Posts by Giordano

12

Another High School Shooting ... Pleasantville, New Jersey

by RubaDub in

jw
friends

last evening (15 nov 2019) at a high school football game in new jersey, another shooting.

"fortunately," the injuries are apparently not life threatening.. that's at least the second shooting this week.

if all the students were armed, they could have just shot the guy.. we need more guns, not less.

Giordano

One effective solution could be trained people being employed as armed security.

If they have clean records, military experience, past police experience etc. then that's a possible solution.

Things have greatly changed within today's high school in the US.

Today a fair number of High School's service a large area and have thousands of students. It's not only a high school during school hours............ it's a city with three thousand students.

If you have a small community with 1,000 to 3,000 residents there will be some level of policing. It might be a sheriff's district or city police force or State Troopers.

A community with 3,000 residents will have there own on site police force.

Considering the frequency of attacks in schools........ I believe that at a certain level a High School should be patrolled by active trained on site police officers. Officers who actually share some part of the school.

At this point in time no student in the USA is protected during school hours.

Where are the metal detectors? Emergency alarms that call for an immediate police response....... not just the fire department.

Hallway cameras everywhere, reinforced classroom doors, speaker phones to report a problem and of course an active police presence so a response is there in minutes.

Historically we have done pretty well with fire proofing our schools but we have failed to gun proof them.

And one final issue......... In each and every gun assault on school children there was no immediate active medical treatment available. A child gets to lay there bleeding out. There has to be a trained emergency response on site........ not just the school nurse.

34

Another High School Shooting ... Santa Clara California

by RubaDub in

jw
friends

at least at the moment it looks like no one is dead, but 6 injured (9:00 am pacific time 14 nov 2019).. i don't know if the school allows students to carry weapons, but many will think it would be a good idea for the students to carry concealed weapons to provide personal protection.. we shall see.. rub a dub.

Giordano

I like simple solutions that offer the best approach and greatest proven level of safety.

You do what we started to do when schools, back in the old days would catch fire.

We built schools to be fire proof. Used non flammable materials, practiced fire drills. Good communications with the authorities. Working Fire hoses on every floor and every section......and alarms.

School shootings are a different caliber of a disaster. But we know a lot more now then we did back ten or twenty years ago.

You start with fortifying ways to stop a car from driving into the school lobbies It's not expensive to put those concrete crash guards in front of school lobbies.

Cameras in all hallways with an immediate connection to the police so their swat teams or first responders can understand where the shooter is....... etc.

Bullet proof materials for all class room doors and locks that can be bolted shut from inside the classroom.

A way for each class to report to the school office or speak directly with the police.......... reporting where the shooter(s) is or heading to.

School teachers carrying guns......only those volunteers with former military or police training. Only those who will volunteer their off time to work with the police during the summer or holidays on how to keep their students safe. How to defend or blockade every thing that would be necessary to keep students secure including training in first aid and the equipment needed.

And finally it would not be a bad idea to offer the police a free school breakfast or lunch or afternoon snack and designated police only bathrooms. You see cops having a meal in the lunch room or cop cars in the parking lot it sends a message. We serve and protect.

Stop and think how it would have changed the attack if two or three police officers were in the school. If they were so familiar with the school that they would understand immediately, if they heard that a shooter was on such and such hallway and their actual location.

13

Would you be OK with someone removing "Jesus'" name from the New Testament?

by Wonderment in

would it be all-right with you if a translator removes "jesus'" name completely from the new testament and replaces it with a substitute, like "master" throughout?.

Giordano

To pick up on Rub A Dub's point.

If your in an American prison and hear "Jesus loves you." That may be a good thing.

If your in a Mexican Jail and hear "Hay-Zoos loves you...you've got a problem.

13

Would you be OK with someone removing "Jesus'" name from the New Testament?

by Wonderment in

would it be all-right with you if a translator removes "jesus'" name completely from the new testament and replaces it with a substitute, like "master" throughout?.

Giordano

Lets start with the fact that.......... when or if Jesus walked the earth......... there was no J in the Jewish alphabet. So YHWH was God's name or as close as anyone got which would have been Yahwey. And Jesus would have been called Yesiver.

Jesus and his followers were all Jewish and so they had Hebrew names — although they would likely have spoken Aramaic. The “J” sound used to pronounce Jesus’ name does not exist in Hebrew or Aramaic, which is strong evidence that Jesus was called something entirely different by his contemporaries.
https://allthatsinteresting.com/yeshua-jesus-real-name

Jesus is the Latin version of his Jewish name and meaningless in the times he was around.

