Posts by ABibleStudent

13

Revise Tax Code to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse

by ABibleStudent in

over the last five years, i have read lots of threads complaining about the wtbts, but few threads about becoming involved to help jws to critically think for themselves so that they can decide whether to stay, change the wtbts, or fade.

i'm curious if anyone is willing to write to their political representatives like i did today?.

before someone writes that the bill that i wrote would infringe on rights of either the establishment or free excercise clause of the u.s. constitution, i already checked with a lawyer and she said that the concept sounds promising.

ABibleStudent

Hi Chaserious, I hope the following excerpts from the bill answers your question.

Definitions from the bill -
(2) ADULT.— The term “Adult” means an individual who is 18-years or older and is not related to a child.
(3) AGENCY. — The term “Agency” means each authority of the Government of the United States, whether or not it is within or subject to review by another agency, but does not include—
     (A) the Congress;
     (B) the courts of the United States;
     (C) the governments of the territories or possessions of the United States;
   (D) the government of the District of Columbia.
(4) CHILD. — The term “Child” (or plural “Children”) means an individual who is younger than 18-years old.
(6) INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘‘Individual’’ means a single human being as distinct from a group, class, or family.
(8) ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘Organization’’ includes more than one individual, partnership, company, corporation, association, trusts, legal representatives, or public or private organization other than an agency.
(10) REPRESENTATIVE.—The term ‘‘Representative’’ means an individual acting for or on behalf of an organization through delegated authority or distributes an organization’s message.
(13) UNDUE INFLUENCE. — The term “Undue Influence” means an act of mental, moral, physical, behavioral, informational, or emotional domination that over-comes the free will and judgment of an individual including using exhortations, insinuations, flattery, trickery, deception, coercion, duress, inducement, or using behavioral, information, thought, or emotional manipulation techniques.;

Inserting in 26 U.S. Code Section 501 after subsection (s) -
‘‘(t) Suspension of tax-exempt status of non-compliant organizations”;
      “(1) In general —The exemption from tax under subsection (a) with respect to any organization described in paragraph (2), and the eligibility of any organization described in paragraph (2) to apply for recognition of exemption under subsection (a), shall be suspended during the period described in paragraph (3).”;
     “(2) Suspension of tax-exempt status - To carry out the purpose of this sub section the Secretary shall:”;
            “(A) Establish an advisory board described in paragraph (3) to assist in promulgating regulations from requirements in paragraph (4),”;
            “(B) Promulgate regulations from requirements in paragraph (4)”;
            “(C) Create cost-effective internet tools, database, or solutions including submitting documentation in digital formats to facilitate individuals filing complaints against a tax-exempt organization,”;
            “(D) Investigate complaints against a tax-exempt organization that does not comply with a requirement in paragraph (4),”;
            “(E) Adjudicate valid complaints collectively when feasible to reduce costs against a tax-exempt organization that does not comply with a requirement in paragraph (4),”;
      “(4) Requirements — An organization or representative of the organization shall:”;
            “(A) Proactively implement effective child protection policies and practices, including:”;
                  “(i) Promote to an individual to immediately report all felony crimes to law enforcement, and before reporting to an organization’s legal department.”;
                 “(ii) Require that all adults, who participate in an activity sanctioned by an organization and who might work with, hold a position of authority over a child, supervise, or be alone with children must pass a criminal background check and complete sexual abuse awareness training that meets requirements approved by the Secretary.”;
                 “(iii) Require that all parents, whose children are participating in activities that are sanctioned by an organization, are given sexual abuse awareness information that meets requirements approved by the Secretary.”;
            “(B) Immediately report suspected child abuse to law enforcement by at least identifying the victim and how to contact the victim.”;
            “(C) Shall not use nor promote using undue influence on a member or an employee of an organization.”;
            “(D) Shall not promote prejudice or bigotry based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and physical or mental disabilities to members or employees of an organization.”;
           “(E) Shall not incite hatred or civil unrest based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and physical or mental disabilities.”;
      “(5) Exemption — If an organization or a representative does not organize, promote, nor endorse any activities that would allow an adult to unduly influence a child, it is exempt from complying with the requirements in paragraph 4(A) and must notify the Secretary that it is exempt from complying with the requirement.”;

I'm working with Barbara Anderson and Kathleen Conti to use Linkedin and the Linkedin Group Advocates to Protect Children from Maltreatment [ https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6784497&trk=groups_item_detail-h-logo ] to connect with other advocates and politicians and their staff.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

