At first I wasn't all that shocked, mistakes were made, corrected, no biggee. Probably quietly pursued by one or two brothers without official authorization. The standard JW mental gymnastics.
But then I read where the Watchtower condemned other churches for being "members of the UN", citing a quote. They failed to include the portion of the quote that shows those churches were associated NGO's. That condemnatory comment was only shortly before the Watchtower itself became an NGO.
Then I considered that if I had joined a political party while a baptized JW, realized it was wrong, and quit, I would be expected to "confess" that "sin" to the elders. Some sort of reproof would come out of it, perhaps even publicly. The Watchtower has made no such admission. They don't deny it, but neither have they publicly admitted it. And in their admitting it, they excuse it, say it was blown out of proportion, etc. Exactly what the judicial committee would view as an unrepentant attitude.
So I guess it's been a slow-shock for me, as I came to realize exactly how hypocritical this situation was, and how wrongly it was handled.
Dave