James Thomas Rook Jr.

One man's fantasy and belly laugh is another man's cause for fear,  grief and tears.

The Internet is like any other tool ... if you are good with it .... a lot of productive and wholesome things can happen, and be made.
If you are bad at it .... you can seriously injure yourself.
My left index finger is crooked because I almost cut it off with a chain saw. I put it back on and duct taped it together and eventually the bleeding stopped, and "more eventually" it healed up, but with a slight angle where I did not set the bone exactly right.
The lesson I learned is that chain saws are dangerous, and if I want to keep my fingers, I need to learn more about applied physics, chain saw operation, and FOCUS on what I am doing with a live chain saw, to the exclusion of all other things while the engine is running and the chain is spinning.
I did NOT stop using a chain saw ... or stop cutting up trees.
If you accomplish ANYTHING of real value  ... it's going to be DANGEROUS. 
That is the whole history of aviation, and hundreds of other things.
That is also the whole history of theological investigation.
But it is a job that must be done.
 

I am 71 years old.  To put that in perspective .... I remember when SNL was FUNNY!

Jay .... you just made "The List".

I just looked at the YouTube video of this and it just SCREAMS being "clickbait". The man has a six day stubble goatee, and is wearing a backpack, and is not carrying anything in his hands .... I have in over 50 years never seen any JW go from door-to-door without at least  a Bible in their hands, at the door, or nowadays  some electronic tablet.  The vocabulary and syntax and sentence structure is all wrong, and NOBODY is being identified.  With evidence like this there is NO fear of being sued  for truth, in a private home with the owner or renter's permission, so there is no reason NOT to identify the people.  It may be in fact real, but that is not the way I would bet, for the reasons stated.
Many people produce "clickbait" for money ( they may get 1/2 cent per "click" , but with 50.000 clicks that adds up . In this theoretical example ....  TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS.   During the  2016 US Presidential Election Campaign  folks in the Ukraine were  producing a constant stream of absurd, outrageous political clickbait, and were getting 5 to 10 THOUSAND dollars a WEEK on 1/2 cent clicks from media advertisers, whose ads showed before the video started playing.
Clickbait is a pejorative term for web content whose main goal is to get users to click on a link to go to a certain webpage. Clickbait headlines typically aim to exploit the "curiosity gap", providing just enough information to make readers curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content.[1][2][3]
From a historical perspective, the techniques employed by clickbait authors can be considered derivative of yellow journalism, which presented little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead used eye-catching headlines that included exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.[4][5] For sites that thrive on thousands of click-throughs to content, many authors see the use of clickbait as a means to tap into human psyche by crafting these eye-catching headlines.[6]
Clickbait is a pejorative term for web content whose main goal is to get users to click on a link to go to a certain webpage. Clickbait headlines typically aim to exploit the "curiosity gap", providing just enough information to make readers curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content.[1][2][3]
From a historical perspective, the techniques employed by clickbait authors can be considered derivative of yellow journalism, which presented little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead used eye-catching headlines that included exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.[4][5] For sites that thrive on thousands of click-throughs to content, many authors see the use of clickbait as a means to tap into human psyche by crafting these eye-catching headlines.[6] -  -  from Wikipedia
 
 

August Dickmann was a  true "war hero" ... just as important to Civilization as Sgt. York in WWI, and Audie Murphy in WWII ... and infinitely more important to God.
“A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once." - William Shakespeare in Julius Caesar.