68

What I Saw & Heard in the Oral Argument Hearing on January 14, 2015

by ABibleStudent in

im not an attorney and i could not record the hearing, so please forgive me if i make mistakes in relating what i remember of the oral argument hearing for jane doe (i.e., candace conti) versus the watchtower bible & tract society on january 14, 2015 and the length of this post.. i arrived at the civic center/union plaza in san francisco, ca about 7:30. the area is very nice with a few homeless people sleeping in the park across from the courthouse.

it took me about 10 minutes to find the clerks office for the court on the first floor, which opened at 8:00.. once the clerks office opened, the two clerks who i talked with were very polite and helpful.

the arguments for jane doe (i.e., candace conti) versus the watchtower bible & tract society were scheduled 5th out of (i think) 8. while i was in the office a cameraman and another person for nbc arrived asking about the hearing for candace contis case.. the courtroom for the 1st appellate court is on the 4th floor and takes up most of that floor.

ABibleStudent

Although I do agree with collecting information to send to attorneys to build cases against the WTBTS, I would recommend that people send documentation and information to someone like Barbara Anderson for the following reasons:

She already has established relationships with several law firms and would be able to distribute the information to more than one law firm,
She is already considered an expert of the WTBTS,
She would be able to translate the cult speak of the Watchtower for attorneys to present as evidence, and
She would be able to filter and prioritize the information for attorneys so that they could focus on presenting the evidence.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

13

Revise Tax Code to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse

by ABibleStudent in

over the last five years, i have read lots of threads complaining about the wtbts, but few threads about becoming involved to help jws to critically think for themselves so that they can decide whether to stay, change the wtbts, or fade.

i'm curious if anyone is willing to write to their political representatives like i did today?.

before someone writes that the bill that i wrote would infringe on rights of either the establishment or free excercise clause of the u.s. constitution, i already checked with a lawyer and she said that the concept sounds promising.

ABibleStudent

@JHK - Thanks for the compliment.

@ MeanMrMustard and Phizzy, Either the bill would contain definitions like for "Promote" (see in quotes below) or the Secretary would promulgate regulations and define words for those regulations. The bill also contains wording that the Secretary would create a volunteer advisory board (see in quotes below) to only help in promulgating regulations.

Like I wrote in the initial post to this thread I would very much like input from attorneys with Tax Code, legislative writing, and Constitutional Law experience to review this bill before being introduced to the 114th Congress to correct any legal and Constitutional errors in it.

On page 7, Lines 4-9 in the Definitions of the proposed bill -
(9) PROMOTE.—The term ‘‘Promote” means any activity that distributes a message from an organization or its leaders through its representatives or channels of distribution to a member or employee with the intent to influence an individual to change their thinking to conform to such organization’s message.

On page 5, Lines 11-16 in the Findings Section of Congress of the proposed bill -
(15) An advisory board of volunteers composed of individuals with experience advocating to protect children from sexual abuse or protect individuals from undue influence, and preferably an equal number of individuals representing tax- exempt organizations will ensure a balanced source of current and relevant information to advise the Secretary when promulgating regulations to implement this Act;

On Page 10, Lines 3-6 of the proposed bill to amend 26 U.S. Code § 501 -
"(A) Establish an advisory board described in paragraph (3) to assist in promulgating regulations from requirements in paragraph (4),”;

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

13

Revise Tax Code to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse

by ABibleStudent in

over the last five years, i have read lots of threads complaining about the wtbts, but few threads about becoming involved to help jws to critically think for themselves so that they can decide whether to stay, change the wtbts, or fade.

i'm curious if anyone is willing to write to their political representatives like i did today?.

before someone writes that the bill that i wrote would infringe on rights of either the establishment or free excercise clause of the u.s. constitution, i already checked with a lawyer and she said that the concept sounds promising.

ABibleStudent

Thanks Athanasius for the compliment.

About five days ago I asked several people to review it and forward it to attorneys with tax code, legislative writing, and Constitutional Law experience. Steven Hassan forwarded it to attorneys Alan Scheflin, Marci Hamilton, Carissa Phelps, and Paul Grosswald within a day of receiving my email, but did not expect a quick response.

I have already thanked Steven Hassan for helping me, and I would like to do a plug for Steven Hassan's books by posting information that was at the bottom of his email to me. JWs who want to learn how to help their JW family and friends to critically think for themselves, now have options to learn from Steven Hassan's books from their computers, tablets, phones, and music devices.

