: A to Xenu

In this video, I talk with former Scientologist Tory "Magoo" Christman about the kinds of covert operations and sabotages that the Church of Scientology's Office of Special Affairs engages in to disrupt the lives and livelihood of Scientology critics. There have been a lot of blow-ups recently on social media between Scientology critics and this video explains how and why those blow-ups happen and how to avoid them in the first place.

Tags: Critic, Office of Special Affairs, Quicky, Ruin

In a rare acknowledgement of the controversies caused by his family's political advocacy, billionaire Republican donor Robert Mercer is stepping down from his hedge fund and selling his stake in Breitbart News to his daughters. The move was announced in a letter Mercer reportedly sent to employees of his investment fund, Renaissance Technologies. In the letter, Mercer disavowed Milo Yiannopoulos, the right-wing provocateur and former Breitbart tech editor whose close ties to white-nationalist figures were revealed in a tranche of emails leaked to BuzzFeed News. Despite the letter, sources familiar with Mercer's situation tell me this doesn't mean the family is retreating from politics. "I supported Milo Yiannopoulos in the hope and expectation that his expression of views contrary to the social mainstream and his spotlighting of the hypocrisy of those who would close down free speech in the name of political correctness would promote the type of open debate and freedom of thought that is being throttled on many American college campuses today," Mercer wrote. "But in my opinion, actions of and statements by Mr. Yiannopoulos have caused pain and divisiveness undermining the open and productive discourse that I had hoped to facilitate. I was mistaken to have supported him, and for several weeks have been in the process of severing all ties with him."

Tags: 2018, Access Hollywood, Alt-Right, Breitbart, David Magerman, Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway, Rebekah Mercer, Republican, Sleeping Giants, Steve Bannon, White House (Trump), White supremacist

OT 7 Objectives completion How sad that he still has so much charge after spending hundreds of thousands to get to OT VII, and now he is finding the solution on an objective co-audit. Do Your Ideal Org Status

Tags: CCHR, Chairman of the Board, Clearwater, CLO Canada, David Miscavige, Dianetics, Drew Johnston, Dublin, Fort Harrison, Ideal Org, Jim Bennett, Michael Chan, Mike Spurgeon, New Year's Eve, OT, OT 7, OT VII, Perth, Potential Trouble Source, Quicky, Scotland, Seattle, Shrine Auditorium, Thursday Funnies

Leah Remini spoke very publicly about her time as a member of the Church of Scientology in her 2015 memoir Troublemaker, and now she is helping other former members tell their stories. In her new docu-series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, the actress will sit down and speak with ex-Church members who claim they have been the victims of sexual assault and emotional and physical abuse. The trailer for the new program even features one man who claims that he was 'hammered' in the face by none other than David Miscavige, the leader of the Church.

Tags: 2013, 2015, A&E, ABC News, Abortion, Abuse, Angelo Pagan, Clearwater, David Miscavige, Facebook, Florida, Gawker, Hulk Hogan, Katie Holmes, Leah Remini, Leaving Scientology, Nicole Kidman, Queens, Quicky, Scientology and the Aftermath, Sea Org, Sexual assault, Suppressive Person, Vicki Marshall

The announcement has gone out for the live "New Year's" celebration... On 17 December. And remember — no children.

Tags: New Year's Eve, Quicky

Last night, the A&E network released a trailer for Leah Remini's upcoming series about Scientology, and wow, does it look great. We thought we'd slow it down and take a look at the people in it, provide a few links about who they are, and just bask in this moment. We can hardly wait for November 29 and the start of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. The clip starts off with a familiar face for Underground Bunker readers...

Tags: 2008, 2009, 2014, A&E, Abortion, Abuse at the Top, Amy Scobee, Blown for Good, California, Claire Headley, Clearwater, Counterfeit Dreams, David Miscavige, David Pakman, Disconnection, Facebook, Flag Land Base, Florida, Hemet, Int Base, James Packer, Jefferson Hawkins, Leah Remini, Lisa McPherson, Los Angeles, Louis Theroux, Marc Headley, Mariah Carey, Marty Rathbun, Mary Kahn, Mat Pesch, Mike Rinder, My Scientology Movie, OT 8, Paulette Cooper, Quicky, Roger Friedman, Scientology and the Aftermath, Sea Org, Suppressive Person, Tampa Bay Times, The Truth Rundown, Tom DeVocht, Tommy Davis

Last week, we revealed the contents of numerous "Knowledge Reports" — spying dispatches — that Scientologists submitted about Leah Remini, and which form the basis for some of the most important parts of her new book coming out tomorrow, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology. We were careful, at that time, just to stick to the parts of the book that were related to what was in the KRs, which we had obtained some time ago. Now, with just a day to go before publication, we're going to talk a little more about just some of the things we found to be important in the rest of this landmark book. Introduction. When we sat down to read Leah's book several weeks ago, we really wondered about her subtitle: "Surviving Hollywood and Scientology." We figured she must have a lot of stories to tell about becoming a television actress and then landing her huge success with nine years as Carrie Heffernan on The King of Queens. There was her firing from The Talk to dig into, and her great comeback in the last two years with her reality show, It's All Relative. With so much Hollywood to discuss, would Scientology be an afterthought?

Tags: 20/20, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, Alex Gibney, Australia, BBC, Brooklyn, Chuck Beatty, Clearwater, Cuba, David Miscavige, Debbie Cook, Disconnection, E-meter, Flag Land Base, Florida, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, Hollywood, Janet Reitman, Jason Beghe, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Feshbach, John Sweeney, Julian Swartz, Juliette Lewis, Karin Pouw, Katie Holmes, King of Queens, Knowledge Report, Knowledge Reports, Las Vegas, Laura DeCrescenzo, Lawrence Wright, Leah Remini, Los Angeles, Mike Rinder, Nicole Kidman, Paul Haggis, Quicky, Rehabilitation Project Force, Rome, Scientology celebrity, Sea Org, Shelly Miscavige, Sherry Ollins, Spanky Taylor, Stefan Castle, Tom Cruise, Tommy Davis, Training Routines, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology

Organizations can compel their customers and employees to resolve disputes in arbitration proceedings bound not by state or federal law, but by religious edict.

Tags: Quicky

Leah Remini is revealing alleged Tom Cruise Scientology secrets in her new memoir titled "Troublemaker". She says began questioning her commitment to Scientology at the star-studded wedding of Cruise and Katie Holmes. According to Remini then seve...

Tags: Katie Holmes, Leah Remini, Quicky, Tom Cruise, Wedding

We are a full service travel agency with tons of info at http://travelcostaricanow.com One of the few videos not about Costa Rica but felt I needed to say something about my experience with the Church of Scientology. Obviously it sure in hell wasn't Tom Cruise's experience.

Tags: Costa Rica, Quicky, Tom Cruise

There has been a massive amount of media following the ABC 20/20 interview with Leah on Friday evening. One of the more complete stories covering the show was in USA Today (not normally their forte...) and within that story (and some others) they link to the Scientology response they regurgitated on Friday night (regurgitated because it is virtually the same statement they have made to every piece of media coverage since 2007). That response speaks loudly to the mindset of scientology, the policies it follows in dealing with those it doesn't like who happen to be covered by the media, and it's inability to deal with the REAL issues that it confronts if it wants to have any hope of remaining even marginally relevant into the future.

Tags: 20/20, 2007, 2013, Alex Gibney, Amy Scobee, BBC, Bruce Hines, Catholic, CIA, Claire Headley, Committee of Evidence, David Miscavige, Haydn James, High Crime, Hollywood, Jefferson Hawkins, Joe Childs, John Sweeney, Journalist, Karen de la Carriere, Lawrence Wright, Leah Remini, Los Angeles, Marty Rathbun, Maureen Orth, North Korea, OT, Panorama, Paul Haggis, Police, Pope, Private investigator, Pulitzer, Quicky, Ron Miscavige, Shelly Miscavige, Sinar Parman, Steve Hall, Suppressive Person, Tampa Bay Times, Tom DeVocht, Tom Tobin, USA Today, Vanity Fair

The Church of Scientology has spent millions of dollars purchasing land in Sydney for the development of an enormous new facility that will serve as an Asia Pacific headquarters for the religious group. David Miscavige, the Chairman of the International Association of Scientologists (AIS), announced the organisations plans to build an 'Ideal Advanced Organization and Continental Base for Australia and the Asiatic region' during a church celebration on October 17.

