Posts by MadApostate

We have spent a quarter of a century dealing with tragedy in the ranks of the Jehovah's Witnesses. We receive a steady stream of accounts of child abuse, broken homes, lost estates, unnecessary deaths from refusal of blood transfusions, and mental problems, all caused by this controlling organization.

We thought nothing could surprise us, we had heard it all. However a recent case reported in the Chicago Tribune under date of Wednesday, November 14, 2001 shocked and saddened us beyond the others. We feel we owe it to the young girl, Laree Slack, to make her story known.

Laree Slack, twelve years old, was one of six children in a devout Jehovah's Witness family. Following the Society's guidelines, the parents did not allow their six children to play with other children in the neighborhood. The children were ruled with extreme strictness and required to do chores around the house. It was obedience or beatings.

Laree's father was a big, strong man physically, weighing in at more than 350 pounds, and ruled his household with an iron hand. A very small annoyance to him started the tragic events in motion that would result in Laree's death.

It was Laree's job to do the laundry for the family, washing it and putting it away. She had apparently been lax in her chores, and dirty laundry had not been picked up that day. Her father had misplaced his jacket containing his wallet and credit cards and engaged the whole family to search for it. He felt the search was impeded by the dirty laundry and issued the dreaded command to Laree to "assume the position." She knew she was in for a beating. This was nothing new to her. No one could have anticipated the unleashing of her father's out-of-control anger against the child.

Another child got in his way first, Laree's eight-year old brother, who was struck four to five times in the legs and buttocks with an electric cable about three-quarters of an inch thick. Then he turned to Laree, and brought the cable down on her four or five times. This should have been the end of the beating. Laree further fueled his anger when she tried to squirm away after this initial beating. Upset by her evasive moves, the father ordered his two teenage sons to tie Laree face down to a metal futon frame. This sound like the inquisition, not a household in America.

Venting his anger, this massive man struck his defenseless daughter another 20 times with the cable. When Laree screamed in agony he ordered his sons to get a towel, which was then stuffed in her mouth. To make sure she couldn't continue screaming he tied a scarf over the towel "like a tourniquet." Not satisfied with this further act of brutality, he called in the other children to pull off her pants, while he cut off her shirt.

He brought the cable down on his victim another 39 times. What did the Mother do during all this brutality? Run for help to the neighbors? Call 911 and report his out-of-control sadistic behavior? Unbelievably, she took the cable and administered another 20 lashes to her shackled daughter.

It came out in court that more than 160 blows were delivered to this child at the hands of her parents. No one went for help. No one dared stop the father. Laree's back began to bleed. Surely this would shock him into stopping, but he callously turned her over and beat her 39 more times, raining blows upon her stomach and chest.

Hours passed and Laree was finally taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. A physician at the hospital had this to say according to the article,
"Do you know how hard it is to kill a 12-year old?" said Demetra Soter, a physician who is coordinator of pediatric trauma at Cook County Hospital. According to Soter, children as old as Laree Slack require "massive amounts of force to die like this."

The social services had never been involved with the family except for one incident when one of their small children was found wandering the streets alone when a plumber had left the door unlocked. No one wondered why the children were apparently locked in the house. A high fence surrounded their property to keep the children in and prying eyes out. Neighbors were stunned at what was really going on in this reclusive family. They looked happy and normal as they went out in the door-to-door work their Jehovah's Witness religion required. They were all "spruced up" when they went out to the meetings past the neighbors. They looked perfect.
Is it true that no one on the outside knew about the abuse? In my opinion someone knew, and that "someone" included the elders of the Jehovah's Witness congregation where the family were devout attendees and followers. I know from 15 years experience that nothing goes on in the home life of the members that the elders do not know about. They are experts at "cover-ups" so no "reproach on the organization" results. They keep secrets really well, especially to protect the men in the congregation. They encourage extreme "head ship" behavior in the home by the husband, which allows things to get out of control frequently.
I pray this will be the wake-up call to the organization to stop covering over the bad behavior of their members to protect their congregation's reputation at all costs.

