ComfortMyPeople

I also try to never impune motives, but some things are so painfully, and embarrassingly obvious.    

The 520 are all the notifications I have in the last 30 days from the dozen or so people I follow, or people who respond to posts I made, or react to them, or mention me. But I am saying that out of every 500+ notifications, it's not unusual to have over a hundred of those notifications where Dmitar has referred to me or down-voted me, or tried to draw my attention to him in some negative way. 

Dimitar: Of course! ‘Nothing else about my conduct suggests I am a Witness. Let me deliberately give some false information to see if anyone will pounce on that to attack me!’
Notice how I replied to this remark of Dmitar’s through JWI? Wanna know why? The screenshot at bottom tells it all.
Ah….now life is so peaceful. I mean really. 520 notifications within a month?! Plainly the guy is mentally ill. That’s not so bad in itself. I have suspected that of others here. But combined with his attack-dog malignant paranoid remarks that so often make no sense whatsoever,  it is simply too much. But now I am freeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

When I click on the Notifications icon (looks like a bell) there is a link at the bottom that says "Seel All Notifications." When I click on that link, I get the 520 notifications that I received for the last 30 days (since February 13). There are 25 on a page, and I have 21 pages of them. On every page there are usually a few out of the 25 that say "Dmitar mentioned you in a topic: . . ." In fact, some pages have you mentioning me 4 or 5 times on the same page.
Here's a representative example, below, of 6 notifications in a row where half of them show Dmitar mentioning me in a topic -- and it's often a topic that I had not even participated in. I just figure it's usually Dmitar trying to cause divisions again. (See Titus 3:10 NIV.)  It's a little bit like a notification that "Dmitar has reacted to a post in a topic . . . "  Whenever I see that latter notification, I can always predict that it's a down-vote of some kind, and I can usually be assured by the down-vote that what I said was most likely correct. I have received hundreds of these from you (under your various names). After a while, it's so predictable that I think of it as a kind of proofreader's mark: If Dmitar down-voted it, then it's probably correct and there's usually no need to go and re-read what I wrote there.

I noticed your implication that I will respond to only your mistakes and not others when you said:
This is rather absurd, because, as I showed above, you have tried to draw me into hundreds of your posts and I have often never even looked at them, or at least never responded to most of them. Also, I don't keep a count, but I suspect that I have seen well over 10,000 mistakes you have made, under your various names here, and most of these mistakes are obvious to everyone. Yet, I have responded only to a tiny fraction of them, even ignoring the grossest of those errors. And, of course, I have made many mistakes here and welcome correction by others, and I hope most others have welcomed the times when I have corrected their mistakes, too.
In fact, the only reason I responded to your mistake about Paul vs. Matthew Levi (son of Alphaeus) is that it reminded me of the fact that I have only seen you twice admit a mistake and then only when it didn't really matter. It was someone else who pointed it out once and I had pointed out the other one you admitted to. But I have seen people (including myself) point out mistakes you have made and I have seen you go to extremely ridiculous lengths to avoid admitting having made an error. I just happened to get curious about what you would use as your excuse this time. Predictably you came up with a "good" one: that you had made the mistake on purpose, just to see if you could draw me into the conversation. Quite a stretch, but I see you have tried to make it work by purposely throwing in another mistake about Levi being the name of Matthew's father, instead of Alphaeus. This one, of course, you DID put in there on purpose, evidently to claim that my current response somehow can convince stupid people that it was what you intended with the first mistake, too. I don't think most people here are stupid enough to fall for it.

