November 6 in Scientology history

Jeff Carlson was the Executive Director of the Church of Scientology in Buffalo, NY. We discuss a tragedy that occurred in his family on March 13, 2003. What happened in Jeff's family was reported in the media in 2003, but Jeff was still in Scientology back then and has never publicly discussed these events before. That is what we do here.

Tags: 2003, Buffalo, Jeff Carlson, Quicky

Something a bit different, but newsworthy and interesting. Aaron Smith-Levin has just interviewed Jeff Carlson, the former ED of Buffalo Org and son-in-law of Elli Perkins who was murdered by her son. Though there has been extensive media coverage about this murder and how scientology contributed to the tragedy, Jeff has not spoken publicly about it before now. He decided to speak after watching The Aftermath. Aaron provides an introduction to the video:

Tags: 2003, Aaron Smith-Levin, Buffalo, Elizabeth Gale, Elli Perkins, Jeff Carlson, L. Ron Hubbard, Phillip Gale, Quicky

While we were researching material for our book on Paulette Cooper a few years ago, we happened upon a 1969 New York Times article that quoted James Meisler, the PR man and "minister" for the New York org in those days. In 1972 Meisler become a key player in the plot to frame Paulette for a crime she didn't commit, which had her facing 15 years in prison. But that was in the future. In 1969, he was interviewed by the Times, and what really caught our attention was that he was asked how large Scientology was around the world. 15 million members, he said.

Tags: 1950, 1969, 1972, 1990, 2011, 2013, Birmingham, England, Facebook, Flag Land Base, Hollywood Guaranty Building, Ideal Org, James Meisler, Jefferson Hawkins, Jewish, Jonny Jacobsen, Karin Pouw, Kirstie Alley, Marc Headley, Membership, Mike Rinder, New York, New York Times, Paris, Paul Burkhart, Paulette Cooper, Peter Nyiri, Quicky, Tommy Davis, Twitter

"Do Not Evaluate for the Preclear" From the Auditor's Code: "Do not evaluate for the preclear." "Do not invalidate or correct the preclear's data." And, "Be willing to grant beingness to the preclear." From the moment a test evaluator goes over a new person's OCA, to flying back to Flag every six months for a "checkup" on OT 7, these precepts are violated. Scientologists are evaluated at every step of the Bridge and in every division of the organization.

Tags: Auditing, Case Supervisor, Condition of Doubt, Conditions, Dissemination, Division 1, Division 2, Division 4, Division 6, Division 7, E-meter, Ethics Officer, Field Staff Member, Knowledge Report, L. Ron Hubbard, Master at Arms, OCA, OT 7, Oxford Capacity Analysis, Registrar, Scam, Sea Org, Survival Rundown, Terra Cognita

Rod Keller's story last week kicked up a bit of a fuss, and so he's back with a follow-up... Last week's article on Scientologist John Bitinas' anti-drug presentation at Westside Christian High School in Tigard, Oregon prompted one reader to contact school officials, and they forwarded the reply to the Underground Bunker. Our school held an assembly on Wednesday, October 19 put on by Tigard Turns the Tide, This is a community organization working in association with local, state, and government agencies all of whom have a shared goal of stopping drug and alcohol abuse among teenagers. Tigard Turns the Tide puts on community-wide presentations on drug and alcohol issues, as well as safe driving issues.

Tags: 1951, Basics, Christian, Clear Body, Clear Mind, Criminon, Dianetics, Don Purcell, Facebook, John Bitinas, Kansas, Moscow, Narconon, Narconon staff, Oregon, Police, Portland, Potential Trouble Source, Quicky, Registrar, Rod Keller, Sara Northrup, Science of Survival, Scientology organization, Suppressive Person, Taiwan, Tone Scale, Volunteer Ministers, White House, Wichita, WISE, World Institute of Scientology Enterprises

