Posts by james

203

goodbye AAWA--good luck

by bigmac in

i'm out.

.

seems they didnt like me posting this.

james_woods

James: Cears is fairly good at identifying bad press when it's been pointed out to him several dozen times. You will probably see the "bird" pictures disappear shortly

Ironic. Once again, response to a contraversial AAWA issue is attributed solely to Cedars, when we were assured that Cedars was not the sole authority - rather that the board of AAWA decided everything.

We shall see if the picture is withdrawn - but isn't the guy who made it one of the AAWA board members?

I might note that Rick Fearon eventually withdrew the picture he posted of the mayor of some northeastern city (claiming some kind of JW connection about him).

203

goodbye AAWA--good luck

by bigmac in

i'm out.

.

seems they didnt like me posting this.

james_woods

Cedars’ survey is not delusional. It’s practical and it helps.

Marvin Shilmer

However delusional or non-delusional, it is worthless as a scientifically sound survey because it is self-defeating in the collection of a true random sample. Because JWs are not supposed to respond to such non-JW activities, it automatically is heavily biased (in fact, practically fully sampled) by non-conforming JWs.

Thus, it can only tell us that non-conforming JWs do not conform to JW rules. Which should have been obvious.

BTW - Does that pathetic "flipping the bird" picture remind anyone else of the Rick Fearon posters standing in front of Kingdom Halls with a banner? Yes, it is in a way more offensive than the Fearon pictures - but the similarity to me is in the pathetic pointlessness of the effort.

216

My Final Goodbye

by Lady Lee in

i want to start by saying i will not participate in discussion here about my resignation as a moderator at jwn.. simon please consider this as my resignation from that position.. i have been posting on this board for almost 12 years.

i know some of you a lot, others a little and some not very well at all.

i have remained here for those of you who have needed support as you make the transition out of the wts, who needed someone to listen to your experiences of abuse at the hands of jehovah's witnesses, and to both laugh and cry with you as you progress out of the watchtower society.. we know that we have all experienced the cruelty of abuse of one kind or another.

james_woods

Instead Lady Lee posted publicly that it was locked because Cedars had asked her to lock it, and then locked it again.

Aside from the administrative issues (which Simon has made completely clear and understandable) - two points come to mind for me:

1) - because the Lady Lee resignation from JWN was made transparent and public, we have the reasons and facts on record. This is quite unlike the resignation of Barbara Anderson from the AAWA board - which is shrouded in mystery, with Anderson still seemingly being a "supporter" of AAWA.

2) - Once again, we get a strong hint that the AAWA organization is really a Cedars autocracy - as the above quote shows: "Cedars asked her to lock it". So much for it not being a dictatorship, with the board deciding everything. This has been proven true several times in the past on key issues.

It is ironic that Lady Lee and Barbara Anderson COULD have been the two best known and best respected AAWA anchors and founders - but that now both have become points of question and contraversy rather than foundation stones. This is typical of the continuing disorder with AAWA.

216

My Final Goodbye

by Lady Lee in

i want to start by saying i will not participate in discussion here about my resignation as a moderator at jwn.. simon please consider this as my resignation from that position.. i have been posting on this board for almost 12 years.

i know some of you a lot, others a little and some not very well at all.

i have remained here for those of you who have needed support as you make the transition out of the wts, who needed someone to listen to your experiences of abuse at the hands of jehovah's witnesses, and to both laugh and cry with you as you progress out of the watchtower society.. we know that we have all experienced the cruelty of abuse of one kind or another.

james_woods

I just have this to say (about the dramatic "Exit Post"):

I thought it was VERY BAD TASTE to try to piggyback on the Ray Franz name and legacy by claiming "conscience" (veiled reference to Crisis of Conscience, get it?) and quoting him in this exit crying towel post.

For one thing, creating divisive organizations to counter the Watchtower religion was one thing that Franz and the Dunlaps were ADAMANTLY AGAINST .

They quite clearly realized the danger and pratfalls of trying to create human organizations - and knew that this was in fact what went wrong with the society from the early days when Russell and company did that.

We have reached a very sorry state of self-delusion if we begin to rationalize to ourselves that Ray Franz (of all people!) would be an AAWA supporter if he were still living!

216

My Final Goodbye

by Lady Lee in

i want to start by saying i will not participate in discussion here about my resignation as a moderator at jwn.. simon please consider this as my resignation from that position.. i have been posting on this board for almost 12 years.

i know some of you a lot, others a little and some not very well at all.

i have remained here for those of you who have needed support as you make the transition out of the wts, who needed someone to listen to your experiences of abuse at the hands of jehovah's witnesses, and to both laugh and cry with you as you progress out of the watchtower society.. we know that we have all experienced the cruelty of abuse of one kind or another.

james_woods

And thus we record the latest negative side effect of the train wreck that AAWA has become.

34

Simon has stated the AAWA facts with exact precision

by james_woods in

i think the problem is, as before, how the aawa is handling things and refusing to answer your critics makes things worse.

critics are not people out to get you, they are critical of something that you have done or given the appearance of doing and pr is the job of responding to address the criticisms.. this is the internet people, you can't just pretend that things didn't happen by deleting the comments!

especially not with a group that wants to claim to offer support and be open and honest.

james_woods

Yes, if someone has committed a crime then most reputable sites will be compelled to provide whatever identifying information they have.

I have committed a crime.

It involves the 12 cylinder motor car engine.

My technician concurs that the wheel/tire units were indeed out of balance at high speeds.