Some guilt must be shared because family members, who must have had suspicions, did not speak out. Even now they are covering up the situation. An uncle tried to protect the Jehovah's Witnesses by saying "It was not in line with religion. Something obviously went wrong, and we just want to grieve as a family." One anonymous phone call to the Social Services could have triggered an investigation that would have protected the children. It is one thing to discipline a child, it is another thing to be abusive. The Society needs to address this growing problem.

My guess is they will simply wash their hands of this family, disfellowshipping both parents and disavowing any responsibility for the home situation. The children will suffer greatly, probably becoming more dysfunctional and lost. I pray that I am wrong, and real change will come about. Laree, I hope you did not die for no reason. May your death count for something positive in the future lives of Jehovah's Witnesses. I pray many Jehovah's Witnesses will see the writing on the wall and turn from this evil organization to a relationship with the Savior, Jesus Christ, finding peace and security and love.

. http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/apologetics/AP0102W2.htm

27

CCoJWs Requests/Denied Local Tax Money Allocation

by MadApostate in

this city of columbia sc webpage shows that ccofjws requested, but was denied, allocation of local tax dollars from the city's accommodation tax budget allocation.. .

http://www.columbiasc.net/city/funding.htm.

any locals here that can check out the person that actually formalized this request, and how did ccofjws say they were going to use the $$$ to promote columbia?

MadApostate

The above scandal was also reported by KEPR TV 19:

Also notice website poll re this story.

. http://www.keprtv.com/news/story.asp?ID=38320

. http://www.keprtv.com/news/story.asp?ID=39949

34

Recent JW EXPEDITIONS TO MOUNT ARARAT

by Utopian Reformist in

jw
friends

despite the apparent redundancy, i would like to introduce the subject from a different perspective.

around 1996 i came in contact with a jw pioneer named "francesco annunziata" from naples, italy.. francesco was involved with a man (inactive jw) named angelo palego, with whom he has made several expeditions to mt.

ararat searching the famous ahora gorge for remnants of the ark.. the majority of the more technical and geological/scientific information is in italian, but there is enough information posted in english to merit attention.. i posted this subject in an effort to move away from discussing the flood, size of the flood and/or location of the flood.

MadApostate

U.R.Stupid:

Any 10 year old can see that the second photo is a doctored version of the first photo.

What's you problem? Same as all those hundreds of Watchtower Lawsuits you claim, but refuse to document?

.

Note that the above photo is labeled "54", while this next photo is labeled "54-ELAB".

.

7

Two girls missing - more Longo murders?

by Nathan Natas in

jw
friends

two recent stories, both from the detroit free press, follow.. - - - - begin first news story - - - -.

monday january 28 10:39 pm est .

fbi searches for runaway sisters.

MadApostate

NN:

To the contrary, the school auditorium location would seem to indicate a very large attendance.

The story says they were married by "a minister"; likely a JW.

27

CCoJWs Requests/Denied Local Tax Money Allocation

by MadApostate in

this city of columbia sc webpage shows that ccofjws requested, but was denied, allocation of local tax dollars from the city's accommodation tax budget allocation.. .

http://www.columbiasc.net/city/funding.htm.

any locals here that can check out the person that actually formalized this request, and how did ccofjws say they were going to use the $$$ to promote columbia?

MadApostate

Moore said the hotel association is eager to protect the Watchtower group.
"They never asked for the money," said Moore, who said the hotels will step in to pick up the remaining coliseum rent. "We're taking the high road."

Sounds like MOORE is protecting the WTS by LYING. Yah, they didn't ask for the $$$$, just like they didn't do the same thing in Columbia, SC where they submitted an Application for the same tax dollars (or was it actually for a "library card"?)

Also, since the Hotels/Motels are now going to pick up the tab for the thousands of $$$$, maybe that tells us how good of a job the WTS does in negotiating room rates.

Maybe they have been getting hotel/motel kickbacks all along???

---------------------------------------------

Hotels to help pay rent for coliseum

This story was published 1/29/2002

By John Trumbo
Herald staff writer

No city money will be spent to help pay the rent at the Tri-Cities Coliseum for the Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower weekend conventions this summer.