I just looked at the YouTube video of this and it just SCREAMS being "clickbait". The man has a six day stubble goatee, and is wearing a backpack, and is not carrying anything in his hands .... I have in over 50 years never seen any JW go from door-to-door without at least  a Bible in their hands, at the door, or nowadays  some electronic tablet.  The vocabulary and syntax and sentence structure is all wrong, and NOBODY is being identified.  With evidence like this there is NO fear of being sued  for truth, in a private home with the owner or renter's permission, so there is no reason NOT to identify the people.  It may be in fact real, but that is not the way I would bet, for the reasons stated.
Many people produce "clickbait" for money ( they may get 1/2 cent per "click" , but with 50.000 clicks that adds up . In this theoretical example ....  TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS.   During the  2016 US Presidential Election Campaign  folks in the Ukraine were  producing a constant stream of absurd, outrageous political clickbait, and were getting 5 to 10 THOUSAND dollars a WEEK on 1/2 cent clicks from media advertisers, whose ads showed before the video started playing.
Clickbait is a pejorative term for web content whose main goal is to get users to click on a link to go to a certain webpage. Clickbait headlines typically aim to exploit the "curiosity gap", providing just enough information to make readers curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content.[1][2][3]
From a historical perspective, the techniques employed by clickbait authors can be considered derivative of yellow journalism, which presented little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead used eye-catching headlines that included exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.[4][5] For sites that thrive on thousands of click-throughs to content, many authors see the use of clickbait as a means to tap into human psyche by crafting these eye-catching headlines.[6]
Clickbait is a pejorative term for web content whose main goal is to get users to click on a link to go to a certain webpage. Clickbait headlines typically aim to exploit the "curiosity gap", providing just enough information to make readers curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content.[1][2][3]
From a historical perspective, the techniques employed by clickbait authors can be considered derivative of yellow journalism, which presented little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead used eye-catching headlines that included exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.[4][5] For sites that thrive on thousands of click-throughs to content, many authors see the use of clickbait as a means to tap into human psyche by crafting these eye-catching headlines.[6] -  -  from Wikipedia
 
 

It is a well known fact that religious people are all mentally ill and professional apostates at the church down the street from YOUR church.

I just looked at the YouTube video of this and it just SCREAMS being "clickbait". The man has a six day stubble goatee, and is wearing a backpack, and is not carrying anything in his hands .... I have in over 50 years never seen any JW go from door-to-door without at least  a Bible in their hands, at the door, or nowadays  some electronic tablet.  The vocabulary and syntax and sentence structure is all wrong, and NOBODY is being identified.  With evidence like this there is NO fear of being sued  for truth, in a private home with the owner or renter's permission, so there is no reason NOT to identify the people.  It may be in fact real, but that is not the way I would bet, for the reasons stated.
Many people produce "clickbait" for money ( they may get 1/2 cent per "click" , but with 50.000 clicks that adds up . In this theoretical example ....  TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS.   During the  2016 US Presidential Election Campaign  folks in the Ukraine were  producing a constant stream of absurd, outrageous political clickbait, and were getting 5 to 10 THOUSAND dollars a WEEK on 1/2 cent clicks from media advertisers, whose ads showed before the video started playing.
Clickbait is a pejorative term for web content whose main goal is to get users to click on a link to go to a certain webpage. Clickbait headlines typically aim to exploit the "curiosity gap", providing just enough information to make readers curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content.[1][2][3]
From a historical perspective, the techniques employed by clickbait authors can be considered derivative of yellow journalism, which presented little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead used eye-catching headlines that included exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.[4][5] For sites that thrive on thousands of click-throughs to content, many authors see the use of clickbait as a means to tap into human psyche by crafting these eye-catching headlines.[6]
Clickbait is a pejorative term for web content whose main goal is to get users to click on a link to go to a certain webpage. Clickbait headlines typically aim to exploit the "curiosity gap", providing just enough information to make readers curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content.[1][2][3]
From a historical perspective, the techniques employed by clickbait authors can be considered derivative of yellow journalism, which presented little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead used eye-catching headlines that included exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.[4][5] For sites that thrive on thousands of click-throughs to content, many authors see the use of clickbait as a means to tap into human psyche by crafting these eye-catching headlines.[6] -  -  from Wikipedia
 
 

Jay .... you just made "The List".

Jay .... you just made "The List".

I just looked at the YouTube video of this and it just SCREAMS being "clickbait". The man has a six day stubble goatee, and is wearing a backpack, and is not carrying anything in his hands .... I have in over 50 years never seen any JW go from door-to-door without at least  a Bible in their hands, at the door, or nowadays  some electronic tablet.  The vocabulary and syntax and sentence structure is all wrong, and NOBODY is being identified.  With evidence like this there is NO fear of being sued  for truth, in a private home with the owner or renter's permission, so there is no reason NOT to identify the people.  It may be in fact real, but that is not the way I would bet, for the reasons stated.
Many people produce "clickbait" for money ( they may get 1/2 cent per "click" , but with 50.000 clicks that adds up . In this theoretical example ....  TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS.   During the  2016 US Presidential Election Campaign  folks in the Ukraine were  producing a constant stream of absurd, outrageous political clickbait, and were getting 5 to 10 THOUSAND dollars a WEEK on 1/2 cent clicks from media advertisers, whose ads showed before the video started playing.
Clickbait is a pejorative term for web content whose main goal is to get users to click on a link to go to a certain webpage. Clickbait headlines typically aim to exploit the "curiosity gap", providing just enough information to make readers curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content.[1][2][3]
From a historical perspective, the techniques employed by clickbait authors can be considered derivative of yellow journalism, which presented little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead used eye-catching headlines that included exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.[4][5] For sites that thrive on thousands of click-throughs to content, many authors see the use of clickbait as a means to tap into human psyche by crafting these eye-catching headlines.[6]
Clickbait is a pejorative term for web content whose main goal is to get users to click on a link to go to a certain webpage. Clickbait headlines typically aim to exploit the "curiosity gap", providing just enough information to make readers curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content.[1][2][3]
From a historical perspective, the techniques employed by clickbait authors can be considered derivative of yellow journalism, which presented little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead used eye-catching headlines that included exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.[4][5] For sites that thrive on thousands of click-throughs to content, many authors see the use of clickbait as a means to tap into human psyche by crafting these eye-catching headlines.[6] -  -  from Wikipedia
 
 

One thing that I stress for people that want to be happy ... is do not feel guilt or shame for what OTHER people feel that YOU should feel.
If you let them ... they will load heavy bags of psychological  sand on YOUR  backs because if they can make YOU feel guilty about something that bothers them, they are empowered.
Misery LOVES company!
We should feel guilt, responsibility and shame for what WE PERSONALLY do that is inappropriate, wrong, or evil ... not what society at large does, or our particular racial, ethnic or religious group does.
Of course, some people like to play with their dandruff, and do not cure it, because they are bored, and like to fiddle with it.
 

Hmmmm....  does anybody know how this SHOULD read ... I mean ... assuming its is in fact a typo?
In the face of overwhelming catastrophic events ........ grazing, and killing the sufferers is a hard but workable solution to the suffering and hardship.
I have seen my dogs eat grass, and had to have many of them over the years "put down" ( That means executed by a veterinarian, for those in Rio Linda ....), because of not being able to afford to fix their health problems.
And what language was it translated FROM?   Who issued this notice, and on what date?
Hmmmm....  does anybody know how this SHOULD read ... I mean ... what if it's NOT a "typo", or mistranslation.
This is a KEY POINT.
Without knowing what the original ACTUALLY, REALLY stated ... WE DON'T KNOW if it's a typo, or an insert, or a plan.
The predominant language in North America is English. This "letter" is in English.
Why the translation?
Was it translated from Pubspeak to Realspeak?  Spanish to English?
WHAT!?
.
 
.
 

what?
wHAT?
what!?
WHAT!?
Sounds like the time in Texas I found that Mexican Family who had just come over the border, eating grass on the side of the road, and I took them all to my home to my 3 acre lawn.
 

What is a Christian Man's MORAL responsibility to protect his own life, or that of his immediate or spiritual family?

