umbertoecho

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Posts by umbertoecho

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  19

  Human rights issue

  by possum in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi, i am possum and have been posting for a short time just thought i would introduce myself with much trepidation.

  i am a third generation ex witness.

  grandparents originally lured into cult in 1920 after the death of a precious child.

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  umbertoecho

  possum, Thank you for sharing your experiences. It gives me some courage now to do what I have to do this week. I hope you and your partner remain well and something comes of this RC.

  Very succinct account.
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  7

  Royal Commission - Clarification of 1,006 unreported abusers

  by Listener in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  knowing that many here like to relate information as accurately as possible i just wanted to make a clarification regarding the unreported abusers in the australian jw religion.. it is not correct for us to state that there are 1,006 cases of unreported abusers in australia since 1950. .

  this is what the commission has reported in the opening address .

  those documents include 1,006 case files relating to allegations of child sexual abuse made against members of the jehovahs witness church in australia since 1950 each file for a different alleged perpetrator of child sexual abuse.

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  umbertoecho

  listener.

  What this also means is that the organization is relying on the victim or parents to report the abuse when their is mandatory reporting. As they aren't reporting any themselves then they must be actively seeking the co-operation of the parents/victim to report it. In other words, they are actively passing on the responsibility to report (where there is mandatory reporting) to the parents/victim.

  Don't forget that it is sin to take another to court. This is emphatically impressed upon the R&F. A victim is also told that they may suffer consequences as ...."to bring reproach upon Jehovah's name" Is a very serious sin. It is close to grieving the "holy spirit". This is tantamount to eternal damnation, no resurrection gift vouchers, nothing.

  Watchtower in the Royal Commissions eyes has every red flag for the perpetration of crimes of a sexual nature, due to it's repressive rules. Now, that one is well identified.

  I think I have already corrected someone in my family about the fact that this is about 1,006 individual potential perpetrators of this crime. And these are only the ones that came forward, no doubt with pounding heart ripping fear. The rest of us, just shut up for other reasons such as threats.

  Also the mandatory reporting is about "The authorative body be it ecclesiastic or educational, or other secular" Is about the obligation of that entity to do the reporting. Where religion has ignored it has been in this clergy client seal of secrecy. It is exactly the same in effect as the one that WT employs.

  Also, it is hoped by many........activists, counsellors, human rights advocates, legal and non legal entities........that they be granted the full right to employ the use of legal compulsion and "report" suspected abuse, on pain of breaking the law of the land if they don't

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
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  18

  WT Lawyer trying to force His Honour to allow Miss Apple to garner more info showing how good WT is

  by umbertoecho in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  hello to all who are watching.

  his honour is being tested by wt lawyer in the last thirty minutes of day 4. the lawyer wants to bring in updates on the societies handling of child molestation cases.. his honour tells the lawyer that if he "lawyer" wants a contest between who is better than who....forget it.. his honour is slightly pissed off as wt lawyer just won't back down and insists that this evidence is very important and........"progressive" ( i think ) his honour then continues to tell nice wt jerk type lawyer, that if he thinks this will dispel all that happened to past victims..........think again.. i rough summary but fairly accurate people......god, that wt lawyer is a hateful lying, scheming son of a bitch........

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  umbertoecho

  What is that scripture that speaks of "giving a fine witness before Princes and Kings and authorities......" Iv'e gone blank at the moment. Only a few weeks ago I was informed that the organization is proud of it's ability to use such public platforms to promote beliefs and honour Jehovah.

  This is not happening at the RC, they are not interested in being told how to think. And they don't appreciate that everyone of the elders on the witness stand has had a severe dose of amnesia, even when the document is right there, right under their stinking noses.....WT thought they could do a bit of witnessing at this RC,. Yes! Really! They have pumped themselves up to give a "fine testimony". The problem is...they forgot that they were in the "real world", where rules not of their making apply.

  Seriously people. The WT truly thought they were home and hosed with this RC. They were so complacent, so confident that I imagine they have outlines for how bloody brilliant they are...........all ready for the printing press, internet, broadcasting.........What will they do now?
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  19

  For those of you "not baptised" and too afraid to front the RC. WT is hoping you won't come forward.

  by umbertoecho in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  hello to those following what is going in australia with our royal commission.. i want to let all those abused, neglected, shunned and blamed that i understand why you may not front the rc.

  the wtbts is hoping you will consider yourself an invalid complainant, because you are not or were not.....baptised.

  if you were abused at a young age and you told on your dad or the bad man that did it.......you would have been taken aside by the overseer and read scriptures about lying and being immoral; even if you didn't know what that word meant.

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  umbertoecho

  Hello to those following what is going in Australia with our Royal Commission.

  I want to let all those abused, neglected, shunned and blamed that I understand why you may not front the RC. The WTBTS is hoping you will consider yourself an invalid complainant, because you are not or were not.....baptised. If you were abused at a young age and you told on your dad or the bad man that did it.......you would have been taken aside by the overseer and read scriptures about lying and being immoral; even if you didn't know what that word meant.

  They would have told you outright!! That you were wrong to let it happen and to be a very good girl and stop telling tales. And that would have confused you, because they were calling you a liar at the same time as telling you, you were to blame and naughty for not being modest enough.

  You have probably been threatened in various ways, from the start. Death at Armageddon, being taken to the police for lying. I was taken to court at sixteen for being bad in wanting to get away and every one was there to watch the show. But the magistrate was somehow wise and saw something cunning in my father......

  You may have taken overdoses at a young age when you found your' mums tablets, hoping the hospital will keep you in. But they gave you back to your father who took you away into the bush. You probably pulled your' hair out, spat in your own hand grabbed dirt and mashed it into your face and scratched it to pieces.

  You found glass, knives and razor blades and slashed yourself feeling that you may as well finish off what was started a long time ago.

  Either way, horrifyingly..........You were taught that you were born with a mental flaw, that just blossomed as you matured and developed in your body.....And so you were called wicked, evil, hysterical, ungodly, not to be trusted, a bad girl/boy.....from the minute you could make out words.

  If you tried to tell someone about the bad man, that was your father or another authority figure. You will know that the second you spoke to that trusted person (in the WT religion) You saw, with your' child's eyes". That they were not going to keep your secret safe from the person who was doing it to you. You would be called a dirty girl and the overseer would come to the family to sort out your bad,or very naughty imagination. And you would have scripture read to you about what lies are and how God hates a liar and a fornicator and every other scary thing you were starting to think you were/are. You would not know what fornicator or adultery meant, but they were bad words and bad things.

  I was threatened in 1998 by the JW family and this was sustained by the friendly family elders. They let my family know that anything I said would notl could not be used as I was not a baptised witness and so I was a worldly liar.

  The society is banking on people feeling they have no recourse to action due to this little matter of not officially belonging to the WTBTS. And they will exploit this point in any way they can.

  The society has tried to play on that point in defending it's lack of action and concern. I know that had I not read copious amounts of documents supplied to RC I would have remained under the impression that WT was not culpable in those cases, and certainly not in mine.

  These are stressful times for "us" who are willing to share our information to this Commission. I know of a few others who are just as afraid and exhausted.....

  I just want you to know that I believe you. The courts believe you and the groups set up for such

  abuses, believe you.

  I have been under sustained pressure and some threat for the last two months. From the day it was announced that this commission was going to take place. I have been hounded, or outright mistreated and shunned. The straw that broke the camels back for me, was having the elder and his wife try to trip me up, whilst she recorded me. I actually thank my perceptive powers in being watchful..........Her voice activated recorder, a sort of tablet, was facing my way at some point and I leaned over it and looked up at her, letting her know that two could play that game......

  Anyway, for all of you who were taught to minimise your suffering........don't you dare believe it.
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  38

  Cecil the Lion deserved what he got...That's right. I said it.

  by cappytan in

  1. social
  2. humour

  lions are notorious murderers of beautiful zebras, antelope and other graceful exotic animals.

  cecil probably contributed to the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of animals.

  what happened to him was justice.. you reap what you sow.

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  umbertoecho

  Oh s__*t Sorry about that red finger i gave you Cappytan. I just thought you were one of those freaks who make incredibly stupid observations. I'm not familiar with your' dark humour yet.........so here's a green finger....
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  5

  What is a "Royal Commission"?

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  https://youtu.be/a0f2g7ink9u.

  royal commissions- what the *bleep* do i know about them?royal commissions seem to be called into anything nowadays but do you know what they actually are?.

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  umbertoecho

  Not quite accurate. This Royal Commission has the power to recommend compensation for example, oh....And make sure that courts take note of it's recommendations. It is powerful enough to force the WT to hand over documents. Something that WT has often failed to do. It has the power to deeply effect legislation and get it passed. Royal Commission took on Philip Morris " a very powerful cigarette company "... and compel them to remove all brand colours; to be replaced with drab olive green and horrid images.

  This advertising giant then brought in it's big guns, but they did not prevail......Don't think this is just a nice chat over a coffee, about the sorry state of affairs in the world, then off home to forget it all.........There are consequences that arise out of the invaluable findings of such commissions.
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  40

  JW EXPERT WITNESS FLOORED BY COMMISSION OF INQUIRY LAWYER

  by steve2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  much has already been written about dr monica applewhite, the expert witness hired by the jw organization.

  her job was to provide "expert" testimony to the australian commission of inquiry into jehovsh's witnesses' policies and practices on child sexual abuse.

  astonishingly, dr applewhite was unprepared for the inquiry lawyers' questions.

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  umbertoecho

  Mephis, This is already happening around me. The anger within my family about this commission, the pronouncement that this is the start of the tribulation..........These people are furious at being treated just the same as any other religious institution. How dare the RC tell them to hand over documents.!!!

  
  

  Instead, it's far easier to retreat into the idea that this is Satan persecuting them, trying to force them to deviate from God's written word, and to treat it as 'war' where they are required to fight against it. In what could be a collaborative process, that stands out. The commission's suggested already that they've noticed 'antipathy' towards secular authorities

  
  
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  21

  Justice in Historic Australian investigation says Jehovah's Witnesses child protection policies WORST

  by Watchtower-Free in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  historic investigation of jws latest videos are on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtxakzq0ity&feature=youtu.be.

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  umbertoecho

  OrphanCrow

  And thank you for bothering to get this.....I completely missed that section as there was a point where I had to actually get some food.........Please thank Sailaway too.

  Any other sites you could recommend dear Orphan?
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  33

  Dr Applewhite and Conti's case

  by Viva la Vida in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  this is from conti's appeal veredict:.

  monica applewhite, a clinical social worker and an expert on child sexual abuse, testified for defendants that watchtowers policy against disclosing private information .

  very closely mirror[ed] the codes of ethics of the national association of social workers and the american counseling association.

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  umbertoecho

  Okay...........very sexist of us...........She's a prick then. How's that for equality?
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  28

  One of the most important questions.

  by Lemonp in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  it is enthralling having everything being dragged kicking and screaming into the light of day.

  however one of the most important things to ask is this:.

  is the rc evidence admissable in other countries and other courts?.

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  umbertoecho

  Australia has close ties with America and Britain. There are extradition treatise between us and I wonder what impact that could have in terms of sharing legal matters. I don't know much about this sort of thing. I do know that WTBTS is desperately moving most of it's records to places like Canada. But why, I don't know. Canada is still closely linked to Britain in so many ways.

  I better stop drinking this brandy coffee I'm so talking crap at the moment.....and the bottle is nearly empty.