Jack Ryan

Oh! Let's go! Steve walks warily down the street With the brim pulled way down low. Ain't no sound but the sound of his feet, Machine guns ready to go. Are you ready, hey, are you ready for this? Are you hanging on the edge of your seat? Out of the doorway the bullets rip To the sound of the beat Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust And another one gone, and another one gone Another one bites the dust Hey, I'm gonna get you, too Another one bites the dust How do you think I'm going to get along Without you when you're gone? You took me for everything that I had And kicked me out on my own Are you happy, are you satisfied? How long can you stand the heat? Out of the doorway the bullets rip To the sound of the beat [Chorus] Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust Another one bites the dust There are plenty of ways that you can hurt a man And bring him to the ground You can beat him, you can cheat him You can treat him bad and leave him when he's down But I'm ready, yes, I'm ready for you I'm standing on my own two feet Out of the doorway the bullets rip Repeating to the sound of the beat?

Scott Hamilton (Taran Killam) and Tara Lipinski (Cecily Strong) cover U.S. Men's Heterosexual Figure Skating, a competition to find straight figure skaters in case of boycotts in Sochi due to Vladimir Putin's anti-gay stance. [Season 39, 2014]

Late Night Show in the Netherlands, broadcasted 8 february 2018Item about child sexual abuse within community of Jehovah's WitnessesEnglish subtitles included

He could still be forgiven by Jehovah. Manasseh was reinstated as king after killing his sons. So their is biblical precedent. All their sins are now forgiven since they have all died. Their next thoughts will be in Paradise. And the story even mentions the spouse as preaching the good news to her neighbor. ... so by her good works her spouse will be saved if he became an unbeliever at some point. Which in this case he had to have at the last moment. Except the dog. We will never see him again in Paradise.

Mike MartindaleUpdated 6:11 p.m. ET Feb. 16, 2018 Keego Harbor — A quiet residential street became a horrific crime scene Friday with news that four people — a couple and their adult children — died in what police are describing as a triple murder-suicide. By late afternoon, some yellow police crime scene tape remained around the two-story wood frame bungalow in the 2300 block of Cass Lake Road where police were sent about 8:10 a.m. on a welfare check after a relative became worried about the family, Keego Harbor Police Chief John Fitzgerald said. One of four bodies is removed from the home of the 2300 block of Cass Lake Road. (Photo: Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News) “A relative had concerns and asked us to look into it,” said Fitzgerald. “It’s tragic and our thoughts and prayers are with the family.” Inside the house officers found four bodies who neighbors identified as Daniel Stuart, 47, his wife, Lauren, 45, and their children, Bethany, 24, and Steven, 27. Fitzgerald said the “perpetrator” was among the dead but would not provide details other than to stress “we think we know what happened here and there is no danger to neighbors.” Fitzgerald said police have recovered what is believed to be the murder weapon but would not elaborate. He said all the deaths remain under investigation. Keego Harbor Police Chief John Fitzgerald briefs the media on the murder-suicide. (Photo: Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News) Neighbors John and Jackie Tristani said they awoke Friday to learn police were outside the victims’ home. “My son said police were repeatedly calling out ‘Lauren, come outside,’ " said John Tristani. “When she didn’t respond they (police) went inside. A few minutes later, they came back outside, shaking their heads.” Tristani said he had been watching television late Thursday night and never heard anything from the Stuarts' home. Sources close to the investigation said the family pet, a dog, was also slain by the killer. Investigators also found a note which may help explain what led up to the deaths. They would not discuss its contents. The deaths puzzle the Tristanis, who knew Lauren Stuart as a “hard-working” neighbor who could often be seen working in her yard and remodeled the house largely on her own. “She would often come over and borrow tools – a saw, a pickaxe – whatever,” said Tristani. “She was always doing something.” The Tristanis said in one of their first meetings with Lauren Stuart a few years ago she attempted to “recruit” them into the Jehovah’s Witnesses. “I said we were Catholics and weren’t interested,” he said. “She accepted the answer and it was the end of that.” Lauren Stuart worked at an area gym, he said, and her husband was involved in some form of medical business in the Ann Arbor area. Darlene and Dennis Buck, who live a block away on Cass Lake Road, said they were enroute home from a trip to northern Michigan when they learned of the murder-suicide. “We have lived here since ’74 and nothing like this has ever happened in our neighborhood — not even close,” said Darlene Buck. Jackie Tristani said she found it all “scary” – not just the deaths but that something might have been going on in a neighbor’s home without her knowledge. She had tried to get Bethany a job at her workplace and her son knew both Bethany and Steven. There was never any mention or indication of trouble inside the home, she said. “I would hope that if there was a problem inside there someone would have reached out, we would have tried to help,” she said, her voice quaking. “Maybe we could have done something. “But you never really know everything there is about your neighbors, do you?” http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2018/02/16/4-dead-keego-harbor-murder-suicide/345756002/

