"Quotes" site litigation thought

by robhic 8 Replies latest watchtower scandals

• 

  robhic

  Narkissos just put me onto the most recent thread explaining the end of this litigation. Sorry I'm late to the discussion.

  First off, let me say that that site was a major beacon of light for all interested in reading past "truth." The fact that the WTS was so committed to the site's being taken down is a testament in itself. A huge THANK YOU! to Quotes for all his time and effort.

  Then, the thought hit me. The WTS took legal action against a single, private citizen in a scenario akin to killing an ant with a sledgehammer. A huge multi-million (billion?) dollar organization made it their priority to silence one guy who was only making their publications available to all. Isn't that their sole intent in going door-to-door and/or leaving the mags in public places? And Quotes didn't add any comments or editorializing, just their words as quoted. Hmmm...

  So, why didn't the WTS heed their own ubiquitous advice: "Wait on jehovah" or "Put it in jehovah's hands?" Why didn't the self-proclaimed organization here on earth just let jehovah handle things? He could have rained Job-ian plagues and stuff on Quotes. But he didn't, he allowed his "earthly organization" (self-proclaimed) to do his bidding for him. In an earthly court system. Is he lazy or just doesn't care?

  And the terms of the settlement had more than a few time-references to finite times. Would the WTS have accepted a settlement of taking the site down "soon" or "the near future" if references to their publicized terms were posted alongside? The end is soon, right around the corner, near, near future, etc. but it's been 100 years and counting. Seems like their "soon" ain't so soon at all... And they didn't want to wait!

  Yep it looks very much like "Do as we say, not do as we teach" is the hallmark of WTS. Sad indeed.

  Robert
• 

  Elsewhere

  The Branch Organization manual states that the WTS's policy is to ignore opposing websites... even those that are libelous . The only reason they would take legal action against someone is if not doing so would lead to other difficulties.

  I suspect it all comes down to the watchtower.ca domain name and not the actual content of the website. The WTS *needs* the watchtower.ca domain, but Quotes had it. Also, considering how Quotes was using the domain there is no way the WTS would claim cybersquatting. This left the WTS in a legal bind: How to get the domain name from Quotes?

  The answer they came up with was to litigate him into bankruptcy using the most expensive form of litigation: Copyright law.

  They knew that there was NO way they could win such a case in the courts, so it was their intention to drag this out until Quotes went bankrupt.

  http://www.davidgladden.com/jw/Docs/branch_organization_manual_bo-e.pdf
  
  Branch Organization Manual, p 9-2

  15. LAWSUITS FOR LIBEL, DAMAGES, OR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF

  : Caution is needed before filing such. You must have approval from the Chairman's Committee. Your report should include what legal remedies are available, the time and cost for such legal action, and the likelihood of success, including attorney fee, estimated damages, and the likelihood of collecting an award. In libel actions, consider if the suit will further advertise the false charges. If you believe a lawsuit that is not filed may lead to other difficulties, please explain this to us.

  16. PRINTED MATTER AGAINST

  JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES : If some organization or individual puts out printed matter against us, even if it has libelous charges, as a general policy we do not retaliate with legal action. Neither do we publish details about it to answer such charges. Our basic policy is to ignore these attacks and let them die rather than give them greater publicity. We prefer to concentrate on the positive activity of Kingdom preaching. If the Branch Committee feels it is wise to take some steps to counteract negative reports that may adversely affect our work, they should make their rec ommendations to the Chairman's Committee. If approved, the Chairman's Committee will oversee the preparation of appropriate responses to false statements and negative media reports.
• 

  hijack

  My thoughts exactly!

  The WTS stance is to approach law suits that violate copyright law cauiously because the resulting publicity damages their cause

  I'd really like to see the watchtower and awake in PDF format on some site please. That way JWD could crucify the WTS with there own literature. Some other literature I would like to see online are:

  (I don't remember the exact book titles - sorry)

  Paradise lost - Paradise gained (A pink coloured book- full of diabolical pictures - 60's era)

  The babylon book (red as thick as their bible- 70s era - full of wrong dates)

  You can live forever in paradise on earth (red book - 80's era- this is the way it is!)

