Today January 29 in Scientology history

Last year we first told you about Scientology's rising anti-vaxx anti-mask star, "human rights attorney" Leigh Dundas, and we showed you some of her fiery speeches as she terrorized Orange County officials who were trying to get people to wear masks during a global pandemic. Leigh then showed up in DC on January 5, the day before the Capitol riot, and we noted that she gave a pretty fiery speech that contained these provocative lines... "We would be well within our rights to take any alleged American who acted in a turncoat fashion and sold us out and committed treason, we would be well within our rights and take them out back and shoot 'em or hang 'em..."

Tags: 1957, 1970, 1999, Anti-vaxx, Bobette Riales, Christian Right, Clear, Danny Masterson, DC, Dentist, Donald Trump, Dundas, FBI, Instagram, Insurrection, Jake Angeli, Joe Biden, Judge Steven Kleifield, Leigh Dundas, Los Angeles Superior Court, Mexico, Orange County, Providence, QAnon, Sovereign Citizen, Suppressive Person, YouTube

Raw video of a confrontation that occurred between uOttawa student Tim Gulliver and a woman who identified herself as a Scientologist prior to a Postmedia interview with Gulliver. Gulliver was protesting an anti-psychiatry exhibition sponsored by a group affiliated with the Church of Scientology. The exhibition was scheduled to run for five days in rented space at the University of Ottawa.

Tags: CCHR, Ottawa, Postmedia, Psychiatry: An Industry of Death, Quicky, University of Ottawa

After a highly-publicized trial that resulted in the conviction or guilty pleas of six Nxivm leaders who now await sentencing, they and numerous others are now facing another kind of fight in court. Philadelphia attorney Neil Glazer has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of plaintiffs Sara Edmondson, Toni Natalie, Mark Vicente, 58 Jane Does, and 19 John Does against NXIVM members and entities. The defendents in the lawsuit are the six defendants convicted in the criminal prosecution — Keith Raniere, Nancy Salzman, Lauren Salzman, Clare Bronfman, Allison Mack, and Kathy Russell — as well as numerous others: Sara Bronfman, Karen Unterreiner, Dr. Brandon Porter, Dr. Danielle Roberts, Daniella Padilla Bergeron, Rosa Laura Junco, Loreta J. Garza Davila, Monica Duran, Nicki Clyne, the Nxivm Corporation, Executive Success Programs Inc., Ethical Science Foundation and First Principles. The complaint alleges that Nxivm "functioned as both a Ponzi scheme and a coercive community. Defendants exerted power over the Plaintiffs; took their money; made it financially, physically and psychologically difficult, and in some cases impossible, to leave the coercive community; and systematically abused Plaintiffs physically and emotionally." Personal benefits to the defendants included "enriching themselves; wielding power over others; advancing in the perverse social order they created; and enhancing their own feelings of self-esteem."

Tags: Allison Mack, Brandon Porter, Clare Bronfman, Danielle Roberts, Ethical Science Foundation, Executive Success Programs, Kathy Russell, Keith Raniere, Lauren Salzman, Mark Vicente, Nancy Salzman, Neil Glazer, NXIVM, Philadelphia, Ponzi scheme, Sara Bronfman, Sara Edmondson, Sleep deprivation, Toni Natalie

Tags: 1969, Adolf Hitler, CCHR, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Google, Holocaust, Los Angeles, Ontario, Ottawa, Psychiatry: An Industry of Death, Thomas Szasz, University of Ottawa

One of the major promoters of anti-Semitic hate is Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam. And in turn, one of his main mouthpieces is Tony Muhammad, Western Regional Minister of the NOI. Minister Muhammad is also the poster child for the ugly marriage of convenience consummated between the Nation of Islam and scientology. Tony Muhammad (or Abdul Malik Sayyid as he now prefers to be called) is a high ranking scientologist who was awarded scientology's highest honor by scientology's grand pooh-bah David Miscavige: The IAS Freedom Medal. He is enabled and supported by scientology and is used as a major fundraiser and speaker at scientology events. ISNOI News thoroughly documents the history of the disturbing joining of scientology and Nation of Islam, and the unapologetic anti-Semitism of these speakers who purposefully incite hate towards the Jewish Community. The Justice Department should take note — if you want to stop hate crimes, stop those that INCITE them.

Tags: 2018, 2019, Anti-Semitism, David Miscavige, Facebook, Freedom Medal, Freedom Medal Winner, International Association of Scientologists, Jewish, Louis Farrakhan, Muhammad, Nation of Islam, Rizza Islam, Scientology and the Aftermath, STAND, The Record, Tony Muhammad, Twitter, US Department of Justice, Youth for Human Rights International

What's the appeal of Scientology? That's a question we get asked frequently by people trying to understand why anyone would want to go near the ideas of founder L. Ron Hubbard and his bizarre space opera cabal. We usually answer that question by pointing out that only a tiny percentage of the population answers Hubbard's call. The vast majority of people want nothing to do with Scientology, and over time the organization is shrinking. It now has fewer than 20,000 people worldwide, according to a recent high-ranking executive who defected. So what is Scientology offering to that small number of people who get sucked into it?