set to be shown at the 2018 “Be Courageous!” Convention for JWs

The video starts in a board room meeting where a group of men are brainstorming experiences which they can share – and one of the pinpoints “Sally”. ? The clip then cuts to a young woman walking around what appears to be a market. She seeÂ’s women wearing rainbow bracelets, with rainbow posters showing two stick-figure women holding hands. When she goes to the till sheÂ’s asked if she would like to “make a donation to the marathon”, to which Sally says “no, thank you”. She then walks to a separate store and purchases a blanket. While waiting she sees a number of women wearing the bracelet. The woman who serves her asks Sally if she would like her rainbow bracelet in the bag or if she would like to wear it now. “No thank you,” Sally repeats again. “WhatÂ’s wrong honey?” A third woman then questions her. “You got something against them?” “Well no I donÂ’t have anything against them personally,” she begins to reply, but she is then cut off. “So whatÂ’s the problem?” “I respect that they have a right to choose their lifestyle but as a Bible reader,” Sally begins to try and explain. “Excuse me IÂ’m a bible reader too I go to church and our church is one of the biggest supporters for this marathon,” the woman replies.  “Displaying courage now will help me display courage in the future,” a voice tells her. “Well IÂ’m one of JehovahÂ’s Witnesses and we believe the bible teaches sex is for a man and a woman who are married,” Sally says.

Russia is leaving the rest of the civilized world and is ready to be sent back to the stone age.

YouTube and Instagram face being blocked by Russian internet service providers as a result of a standoff between one of the country's richest businessmen and an opposition leader. Russia's internet censor blacklisted material on both services after a court ruled that it violated billionaire Oleg Deripaska's privacy rights. However, Alexei Navalny has refused to remove the videos and photos, which he claims are evidence of corruption. A Wednesday deadline has been set. If neither Mr Navalny nor the US tech firms involved delete or otherwise block local access to the imagery by the end of the day, then Russia's ISPs will be required to take action themselves. A group representing the industry has indicated that this could result in all local access to the social networks being curtailed since ISPs lack the facility to censor specific posts. "It's impossible for internet providers to block certain pages on Instagram and YouTube," a spokeswoman for the Russian Association for Electronic Communications told the BBC. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-43058399

“Going door to door puts a face to the movement,” Brewster said. “It allows [for] a more personal interaction with the people. It is not some distanced thing.” Organizer Phil Kim used Territory Helper, a website created by JehovahÂ’s Witness congregations for their canvassing, to print maps of Mckinleyville neighborhoods for volunteers. “They do a lot of door-knocking,” Kim said. “ItÂ’s kind of funny theyÂ’re helping us out, [because] weÂ’re using the program they created. It helps to coordinate where everyone is walking, so people arenÂ’t knocking on the same doors. ItÂ’s a way of dividing the maps in little sections.” Healthy California Act volunteers speaking with a McKinleyville resident. Photo by Bailey Tennery. Anne Olivia Eldred is a part of the California Nurses Association. She said itÂ’s better to take care of people before they get sick, rather than waiting until they need immediate treatment that is expensive. https://thelumberjack.org/2018/02/13/nurses-knock-mckinleyville-doors-to-spread-awareness-about-sb-562/

