Posts by SnakesInTheTower

I pursured my first associates degree while still an elder. My first class in that degree was ethics and it opened my eyes to a lot of things. That was in 2004. I was finally deleted as an elder (for multiple bogus reasons..mostly for being "unreasonable" {aka, I wouldnt quit college and do what I was told by the BOE..but thats not what they told the CO}) in December 2006. I changed congos and faded until Sept 07 and then quit altogether. Right about the time I took a Psychology class that really opened my eyes to the control factor.

I should finish with the second associates degrees (AS), as the first one was a career degree not a transfer degree. I want to pursue a BA/BS in a business degree, but have to see what the money, grants, etc look like...

Dubs dont like you pursuing college, esp 4 year degrees. It really depends on the congo BOE mindset.

Snakes ()

4

Spiritual Ponzi--Maddoff has nothing on GB for destroying lives

by Alpaca in

jw
friends

over the past couple of weeks as the bernard maddoff scandal has been unfolding i couldn't help but see the parallels between his ponzi scheme and the wt society's behavior over its history.

the wt society and the governing body have perpetrated a scandalous spiritaul ponzi scheme on some of the most vulnerable members of our society and others who were just good hearted, idealistic people wishing to see a better world.. .

just like maddoff, the wt society (and by extension the governing body):.

SnakesInTheTower

cl:

The jws should have to have charitible services for the poor to maintain their tax exempt status. NOT field circus and occassional help in disasters.

I have said this before here. If the JWs want to do a social service that the government would otherwise provide (housing the homeless, feed the needy, food pantries, soup kitchens, real literacy services {vs the fake literacy class brain washing to read the lit offered}, then the dubs should get tax exempt status for those activities only...NOT the KH, WTBTS buildings etc that are not part of such social efforts.

Just another reason I am glad to be out of that scheme.

Snakes ()

5

Thanks for the font change!

by seek2find in

jw
friends

messages are much easier in firefox now.

seek2find.

SnakesInTheTower

i had the light fonts too and I am on a PC.... glad for the change...

Snakes ()

26

Big News! 2009 District Conventions moved OUT OF STATE!

by sacolton in

jw
friends

my jw wife told me today that the 2009 oklahoma district conventions will not be held in our state.

the tulsa area will have to go to fort smith, arkansas and the central oklahoma area will have to go to witchia, kansas!

wow!

SnakesInTheTower

I dont ever see the Society ever going to broadcasting the DC programs to KHs. The larger gatherings are the rare times that JWs from other congregations can get together. If it wasn't for the conventions there would be no marriages. It is the only opportunity for JWs to interact and meet those other single "spiritual" brothers and sisters...that and QBs...and the QBs are getting rarer and rarer in my part of the country. (and if you dont land a sister before she hits 20, you wont land one at all).

What I do see is a possibility of cutting DC to 2 days and holding 2 SADs a year (eliminating the 2 day CA). Its getting harder for the average R&F JW to get Friday off from their employer (or for that matter, who wants to give up a vacation day to sit at another borefest). This would also serve the purpose of eliminating hotels all together for the one day programs. Just get up at the a$$ crack of dawn, drive to the SAD, sleep through the session, drive home...claim to be "spiritually refreshed."

I have commented elsewhere on this site regarding how the whole negotiation thing works..though I never found out the "formula"

Snakes ()

42

JWN is 59% evil!

by Leolaia in

jw
friends

in honor of this being my 12345th post, i thought i'd pass on a bit of gematria:.

according to: http://homokaasu.org/gematriculator/.

unfortunately, watchtower.org is only 50% evil, with 50% good.

SnakesInTheTower

my real legal name is 16% evil/84% good; a variation of my first name with last name is 50/50, the variation of my first name (that i hate) is 20/80.

SnakesInTheTower is 1% evil/99% good LOL just plain snakes is 50/50 (and for you smarties with a memory...replacing snakes with "sankes" resulted in the same ratios..

Snakes (of the "1% evil" Sheep Class)

21

Posters - a request

by Gregor in

the new net site is working well, but i have noticed that when posting some typeface comes out looking like the fine print on the back of a credit card statement.

please enlarge the font size.

this is 12.-- bold is even easier to read.

SnakesInTheTower

testing... ddddddddd this is default 10pt.... which is what I use.

I usually only bold for emphasis or bold for other posters screen names (quoting, etc)...

and of course...my sign off...

Snakes ()

81

Extreme Home Makeover Fresno--JWs don't help their own

by LDH in

jw
friends

so worldly people do it for them.. .

http://www.fresnobee.com/1040/story/1117887.html.

ok, i watch the show once in a while.

SnakesInTheTower

as to this topic...It doesnt matter if the local dubs helped this woman or not. Someone helped her. To be certain..it was not for purely altruistic reasons that the producers do this.... It makes good TV....good TV draws eyeballs.....eyeballs means people who will watch advertising (including all of the product placements in the homes they build)....advertising pays for TV..... that otherwise you and I would have to pay for. The cost of the advertising is eventually included in the cost of the products we buy. (If we dont buy that product, we watch the program for free, if we do buy the product, then we paid for the program).