As of August 1st, 2014, the rights to my first book, Combating Cult Mind Control, are now mine. I am busily working on updating it and releasing it officially as an e-book, audiobook, and paperback, due out March 8th 2015.
My latest book, is in a new updated, 2nd edition. Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults and Beliefs is available on Amazon.com and other online booksellers as paperback and e-book http://freedomofmind.com/Media/bookFreedom.php

Today I started an email campaign to ask Congressional Representatives as well as organizations who might be interested. I don't anticipate many ex-JWs/JWs will get involved writing to their political representatives.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

13

Revise Tax Code to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse

by ABibleStudent in

over the last five years, i have read lots of threads complaining about the wtbts, but few threads about becoming involved to help jws to critically think for themselves so that they can decide whether to stay, change the wtbts, or fade.

i'm curious if anyone is willing to write to their political representatives like i did today?.

before someone writes that the bill that i wrote would infringe on rights of either the establishment or free excercise clause of the u.s. constitution, i already checked with a lawyer and she said that the concept sounds promising.

ABibleStudent

Over the last five years, I have read lots of threads complaining about the WTBTS, but few threads about becoming involved to help JWs to critically think for themselves so that they can decide whether to stay, change the WTBTS, or fade. I'm curious if anyone is willing to write to their political representatives like I did today?

Before someone writes that the bill that I wrote would infringe on rights of either the Establishment or Free Excercise clause of the U.S. Constitution, I already checked with a lawyer and she said that the concept sounds promising. The bill would have to be carefully written not to infringe on an individual's rights. I believe that I have done that, because the bill regulates what an organization and its representatives can do and not how an individual thinks or acts with their own free will.

If anyone is interested in reading the bill or forwarding it to their representatives or knowledgeable attorneys, please PM me with your email address. The bill is less than 25 pages long written in 14 pitch with double-spacing and approximately 2 inch margins.

Honorable Congressional Representative:
I respectfully ask that you introduce a bill in the 114th Congress by the end of February 2015 to revise the Tax Code to require that tax-exempt organizations protect children from sexual abuse instead of protecting and enabling pedophiles.

If you are interested, please write me and I will send you the rough draft of a bill with the following:
1. Insert a new sub-section in 26 U.S. Code § 501 to describe the criteria and process to suspend an organization's tax-exempt status, and would allow the IRS to charge all tax-exempt a nominal an annual fee (may be $10 to $50) to fund the effort. Applicable tax-exempt organizations would be required to ensure that applicable adults pass a criminal background check and complete sexual abuse awareness training, to promote to members and employees to report suspected violent felonies to local law enforcement, to prohibit using undue influence on members and employees, and to prohibit promoting bigotry, prejudice, and incite hatred and civil unrest.
2. Amend 26 U.S. Code § 6033 to require that all tax-exempt organizations, including religious organizations that are currently exempt, to file annual reports and adds additional requirements about what to include in the annual reports.
3. Amend 26 U.S. Code § 6104 to require the Treasury to provide free access to applications for tax-exemption and annual reports through the internet. The Treasury would be prohibited from releasing personal contact information (not business contact information) through the internet.
4. Create Section 520 to allow taxing of funds transferred from/to non-compliant organizations to reduce funding to such organizations.
The bill I wrote is a rough draft so it does need attorneys with Tax Code, legislative writing, or Constitutional Law experience to review and revise it. I estimate that the bill is currently 85% completed.
This bill may have additional benefits that would help to prevent undue influence from being used to create fanatical individuals that blindly follow orders from an organization's leaders/representatives (i.e., People's Temple/Jim Jones, Heaven's Gate, and ISIS).
Regards,
Robert

Members from the U.K., Canada, Australia, and other countries could probably create similar bills to change Charity or tax laws in their country.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

68

What I Saw & Heard in the Oral Argument Hearing on January 14, 2015

by ABibleStudent in

im not an attorney and i could not record the hearing, so please forgive me if i make mistakes in relating what i remember of the oral argument hearing for jane doe (i.e., candace conti) versus the watchtower bible & tract society on january 14, 2015 and the length of this post.. i arrived at the civic center/union plaza in san francisco, ca about 7:30. the area is very nice with a few homeless people sleeping in the park across from the courthouse.

it took me about 10 minutes to find the clerks office for the court on the first floor, which opened at 8:00.. once the clerks office opened, the two clerks who i talked with were very polite and helpful.

the arguments for jane doe (i.e., candace conti) versus the watchtower bible & tract society were scheduled 5th out of (i think) 8. while i was in the office a cameraman and another person for nbc arrived asking about the hearing for candace contis case.. the courtroom for the 1st appellate court is on the 4th floor and takes up most of that floor.