Oh no! I promised myself I wouldn't respond to any of this 1975 stuff unless someone asked me a direct question, either on "private messaging" or directly in the forum. We've beaten this subject to death under other topic headings.
When you ask, "how was it back then?" I can naturally only speak to my own experience and those near me at the time. Many people have already made the point that there was more speculation in some regions than in others. I was baptized in 1967 but was only 10 years old, and I know that I was personally influenced by all the talk, and the books about 1975 that had just been published. I started auxiliary pioneering every summer since 1967, and finally quit high school when I was still 15, to start regular pioneering in 1973, and hoped to go to Bethel in 1975. I wasn't old enough until the beginning of 1976. 
We were in a region that also had a District Overseer who pushed the "Stay Alive 'til 75!" idea, although he used different words. We had two different circuit overseers during that time, and I've spoken to one several times since then (Kent Carras) over the years. He had the most influence on me quitting school and going to Bethel. My mother was a great believer in the 1975-era speculation. My father was actually against all of it, and it even got him in a bit of trouble with the District Overseer, a Circuit Overseer and one of the elders who worked for him. It was on his side of the family that my great-grandfather and grandfather and grandmother had listened to the same type of speculation over 1925. It was my father who told me that the same phrase had been used: "Stay Alive Until 1925!" He recognized it for what it was, and always tamped it down with Jesus' words about no one knowing the day or hour. (That's actually what got him in trouble with the the District Overseer.)
So I was very much in the middle of the speculation, and was too young and enthusiastic about the Watchtower Society's "likely" prediction that I might not have time in this system to graduate high school, and that it would be even less likely that I could complete a degree in college. And then there was the direct and absolute prediction in the Watchtower publications that I would never be able to take advantage of a college degree in this system. (My father was the "presiding overseer" but he taught at the local university, and ran the electronics labs there. He hired several Witnesses and two other elders, so he never got the flack about education that some Witnesses got in those days. He also had a two-year electronics trade school program in mind for me.) 
There were very few in my area who weren't pretty well versed in all the speculation. They could quote the Watchtower's material, and only a few people were actually speculating that Armageddon had to happen by 1975. This was their own speculation, not the Watchtower's. My mother was a 1974 person, because it still had to be a surprise. That was also her own speculation, of course. But our Circuit Overseer (Carras) understood that it was not about the system ending in 1975, per se, but it was about what the "1970's" will bring. He was able to show how the Watchtower was actually only predicting that it "could" happen by 1975, but that the system COULD go on as late as 1977 or even 1978. In other words, it could happen by 1975, but it will happen before the end of the 1970's. Curiously, all that talk about the 1970's went away by the end of 1975, or even by 1974, and the new "date" was soon pushed out to as late as the year 2000, for when this system will  have already ended.
When I got to Bethel in 1976, I was in the Art Department, but given some research assignments that eventually led to working for Brother Bert Schroeder starting in 1977 (until 1982). This kept me in the Bethel Library (and Gilead Library) almost daily and I began working with several of the other members of the Writing Department. My current understanding of the 1975 issues is very much influenced by what I learned from them (including Brother Swingle, Schroeder, Chitty, Rusk, and 3 members of the "Aid Book" team). Although I hardly said more than just "hello" to Raymond Franz in those years, I did speak to F.W.Franz for several hours of taped interviews in 1978 (mostly about organizational history after 1925). After reading what R.Franz said about the 1975 issue in "Crisis of Conscience" I'd say that it is probably the most accurate recounting of the 1975 situation.  I don't think anyone who was at Bethel during those years would find any inaccuracy in what he said.

Coming from Africa, I can attest to that.  We just arrived at a Safari camp when I forgot the kitchen window open.  In jumped a monkey and stole the sugar pot.  It lay broken outside the window but the two monkeys were sitting right in the sugar and eating it all up like a pair of toddlers.  Then they turned around and licked each others butts clean.  They sure gave us much to laugh at. Next day a warthog was walking around on his knees on our stoep (veranda) eating some carrots we gave him.  They do this in the wild as well !    I think we will have a ball with the animals in the paradise. Yes, Creation shows that god has a sense of humor. 

Some more reading:
https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/does-the-us-have-a-secret-germ-warfare-lab-on-russias-doorstep/

Bloomberg News

March 8, 2022, 4:35 AM EST

China accused the U.S. military of operating “dangerous” biolabs in Ukraine, echoing a Russian conspiracy theory that Western officials warned could be part of an effort to retroactively justify President Vladimir Putin’s invasion. 

“U.S. biolabs in Ukraine have indeed attracted much attention recently,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Tuesday in response to a question from a local reporter, adding that “all dangerous pathogens in Ukraine must be stored in these labs and all research activities are led by the U.S. side.”