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jeshua Drake, 43, on sexual abuse charges on Tuesday. Deputies said DrakeÂ’s charges stem from incidents that happened over twenty years ago between 1991 and 1993 when he and the victim were both Jehovah's Witnesses from the Sandy congregation. The Sandy Police Department believes there may be more victims. Drake was indicted by a Clackamas County grand jury two weeks ago for three counts of first-degree sexual assault. Anyone with information about Drake or potential victims should call the Sandy Police Department tip line at 503-489-2195. A jail booking photo of Drake was not immediately available Tuesday. http://www.kptv.com/story/37498850/sheriff-jehovahs-witness-sexual-abuse-suspect-arrested-in-clackamas-co

oooh.... 2034!!!

September 23, 1911, Brooklyn Eagle: SKEPTICAL UNCLE SAM SEEKS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT 'MIRACLE' GRAIN Postoffice Inspector Dickson Will Have the Wheat Sold in Tabernacle Tested, He Says. PASTOR RUSSELL IS LOYAL, But He Doubts the Faith of Those Who Are Not Members of His Faithful Band. Uncle Sam has decided to make an official test of the "Miracle" wheat sold at $60 a bushel at Pastor Russell's Tabernacle in order that the faithful who have invested their money, and a waiting world as well, may learn more fully of the astonishing merits of the precious grain. W. W. Dickson, chief of the postal inspectors in Manhattan, has received a communication regarding the notice which appeared in Pastor Russell's semi-monthly, The Watch Tower, setting forth the unusual qualities of "miracle wheat." He promises to set going the wheels of inquiry. He says the Watch Tower notice may or may not represent grain that yields from ten to fifteen times the amount sown, and may be worth $1 a pound, as advertised. But he wants to find out. Accordingly, he has mapped out a plan. It is likely that Inspector John N. Parsons, who generally conducts investigations into Brooklyn affairs, will have the task of testing the yielding qualities of "miracle wheat." Pastor Russell said today that he had full confidence in the qualities of the grain, as noted in the Watch Tower, but he admitted that his confidence was based only upon letters written to him by “brothers” of the "millennial dawn" sect, and that he had never supervised the sowing and growing of "miracle wheat.” Inspector Dickson will ask that he be furnished with a sample of "miracle" wheat. It will be analyzed by Government chemists in Manhattan. Along with the sample, Inspector Dickson's men will find out who bought “miracle” wheat from Brother Dockey, the watchdog of the cereal treasury, so that it may be learned what interstate shipments were made of "miracle" grain. Brother Dockey Says Supply of Wheat Is Limited. Pastor Russell could not state today just how much "miracle wheat" there was on hand at the Tabernacle. He telephoned Brother Dockey to come right over to Pastor Russell 'shome [sic] at 124 Columbia Heights. Brother Dockey did so. Brother Dockey announced that the supply was limited. It is still selling at $60 a bushel, only there isn't enough for any one person to buy as much as two bushels. So Brother Dockey is selling preferably by the pound, still at $1 a pound. He had 20 pounds left a few days ago, but someone—he thought it was another "brother"—telegraphed from California that he must have 100 pounds. So Brother Dockey is reserving 100 pounds until the Californian sends on $100. This leaves 100 pounds still in sale at the Tabernacle. Brother Dockey was loath to name the amount until Pastor Russell gave him permission. An Eagle reporter yesterday bought one pound for $1. Brother hockey wouldn't sell it for less, though the reporter shamelessly tried to "beat him down." Today Pastor Russell, in Brother Dockey's presence, made an offer to the reporter. Pastor Russell Would Buy Back Reporter's Wheat. "If you will bring that pound of wheat back I will pay you what you gave for it," said Pastor Russell. The reporter indicated that his pound of "miracle wheat" was not for sale. "It's pretty late to plant it now, unless you send it down South," reminded Brother Dockey. Brother Dockey stated that less than 5 per cent of all the "miracle wheat" sold at the Tabernacle went to people other than Pastor Russell's followers. "Other people than my own," explained Pastor Russell, "wouldn't believe that this wheat contains extraordinary qualities. It is too much of a miracle for them to comprehend." "It wouldn't do to try to fool our own people, either," Brother Dockey interpolated. "If we did that they would never have confidence in us again." Pastor Russell says that as long as Brother Bohnet, Brother Flemming and other "brothers" continue to display generosity enough to hand over the proceeds from the sale of "miracle wheat" to the society, the grain will be sold' at the Tabernacle. Regarding the advertisement in the Watch Tower, Pastor Russell says that, as Brother Dockey said yesterday, no guarantee is offered that "miracle wheat" possesses powers of extraordinary yield. Pastor Russell does say, however, that he was responsible for the notice being inserted in the Watch Tower and that he believes in "miracle wheat" and intended to have his readers, all over the world, fully understand that he thought highly of it. Here we see that Russell had fears that the Miracle wheat was not going to work, he had elitism even for the wheat, he was deluded to think that wheat would produce or not based on "faith", that there WERE ads placed in the Watchtower, that he had responsibility for the ad, and that he knew he was respected. It also shows that there was a "cult of personality". If Russell liked it, than people would buy it.