ABibleStudent

@ Gayle, Trey Bundy, an investigative reporter from NBC, was in the courtroom, so I believe they were recording information encase they need it for an up coming show in the 1st Qtr of 2015. I would guess that the show will be aired after the decision of the 1st Appellate Court is announced.

@ truthseekeriam, Scott Terry's report of the hearing can be read at http://jehovahswitnessreport.com/news/candace-conti-appeal-by-wbts-report-by-scott-terry .

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

68

What I Saw & Heard in the Oral Argument Hearing on January 14, 2015

by ABibleStudent in

im not an attorney and i could not record the hearing, so please forgive me if i make mistakes in relating what i remember of the oral argument hearing for jane doe (i.e., candace conti) versus the watchtower bible & tract society on january 14, 2015 and the length of this post.. i arrived at the civic center/union plaza in san francisco, ca about 7:30. the area is very nice with a few homeless people sleeping in the park across from the courthouse.

it took me about 10 minutes to find the clerks office for the court on the first floor, which opened at 8:00.. once the clerks office opened, the two clerks who i talked with were very polite and helpful.

the arguments for jane doe (i.e., candace conti) versus the watchtower bible & tract society were scheduled 5th out of (i think) 8. while i was in the office a cameraman and another person for nbc arrived asking about the hearing for candace contis case.. the courtroom for the 1st appellate court is on the 4th floor and takes up most of that floor.

ABibleStudent

@ jwleaks - I was seating behind the respondents table, so I could not see through the podium what the WTBTS's or local congregation's attorneys brought with them. I doubt it, because I believe that neither attorney was a JW. If Mario F. Moreno from the WTBTS's legal department was there, he might have had one.

@ Chaserious - I wrote in my notes that Jon Williams said, "No special relationship between national religious organization and local congregation". I agree with you that special relationship from a legal perspective should be between the WTBTS and Candace Conti (or Kendrick, as the pedophile) and not the WTBTS and local congregation.

I really felt like Jon Williams was there to obfuscate the facts for the judges. I felt that Rick Simons did not do a good job of picking out Jon Williams obfuscations and revealing them to the judges. I hope that a recording of the hearing is posted on the internet someday.

@ everyone else, Thank you for your compliments.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

68

What I Saw & Heard in the Oral Argument Hearing on January 14, 2015

by ABibleStudent in

im not an attorney and i could not record the hearing, so please forgive me if i make mistakes in relating what i remember of the oral argument hearing for jane doe (i.e., candace conti) versus the watchtower bible & tract society on january 14, 2015 and the length of this post.. i arrived at the civic center/union plaza in san francisco, ca about 7:30. the area is very nice with a few homeless people sleeping in the park across from the courthouse.

it took me about 10 minutes to find the clerks office for the court on the first floor, which opened at 8:00.. once the clerks office opened, the two clerks who i talked with were very polite and helpful.

the arguments for jane doe (i.e., candace conti) versus the watchtower bible & tract society were scheduled 5th out of (i think) 8. while i was in the office a cameraman and another person for nbc arrived asking about the hearing for candace contis case.. the courtroom for the 1st appellate court is on the 4th floor and takes up most of that floor.

ABibleStudent

@ MissFit, NewYork44M, 3rdgen, truthseekeriam, jwleaks, Oubliette, and Chaserious, You are welcomed.

@ Island Man, Although I'm not sure what is the definition of "special relationship" as used by Jon Williams, I'm sure that the elder's manual and confidential letters might help. Based on the WTBTs's and local congregation's lawyers' arguments, more evidence is better than less.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

52

Why I like Jehovah's Witnesses

by undercover witness in

i keep reading that jehovah's witnesses are in effect monsters.

i keep reading that they kinda leave chaos and distrust in their wake.

so i simply wondered if anyone had anything nice to say about them?.

ABibleStudent

undercover witness - I keep reading that Jehovah's Witnesses are in effect monsters. I keep reading that they kinda leave chaos and distrust in their wake. So I simply wondered if anyone had anything nice to say about them?