Tags: 2015, Advanced Org, AOSH ANZO, Australia, Bridge to Total Freedom, Chairman of the Board, Chatswood West, Continental Liaison Office, David Miscavige, Dundas, Freedom Medal, Ideal Org, International Association of Scientologists, Kate Ceberano, Sydney, Terry Fogarty, Tokyo, Vicki Dunstan, Willoughby

During her recent trip to Ireland, Simi Valley got reminiscing about the head of OSA UK and other things.

Tags: Ireland, John McGhee, Office of Special Affairs, Pete Griffiths, Quicky, Simi Valley, UK

Hey, it's another Sunday and we have another set of Scientology fundraising fliers that our great tipsters have forwarded to us. We just love to share these items with our readers, who do such a great job of pulling out details and clues to what the church is really up to. Over time, these fliers have given us a great chance to watch Scientology sink into its mad obsession with its "Ideal" projects as its membership dwindles. And this week is no different! First up, we have another fun video from those crazy kids in Atlanta.

Tags: 1957, Atlanta, Fearless Leader, Ideal Org, Mike Rinder, Portland, Quicky, Saint Hill, Silicon Valley, Sunday Funnies, Timothy Bowles, Valley Ideal Org

I am now making a regular Sunday feature of reposting previous articles that I felt were important. This one is from March 26, 2013. I have added some editorial comments to this in italicized red text that seem appropriate. New Churches of Scientology — Where Are They?

Tags: 1993, 2012, 2013, Albuquerque, Arizona, Auckland, Australia, Author Services Inc, Basel, Battle Creek, Birmingham, Birthday Game, Bogotá, Boston, Budapest, Bulawayo, California, Cape Town, Caracas, Chicago, Clear, Colorado, Columbus, Command Intention, Copenhagen, David Miscavige, Denver, Detroit, Durban, FBI, Fraud, Harare, Harlem, Ideal Org, International Association of Scientologists, Jefferson Hawkins, Kansas City, Kaohsiung, Manchester, New Haven, Orange County, OT, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Planetary Clearing, Plymouth, Port Elizabeth, Portland, Quicky, Russia, San Diego, San Fernando Valley, San Jose, Santa Ana, Scam, St. Louis, Stevens Creek, Sunderland, Sydney, Taiwan, Tampa Bay Times, The Hole, Toronto, UK

THE Church of Scientology has quietly snapped up a large tract of land on Sydney's leafy North Shore where it hopes to build a new base for the religion in the southern hemisphere and usher in a new "golden age". The land in West Chatswood, which cost the church $37 million, will be the site of a sprawling new facility called the Ideal Advanced Organisation and Continental Base for Australia and the Asiatic region.

Tags: Advanced Org, AOSH ANZO, Australia, Bridge to Total Freedom, Continental Liaison Office, David Miscavige, Freedom Medal, Gail Giles-Gidney, Ian Tanner, Ideal Org, International Association of Scientologists, Kate Ceberano, Sussex, Sydney, Tom Cruise, Virginia Stewart, West Chatswood, Willoughby

Multiple sources sent us several different internal church messages this morning which all claim that last night at Scientology graduation ceremonies the church finally announced dates for upcoming events to be held in its giant tent in Clearwater, Florida. We can imagine that today, Scientologists around the country are scrambling to get flights and accommodations, because they're expected to be in the Florida town in less than two weeks for the start of a series of big parties that will be unfolding through the end of the year. We're so excited we can hardly stand it! So here is the schedule that we've been able to put together from multiple messages from several different sources...

Tags: Charlie Frago, Clearwater, Clearwater Police Department, David Miscavige, England, Florida, Golden Age of Tech, International Association of Scientologists, Keep Scientology Working, Michael Delk, New Year's Eve, Quicky, Super Power, Super Power Building, Tampa Bay Times

Maybe the release of GAG II is going to solve the spelling/typo problems that seem to be endemic within the RCS. The old saying about not even being able to spell your own name right seems to be true, at least in the Ideal, SH Size org that is at the very dawn of a new civilization. Speaking of GAG II, the big announcement has now been made, and just in time to save the planet:

Tags: Africa, Christmas, Class V, Clearwater, David Miscavige, Harvey Jacques, Ideal Org, International Association of Scientologists, IRS, Johannesburg, New Year's Eve, Quicky, Religious Technology Center, Sea Org, South Africa

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. This week, Jon answers a question we get maybe more than any other. Scientology has so many outlandish concepts and makes so many unfulfillable promises, how is it that smart people get involved in it and then spend years chasing its impossible goals? Jon sent us this response, and we think it's the best one we've seen yet on the subject. JON: Russell Miller was perhaps the highest paid journalist in the UK, when he worked on the Sunday Times pieces that led to his still unrivalled biography of Ronald Hubbard, Bare-Faced Messiah. I put him in touch with a score of former members. When he came back from his first trip to the US, he was evidently baffled that every one of those he had interviewed was both intelligent and articulate. How could it be that such seemingly rational people could have been gulled by such a gauche conman?