On September 23, 1911, in the Brooklyn Eagle, this picture appeared.Russell sued the Eagle for libel because of this picture, and lost the case.The picture implied that Russell was making easy money, and that if he could manage to get his followers to buy Miracle Wheat at 60 times the regular price, then he could be of much "help" in the corrupt Union Bank.

Adjusting for inflation (buying power is the key valuation for money)Sixty Dollars per bushel back then is approximately the same as$1,461.62 today.

The famous PYRAMID tombstone for Pastor Russell was designed by the same Brother Bohnet who conducted the funeral. It is Bohnet who offered to donate the famous wheat to the Watch Tower. In 1905 a Watchtower booklet called "Features of the Plan of God" is written by J. A. Bohnet. Bohnet's 1910 letter to the Russell in the Watchtower: The Watch Tower, October 1, 1910, page 307 MIRACLE WHEAT AND MIRACLE RYE Two grains of this wheat were given to the Editor, who, in turn, handed them to a brother in the Truth, who reported that the two grains produced 1,312, which, planted, produced five pounds -- one grain having fifty stools of well-developed stalks or straws. The brother planted the miracle wheat alongside of some ordinary wheat, and reports that the miracle wheat heads are from three to five inches long and from three to five grains to the mesh, whereas with the common wheat the heads are from two to three inches in length. Another brother obtained some of the miracle wheat and, out of the first crop, presented the Editor a peck of the same. This was entrusted to another brother, a farmer, who has just handed the Editor $100 proceeds therefrom, with the following report: -- As you remember, I secured also a peck of the miracle wheat from a brother in the Truth as a donation to yourself (because he first heard of the miracle wheat through THE WATCH TOWER). Brother Kuesthardt advertised the wheat in his paper, and the money sent you is the result of the sales at $1 per pound. Your brother in Christ, J. A. BOHNET____ The Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, located at 25 Columbia Heights in Brooklyn, New York was incorporated in 1909 in the State of New York as a Private Company, by Charles Taze Russell and several of his followers. Previously they incorporated as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society under the laws of Pennsylvania as a Nonprofit corporation under the date of December 15, 1884. The United States Investment Co. Ltd. was incorporated June 24, 1896, in Pittsburg, PA. From the records in Pittsburg: "'Article 1. Names of Subscribers: John A. Bohnet, Ernest C. Henninges, Chas. T. Russell. "'Amount Subscribed by Each: Bohnet $5.00; Henninges $5.00; Russell $990.00. "'Article 3. For purpose of buying and selling real estate, patent rights, stocks, bonds, and other securities, merchandise, building homes, etc. "'Article 4. Name of Association is U.S. Investment Co., Ltd. "'Article 6. Officers--… C. T. Russell, Manager.' Russell needed two "straw men" to make up the required number of three for incorporation. One would assume he would choose two men that he could trust. Note the name John A. Bohnet and the date of 1896. (Note: the 3rd man in the above document ended up marrying Rose Ball and moving her to Australia before the famous divorce trial in which Maria Russell claimed her husband had been intimate with the young woman.)