He called on “relevant sides to ensure the safety of these labs” and said “the U.S., as the party that knows the labs the best, should disclose specific information as soon as possible, including which viruses are stored and what research has been conducted.”

 
The comments mirror the diversion tactics China’s diplomats used last year when questioned about the origins of Covid-19. Back then they frequently pointed to Fort Detrick, a U.S. military facility in Maryland that the Soviet Union falsely claimed in the 1980s was the source of the virus causing Aids and that Zhao again referenced Tuesday.

Britain’s Defense Ministry said in a Tweet on Tuesday that it had noticed an up-tick in allegations by Russia that Ukraine is working on biological or nuclear weapons. “These narratives are long standing but are currently likely being amplified as part of a retrospective justification for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” it added.

Since 1991, a unit of the Department of Defense has cooperated with former satellites of the Soviet Union, including Ukraine, to secure and take apart weapons of mass destruction that have been left behind.

The Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program is intended to “support defense and military cooperation with the objective of preventing proliferation,” according to U.S. non-profit organization the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.

China has walked a fine diplomatic line since Russia attacked Ukraine. It has in recent years been making the case that as a richer, more powerful nation it deserves a bigger say on the world stage. Yet it also wants the benefits of closer ties with Moscow, largely to offset what it sees as Washington’s undue influence.

Zhao repeated at the press briefing that China’s position on Ukraine remains “consistent and clear cut,” signaling that the Asian nation is still trying to avoid picking a side on the issue.

When asked whether China was ready to say that Russia had “invaded” its Eastern European neighbor, Zhao said: “I don’t think the question is of any point.”

— With assistance by Philip Glamann

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-08/china-pushes-russia-conspiracy-theory-about-u-s-labs-in-ukraine


 

 
 

Probably not all of them are here, but some available on web archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170130193016/https://photos.state.gov/libraries/ukraine/895/pdf/dtro-kharkiv-eng.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20170221125752/https://photos.state.gov/libraries/ukraine/895/pdf/dtro-dnipropetrovsk-eng.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20210511164310/https://photos.state.gov/libraries/ukraine/895/pdf/dtro-luhansk-eng.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20170207122550/https://photos.state.gov/libraries/ukraine/895/pdf/dtro-kherson-fact-sheet-eng.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20170223011502/https://photos.state.gov/libraries/ukraine/895/pdf/dtro-ternopil-fact-sheet-eng.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20170208032526/https://photos.state.gov/libraries/ukraine/895/pdf/dtro-zakarpatska-fact-sheet-eng.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20170202040923/https://photos.state.gov/libraries/ukraine/895/pdf/dtro-lviv-dl-eng.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20170201004446/https://photos.state.gov/libraries/ukraine/895/pdf/dtro-lviv-rdvl-eng.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20161230143004/https://photos.state.gov/libraries/ukraine/895/pdf/dtro-eidss.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20210506212717/https://photos.state.gov/libraries/ukraine/895/pdf/dtro-pathogen-asset-control.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20170207153023/https://photos.state.gov/libraries/ukraine/895/pdf/dtro-dnipropetrovsk-rdvl_eng.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20170211022339/https://photos.state.gov/libraries/ukraine/895/pdf/kiev-ivm-fact-sheet-eng.pdf
 

Apparently according to one Twitter user: these labs are co-run by Fauci's EcoHealth Alliance and rumor is Russia's entire military operation right now is unofficially to either secure and/or destroy these labs and gather evidence.
Also from the UK Ministry of Defense Tweet: Since the end of February there has been a notable intensification of Russian accusations that Ukraine is developing nuclear or biological weapons. These narratives are long standing but are currently likely being amplified as part of a retrospective justification for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In the event of war, American main-stream media (MSM) becomes State Media. MSM outlets can become partisan on public bipartisan issues and might lose half their population of listeners, but at least they believe they will gain loyalty from the remaining half. But with the State apparatus pushing against a common national enemy or antagonist, these outlets can't afford to be seen as anti-American. Today, even attempts at neutrality are seen recently as pro-Putin, and therefore anti-American.  BBC journalists who just recently exposed the corruption of ultra-nationalists at all levels of the Ukrainian government are already re-writing their position to claim it's a recently coined "Putin myth." Wikipedia articles that discussed Russian issues with Ukraine, Georgia and Crimea have been undergoing very recent changes in the last few weeks, even to the point of re-titling links and names of newspaper articles so that it appears they were saying the opposite of what they originally said.
 