Tags: 1957, 2004, 2005, 2013, 2016, 2019, Atkinson-Baker, Australia, Brian Sheen, Cass Capazorio, Cass Mapother, Clear, Clearwater, Criminon, David Miscavige, England, Flag Building, Flag Land Base, Florida, Freedom Medal, Freedom Medal Winner, Greg Capazorio, International Association of Scientologists, Kate Ceberano, L. Ron Hubbard, Marian Henry, OT, OT 7, OT 8, Patron Meritorious, Platinum Meritorious, Purification Rundown, Skyview, Source magazine, Spring Atkinson-Baker, St. Louis, Super Power, Survival Rundown, Tom Cruise

Some students at the University of Ottawa are denouncing an on-campus display that calls psychiatry an "industry of death," saying it further stigmatizes people who need medication to treat mental health conditions. The multi-media exhibit in the Jock Turcot University Centre is sponsored by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a group founded 50 years ago by the Church of Scientology. The display includes a panel titled "inventing disorders to sell drugs," and another linking psychiatry to the practice of eugenics in Nazi Germany. We're saying that it's harmful for the university to put this on our campus, and we want it gone. - Emma Copeland, U of O student

Tags: Canada, CBC, CCHR, Germany, Holocaust, Psychiatry: An Industry of Death, Quicky, Robert Dobson-Smith, University of Ottawa

A controversial anti-psychiatry exhibition sponsored by a group affiliated with the Church of Scientology has University of Ottawa students demanding that the show be removed from campus. Among other claims, the free exhibition maintains that the pharmaceutical industry invents mental health conditions in order to sell more drugs and that the justification for the Holocaust was based on eugenics theory advanced in psychiatry and psychology. Titled Psychiatry: An Industry of Death, it is sponsored by a group called the Citizens Commission on Human Rights. The exhibition's five-day tenure in rented space in the Jock Turcot University Centre ends on Friday.

Tags: 1969, Adolf Hitler, CCHR, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Google, Holocaust, Los Angeles, Ontario, Ottawa, Psychiatry: An Industry of Death, Thomas Szasz, University of Ottawa

More than two years ago the Los Angeles Police Department began an investigation into the allegations of three former Scientologists and a fourth woman who say that they were violently raped by Scientologist actor Danny Masterson between 2001 and 2004. Since April 2017, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office has been preparing a case and waiting for DA Jackie Lacey to make a decision whether to file charges. Our sources tell us that Lacey is very close to making a decision, but in the meantime, Danny Masterson has not been arrested or indicted, and he's making the most of it. On Saturday, he joined his former The Ranch and That '70s Show costar Ashton Kutcher at a Scientology wedding in Napa Valley, despite efforts by Kutcher and his wife, actress Mila Kunis, to keep their involvement under wraps. The photo above was leaked to Twitter over the weekend, featuring, from left to right, Kutcher, Punk'd writer Matt Mazzant, groom and The Ranch actor Justin Mooney, Travis Case (Kutcher's stand-in, and Cathriona White's "twin" on Scientology courses), Masterson, and Masterson's half-brother, Jordan.

Tags: 1990, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2013, 2015, 2017, A&E, Ashton Kutcher, Bijou Phillips, Brandon Pearson, Brittany Brisco, California, Cathriona White, Danny Masterson, David Miscavige, Florida, Fort Harrison, Helena, Jackie Lacey, Jasmin Renna, Jordan Masterson, Justin Mooney, LAPD, Leah Remini, Lisa McPherson, Lisa McPherson Trust, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Mark Bunker, Matt Mazzant, Mental breakdown, Mike Rinder, Mila Kunis, Mission, Office of Special Affairs, Patrick Renna, Police, Quicky, Robert Minton, Scientology and the Aftermath, Tom Mesereau, Tommy Savas, Travis Case, Twitter

A few nights ago, the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce held their annual gala. You might be surprised to learn that scientology is one of its sponsors. But you might not be surprised to learn that the outgoing Chair of the Chamber, Katie Cole is a prominent local attorney who represents scientology. In fact, she is the protege of Ed Armstrong, a local legend in the real estate/zoning law practice who has represented scientology's interests since I first hired him in the early 90's (I guess it was?).

Tags: Austin, Bernie McCabe, Clearwater, Criminal, David Miscavige, Ed Armstrong, FBI, Gerry Chaleff, Gerry Feffer, Hoboken, IRS, Katie Cole, Lee Fugate, Los Angeles, Mission, Office of Special Affairs, Pinellas County, Police, Quicky, Safe Point, San Antonio, Tax, Tax exempt, Texas Supreme Court, US Attorney's Office, Virginia

Scientology Propaganda Event in Burbank - January 29, 2019. Filmed by Jeffrey Augustine. This was supposed to be an "Emergency Interfaith Press Conference" held at the Redeemer Church in Burbank, California. This church sits across the street from the main gates of the Disney Studios main gate on N. Alameda Street. The event was not a press conference at all. There were no questions and answers and no media present. The event was Scientology complaining about Leah Remini's show -- and yet Leah and her show were never mentioned by name. About 40 people were in attendance, 30 of whom were OSA and Scientology Media Production film crew, and a paid choir who were not Scientologists. After the event was over, the choir got in their cars and drove off. They did not stay for refreshments in the Fellowship Hall.

