Remembering those who exposed Scientology, each in their way

We want to thank Observer for handling a request we had: Sadly, it was time to update our “Not Forgotten” tribute.

We have recently lost two giants of the field, Mark Plummer and Andreas Heldal-Lund, and so Observer has done a wonderful job adding them to the sylvan glen where our heroes relax under the shade of two stately oaks.

Here’s our original introduction to this image, to help our newer readers understand what we’re talking about…

In 2013, the Church of Scientology slaughtered a couple of innocent live oak trees that had been standing in the way of a party the church wanted to throw itself.

Our longtime readers no doubt remember it. It was a classic example of Scientology’s disregard for local laws when they get in the way of what the church wants. In this case Scientology wanted to put up a giant tent for the grand opening of their “Flag Building” (also known as the Super Power Building) in downtown Clearwater, Florida, where healthy old live oak trees are a rare and precious commodity. The city told Scientology not to cut down the trees and were working on a plan to relocate them, but the church defied that recommendation and cut the trees down anyway, and paid a $2,000 fine.

It was so characteristic of this smug, superior organization and it struck a chord with us. We decided that those two majestic trees should not be forgotten, and an idea came to us. We asked Observer, with her wonderful skills, if she would help us put together a scene we had in mind.

We imagined those two lovely trees now giving shade to several people who had faced the Scientology buzzsaw in one way or another. We loved the result, which Observer titled, “Not Forgotten.”

And today, we have a new version of Observer’s touching tribute. We asked her to add Andreas and Mark, two friends we miss very much.

Do you recognize them all? That’s Lisa McPherson standing on the right. She was killed by Scientology’s quack mental health ideas after being held for 17 days at the Fort Harrison Hotel in 1995. Sitting in front of her is Ida Camburn, a wonderful woman who lost a son to Scientology, and who used to send us emails early in our career, encouraging us to expose the church. Sitting on the bench there is Robert Vaughn Young, who at one time was Scientology’s spokesman but then became one of its biggest critics. Next to him is Bob Minton, the wealthy businessman who financed the Lisa McPherson Trust and was caught up in vicious attacks by the church. And on his right is Gabe Cazares, the brave Clearwater mayor who first revealed that it was Scientology that had secretly infiltrated the town, and paid for it with elaborate operations run against him by Scientology’s spy wing intended to destroy his reputation.

Standing behind them is Denise Brennan, who helped us understand the byzantine early-1980s reorganization of Scientology, and whom we miss very much. Next to her is Andreas Heldal-Lund, a Norwegian man who created one of the early Internet’s most important locations for information about Scientology’s abuses, Operation Clambake (xenu.net). He was also an unusually kind and intelligent man whose calm strength against years of attacks by Scientology only made him more resolute.

Next to Andreas is Nan McLean, who was still sharp as a tack and fighting against Scientology into her 90s. On her right, and very appropriately strumming a guitar, is Mark “Warrior” Plummer, a generous, caring man who we spent long hours talking on the phone with about his Scientology experiences and so many other things. He truly was one of a kind and was taken from us too soon.

Standing next to the bench is Alexander Jentzsch, who died of a simple ailment while he was denied by Scientology any contact with his mother, Karen de la Carriere, because she had dared to criticize the church. And sitting in the foreground is Quentin Hubbard, who just wanted to be a pilot, but happened to be the son of the Great Thetan, who hated him for being gay. Quentin committed suicide in 1976.

We give thanks that each of these people exposed Scientology’s true nature, each in their own way.

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Thank you for reading today’s story here at Substack. For the full picture of what’s happening today in the world of Scientology, please join the conversation at tonyortega.org, where we’ve been reporting daily on David Miscavige’s cabal since 2012. There you’ll find additional stories, and our popular regular daily features:

Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history

Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea

Overheard in the Freezone: Indie Hubbardism, one thought at a time

Past is Prologue: From this week in history at alt.religion.scientology

Random Howdy: Your daily dose of the Captain

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