The weekly show where I answer viewer questions left in the comments sections of my Q&A videos or sent to me by email at AskChrisShelton@gmail.com. This week the questions I answer are: (1) Are body thetans (BTs) mentioned anywhere outside the upper OT levels in Scientology? In other words, would a non-OT Scientologist (including Sea Org since they don't seem to be privy to any secret upper level doctrine unless they have worked their way up the Bridge the same as public) be aware of BTs? I assume the answer to both questions is no, and thus you yourself were not aware of the concept of BTs until after leaving the church and reading the OT materials online? What did you think when you read about BTs? To me that's almost as big of a revelation as the Xenu story to learn that there are supposedly other thetans clustered on various areas of the body causing all sorts of impairment. I would liken it to the discovery of bacteria and viruses and how revolutionary it was to see these previously unseen entities which have the ability to profoundly affect our health. (2) Are you, or were you ever a smoker? If you were, how did you quit? In their podcast on Scientology, Ross and Carrie mentioned the large number of Scientologists that were smoking outside the building, and I've seen videos of Sea Org members and/or staff taking a smoke break. I know Hubbard smoked like a fiend (well, he was one) and dismissed it with the comment "nobody's perfect." Doesn't it seem a little "disconnected" that Scientology is so anti-drug but permits its members to smoke, unlike, say, the Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses, which don't allow smoking? I welcome your comments on this.

Tags: 1980, Critic, David Miscavige, International Association of Scientologists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormon, OT, Quicky, Ross and Carrie, Sea Org, Xenu

Jefferson Hawkins was once the top marketing executive for the Church of Scientology and helped it reach its greatest extent with the famous "volcano" TV ads in the 1980s. He's told his tale of getting into and out of the church with his excellent books Counterfeit Dreams and Leaving Scientology, and he's previous written a series about Scientology "ethics" for the Underground Bunker. One of the most cynically opportunistic recruitment methods in Scientology is what L. Ron Hubbard called the "Casualty Contact." He detailed this method in a number of bulletins in the 1950s and 1960s. In a Professional Auditors Bulletin of 28th Feb, 1956, he says,

Tags: 1950, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1980, 1991, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2013, Access Hollywood, Billy Bush, Casualty Contact, Clear, Counterfeit Dreams, Hubbard Association of Scientologists International, Jefferson Hawkins, John Travolta, Katie Holmes, LAPD, Leah Remini, Leaving Scientology, Matt Lauer, Professional Auditors Bulletin, Quicky, TIME, Tom Cruise, Touch Assist, Volunteer Ministers

Tags: Quicky, Regraded Being

Zabina Collins, a leading member of the Church of Scientology in Ireland, launched "a vicious character attack" on a former member who had given a talk to Dublin schoolboys on cults, the Circuit Civil Court has been told. Séamas Ó Tuathail SC, told the court Peter Griffiths, of Cual Gara, Teeling Street, Ballina, Co Mayo, had been defamed by Ms Collins in an email she had sent to the headmaster of St David's CBS, in Artane, Dublin, following a posting on the internet by Mr Griffiths of what he had said to the boys. Mr Ó Tuathail, who appeared with barrister John Smith for Griffiths, said the email had nothing to do with the issues of scientology. She had written to the school principal allegedly as a concerned parent who had no child attending the school.

Tags: Anonymous, Australia, Belfast, Catholic, Dublin, Frank Beatty, Guy Fawkes, Ireland, John McGhee, John Travolta, Michael O'Donnell, Peter Griffiths, Séamas Ó Tuathail, Tom Cruise, Vimeo, Zabrina Collins

After more than a year since an oral hearing was held in the case, the Texas Third Court of Appeals has finally ruled in Monique Rathbun's favor, denying the Church of Scientology's appeal of a lower court's ruling. Monique sued Scientology for harassment in 2013, accusing the church of using private investigators and other operatives to follow her and her husband, former Scientology official Mark "Marty" Rathbun, from 2009 to 2013 in what amounted to unreasonable surveillance and a disruption to their lives. Last year, Scientology filed an "anti-SLAPP" motion against Rathbun, arguing that its activities were protected free speech in a religious dispute with her husband. Comal County District Judge Dib Waldrip denied the church's motion, but Scientology then appealed that ruling to the Third Court of Appeals, where Scientology had earlier won a decision that prevented Scientology leader David Miscavige from being deposed in the lawsuit. This time, the three-judge panel found that Scientology had failed to prove that its activities were protected and couldn't be the basis for a lawsuit...

Tags: 2009, 2013, Appeal, Bert Leahy, Comal County, David Miscavige, Judge Dib Waldrip, Lamont Jefferson, Leslie Hyman, Marty Rathbun, Monique Rathbun, OT, Private investigator, Quicky, Rathbun v. Scientology, Ray Jeffrey, Review, Scott Pilutik, SLAPP, Squirrel Busters, Texas, Texas Supreme Court, Texas Third Court of Appeals

Scientology Inc acts like a business, talks like a business and quacks like a business while taking advantage of the vast protections of the first amendment to protect its conduct. These include religious privileges and "ministerial exception" for kidnapping back fleeing Sea Org Members and other so called "religious disciplines." The internal violence, the warfare, vendettas, malicious retaliation with PR Hit men merits Scientology Inc the title: The Al Capone of Religions

Tags: Facebook, Google, Quicky, Sea Org, Twitter

Jeffrey Riffer Scientology leader David Miscavige has filed a motion to get himself dismissed from the massive lawsuit filed by the National Association of Forensic Counselors against Scientology and its drug rehab network, Narconon. But unlike the many other similar motions filed in the case, this is far from a routine legal document, and it includes a short declaration by the reclusive church leader himself. We told you recently about the NAFC's interesting adventures trying to serve Miscavige, who was one of 82 defendants named in the lawsuit along with many people who work at Narconon centers and related entities. The NAFC's lawsuit alleges that Miscavige and the other defendants were involved in a years-long conspiracy to misuse the logos and trademarks of the NAFC in order to make the Narconon centers seem more legitimate than they really are — and all in an attempt to sucker new people ultimately into Scientology itself. As we expected, Miscavige is responding to the lawsuit by saying that he has nothing to do with the state of Oklahoma, where the lawsuit was filed. But for the first time, we see in a filing from Scientology or Narconon's attorneys a somewhat vicious and smeary attack on the NAFC and its president, Karla Taylor. And it comes courtesy of one of Scientology's most colorful litigators — Jeffrey K. Riffer.

Tags: 2008, Andrew Morton, David Keesling, David Miscavige, Jeffrey Riffer, Karen de la Carriere, Karla Taylor, Maureen Orth, NAFC v. Scientology, Narconon, National Association of Forensic Counselors, Nazanin Boniadi, Oklahoma, Quicky, Tom Cruise, Vanity Fair

Straight Up and Vertical? This is a recent posting on Instagram showing just how packed the HGC's in the new SP building are.... There is NOTHING happening there, and apparently not even any staff around.

Tags: Albuquerque, Austin, Flag World Tour, Hollywood, Ideal Org, Iowa, IRS, L. Ron Hubbard, Minneapolis, Minnesota, New Braunfels, New Mexico, Office of Special Affairs, OT, OT V, Quicky, Regraded Being, South Dakota, St. Paul, Stress test, Student Hat, Texas, Thursday Funnies, Twin Cities, Wisconsin

A largely unspoken theme during the campaign was that a thriving aquarium downtown might dilute the presence of the Church of Scientology, which has an extensive campus downtown.

Tags: Brian Aungst, Clearwater, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Frank Hibbard

This guy, apparently an "OT VIII" has lost his marbles. He is a complete wackjob. Certifiable. And yet he sits in the front row of Voldemort events and has his photo taken being presented with his status "trophies."