J.R. Ewing:
Your absurd extrapolations are sad to behold.
Normally, all prostitutes wear shoes ... but not all those that wear shoes are prostitutes.
AND .... your sad deflection to absurdity allowed you to NOT find anything wrong with Thanksgiving, even when given the complete text of the Proclamation that defined it. 
WITH THAT ASSURANCE .... I am completely assured that there is no problem with me observing the Holiday, as it was chartered.
Care to comment on my point no. 2, above?
For your convenience I am re-stating it.   ( Hrrrumph!)
" 2.) As I have posted before, with photocopies of their Passport Applications, the Past Presidents of the WTB&TS have ALL sworn allegiance to the US Constitution, and sworn to, BEFORE GOD, protect the US Constitution, against all enemies foreign and domestic, as ADULTS serving the Corporation.  ( ...and as an aside... as an adult I HAVE NOT.)"
Be a sport .... address that VERY REAL ISSUE.
THIS ... is where "the rubber meets the road.".
 

J.R. Ewing:
1.)  I am not a member of the National Rifle Association ... which in all the massacres and shootings that have taken place have NEVER had ANY member be the perpetrator.... it's always people with YOUR attitude doing the murders.
2.) As I have posted before, with photocopies of their Passport Applications, the Past Presidents of the WTB&TS have ALL sworn allegiance to the US Constitution, and sworn to, BEFORE GOD, protect the US Constitution, against all enemies foreign and domestic, as ADULTS serving the Corporation.  ( ...and as an aside... as an adult I HAVE NOT.)
3.) We are endowed with rights by Jehovah God. (Even cats have retractable claws). Governments may or may not insure those rights, but they do not endow natural rights ... the MOST BASIC of which is survival against evil.
4. ) No one "sings" the US pledge of allegiance  - your lack of education betrays your perspective on everything you stated which is all wrong, distorted and because it was used to try and disparage me ... EVIL.
But, thank you for the "Thanksgiving" wishes .... What follows is the actual Thanksgiving day Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln.
Please review it and specifically tell me what you find so offensive about it.  I see NOTHING wrong with it. Nothing at all!
" Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward,
Secretary of State"
Please review it and specifically tell me what you find so
offensive about it.  I see NOTHING wrong with it. Nothing at all!
.

It is interesting that the insane responses  above COMPLETELY ignore that at the Passover and the Memorial of Christ's Death .... that at least two Apostles had they very own state of the art (for the time...) portable weapons with them at their meeting place.. (Luke 22:36).
About the same era. Marcus Aurelius made a statement something like "It is not the purpose of life to be in the majority ... but to avoid being in the ranks of the insane".
You can always tell who is insane.... they attack the messenger of ideas they don't like ... but never the ideas.
This is normal, but it is still insane.

TTH:
I REALLY WANT TO BELIEVE that you are taunting me with the absurdity that you do not get the Meme about what sheep in a field with a "NO WOLVES" allowed sign has to do with gun control efforts by liberal Snowflakes .... but...sigh ... I will assume you do not get it.
Your comment reminds me of the girl who tells her father " Dad... I'm Pregnant!", and he looks dazed and asks "How did THAT happen?" (Answer: The usual way...).
You are a smart guy, TTH ... and I find it very VERY hard to believe you cannot make such a simple connection between what is similar between these two Memes. If this is actually TRUE, your natural intelligence has been subverted by external forces, and you are forbidden by agenda to make the connection.
To help you make the connection I am posting 3 memes 
1.) Thugs outside a Kingdom Hall "stymied" by a "NO GUN ZONE"" sign
2.) A bird sitting on a "NO BIRDS" allowed sign
3.) The grazing sheep in a field with a sign warning wolves they are not allowed in this area, as it is a "WOLF FREE ZONE"
I believe this also indirectly answers other's additional questions.
Making Kingdom Halls "Gun Free Zones" ONLY makes professional victims out of everybody inside, as anyone who is going to MURDER ... will be unconcerned with what he is "allowed to do", or NOT "allowed to do".
I am stunned that I ACTUALLY have to explain this to otherwise functional and presumably rational human beings!
Sheesh!

.....

what?
wHAT?
what!?
WHAT!?
Sounds like the time in Texas I found that Mexican Family who had just come over the border, eating grass on the side of the road, and I took them all to my home to my 3 acre lawn.
 

