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2019
1 year ago
2019-12-19, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
While we were going through various L. Ron Hubbard lectures looking for fun items for our "Source Code" feature, we ran into something pretty wild that we wanted to share with you.
Our Scientology oldtimers may be fully familiar with this, but we have to admit that we hadn't run across it before.
When we think of Scientology, we tend to think of L. Ron Hubbard giving one of his nutty lectures, which we've shared with you many times. Or, we think of individual Scientologists pursuing their path on the "Bridge to Total Freedom," paired up with a twin or with an auditor.
Tags: 1950, 1953, 1954, 1977, Bridge to Total Freedom, California, CCHR, CIA, Clearwater, Cleveland, Dianetics, FBI, Florida, Forrest Ackerman, Jon Atack, Los Angeles, Orlando, OT, Sunday service, Sunny Pereira, YouTube
2019-12-19, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
I have kept a few of the "Christmas" promo pieces, but the number of them is ridiculous so I just ignored most. The amount of promotion about scientology pretending to somehow be part of the Christian Christmas "scene" is crazy. As always, they are trying to create "religious image" and look like "real churches."
A new civilization...
And nobody in Sydney is even aware they exist.
Tags: 1983, Birthday Game, Boris Levitsky, Calvin Coolidge, Cary Goulston, Chicago, Christian, Christmas, Clear, Facebook, Kansas City, OCA, OT, OT IV, Quicky, Sydney, Tampa, Thursday Funnies, Tom Cruise, Twitter, Universe Corps
2019-12-19, David Gutman, Seattle Times
State Rep. Matt Shea planned and participated in domestic terrorism against the United States before and during the armed takeover at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, an investigation commissioned by the Washington state House found.
The 108-page report found that beginning in November 2015, Shea, working with militia leader Ammon Bundy, helped "in the planning and preparation" of the Malheur takeover, a six-week conflict in which dozens of armed protesters occupied the refuge in rural Eastern Oregon. The standoff ended after one protester was shot and killed and dozens were arrested.
"Representative Shea, as a leader in the Patriot Movement, planned, engaged in and promoted a total of three armed conflicts of political violence against the United States Government in three states outside the state of Washington over a three-year period," according to the report released Thursday. "In one conflict Representative Shea led covert strategic pre-planning in advance of the conflict."
Tags: 1990, 2008, 2014, 2015, 2016, Alt-Right, Ammon Bundy, Cliven Bundy, Democratic Party, Donald Trump, Easter, Facebook, FBI, GPS, Idaho, Infowars, Matt Shea, Mike Carter, Nevada, Oklahoma City, Oregon, Patriot Movement, Police, Republican, Ruby Ridge, Sovereign Citizen, Spokane, Texas, Twitter, US Attorney's Office, Waco, Washington
2018
2 years ago2018-12-19, Shane Sanderson, Star Tribune
A physical therapist made his employee take Scientology courses as a condition of her employment, she alleges in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed this week.
Julie A. Rohrbacher filed suit Monday against Teton Therapy, a set of physical and occupational therapy offices that operate in four Wyoming locations, including Lander, where she worked. In court filings, Rohrbacher claims Jeff McMenamy, the company's owner, declined to promote her and then forced her to resign in 2013 from her job after she refused to enroll in courses put on by the Church of Scientology.
McMenamy said late Wednesday morning that neither he nor his attorney had yet seen filings in the case and could therefore not comment on the lawsuit.
2018-12-19, Jerry Iannelli, Miami New Times
The Church of Scientology was founded by a science-fiction writer. The group allegedly collects intel on its members and critics, and forces workers into indentured servitude. In addition to attracting Hollywood celebrities, the Clearwater-based church also has a habit of buying tons of expensive real estate, including a new Miami headquarters, which opened in 2017 and received praise from former Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado.
Now the church is recruiting inside one of Miami-Dade's main prisons. According to news releases and online documents Jacksonville's Florida Times-Union flagged yesterday, Scientology is running an inmate "rehabilitation" program called Criminon inside Everglades Correctional Institution in Southwest Miami-Dade. Criminon is a mail-based so-called rehab program based on the teachings of sci-fi writer and leader L. Ron Hubbard.