Tags: Burbank, California, Company, Front group, Jeffrey Augustine, Leah Remini, Los Angeles Faith Coalition, Office of Special Affairs, Quicky, STAND

GOP Political Consultant Robbie Olson and Jeffrey Augustine discuss Joy Villa's exploratory run for the US Congress. Robbie describes the way in which Joy represented herself as a Christian and how the Church of Scientology meddled in things.

Tags: Christian, Congress, Jeffrey Augustine, Joy Villa, Quicky, Robbie Olson

The Church of Scientology has launched a federal lawsuit in what it hopes will be a hammer blow to a decade-long battle with a former member who has accused it of forcing her to have an abortion, working conditions tantamount to slave labor, and practices so inhumane she faked a suicide attempt to escape. Laura DeCrescenzo, who signed her billion-year contract with the church's administrative 'clergy' the Sea Org at the age of 12, first filed her complaint in 2009. Now the Church has taken drastic action to end the 39-year-old's David and Goliath legal fight once and for all.

Tags: 1991, 1996, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, Abortion, Appeal, Bert Deixler, California, Church of Scientology International, Clear, E-meter, Human trafficking, Judge Leslie Swain, Judge Richard Rico, Laura DeCrescenzo, New Mexico, Passports, Quicky, Rehabilitation Project Force, Sea Org, Suppressive Person, Underground Bunker

A lot has already been said about Joy Villa's Grammys gambit last night, with her showing up for the fourth year in a row in a dress designed to get her attention. For the first three years she showed up in dresses designed by Andre Soriano, a minor reality TV figure and fashion designer in San Diego. In 2015, he created a dress for her made out of snowfence, in 2016 it was another barely-there number that turned heads for how much of Villa it didn't cover, and then both Soriano and Villa hit it big last year with his "Make America Great Again" gown that launched Joy into political stardom. But Soriano very publicly disavowed Joy Villa recently as she continued to use her "MAGA" fame to promote Scientology. He claimed not to have known about her Scientology involvement, which, frankly, is a little hard to believe. But for whatever reason, Joy was on her own for last night's Grammy awards.

Tags: 1968, 1977, 1982, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, Abortion, Andre Soriano, Bridge to Total Freedom, Christian, Clear, Clearwater, Congress, Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump, Florida, Fort Harrison, Franklin Graham, HowdyCon, Jesus Christ, Joy Villa, Kellyanne Conway, Miami, Mike Rinder, Milo Yiannopoulos, New York, Patron Meritorious, Politico, Quicky, Robbie Olson, Roger Stone, San Diego, Sea Org, Steve Bannon, Tampa Bay Times, Thorsten Overgaard, White House (Trump)

GOP Political Consultant Robbie Olson and Jeffrey Augustine discuss Joy Villa's exploratory run for the US Congress. Robbie describes the way in which Joy represented herself as a Christian and how the Church of Scientology meddled in things. The big news is that Joy Villa apparently wanted to delay her Congressional run until 2020 when Scientology Media Productions would be broadcasting shows designed to "normalize" Scientology. Was Villa's alleged Congressional run merely a placeholder designed to buy time and PR for her Church to launch Scientology Media Productions? Vinnie James has a collection of tweets Joy Villa has erased in her attempts to conceal her Scientology background.

Tags: Christian, Congress, Joy Villa, Quicky, Robbie Olson, Scientology Media Productions

A lot of people are curious about the "CF filing" that scientology obsesses over. It is a mystery to many of the uninitiated, though certainly anyone who has been around an org knows about CF and its perpetual backlog of filing. "Central Files" is a Hubbard invention to keep track of everyone that has ever bought a book or taken a service in a scientology organization. Each person has a file folder (or many as time goes on) that includes copies of all invoices (yes, invoices for payments are still written with colored copies to be filed in Accounts Files, Student and PC Files and Central Files), all correspondence, success stories and other records. Every org is supposed to have a team of "Letter Registrars" who stay in touch with every person in the CF to encourage them to pay more money.

Tags: Atlanta, Central Files, Clearwater, Miami, Orlando, Quicky, Registrar, Tampa

The weekly show where I answer viewer questions from the comments of my Q&A videos or which are sent to me by email at AskChrisShelton@gmail.com. This week, the questions I take up are: (1) Well done for finding the courage to leave Scientology. How did you learn to trust your conclusions after you left? After being deceived for so long doesn't it play on your mind that you may be succumbing to other cognitive biases without noticing? (2) I found your channel after hearing you on Ross and Carrie's podcast, and since then I've been marathoning your videos. I love your work. It seems to me like people who have a tendency to blame themselves for problems they're having, people quick to find fault with themselves or who have low self esteem woud have trouble completing the auditing required to "move up the bridge". Is this the case? Were you in the RPF for so long because you are someone who is quicker to blame yourself for things? I am an ex-fundamentalist-Christian and because I have a rather low opinion of myself I was very susceptible to that group's message of "God is perfect, you are an awful, sinful creature who needs to be saved by us." I was wondering whether Scientology preys on that same personality trait too.

Tags: Christian, CIA, Clear, Critic, Landmark, Landmark Education, OT, Quicky, Rehabilitation Project Force, Ross and Carrie, Scientology and the Aftermath

The Church of Scientology bought Windmill Hills a decade ago but it is still empty, and locals say it is attracting drug users

Tags: Anneliese Hutchinson, Birmingham, Gateshead, Gateshead Council, Graeme Wilson, Keith Shevill, Rotting building, Saint Hill Manor, UK, Windmill Hills

Our man Rod Keller is back, keeping an eye on Scientology's sneaky moves to rope in unsuspecting new recruits... The Church of Scientology issued a press release for an Interfaith Coalition event held at the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater Florida on January 21. The opening prayer was given by Father Bob Swick, who we spoke to in August 2016 when he participated in a Purple Heart event held at the same location. Scientologists Pat Harney of Scientology's secret police, the Office of Special Affairs, Alex Melgarejo of the Scientology tutoring school Community Learning Center, Christian Vargas of the Scientology front group United for Human Rights, and Anna Harbour all attended. The headline speaker was Terry Hitchcock, author of A Father's Odyssey, an account of his journey by foot from Minnesota to the Olympic Games in Atlanta Georgia in 1996. Hitchcock ran the equivalent of 75 marathons in 75 days, and has been called a real life Forrest Gump because of the similarity to the cross-country running of the Tom Hanks character in that 1994 film. Hitchcock's book was made into an award-winning documentary, My Run by director Billy Bob Thornton.

Tags: 1994, 1996, 2012, 2014, 2016, A&E, Alex Melgarejo, Anna Harbour, Atlanta, Bob Swick, Christian, Christian Vargas, Clearwater, Community Learning Center, Criminon, Crystal Ballroom, Denver, Disconnection, Flag Land Base, Florida, Fort Harrison, Georgia, HowdyCon, John Travolta, Leah Remini, Minnesota, New Year's Eve, Office of Special Affairs, Pat Harney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Purple Heart, Quicky, Reverend, Rod Keller, Scientology and the Aftermath, Terry Hitchcock, The Master, The Way to Happiness, United for Human Rights

A reader sent this to me the other day and I found it fascinating. The parallels between North Korea and scientology are unmistakeable. Below are excerpts from the article. I highlighted especially relevant sections. They need no explanation to anyone familiar with scientology's playbook that dictates how they must respond to "critics." Scientology is as clumsy and unbelievable as N. Korea in its denunciation of defectors. It's amusing to see: it seems everyone who leaves N. Korea or scientology is some form of sexual pervert, has stolen money or is being paid to say bad things about them.

Tags: London, North Korea, Quicky, South Korea

Tags: Quicky, Regraded Being

Well this is a fun coincidence. Just three days after we heard from Australian television journalist Bryan Seymour about Scientology's attempt there to interest his network in favorable coverage of the church, Scientology Australia spokeswoman Sei Kato (Broadhurst) has sent out a fresh new media guide! Bryan forwarded it on to us along with his observations about it. We think you'll find his criticisms spot on, and we're looking forward to your comments about Sei's attempt at media manipulation. Tell us which is your favorite whopper! Here's what Bryan sent us...

Tags: 1952, American Psychological Association, Australia, Bryan Seymour, Dianetics, Disconnection, Farsec, Fifth Invader Force, Fourth Invader Force, L. Ron Hubbard, Marc Maron, Narconon, OCA, OT, Personality test, Quicky, Role of Earth, Sea Org, Sei Broadhurst, Tampa Bay Times, The Truth Rundown, Vonni Ribisi, Xenu

One of our sources, who has connections both among Church of Scientology members and those who have been expelled from the organization, thought we would like to see how people on the inside are talking about Alex Gibney's film Going Clear. So far, there have only been two public screenings of the film, so only a few hundred human beings have actually seen it, but the press reaction has been massive. Much of that press interest has centered on the official reaction from the church, which has been as hamfisted and embarrassing as we might have predicted. In one truly misguided effort, Scientology spokeswoman Karin Pouw (or at least someone writing under her name) sent out letters apparently to every movie reviewer on the planet who had written about the film, and chastised them for not contacting the church before writing about Gibney's movie.

Tags: 1970, 1980, 2002, 2011, 2013, 2014, Alex Gibney, Amanda Mason, Brittany Coventry, CCHR, City Limits, Clear, Cult, David Miscavige, Drug Free Aotearoa, Facebook, Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Freedom magazine, Gawker, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, Gothamist, HBO, Ideal Org, James Barbour, Jillian Tapper, Karin Pouw, KCET, Los Angeles, Martin Luther King, Meghan Fialkoff, Mike Rinder, Miss New York, New York City, New York Daily News, Office of Special Affairs, OT, Queens, Scientology Media Productions, Slate, Super Bowl, Suppressive Person, Sydney, Texas, Truth About Drugs

Here are PDF's of the actual 990-T documents the Church of Scientology submitted to IRS. These forms irrefutably prove the $1,503,163,225.30 figure for the Church of Scientology shown in HBO's Going Clear: 1. CSI: Church of Scientology International 2012 Book Value: $846,314,618 2. CST: Church of Spiritual Technology 2012 Book Value $447,192,921

Tags: 2008, 2012, 2013, ABLE, Celebrity Centre, Church of Scientology International, Church of Scientology Religious Education College Inc, Church of Scientology Religious Trust, Church of Spiritual Technology, Flag Service Organization, Flag Ship Service Organization, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, HBO, IRS, Narconon, Quicky, San Diego, Sea Org, Social Betterment Properties International, UK, US IAS Members Trust

Some New York City parents are outraged after a Scientology-backed group held anti-drug presentations at 30 New York City public schools last year. The Foundation for a Drug-Free World, a nonprofit sponsored by the Church of Scientology, made the announcement on its Facebook page on Jan. 23. The group said the free anti-drug programs were given to elementary, middle and high school students in each of the five boroughs as well as New York City Police Department youth programs.