  All nations shall know that Iam jehoover (green? 70's era- armageddon would come before 2000)

  The youth book (small red 80's era - self abuse is a sin)

  That is all I can remember. Anyone else want to add to the list??
• 

  hijack

  From the above link

  Quote

  1. GOVERNING BODY: The Governing Body is made
  up of brothers who are anointed servants of Jehoover
  God. They act as representatives of the “faithful and discreet
  slave” class which has the responsibility for giving
  direction and impetus to the Kingdom work. (Matt. 24:45)
  While the Governing Body delegates certain details or
  responsibilities to committees made up of its own members,
  or committees made up of other dedicated servants
  of God, or to instruments such as corporations and
  legal agencies, it always takes the lead for the smooth
  functioning of the organization and the unity of all of
  God’s people. As the Governing Body, it has the prerogative
  to use its discretion and look into any matters it
  deems necessary to examine with regard to the Kingdom
  work.

  End quote

  On what day did the governing body start to rule? There must have been a specific date that this occured on (maybe when the planets lined up) Frederick Franz opposed the idea because as president he liked the way things were, but the GB was determined to rule. Imagine the seance on that day. They must of had a 2 hour prayer to jehoooover. When the modem said DTR they said CTS then the data stream came, then there was a final ACK. That was it, a stupendous moment in the WTS history
• 

  Scully

  If you believe a lawsuit that is not filed may lead to other difficulties, please explain this to us.

  Yeah, in this case "other difficulties" involves the "embarrassment" that quotes from their own publications cause them, and the number of people who have exited the JWs mainly from this one single source of information. Loss of membership = LOSS of Revenue.

  Added to that is the brilliant work that this site did in "inoculating" the general public about the WTS, its policies, procedures and ever-changing doctrines (aka New Light™). If there was one single threat to their potential growth, it was the Quotes site, followed closely by the Internet as a whole.
• 

  Lady Lee

  Well the WTS got the name now and the Quotes site is gone..... although I really doubt the WTS thought for one single moment that it would spawn the lags and run rampant all over the world - sorta like thinking they are destroying the nest only to find out that they broke open the egg sack wide open so all the lillte spiders could run away too quickly to catch.

  There really is justice sometimes.
• 

  Severus

  Go ahead WTS, take a another swipe...

  

  http://www.reexamine.org/quotes/
• 

  Scully

  Severus

  Now you've got me humming that "bees that are molested" Kingdom Melody™. Dammit all to hell!
• 

  M.J.

  On what day did the governing body start to rule? There must have been a specific date that this occured on (maybe when the planets lined up)

  According to the WTS in 1944, the modern GB began to rule in 1879, having taken the torch from the last Governing Body, the Apostles of Christ:

  The Watchtower, Nov 1, 1944, P. 330-331

  The visible governing body of the Theocratic organization is and must be appointed only by Jehovah God the Supreme Ruler, and Christ Jesus the Head of His church. Its purpose is to issue d irections and spiritual provisions to all God’s people... in 1878, forty years before the Lord’s coming to the temple in 1918, there was a class of sincere consecrated Christians that had broken away from the hierarchic and clergy organizations and who sought to practice Christianity instead of religion . The following year, namely, in July, 1879, that the truths which God through Christ provided as "food in due season" might be regularly distributed to all his household of consecrated children, this magazine, The Watchtower, began to be published .. . Reasonably, those who were entrusted with the publication of the revealed Bible truths were looked to as the Lord’s chosen governing body to guide all those who desired to worship God in spirit and in truth and to serve him unitedly in spreading these revealed truths to other hungering and thirsting ones.

  The "Governing Body" actually preceded the "Faithful Discreet Slave" according to the WTS of this time.