2018-12-19, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
Last night, we kept checking Scientology's main anti-Aftermath website obsessively. We couldn't wait to see what kind of attack the church would make on the episode in Leah Remini's series when she was finally taking on the "Where is Shelly?" question head-on.
Would they post something from Shelly herself, David Miscavige's wife who vanished in 2005 and hasn't been seen in public since 2007? Maybe even a video, proving that Shelly was well and wanted to be left alone?
But no, for the first time in a long time, Scientology didn't post anything at all attacking the latest episode. Instead, they threw up yet another attack on Mike Rinder, in the same vein as so many previous attacks about an encounter with his ex-wife that is a total non-sequitur.
2018-12-19, Marlow Stern, Daily Beast
It's the question that's haunted Leah Remini for over a decade. And in the latest episode of her A&E series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, the ex-Scientologist turned whistle-blower, a former friend and pen pal of Shelly's, interviewed several of her closest confidantes who provided valuable context for why the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige hasn't been seen publicly since August 2007, at her father's funeral.
According to author Lawrence Wright's book Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, Shelly both functioned as Miscavige's right-hand woman as well as a handler to Scientology's biggest star, Tom Cruise. And, in the latter capacity, Wright claimed that she supervised the auditing of the Mission: Impossible actor's then-girlfriend Penelope Cruz, as well as the search for Cruise's new partner following his split from the Spanish actress.
The problems for Remini began at the 2006 wedding of Cruise and this new partner, Katie Holmes—a $3 million, star-studded affair at a 15th century castle in Italy. Among the guests were Brooke Shields, Giorgio Armani, Jim Carrey, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, David and Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, and fellow Scientologists John Travolta and Kelly Preston. The couple was serenaded by Andrea Bocelli, and took part in Scientology's Double Ring ceremony, with Miscavige serving as Cruise's best man. Remini was there too, and when she began asking guests and Scientology officials at the bash why Shelly was nowhere to be found, says she was subsequently "punished for asking where the leader's wife was."
Tags: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2013, A&E, Anthony Michael Glassman, Armageddon, Brooke Shields, California, Church of Spiritual Technology, David Miscavige, Glassman Media Group, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, Gus Villanueva, Hollywood Division, Int Base, Italy, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Jim Carrey, John Travolta, Katie Holmes, Kelly Preston, Kevin Becker, Lake Arrowhead, LAPD, Lawrence Wright, Leah Remini, Marc Anthony, Mike Rinder, Mission, Penelope Cruz, Rebecca Kaufman, Riverside County, Scientology and the Aftermath, Sea Org, Shelly Miscavige, Tom Cruise, Tom DeVocht, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker, Valerie Haney, Victoria Beckham
2018-12-19, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
As always, interested to hear your feedback on the show tonight.
And as is their pattern, scientology's response to the show is both predictable and quite bizarre.
They are hanging their hat on the fact that this is all a publicity stunt, but now they have gone a step further, claiming it is "intended to incite violence" and that Leah is back like Jason from Friday the 13th (a trademark Miscavigeism — certainly not a line that any reputable lawyer would include in a letter). Of course they ignore the fact there would be NO INTEREST if Shelly was NOT MISSING from the public eye. She was MADE INTO a public figure by Miscavige having her with him at every important event in scientology history until Tom Cruise's wedding. She was then vanished without explanation.
2017
3 years ago2017-12-19, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
Like anything else in Scientology, how children are treated is governed by a huge number of policies and reports, and in this series we're looking at documents that show how children were treated under the ideas of L. Ron Hubbard. We're fortunate that one man has done so much to collect huge numbers of such documents — Mark "Warrior" Plummer, who left Scientology in 1983, and is pretty legendary for the collection of church materials he's amassed. Also helping us is Sunny Pereira, who spent several weeks working with Mark to pull out key documents for us to discuss.