Tags: 2005, Amir Garakani, California Department of Education, Clear Body, Clear Mind, David Tidman, Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Meghan Fialkoff, Narconon, New York City Department of Education, NYPD, Quicky

Because I am still traveling, currently in Los Angeles for a series of depositions in the Garcia case, I have not assembled a Thursday Funnies this week. Tony Ortega is doing his usual masterful job of keeping everyone updated on the HBO Documentary news. There is still plenty to keep everyone entertained. I will be back home on the weekend to try and get things back to normal.

Tags: Documentary, HBO, Los Angeles, Quicky, Thursday Funnies, Tony Ortega

Wie DNAInfo nun berichtete, hat sich Scientology mit ihrer "Foundation for a Drug Free World" in mindestens 30 öffentlichen New Yorker Schulen geschlichen, um ihre Anti-Drogenprogramm vorzutragen. Für Rick Ross, einem international bekannten Experten auf dem Gebiet kontroverser Gruppen und Bewegungen, ist die Sache eindeutig. "Scientology hab viele solcher Stiftungen, wie Narconon, Applied Scholastics, und Criminon. Alle haben das Ziel, Menschen für die Sekte zu rekrutieren."

Tags: Foundation for a Drug-Free World, New York City, Rick Ross

There have been published reports that seventeen lawyers have appeared in the Comal County courtroom on the Scientology side of the aisle in the case of Monique Rathbun vs. David Miscavige, et al. In fact, twenty-two lawyers have made official appearances and/or physical appearances in the case for Scientology Inc. Many of those lawyers have made multiple flights to Comal County from New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., or driven from Dallas, Austin and San Antonio to attend hearings on behalf of Miscavige and his co-defendants. For some perspective consider these facts:

Tags: Austin, Comal County, Dallas, David Miscavige, Internal Revenue Service, IRS, Lisa McPherson, Los Angeles, Monique Rathbun, New York, Quicky, San Antonio, Scientology lawyer, Washington

On Monday morning, we posted Steven Mango's two and a half hour video about his experience as a member of Scientology. Now that we've had some time to absorb the entire thing, we thought we'd highlight some of the really good stuff in it. In our title, we put the word 'documentary' in quote marks because what Steven Mango has put together is probably better described as a testimonial. It's mostly him talking to a camera about his experiences, and at two and a half hours, it's ludicrously long. The film particularly drags when Mango is talking about things he has no personal knowledge of — life in the Sea Org, for example, or Leah Remini's reasons for leaving Scientology. When he's not on camera, the film often relies on borrowed material from others that Mango didn't ask permission to use. We asked him about that, and he explained that he's really just an amateur and was unfamiliar with copyright law and didn't intend to harm anyone. We believe him, but that borrowed material will limit the video's reach — we'd like to see the best 20 to 30 minutes of Steven's own personal story pulled from it and edited professionally for a product that might have some real potential to reach a large audience.

Tags: 2009, 2012, American Express, Celebrity Centre, Clear, Clearwater, Evgeny Zharkin, Florida, Hollywood, International Association of Scientologists, Leah Remini, Los Angeles, Purification Rundown, Quicky, Russia, Sea Org, Social Security, Steven Mango, Tampa Bay Times, The Problems of Work, Tom Cruise, WhyWeProtest, WISE

Captain Miscavige's Mecca is open. And now the next chapter begins. Obviously He can't let the demand for money slow down. Time for a new gimmick. So after collecting an estimated $300 million for a building that was supposed to cost $40 million (though now they are claiming it cost $260 million which is a staggering $800+sq/ft if it is really 300,000 sq ft), of course there is no money to build the "LRH Hall". The figure of $260 million now being floated is probably some attempt to counter the Garcia lawsuit — "proving" they did need all that money, though the records of the expenditures would make for interesting reading I am sure.

Tags: Chairman of the Board, David Miscavige, International Association of Scientologists, L. Ron Hubbard, L. Ron Hubbard Hall, LRH Hall, OT, Quicky, Scam, Shermanspeak, Super Power

Tags: Caribbean Motion Picture Expedition, Dianetics, Explorers Club, Food and Drug Administration, IRS, Janet Reitman, L. Ron Hubbard, Las Palmas, Lawrence Wright, National Geographic, New York City, PC-815, Philippines, Puerto Rico, US Navy, War record

The Church of Scientology's Toronto headquarters are in the midst of an "Ideal Org" makeover-signalled, last month, by boards nailed to the Yonge Street high-rise. While it remains to be seen whether the move will fracture the controversial faith's local followers as similar, costly refurbishings have in other cities, the plans are less than modest, indicating a colourful new façade will be placed on the almost-60-year-old office building, along with a new bookstore, café, theatre, and "testing centre" inside.