Tags: 1982, A Piece of Blue Sky, Bare-Faced Messiah, Clear, Clearwater, Comm Course, Communication Course, FBI, Florida, Hollywood, Jamie DeWolf, Jon Atack, Lawrence Wright, Nigeria, Operating Thetan, OT V, Oxford Capacity Analysis, Personality test, Pope, Quicky, Ray Kemp, Rehabilitation Project Force, Russell Miller, Steven Hassan, Sunday Times, Transcendental Meditation, UK, Watchdog Committee, Xenu

Phil Bruemmer, author of An Idle Scientology Org Story, has a new true story to tell. It is one worth reading. Enjoy. 2012-10-31 Phil's corner

Tags: Advanced Org, Chairman of the Board, Class VI, Claudio Lugli, David Miscavige, Dianetics, Haifa, Independent, Independent Scientologists, Independent Scientology, Israel, Italy, L. Ron Hubbard, OT, OT V, OT VII, Quicky, Religious Technology Center, Scientology organization, Sec Check, The Independent

A year ago, we were sent something really unique — a collection of daily dispatches that Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote to his shipboard crew as he ran the organization while sailing the Mediterranean and Atlantic during the years 1967 to 1975 (our documents cover a period from late 1968 through 1971). Since last November, we've been posting short excerpts from these fascinating documents, which give us a glimpse of what it was like as Hubbard ran Scientology from the bridge of the yacht Apollo. Full of maddening jargon and bureacratic minutiae, on occasion an "Orders of the Day" shows us a glimpse of Hubbard's thinking on diverse subjects. So let's take one last look at these revealing documents, this time looking at the week of October 28 to November 3.

Tags: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1975, Apollo, Athens, Catholic Church, CIA, Class VIII, Ethics, Greece, Guardian's Office, Jewish, Kenya, L. Ron Hubbard, Manchester, Mediterranean, Mission, Moscow, Orders of the Day, OT, Quicky, Sea Org, Sunday Times, TIME, UK, US Navy, Vulture, Washington

Please click here to see the story - including Australian TV link - of Lana Mitchell calling David Miscavige out for what he is. Straight-forward, factual, measured and to top it off at the end a correct indication. Thank you Lana. Your journey continues to be an inspiration to us.

Tags: Australia, David Miscavige, Lana Mitchell, Movie, Quicky, Tom Cruise

A Lawton man is fighting to stop a drug addiction education program from making a presentation to students at three area schools over the next three days. The program is called "Narconon" and Colin Henderson says it is not what it appears. He is not alone in his concern. A school in Purcell recently refused to allow a Narconon presentation, and states like California, Massachusetts, and Hawaii have also banned it from their public schools.

Tags: Andrew Cuomo, Colin Henderson, Narconon, Oklahoma

Now, she's apparently changed her mind. In her interview with Seymour, she explains that as Miscavige's cook, it was her job to lavish on the church leader gourmet meals every few hours, and especially when Miscavige's good friend Tom Cruise showed up. But when Cruise got food poisoning from a bad shrimp, Mitchell says she was unfairly blamed, and found herself cut off not only from her job, but also from her friends and family.

Tags: 2003, 2004, 2008, Australia, Bad shrimp, Bryan Seymour, California, David Miscavige, Freedom Medal of Valor, Independent, Int Base, International Association of Scientologists, Karin Pouw, Katie Holmes, Lana Mitchell, Marty Rathbun, New Zealand, Nick Xenophon, Scientology executive, Sea Org, South Park, Today Tonight, Tom Cruise