The Tri-Cities Hotel & Lodging Association is withdrawing its request that Kennewick and Richland each provide $6,000 to help cover rent.

Association President Kathy Moore said the controversy and negative publicity resulting from the proposed coliseum rent subsidy had become too much.

The association sent letters to the cities Friday to officially cancel the request.

Instead, said Moore, Tri-City hotels will put up the cash needed to cover the deficit between what the Watchtower organization will pay and what the coliseum charges. The subsidy would have paid $12,000 of $17,500 needed to expand the convention events from three weekends to five weekends.

"Although this convention clearly qualifies for hotel tax funding, recent rhetoric initiated by the
Tri-City Herald has raised some unwarranted concerns. We value our relationship with the city ... and do not want to put you in a compromising position," Moore wrote in her letter.

"The hotel association feels this (expenditure) is a good use of the hotel tax funds, but we want the negative press to stop," Moore said Monday.

Kennewick City Attorney John Ziobro announced a week ago that he believed the expenditure approved by the council in December was not as represented in a background report. The council voted to donate $6,000 to be used for advertising and promotion, but the money was actually going to be used as a rent subsidy.

Richland's city attorney had not concluded his review of the issue. State Auditor's Office staff had asked both cities to review the proposed expenditures from their hotel tax account to see if it was proper under state law.

The Watchtower events are expected to bring about $9.5 million worth of business to the Tri-Cities over the summer.

This will be the group's 10th consecutive year meeting in the Tri-Cities. Moore said the hotel association is eager to protect the Watchtower group.

"They never asked for the money," said Moore, who said the hotels will step in to pick up the remaining coliseum rent. "We're taking the high road."

. http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/2002/0129/story4.html

17

Conventions Money Canceled-Tri-City

by messenger in

jw
friends

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/2002/0129/story4.html.

hotels to help pay rent for coliseum.

this story was published 1/29/2002.

MadApostate

Three previous news articles in this series, have already been posted, along with other articles which show that the WTS's DCs are being supported nationwide by public tax dollars:

. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=16702&site=3

34

Recent JW EXPEDITIONS TO MOUNT ARARAT

by Utopian Reformist in

jw
friends

despite the apparent redundancy, i would like to introduce the subject from a different perspective.

around 1996 i came in contact with a jw pioneer named "francesco annunziata" from naples, italy.. francesco was involved with a man (inactive jw) named angelo palego, with whom he has made several expeditions to mt.

ararat searching the famous ahora gorge for remnants of the ark.. the majority of the more technical and geological/scientific information is in italian, but there is enough information posted in english to merit attention.. i posted this subject in an effort to move away from discussing the flood, size of the flood and/or location of the flood.

MadApostate

Here is a thread I started on this topic 2 months ago, in which I point out that the photos which show the Ark are labeled "Elab", which evidently is short for the English "elaborated", or its Italian equivalent.

. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=16269&site=3

3

Abandoned JW Attempts Suicide

by MadApostate in

jw
friends

this 1997 news article well illustrates that "jehovah's earthly organization" has neither the will nor established procedure to assist jws that genuinely need help beyond what they could ever repay to the borg, either $$$$ or in human capital.. people who are no longer an asset to the borg are forgotten and abandoned.. .

as a jw you are worth only as much as your last and next fs report.

yun ja kim's story.

MadApostate

This 1997 News Article well illustrates that "Jehovah's Earthly Organization" has neither the will nor established procedure to assist JWs that genuinely need help beyond what they could ever repay to the Borg, either $$$$ or in human capital.

People who are no longer an asset to the Borg are forgotten and abandoned.

As a JW you are worth only as much as your last AND next FS Report.

--------------------------------------------------

Yun Ja Kim's story

By Mike Stobbe
Times-Union staff writer

GAINESVILLE - Yun Ja Kim didn't have much. She had few clothes and little furniture. She had no job, no money and was behind on the rent. What little she had was consumed in a fire Nov. 11 inside her small apartment in Jacksonville. The blaze also consumed her mobility and her independence.

It burned over 95 percent of her skin and all of her hair. Her ears were so cooked, a doctor cut away all but the lower right lobe. Her legs were so charred, doctors amputated them below the knees.