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 25, 1911

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 22, 1911 This article appeared in the September 22, 1911 Brooklyn Eagle. Notice the "general counsel". It is obviously Rutherford. CHURCH A SALESROOM FOR 'MIRACLE' WHEAT AT $60 PER BUSHEL Offered the Faithful Who Read Pastor Russell's Magazine. SOLD AT THE TABERNACLE. Anyone Who So Desires Can Purchase the Precious Grain at Hicks Street Headquarters. Many of the devoted followers or Pastor Russell, whose Indefatigable efforts in the vineyard of the Lord has attracted wide attention in Brooklyn, are awaiting with interest the result of a new experiment emanating from his headquarters in the Tabernacle, 13 and 17 Hicks street, this borough. The experiment is “Miracle Wheat”. The society of which Pastor Russell is the head wants it distinctly understood that It has nothing whatever to do with the wheat itself beyond the fact that the grain is being sold from its headquarters, and that it expects the faithful follower who produces it to give the society the returns froth the sales. Because of the miraculous powers of the wheat in question, it is being sold at a slightly higher rate than that commanded by the ordinary variety. Generally speaking, the price of the “Miracle Wheat” is $60 a bushel. tI [sic] can be bought in small lots at about $1 for a pound. Or, if one desires, it can also be purchased at the rate of fifty-five pounds for $50. The price of ordinary wheat for which farmers claim no extraordinary or divine qualities is, according to the latest quotations, about 59 cents or $1 per bushel. Brother Dockey (first name refused to inquirers) is the watchdog of the wheat treasury. Brother Dockey states that from thirty to thirty-five bushels have been sold thus far, which, according to the price quoted, has netted from $1,800 to $2,100. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society gets this money, accord., to Brother Dockey. The society's receipts last year from the sale of religious literature, donations, etc., was $150,000, and the money realized from the sale of wheat at $60 a bushel is expected to swell this year's revenues to an even higher figure. Brother Dockey says that Brother J. A. Bohnet, who, Brother Dockey understands, has “a farm out in Ohio,” first discovered "miracle” wheat. This was in 1907. Since that time he has experimented with it, and other "brothers" have been told the secret, until now Brother Bohnet of Ohio and Brother Flemming of Indiana and others are able to grow enough “miracle” wheat to have it placed on sale in Brooklyn, the brothers generously agreeing to donate all the proceeds to Pastor Russell's society. The following advertisement in the Watch Tower, the semi-monthly of the society, explains the proposition: Brother Bohnet's Generous Offer Set Forth in Detail. A DONATION OF MIRACLE WHEAT Brother Bohnet writes us that he has gradually accumulated a crop of miracle wheat from the few grains he obtained as a start. He prefers that the first opportunity for obtaining this wheat shall go to The Watch Tower readers. He will sell it for $1 per pound, including postage, and give the entire proceeds to our society. All orders for this wheat should be addressed Miracle Wheat Bohnet, 17 Hicks street, Brooklyn, N. Y. This will keep mail on this subject separate from his personal mail and from ours. Brother Bohnet promises to be ready to ship this wheat by August 1. He says miracle wheat should be sowed one-fourth as thick as common wheat. Ordinarily it should produce from ten to fifteen times as much proportionately to the amount sown. To save keeping account, money should accompany the order. Watch Tower readers will have the preference up to August 15, after which orders will be attended to indiscriminately, so long as the supply holds out. This wheat should be sown in the fall. Brother Dockey says that some of Pastor Russell’s followers in this city came to the Tabernacle personally and bought “miracle” wheat, while others in other cities and states sent in their money by mail and Uncle Sam carried the precious grain. For years wheat experts in America have tried to produce wheat with the yielding qualities claimed by Brother Bohnet’s grain. Yet here is a marvelous grain that has been in existence for four years and not a big grain man in the country has known anything about it, or it would have been commercialized long ago. No Guarantee Goes With the Wheat, However. At the Tabernacle in Hicks street no guarantee is given with the “miracle” wheat that is sold that it will yield “from ten to fifteen times as much proportionately to the amount sown.” Brother Dockey admits thepossibility that the “miracle” brand isn’t so wonderful as all this. He says that Brother Bohnet doesn’t claim this. Brother Dockey in substantiation of this statement points to the advertisement above quoted, pointing especially to several certain words, to wit., “ordinarily it should produce.” Brother Dockey figures that this relieves Brother Bohnet of all responsibility in case any particular lot of “miracle” wheat should prove to yield only ordinary results. Brother Dockey says that a wrong impression is got by anyone who, reading the advertisement, believes that Pastor Russell or the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society guarantees the worth of “miracle” wheat or that either Pastor Russell or the society has anything to do actually with promoting the sale of the wheat. “Here’s our lawyer right here,” said Brother Dockey today, motioning to a tall man in black who was standing near by. “He’ll explain that this society has nothing whatever to do with ‘miracle wheat.’”  The tall man in black said he was “general counsel” for the society. He did not care to give his name. “Brother Dockey is right,” he said. “Anybody who says that Pastor Russell or the society is selling wheat is a liar. Brother Bohnet offered to donate his ‘miracle wheat’ and the society accepted his offer. He is merely allowed to place the wheat on sale here in the Tabernacle. Brother Dockey sells it. Neither brother has a voting share in the society. Brother Bohnet has kindly agreed to turn over all the money received for the wheat to the treasury of the society.” Neither Brother Dockey nor the “general counsel” make any claim that the “miracle wheat” has an intrinsic value of $60 a bushel. “The advertisement in the Watch Tower does not say that ‘miracle’ wheat is worth $1 a pound,” said the general counsel. “It says simply that Brother Bohnet is willing to sell it at that price. It is purely a donation sale, for the benefit of the society, and those who buy at the price quoted, do so with the understanding and the idea that they are voluntarily giving aid to the society. I might place high value upon worthless forniture [sic] if I wished to, and if people wanted to buy at the price I named they could do so if they wished, though I made no claims that the furniture had any real value beyond that of ordinary furniture.” Although Brother Bohnet is not a member of the society, according to the “general counsel,” it is a fact that he finds time between tending his “miracle” wheat on his Ohio farm, to lecture before Bible classes. Brother Bohnet just now is lecturing out in Washington or Canada. Brother Dockey is not sure just which. So this one article tells us: 1) That it was easy to know that this was extremely overpriced. 2) That the Society received around $3.7M in 2016 dollars in 1911 3) That any person who knew anything about wheat would know this wasn't really "miraculous". If it was, then more people would know about it. 4) They were already planning for failure, "you didn't read the fine print". 5) Rutherford called himself "general counsel", not "judge", was prideful, and possibly knew they were selling worthless things at a high price.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 24, 1911