So I thought it would be a good idea to review some of the well-documented history, even as that "history" changes before our eyes.
 
For the first part, I'll deal mostly with the early background.
 
1930s through WW2:
The German Nazis worked with the OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) in order to sabotage, destabilize, and hopefully destroy the Soviet Union. Prior to WW2, the US and UK had not decided which side they would support in the event of war, and Churchill was ready to side with the "Axis Powers" wanting Germany to invade the USSR. Thus, pre-WW2, the US and UK supported the OUN. Immediately after WW2, the US and UK began supporting the OUN again. The OUN's UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) had been guilty of dozens of horrendous massacres, including the rounding up of Jews in barns,  for example, and then burning them alive in those locked barns. There is a direct link between this practice and the praise of OUN leaders by the current Ukrainian Nazis. In fact, during the Euromaidan uprising (around 2014), one of the most famous repetitions of this practice was the rounding up of about 50 counter-protesters into a building, and burning them alive in Odessa. 
 
To get a better understanding of OUN history, one can look up Category:War crimes committed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army  Here there are links to articles about nearly 20 of the more famous Nazi war crimes and massacres committed by this Ukrainian army. Under Stepan Bandera, the OUN massacred Jews, Russians and communists. The Ukrainian Nazis established a so-called independent government allied with Germany and joined Hitler's attacks. They led their end of the Holocaust and pledged allegiance to Hitler, while Hitler's invasion of the USSR (1941) ultimately resulted in the deaths of about 26,000,000 Soviets and communists. By the end of the war, the OUN was forced "underground." 
 
Stepan Bandera's name is still celebrated in Ukraine. The anniversary of his birth is celebrated. His picture is still carried. Streets are named after him. Imagine if every major US city had streets and avenues named "Hitler Boulevard."  President Zelensky himself has been forced to acknowledge Bandera's "hero" status, although appears very uncomfortable about the number of streets named after Bandera:
 
"There are indisputable heroes. Stepan Bandera is a hero for a certain part of Ukrainians, and this is a normal and cool thing. He was one of those who defended the freedom of Ukraine. But I think that when we name so many streets, bridges by the same name, this is not quite right," 
 
The commonly heard Ukrainian chant: "Glory to the Heroes" is actually a reference to the WW2-era Ukrainian "Nazi heroes" and has become the equivalent of the "Sieg Heil" among modern Ukrainian Nazis. 
 
There are dozens of modern pictures of Ukrainians with Nazi swastikas and other Nazi symbols. I won't put them here, but it's easy to find pictures of single large rallies with all these things at once, including the Svoboda party, Right Sektor, the red-black OUN flag, images of Stepan Bandera, and the "Sieg-Heil" salute. Of course, there are also pictures of American politicians (e.g., John McCain) standing with members of these same white supremacist, nationalist parties.
https://www.salon.com/2014/02/25/is_the_us_backing_neo_nazis_in_ukraine_partner/
 
In spite of the bad optics, the US and Ukraine were the only two countries that voted against a UN resolution condemning Nazism and Neo-Nazism just a few months ago (December 2021). Overwhelmingly, 130 countries voted in favor. Why not just abstain like several other countries, including Germany and all members of the EU, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand? It's because Russia is among the 30+ co-sponsors of the anti-Nazi resolution every year since 2015. And the US always votes against it, and US allies also feel they must abstain. As this article points out: https://countercurrents.org/2021/12/u-s-and-ukraine-only-two-countries-vote-against-un-resolution-condemning-nazism/  
 
