1) I am a sister in a congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses in southern California.
I have a job. I have a life. I have a family. I have a Nintendo game I am trying to finish.
I am one of the 40+ people who took time away from everything that has meaning for me, and traveled thousands of miles, spending well over $500.00 in order to attend a hearing that YOU INITIATED against one of my advocates and supporters, Bill Bowen.
In addition to that, I am a rape survivor. I did not scream. I was disfellowshiped, and this at a time when we were NOT SCREAMING (that SHORT period of time in the late 1980's)and it took over a decade, 10 letters, a multitude of meetings with run of the mill male persons who dared to judge my 'repentance' and my 'suitability' to be known as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
When you did not show up for this hearing, using an excuse so lame I will not blighten this board with it, I did not think it was funny. I did not find it amusing. I did not walk away with a smile on my face.
I was angry because here, Watchtower is victimizing me all over again. Is it not enough to expel and shun a rape survivor? Is it not enough to only accept me back after a decade of shunning? Nearly a dozen requests for reinstatement? I'm sure my elders spent a whole half an hour on my little pleas for mercy and acceptance, but that's more than YOU, the 'older' and 'responsible' men in Draffenville gave me.
I put you on notice RIGHT HERE, and RIGHT NOW, that what YOU did to me in Draffenville constituted a civil wrong. YOU by your actions caused me to expend $500.00 out of my pocket to attend the 'Judicial Committee that wasn't' and YOU also caused me to lose two days' pay from my employment. There may be other verifiable losses YOU have caused me to incur, I am STILL looking.
"WATCHTOWER made you do it" you say? HAH...the Nuremburg defense won't work here. The very same freedoms that allow YOU, dear elders, to go door to door and meet freely in that lovely Kingdom Hall, are the same freedoms that allow you to say "NO, we will not initiate a Judicial Action", or "YES, we ARE going to go to that meeting that WE arranged and agreed to".
2) And another thing: I, and many of the others that attended that "Judcical Committee that wasn't" are eyewitnesses of many of the conditions and events that Erica and the Berry girls are right now attesting to in their lawsuits. Your little no-show at the VERY LEAST can be construed as a blatant and flagrant attempt to influence the testimony of any of us should we be called as witnesses in those two lawsuits, as well as any of the many lawsuits STILL TO BE FILED.
WITNESS TAMPERING IS AGAINST THE LAW IN ALL FIFTY STATES AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
3)One has to wonder that if you men could treat rape and molestation survivors this way, IN PUBLIC, BEFORE CAMERAS, what MUST you be doing to these people, like myself, in Kingdom Hall PRIVATE BACK ROOMS.
4) And lastly, one has to wonder, with regard to three men who so blatantly and flagrantly could publicly behave like this: What judge in a courtroom, what jury in a civil trial, WHAT HOUSEHOLDER BEHIND ANY DOOR would ever have a reason to believe ANY WORD OUT OF THE MOUTH OF ANY JEHOVAH'S WITNESS EVER AGAIN?
Perhaps my little $500.00 claims for damages is the least of your worries. So be it.
AND WITH THIS NOTIFICATION GOES MY WARMEST CHRISTIAN LOVE.
DUNGBEETLE ROARING.