Amazon has perfected disrupting industries as the ultimate side hustle (it was between that and babysitting). And now, it’s testing delivery services in Los Angeles, positioning itself to undercut FedEx and UPS. The service, dubbed “Shipping with Amazon,” is offering business-to-door delivery for the companyÂ’s third-party merchants (read: sellers on Amazon). Although, it hopes to cover all types of businesses as it expands beyond LA. Naturally—like any other Amazon announcement—it sent UPSÂ’ and FedExÂ’s stocks tumbling.  And while we shouldnÂ’t be shocked by that...well...weÂ’re still kind of shocked  Amazon has seemingly entered “invincible” status, where a simple announcement is enough to cripple future competitors. Remember groceries: Its acquisition of Whole Foods intitially wiped out a combined $12 billion in market cap from six competitors. And health care: Securing pharmacy licenses in 12 states was enough to send some pharmacy stocks down 10%. Or what about AmazonÂ’s new partnership with JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway, when insurance providers faced a similar fate. Then there was Best Buy: Amazon announced a Geek Squad competitor, sending the stock down 7% immediately. The point is, as famed tech observer Scott Galloway puts it—in a truly capitalist economy, one company shouldnÂ’t hold such market-moving power.  That said, FedEx says bring it on...  ...by calling attention to a video showing just what Amazon is up against: And while it took FedEx multiple decades to build up this infrastructure, Amazon feels ready to tackle the challenge. ItÂ… Already offers delivery for some of its own products in 37 U.S. cities Leased 40 aircrafts Has a framework for in-home delivery Offers ocean freight Has a patent on a blimp-like cargo hub Expects to be able to undercut the industry in pricing The bottom line: No company should be big enough to move markets, but in AmazonÂ’s case, there might be a reason for it. http://morningbrew.cmail20.com/t/j-l-bxlkkt-yhyuhjkhdk-p/

In recent years, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have pushed their propaganda via annual conventions taking place in multiple locations around the country. Leaders have created high-quality films to show at these events, intended to teach a moral lesson from the faith. But those lessons often teach believers to shun family members who think for themselves, refuse blood transfusions even if your life is at risk, and stay faithful to God even when your life involves disaster after disaster. So what’s in store for 2018? JW watchdog Lloyd Evans received copies of this year’s videos from someone on the inside of the organization, and he’s released them to the public so you can see how the organization plans to further manipulate its members. The 2018 “Be Courageous” convention program hasn’t even been released on JW.org yet, but months before the first events are due to start we already have reason to expect similarly jaw-dropping material thanks to an unprecedented leak of unfinished convention video files to JWsurvey.org, complete with timers and greenscreen. Six videos have been sent to JWsurvey by a Watchtower insider, apparently intended for a symposium designed to remind Witnesses of the need to show courage… So what do these six videos teach? 1) That your coworkers may want you to get politically active, but you must have the courage to say no! Watchtower needs to make Witnesses fearful and paranoid about Satan’s world by convincing them that “worldly” people are thuggish, threatening and unyielding (unlike Jehovah’s organization, which separates people from their families for disagreeing with the leaders), and the story of Mark, dreamt up by their Writing Department, well serves this purpose. 2) That LGBTQ allies may want you to show your support, but you must have the courage to say no! Or else they’ll get shrill and angry. Having failed to persuade anyone that Jehovah’s Witnesses have the right to tell gays and lesbians whom they may or may not love, or how they may or may not express their love, an exasperated Watchtower has resorted to this shabby attempt at portraying allies of the LGBTQ community as sneering, hostile and confrontational — precisely the attitude that Watchtower itself exhibits against gays and lesbians through its publications. 3) That strangers may not enjoy your proselytizing, but you must have the courage to tell them they’re doomed if they don’t agree with you! … Next time she struggles with apprehension at the prospect of ambushing people she doesn’t know with a message that amounts to “believe as I do, or be killed,” she must mutter the mantra “pray, hope in Jehovah, and act.” (Please take a moment to write that down if it seems too complicated.) 4) That your religious leaders may give you irrational instructions, but you must have the courage to obey! It is hard to conceive of more Orwellian, Jonestown-inducing ideology than this. Eight million Jehovah’s Witnesses were told that any instructions from Watchtower must be obeyed regardless of whether they can be logically justified! 5) That Armageddon will come, but you must have the courage to ignore the implications of Jehovah’s mass genocide! … Millions of children will be subjected to this highly manipulative video propaganda that normalizes global genocide. It is one thing to relish such grisly, psychotic thoughts as an adult, but to gleefully thrust them on young minds is unforgivable. 6) That when you’re doubting your ability to adequately perform the free labor the Witnesses require, you must have the courage to do it anyway! I’m sure many in the convention audience will identify with Philip. Witness indoctrination creates a state of “learned helplessness” in which you become totally reliant on the organization; doubting your own abilities and fearful of what would happen to you if left to fend for yourself. … The amount of brainwashing that occurs in these cults is incredible. But maybe if the first exposure to these videos that JWs have is not through their annual conventions, but through people like Lloyd Evans, they’re get a chance to consider the suggestions from a critical perspective instead of having it spoon-fed to them by people in positions of power. Read more at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2018/02/12/these-jehovahs-witness-2018-be-courageous-propaganda-videos-are-disturbing/#d3lpcdAbUkv15KfY.99