The JW (or whomever) gets a new house (in the old days, EHM just renovated...but there were legal/logistical problems with doing it that way..so now they just demolish and rebuild)... everyone wins.

What bothers me about EHM is that they build these outlandishly fancy houses that the homeowner could never afford normally. I have often wondered about the taxation issue.... the builder and/or community usually pays off the mortgage and even provides a maintenance fund...but who pays the increased value of the new home?

Do they really need all the latest gadgets.....no..but its donated by the manufacturers.... Some things I understand (ie, the latest in air filtration for those with environmental allergy issues), or the huge house for the family that adopts a dozen kids (otherwise the government would be housing them)..... but do these kids really need these outlandish rooms that they will outgrow (mature out of) in a few years anyway? No..but it makes great TV.

But the sister that is helped by EXM...who cares if the dubs didnt help her out.... she got help, thats all that matters.

Now...as a side (but related) issue... about dubs helping their own...

As a former elder, I can tell you that there is no organized system to help JWs in need. Yes there is the Disaster Relief Fund (now rolled into the Worldwide Work fund) that has helped some (ie, Katrina) but I was disturbed by the request of the RBCs to be reimbursed by the JW that is assisted (out of the insurance/government money) for materials and labor. The labor was donated..why should the Regional be reimbursed with all of the insurance money? The JW that is helped with home repairs in that situation will certainly need some of the insurance money to buy new furniture, etc. I can understand being reimbursed for materials, that makes sense of course. But to donate it all (or be pressured or "guilted" into it, as I know some were) is unreasonable.

Let me give you an example I know of first hand in my old congo where elders dont help there own but churches did:

When there was a huge power outage in my area in the summer of 2006, do you think the elders in my old congo helped anyone but themselves and their families? NOooooo. I know of one elderly sister (who doesnt have a dime to donate when she dies) who lived in a senior high rise. Everyone in the high rise was evacuated to a neighborhood church basement where they got 3 square meals a day and a cot and their basic needs met. That was the evacuation plan for the building..understood. But 3 days???? Where were the elders? They never checked on her or the other sister in the senior building. (but those widowed sisters that had money that was being willed to the KH, you can be certain they were checked in on by the elders personally)

You can be certain that the "worldly" relatives of the elderly sisters were not impressed by the lack of love shown by the elders. (I may have been off the hook because I was out of town at the time, but I was still ashamed of what "we" as a collective body failed to do....I was approached about it when I returned by both sisters and their relatives).

When I asked the BOE and the CO about it, they said they "knew" the sisters were being cared for.... no...they didnt know anything until they were told days later. One of the sisters started making phone calls around on her own..once the PO got wind of that..then he took it upon himself to continue it.... No love at all.

Another reason I have no use for the WTBTS...they should lose their tax-exempt status unless they provide meaningful social programs... (not the useless "Education work")

Snakes ()

31

Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 01-11-09 WT Study (STRAY)

by blondie in

jw
friends

comments you will not hear at the 01-11-09 wt study (november 15, 2008, pages (8-12)(stray).

review comments will be in red.

wt material from today's wt will be in black.

SnakesInTheTower

thank you blondie for the heads up... I forgot this article was coming up. I hope not to be bothered. The congo where my card is stashed dont bother with me..and their PO who I was friends with is being put out to pasture by the Society (he and his wife are part of the Order of Special FT Servants) and are being reassigned to "special pioneering" a couple hours away... still in the region... but not in my congo... with out him there to remind them, I doubt I will get mentioned (goodie).

The last congo I was an elder in dont want anything to do with me. (goodie)

The 2 congos in the town I live in are a bit more a problem. I have one or two elders and a few R&F dubs that still try to make contact from time to time.. now understand I havent been in the one since 2002 and the other since 1991....the 91 congo only one elder bothered with me until I called BS on him (for not showing up at a scheduled lunch ..so much his for "loving concern"). The 02 congo there are 2 elders I used to consider to be friends... and I still get called by one or the other once a month to "see how I am doing" (I wonder if they are tired of hearing: "same ol same ol..work and school..nothing exciting.." LOL)

so what do you think... what will this article will register what on the Average R&F Dub Richter Scale..... 3.2.... 3.3? If that? bahhh.. they can just leave me be.

Snakes ()

32

Today's Foxnews headline = NASA study warns of Solar doomsday 2012!

by Witness 007 in

{yes another doomsday thread...but blame foxnews not me}.

a study by the "national academy of sciences" warns of increasing solar activity destroying all electrical systems of earth!

in 1859 a huge solar flare wiped out the telegraph and exisiting comunications of that period.

SnakesInTheTower

i dont watch cable Fox Snooze...and am getting about sick of CNN as well... more and more there is nothing but talking heads on CNN...no news.

some of their investigation reports are interesting...as long as they dont delve into the FoxNews well of hyperbole and sensationalism.

I have watched BBC America and listened to BBC Radio overnight when I am up... but even they are getting into talking heads and experts and not news... I dont want analysis...i want reporting.... and its getting rare.

As to the solar doomsday report in 2012..blah blah blah........everything shuts down in western society... and those in remote parts of the world will hardly blink an eye as they continue on as they have for thousands of years.... the few with a tv or whatever will just chuck it and go back to farming....

Snakes ()