Tags: California, Clear, David Wilson, Hollywood, Humanitarian, Ideal Org, OT, OT VIII, Quicky

Now we've talked to a man who said he was told his treatment would cost $20,000 - but then found that his insurance company was billed nearly $200,000 instead. This man's name is Sean Blevins, and he was treated at a Narconon-style center in Manistee, Michigan. We have Sean's insurance billings. Will they inspire the same kind of interest in Michigan that has law enforcement digging in Georgia?

Tags: 2008, 2012, A Forever Recovery, Academic, Alabama, Amber Bullins, Angry Gay Pope, Atlanta, Battle Creek, Best Drug Rehabilitation, Bullbaiting, Chairman of the Board, Donald Myers, Florida, Georgia, Graham Berry, Guy Fawkes, Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood Guaranty Building, Karen de la Carriere, L. Ron Hubbard Life Exhibition, LAPD, Lissa Uvizl, London, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Manistee, Michigan, Narconon, Narconon Georgia, Narconon International, Narconon Stone Hawk, Per Wickstrom, Police, Pope, Russell Brand, Sam Domingo, Sea Org, Sean Blevins, Tranquility Detox

On Tuesday church representatives delivered the new plan, proposing Nov. 29-Dec. 1 for the event, which is normally held in England. The IAS meeting will be held in a massive tent the church erected beside Court Street, a major route to Clearwater Beach. The tent has drawn scrutiny because a wrap the church put over the tent has lettering that violates the city's sign laws. The church has not indicated it will close Fort Harrison Avenue, a main north-south thoroughfare through downtown, for the IAS event.

Tags: Bill Horne, Clearwater, Clearwater Beach, Code Enforcement Board, England, Flag Building, International Association of Scientologists, Sarah Heller

Miscavige has sent the storm troopers to lower the boom in South Africa. The big question is whether the boom is going to crash right through the hull and sink his ship of fools down there. The newest post on the African Scientologists Getting Back in Comm blog is reproduced in full below.

Tags: Africa, Alex Faust, Clearwater, Commodore's Messenger Organization, Cornerstone, David Miscavige, Disconnection, Durban, Ernest Corbett, Gaye Corbett, Goldenrod, Ideal Org, Johannesburg, OT, OT V, OT VII, OT VIII, Quicky, Sea Org, Silver, South Africa

I have posted this one before, years ago now. But, it imparts a lesson that is timeless. You may need to go through it a couple of times to follow - lyrics appended for clarity. By the way Lonnie Lynn is Common's father. lyrics: featuring Cee Lo

Tags: Israel, Jesus, Quicky

Hey, it's Election Day here in the US, and we hope our American readers go out and vote. On this historic day, we have just a few thoughts about how this election intersects with our interests in Scientology watching at this blog. First, you may be wondering: is The Underground Bunker going to endorse a candidate?

Tags: Kirstie Alley, Quicky, Tom Cruise

That's when Douglas surveyed the metaphysical landscape of Santa Barbara and found an opening. For years, Douglas had flitted on the outskirts of Scientology. His first wife, Laurie Alexander, ran a "field group" in the city - pulling in new recruits through Scientology's "auditing" process. The whole point of Scientology was to get "clear," to rid your body of subconscious memories of tragic events, which are called "engrams." People paid good money for this. Scientology had its own language, and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, had something of a fetish for dictionaries and what he considered to be the true definitions of everyday words.

Tags: Access Consciousness, Access True Knowledge Foundation, Advanced Ability Center, Dain Heer, David Miscavige, Gary Douglas, Laurie Alexander, Mary Wernicke, New Jersey, Patricia O'Hara, Sea Org

Tags: Quicky

So we're doing something about it. We're launching a Sunday morning Scientology Open Thread, looking forward to your thoughtful, funny, acerbic, or edgy contributions for whatever it is you'd like to talk about. And, to get the juices flowing, we're going to start things off with some fun images that Scientologists send out to inspire each other. (Um, in most cases, inspire each other to fork over money, that is.)

Tags: California, Caribbean, David Miscavige, Freewinds, Ideal Org, Newport, Orange County, Phoenix, Sunday Funnies, Sunday service

This is a letter written to David Miscavige in November of 2010 from American Scientologist and OT VIII Luis Garcia. Mr Garcia had donated 1/2 a million dollars to his local org for the purchase of a new building and donated to many other projects. However as time went on he saw more and more departures from LRH policy, culminating in this letter. He also sent the letter to a few friends and the letter went viral, reaching thousands and thousands of Scientologists all over the world. Here is the letter November 6th, 2010 To: Mr. David Miscavige, COB RTC

Tags: 1950, 1954, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1990, 1991, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, Abortion, Anatomy of the Human Mind Congress, Auditing, Author Services Inc, Axioms, Basics, Bent Corydon, Bill Robertson, Chairman of the Board, Charlie Bills, Church of Spiritual Technology, CIA, Class IV, Class VIII, Class XII, Clear, Clearing Course, Code of Honor, Command Intention, Committee of Evidence, Commodore's Messenger Organization, Congress, Cyril Vosper, David Miscavige, DC, Debbie Cook, Dianetics, Disconnection, Donation, E-meter, Ethics, Field Staff Member, Flag Service Organization, France, Freewinds, Fundraising, Golden Age of Knowledge, Golden Age of Tech, Grade II, Grade III, Grade IV, Heber Jentzsch, Hubbard Communication Office Bulletin, Humanitarian, Ideal Org, Independent Scientologists, International Association of Scientologists, IRS, John McMaster, Keep Scientology Working, Ken Urquhart, Knowledge Report, L. Ron Hubbard, Life Repair, Luis Garcia, Maiden Voyage, Mark Yager, Martin Samuels, Master at Arms, Mission, Mission Network, Orange County, Org Board, OT, OT Committee, OT VIII, Passports, PC folders, Phoenix Lectures, Potential Trouble Source, Quicky, Ray Mithoff, Reg Sharpe, Religious Technology Center, Rhodesia, Russell Bellin, Saint Hill, Saint Hill Special Briefing Course, Scientology staff, Sea Org, Sec Check, Shelly Miscavige, Squirrel, Study Tech, Super Power, Suppressive Person, Tampa, The Creation of Human Ability, Tony Dunleavy, Word Clearing

Blown for Good: Behind the Iron Curtain of Scientology is a non-fiction book about Scientology, written by Marc Headley. It was first published in the United States on November 5, 2009. Headley's mother was a Scientologist and he joined the organization at a young age. He worked for the organization at its international headquarters in Hemet, California, called Gold Base for 15 years, and left in 2005. The book details his experiences working as a member of Scientology's highest-leadership group in the organization called the Sea Org, as well as the management style of Scientology leader David Miscavige. Click here to Purchase

Tags: 2005, Blown for Good, California, David Miscavige, Hemet, Int Base, Marc Headley, Quicky, Sea Org

For all the rumors that swirl around the Church of Scientology - the accusations that it is a cult, the hints about its supernatural teachings, the means by which it attracts so many celebrities - its center on West 46th Street, tucked between the soignée Paramount Hotel and the workaday Edison, is a rather straightforward presence.

Tags: A New Slant on Life, John Carmichael, New York City, Personality test

Inside Scientology Revealing the church's inner workings

Tags: 1993, 1997, Barack Obama, Belleair, Buddha, Clearwater, Clearwater Sun, David Miscavige, Dunedin, England, Europe, IRS, Joe Childs, Lobbyist, Medicaid, Medicare, Mexico, Palm Harbor, Paris, Pasadena, Quebec, Spring Hill, St. Petersburg Times, Stockholm, Tampa, Tax exempt, The Way to Happiness, Thomas C. Tobin, Thomas Tobin, Tommy Davis, William Witter, Xenu

The area edged in purple was purchased by Centrepoint Limited on September 7th 2007 for £7,000,000 Dox on Centrepoint from Companies House: Registered Address: 2nd Floor, 111 Baker Street, London, W1G 6SG Directors: •Elizabeth Diane Calcioli: Tall Trees, Rycewood Road, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5LX •David Bernard Gaiman: Vitality House, 2 3 Imberhorne Way, East Grinsted, West Sussex, RH19 1RL On the same day, 7th September 2007, the land was divided in to lots, edged in shades of green, as indicated by numbers and sold off as follows: T. H. KINGERLEE & SONS LIMITED bought Lot 7 for £481,000 T. H. KINGERLEE & SONS LIMITED bought Lot 2 for £2,242,500 WOODVIEW PROPERTIES LIMITED bought Lot 3 for £4,250,000 BRIDESTOWE PROPERTIES LIMITED bought Lot 4 for £750,000 TOTAL:£7,723,500 Dox on T. H. KINGERLEE & SONS LIMITED from Companies House Registered Address: Thomas House, Langford Locks, Kidlington, Oxon, OX5 1HR Directors: •Peter John Goddard: Little Levers Cottage, Ewelme, Wallingford, Oxon, OX10 6HN •David Henry: 29 Home Close, Wolvercote, Oxford, Oxon, OX2 8PS •Johnathon Charles Kingerlee: Black Knap House, Prior Road, Heythrop, Chipping Norton, Oxon, OX7 5TP •Richard John Wilsdon: Cotswold House, Cotswold Road, Cumnor Hill, Oxford, OX2 9JG Dox on WOODVIEW PROPERTIES LIMITED from Isle of Man Companies Registry Registered Address: Chancery House, 22 Finch Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2TP Directors: (they have changed directors since incorporation on 22nd August 2007) The current directors effective of 22nd Sept 2008 is: •Richard Edward Wilkins: Walsh Manor, Walshes Road, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 3RB •Barbara Sharon Bradley: Walsh Manor, Walshes Road, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 3RB (The original directors / Company Secretary when the company was incorporated were Isle of Man based) Dox on BRIDESTOWE PROPERTIES LIMITED from Isle of Man Companies Registry Registered Address: Chancery House, 22 Finch Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2TP (Yes it is the same address as WOODVIEW PROPERTIES LIMITED). Directors: (they have changed directors since incorporation on 22nd August 2007) The current directors effective of 22nd Sept 2008 is: •Richard Edward Wilkins: Walsh Manor, Walshes Road, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 3RB •Barbara Sharon Bradley: Walsh Manor, Walshes Road, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 3RB (The original directors / Company Secretary when the company was incorporated were Isle of Man based) Yes the details are the same as WOODVIEW PROPERTIES LIMITED. On 14th Feb 2008 T. H. KINGERLEE & SONS LIMITED purchased the land edged in blue and labeled 6 for £472,500 On 15th Feb 2008 Bridestowe Properties Limited sold off the land edged in dark blue and labeled 5 for £147,000 to ROBERT JOHN MATTHEWS: Woodlands, 127 Kimberley Road, Nuthall, Nottingham NG16 1DD.

Tags: 2007, Birmingham, Companies House, Company, David Gaiman, Ideal Org, London, OT, Pitmaston building, Sussex, Video, West Sussex

Taking off the kid gloves, Scientology lawyers put as much pressure as a quasi-church can create on a Florida judge to attempt to quash a $265 million lawsuit brought by ex-Scientologist Peter Letterese that names the church and film star Tom Cruise as complicit. The Church, repped by attorney Allen Perlman and federal bankruptcy trustee attorney John Genovese, started by trying on Wednesday to appeal to federal Judge John K. Olson to strip Letterese of his longtime attorney, Charles Franken.

Tags: Allen Perlman, Charles Franken, David Miscavige, John Genovese, Judge John Olson, Peter Letterese, Tom Cruise

Body of woman found by hikers The body of a woman was found by two hikers at about 10 a.m. Tuesday dumped about 100 feet from Gilman Springs Road.

Tags: Int Base

Sunday night, Tom Cruise rewarded high-ranking members of the Church of Scientology with tickets to a private screening of his new movie, "Lions for Lambs."

Tags: Applied Scholastics, Cal Henry, Carole Hamaker, Eric Lieberman, Jim Woodworth, John Carmichael, John Danielson, Lori Alpers, Marian Henry, Randy Hepner, Tom Cruise

Narconon wasn't licensed directly by the state for several years after coming here. The Oklahoma Board of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services refused to approve the Narconon program, calling its treatment methods "unsafe and ineffective." The rehab program, however, was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and as a result, the state exempted Narconon from licensing until a recent law change required rehab programs to be licensed by the state. Narconon was certified by the state earlier this year without any problems, according to a spokesman for ODMHSAS.

Tags: Al Lindley, Alan Gates, Clark Carr, Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, Curtis Reinwand, Ed Parkin, Gary Smith, Narconon, Narconon Arrowhead, Narconon Chilocco, Narconon International, National Council Against Health Fraud, New Life Detoxification Program, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, William Benitez

"The stench of religious intolerance is high among government officials in Germany," Craig Jensen, owner and CEO of California-based Executive Software International, said in a statement issued over the weekend.

Tags: Craig Jensen, Executive Software, Germany

"I think we've done everything we possibly could," Klein said of the intelligence effort. "We have literally left no stone unturned. I have at times felt like the lone ranger, kind of out there by myself. And we've never dropped our vigilance against this organization or any other that we thought might be a threat to the citizens of Clearwater." He thanked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for helping the small department when it became overwhelmed with the effort, and said federal authorities never responded to his requests for help.

Tags: 1975, 1979, 1995, 1997, Clearwater, Clearwater Police Department, Critic, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Gabe Cazares, Lisa McPherson, Los Angeles, Marty Rathbun, Mike Roberto, Police, Robert Minton, Scientology staff, Sid Klein, Washington

A federal court in Berlin has failed to reach a verdict on the legal status of a scientology group. The federal administrative court referred the case back to a regional court. The ruling was expected to give guidance on whether the German government has legal justification for its clampdown on scientology.

Tags: Germany, Legal

BERLIN (AP) _ Federal judges refused today to rule on whether the Church of Scientology is a religion, ordering a lower court to focus instead on whether the group is a non-profit venture or a money-making business. The case, concerning a Scientology branch in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, already has been bounced several times from court to court _ reflecting the sensitive and explosive nature of Scientology's position here. German politicians claim the Los Angeles-based group is a money-making business with totalitarian aims to overthrow democracy; the Scientologists say they are a non-profit religious group discriminated against in German society.

Tags: 1986, 1993, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, Helmut Kohl, Holocaust, Los Angeles, Quicky

German federal judges refused today to rule on whether the Church of Scientology is a religion, ordering a lower court to focus on whether the group is a nonprofit venture or a money-making business. The Baden-Wuerttemberg case already has been bounced several times from court to court - reflecting the sensitive nature of Scientology's position here.

Tags: Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

BERLIN (AP) _ Germany's fight with the Church of Scientology hinges on a central question: Is the group a religion, as it claims, or a money-making business? The question has bounced from court to court in recent months, concerning a Scientology branch in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. On Thursday, federal judges refused to touch it, kicking the case back to the state court with a firm instruction: Religion in this case is irrelevant. Instead, they ruled, the lower court should focus on whether the mission in Stuttgart was a business or a not-for-profit organization concerned with "spiritual advisement."

Tags: 1986, 1993, 1995, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, Heber Jentzsch, Holocaust, Los Angeles, Quicky, Stuttgart

In Berlin, a federal court has failed to reach a verdict on the legal status of a Scientology group in a case that has wider implications for the status of the Church of Scientology within Germany. The German government refused to recognise Scientology as a church believing it to be a potentially dangerous cult that exploits its members for financial gain.

Tags: Germany, Legal, Nazi labelling

A federal court in Germany has failed to reach a verdict on whether or not Scientology can be considered a religion. The verdict was sought after a regional court in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg ruled in July that the status of Scientology had to be to be legally determined before the organisation could be deprived of the tax and other priviliges that go with religious status. But the federal administrative court in Berlin has now referred the case back to the regional court. The German authorities have taken measures to combat the influence of Scientolgy.

Tags: Baden-Wuerttemberg, Berlin, Germany

A busy congressman couldn't make it to his daughter's school play, so he called on John Travolta to give him a boost in his approval rating. Travolta phoned Lara Salmon, daughter of Rep. Matt Salmon, this week to wish her luck in her high school production of "Hello, Dolly!" The star invited the 17-year-old to the set of his next movie. "He knows my daughter is his biggest fan," Salmon said. Salmon, an Arizona Republican, and Travolta met when the actor lobbied Congress earlier this year to push Germany to ease restrictions on the Church of Scientology. Travolta, a church follower, made the call to Lara after a House committee that her father sits on took a voice vote in support of Scientology and other religious groups. Mike Paranzino, Salmon's spokesman in Washington, said there was nothing improper about the congressman seeking a favor from Travolta. "This is a non-story," he said Thursday."

Tags: Arizona, Germany, John Travolta, Matt Salmon

Scientology was founded in Los Angeles in the nineteen fifties by a science fiction author, L.Ron Hubbard. He said human beings contained the souls of Thetans -- immortal creatures responsible for making the universe.

Current U.S. copyright law was last revised in 1976, and a court has yet to set firm precedent over the nature of copyrights in cyberspace. A copyright case in which the Church of Scientology sued Internet provider Netcom was settled out of court this summer.

Backers of a drug rehabilitation program on Indian land in northern Oklahoma say a predated rejection letter from the Department of Mental Health provesthere is "a conspiracy" to prevent the program from receiving certification.

Tags: CCHR, Certification, Dennis Clarke, Gary Smith, Narconon, Narconon Chilocco, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Rosemary Brown

City commissioners refused Thursday to repeal the city's controversial charitable solicitations ordinance in order to end a legal battle with the Church of Scientology. But they will invite the Scientologists and several other religious groups to submit amendments that might make the ordinance more palatable to them. The Church of Scientology, which has maintained an international headquarters in Clearwater since 1975, gave the City Commission a Thursday deadline to agree to repeal the ordinance. In exchange, the organization would drop its lawsuit and a demand for about $100,000 in attorneys' fees.

Tags: 1975, 1983, Clearwater, Don Winner

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The attorney for a man who was awarded $30 million in a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology has filed his own suit against the organization over an assault complaint leveled against him. Charles B. O'Reilly, who successfully handled former Scientologist Larry Wollersheim's case, filed the lawsuit Wednesday against the organization, its lawyer in the case and several Scientology officials. The Superior Court lawsuit, which does not specify damages sought, contends that during Wollersheim's trial, Scientology members intentionally set up an assault incident that led to a false criminal report being filed against him.

Tags: 1985, Assault, Judge Ronald Swearinger, Ken Hoden, Lawrence Wollersheim, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Superior Court, Quicky, US Supreme Court

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The Church of Scientology secretly teaches that 75 million years ago Earth was called Teegeeach and was among 90 planets ruled by Xemu, who spread his evil by thermonuclear bombs, according to court documents that sect members tried to prevent the public from seeing. Xemu, attempting to solve overpopulation problems, destroyed selected inhabitants of the planets and implanted the seeds of aberrant behavior in their spirits to affect future generations of mankind, according to the documents briefly placed in open court records in connection with a lawsuit. Church president Heber T. Jentzsch said Tuesday that news accounts of the documents were distorted. He contended that such piecemeal, out-of-context reporting tends to subject the sect to ridicule, in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Tags: 1948, Boston, Clearwater, Dianetics, Earle Cooley, E-meter, Heber Jentzsch, Lawrence Wollersheim, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles Times, Mental Health, Michael Flynn, OT, Quicky