i've been a member of the site for a month, but have been reading the posts for a lot longer, however this is my first post.
i was raised a j-dub by my mother (my father wasn't religious) with my sister and brother.
i was pretty much convinced by my dub friends, bible study conductor, and mother that i should get baptized when i was 15 and decided to go for it.
#1) If you lead a double life, you will go crazy & lose your self-respect. Hence, "Be true to thyne own self - thou canst not be false to any man."
#2) Being a JW is dedication.
#3) What if your wife gets really into being a JW, and she wants your kids to be JWs?
#4) Even if your wife does not become a JW, if you are reinstated....you will be pressured to raise your kids as JWs.
#5) Are you tied to your mother or your wife?
you know the game, you can invite ten real people - alive or dead - who you would want to have around the table for a meal and conversation.
since it's a fantasy, language wouldn't be a barrier.. i'm still working on my definitive list but some names come immediately to mind;.
stephen fry.
Any of the Apostles
Janis Joplin (why? "Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose"....the best lyric and sung with a voice like no other)
Ronald Reagon (why? the greatest bluffer of all time).
Ingrid Bergman (why? adultery, run out of the US by the anti-communist movement, cheated on by husband, just a hell of a life with a face like no other. Plus, Gaslight is my favorite movie).
Abe Lincoln (why? need I say more.)
Bill O'Reilly (why? He'd like to meet all these people).
Oliver Wendell Holmes (why? read his court opinions)
John Krakauer (why? Best writer I've ever read. Into Thin Air - a great mountaineering survival story of Mt. Everest. He followed it with an expose on the Mormons - which the church did not like).
Benjamin Curtis (why? He and McLean coauthored the dissent in Dredd Scott, a pivitol slavery Supreme Court case).
John McLean (why? See Curtis).
Galileo (why? need I say more.)
Emeril (someone has to cook).
somebody gave me the heads up on this.. if anyone can find a way of recording it before it disappears ...?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/sunday/ select 'listen to the current programme in full' option, and the excerpt begins approx 10.37 into the stream.. or.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/realmedia/sunday/sundayauto.ram.
This is awesome!
After listening to the interview, I think that Attorney Kerry Louderback-Wood is the reason behind the August 2006 Awake mentioning hemoglobin! Unfortunately, the August 2006 Awake's other medical quotes are suspect and smell of misrepresentation.
Skeeter
u.s. securities and exchange commission .
washington, d.c. .
litigation release no.
Great story!
I've seen more "brothers" screw the others in the congregation with "business deals."
i'm thrilled to tell you about the latest court decision made in california a few days ago which kimberlee norris said would be announced today, monday, on jwd.. on july 3rd, i started a thread where the last two rulings in the napa county, california lawsuit, charissa w. v. watchtower, new york, et al., were posted.
both decisions were favorable to the plaintiff.
see http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/8/116108/1.ashx.
BANKRUPTCY - The documents referenced above do not answer the bankruptcy question. They are internal documents that govern what happens to the left-over assets if these non-profit corporations dissolves or terminates business on its own accord. These paragraphs are modeled after US tax law. What happens at bankruptcy is mandated by US bankruptcy law. In bankruptcy, there are no left over assets (i.e. the debtor is insolvent). Becuase there is not enough assets to pay all the debts, the bankruptcy trustee "prioritizes" the corporation's creditor's claims (i.e. the power company, the law firms, the employee's unpaid wages) into various classes. The "higher" the creditor's "priority", the more likely it will be paid out of the corporation's assets (if this is a complete bankruptcy where all the assets are sold). One of the highest classes are the bankruptcy attorney's fees, followed by the secured creditors (e.g. mortgage holders), followed by unsecured creditors (e.g. the light bill). A child molestation victim with a large, but unpaid settlement would be a creditor. Bankruptcy law in section 523 states that certain debts are not "dischargable" (i.e. they are still due despite the bankruptcy). These include many taxes, educational loans, alimony/child support, DUI/Drug related tort lawsuits (which this isn't), and "willful & malicious" injury torts. It would take alot for a court to determine that not reporting a child molestation is "willful & mailicious" (though we all think it is). Here, a child molestation claim would probably be a dischargable, unsecured debt. As such, payment for it would come out the the corporation's assets, but only after all the higher priority pools (i.e. after the attorney's fees and secured creditors). In many bankruptcies, the unsecured creditors are never paid or are only paid pennies on the dollar.
The WTS could try to "move" money or assets around before claiming bankruptcy, but the US laws are pretty strict against "fraudulent conveyences" and a judge/trustee would probably scrutinize any big changes occuring within 2 years prior to bankruptcy.
I seriously doubt that the WTS is bankrupt. Look at all the assets it owns, and its current fair market value. They could pay for many, many, many of these lawsuits.
TAX EXEMPT v. "DOING BUSINESS" - The "doing business" standard is in a different ballpark than "tax exempt" status. "Doing business" in the realm of 'whether or not a court can drag a defendent into court' deals with having "minimum contacts" in the State. Here, owning/selling land and providing self-insurance to related entities was enough minimum contacts. This is a right decision based on the facts. The purpose of this law is to allow the State's citizens a convenient venue (i.e. an in-state court) in which to sue an organizastion that solicits transactions from in-state citizens. Tax Exempt "doing business" means doing it for a profit motive, instead of a religious, charitable, education, etc. motive. When the IRS determines that the main motive is "for profit" then the 501(c)(3) is lost.
BIG NEWS - This is great news, indeed. But, it's not BIG news until it hits the front page of many newspapers around the country. Right now, only "we on this 4 page thread" and the judge know about it. The JW is ignorant, your neighbor is ignorant, etc. It will make news, especially when this case is won. For now, it looks like it's in the pre-trial stage. Alot can happen. The WTS could decide to settle the case out-of-court - rather than set a precedent or hand over the documents.
Without the 20/20 report, this case would have never happened, nor would have Love & Norris been involved.
Skeeter
p.s. Wouldn't this be a great "Court TV" case?
to the tune of "here i am, send me" .
you slew the dinosaurs with stones.
of me-teo-ors from you throne.
Have you heard this Dusty Rose song...
"Ain't no Christmas for the Jehovah's Witness"
http://www.harraway.com/dustyroze.html
A GREAT LAUGH
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what do you think would encourage the jw's enormously right now?.
another war, a pandemic, a meteor striking the earth, bird flu in the us?
Johnny Cochran?
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i need some tips for fun places to go or things to do on a date.... i'm running out of ideas and i'm sick of the "go to the bar then to the club" kind of dates.
anyone have any ideas for me?
I like the planeterium idea. Always get a crick in my neck looking at stars, and need a massage afterwards.
Men, try buying a top rated boar's head brush, and brushing your lady's hair.....
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i need some tips for fun places to go or things to do on a date.... i'm running out of ideas and i'm sick of the "go to the bar then to the club" kind of dates.
anyone have any ideas for me?
Second date, I assume you want to move faster?
Well, then....how about overnight fishing trip on a boat with a cabin? Or, riding the horses at night through the golf course? Breaking some rules now, aren't we?
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i need some tips for fun places to go or things to do on a date.... i'm running out of ideas and i'm sick of the "go to the bar then to the club" kind of dates.
anyone have any ideas for me?
Goony golf, golf driving range, horseback riding, dance lessons, visit the zoo/museum, rent a boat/fishing (lots of time to talk), horse races,