The Bunker: Sunny, you forwarded this document to us calling it "the worst thing that ever happened to Sea Org kids." That really got our attention. Please explain.
Sunny: The Cadet Org is commonly understood to be staffed by the children (the youngest age 6, oldest around 15, but most joined the Sea Org by then or even earlier), but back in the 70s, the executives of the Cadet Org were staffed by adult Sea Org personnel (at least the post of "CO" which stands for "Commanding Officer," who is the top person in the org). So the first instructions on this issue are talking about a parent not being allowed to give orders to their own children without those instructions first going through the CO Cadets. The CO Cadets is the person in charge of the children assigned to the Cadet Org, and, at the time of this writing, was manned by an adult.
Tags: 1979, 1983, Cadet Org, Celebrity Centre, Committee of Evidence, Commodore's Messenger Organization, Congress, Estates Project Force, Ethics, Greg Deering, Joy Villa, Keep Scientology Working, Knowledge Report, Mark Plummer, Master at Arms, Mission, New Year's Eve, Org Board, Quicky, Rehabilitation Project Force, Sea Org, Steve Crivello, Sunny Pereira
2017-12-19, Former Scientologist Magazine, YouTube
This is sort of a trailer/preview of "Former Scientologist Magazine." We're currently in the process of raising funds to get this project off the ground. You can help by visiting our GoFundMe campaign page.
https://www.gofundme.com/challenge-sc...
Or you can go to our publisher's PayPal page and donate directly:
2017-12-19, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
This "success story" looks like it might have been written by Dan Sherman.
5 paragraphs of words that mean nothing with no conclusion.
SUPER POWER COMPLETION
2016
4 years ago2016-12-19, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
The wreckage from Hurricane Leah is evident everywhere you turn.
Scientology's PR geniuses are frantically trying to figure out how to respond to the avalanche of exposure.
Their "responses" consist of A. "dead agenting" the source of the problem (see earlier post that defines and describes this: Scientology Dead Agents Itself), B. seeking to destroy the "enemies" who are exposing their abuses (see this article: Dealing with Critics of Scientology: the L. Ron Hubbard Playbook) and C. "Filling the vacuum". This is described by L. Ron Hubbard in his "scripture" about how to deal with media or other PR "attacks" (black propaganda). In fact, though I have placed this as "Step C" it comes first in his list of "vital actions." This is what he says:
Tags: Anne Archer, Beck Hansen, Carole Lombard, Celebrity, Celebrity magazine, Critic, Danny Masterson, David Miscavige, Dead Agent, Disconnection, Erika Christensen, International Association of Scientologists, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jenna Elfman, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Laura Prepon, Music, Nancy Cartwright, Pat Kingsley, Quicky, Stanley Clarke, Tom Cruise, Tommy Davis, Vonni Ribisi, Will Smith
2016-12-19, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
Earlier today the Underground Bunker posted a story about a man named Corey Steele, who lives in Sherman Oaks — in the very apartment complex where a woman named Amy Scobee lives.
Amy was the subject of a recent episode of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, and she's been experiencing a lot of harassment from the Church of Scientology. She's been followed and photographed and her image has been plastered on anonymous attack websites that we believe are operated by Scientology.
And so when she saw that there was a man parked outside her apartment recently, spending hours in a red zone and looking in her direction, Amy believed she was being surveilled and photographed again by Scientology. When she went out to photograph the man and his car, she says that he reacted by filming her with his smartphone.
2016-12-19, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
Three years ago, we pulled the mask off of OTVIIIisGrrr8!, the greatest of the Scientology satirizers. It turned out that "we in RTC" was actually Jeffrey Augustine, a longtime Scientology critic who has also operated under the nom de guerre of "J.Swift."
Little did we know that since we pulled off his mask, OTVIII would be making the big time. Tonight, Jeffrey will be joining his wife Karen de la Carriere, former Sea Org worker Chris Shelton, and journalist Paulette Cooper on a special one-hour episode of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.