But through 15 operations and five months of intensive care at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, she survived and has recovered enough to begin years of physical rehabilitation and plastic surgery.

Yun Ja Kim.

That, however, is just the beginning of her problems.

Kim, 44, has no place to go, no family in the United States. She has no way to pay her $1 million medical bill. She has no health insurance and hasn't qualified for government aid.

And she has no will to live. She says she planned the fire to kill herself and has asked hospital workers to help her die. Frances Wack, a Shands social worker who has handled burn cases for 10 years, said she's never had a case as frustrating, mysterious and troubling.

"It's been a nightmare," she said.
Kim has given various accounts of how she was burned, and investigators reached different conclusions.

Kim lived in a first-floor apartment in Villager Apartments North, 5824 Justina Court in Arlington.

On Nov. 11, apartment manager Gary Mann heard a smoke detector and saw smoke pour from the door of Kim's apartment. The door was ajar, but a chain lock kept it from fully opening. Mann and another man kicked the door in and found Kim slumped against a wall, naked and burned. Fire was consuming the back half of her 700-square-foot apartment.

A Jacksonville fire investigator concluded the blaze started in a storage shed and spread into the apartment through a back bedroom window. But Ted Nixon, an investigator hired by State Farm Insurance, concluded it started inside the apartment.

"This fire was the result of a human act," Nixon reported to State Farm.
A red plastic gasoline can found in the kitchen, Mann noted. "She had no car. She didn't drive," Mann said. "Why did she need the gas?"

Jacksonville police Detective Jim Parker reviewed fire department and insurance investigator's reports and concluded officials can't say for sure how the fire started. "I'd go with what she told you," he said.

Kim's account

Last week, as she lay in her hospital bed, Kim gave this account of the fire:

Kim was depressed because of her income and job problems and another reason that she wouldn't reveal. Intending to kill herself, she took a can of gasoline to the kitchen and poured the fuel onto her T-shirt. She also soaked a washcloth with gasoline and left it on the floor.

She took a cigarette lighter, flicked it and held out the flame. And in that moment of hesitation, she chose not to set herself on fire.

But somehow she ignited the wash cloth. She thought of running but didn't want the fire to spread. She moved to stomp it out and fire.

She tore off her clothes and extinguished the flames burning her. But the fire spread in the apartment.

She lay on her couch to die. But again, she worried about the rest of the building and she stumbled toward the door, where Mann found her.

Kim went directly to Shands. For three months, she was never more than semi-conscious because of medicine and severe illness. A breathing tube prevented her from talking.

Kim's injuries left her prey to infection, said David Mozingo, the doctor who runs the burn unit. "She had pneumonia several times and other infections. . . . There was one point where we didn't think she would make it."
It was, Mozingo said, among the worst burn cases he has seen in his seven years of burn care experience.

After a month of healing, only the skin on her scalp and lower back was healthy. Mozingo removed skin from those areas for grafts on her chest and abdomen, while cadaver skin was used to temporarily patch her arms and other areas. When the scalp and back healed, he again took grafts to redo the arms and other areas.
In late March, Kim regained full consciousness and was removed from the ventilator.

She has continued to improve, though last week her wounds still were striking. Her chin and other spots on her face were pink from a second-degree burn. The rest of her was bandaged. She was weak and couldn't lift her arms because scarring had pulled them taut.

But she could talk and even offered a slight smile, though she made it clear she is devastated by her appearance and would allow no photographs.

Mozingo said Kim is well enough to be moved to an intensive rehabilitation care center or nursing home.

Wack said such a facility would want to know her that bills would be paid, that she could get a wheelchair and prostheses and that she would have a place to go after her stay.

A troubled past

Kim's past could hold the key to finding her help.

Shands staff know she is from South Korea and came to the United States in the mid-1980s. She married a Georgia man, Karl Nickerson, who was in the military. They divorced in 1989.

The divorce was traumatic for her, said a friend, Eloise Taylor of Jessup, Ga. Kim couldn't speak English and had been emotionally and financially dependent on her husband.

Kim lived in a series of U.S. cities before coming to Jacksonville a few years ago.

Police records show she was arrested in November 1995, at the Colony Apartments on Merrill Road in Arlington. According to a report, she broke her apartment window, then started screaming when an officer questioned her. She cursed and kicked at police, and was arrested on charges of disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer.

Court records show she pleaded guilty to the first charge and was sentenced to two days in jail. The second charge was dropped.

She became homeless after the arrest and for a time was enrolled in a private, not-for-profit program called LINK, which helps mentally ill homeless people. In February 1996, LINK placed her in the Williams Boarding Home in Springfield, said Annette Williams, the facility's owner.

A doctor concluded Kim had major depression with psychotic features, Williams said. She was on medication and was prone to spells of paranoia and angry solitude, Williams said.

In April, Williams helped Kim get a job at Iceman clothing store near Regency Square mall. By May 1, Kim had moved from the boarding home into the apartment on Justina Court and was looking for used furniture.

"She was established with money coming in," Williams said.

Kim was a good worker, said Iceman manager Howard Teitelbaum.

She showed up to work as timely as the public bus system allowed. She kept to herself and at times seemed angry and depressed. Her limited English left her co-workers baffled about her problems, Teitelbaum said.

She seemed to get intensely annoyed by the clerks' tendency to wear a lot of perfume. Once, she became so irate with one clerk that she grabbed a pair of scissors and held them like she would stab the woman, said Teitelbaum, who broke them up.

Kim quit in September without saying what she would do next, he said. In early November, Kim told Mann she only had $150 of the $300 rent and would need a few weeks to come up with the balance.
Then came the fire.

Finding help

It has been hard to find anyone to help Kim, Wack said. Her brother, Jong Keun Kim, was difficult to reach because of a 13-hour time difference in South Korea and the need for an interpreter. In late November, after learning of his sister's injuries, he visited, Wack said.

He gave family consent for Kim's medical treatment and indicated the family would support the decision to put her in a nursing home if she recovered. Then he returned to his country and has not called to check on her, Wack said.

Wack said there is a rift between Kim and other family members, due at least partly to Kim's having become a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Kim said there are other issues but did not elaborate.

Hospital staff said they think the family does not have the money to help her. Kim said she doesn't want her family's help and does not want to return to South Korea.

"Nobody can understand me . . . and now I've become like this," Kim said.

Wack said she's made hundreds of calls, trying to find friends and family members who can help Kim or provide information about health benefits. Many calls have not been returned.

"This happens with a lot of people. Everyone's concerned in the beginning. But when the reality sets in about the person's still alive and how much care they're going to need, then you can't find people," Wack said.

Wack knows Kim has a Social Security number, which she apparently obtained when she was married. She thinks Kim might be entitled to some public benefits. Kim said she had a green card but lost it last year.

Also challenging is a patient who at times says she does not want to live.
"The hardest thing is trying to respect her wishes and what she wants to do," Wack said.

"She is still very depressed. When I asked her, 'Where would you want to go when you leave the hospital,' she said 'In the ground.'

"I'm just desperate for someone to help her."

Her friend Eloise Taylor has expressed a willingness to help. Taylor, 43, knew Kim when they were both going through divorces in Hinesville. Taylor also is a Jehovah's Witness and they studied the Bible together.

Taylor, a certified nurse's assistant, visited Kim Saturday and invited her to move in. Taylor said she can care for Kim but can't afford the Shands bill or future major medical bills. Taylor's niece, an Atlanta immigration attorney, came with her to track down Kim's green card and look into government aid.

Kim and Shands staff were weighing Taylor's offer yesterday.

Kim said she knows Taylor loves her, but added, "I don't want to be a burden."

Taylor said it's OK. "The door is open, if she's ready to come."

10

LONGO'S PARENTS RESPOND TO DEATH PENALTY DECISION

by MadApostate in

longo's elder and elderette parents are playing the "politically correct" jw organizational role in their public statement re the prosecuter's decision to seek the death penalty.. .

prosecutor to seek death penalty for longo.

newport, oregon (reuters) -- an oregon prosecutor said wednesday she will seek the death penalty if a man charged with killing his wife and three young children is convicted.

MadApostate

UUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPP