I just wanted to say that I didn't mean to offend anyone by my comments. They are my personal opinions on these things, and that's all. I know they've been discussed to death, but you know what? It'd be alot easier to forget if Ray wasn't attacked and accused of crimes against humanity on a weekly basis (that may be an exaggeration, but I'll bet at least 50% of his SL announcements contain the name of Ray Franz). I myself have never spoken to Bill without a huge conversation about how horrible Ray is, he's hung up on this issue.
I personally think we're doing an injustice to Mr Franz by allowing these things to be stated here. I'm not saying silentlambs information shouldn't be posted here, I just think these things should be edited for our viewing pleasure, because it does no-one any good to keep going through this.
For the record, Cass, I am a supporter of silentlambs, LambsRoar supports the cause heavily on a daily basis. We carry links to silentlambs.org, we have a countdown clock for the march this year, we speak favorably (for the most part) about Bill and silentlambs, so please don't think I hate the guy or that I think he's evil, because that is not the case. I just think he should stop with the Franz crap, it's immature. And just because some happen to disagree with a tactic that he uses regularly, doesn't mean that we think his heart isn't in the right place. Many people have tried to help Bill to understand these things, but he won't listen. Perhaps you and Unf'd and Hawkaw, and Scully and others that are closer to Bill will have better luck getting through to him.
He's not perfect, and no-one expects him to be, but if he doesn't listen to one damn thing the Abuse Survivors are telling him, the Abuse Survivors that he claims to protect, then that's a problem. I just think that by bringing this issue up repeatedly is not intelligent. Do we jump on it every time he does it? Yes, because he did it again, and personally that's what I can't understand. Leave it alone, because first of all he's completely wrong regarding Ray, and second of all, he's just a guilty as Ray (see above). If we just ignore when he does wrong 'for the good of the cause' then there's nothing to keep him in check. To not point out the wrong would be a crime in itself, because then you're just putting way too much power in the hands of one man. We're free now, free to have opinions, free to disagree, free to make our own decisions. If we just put the wrong aside and back up an organization when they hurt innocent people, just because they do good things, is putting us back at square one again.
I'll try to keep my mouth shut, but I don't think that's fair, not when the wrong continues to grow and flourish. It'd be a different story if the topic was just dropped after the first tour. In my opinion he does it because it pisses us off. He claims to have had this belief for quite some time, way before he mentioned it in the first place. Then he saw how we reacted once he did bring it up, now it's a regular part of the silentlambs cause. And that's what happens. You give a guy a following that will swallow any kind of garbage that flows from his lips, and the wrong becomes a pillar in the organization. If everyone that followed the silentlambs cause would have the strength and power to stand up for what is right, he'd have no choice but to listen. But no, some are too weak still, to do what is right, and they continue to feed this growing tactic of hurting the innocent. We are the Survivors, this is true, but are we any better if we stand by and allow an innocent man to be hurt by this? No, I think it makes us worse. We're ready to take anyone down for the crimes that have been committed against us, whether they deserve it or not. This is wrong. And if we disagree with Bill on this, but keep our mouths shut and simply allow these things to occur because this man is fighting for us, then that's even more wrong. I think we need to sit back, and think about how Mr. Franz must feel.....an 80 year old man, who's done so much for us. Do you think he sits in his office, or wakes up in the morning hurt by these things? He's human, of course he does. And you think it's ok for us to be a part of that, just because we're getting satisfaction? If it were you that was being attacked and accused of these things, would you feel the same way?