Public Letter Read to the brothers of North America:
Dear Brothers:
We wish to provide an update on recent natural disasters in our territory and what can be done to provide additional assistance. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria affected 250,000 publishers and damaged more than 6,000 homes in Florida, Puerto Rico, Texas and the virgin islands. In addition, the fires in California areas affected hundreds of editors, and more than 1,400 had to evacuate. Sadly, 29 of their homes were completely destroyed. Because of these disasters, seven active disaster relief committees are operating throughout the territory of our branch. Despite the many tragic events that our brothers and sisters have experienced, we have been truly comforting to see how the brotherhood has helped everyone in need.
In addition to the millions of dollars made available by the organization for disaster relief committees to date, hundreds of congregations and individuals have donated 1.600 tons of relief supplies throughout the country. In recent weeks, humanitarian aid supplies were sent to the islands of Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos Islands and the virgin islands through 27 flights and 35 shipping containers. Due to the constant need, shipments of food, water and other supplies will continue to be sent to these islands over the next few months. Their generous donations to work around the world and the response of several circuits in the collection of specific supplies when requested are highly appreciated. Such generosity shows the love you have for the Lord and his brothers and sisters in need. Read Proverbs 17:17; 1 cor. 12:26.
Many have asked what other practical help can be given to those who need relief assistance. In the areas where our brothers and sisters have been displaced, many of you have opened their homes to provide shelter, knowing that recovery efforts will take time. Everyone's patience is deeply appreciated. Besides, while the elders and circuit superintendents continue to lead grazing, all of us can kill each other by giving them encouragement and showing compassion and kindness.- Gál. 6: 2; Col. 3:12.
Meanwhile, throughout Texas, Florida and all the affected islands, there is an immediate need for volunteers with construction skills to help with recovery work. Due to the current circumstances, only the brothers will be invited to work in the most affected areas. At This moment, we are requesting brothers who can serve for three weeks or for 6-12 months. To volunteer for this job, contact the secretary of your congregation. For volunteers who have an application filed, make sure your local design / construction volunteer application (DC-50) is updated. The help organisation will invite volunteers through the construction assistant. We ask you not to go to a disaster area without an invitation from the help organization, the construction assistant or a specific branch allocation letter.
The Branch has received numerous calls for donations of clothing and other articles. In some cases, we have identified circuits near our shipping operations to provide specific humanitarian items. In other cases, it is more practical to buy locally to manage storage facilities to store and send materials. Therefore, unless your congregation receives specific instructions through the circuit superintendent, it is recommended that you continue to support the help efforts through donations for work around the world. In addition, the help organisation is making every effort to help the brothers and sisters who qualify to receive FEMA Insurance and assistance. Of course, it is also important to remember our brothers and sisters in our prayers.- ROM. 12:12.
In 2 Corinthians 1: 3, 4, the Apostle Paul identified our great creator as "the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our tests". the outpouring of material support, love , concern and prayers you offer are an extension of the love and spirit of the Lord in action, which has brought great comfort to thousands. Let us not fear or anxiety when we trust the Lord, who is strengthening and helping each and every one of those affected by these disasters "with [ His ] right to justice" (ISA. 41:10.).
With this letter, accept an expression of our warm Christian love and our best wishes.
Your Brothers,
– Translated 

From what language is this letter translated from?  Phrases such as "continue to lead grazing " and "all of us can kill each other by" makes no sense. Help me out, please.

Quite true. The commitment to evil is quite often unperceived by those who do not share it.
Anyone who expects peaceful behaviour to dissuade evil intent has obviously not considered Ezekiel 38:10-12:
“This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: ‘In that day thoughts will come into your heart, and you will devise an evil plan. You will say: “I will invade the land of unprotected settlements. I will come against those living in security, without disturbance, all of them living in settlements unprotected by walls, bars, or gates.”  It will be to take much spoil and plunder, to attack the devastated places that are now inhabited and a people regathered from the nations, who are accumulating wealth and property, those who are living in the center of the earth."