JeffT

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Posts by JeffT

• 
  238

  Another mass shooting, three or four hours ago.

  by James Mixon in

  1. social
  2. current

  san bernardino california.

  up to 12 people have been killed.. the center a private non-profit agency that assists people with developmental.

  disabilities.

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  JeffT

  Where is the well regulated militia and are they required?

  10 U.S. Code § 311 - Militia: composition and classes

  Current through Pub. L. 114-38. (See Public Laws for the current Congress.)

  • US Code
  • Notes

  prev | next

  (a)

  The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard.

  (b)The classes of the militia are—

  (1)

  the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and

  (2)

  the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia.

  
  

  
  

  
  
• 
  238

  Another mass shooting, three or four hours ago.

  by James Mixon in

  1. social
  2. current

  san bernardino california.

  up to 12 people have been killed.. the center a private non-profit agency that assists people with developmental.

  disabilities.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JeffT

  Police press conference CNN right now is saying three shooters.
• 
  238

  Another mass shooting, three or four hours ago.

  by James Mixon in

  1. social
  2. current

  san bernardino california.

  up to 12 people have been killed.. the center a private non-profit agency that assists people with developmental.

  disabilities.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JeffT

  CNN is talking about multiple shooters, possibly using AK-47's. If so, this isn't a random nut.
• 
  39

  New GB video: Why Reduce the Number of Special Full-Time Servants?

  by Gorbatchov in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  watchtower released at tv.jw.org a new gb video with samuel f. herd, with the theme:.

  why reduce the number of special full-time servants?.

  it seems there is a reason to release this special message.. http://tv.jw.org/#en/video/vodstudio/pub-jwbrd_201511_4_video.

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  JeffT

  Why is he reading the whole thing?

  I've seen this kind of thing many times in the business world. It was almost certainly prepared by the legal department and they told him to read it exactly as written.
• 
  49

  Elder's letter requesting details of solicitors, barristers and accountants

  by jwfacts in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  there was a letter sent to elders in australia on 18th november 2015 asking for details of publishers that are solicitors, barristers and accountants.

  what would be their motive for these details?

  the rest of the letter outlines 8 specific pieces of information to compile and send to bethel's legal department, and reiterates to collect the information only be "as you understand, without consulting the publisher.

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  JeffT

  I'd like to know what the 8 criteria are. It might be possible to use that as the basis for an educated guess as to what problem(s) they're trying to fix.
• 
  50

  The money question...

  by Tornintwo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am intrigued to know if there is truly any evidence of financial irregularities in the jehovah's witness organisation or if any one or group are raking off funds or benefitting financially...?.

  whilst i disagree wholeheartedly with most of their teachings and practices, dogmatism, legalism and superiority complex, i don't honestly think there's anyone making millions at the top.

  yes you could say that the gb are comfortably off, don't have to pay bills etc but they do actually get up in the morning and 'work', they aren't going off in private jets to tropical islands or driving bentleys.

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  JeffT

  Talesin, I've thought for a long time the US needs to do something about how it treats non-profits, so far we haven't. In the US the IRS does require an information form (990 in different versions based on size of the organization). These are not made public as all IRS information is supposed to be private. Private organizations are not required to release financial statements.

  I believe that what we need is something like the SEC for non-profits. It wouldn't regulate their activities, but it could require public release of audited statements so we know what we're getting for having granted them tax exempt status. My sense is this is an uphill battle.
• 
  50

  The money question...

  by Tornintwo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am intrigued to know if there is truly any evidence of financial irregularities in the jehovah's witness organisation or if any one or group are raking off funds or benefitting financially...?.

  whilst i disagree wholeheartedly with most of their teachings and practices, dogmatism, legalism and superiority complex, i don't honestly think there's anyone making millions at the top.

  yes you could say that the gb are comfortably off, don't have to pay bills etc but they do actually get up in the morning and 'work', they aren't going off in private jets to tropical islands or driving bentleys.

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  JeffT

  What NewYork44M said. I'm not an auditor, but I was an accountant for a lot of years and did some internal audit work. With the WTBS you have a lot of money flying around with a lack of accountability and oversight. It's a recipe for mismanagement and fraud. The worst kind of fraud are the quasi-legal kinds. Like Simon noted, the chairs that cost three times what they should. Is that stupidity or theft? Hard to tell the difference and very hard to prove in court.
• 
  21

  I have noted many threads and posts on political inclinations....

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  which i think is great, since as witnesses we never displayed any political inclinations.. but whilst political alligence means we are taking on new values, we are once again subject to trusting what the leaders say, and subject to propaganda from the media.. personally i see the irony of this situation, and must confess to being very skeptical, about supporting any political party.

  in fact i am glad as a witness i abstained from voting, because i believe history has shown the vote that would have shaped my conscience would have been misplaced.. anyway how convinced are you of your new political views?.

  the rebel..

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  JeffT

  One big problem with American politics is the focus on the Presidency. Constitutionally, what the President can actually do is limited, or supposed to be. Laws are enacted by Congress, not imposed by the President. This is routinely ignored by everybody involved, candidates, media and voters. So we have all these people running for President promising to deliver a sky full of butterflies and unicorns when they don't have any reasonable chance of doing so.

  Not every problem needs to be fixed in Washington, DC. A lot cannot be fixed in Washington. Your local officials have a much greater influence on your life, but the media and voters don't spend enough time looking at the options. I live in what is effectively a one party locality, and increasingly at the state level. The result is a lack of serious discussion of alternative ideas.
• 
  21

  I have noted many threads and posts on political inclinations....

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  which i think is great, since as witnesses we never displayed any political inclinations.. but whilst political alligence means we are taking on new values, we are once again subject to trusting what the leaders say, and subject to propaganda from the media.. personally i see the irony of this situation, and must confess to being very skeptical, about supporting any political party.

  in fact i am glad as a witness i abstained from voting, because i believe history has shown the vote that would have shaped my conscience would have been misplaced.. anyway how convinced are you of your new political views?.

  the rebel..

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  JeffT

  I'm not a member of any political party, this is after being a moderate republican (there were such things when I was a teenager) , a socialist, a moderate Democrat (also a vanishing species), and a right wing Republican. At this point I look at political affiliation the same way I look at religion: if you're not an independent you're buying somebody else's BS. (just my opinion).

  I agree that most news outlets are biased. I get my news from a variety of sources on the internet. Breaking news on CNN, the only TV news I watch regularly is Al Jezeera America. The local network affiliates are good for weather and sports.
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  20

  Passionless loveless JW.ORG. How? Why? My experience with these Pharasees.

  by Witness 007 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  so i studied with this guy who is now an elder in my moms hall.

  she has cancer and is black and blue from it.

  we are like real family so i invite him over for drinks and pizza.

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  JeffT

  They love to quote James 1:27 in support of their neutrality "to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

  The part of the verse that comes before that, not so much. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress"