Was 'Servant' in old (pre 1972) arrangement and elder for over 30 years before getting out
Posts by core
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67FOR LURKING JW ELDERS- REVISED LIST
by jst2laws insorry to have to repost this but i screwed up the original thread so bad i can't even get in to 'edit'.
here is the current list of former (some present) elders.
for over a year i lurked as an elder on h2o and this board.
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Do you have "Will" leaving your estate to the WTB&TS
by Nadsam in.
do you have will ?...do you really intend to leave it to some swine pedophile loving cult.. .
nadsam...your friendly neighborhood apostate.
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core
ANy who have left anything or everything in their will to the WT should have it immediately rewritten, as leaving, being DFd or DAd will not change your will provisions - a new will automatically voids any former wills or codicils so check it out and get a new will written - consider if family are in the "truth" the wisdom of setting a covenant on any bequest you make to them so that they cannot hand it on to the WT - for example providing a bequest of cash for specific putrposes - or find a real charity and leave it to them - in the UK gifts to charity in a will are excluded from the amount calculated for Inheritance Tax (£265k) so if your estate is larger than that (with property prices rising as they do you will be surprised) check out how to use your funds rather than giving them the Gordon Brown (or the WT)
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To the people of Spain
by Amazing1914 in.
this terrible event in your land saddens us all ... i am sorry that those responsible are likely doing this to get revenge upon your nation for its support of the united kingdom, the usa and other coalition of nations devoted to the war on terror ... you and your loved ones killed so tragically are in our thoughts and prayers ... your natioin is honored among us all ... and may you heal from this as quickly as possible.
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core
Further info to indicate general responsibility of AL fo the arms in Afghanistan - highlighting of text mine:
The end of the conflict between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union left Afghanistan with a glut of weapons and a highly militarized population with few employment opportunities. The war had also set a precedent for the violent defence of the Islamic religion. With the Soviet withdrawal, the newly mobilized and professionally trained mujahideen became available as warriors for other conflicts seen as Islamic holy wars. (2) In 1994, for example, the Yemeni president recruited Afghan veterans to participate in another jihad against socialists based in the South of Yemen. (4) Afghanistan has also supported the Chechen separatists, offering its services both as arms supplier and as a training ground for the rebels. (16)
Finally, after more than two decades of ongoing hostilities, Afghanistan is covered in over ten million landmines and other unexploded shells. The country has the highest proportion of disabled people in the world. (8)
TYPES/SOURCES OF FIREARMS WHICH ARE MISUSED
Afghanistan is saturated with weapons left over from the war it fought with the Soviet Union; the country has been described as ?a warren of arsenals?. (4) After the USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the United States began supplying large amounts of weapons to various pro-Islamic, anti-Soviet factions. When this practice ended in 1991, the US had sent Afghanistan an estimated 400,000 assault rifles, an undisclosed number of US ?Stinger? and British ?Blowpipe? portable anti-aircraft missiles and launchers, enormous quantities of Italian-made anti-personnel mines, and millions of rounds of ammunition. (5) The arms supplied by the US came to Afghanistan via Pakistan. At the peak of these transfers, 50 to 60 trucks were crossing the Pakistan-Afghanistan border each day. (3) Vast quantities of Soviet weapons remain in Afghanistan as well. Between 1956 and 1978, the USSR gave Afghanistan $1.25 billion (US) in military aid. During this time, the US, Pakistan, India and Egypt all contributed weaponry and military training to various factions within Afghanistan. Quantities of arms flowing into the country increased rapidly after the outbreak of active combat in 1979. (2)
These weapons, along with those left over from the conflict in Cambodia, are the principal source for insurgent groups and crime rings in South Asia. Many of the weapons have ended up in Pakistan and India. Pakistan took advantage of its status as a transshipment point to divert up to 70% of the weapons sent by the US to arm the mujahideen. (2) (3)
Arms have continued to flow into this war-torn region. The Russian Defence Minister admitted that his country had been ?rendering assistance continuously to the Northern Alliance since 1996?, in violation of the Tashkent Declaration. Russia had signed this Declaration in 1999 along with several of Afghanistan?s neighbours and the US. The agreement was intended to stem the flow of small arms into Afghanistan. (21)
The recent US-led war in Afghanistan has continued to add to both the supply of and demand for small arms in the region. (3) (21) While the US and Japan pledged $95 million (US) to disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration initiatives, the Coalition practice of providing guns to their local allies has meant further increases in small arms proliferation. (20) The European Union also supplied arms to the Northern Alliance, reinterpreting its own 1996 arms embargo on Afghanistan to apply only to Taliban-controlled regions. (21)
In addition to arms left over from wars, large quantities of illegal arms flow into Afghanistan from Pakistan. The illegal ?father-and-son? weapons manufacturing operations in Pakistan produce approximately 20,000 units each year. Many of these workshops are located along the border, and many arms flow into Afghanistan. (4)
There is also some evidence that arms manufactured in China are moving through Pakistan and into Afghanistan, with the complicity of the Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. These transfers allegedly include hundreds of short-range rockets, mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-personnel mines, and heavy machine gun ammunition. (4) During the Taliban?s rule, Tajikistan was alleged to be smuggling arms to opposition forces in Northern Afghanistan in exchange for narcotics. (10) Tajiks are the second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan; the Pashtuns are the largest, making up approximately 40% of the population. The Taliban was composed primarily of Pashtuns. (11)
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To the people of Spain
by Amazing1914 in.
this terrible event in your land saddens us all ... i am sorry that those responsible are likely doing this to get revenge upon your nation for its support of the united kingdom, the usa and other coalition of nations devoted to the war on terror ... you and your loved ones killed so tragically are in our thoughts and prayers ... your natioin is honored among us all ... and may you heal from this as quickly as possible.
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core
pork chop following from the UN site shows that no nations hands are clean from this dreadful trade (in weapons):
Conventional Terrorist Weapons
Terrorists are, on the whole, conventional in their use of weapons; bombs and guns are their favourites. Among the former, car- and truck-bombs have become very powerful weapons, especially in suicide attacks. Terrorists use both explosive bombings and incendiary bombings (e.g. Molotov cocktails). They also make use of letter and parcel bombs. Terrorists use guns, pistols, revolvers, rifles and (semi-) automatic weapons in assassinations, sniping, armed attacks and massacres. Grenades - from hand grenades to rocket-propelled - are also part of the terrorist arsenal. The use of missiles is rare but a few groups are known to be in possession of surface-to-air shoulder-fired missiles that can bring down helicopters, fighter aircrafts and civilian airliners.
Guns and Other Firearms
General
Terrorists use both manufactured and improvised firearms. The term manufactured designates those arms made professionally by arms factories, while improvised describes those manufactured by non-professional arms manufacturers, or by illicit workshops. Firearms are sometimes referred to as "bored weapons", indicating the barrel from which the bullet or projectile is fired, or the tube from which the projectile is launched.
Manufactured Firearms
These are divided into sub-categories:
Small Arms: most firearms under the level of medium machine guns, or as a loose rule, belt-fed machine guns. They include pistols (which are now all semi-automatic or self re-loading), revolvers, rifles, submachine guns and light machine guns. Small arms also include so-called assault rifles, which are in fact either submachine gun mechanisms or mechanisms providing the same firing facilities in the body, stock or woodwork of a short rifle or carbine. The hand-guns (pistols and revolvers) are sometimes known as sidearms.
Medium-size Infantry Weapons: medium-sized machine guns (many of which are belt-fed), smaller sized mortars, rocket- propelled grenades and smaller calibre wire-guided missiles.
Heavy Infantry Weapons: heavy calibre machine guns, heavy calibre mortars, larger calibre wire-guided missiles, shoulder-held anti-tank missile launchers and some rockets below the category of artillery.
Improvised Firearms
These weapons include any of the above which are made outside professional and legal arms factories. Not all types of the above weapons have been privately manufactured or improvised, but weapons such as the AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle or the M-60 heavy machine gun are within the manufacturing capabilities of local arms artificers on the north-west frontier of the Indian subcontinent. Primitive mortars and rocket launchers are also sometimes manufactured by different entities.Weapons Manufacturers and Weapon Names
Small Arms
Most small arms are designed for military use, but hunting weapons and occasionally full-bore target-shooting weapons are also utilized.
Common calibres (reflecting procurement and re-supply trends).
5.56 mm
7.65 mm
7.62mm
9 mmManufacturers / Weapons
Considerable quantities of commercial shotguns are diverted into illicit black markets due to the large number of commercial manufacturers. The most common weapon manufacturers are:
Berretta.
FN (Fabrique Nationale).
Walther.
Browning.
Colt.
Glock.
Carl Gustav.
Uzi.
Webley.
Webley & Scott.
Enfield.
Lee-Enfield.
Sterling.
Sterling-Enfield (Sten).
Bryno-Enfield (Bren).
Ruger.
Mauser.
A. Kalashnikov (AK).
Thompson.
Smith & Wesson.
Bryno.
Johnson.
Springfield.
Arusaka.
Lebel.
Garand.
Vickers
Tokarev.
Armalite.
British Small Arms Co.
SIG.
PPSH.
Luger.
Hawkins.
Riegel.
Bofors.
Parker-Hale.Examples:
1) AK-47 (Soviet rifle)
The AK-47 was accepted as the standard rifle for the Soviet Army in 1949 and retained that status until it was succeeded by the AKM. During the Cold War, the USSR supplied arms to anti-Western insurgent terrorists. The AK-47 became a symbol of left-wing revolution; between 30-50 million copies and variations of the AK-47 have been produced globally, making it the most widely used rifle in the world.
2) RPG-7 (Rocket Propelled Grenade)
The RPG-7 was issued by forces of the former USSR, the Chinese military and North Korea, and was used in many countries receiving weapons and training from the Warsaw Pact members. The RPG-7 proved to be a very simple and functional weapon, effective against fixed emplacements and playing an anti-vehicle/anti-armour role. Its effective range is thought to be approximately 500 metres when used against a fixed target, and about 300 metres when fired at a moving target. The RPG-7 is being used extensively by terrorist organizations in the Middle East and Latin America and is thought to be in the inventory of many insurgent groups. The RPG-7 is available in illegal international arms markets, particularly in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
3) Stinger (FIM92A)
The US-made Stinger is a man-portable infrared guided shoulder-launched Surface-To-Air Missile (SAM). It proved to be highly effective in the hands of Afghan Mujahedeen guerrillas during their insurgency against the Soviet intervention. Its maximum effective range is approximately 5,500 metres. Its maximum effective altitude is approximately 5250metres. It has been used to target high-speed jets, helicopters and commercial airliners.
4) SA-7 ("Grail")
Sold by the thousands after the demise of the former Soviet Union, the SA-7 "Grail" uses an optical sight and tracking device with an infrared seeking mechanism to strike flying targets with great force. Its maximum effective range is approximately 6,125 metres and maximum effective altitude is approximately 4300 metres. It is known to be in the stockpiles of several terrorist and guerrilla groups.
Bombs and Other Explosives
General
Few military bombs (other than those dropped by aircraft) are currently manufactured on the scale and with the diversity encountered in the Second World War. The exception to this generalization is the mine - both the anti-personnel and anti-tank mine. Mines can be adapted without too much difficulty with average combat-engineer experience. Some 300 different types of mines are buried under the soil, killing tens of thousands every year.
Most bombs assembled by terrorists are improvised. The raw material required for explosives is stolen or misappropriated from military or commercial blasting supplies, or made from fertilizer and other readily available household ingredients. Such assembled bombs are known as Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
Components
IEDs have a main charge, which is attached to a fuse. The fuse is attached to a trigger. In some types of IEDs, these three components are almost integrated into a single whole. The trigger is the part which activates the fuse. The fuse ignites the charge, causing the explosion. The explosion consists of a violent pulse of blast and shock waves. The effects of the IED are sometimes worsened by the addition of material, such as scrap iron or ball-bearings. Sometimes the trigger is not the only component that activates the fuse; there is also an anti-handling device that triggers the fuse when the IED is handled or moved. The purpose of most IEDs is to kill or maim. Some IEDs, known as incendiaries, are intended to cause damage or destruction by fire. The format of the charge in some IEDs (some of which have no casing to contain the components of the IED) can be shaped or directional, rendering a measure of control over the explosion. Anti-personnel mines and other types of mines have been adapted by terrorists to suit their purposes.
Favoured Explosive Charges
- Semtex.
- RDX (Cyclonite or Hexogen, depending on form).
- PETN (Raw form of RDX).
- C4 (Plastic Explosive).
- TNT (Tri Nitro Toluene)
- Common Fertilizer, used as a base.
- Dynamite.
Methods / Triggers used to detonate an IED
- Pressure activated (physical).
- Pressure activated (water or atmospheric).
- Electronic Signal (Remote Control).
- Electronic Signal (Radio Frequency).
- Electronic Pulse (Detonator box)
- Photo Electric Cell ("when dawn breaks").
- Motion Detector.
- Heat Detector.
- Radiation Trigger.
- Circuit Connection (Anti-handling Device).
- Time Switch (Electronic).
- Time Switch (Acid activated).
- Fuse Wire.
Examples of IEDs
Pipe Bomb
This is the most common type of terrorist bomb and usually consists of low-velocity explosives inside a tightly capped piece of pipe. Pipe bombs are very easily made using gunpowder, iron, steel, aluminium or copper pipes. They are sometimes wrapped with nails to cause even more harm.Molotov Cocktail
This improvised weapon - first used by the Russian resistance against German tanks in the Second World War - is used by terrorists world-wide. Molotov cocktails are extremely simple to make and can cause considerable damage. They are usually made from materials like gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, ethyl or methyl alcohol, lighter fluid and turpentine, all of which are easily obtained. The explosive material is placed in a glass bottle, which breaks upon impact. A piece of cotton serves as a fuse, which is ignited before the bottle is thrown at the target.Fertilizer Truck Bomb
Fertilizer truck bombs consist of ammonium nitrate. Hundreds of kilograms may be required to cause major damage. The Irish Republican Army, Tamil Tigers and some Middle Eastern groups use the ammonium nitrate bomb.Barometric Bomb
One of the more advanced weapons in the terrorist's arsenal. The detonator of the bomb is linked to an altitude meter, causing the explosion to occur in mid-air.
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To the people of Spain
by Amazing1914 in.
this terrible event in your land saddens us all ... i am sorry that those responsible are likely doing this to get revenge upon your nation for its support of the united kingdom, the usa and other coalition of nations devoted to the war on terror ... you and your loved ones killed so tragically are in our thoughts and prayers ... your natioin is honored among us all ... and may you heal from this as quickly as possible.
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core
""Simon, I hope the UK never experiences anything along the lines of 9/11 or 3/11. Unfortunately, appeasers only make it more likely that these scumbag criminals will use their methods more and more often.""
Good point!
Hitler was a good example of why appeasement won?t work.
Only just read this - UK has had sad experience of terror for 0ver 30 years - UK suffered destruction of major cities in WW2 in living memory - we need no lessons from the US about our duties - appeasement ? People in Spain went into a polling station and put a X against a different party - is that appeasement - they never supported the war in Iraq - which does not seem to have reduced any way the level of terrorism
I was in Manchester the day the IRA ripped the heart out of the commercial centre of the City - I can tell you how it feels to search for family (we were shopping and had split up) in the confusion of the aftermath of a major bombing
Terrorism (from the IRA against the UK) was never a big issue for the Americans - why have things changed ?
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To the people of Spain
by Amazing1914 in.
this terrible event in your land saddens us all ... i am sorry that those responsible are likely doing this to get revenge upon your nation for its support of the united kingdom, the usa and other coalition of nations devoted to the war on terror ... you and your loved ones killed so tragically are in our thoughts and prayers ... your natioin is honored among us all ... and may you heal from this as quickly as possible.
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core
Terrorism is not an entity which can be bombed out of existence - it is blind hate in the hearts of some - who then pass this on - in many ways the WT are terrorists with a perfect training regime.
Sadly history shows that todays "freedom fighter" is tomorrows government minister.
From posts here it seems to me that the (some esp the columnists quoted) cannot accept the concept that people do not like the US therefore are enemies and insult Americas war dead - it is perfectly possible to not like America and be a democrat (in the wider sense of the word) Not liking the US is not itself right, it can be a throwback to inferiority complexes of empire builders or whatever - but we are free to feel that way - who is the biggest national threat to world peace & security - answers on a post(card) please
A point which seems important to me is "who arms these terrorists" it is difficult to image a functioning weapon factory in Afghanistan - no the West sold the weapons/explosives to somebody and somehow it passed on to the terrorists - if the arms trade was properly regulated weapons could not pass on - similarly with money - terrorists are apparently not short and many have made the link between the drug trade & terrorism - feeble and weak attempts to control that (Opium trade again flourishes from Afghanistan - why?) are pathetic - real resolve could tackle the proble
Spanish people have not voted to support terror - they voted out a government they had not fully backed anyway and took the opportunity to have a change - their right and freedom as a democratic state
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To the people of Spain
by Amazing1914 in.
this terrible event in your land saddens us all ... i am sorry that those responsible are likely doing this to get revenge upon your nation for its support of the united kingdom, the usa and other coalition of nations devoted to the war on terror ... you and your loved ones killed so tragically are in our thoughts and prayers ... your natioin is honored among us all ... and may you heal from this as quickly as possible.
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core
Peace & Security - well I for one feel as much threatened by George Bush as I ever was by Saddam Hussain - Al Qaeda had no part in Iraq - just reading about the carve up of territory after WW1 (Treaty of Versaile) and we are reaping the price of that interference by Imperial powers (especially American)
Spanish People deserve sympathy for the atrocity of recent days - they have done nothing to deserve this (who has?) By voting to elect a Government that does not grovel at the feet of the USA they are accused of appeasement ? Can they only vote one way? If the British vote Conservative (against Blair) are we also appeasers? America should look to itself and sort out a democratic government in its elections and not interfere in every other states affairs.
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Would You Return To The Organization If You Were Given Total Amnesty?
by minimus inif you knew that the policy was that there would be no more witchhunts, no more disfellowshippings or shunning of any kind, would you be tempted to go back?
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I dont need an amnesty - they do - they are guilty not me
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Take a look! Please give your opinion.
by Doubtfully Yours incheck this out!.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/tech/science/03/18/wildlife.gone.ap/index.html.
dy
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core
Interesting to see a survey of JWs to see how they are coping as a specie - are they facing extinction
Re survey simply sad - it is evident all around us from the lack of birds etc compared to my youth (years ago)
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Bush/Kerry Poll
by Greenpalmtreestillmine inu.s citizens: if you intend to vote in november will you vote for bush or kerry or are you undecided?
please with just one word give your vote for this very small poll: bush, kerry or undecided .
those outside of the u.s.: who are you hoping will become the next u.s. president?
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core
Kerry
These weapons include any of the above which are made outside professional and legal arms factories. Not all types of the above weapons have been privately manufactured or improvised, but weapons such as the AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle or the M-60 heavy machine gun are within the manufacturing capabilities of local arms artificers on the north-west frontier of the Indian subcontinent. Primitive mortars and rocket launchers are also sometimes manufactured by different entities.