On December 16, the UN General Assembly passed its annual resolution on “Combating Glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fueling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance” with 130 countries voting in favor and only two in opposition. . . .
Sponsored by Russia and more than 30 other UN members, the resolution expresses concern about any form of glorifying Nazism, including putting up monuments and holding public parades honoring the Waffen SS – combat units within Nazi Germany’s military – or declaring them national liberation movements, among other things.
Russia has long taken issue with Ukraine and the three Baltic states – Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia – honoring individuals and organizations affiliated with Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

What is gather is that the GB warned brothers to leave Ukraine and it seems there are no longer safe corridors to leave.  One should leave as early as possible.
If America warns its citizens it is because they fear harassment or even worse from Russian citizens and the government. Our brothers may leave and spill over the borders a.s.a.p to get away from the persecution. 
America is not yet in the war and does not intend to join officially (only supplying arms) - but then consider, they did not intend to enter any of the previous world wars. 
Alliances are being made - smaller countries are being forced to say on which side they are on.
Depopulation agenda....and so much suffering.

Daniel 11:44

 

Mersheimer is excellent to listen too…his very latest update on the situation is spot on……so is Hanson….common sense speaking 
 

100%. It is the theory promoted by the Grayzone crew (Aaron Mate, Max Blumenthal, etc.) and the one that Jimmy Dore promotes along with those same guests. The idea was discussed as early as 2015, and hinted at among US politicians since then. Recall that President Biden's son was paid millions by a gas company in Ukraine (and not because he had any experience). Also what Zelensky called his first "gift" to President Biden was to cut off the TV stations in Ukraine that served Russian-speaking Ukrainians. (Also recall that while Trump was being accused -rightly- for quid pro quo politically self-serving negotiations with Ukraine, Biden had already bragged about his own quid pro quo negotiations for political gain.)
Instead of pointing back to those "Dore" Youtube videos, I wanted to point to the Grayzone directly, but their own commentary tends to be more serious, and often longer. So, if people can stand Dore's style, his ability to collect the bullet points, is easier for most people to get through.
I thought this one was useful:
Of course, more serious discussions had been going on for years with Steven Cohen (the late Russian Expert) and John Miersheimer as early as 2015 (below), who make the direct connection to Germany:
Why is Ukraine the West's Fault? Featuring John Mearsheimer:
 

…… perhaps this might be a good time to review the series of Mel Gibson’s “MAD MAX” movies ……

Some more conjecture from my side. The American dollar is sure to fall and they need a reason for it.  This war could provide the opportunity.  (This war could become another Afghanistan for Russia... linger on... until they make a treaty with UN fanfare).
There are two poles to what is happening in the world.  King of North and South.  They push until the END it seems BUT king of North and its allies will control the wealth. 
42  And he will keep thrusting out his hand against the lands; and as regards the land of Egypt, she will not escape. 43  And he will rule over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the desirable* things of Egypt   “But reports out of the east* and out of the north will disturb him, and he will go out in a great rage to annihilate and to devote many to destruction. 45  And he will plant his royal* tents between the grand sea and the holy mountain of Decoration;*r and he will come all the way to his end, and there will be no helper for him.  ( These reports are from Jehovah and Jesus at the right time when the South has progressed enough to prove that it is the debased DRAGON the bible says it is.
In the West they will bring in their new money system - which is also a surveillance system ... thousands of satellites are being put in the heavens above as we speak. Those who do not obey the new system will be put in prison?  Does this sound crazy?  I do not think so.  That kind of power can go to a person's head. 
So as we do not take sides in this war - we are aware of what is coming and should prepare for it.

These bureaucrats are not the ones who benefit - they are just willing foot-soldiers who benefit because they are obedient to the dictates of those who are in control of all the money / corporations - who have formed a  coalition with the UN. (The get their good salaries and stability).  As we speak WHO is becoming the most important body in the UN and America has signed to give them total control..... I have not seen if other countries have joined.  If you see something, let me know. 

I just saw this - It is an interesting perspective
https://greatgameindia.com/ukraine-crisis-germany/

It's just my personal opinion, but discussion can help a Christian be informed. A person might think that in order to be neutral, it would mean that we should state that the policies of India in 1948, or Peru in 1943, were just as good or bad as the policies of Hitler's Germany in 1941. Neutrality does not mean we remain so uninformed that we can't tell the difference, or that we can't distinguish good from bad, or bad from worse, or mediocre from less mediocre.
Jesus called Herod "that fox." Is it really wrong for a Christian to discuss why Jesus might have called him that?
In Acts, Luke discusses political corruption, a possible bribe that Felix was looking for, and a political motive for some of his actions:
(Acts 24:24-27) . . .Some days later Felix came with Dru·silʹla his wife, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and listened to him speak about the belief in Christ Jesus. 25 But as Paul talked about righteousness and self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and answered: “Go away for now, but when I have an opportunity I will send for you again.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would give him money. For that reason, he sent for him even more frequently and conversed with him. 27 But when two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; and because Felix desired to gain favor with the Jews, he left Paul in custody.
Was Luke being non-neutral in exposing some political motives and corruption?
Someone could argue, that all of those examples are history, or that the examples had a direct effect on God's people. But then again, what happened last week, even yesterday, is also history. And Jehovah's people are still being effected by world events.

@Arauna Possibly India also, good with US over the years, but slowly changing teams. Some Truthers and Preppers are mentioning them leaning towards Team Russia/China. Granted, people are seeing the US as a weakened power.
Prices for Gas has been going up the last I checked, and will continue to do so. But sadly, with the Economic problems, some people adhere to the Ostrich mentality (Ostrich effect), which isn't too far from the Bystander Syndrome, evidently leading to a dangerous precedent down the road. Regarding the Agenda and the UN, with too many distractions, they could make a move if they please without any push back from anyone this time.

It is all about the great financial reset: the future one world government of the UN and WEF. The dollar is on the verge of collapse and with a "Russian"  cyber attack it will be plausible reason to blame Russia for its woes and when people are suffering financially they will be ready for any new suggestion to stave off the pain.  The central banks of Europe are apparently not doing well and when Germany is cut off from Russian energy supply, their industry sector will suffer and it may start the Euro downward spiral. 
Russia has its own equivalent of SWIFT which it uses with China and Iran.  This war was instigated by the globalists because they want the money system to collapse. (This does not mean that Russia itself is not a bad player - all politics is ruthless and does not care who it hurts in the process as the wars in the middle east has proven). Russia has sold its dollars and is still invested in Euro and about 2,000 tons of gold.  China apparently has double that amount of gold but is not letting on.  It seems the new exchange currency may become the yuan.
Economic downturn will lead to suggestions of the UN to broker the peace and introduce a new monetary system.  We know UN will rule for only one hour and in this hour it will force all to get its mark and worship it and will not tolerate dissent.  I think it is in this time it will turn against religions - only a uninformed guess. 

Every government head is dirty..absolutely filthy.dirty with the blood of their own people….I wish people could understand this more but we have a new generation of people who know none of this…it’s just so sad!

In wartime
The first casualty is Truth.

Germany knew that the Lusitania was carrying munitions for England, and they put an ad in the London times telling them that they were it was their intention to sink the Lusitania but the British command, the Admiralty decided that the Lusitania could sneak by because the wolf packs were operating in a different part of the Atlantic at the time.
Also the Americans were trying to pretend they were neutral, and for a long time neither would admit that the Lusitania Was carrying the nations munitions. They also adamantly declared that the Lusitania was not carrying munitions.
The British admiralty decided to charge the captain of the Lusitania with dereliction of duty and incompetence as a scapegoat because they knew the ship had been blown up with a single German torpedo, Which detonated the munitions on board the ship and it sank in 15 minutes.
They promulgated the lie that the ship was sunk with three German torpedoes because with one German torpedo, and no munitions, it would not have sunk in 15 minutes.
That was the official report of the British Admiralty judges, but the Captain of the Lusitania who incidentally had survived and was pulled from the water unconscious and was hospitalized, in his trial he was eventually exonerated.
After World War I was over, the truth came out, but they deliberately falsified testimony and ignored evidence to try and get the United States into the war, which was OK with Woodrow Wilson.