JWs are not monsters! The WTBTS is a dangerous printing, print distribution, internet TV, real estate corporation that victimizes JWs by using BITE control techniques to manipulate them to do things that they probably would not do if they had free will.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

68

What I Saw & Heard in the Oral Argument Hearing on January 14, 2015

by ABibleStudent in

im not an attorney and i could not record the hearing, so please forgive me if i make mistakes in relating what i remember of the oral argument hearing for jane doe (i.e., candace conti) versus the watchtower bible & tract society on january 14, 2015 and the length of this post.. i arrived at the civic center/union plaza in san francisco, ca about 7:30. the area is very nice with a few homeless people sleeping in the park across from the courthouse.

it took me about 10 minutes to find the clerks office for the court on the first floor, which opened at 8:00.. once the clerks office opened, the two clerks who i talked with were very polite and helpful.

the arguments for jane doe (i.e., candace conti) versus the watchtower bible & tract society were scheduled 5th out of (i think) 8. while i was in the office a cameraman and another person for nbc arrived asking about the hearing for candace contis case.. the courtroom for the 1st appellate court is on the 4th floor and takes up most of that floor.

ABibleStudent

I’m not an attorney and I could not record the hearing, so please forgive me if I make mistakes in relating what I remember of the oral argument hearing for Jane Doe (i.e., Candace Conti) versus the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society on January 14, 2015 and the length of this post.

I arrived at the Civic Center/Union Plaza in San Francisco, CA about 7:30. The area is very nice with a few homeless people sleeping in the park across from the courthouse. It took me about 10 minutes to find the clerk’s office for the court on the first floor, which opened at 8:00.

Once the clerk’s office opened, the two clerks who I talked with were very polite and helpful. The arguments for Jane Doe (i.e., Candace Conti) versus the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society were scheduled 5th out of (I think) 8. While I was in the office a cameraman and another person for NBC arrived asking about the hearing for Candace Conti’s case.

The courtroom for the 1st Appellate Court is on the 4th floor and takes up most of that floor. Before entering the courtroom all electronic devices needed to be given to the California Highway Patrol officers (CHP) and then visitors go through an additional metal detector before entering the court. The courtroom was very nice with seating for over 100 people and a beautiful painted mural of Mount Whitney viewed from near Highway 395 in the Lone Pine Area of California.

Arguments were supposed to start at 9:00, but were slightly delayed because Justice Martin J. Jenkins was delayed due to a transit problem with the BART mass transit system. Justice Jenkins arrived after the 1st arguments were heard.

During all the oral arguments the presiding justice was very strict about allowing 15 minutes (in total) for the appellants’ attorney(s) to present arguments, 15 minutes for the respondents’ attorney(s), and then 5 minutes for rebuttal by the appellants’ attorney(s). It was up to individual attorneys not to exceed the total time allocation for each side. IMHO this format favors appellants over respondents and forces attorneys to focus on the 2 or three most important arguments only.

During the 1st four arguments for other appeals, the various justices asked a few insightful questions of the attorneys with their body language projecting thoughtful review and a familiarity with the issues and arguments being presented by the attorneys.

Associate Justices Stuart R. Pollak (presiding justice), Peter J. Siggins, and Martin J. Jenkins heard the oral arguments for Candace Conti’s case starting at approximately 10:55. Jon R. Williams argued for the appellate (i.e., the WTBTS) first for about 10 minutes and James M. McCabe argued for the Freemont Congregation second for the remaining 5 minutes of the allocated 15 minutes. Rick Simons argued for the respondent (Candace Conti) for 15 minutes with Kelly I. Kraetsch sitting next to him. After Rick Simons’ submittal, Jon Williams rebutted for a few minutes and then James McCabe for a couple of minutes.

From what I could remember and read from my scribbling notes, Jon Williams was a well-dressed lawyer who was unfazed by questions from the justices, had a plan to appeal the judgment, and executed his plan. Heck even his suit didn’t show wrinkles! Jon Williams made the following points:

Separate punitive damages from criminal actions. The elders and Watchtower did not sexual abuse Candace.
The Watchtower does not have a “special relationship” with the local congregation and is not responsible for how the elders conducted themselves.
The 1989 BOE letter was a key defense that protects the Watchtower.
The newly introduced nonfeasance theory (i.e., failure to act when action is required) by Richard Simons was not supported by evidence.

James McCabe was a kindly looking man in a wrinkled suit. James McCabe played the religious beliefs cards and stated that:

JWs are just practicing their religious beliefs – not that JWs are pressured and indoctrinated to participate in FS and may be marked for not participating.
There was no testimony or evidence that the elders specifically paired Jonathan Kendrick with Candace Conti. Putting Kendrick in the same group as the Conti family does not count.
Candace Conti’s parents should have been responsible for protecting Candace from Kendrick. [My retort] Why didn’t the elders warn Candace’s parents about Kendrick, especially when the Watchtower and elders indoctrinate all JWs that “JWs are the kindest, most moral, most trustworthy, honest people in the world??!!
Kendrick did not sexually abuse Candace while in FS but afterwards.

