144thousand_and_one

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Posts by 144thousand_and_one

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  27

  Do you remember why the "donation" arrangement came about?

  by Jourles in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  over ten years ago when the society changed their format from a contribution basis(pay us for the literature) to a complete donation arrangement, what were you told as to the reason for making this change?

  simplification?

  easier on the brothers to receive literature?

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  144thousand_and_one

  The case that forced the Jehovah's Witness' hand on this issue is Swaggart v. Board of Equalization. The Jehovah's Witnesses filed an amicus brief ("friend of the Court" brief) with the Court on this case. Amicus briefs are filed by individuals and/or entities that are not parties to a given court action but whose interests may be affected by the outcome of the case. Years back, I read the amicus brief filed by the Witnesses in that case and found that they claimed (paraphrased from my memory) that every Jehovah's Witness is a door to door publisher. If my memory serves me correct, there were always several Jehovah's Witnesses who did not engage in "field service." That representation, made to the highest court of our country, seemed dishonest to me. I've raised the issue with several witnesses, and was told there was nothing dishonest about that statement. They said "if you're not going from door to door, you're not a witness." That "new light" continues to flow! Is there a radiation leak?

  What's really hilarious about that brief is that in effect, it was advocating a decision in favor of Jimmy Swaggart. Imagine; Jimmy and the org as a team? The possibilities are scary!!!
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  110

  The Dixie Chicks

  by Stan Conroy in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i don't understand the logic of boycotting the dixie chicks because of the comments the singer made about being ashamed that bush is from texas.

  it doesn't make sense to me.

  keep in mind that i'm just a canadian, so maybe i'm just not tuned in to the american way of thinking.

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  144thousand_and_one

  Yeru:

  You said, "Basic fact for ya, most people do not consider individual radio stations choosing not to carry someone's music as censorship. Most rational people consider censorship something directed from the government. The Radio station has made a choice. You don't like that choice. Boycott that radio station, it's the american way."

  The issue here is not individual radio stations making such a choice; rather, the issue is companies like Clear Channel, which controls a substantial segment of the airwaves (over 1,000 radio stations), imposing their views on the rest of us. Clear Channel is not a governmental entity, yet it exercises significant control over the airwaves, making its control akin to the control exerted by the government in this regard. Their ability to "censor" the airwaves is obvious and it seems stricter governmental regulation of companies like Clear Channel is warranted. Boycotting an individual radio station is easy, it's much harder to boycott 1,000+ radio stations owned by a conglomerate bully with censorship objectives.

  Thank you and all others who serve in our military for fighting to defend America and its interests. Among the American ideals defended by our military is the right for our citizens to dissent. Our country is founded upon dissent and dissent continues to play a very important role in our "system of things." Intolerance of dissent leads to totalitarian regimes like Saddam's and the Watchtower.
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  110

  The Dixie Chicks

  by Stan Conroy in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i don't understand the logic of boycotting the dixie chicks because of the comments the singer made about being ashamed that bush is from texas.

  it doesn't make sense to me.

  keep in mind that i'm just a canadian, so maybe i'm just not tuned in to the american way of thinking.

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  144thousand_and_one

  It's one thing when fans boycott an entertainer, it's entirely different when bloated, powerful media conglomerates use their muscle to snuff out the work of successful artists like the Dixie Chicks, solely for their stated political views. The Dixie Chicks have recently found it very difficult to get airplay, despite overwhelming past success at it. Allowing a few big media conglomerates to censor artists for their political views is unamerican, and we, the consumers, ought to express our indignation with their conduct by boycotting radio stations that don't respect the values this country was founded upon.
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  27

  For Hamas

  by Yerusalyim in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  thought i'd start a new thread for this conversation.. .

  first, you didn't respond to the charter for the organization hamas.

  it is indeed an islamic (radical) group dedicated to erradicating israel.. .

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  144thousand_and_one

  I was beginning to feel sorry for the Palestinians, but when I saw them celebrating after 9/11, my sympathy was replaced by disgust. Regardless of their issues, celebrating the death of the thousands of innocents who died on that day is subhuman at best. These people have been indoctrinated in a culture of violence and seem incapable of existing in peace with others.

  I don't like George Bush and I didn't vote for him. But I won't criticize his handling of these events, including the Iraq war and current occupation. Mr. Bush is privy to information that none of the rest of us in the US know about, and we will have to trust him to do what's right for our security. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense.
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  45

  If you could spend a whole day with anyone .......

  by azaria in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  dead (resurrected ) or alive who would you choose?.

  mood barometer: a little melancholy, but basically .

  every once in a while i think of who i would like to meet.

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  144thousand_and_one

  Dr. Timothy Leary
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  21

  My opinion about everything.

  by notperfectyet in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there has been alot of hurt on this board for a while.

  http://members.tripod.com/lheanna/sociopat.htm.

  mr. moe gets hurt and abrasive and hostile over certain personality types she doesn't want to deal with any more.. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/15/52211/1.ashx.

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  144thousand_and_one

  BTW, I forgot to mention:

  I've thanked Simon and Angharad in the past for the time, effort and resources they put into this board, but I've forgotten to mention the moderators. It's been a while since I've posted here, so I don't recall the entire cast, but I did want to thank E-man for what I think is a fine job of moderation here. All of these folks are performing this service on a volunteer basis, and their service is unquestionably necessary for the continued growth and success of this forum. The moderators are human too; those who gnash their teeth about what they perceive as unfair treatment either overlook this fact or are too caught up in their own self-righteousness to comprehend it. The multitudes of threads on this subject serve only to distract all of us from the real issues discussed here. Let's move on!
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  21

  My opinion about everything.

  by notperfectyet in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there has been alot of hurt on this board for a while.

  http://members.tripod.com/lheanna/sociopat.htm.

  mr. moe gets hurt and abrasive and hostile over certain personality types she doesn't want to deal with any more.. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/15/52211/1.ashx.

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  144thousand_and_one

  The ironic aspect of this forum is that much of the kingdom hall conduct that many ex-JWs complain of is frequently engaged in by some ex-JWs here. Food for thought: You can leave the Watchtower organization, but does it ever really leave you?
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  100

  Kingdom Hall Spankings

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  most meetings i went to, children were brought to the washrooms in the back to be disciplined.

  often i could hear a child yell or cry due to the spanking given by the parent.

  people in the hall would have that look on their face meaning that it was alright to discipline a child by spanking him.

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  144thousand_and_one

  [QUOTE] I still believe that a two-year-old will only understand a stinging bottom. [/QUOTE]

  Fortunately, modern civilized society, excluding Jehovah's Witnesses, is collectively moving to a higher consciousness in this area. Violence begets only more violence. Teaching children that it's ok to use violence to address your problems contributes to the pervasiveness of violence in our world. Using violence to compel robotic behavior (e.g., infants sitting still through two hours or more of age-inappropriate drivel due to threat of beatings) will most likely lead to future regrets, as it did for my parents.
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  12

  Did anyone else think that Sept 11 was Armageddon?

  by Freedomrules in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was in washington at the time (i work for the govt) when the attack occurred.

  i had a massive panic attack at first and then steeled myself and worked through the night as part of our emergency response team.. i was embarassed by my reaction.

  did anyone else have a similar experience?

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  144thousand_and_one

  No, but I did think it was Armageddon when the Lakers were beaten by the Spurs in game 6.
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  69

  Where's Dutchie ???

  by Guest 77 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  whatever became of dutchie?

  guest 77

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  144thousand_and_one

  edited in the interests of peace.