We asked OTVIIIisGrrr8! how it feels to make it to A&E's hit series, which continues with its fourth regular episode tomorrow night.
2015
5 years ago2015-12-19, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
This quote from L. Ron Hubbard encapsulates what fundamentalist scientologists believe as an article of faith. They are literally the only people on earth with access to ALL knowledge and without scientology, every wog is ignorant and blind.
This is not really unusual in the world of the fundamentalist - so too go the fundamentalist Southern Baptists. And Jehovah's Witnesses. And Muslims. And on and on.
The interesting thing about scientology is that in order not to appear to be what they truly are, they pretend that theirs is a faith of inordinate tolerance, of scientific proof and certainty and most of all, containing no dogma. For in scientology they proclaim, "only what is true for you is what is true." You do not need to believe anything. Unless of course your truth does not match with what the church proclaims to be the truth — then you are a squirrel. Or an SP. Or PTS. Or have unhandled case. Or are "out-KSW". Or "CI." And at that point, you are no longer considered a "true" scientologist for you have strayed from the path of righteousness. So the only true scientologists are those that agree with everything that is preached in the church. You DO have to believe. If you have not found by your experience that disconnecting from your family is "true for you" (that is, it doesn't work) you can see how far it gets you in the fundamentalist church. You will be found "guilty" of a "High Crime" for seeking to live with your own truth.
2015-12-19, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
(An undated photo of the co-founders of American Health and Education Clinics and also operators of the World Literacy Crusade, Hanan Islam and Rev. Alfreddie Johnson Jr. )
Yesterday, we told you that Eric Tenorio, a former official with Scientology's drug rehab network, Narconon, had an eyewitness account that confirmed that the rehab facility being run out of the World Literacy Crusade in Compton, California was an official and licensed enterprise of the Church of Scientology itself.
On Thursday, we revealed that at least six of the counselors at the Compton rehab facility, including its co-founder, Hanan Islam, are facing felony Medi-Cal fraud charges after a yearlong investigation by the state's Bureau of Medi-Cal and Elder Abuse, an investigation that also ousted three prominent educators in the Compton Unified School District for supplying students to Islam's clinic as part of the scam.
Tags: 1990, 1999, 2004, 2005, ABLE, African-American, Alex Gibney, Alfreddie Johnson, American Health and Education Clinics, Bureau of Medi-Cal and Elder Abuse, California, Celebrity Centre, Clark Carr, Compton, Compton Unified School District, Criminon, David Miscavige, Eric Tenorio, Fair Game, Freedom Medal, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Golden Era Productions, Hanan Islam, Hemet, Insurance fraud, Int Base, Isaac Hayes, Jason Beghe, Kathy Nather Thomas, Legoland, Marc Headley, Medi-Cal, Narconon, Narconon Arrowhead, Narconon International, Quicky, Sea Org, US IAS Members Trust, World Literacy Crusade, Youth for Human Rights International
2014
6 years ago2014-12-19, Chris Shelton, Critical Thinker at Large
Introduction
For anyone who pays attention to the Church of Scientology on a fairly regular basis, it has become obvious over the past couple of years that its public image has taken repeated well-deserved beatings. It's so bad that at ths point I believe it has passed the point of no return. There is no road out for Scientology to gain a favorable public image and it's only going down from here.
What's not so obvious is why this has happened.
Tags: 1970, 1971, 1980, 1984, 2002, 2008, 2011, Anonymous, Belgium, Catholic, David Bloomberg, David Miscavige, France, George Orwell, Golden Era Productions, International Association of Scientologists, Jefferson Hawkins, Jennifer Linson, Jesus, Jewish, KCET, Legal, Los Angeles, Mormon, Office of Special Affairs, Org Board, Private investigator, Quicky, Ruthie Heyerdahl, Scientology lawyer, Scientology organization, Sea Org, Tom Cruise, Tommy Davis, YouTube
2014-12-19, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
Chris Shelton was a longtime Scientology Sea Org worker who only recently left the organization. Since then, he's become one of the best former Scientologists at actually explaining what Scientology is and why it's doomed.
It also doesn't hurt that the man has some good video skills. We've posted a number of his great short films that help both never-ins and former church members understand how L. Ron Hubbard's "technology" and "admin tech" lead to contradictory logic that only gets more messed up by the crew that Scientology leader David Miscavige runs today.
In this new piece, Chris looks at some of the bizarre recent behavior by Scientologists, which suggests that Hubbard's ideas about public relations are convincing Miscavige that the way to handle all of the recent bad news for the organization is to react in the strangest way possible.
Tags: 1950, 1980, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2013, Allen Barton, Beverly Hills Playhouse, CCHR, Chris Shelton, David Miscavige, Disconnection, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, Grant Cardone, HBO, Jan Eastgate, Jenna Elfman, Jenna Miscavige Hill, John Sweeney, Lawrence Wright, Mario Feninger, Milton Katselas, Music, Quicky, Sea Org, Snow White Program, Sundance Film Festival
2014-12-19, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
2015 is kicking off in grand style.
Allen Barton's new play opens on 24 January, the evening before the premiere of Alex Gibney's documentary at Sundance.
Anyone who does not know Allen, he is a highly acclaimed playwright (I include at the end of this posting some of the many kudos for his last play).
Tags: 1960, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, Alex Gibney, Allen Barton, Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills Playhouse, Celebrity Centre, Chicago, Company, DC, Disconnection, Drama, Edinburgh, Facebook, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, LA Weekly, Lawrence Wright, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Times, Mario Feninger, Mario Fenninger, Milton, Milton Katselas, New York, Paris, Quicky, Rome, Skylight Theatre Company, Sundance, Suppressive Person, Tony Ortega, Twitter
2014-12-19, Hometown Focus
Members of the Northeastern Law Enforcement Administrators Council (NLEAC) received a full day of training in Hermantown recently on a drug prevention program called The Truth About Drugs. Alarmed by the number of calls related to the illegal use of both street and prescription drugs, Babbitt Chief of Police Chad Lowen, who is the current President of NLEAC, arranged for all member jurisdictions to receive training on drug prevention.
2014-12-19, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
Here's a little treat we thought we'd put out before your holiday weekend kicks off. (Tap, tap. Is this thing on? Anyone there? Ha.)
Over at WhyWeProtest.net, and then here in the comments section of the Underground Bunker, there's been a coordinated effort by folks who do their best to "flag" deceptive ads that Scientology posts on Craigslist pages. (We have never condoned nor prohibited this activity in our comments section, where readers are free to do what they want.)
Apparently, that effort is having some effect. Scientology's general in its war against Anonymous at Craigslist, Tony Chen of Sacramento, has put out a new set of instructions for dealing with the offensive against the church. We thought you'd want to see what advice he's sending out.
Tags: Anonymous, Craigslist, Dissemination, Google, Mission, Quicky, Sacramento, Tony Chen, WhyWeProtest
2013
7 years ago2013-12-19, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
The squirrels are everywhere.
And they are us.
Ignore if you can the typos and grammar — w hat is so remarkable about these pronouncements is how unabashed the bubble dwellers are when they state everything they have been doing up to now has been squirrel. "You MUST do this new course/rundown/procedure/level/status NOW because we have been doing it all wrong for 20 years."
2013-12-19, Jacob Kagi, ABC News (Australia)
A hoax claiming the Church of Scientology was planning a nine-storey development at an iconic Albany site in WA's South Coast has infuriated local authorities.
A large banner reading "Church of Scientology Coming Soon" was removed from the 'for sale' sign at the Esplanade Hotel site at Middleton Beach today.
Tags: Graham Foster, Western Austalia
2013-12-19, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
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 helping us understand the upside-down world of Scientology "ethics."
Where are you taking us this week, Jeff?
JEFFERSON: This week we'll be looking at Chapter 8 of Introduction to Scientology Ethics, which is called "Ethics in Scientology Organizations," and contains a somewhat random collection of L. Ron Hubbard's "Policy Letters" on the theme of the role of Ethics, and the Ethics Officer, in a Scientology Org.