A side note....... the real explanation why prayers are not answered or heard is because humans don't know the real name of God and or Jesus. Latin names....... translations........ are not acceptable.

JW's You really can't pray in the name of Jesus when it's not his real name.

As simply as I can put it: Your name is Patrick and your walking up the street and some one calls out 'hey Joe!

Do you go over and say hi? Or do you mind your own business.

17

The new JW Bible

by silas hobbs in

jw
friends

i was recently informed that the new jw bible was reviewed by some academic type person who rated it as one of the best translations available.. has anyone heard of this person and if so what is his reasoning for giving it such a compliment?.

Giordano

"The New World Bible Translation Committee was formed in 1947.. ........... This committee is said to have been comprised of unnamed members of multinational background.[20]

Former governing body member Raymond Franz listed Nathan H. Knorr, Fredrick W. Franz, Albert D. Schroeder, George D. Gangas, and Milton G. Henschel as members of the translation team...........

Referring to the identified members, evangelical minister Walter Ralston Martin said, "The New World Bible translation committee had no known translators with recognized degrees in Greek or Hebrew exegesis or translation... None of these men had any university education except Franz, who left school after two years, never completing even an undergraduate degree."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Translation_of_the_Holy_Scriptures

You can't trust anything the Society claims is truth when it's made up by the Society.

My point of view about Holy books comes from an old saying "God's language is silence. Everything else is a poor translation --Rumi… "

Works for me.

32

Need Help fleeing my country

by saorean in

jw
friends

don't be startled by the title of this thread.

heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts.. in planning for my escape from the borg, i've come to the sad realization that the best thing for me to do considering factors like: breaking my parents and siblings hearts, lack of support groups, lack of counseling groups for cult survivors, and the prospect of finding a mate who shares my secular views on life, i've come to the realization that i need to leave my country and even my continent africa.

i know i sound desperate, but what can a brother do when all he can do is cry out for help or die in silence.

Giordano

Fortunately for me, I have a Bachelor's of Science Degree. I will pay for the VISA process and flight ticket. I have my own savings to live on, so I won't be a burden.

Suggest you seek a job in the vast international Bachelor of Science field first....and in a country that wants or needs your education. When there is a need for a guy like you it makes it easier to move and live in that country.
As you know there are many first world corporations who do business world wide.......... meaning do a good job for them and you might be invited into the country you really want to live in..
This is the same for International Charities who always need educated people especially those who can teach. Your JW background gives you a step up working in an international Charity because you are experienced in talking to and relating to a wide variety of people.
Getting a job in another country first makes it easier to relocate.
Invest in a plane ticket to visit the country and company that may be interested in you. Skype is a good and expense free way to get the first interview.
You have probably already researched the following but I always remind myself that there are thousands of Ex or current JW's reading this exchange. Who might find the information interesting.
Here's a list of the top easiest countries to immigrate to.
https://www.expatica.com/moving/location/top-10-easiest-countries-to-immigrate-to-9644/
And that the city-state of Singapore is officially the best country in the world to live and work in as an expat—for the fourth year in a row.
https://www.businessinsider.com/singapore-best-place-in-the-world-for-expats-2018-10

Leaving the family religion? Concentrate on finding the job first. Get the job and that's your explanation. There are JW's everywhere in the world. So family and friends will assume that you will link up with the JW's where ever you move to.
The new Congregation you have your information sent to, will be one that is pretty far away, is not going to have anything but a PO box number if at that in an area to far for them to travel to.
It will not be difficult to simply fade.
Sorry for these empty numbers......... I started from a different point of view and deleted some information and the original numbers remained.

30

Dealing With Smelly People

by minimus in

jw
friends

i can never understand why some people simply stink.they don’t smell themselves??

i knew of certain jws that had to be counseled many times because they refused to regularly bathe, wash their hair or use deodorant.

and it’s not just witnesses.

Giordano

I had a different experience for what it's worth.

Our Assembly was held at the Hunts Point facility in the Bronx N.Y. Black folks were the mainstay of the JW KH's and field service in that area soon to join with Spanish Friends.

Now I came from an Italian family and my mother was some what outspoken against Jews and Blacks for reasons she could never articulate.

At the age of 16 and newly Baptized I attended this Circuit Assembly. It was considerably over crowded...... they had folding chairs on every space possible. When there was a break in the talks I got up, like just about everyone in attendance, to stretch my legs and or seek a bathroom.

You couldn't stride down a proper aisle you could only walk in back of someone with no more then a couple of inches of separation. Under normal circumstances you could have been arrested for unlawful contact.

I'd never been crammed into a crowd like this. Moving with the crowd, It was belly to butt, always a black brother or sister urging me along. Having been warned by Mom that black folks smelled I wasn't sure what I would be getting into.