Based on their body language all of the justices were very interested in what attorneys for both appellants said. I almost thought that the justices knew that something was wrong with what the attorneys were saying but couldn’t put their fingers on it. Just like I knew something was wrong with the Watchtower’s propaganda and how JWs behave, but didn’t know how to prove it to myself until I read Steven Hassan’s book “Combating Cult Mind Control”.

I liked the actions of and questions from Justice Jenkins before and during the arguments. He left the courtroom and returned with an arm-load of papers weighing about 30 lbs before the arguments. He asked a question of attorney McCabe about the elder’s actions/inaction using an analogy about talking about a problem in a tent when the problem was with a camel that was outside the tent.

I really felt that the justices would affirm the judgment against the Watchtower until I heard the questions that the justices asked Richard Simons and his responses.

I don’t really remember much about what Richard Simons said. When the justices asked him questions, I did feel that he was like a fighter against the ropes and on the back of his heals. If he had a plan, his plan did not account for possible questions from the justices. The four most important things that I remember were:

Simons said that the trial judge’s instructions to the jury about “protecting” Candace should by inference include warning Candace and her parents about Kendricks’ previous abuse.
Simons said that it was obvious that the Watchtower was responsible for the actions of the congregation elders. [My retort] The WTBTS is very careful so it would be very difficult to show a significant amount of documentation during the trail to demonstrate a “Special Relationship”.
Simons did not emphasize that the 1989 BOE letter that he introduce during the trail was a smoking gun about the special relationship between the Watchtower and the elders. [My retort] Why would the WTBTS write that letter in the first place, unless there was a reason to be afraid of liability and wanted to reduce it?
When Justice Siggins asked attorney Simons about why the jury assigned the congregation 13% liability and the Watchtower 27% in the judgment, Simons responded that it was probably because the jury felt that there were inconsistencies with testimonies from Watchtower representatives. [My retort] Lucky break for Candace that the justice gave Simons a chance to address how WTBTS’s representatives behave.

Hopefully, the justices will agree with the trial judge’s instructions to the jury and trust the jury’s decision about the WTBTS’s liability being twice that of the congregation.

After the appeal was submitted approximately 30 people left the courtroom including Candace and Kathleen Conti; attorneys Irwin Zalkin, Alexander Zalkin, and Devin Storey; and Trey Bundy, an NBC investigative reporter. Candace Conti and Richard Simons went to complete interviews with the media.

I overheard Irwin Zalkin and Trey Bundy console Kathleen Conti to not to be concerned about the questions that the justices asked Richard Simons.

While waiting to retrieve my cell phone and laptop, I talked with Devin Storey for a couple of minutes. Devin Storey said that he learned a lot from listening to the hearing and was anxious about returning to his office in San Diego, CA.

After the hearing I went to the nearby Museum of Asian Art, had lunch there, called Barbara Anderson to let her know what I saw and heard, and then toured the Museum. I would really recommend seeing paintings by Tetsuya Ishida in the museum and on line.

After observing the oral argument hearing, IMHO future civil sexual abuse lawsuits against the Watchtower will need to either show an overwhelming amount of evidence that the Watchtower does have a “special relationship” over local congregations for juries (and appellate judges), and/or subpoena GB members. If GB members are subpoenaed, hopefully the Watchtower would ignore a court order or the GB member would behave like Freddy Franz did in a Scottish courtroom. Since the Watchtower is very careful about what it writes, the following information would probably need to be introduced as evidence:

Time slip records of JWs to demonstrate how much control the WTBTS has over JWs,
Emphasize that the WTBTS pressures elders to practice the “Two-Witness” Rule, contact the legal department before calling local police, and that JWs are indoctrinated not to bring reproach on the WTBTS. The Constitution guarantees that government is not allowed to infringe on an individual’s beliefs but can regulate an individual’s actions.
Testimony from JWs/ex-JWs in a congregation about how they are influenced by Watchtower propaganda,
Pertinent Watchtower and Awake! articles about shunning, going in FS, blindly following instructions by the GB and elders, that JWs are the most honest and trustworthy people in the world, etc.
Testimony from experts about undue influence, BITE control, mind manipulation techniques, and affects of using thought-stopping platitudes.
Any documentation from the WTBTS like the 1989 BOE letter that demonstrates how the WTBTS controls local congregations.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert