James Thomas Rook Jr.

I would be stunned if the WTB&TS, et al, was successful in their lawsuits, as in the United States the concept of "whistleblowers" is held in very high regard, and the "Fair Use Doctrine" of U.S. copyright law is interpreted very liberally.

There is a lot to be said and considered on this matter, and an excellent source is WIKIPEDIA.

.... want to be smarter and well informed on this specific issue?

Read THIS:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use

I personally think we should be proud of every thing we say and do, and not object if someone else shouts it from the housetops.

If we SHOULD be ashamed of anything we have published, and the "Pillowgate" videos immediately come to mind, it is ONLY by public disclosure that whatever it is, that it will ever change.

Sometime  around the 1960's, at Assemblies, we used to have a Public Relations Department set up, but they changed the name to News Service, because PR was asking for something, and NS was giving away something for free.

Their lawsuit will generate more publicity by a factor of at least X 100, than ever existed before ... and when all is said and done, and if the WTB&TS wins the lawsuits ( improbable at best ..) it will NOT stop Brothers from leaking these videos to others, or them publishing them, actually IN the public interest, to anybody who has a computer and a piece of free software, such as "Freemake Video Downloader:.

That genie left the bottle a long time ago.

In Richmond Virginia, I once knew a Pioneer Brother who "worked" at nights in a funeral home, merely as a someone to be there with the stiffs, as apparently family or someone wanted someone there.  He LITERALLY got paid to sleep.

I thought of several practical jokes to play on him, but they were all too much work.

I don't remember ANYTHING that makes them go outside and mingle, against their will ....

Freedom is ALWAYS less safe ... nothing new there ....

12 hours ago, Anna said:

I don't quite know why, but you remind me of the character Douglas in the movie Bird Box, (played by John Malkowitch). He's an ornery son of a b... thinks he knows it all. In fact he does tell the group who are hiding from the monsters and doubt his rationale that: "I am NEVER wrong".

I looked it up, and it is supposed to be a Science Fiction movie, but it appears to actually be a vulgar, violent, gory horror movie. (.?)

Did Douglas survive the movie? I suspect many did nor, but I do not watch deliberate horror

( I try to be never wrong ... it is EVER so embarrassing ... even if I am the only one that knows. ).

I did watch Stephen King's "Carrie", on TV, with Sissy Spacek, before I knew who Stephen King was, and it was advertised as a horror movie ( which I did not know), but I found t to be a Science Fiction (Telekenisis) movie.

Stephen King's wife actually gave the "woman's viewpoint", that created the character Carrie, in the beginning. She was emptying the trash, and saw his awful, discarded and crumpled up book manuscript, and offered to help.

Interesting essay, but did not answer the question.

Interesting observations, but missed the point entirely.

10 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

I’ll still refer to you from time to time as ‘the brother with the rotten attitude’ because who knows how many brothers you have stumbled in carrying on as you do.

You have no idea whatsoever, TTH. 

None.

Zero.

Zip.

Nada.

You do not know how many, and just HOPE that because I am not a conventional "Brother Watchtower", there just HAS to be some, or many, to explain this to your internal world view.

In this respect you are not a rational man ..... you are a RATIONALIZING man.

My honest and thoughtful estimation, having watched MANY dozens of people leave the Truth over the years, is that they are stumbled by the onerous policies, self aggrandizement, arrogant presumption that never apologizes for anything, ever, of the Governing Body, and the made up out of thin air fake theology ( a lifetime of studying types and anti-types that after a hundred years was finally admitted by Bro. Splane to be absolute drivel, is one classic example ... the never ending condemnation of beards is the other even you have commented on as absurd and onerous), that drowns out the core truth that is so magnificent, that we have.

Further honest and thoughtful evaluation of how many people I personally have contributed to driving away from the Truth, is zero, but I have been friends to some who were looking for an excuse to leave, and did NOT have me to use as an example, as outlined earlier.

According to current thinking, my being thrown out, should have ENCOURAGED them,

People, however, have looked at my attitude, demeanor, and my interests in things about which Jehovah God has given us Freedon and Liberty to do as we see fit, as sons of God, and exclaimed "How do you get away with not being disfellowshipped?"

That ..... breaks my heart, and has for many decades.

It's like having to carry around 80 pounds of concrete ..... always.

Many Brothers and Sisters with less insight and experience than I cannot carry that load, and drop it, because what they see makes no sense.

We have the TRUTH about God,and his Son, and God's plans for this Earth, and all of human kind.

People would naturally want to line up by the hundreds of millions to be a part of that.

We would not have to knock on their doors ... they would be pounding on OURS!

Tell me, TTH ... who is responsible for the 73% of all Jehovah's Witnesses who eventually leave the Truth?

Me?

3 hours ago, JW Insider said:

(Matthew 23:2, 3) . . .“The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the seat of Moses. 3 Therefore, all the things they tell you, do and observe, . .

I am always happy when JWI does the heavy lifting for me ... as a Barbarian the only thing I have going for me is single minded focus, which can be good ... or bad.

From my many comments here one might very reasonably think I  am on a quest to destroy the Governing Body, and that they are my sworn enemy, but that would be a stretch of enormous proportions, basically because that is not the case at all.

I would like to see MANY reforms, so that others are not chased away from the TRUTH, as I could have been, through no want of considerable effort by clueless Elders, and that others do not have to experience the persecution and discouragement I have faced, because of choosing a life of pursuing the things that interested me, about which Jehovah God has not expressed any opinion on whatsoever, in any way, shape or form, but which offends the sensibilities of those not so inclined. ( Classic example: skydiving, having a beard, and imitating at least two of the Apostles, being armed at all times).

Jehovah did not appoint the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day, neither did he appoint the Governing Body.

BOTH took it upon themselves to "seat themselves in the seat of Moses", a job that I appreciate, and I appreciate that for the most part, their motives and motivation are as pure as the wind driven snow .... sometimes not ...but willy-nilly, the largest problem is the talent pool available.

The GB is recruited from humans ... big ugly nasty, frail, error prone, illogical, greedy and seriously flawed bags of water, sloshing around usually doing the best they can, each with individual "thorns in their side", that stab them and throw them off balance.

I understand this, and I understand that currently there is NO WAY TO GET AROUND IT.

So, without any duplicity, or being two faced, I agree with the principle for the Governing Body the same as what Jesus said for the scribes and Pharisees, of his day..

(Matthew 23:2, 3) . . .“The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the seat of Moses. 3 Therefore, all the things they tell you, do and observe, . .

After three years and about six months of being disfellowshipped, about five years ago, I could not compromise about the issue about which I was disfellowshipped, and say "I was sorry", and had three separate reinstatement hearings, the last of which I only promised never to do what got me disfellowshipped again.

By this time, the Elders had gotten to know me better.

They also began to understand the issue better.

At the first hearing, they may have been afraid I might shoot them.(?)

The last hearing only lasted about 4 minutes, less than ten minutes ... and they only asked me three questions.

1.) QUESTION: "What do you think of the Governing Body?"

    ANSWER: " I think I will have to agree with their self assessment in the February 2017 Watchtower, where they stated that they were neither inspired of God, or infallible."

2.) QUESTION: 'What do you not like about "The Truth?""

ANSWER: "Well, I could certainly do without Caleb and Sophia"

3.) QUESTION: "Will you support Jehovah and his Organization?"

ANSWER::" I always have. " ( correctly implying that I always will.)

This was on a Saturday.

They announced my reinstatement the following Tuesday, at a Circuit Overseer's visit.

So, if you who have left "The Truth" are encouraged by my resistance to stupidity, illogic, and injustices found among Jehovah's people, by my "bad example", and my rants and rails against what I have in the past referred to is "the clown car"., you are making the same mistake the Elders made.

The main reason I am so crude, and blunt, and un-diplomatic is that people glaze over with soft words spoken in dulcet tones, and they enjoy being hypnotized.

Also, I never have to remember what I have said .... or to who!!

If you have abandoned "The Truth", you have only shot yourself in the foot, and it takes awhile to bleed out.

Any involvement with any collection of people has the same foibles and weaknesses, and they are legion.

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water ... but it's OK to recognize and rail against bathwater that needs to be thrown out.

.... contrary to mainstream preferences.

For blind pawns, Justice must be tempered with mercy, or real love ceases to exist. (John 9:41)

.... and we are ALL, blind pawns, made from DNA.

Some things are blatantly unfair, but that point may be lost when observed by the inexperienced.

The classic example is the question "Do you STILL beat your wife?"

Life is very complex, with almost if not actual "infinite variety"

For example, there may be twenty or more possible reasons why Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays ... anything from the official reasons given, which I have no problem with but for completely different reasons ( I think it is a good idea to be alienated from MANY social conventions ...).

I have perhaps far too often for good mental health thought that Presidents of the United States should be able to make one completely arbitrary "rule" during their administration. If I was President, I would make one day "Turtle Day", and everybody would have to stay home that day, and think Chelonian thoughts, so as not to run over any turtles crossing the road.

If I have ideas like this, it is not too far a stretch that WTB&TS  President Joseph Rutherford, et al, sitting down reading the Bible, might have the same sort of ideas.

Of course, there are MANY possible explanations, completely eliminating divine guidance, concerning many social customs.

3 hours ago, Matthew9969 said:

Maybe someone smarter than me could put together a power point presentation on how this topic evolved from a discussion about a ludicrus power point presentation on a attempt to disprove God, evolving to a discussion about the insane theory of the overlapping generations, to the validity of the governing bodies words, value and worth..

I could do it, but it might take several months ... at $175.00 an hour.

When the check clears the bank, I will start.

In God I trust.

...all others pay cash.

... and here I was wondering if it was socially acceptable to have a freezer full of Santa's Reindeer ....

I missed the part Arauna referred to that in Jerusalem the people murdered their children .... somehow I had the idea that they were killed when boulders were catapulted over the city walls, or they died by enemy action. Later I will go back and re-read that account.

My ham sandwich example was intended just to be something to think about ... a rough analogy ... not a molecular dissertation.

Of course, clam chowder is made from little animals that have no arms or legs, or even eyes.

...in such a case, easier to be a victim of circumstance .....

12 hours ago, Arauna said:

Once a week we did a blood test on one small pig.  I boiled the syringe before every use and drew blood.  By the next Friday the mark where the needle entered was still there.  Pigs get infections very quickly  - their flesh is the closest to humans.

I came inside the house to get my van keys to get my tools and work on the fence, but I feel like having an asperger's syndrome attack, as the keys were next to my laptop keyboard, open to the Archive.

I will know more when I finish.

About your post in general, that's why when I get a wound, I do not disinfect or bandage it unless it's important not to offend anyone while bleeding. My theory is that the bleeding will mechanically wash out the majority of harmful bacteria and dirt, rust, or whatever, and whatever bacteria is left over will act as an impromptu vaccination.. If the wound gets red and inflamed, that is a good sign that forces are being marshaled to the area. If it spreads, I will use alcohol, or gasoline.

I once had a chain saw jump back on me and cut my left index finger tip, just above the first joint, almost completely off. ( My stupidity, for trying to cut a hole with the "point" of the chain saw, which I knew better, but like most men, have delusions of immortality ...)

I put the fingertip back on, getting blood all over me, the ground, my clothes, and the chain saw, and held it in place for awhile,  Then I duct-taped it in place and went on with my work. Meanwhile my eldest son came home, and seeing the bloody mess, exclaimed "what happened!". I explained that Dad was being stupid, and don't be stupid like me, and showed him my duct taped finger.

It healed back perfectly, except at a slight 15 degree or so angle, and I still have full feeling in the fingertip, which took about three years to fully return.

The point of this shaggy-dog story is that I agree with our assessment, based on hard evidence.

I also have a blind dog that also has diabetes, and we giver her two insulin shots a day, from the same needle, 12 hours apart, and she has never gotten an infection, even though we do not "prep" the injection site, injecting right through her fur.

As far as pig flesh being closest to humans, an older Brother I knew from many years ago, had a pig replacement heart valve, and it is my understanding that among those who have eaten human flesh, they write that it tastes so much like ham, that it is commonly referred to as "Long Pig". 

I suppose that those in Jerusalem who ate humans when the city was under siege, and they were starving (presumably war dead who bled out (?)) had a lot of experience with such things before it was over.

According to Jehovah's stated comments and directives on the matter, although he lamented the desperation of those starving who to preserve their own lives ate those that died, he never prohibited it in any way, shape, or form.  To the best of what is actually written about the subject, Jehovah has no objection to us eating human flesh ... but recognizes the general taboo cultural abhorrence of the practice.

Of course, his prohibition on blood is crystal clear, by directive, and in many related examples of his jealous ownership of all hemoglobin based blood from atmospheric air breathers ( not fish, as an example... which were never "bled", before eating.) as his exclusive personal property.

It is interesting how the general population, adhering to their cultural acclimation ... thinks exactly the opposite.of what Jehovah actually had written.

But then again ... never in the history of civilization has the majority in any group of people EVER been right.

A good example is the six trillion dollar fantasy that is the coronavirus epidemic.

So far .... 55,000 deaths have been attributed to this ... but to keep the free money flowing, they even count traffic accidents if the deaths test positive for coronavirus.

I am supposed to be outside repairing fence ...

How does a bug react when it hits the windshield?

31 minutes ago, Kosonen said:

No, I am dead serious.

I think you phrased that perfectly.

Merely a guess.

I am usually very good with such things.

.... on occasion .... not.

On 4/25/2020 at 3:13 PM, admin said:

What do you think some of the post coronavirus changes will be?

All civilizations eventually collapse from internal fiscal abuse, often due to Mass Hysteria, or simply the stupid becoming the majority and able to vote themselves "bread and circuses".

When already 22 trillion dollars in debt, sustaining a six trillion dollar fantasy is roughly analogous to getting your nations' throat cut.

The American Civil War killed more Americans than any other war, and both Southern Democrats, and Northern Republicans were willing to sacrifice their lives on the battlefields to try and preserve their specific cultures, and way of life.... and ECONOMY . which allows life to exist and prosper.

Today, cowards on both sides are willing to decapitate the best economy in the history of the World, to "save lives", when in fact it is done to advance their own political aspirations, which are many, and very complex.

It appears they have been successful.

In a time of global pandemic, which has the potential to becoming global anarchy, I seriously doubt that an intangible such as a cryptocurrency will have any value when the global Internet collapses for most users. Gold will not have any value, either, because you cannot eat gold.

If I had the kind of money people invest in cryptocurrencies, and gold, etc. I would invest in small useful things that will ALWAYS have value, no matter how bad things get.

That is why I recommend investing in cans of tuna fish .... and 12 gauge shotgun shells.

...or at least until the end of June, 2020.

Of course it is! ... you can taste the difference!

2 hours ago, Anna said:

I don't know, I haven't researched it. What actually makes ham, ham?

Ham is made from things that used to go "oink."

How many people have passports and appropriate visas? ... or the money to fly?

From Charlotte, NC to Mosjoen, Norway cost my company $9,475.

.... MUCH simpler just to step out in front of a speeding concrete truck.

... much less painful.

um .... after that first second.

...travel like Hillary Clinton does ... on a broom.

14 minutes ago, 4Jah2me said:

Do the GB really allow 13 different fractions or is that just a guess ? 

It's hard to tell ... depends on how fractions are counted, but in principle, yes ( see chart) ... unless something was recently changed.

They had it right the FIRST TIME ... then screwed it up.

...to try and stop lawsuits, and losing MONEY.

Just be glad we are not under the old Jewish Law Covenant concerning pork !

... sorta like my comment on a forum limited in size and scope, which would understand the reference?

...and I guarantee you this ... those videos were MORE than cringe worthy .... for EVERYBODY.  The speakers looked like it was severe punishment to be assigned that job.

I don't know about you, but I am NOT getting on aircraft without pilots.