Tags: Breach of trust, Casey Hill, Clayton Ruby, Ideal Org, Raid, Toronto

Last March, we visited former Scientology spokesman Mike Rinder at his home in Florida. The result of our visit was a series of videos that we posted at the Village Voice website in April. However, since leaving the Voice our YouTube account was shut down. Thankfully, with help from a loyal reader, we managed to retrieve those videos and have posted them to YouTube once again. So we've decided to republish the entire story along with the videos. And our timing is good, because Chris Owen just published a lengthy and detailed Wikipedia entry about "The Hole," Scientology's concentration camp for top executives, and that's the subject of many of these video segments. We're glad to get this interview with Rinder back on the 'net... [Originally published April 4, 2012] For years, Mike Rinder was the Church of Scientology's chief spokesman and executive director of the Office of Special Affairs, its intelligence wing. In 2007, his defection was among the most surprising in an exodus of high-ranking officials from the church. Since then, he's given several interviews, but none as complete as the videotaped discussions we had with him last month in his Florida home. In this first segment, he describes the conditions in "The Hole," Scientology's notorious concentration camp for fallen executives at its California headquarters. In other segments, Rinder also talks about the confessions forced out of prisoners, the constant indoctrination of church members, and much, much, more...

Tags: 1955, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1967, 1973, 1974, 1995, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012, Adelaide, Apollo, Australia, Basics, BBC, Bob Duggan, California, Caribbean, Chairman of the Board, Chris Owen, Christian, Christie Collbran, CIA, Clearwater, David Miscavige, Debbie Cook, Disconnection, England, Escape, Estates Project Force, Europe, Florida, Fort Harrison, International Association of Scientologists, James Packer, John Sweeney, Kristi Wachter, Lisa McPherson, Maiden Voyage, Marty Rathbun, Melbourne, Mike Rinder, Nancy Cartwright, New Year's Eve, Office of Special Affairs, OT, Portugal, Quicky, Saint Hill, Saint Hill Manor, Sea Org, South Carolina, Sydney, Tampa Bay Times, The Hole, University of Adelaide, Village Voice, Wikipedia, YouTube

Hubbard, at Saint Hill Manor Just a quick evening post for some blatant self-promotion as we point out a couple of smart news stories that feature quotes from the Bunker. This afternoon, The Observer's Dan Duray published an insightful look at the fact-checking process that journalists go through when they investigate the Church of Scientology. Specifically, he talked with Lawrence Wright and his indefatigable researcher, Lauren Wolf, about what they went through trying to get answers from Scientology's spokeswoman, Karin Pouw. And Dan revealed what we told him: that we haven't heard directly from Pouw since the Debbie Cook lawsuit last February.

Tags: Anonymous, Armageddon, Debbie Cook, International Business Times, Jason Beghe, Karin Pouw, Lauren Wolf, Lawrence Wright, Quicky, Saint Hill Manor, The Observer, Tom Cruise

I have just examined the death certificate of L Ron Hubbard's closest friend, Ann Marie Tidman. Annie.Tidman.Death.Certificate The certificate indicates that the manner in which Miscavige treated Annie and her family was far worse than originally reported here on 14 January, Ann Marie Tidman In Memoriam.

Tags: 1962, 2010, 2011, ABLE, Anderson Cooper, Ann Tidman, California, Cancer, Catherine Fraser, Celebrity Centre, Clearwater, David Miscavige, Florida, Gilman Hot Springs, John Brousseau, Karen de la Carriere, L. Ron Hubbard, Los Angeles, Quicky, Scientology celebrity, Scientology: A History of Violence, Sea Org, Wikipedia

Scientologists don't really have a Sunday service. They like to say that they do, because they crave mainstream acceptance. But unless Xenu rested after six days and L. Ron Hubbard just forgot to mention it, there's no reason for Scientologists to treat Sunday any differently than every other day of coursework, detoxes, fundraising, and generally clearing the planet. So here at the Voice, we've come up with a Scientology Sunday tradition of our own, and we call it Sunday Funnies! Our sources regularly send us Scientology's wacky and tacky fundraising mailers, and each week we choose three of them to gaze upon, hoping that it inspires you to wax eloquent in our comments section. So here we go... I think the South Africa org just got owned. This piece from Sydney is the best-looking Scientology flier I think I've ever seen! Maybe some of our Down Under readers can identify the folks in it.

Tags: Celebrity Centre, E-meter, Hollywood, Photoshop, Quicky, Sea Org, South Africa, Sunday Funnies, Sunday service, Sydney, WhyWeProtest, Xenu

On the afternoon of 28 January the church of Scientology's intelligence branch engineered the shutting down of my blog, Moving On Up A Little Higher. The last two postings - the only two run since last Sunday - quite apparently drove church leader David Miscavige and his friend Tom Cruise around the bend. They somehow managed to get the domain registrar to redirect visits to my url to a spam dead end. We are back up now though. Please reset your favorites to this url, https://markrathbun.wordpress.com/

Tags: David Miscavige, Quicky, Tom Cruise

In 2009, a low-profile Pinellas County company drew unwelcome attention in a growing national controversy over home foreclosures. Employees of Nationwide Title Clearing, a leading processor of mortgage-related documents for banks, loan servicers and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., were under fire for signing paperwork as "vice president" of various banks although they actually worked for NTC. The assembly-line process in which workers scrawled their names or initials on hundreds of documents at a time — typically without reading them — helped prompt the term "robo-signing." Critics said robo-signing raised questions about the accuracy of documents and the legality of thousands of foreclosure cases.

Tags: 1988, 1992, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, Alan Turbin, California, Christian, Clearwater, Critic, Dianetics, Erika Lance, Florida, Glendale, Hubbard Management, Hurricane Katrina, Ivan Kezsbom, Jim Stewart, Joe Childs, John Hillman, Los Angeles, Matthew Weidner, Nationwide Title Clearing, Norm Novitsky, Org Board, Organization Executive Course, Palm Harbor, Pinellas County, Ponzi scheme, Quicky, Reed Slatkin, San Francisco, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg Times, Tampa, Thomas C. Tobin, Todd Kugler, Wisconsin, WISE, World Institute of Scientology Enterprises, YouTube

Madp said, "I went to check out a peculiar group of people that formed a commune on a place known as the Muddy Ranch in eastern Oregon." 'Peculiar' as he would later learn, would ultimately be what you would call a mild description, for this group that followed the teachings of a man who investigators later learned, bilked his followers for the most part, out of everything they owned. That might explain the fleet of over twenty Rolls Royce's the Bagwan Rashneesh was said to have particularly cherished.

Tags: Bagwan Rashneesh, Oregon, Rajneeshee

It appears that Twentieth Century Fox is none too pleased with Nancy Cartwright's use of Bart Simpson to punt an upcoming Church of Scientology event in a "robo-calling" recording. Committed Scientologist Cartwright, who has donated $10m to her favourite cult, begins her message with "Hey, what's happening man, this is Bart Simpson... hahaha..." before revealing her true identity with "...just kidding don't hang up this is Nancy Cartwright. And this is a very special phone call to you. I'm now auditing on new OT [Operating Thetan Level] Seven." The rest of the pitch for the 31 January Hollywood shindig features Cartwright's own voice interspersed with Bart, who insists at one point: "It's gonna be a blast, man!"

Tags: 1989, 2006, Bart Simpson, Hollywood, Nancy Cartwright, Operating Thetan, Quicky, YouTube

The Ministry of Education is referring teachers to an organization set up by the Church of Scientology, the group made infamous by Tom Cruise, the raving couch-bounder and Scientology adherent. Two ministry teacher-support documents direct teachers to the website of Los Angeles-based Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI).

Tags: British Columbia, OCA, Youth for Human Rights International

The church's actions have not gone unnoticed. In what is a fantastic example of empowerment the Internet gives to the common user, a grassroots movement of various Internet communities has banded together to attack, dismantle and ultimately destroy the institution. Calling themselves Anonymous, these vigilantes are a collection of various message board communities previously concerned with less noble feats such as raiding virtual online hotels, harassing the furry-fetish community and creating internet memes.

Tags: Anonymous

Melton describes the RPF as a happy 'boy-scouts camping' adventure with a dose of Trappist meditative theory thrown in for good measure. Two weeks before Melton's '"free access" interview with the RPF, a select number of prisoners were moved to another location, treated like kings, fed, briefed, drilled, given little or no work details and sleep. Sleep is normally rationed as deprivation breask the spirit of the prisoner.

Tags: Committee of Evidence, Gordon Melton, Office of Special Affairs, Rehabilitation Project Force, Sea Org, Stephen Kent

Over the past three years, I have interviewed more than 100 adolescents and parents with personal experience in both public and private programs and have read hundreds of media accounts, thousands of Internet postings and stacks of legal documents. I have also spoken with numerous psychiatrists, psychologists, sociologists and juvenile justice experts. Of course there is a range of approaches at different institutions, but most of the people I spoke with agree that the industry is dominated by the idea that harsh rules and even brutal confrontation are necessary to help troubled teenagers. University of California at Berkeley sociologist Elliott Currie, who did an ethnographic study of teen residential addiction treatment for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told me that he could not think of a program that wasn't influenced by this philosophy. Unfortunately, tough treatments usually draw public scrutiny only when practitioners go too far, prompting speculation about when "tough is too tough." Dozens of deaths -- such as this month's case of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson, who died hours after entering a juvenile boot camp that was under contract with Florida's juvenile justice system -- and cases of abuse have been documented since tough-love treatment was popularized in the '70s and '80s by programs such as Synanon and Straight, Inc. Parents and teenagers involved with both state-run and private institutions have told me of beatings, sleep deprivation, use of stress positions, emotional abuse and public humiliation, such as making them dress as prostitutes or in drag and addressing them in coarse language. I've heard about the most extreme examples, of course, but the lack of regulation and oversight means that such abuses are always a risk.