34

Simon has stated the AAWA facts with exact precision

by james_woods in

i think the problem is, as before, how the aawa is handling things and refusing to answer your critics makes things worse.

critics are not people out to get you, they are critical of something that you have done or given the appearance of doing and pr is the job of responding to address the criticisms.. this is the internet people, you can't just pretend that things didn't happen by deleting the comments!

especially not with a group that wants to claim to offer support and be open and honest.

james_woods

Wow! You all take life and places like this way to serious.

Well, you know - when you have a religion that tells you not to get an education or a good career, and to sacrifice your kids lives if they need a medical blood procedure...

IT REALLY IS SERIOUS.

34

Simon has stated the AAWA facts with exact precision

by james_woods in

i think the problem is, as before, how the aawa is handling things and refusing to answer your critics makes things worse.

critics are not people out to get you, they are critical of something that you have done or given the appearance of doing and pr is the job of responding to address the criticisms.. this is the internet people, you can't just pretend that things didn't happen by deleting the comments!

especially not with a group that wants to claim to offer support and be open and honest.

james_woods

Astonishing that an organization with such high aspirations can turn into a train wreck within a matter of weeks.

Heck, it took the Watchtower decades to reach the point where it had alienated so many people!

Ahh - the tangled web we weave, once we conspired to deceive...

34

Simon has stated the AAWA facts with exact precision

by james_woods in

i think the problem is, as before, how the aawa is handling things and refusing to answer your critics makes things worse.

critics are not people out to get you, they are critical of something that you have done or given the appearance of doing and pr is the job of responding to address the criticisms.. this is the internet people, you can't just pretend that things didn't happen by deleting the comments!

especially not with a group that wants to claim to offer support and be open and honest.

james_woods

Seriously, I appreciate your comment.

Fine. Now, can we talk about what you did to the Wibble?

No, forget that for now...

I can just comment this on AAWA:

1) - I feel very sad about the mess that has been made of it by the founders. I always liked Cedars and appreciated his comments here.

2) - I understand that Barbara Anderson has withdrawn support from the group. I wish she would state her reasons and opinions in detail here.

3) - Whether we like the AAWA or not - the splashes of mud they have thrown in the air affect the entire ex-JW community. The effect of this has done nothing to promote the standing of ex-JWs and does nothing to help present doubting JWs to exit.

I think in view of the fiasco this has become, the AAWA people would best serve the community as a whole by making a graceful withdrawal.

34

Simon has stated the AAWA facts with exact precision

by james_woods in

i think the problem is, as before, how the aawa is handling things and refusing to answer your critics makes things worse.

critics are not people out to get you, they are critical of something that you have done or given the appearance of doing and pr is the job of responding to address the criticisms.. this is the internet people, you can't just pretend that things didn't happen by deleting the comments!

especially not with a group that wants to claim to offer support and be open and honest.

james_woods

This:

I think the problem is, as before, how the AAWA is handling things and refusing to answer your critics makes things worse. Critics are not people out to get you, they are critical of something that you have done or given the appearance of doing and PR is the job of responding to address the criticisms.

This is the internet people, you can't just pretend that things didn't happen by deleting the comments! Especially not with a group that wants to claim to offer support and be open and honest. Never mind the issue of still putting people at risk.

Throw in refusal to now even have any dialog with people that they were keen to talk to when they wanted to announce and promote themselves and you are left with the appearance, whether accurate or not, that the group is acting in an arrogant way that just centers on their own appearance.

Really, being able to alianate so many of the ex JW community within just a few days of launch is quite an achievement. Yes, things are going on over the same thing but there is a REASON for that - it's because there are no answers forthcoming. Cedars could easily have posted on the thread that "hey, yes, I used a pseudonym for certain reasons but it's OK and all legit, we checked" and that would be it ... but he didn't. They could have shut the group when it was clear early on that there were problems ... but they didn't. They could have done lots of things that would have taken no time at all and there would have been no endless discussion and people would have said "great job guys". Instead, they spent their time deleting any comments off their blog that were critical and writing up a self-promoting PR piece that spun what had gone on.

It's not OUR fault that THEY have mishandled things! Are they also intending to become an Anti-JWN group now as well? Who's next? Reminds me so much of the jehadist types who turn on the population because they don't get the support that they imagine they deserve and demand.

As for other people with no ex JW background getting involved. Yeah, I can see one or two individuals but that is it. If the name was more generic and not so focused on being anti-WatchTower maybe .... but then why didn't those people get involved with existing counter-cult groups? Doesn't it work both ways? Is anyone here interested in joining an anti-Mormon or anti-Scientology group? Have you? Will you? Of course not ...

So aren't we all left with the feeling that after destroying the trust of the ex JW community they are now saying "well fuck you, we never wanted you people anyway, it's non-JWs that are going to help us, nah nah"? Does anyone really believe them?

As for the lawyer putting themselves at risk. That's crap. They do the paperwork and file it and could offer advice but the person signing their name on the paper is the one swearing that it is true. I don't know and care if it's legal or not but do wonder how much trust people can put in an organization run by someone that not only doesn't reveal their name but doesn't even want people to know what COUNTRY they are in. It's laughable to imagine that they wouldn't be sitting ducks in court. Just file against the president and win by default every time he fails to appear.

I have had my differences with Simon - but this is exactly correct. Nobody could have said it better. I may actually post here again in the light of this correctness and clarity.

james_woods

Posts by james_woods