What I smelled was soap, talc, a bit of perfume and cologne. We were pressed together at times. It was intimate......... there was a lot of physical contact. It was hot with no air conditioning.....All in all It was one of my great memories.

In the years to follow I never once smelled anything inappropriate when attending a KH, Assembly, riding in a car for service etc. from any JW from any race.

21

New member

by saorean in

jw
friends

this is the first of many posts from me.

i'm pimo, an overseer, somewhere in africa.

i'll hold of giving further details until i've executed my plan to leave the organization.

Giordano

Welcome Saorean.

It sounds like your on the way out. In the mean time do not continue to mislead those believers who think they have the truth. Try not to judge those who simply want to leave and live an honest and kind life.

According to the Pew religious survey 67% of JW born-ins leave the religion. Most just by fading away. The door to door service is being replaced by trolleys. The appeal of being a JW is no longer functioning in first world countries...... the Society is going the way of other shaky religions.

On a world wide basis about 80,000 are Disfellowshiped and/or Disassociated every year. The fact that both groups are shunned equally is a tragic consequence for a flawed policy. To shun a person, have families broken is a form of torture.

It is a clear miss representation of the JW policy that the JW's have the right to religious freedom and the right to shun a person who simply wants freedom from their religion.

In today's internet world people are learning that JW doctrines, history and claims are false. What the WT rallied about in their history has become them. Ignorance, lies and cruelty is now their description. Growth is still possible only if there is no way to learn what the Society is really about.

It's sins are mounting. A huge pedophile problem because of their two witness rule which protects pedophiles first and foremost making the JW world a pedophile's paradise and a parents nightmare.

In reality it is not a religion it is a semi social group based on some common teachings that allow a JW to think they are special and will live in a paradise earth.

There is no mention in the bible of a paradise earth just like the old WT claimed 'millions living today will not (changed to May not) die'. Guess what?

People who have access to the internet can research the WTBTS within seconds and see what the reality is. In third world countries not so much....... so the bigger the lie the bigger the acceptance of delusional beliefs.

46

Canadians and Europeans, what do you think of your national health care ?

by RubaDub in

jw
friends

we have been in a battle over health care for so long here in the us regarding public, private, gov't subsidized, obama care, medicare for all, and just about every permutation of the above.. we hear the horror stories here that people wait 20 years for a check-up (ok, bit of an exaggeration), but you get the point.

one side tells us that canadians flock across the border when they are sick and need to see a doctor.

the other side says that is simply not the case.. so tell us, if you live under one of the government systems would you replace it?

Giordano

Your Right DOC I think I slept in and confused two issues. What I should have said is that we pay taxes on our Social Security income because our private income exceeds a certain level.

Our Medicare is coupled with a Private Supplement plan which extends coverage in those areas where Medicare drops out. Like longer hospital stays etc.

We also have a drug plan that kicks in after we reach a certain out of pocket level.

These are backup plans that kick in if a serious illness occurs. Its worth it to us to have affordable supplements.

Private insurance companies compete in their pricing to provide a regulated standard level of coverage and some offer additional services. It is obvious those plans are profitable as every year we get a dozen offers from insurance companies.

What medicare does is to set up what it will pay for health care, surgery etc.

If the private practice takes medicare patients they have to accept the cost that medicare establishes. The good of this system is that more elderly people can get the treatment they need. Other wise if it wasn't regulated many more people would have shorter lives.

The medical community gets a ton more business.

46

Canadians and Europeans, what do you think of your national health care ?

by RubaDub in

jw
friends

we have been in a battle over health care for so long here in the us regarding public, private, gov't subsidized, obama care, medicare for all, and just about every permutation of the above.. we hear the horror stories here that people wait 20 years for a check-up (ok, bit of an exaggeration), but you get the point.

one side tells us that canadians flock across the border when they are sick and need to see a doctor.

the other side says that is simply not the case.. so tell us, if you live under one of the government systems would you replace it?

Giordano

Our Medicare has worked very well for my wife and I here in the USA since we received it when we turned 65..... we are now in our 70's. We paid into it for some 50 years and I still pay for it.

We pay 200 plus dollars per month for each of our medicare polices. At a certain level one's income is taxed. But that's fine because It covers everything with the exception of Dental.

At the age we are now it would be impossible to get affordable health insurance.

Medicaid is for people who are in the poverty level........... it is a big deal for children however it is not available in every state.

One final thought...... all the undocumented workers who are employed by legal companies get a pay check that has been deducted for federal and state taxes, Social Security and health care which they will never receive.