Tags: 2001, 2004, Abuse, Drug Free America, Florida, National Institutes of Health, Sleep deprivation, Synanon, University of California, US Department of Justice

But, as England observed, "in an unusual twist on the notion of bringing aid to the destitute, Churilov says his group arrived in Aceh with nothing and were given tents by the army and food by friendly locals. Unfazed that the aid flow was meant to go the other way, he used this as an example of how well accepted the Scientologists were by local people, rather than as an example of traditional manners."

Tags: Greg Churilov, Volunteer Ministers

These disputes underscore the assertive legal tactics long employed by Scientology, whose lawyers say they will not hesitate to take action against unauthorized use of the church's intellectual property and trademarks. But the operators of "scientology-kills.net" and the so-called parody site allege that the church is trying to censor critics of the organization through arbitrary but costly legal battles.

Tags: alt.scientology.war, Helena Kobrin, Ray Randolph, Religious Technology Center, Tilman Hausherr

The Church of Scientology alleged in a lawsuit Tuesday that Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Joan Wood has poisoned its reputation by speaking publicly about the unexplained death of a church member. The lawsuit argues that when Wood recently spoke with reporters about the 1995 death of Lisa McPherson she waived any right to keep her records on the case closed.

Tags: 1995, Clearwater, Clearwater Police Department, Cockroach, Dallas, Dell Liebreich, Florida, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Fort Harrison, George Rahdert, Joan Wood, Ken Dandar, Lisa McPherson, New Port Richey hospital, Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's Office, Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office, Sandy Weinberg, St. Petersburg, Staph infection, Tampa

TORONTO (AP) _ The Church of Scientology said Tuesday that a judge had ordered the return to the group of more than 2 million documents seized nine years ago in a legal battle. James Southey, the Ontario justice, ruled Monday that authorities could no longer keep the records, seized by police investigating tax-fraud allegations. The more than 850 boxes contained books, religious documents, management files and so-called "confessional folders" with intimate details about members, said church spokesperson Al Buttnor.

Tags: Al Buttnor, Critic, Justice James Southey, Ontario, PC folders, Police, Quicky, Time magazine

The county prohibits parents from putting children younger than 2 years in day-care centers, although the children can be placed in licensed homes. Martha Skelton, director of Clearwater's Community Pride Child Care Center, and supporters hope to circumvent that law. She notes that the licensing board has given permission to four groups to provide infant day care in centers rather than homes: the Pinellas Association for Retarded Citizens, the Upper Pinellas Association for Retarded Citizens, the Church of Scientology and Happy Workers Day Nursery and Nursery School.

Tags: Clearwater, Daycare

L. Ron Hubbard, the Church of Scientology founder who had not been seen publicly since 1980, died Friday at age 74, church officials announced Monday night. A coroner said today he is trying to establish that the body was Hubbard's. Earl Cooley, chief counsel for the church, said Monday night that Hubbard died in his sleep of a stroke, on a ranch in San Luis Obispo. George Whiting, the sheriff and coroner of San Luis Obispo County, said today in a telephone interview that the body was photographed and fingerprinted. He added that he is working with other government agencies to find a set of Hubbard's fingerprints for matching.

Tags: 1980, 1983, Annie Broeker, Boston, California, Critic, Dianetics, Earle Cooley, Gene Denk, George Whiting, IRS, L. Ron Hubbard, Los Angeles, Mary Sue Hubbard, Mental Health, Michael Flynn, Pat Broeker, Quicky, Riverside County, Ron DeWolf, San Luis Obispo, Steve Pfauth, US Department of Justice

LOS ANGELES -- L. Ron Hubbard's ashes have been scattered over the Pacific Ocean, but the spirit of the reclusive founder of the Church of Scientology 'lives on' and will influence mankind for thousands of years, church officials say. 'I feel what he has accomplished in the brief span of one lifetime will have impact on every man, woman and child for the next 10,000 years,' the Rev. Ken Hoden, church president, said Tuesday. Hubbard died last week on his Central California ranch at age 74. 'In Scientology, we believe that man is a spirit and when a body dies, the spirit lives on,' Hoden said.

Tags: 1911, 1950, 1952, California, Creston, Dianetics, Ken Hoden, Los Angeles, Medical, Mental Health, Quicky, San Luis Obispo, Tilden

A Fairfax County man's class-action suit requesting $750,000 for each of the participants in Straight Inc., a national drug rehabilitation program with a Fairfax branch, was rejected yesterday by a federal judge who said the man's charges of brainwashing and harassment were an individual matter. U.S. District Court Judge Albert V. Bryan Jr. said there was insufficient evidence to prove that the suit, filed in Alexandria last month by Fred Collins, 20, represented the wishes of more than 3,000 program participants cited in the suit. Bryan said Collins could, however, proceed with an individual suit against the program. The ruling followed a last-minute attempt by Collins' attorney to limit the persons included in the suit to participants in the Fairfax program. "It doesn't make any difference, class or no class" action, attorney Philip Hirschkop said yesterday, "as long as we can go forward."

Tags: Academic, Alexandria, Drug Free America, Fairfax County, Florida, Fred Collins, Lawsuit, Philip Hirschkop, Quicky, Ronald Goldfarb