I have been criticized by Scientology haters for not laying blame for the abuses and demise of the church of Scientology on L Ron Hubbard. Some have pointed to my refusal to credit the Fair Game Policy (SPs may be tricked, cheated, lied to, sued or destroyed without any recourse to Scientology justice) as being the chief motivating policy behind the evil and criminal deeds Miscavige's Office of Special Affairs (OSA) and RTC routinely commit against those who refuse to comply with the dictator's reign. My response was, and is, that 99% of staff, including the Sea Org, have not even heard of the Fair Game policy, so of course they do not apply it. What then does justify the criminality demanded by Miscavige in the minds of those who feel they must comply? Certainly he lacks the charisma personally to make people want to harm others to protect him and his regime. While providing some assistance to Daniel's defense preparation, I was asked by some people involved, "what makes these people (OSA) think what they are doing is ok"? It prompted me to do a little soul searching on the subject. I knew that I'd do something similar, perhaps not as over-the-top and vicious, if I were confronted with similar circumstances back in the day. What motivated me to comply? What justified my actions in working to destroy other human beings when I set up OSA and worked through it for so many years? The answer was HCO PL 12 February 1967 The Responsibilites of Leaders.

Tags: 1967, Bolivar, David Miscavige, Ethics, Fair Game, Guardian's Office, Kingsley Wimbush, L. Ron Hubbard, Mission, Office of Special Affairs, Quicky, Religious Technology Center, Scientology executive, Sea Org, Suppressive Person

This and other accounts illustrate how far Scientology was willing to go to stop Minton, who, in a stunning reversal five years later, ended up testifying in court on the church's behalf. That part of the story begins with David Lubow, the same private investigator the church used just a few years earlier to infiltrate a group of Scientologists in Las Vegas. Rathbun and Rinder said they turned to Lubow in the late 1990s to look into Minton's financial affairs overseas. Lubow deployed to the capitals of Europe, dropping aliases and recruiting helpers to make Minton think he was being investigated by multiple agents, Rathbun said.

Tags: 1990, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004, Boston, Clearwater, Cleveland Street, David Lubow, England, Europe, Florida, IRS, Ken Dandar, Las Vegas, Lisa McPherson, Marty Rathbun, Mike Rinder, New Hampshire, Nigeria, Office of Special Affairs, Robert Minton, Scientology practice, Tampa, Tommy Davis

SCIENTOLOGY'S RESPONSE: The Times asked the church to respond to Don Jason's account that he was locked in his berth, watched 24/7 by cameras, blocked from leaving the gangway and felt his only way to escape was over the bow and down a mooring line. The church responded that Jason voluntarily went to the Freewinds to do the Rehabilitation Project Force program. "On 21 November 1996, Jason changed his mind and left, ending up in Milwaukee where he took a job as a truck driver." MAT PESCH

Tags: 1983, 1996, 2003, 2005, Amy Scobee, Atlanta, California, Clearwater, David Miscavige, Don Jason, Freewinds, Happy Valley, High Crime, Marty Rathbun, Milwaukee, Quicky, Rehabilitation Project Force, Sea Org, Suppressive Person

Since writing my initial thoughts on the McBride case it seems a series of events have unfolded lending considerable weight to my original suspicions. At this point it's clear the army has been ruled out as a cause for McBride's suicide but there's a still series of questions lingering over Scientology's possible involvement. Questions nobody seems comfortable publicly asking. Mid last month a Coroner's findings into the death of Mcbride were released to the general public. At 31 pages it's quite a read and as such I've taken my time with it to fully digest the information it contains.

Tags: Australia, Daniel Cockerill, Edward McBride, Kate Divine, LGBTQ, Lisa O'Kane, PC folders, Queensland, Stephen McBride, Suicide

David Lubow He joined the City Mortgage staff in the spring of 1991 and stayed until early 1995, becoming good friends with many of the former Scientology staffers there. He partied and went camping with them. After he left for home in California, he returned frequently to Vegas to visit with his friends and brought along his wife and children.

Tags: 1950, 1960, 1973, 1976, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, Australia, California, Columbus, David Miscavige, Denver, Divorce, England, Freewinds, Janis Gillham Grady, Las Vegas, Mark Fisher, Mexico, Mortgage, Ohio, Scientology staff, Sea Org, Sussex, Thailand, Washington

As first reported on Mark Ebner's Hollywood, Interrupted, five members of Anonymous picketed the building with signs, a Church guard screws with their vehicle down the road to get them to trespass onto the Church's property, while setting up a flare to get them to come back to the car. After they dog-tie the member of the group that returns to the truck, the guards strike down another protester. Amazingly, two members of Anonymous were arrested afterwards by the Riverside Sheriff's Department, as they report in their account of the situation.