Tags: 1980, Big Blue, Counterfeit Dreams, David Miscavige, Dennis Nobbe, Dynamic Medical Services, Enturbulation, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Ethics, Ethics Officer, GoFundMe, Int Base, Jason Barclay, Jefferson Hawkins, Leaving Scientology, Los Angeles, Miami, Potential Trouble Source, Quicky, Review, Scientology organization, Sea Org, Suppressive Person
2013-12-19, Lance Dixon, Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee
The workers say they were force-fed an indoctrination in the rituals of Scientology, the controversial religion that counts such celebrities as Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its members. Those rituals, the workers complained, included occasionally having to sit perfectly still in a spare room at the office, facing one another for an eight-hour stare-down - as well as yelling at ash trays and talking to the walls.
2013-12-19, Lance Dixon, Miami Herald
The workers say they were force-fed an indoctrination in the rituals of Scientology, the controversial religion that counts such celebrities as Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its members. Those rituals, the workers complained, included occasionally having to sit perfectly still in a spare room at the office, facing one another for an eight-hour stare-down - as well as yelling at ash trays and talking to the walls.
2013-12-19, Jenn Selby, Independent
Russell Howard has been forced to deny that he has accepted an invitation to perform at an upcoming benefit gig for the Church of Scientology.
2013-12-19, Chris Shelton, Critical Thinker at Large
Science is not just for Scientists
Critical thinking skills are very important for getting along in life. They allow you to analyze problems or situations you find yourself involved in that don't always have an easy or obvious answer. We all run into problems in relationships, work, school, etc. Wouldn't it be easier if we could understand why things were happening around us and more easily see what we could do about them? That's what critical thinking is all about. It's not just for winning arguments!
In my last article, I mentioned the scientific method. The scientific method is just the steps any scientist takes to solve problems or discover new things. But it's not just for scientists. And just because it has the word "scientific" in it, doesn't mean that it's hard to understand or use. In fact, you most likely already use the scientific method all the time. But like any skill, it is something that can be greatly improved through conscientious practice.
2012
8 years ago2012-12-19, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker
We're working on several interesting new stories that will take some time to complete. In the meantime, we wanted to keep you tided over with this great blast from the past.
It's a 1997 UK Channel 4 documentary about L. Ron Hubbard that resurfaced recently over at the Ex-Scientologist Message Board.
We love seeing the late Forry Ackerman, and Gerry Armstrong is great, too. Leave us your thoughts on what you found most interesting, or what you'd quibble with today.
2012-12-19, Marty Rathbun, Moving On Up a Little Higher
Please view these two short videos shot and narrated by Mike Rinder outside his home today:
2012-12-19, Mike Rinder, Something Can Be Done About It
David Miscavige shows his obsession with stalking. Please view these two short videos shot and narrated by Mike Rinder outside his home today:
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2011
9 years ago2011-12-19, Marty Rathbun, Moving On Up a Little Higher
Apropos of the season, a little grown up talk about lessons of Jesus, compassion and sacrifice.
Most of what the world might still consider admirable about the character of Americans was born during the Great Depression: economy, brotherhood, compassion for one's fellows, sacrifice, alertness and willingness to fight back on principle and not for personal gain.
One major reason why Corporate Scientology is dead is because it condemns those values.
2011-12-19, Tony Ortega, Runnin' Scared, Village Voice
Paulette Cooper, still keeping tabs on Scientology Our regular readers can probably imagine why we were pretty thrilled this morning to finally meet the original badass of Scientology watchers, none other than Paulette Cooper.
She was in town to visit her sister and found time to have breakfast with us this morning at the Noho Star, not far from the Voice offices. Speaking of her sister, Suzy, Paulette says that the two of them are still trying to piece together exactly what happened when, as young children, they were rescued from a Nazi camp in Belgium, sparing them the fate of their parents, who were shipped to Auschwitz for extermination. A Belgian man rescued the girls by paying the equivalent of what today would be about $2 million to save 22 children from the camp, and to this day Paulette would like to learn his identity.
She went on, of course, to move to New York, became a magazine journalist, and published several books, including 1971's The Scandal of Scientology, the first journalistic expose of the church. She paid for that with years of incredible harassment by Scientology, which tried to frame her for crimes that had her facing 15 years in prison.
2010
10 years ago2010-12-19, Marty Rathbun, Moving On Up a Little Higher
by Luis Garcia
It was a typical fall morning in Southern California. Sunny and comfortably chilly, a few cirrus clouds high above a light layer of smog. I was on my way to visit Marty at "Casablanca."
Once we were at 34,000 feet, I thought about what I wanted to address with Marty. Let's see… I was not ill, and haven't been for years. I felt I was doing fairly well, my business was going well, my family was doing fine. I was fine. I did have a couple of concerns, but they were not major. So why was I going to see him? I concluded I didn't fully know, but somehow I knew I should.
2009
11 years ago
2009-12-19, Jefferson Hawkins, Leaving Scientology
Looking over the newest Impact Magazine – 188 pages of expensive, four-color fluff – I was impressed not by how much expansion Scientology has accomplished, but by how invisible that expansion is, outside of their own events, magazines, and press releases.
We are told that, thanks to the IAS, the social betterment programs of Narconon, Applied Scholastics and The Way to Happiness have gone from helping 9.8 million people 25 years ago to 119 million today. Wow, 119 million people. Almost 2% of the planet has been through one of these programs? The equivalent of the entire population of Japan? Or a third of the population of the US?
We are also told that "22,000 community, city, state, or federal groups are now running with our programs." Pretty impressive. With that kind of broad, overwhelming popularity, you would expect that these programs would be all over the news. All over the internet…
2008
12 years ago
2008-12-19, Daily Mail
He may have denied he is a Scientologist, but Will Smith made a hefty donation to the religion this year.
The 40-year-old actor, who is Hollywood's highest earner, gave the equivalent of £79,000 to three projects related to Scientology. This comes on top of an earlier $1million donation to fund a school with Scientology links.
2007
13 years ago
2007-12-19, Bianca Phillips, Memphis Flyer
A "For Sale" sign has taken the place of the stone "Church of Scientology" sign that once graced the building's front lawn. The mansion has been on the market for about two months, according to ReMax realtor Dean Graves.
"We're exploring moving farther east," said David Slaughter, who holds the local charter issued by Los Angeles' Church of Scientology headquarters. "Having to drive all the way in from Collierville has become a situation for a lot of our parishioners."
2007-12-19, India Post
Clergies of various denominations gathered at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International Pavilion to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by forming a coalition to promote human rights, tolerance and peace through the religious communities.
2007-12-19, Oswald Shivute, The Namibian, AllAfrica Global Media
A TEAM of Scientology volunteers is conducting disaster relief training for organisations and public services in the Oshana Region.
The volunteers are selling Scientology booklets too.
2006
14 years ago
2006-12-19, Daniel Ziffer, The Age
MEMBERS of the Church of Scientology have reportedly been removed from a Gippsland staging ground where Country Fire Authority firefighters and crews have been recovering.
Members of the church were escorted by police from the Heyfield staging ground, locals said. But a church representative denied the report, saying church members had been helping out in the staging area for three days before leaving late last week at the request of the CFA.
Police were unavailable to comment.
2005
15 years ago
2005-12-19, Amy Lotven, Daily Herald
There were hard times too. Once a guy pulled a gun on him while he was on a boat, then there was the time he entered a crime scene and it turned out a Charles Manson follower had murdered his girlfriend, left her lying nude on a bed and scrawled "helter skelter" on the walls.
2004
16 years ago
2004-12-19, Robert Farley, St. Petersburg Times
And the sooner it's finished, Hamilton said, the sooner the Fort Harrison Hotel will return to the city's tax rolls.
