Posts by Inquiry

21

Oprah Talks to a Child Molester today at 4p dallas time

by wednesday in

must see tv, child molester gives inside info about what makes him "tick" so to speak.

something all of us should watch.

Inquiry

I watched the show yesterday and I too found it very revealing...

It was kinda weird watching a sexual predator warn about sexual predators... but it was very informative... Points I thought were especially important...

- Pedophiles are never cured... we've heard that before, but never from a pedophile.

- I think Jay still has some denial about having molested teenage boys for sex.. he doesn't see those as "relationships". He seems to define those encounters differently than the encounters he had with those like his daughter.... She was 3 when he started molesting her... He said what he did to her too.. he was very forthcoming.. but I couldn't help but feel the willies when he talked about that.

- He's definately looking for absolution. I found it strange when Polly Class' father was on and said he received lots of mail from pedophiles... What is that about? Do therapists think that is a good exercise for pedophiles... Apologize to the Class'... I felt so bad for the father, it looked like he could strangle Jay.... and who could blame him... and there was a moment that was so subtle... but Mr. Glass pointed it out... that Jay had vowed that he would never molest again, but at the beginning of the program he said he couldn't promise he wouldn't. I thought that was interesting...and telling.. that Jay could be fooling himself.. The letter Jay read and sent him, it looked like Jay was looking for forgiveness or understanding from him.. Class didn't give him an inch... Class was clearly repulsed by him and given his situation... I can't blame him at all....

- I was troubled by the sympathy Jay got. Hell, for a few minutes there, I even felt sorry for him... It's like feeling sorry for the tiger that's presently eating you alive just because the poor thing is hungry. There was definately an emotional pull... it was like oh, this guy is this personable and articulate, a neighbour and friend.. meanwhile the guy is a monster and possibly a ticking timebomb.... I admit I like what he's doing now... coming forward, and supporting Meagan's Law.. but I wouldn't be inviting the guy over for tea anytime soon.. If you get my meaning.

- I couldn't help but wonder what the kids he molested looked like and how they were doing now.. I wondered about his daughter. He hasn't seen her since she outed him... she was 5... that was 20 years ago... and someone told him that if she's over 18 and she hasn't been in contact... she doesn't want contact... he was clearly interested in re-establishing a relationship with his daughter... I was kinda disappointed that he got to make that plea on national television. It was one of those things Oprah probably couldn't control, but for his daughter it may have been a bit much.... I sure hope someone warned her that he was going to be on the tube and that it was gonna be Oprah's show... that would have been quite a shock if she hadn't been warned first.

- he's now a buddhist monk and he has to work with people who commit sexual crimes... hmmmm... interesting...

- I'm glad he's in treatment... and I think he's right that sexual predators who aren't in therapy are dangerous and will offend again... I totally agree that there needs to be a place for them... if not jail... then where... but if Jay were to weaken... then it's the community where he lives that would suffer...

oh well that's it for now.. I gtg

Inq

29

Michael Jackson.....again!

by ScoobySnax in

jw
friends

well now i can't make my mind up...!!

(whats new) over her in the uk, skyone has just aired the michael jackson side of the documentary from martin bashir....you know the one where mj is filming bashir interviewing him, a kind of a me watching you watching me thing.

while i've always thought mj has lost the plot a bit, i do like his music, and this new film totally contradicted the original bashir documentary.

Inquiry

Well, I'm not especially an MJ fan, so I'm not terribly biased about it one way or another... but I have had journalistic experience and Bashir's interview was one of the worst I've ever seen... The value in the interview IMO was seeing Mikey's house.. his kids... and Mikey's eccentricities... but I gotta say... I definately think Bashir (sp?) really blew it this time. If I were his boss, I'd fire him.

The guy made his career on Princess Di (she walked all over him) and it looks like the King of Pop has cooked his goose.. I mean really... The guy doesn't do royalty, of any kind, well at all... Absolutely no integrity, no credibility at all...He's not a journalist... he's a tabloid sweetheart... trying too hard to be the consumate celebrity himself... Frankly he sucks, (and apparently that's his gameplan during interviews too .) he doesn't know the difference between being a pundit and a journalist....

Bashir's interview looked as if he held himself out as some sort of arrogant authority figure playing Papa Bashir to poor screwed up Baby Mikey...... Bi g mistake.. a journalist, appearing to be personally involved... even holding the kidlets' hands in public...and cooing Mikey up... the hero worship that was going on during those interviews was nauseating..... he might as well have crawled up Mikey's backside....it was a disgusting display... and no, journalists don't have to do that to get interviews... Look at Barbara Walters... Dianne Sawyer... Dan Rather... any of them.. can you imagine them doing that? No way... how could anyone trust anything Bashir says after seeing him in action? You'd be a fool to.

It was good that Mikey was taping the interviews as well. It should have been a hint to Bashir not to play the game like that.. but no... Bashir apparently thinks he can weather being exposed as a total moron!... Can you say edipus?.... I mean really, is there anyone who didn't know Mikey was eccentric? Really eccentric? But now everyone knows Bashir is a complete idiot too!

To someone that's had even relatively little experience in journalism, what was going on there should have been obvious... and Mikey's tapes show what really happened. It was that in 8 months of interviewing Mikey... No-talent Bashir had nothing special.. he had the "typical" Jackson interview... rare, but typical, he should have left it at that but no... he had to have something meatier than what he had... so he did a little creative editing...it's called "the old pitch and ditch"... intimate a sex/child abuse scandal to make it sell... and if you think about it... really, what in that interview did anyone see that was "News"? nuthin... We all know mikey thinks he's a kid (Peter Pan to be more specific)... we've known that for years... why else would the guy have an amusement park named Neverland for a backyard? Yes he's had plastic surgery and he's embarassed about it... big deal, wouldn't you be if that's how you ended up lookin? ...He got mobbed at a zoo thus endangering his children.... now that was interesting... considering Mikey was there for 3 wholde minutes before he got mobbed.... I wonder who tipped the press?...someone clearly did... is it too much of a far cry to think that Bashir might have done it?...now that's a thought eh... things that make ya say hmmmm.... And then there's the kid sleeping in Mikey's bedroom thing.... well didn't Bashir play turnabout on that... first it's very spiritual... almost miraculous.... then it's Mikey the perv....You know.. on balance, I do think Mikey has problems... not the least of which is having effective people around him that should advise and protect him from being exploited like that... Hey Mikey.... fire the lot of them! and hire people that you will actually listen to once in a while eh!... I don't know if MJ is a pedophile or not... and no, I don't think it's appropriate for MJ to have minor children of other people sleeping in his bedroom, especially when he's in there, and he should know better by now... he got nailed for millions before...basically about the same thing... But I'd really like to know where the parents of these children are? (Now that's a good question, why didn't Bashir ask that one?.... Gee, how good can the guy be? ) If my kids were going to "Uncle Mikey's" house... there is no way they would be sleeping over without me... and there's no way they would be sleeping in Mikey's room... Now, that's just asking for trouble, don't ya think? huhhhh... answered my own question.. apparently there isn't much thinking going on there....

Inq of the "I'm just not that gullible" class

40

What is your worst fear?

by Scully in

jw
friends

a recent death in my family triggered my worst fear - as irrational as it may sound - into a very real possibility.. let me explain: as a global culture, we simply accept that when someone dies, those who care about them will want to gather and offer a meaningful tribute to the person and those who survive them.

with regard to my recently deceased family member - her own children decided against holding a memorial service for her surviving family, which included two children and their respective spouses, eight grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.

yes, we are spread out over 2000 miles.

Inquiry

What an interesting topic...

I found that as I age, my fears change... I used to fear the death of my child... and still do, but I know I could survive it... sounds colder than it really is, I adore my son... but I watched my grandma go through my father's death and my cousin died very young... I've known friends who lost their children too... actually.. I've known too many... that's really sad... but I know I would survive... I don't think I would be very happy, but, I think I could get along with the wonderful memories I have of him and I would be comforted by knowing I did absolutely the best I possibly could.. and he turned out so much better than I could expect... he's a wonderful son.. reallly... he just forgets to call sometimes... lol (by the by.. he's almost grown now... and as a parent you have to get used to the thought of them taking risks... it's a training ground... and it really does thicken the skin... I've spent many a night wondering where he is cause he just forgot to phone and imagined all sorts of terrible things happening to him... it's like the body just won't let me go there anymore.....*sigh* )

I think my big fear now is to become mentally incapacitated somehow...ie: alzheimers, huntingtons, et al... and becoming a burden to my family....now that's a truly disturbing thought....

ewwww... I'm gonna stop thinking about this now... not a great thought to start my day with...

Inq of the now needing the comfort class....

46

Jehovah's Witnesses Can Go To Hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Big Tex in

jw
friends

i need someplace to vent, so excuse me but i am very angry at the moment.

as most of you know, my father in law committed suicide last sunday (the 16th).

his death hit nina hard, but i've discovered this week that my sweet little kitten of a wife has the heart of a lion.

Inquiry

((((((((((((((((((((((((Big Tex and Cruzan)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

I'm so sorry to hear about your Father and then to top it off, your "friend" goes all borg on ya... Don't let it get you too down. It's the "friend" that has the problem... He's the one living the pretend life... You both are very real and although your in pain right now, giving your Father's friends a chance to speak at his memorial will give you comforting memories that will last you a lifetime. I've lost both parents now, thank goodness not one of them was a witness.. that dark memory belongs to only my son and I in my family... but to this day, I am still comforted by the memories and kindness of their friends and their genuine affection for them.

Take comfort in remembering your father for the good person he was... and the good things he did...no religion or insensitive clod disguised as a "friend" or the company he keeps can ever take that away... remember that your Dad loved you and you loved him and that you were blessed by his presence in your life. Do what you think suits him best and forget about trying to please the JWs... it's an impossible task anyways and your father is more than likely now aware that he doesn't need their approval and that the blessings in his life never came from the WT.

I wish you well during this hard time. It will take time to get through it and JWs will try to complicate your emotions... tjhy demand total loyalty over everything .... They have the charm and appeal of ant farms and the social saavy of hockey pucks....don't let them interfere with what your needs are and don't think that they reflect any kind of credible authority over your father's memorial... or over your needs ever.

Sending warm thoughts

Inq

39

Are You Or Aren't You Still a Witness?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i am technically still a jw but not a believer.

Inquiry

No, I'm definately not a witness anymore... I DA'd in '97 and I don't look back... didn't leave anything behind there that I'm the least bit interested in....

I still have contact with a few, and I look the rest right in the eye whenever our paths cross...they don't like that you know.. they like it even less when I start laughing at them in public...

Inq

9

On the flip side... a question for those not raised as a jw

by TheSilence in

jw
friends

okay, someone recently asked if those raised as jws felt they would have gone for it as adults.

my question is for those of you not raised as a jw, what convinced you that it really was "the truth"?

ive often wondered and come upon my own theories as to why people join this religion, but i find that when friends ask me what makes people join i cant really answer in a way that they understand.. jackie

Inquiry

Good question

I went in as an adult... 27, but I was very vulnerable.. I had recently broken off my relationship with my son's father and my own father had passed away only 2 months after that... I was under a lot of stress...

The loss of my father hit me very hard, and I began searching for answers to questions that I had no real reference to. When the witnesses knocked on the door, they seemed warm, kind and very sincere... and they seemed to have the answers to my questions... I didn't really understand the issues but hey... the answers sounded great!

What I didn't realize at the time was I was looking for a safe haven, I was in a place I had never been before emotionally and I was looking for security... and the WT provided an appearance of that.. and I was fooled by it. I don't think the problem is especially stupidity... although I do feel quite stupid for being duped ... I think it's a matter of reference and vulnerability... I beleive that if I had some kind of religious reference that helps you to identify cults... or even better, some real training in logical thought, I think it would have gone a long way to help me be less vulnerable to the WT.

Also, the way the WT presents it's material... they word it in such a way as to make it appear foolish not to agree with them.. It's sometimes subtle and sometimes blatant.. but hey, effective... who wouldn't want to live forever in perfect health having everything you ever wanted and spend eternity with loved ones... and if all you gotta do is sell magazines and books to get there.. .well, let me at them books and magazines... simple emotional appeal... not in any way logical...

It took me ten years to realize my mistake... I was such a busy little JW that I didn't have time to reflect.. not once in ten years... but, then I broke my leg in several places... (would you believe stepping off a curb on a friday the 13th... hahahahaha. how's that for luck eh, don't knock it.. I got my life back... lol ) ... and suddenly I had lots of time to reflect. Within weeks of that... I started to find out the truth about my religion and I started to see the flaws in my own reasoning.... I started to see a business where a religion once was... and I woke up... but you need time to do that... and the WT is very good at stealing your time, at indoctrination and fear tactics.. breaking my leg or being laid up somehow was the only way I was ever gonna have that time....

It's funny that JWs haven't much picked up on that ... they are all gung ho about visiting people in hospital... where most can't actually do any real research.. .but they are not so enthusiastic about visiting the infirm at home... where all the books, all the reference material.. and best of all, the computer, the WT CD and the internet are...big mistake... yep.. they left me alone, to my own devices... and I found out the real truth about the WT...it kinda makes me laugh...

I was gonna go on... but there's enough there for another post... lol

Inq from the broken but free class

46

Going nuts....

by Vivamus in

jw
friends

slowly going nuts here.

i quit smoking nine hours and 52 minutes ago.

still counting... when does it get easier?

Inquiry

Poor Viv...

I know.. this is a toughie... but, you can get through this... just don't give up.... don't have another smoke... refuse... imagine the cigarettes are laughing at you... it's a contest and they think they're gonna win... but you are gonna beat this thing... you can do it...

Just keep trying and don't give up!

Keep yourself busy... and active.. chew gum like it's going out of style... I'm 37 days and counting... and I'm not a paragon of self control .... and If I can do it, you can too....

if you can get past the first three... then five, then 7 then the next 7... it will become easier and easier... just keep trying...

Inq 0f the smoke free support class....

92

My father is dead

by cruzanheart in

jw
friends

today i found out that my dad committed suicide, probably on sunday sometime.

his body was found today and the plano police department called me.

i am numb and grieving, kind of relieved for a lot of reasons, and very very sad.

Inquiry

My thoughts are with you today Nina... I'm so sorry to hear about your loss and the tragic way it happened.

From the bottom of my heart

Inq

46

Going nuts....

by Vivamus in

jw
friends

slowly going nuts here.

i quit smoking nine hours and 52 minutes ago.

still counting... when does it get easier?

Inquiry

Your so very welcome viv...

I had my son egging me on... I'm trying to get him to quit too and I think it's coming cause he's sick of the coughing and phlegm and stuff... I agree with your thinking that taking in nicotine of any kind only prolongs the process... I just chew gum and suck up the rest... and when I'm really crankin for a smoke, I get bubble gum and blow bubbles ... hahaha... I think the snapping sound does something for me.. hahaha

Your doing good viv... keep it up girl...

Inq

46

Going nuts....

by Vivamus in

jw
friends

slowly going nuts here.

i quit smoking nine hours and 52 minutes ago.

still counting... when does it get easier?

Inquiry

LOL Viv!

Not if you eat too many of those cookies ... doing situps might be a better idea... you'll have rock hard abs in a few weeks...

but yes.. tomorrow will be better, especially if you don't smoke today... and the day after that will be even better, especially if you don't smoke tomorrow... :) You're where I was 34 days ago... ahhhh, I remember it well.... I was a total biotch for 3 days ... ask my son.. he'll tell ya...

but, on the fourth day... well, pleasant relief... I got a handle on it and things have been smooth sailin since... I've even been completely loaded and not had a cig... amazin eh... I can drink alcohol or coffee and not have a cig... and as the days go by... like me, you'll think about it less and less... it won't be that nagging, constant thought occupying madness that's going on right now... it becomes less intense after 3 days... and your almost there!

I'd grab a pack of chewing gum though... you kinda want to mow down huge when your going through this, so chewing gum helps you mow without all the extra calories... lol

Plus it keeps your mouth occupied when someone says something that really sets you off

Hope I'm helpin'

Inq