Tags: Anonymous, Gilman Hot Springs, Int Base, Rehabilitation Project Force, Riverside Sheriff's Department

The most contentious part of Scientology is that it considers homosexuality a perversion, an incendiary view today in the West.

Tags: Felix Lange, France, India, Interpol, IRS, LGBTQ, Lisa McPherson, Marion Whitta, New Life Rundown, Russell Miller, Shalini Sharma, Super Power, USPS

On Saturday, "48 Hours" ran a story about the 2003 murder of Elli Perkins, a murder that her 28-year-old son Jeremy confessed to committing. Jeremy had been hallucinating and behaving erratically before his mother's death, but his parents, devout Scientologists, resisted giving him psychiatric treatment. As "48 Hours" notes, "[s]ome pro-Scientology materials declare that psychiatrists are not only useless, but evil – their medications nothing but poisons." The Perkins' opted to medicate their son primarily with vitamins. The Scientology community was not happy with the story, which raised the possibility that Elli Perkins might not have been murdered had her son been given psychiatric treatment. The group refused to provide "48 Hours" with an official spokesman and began taking action to influence the broadcast. "They hit us with numerous e-mails and there were some people at CBS or at '48 Hours' who they knew personally, and so there were some personal requests made as well," says CBS News Senior Vice President, Standards and Special Projects Linda Mason.

Tags: Elli Perkins, Jeremy Perkins

Tom Cruise has emerged as the biggest ever donor to the controversial Church of Scientology.

Tags: Tom Cruise

BONN, Germany (AP) _ Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel on Sunday rejected renewed criticism from U.S. lawmakers over Germany's treatment of Scientology and said he would bring the matter up during his visit to Washington this week. A U.S. House panel passed a non-binding resolution Friday accusing some German officials of fostering "an atmosphere of intolerance towards minority religious groups." It also called upon President Clinton to relay to Bonn Congress' concern about alleged violations of the rights of Scientologists.

Tags: Bill Clinton, Congress, Germany, Klaus Kinkel, Quicky, Washington

BONN, Germany (AP) _ Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel on Sunday rejected renewed criticism from U.S. lawmakers over Germany's treatment of Scientology and said he would bring the matter up during his visit to Washington this week. A U.S. House panel passed a non-binding resolution Friday accusing some German officials of fostering "an atmosphere of intolerance towards minority religious groups." It also called upon President Clinton to relay to Bonn Congress' concern about alleged violations of the rights of Scientologists.

Tags: Bill Clinton, Congress, Critic, Germany, Klaus Kinkel, Quicky, Washington

Before the Ford case, the move to federal law could have meant unpublished work was significantly easier to quote from than before. In a series of celebrated cases, though -- one involved the unpublished letters of the famously reclusive author J.D. Salinger, one a book about Scientology guru L. Ron Hubbard -- the courts gradually tightened the definition of "fair use" to the point where even a snippet or paraphrase was considered actionable. Scholars have been complaining loudly ever since that this viselike prohibition, and the constant threat of being sued, made it impossible to do the kind of research and writing that render history vivid. eventually leave the door open wider and the rules clearer. It's a small adjustment, but one from which all serious readers benefit.

Tags: 1978, 1985, Congress, J.D. Salinger, L. Ron Hubbard

Church of Scientology spies stole secret Internal Revenue Service files on celebrities and politicians and infiltrated such private groups as the American Medical Association, according to internal church documents released by a federal judge here yesterday. The documents were among thousands released by U.S. District Judge Charles R. Richey. They include details of a church plan to begin a "rumor campaign" against U.S Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.). They also detail several instances of church operatives posing as reporters or students to gain access to Capitol Hill offices or federal judges' chambers. Among the celebrities whose tax files -- and some returns -- were obtained were singer Frank Sinatra and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, the documents indicated. The church files suggest the documents were taken from IRS files so the public could learn that the IRS gathered nontax-related intelligence on such persons.

Tags: 1950, 1977, AMA, American Medical Association, Arizona, California Medical Association, Central Intelligence Agency, Dennis DeConcini, Frank Sinatra, Internal Revenue Service, IRS, Judge Charles Richey, Judge Oliver Gasch, Kenneth Whitman, Los Angeles, New York, Quicky, Seven Samurai Project, Spying, Tom Bradley