Just 27 percent of the Fort Harrison Hotel is now taxable because portions are used for Scientology practices. The church paid almost $91,000 in taxes on it this year. Once renovated, it will be fully taxable as a hotel with three public restaurants, meeting rooms and a ballroom. This year, that tax bill would have been about $337,000, said Property Appraiser Jim Smith.
On the Flag building, the church now pays only vacant property taxes - $20,407 this year. But once completed, it will be entirely tax exempt because it will be used for religious purposes, Shaw said.
1996
24 years ago
1996-12-19, Seattle Times
Chancellor Helmut Kohl's governing Christian Democratic Union party expelled three members today because they belong to the Church of Scientology.
The German government claims Scientology is largely a money-making organization with some traits of organized crime. The U.S.-based church, which claims 30,000 members in Germany, accused German officials of persecution.
Tags: Germany, Helmut Kohl
1996-12-19, Dan Knapp, CNN
But last month, after 20 years of operation, the Cult Awareness Network closed its doors, forced into bankruptcy after losing a costly lawsuit to the church of Scientology.
Now the phones are ringing again -- but this time there's a good chance they"ll be answered by a Scientologist.
Tags: Cult Awareness Network
1996-12-19, Associated Press
BONN, GERMANY BONN, Germany (AP) _ Chancellor Helmut Kohl's governing Christian Democratic Union party expelled three of its members today because they belong to the Church of Scientology.
The dismissals came one day after Kohl's government decided to set up a central office to coordinate its drive against the Church of Scientology and keep people linked to the group out of certain public jobs.
The Christian Democratic Union acted to distance itself from the public image of the Church of Scientology, the party said in a statement. The party did not release the names or positions of the three.
1996-12-19, Tony Ortega, Phoenix New Times
Scott and Ross reached a settlement that requires the deprogrammer to pay Scott not $3 million -- his share of the judgment -- but a mere $5,000. As part of the agreement, Ross will also give Scott 200 hours of professional services, free of charge.
1993
27 years ago1993-12-19, Linda Simmons Hight, Commentary, St. Petersburg Times
Two weeks ago a commentary on Scientology by Robert Vaughn Young was reprinted in Perspective from Quill magazine. Young, a former spokesman for Scientology, wrote about his training on "how to handle reporters, how to deal with police and government agencies, how to create front groups and how to discredit or destroy a person or a group with (L. Ron) Hubbard's 'fair game" doctrine." Linda Simmons Hight, the media relations director for the Church of Scientology International in Los Angeles, wrote this response.
1991
29 years ago
1991-12-19, AP, Tulsa World
"Basically, the Mental Health Board is claiming that Narconon is not a safe program," said Gary Smith, president of the Narconon Chilocco New Life Center.
"They have obviously not looked at the probably 12-foot-high stack of medical documentation, testimony from medical experts, the clients that have gone through the program, plus a 25-year track record of people getting off of drugs."
The Mental Health Board voted Friday not to certify the center, located on Indian land near Newkirk in Kay County.
Board members said Monday in a statement prepared by their attorney that they were not satisfied based on evidence presented to them that adequate safety was provided to clients.
1984
36 years ago
1984-12-19, UPI
WASHINGTON -- The Church of Scientology asked Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist late Wednesday to prevent release of thousands of pages of internal documents allegedly taken by a former employee.
The church said the documents -- concerning the church, its founder L. Ron Hubbard and his wife -- were stolen and should be returned to the organization unopened.
The documents were to be released Thursday.
1968
52 years ago1968-12-19, BAILII
ANDREW SCHMIDT and JOSEPH MURRANTI
(each suing on behalf of himself and 50 other alien students
for the qualification of Auditor of
Minister of the Hubbard College of Scientology, East Grinstead, Sussex)
Plaintiffs Appellants
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HOME AFFAIRS
Defendant Respondent
FrontCite 12/16/2020 12:08p
See also:
FrontCite Mediawiki
xenu-directory.net: Scientology in the news
Scientology in the UK Media
See also:
FrontCite Mediawiki
xenu-directory.net: Scientology in the news
Scientology in the UK Media