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In Emporia Kansas Wierwille Library was used quite extensively even though there weren't any books in it. I spent many days and nights listening to the droning from the Bully Pulpit from "Top Floor Wierwille". Conversely the building that actually had books, Owens Library, was never used. The books were never even categorized. Anyone else ever wonder about the ghost of the building called "Owens Library?"

We were in a major shopping plaza and they recognized us. We (and they) were happy to see one another. The 4 of us were always good friends while we were in. We talked a while. They are still in.....and what we've been told about a kinder gentler organization seems to be true. They rattled off at least a dozen names of people we knew or at the very least knew of.....and these folks went back in the past year or so. Apparently there is no more Mark and Avoid. Out of curiosity I asked what they knew about the '98 Advanced Class fiasco and they said the young corp couple had no business disrupting the Advanced Class and so it was good that they were eventually found out and sent home. (They were never told that that couple was our kids) We were encouraged to go back (of course) and one of the reasons is that at the October anniversary, we could get a plaque recognizing our previous 20 years. All we had to do was call the limb coordinator and "voila". It was nearly impossible for me to keep the contents of my stomach where it belonged. After we said goodbye and went on our way.....I started crying, not huge sobs....but a huge sadness that these folks would slide back into this really slimy group. I guess it's easier than thinking for yourself, and the comfort of the '70's and early 80's was a soft comfy cocoon (at least in one's memory). We may have a whole lot of work to do to try to pry this group loose, although it may be futile.

Like in corporate America or politics, the splinter group top man position comes with lots of perks. Sure, there is the obvious adulation and a cushy desk job.....but the bigger the "sphere of their reach," the more their travel excursions and petty cash accounts get blurred, mixing "business" with pleasure. Maybe, just maybe......there are a few honest leaders out there (cough, cough), but I am rather skeptical since the wierwille legacy left us in a wake of exploitation and destruction. If there is "growing work in California" (and the group is headquartered in Michigan)......well, it sure is nice to go visit the "believers" in California, ESPECIALLY IN FEBRUARY. Or, if there is a "nibble of interest" in South Carolina.....well, maybe they should travel to Myrtle Beach just to check it out?? Heck......wierwille went traveling all over.....deer hunting, elk hunting, motorcycle riding in canada, indianapolis 500 races, etc. on twi's expense. Nice gig with no accountability. And, all these splinter groups (100? or more???).....all these ex-corps leaders are made in the image of wierwille? So.....hypothetically, what if the top guy's salary is $55,000 a year. What else? ...1) All hotel/motel expenses paid ...2) All meals/snacks/drinks expenses paid ...3) All gas and/or mileage reimbursement ...4) Possibly, a "ministry" car to use....(errands/grocery trips/soccer practise of kids) ...5) All phone/utilities/office supplies....."ministry" expense ...6) All meals during a conference weekend ...7) Petty cash for overnight guests.....pizza anyone? ...8) Plants for meeting.....later, go to personal use ...9) Extra food/snack/ from conference luncheon....go to personal refrigerator ...10) Etc. Etc. Etc. No......$55,000 may not seem like much, UNTIL you really look at ALL THE PERKS. Oh, that tax-exempt status is a gift that just keeps on giving!!! Please tell me that this is not happening??????

Maybe you guys know I still live in Dayton, Oh. Occasionally things like work, & visiting my kids' side of family, etc. take me in the vicinity of HQ. This particular time "things" took me right down "Highway 29". Just for grins/nostalgia/curiosity's sake I decided to do a drive by of TWI HQ grounds. I was shocked. They speak of "kindler/gentler" & yes, my encounters with what were once some of my closest friends, "brothers & sisters" from my in-residence days have been "all of the above." However, they just don't seem to see how EVERY encounter with them is the same. Each follows similar bullet points and they never end the encounter without "the close." They "lovingly encourage" you/us to come back, things are better now, so much better. What shocked me though was the deteriorated shape of the grounds themselves. The ROA field is overgrown with, dare I say it, WEEDS. The smooth, pristine blacktop where the largest tent in the world once proudly stood is filled with cracks. The murals are gone from the OSC. Painted over. The circle of exotic trees round the fountain near the Wierwille home - - gone. The whole place wreaks of "bygone days." Per New Knoxville's standards, TWI HQ is a slum. Various units were in differing stages of disrepair. Seems they don't have the manpower, or perhaps they lack the desire to take care of the place - - the international home of what they say is, "God's Ministry." I felt bad for the grass. It deserves better.

My first post in the "New Members" section included me saying that I was thankful for PFAL and Wierwille. It took a few folks who shared their experiences in TWI with me before I could even start to see what TWI was. And it did not take long before my splinter group experience and the conclusions that I saw for myself about the splinter group aided me in seeing that contrary to what I believed before GSC, TWI was rotten and it's rottenness was a direct cause of my former splinters rottenness. But in my splinter it was common to speak highly of Geer and to speak badly of TWI proper and by implication it's current president Rosie. So I have enjoyed this thread because I never even saw a picture of her before I came to GSC and this thread has been informative if nothing else. But I do believe that in whatever particular manner our splinter groups and former splinter groups tie the loyalties of their followers into TWI (No matter which self-promoting former TWI leader we have been taught to honor) that there must need to be deception of some kind behind them in order to maintain our loyalties to TWI. And it is interesting to note that most of these splinter leaders and of course TWI's current pres. only seek loyalties to them and must need to disparage and discredit the other group leaders. So if you chose to be loyal to a splinter IMO whether you know it or not you have only succeeded in picking your own poison. Just one more thing, everything that I have seen from Bishop so far has been cool. He's stated how he feels and his TWI perceptions, as I did not so very long ago. And I agree with Wordwolf that he has not been offensive or abusive one little bit. From what I can see his level headed approach to everything on this site so far is something that I can respect and I only wish him the best.

Frankly, I think he's serious. He COULD be joking, but I'm thinking he means what he's typing. The main surprise is that he feels permitted to move freely on the internet and even communicate with us. twi and its offshoots made us forbidden- "monsters dwell there". He's still welcome to participate in discussion with us no matter what his opinions. He certainly hasn't been rude or abusive. Disagreeing politely is fine-strange, but fine.

HHHMMM... Sly yet sometimes buffoonish authoritarian rulers who were incompetant in regards to actually helping people with their positions of authority who ended up being surrounded by buttkissing self centered power hungry yes-men who themselves proved to be even more ruthless, hidden by a false front of respectability and self serving traditions to continue their rule until people got fed up. I think that "czar" does seem to be a better fit in some respects than "nazi". HHHMMM... (edited to remove accidental double posting.)

Remember that lively thread we had a couple years ago about......corps-nazis? Well........the "czar" word is making the rounds these days. And, I came across this: "Others have pointed out that having offices called "czars" is an odd naming choice for a democracy. But czars weren't just authoritarians. They were ultimately authoritarians who left their country far poorer than their more democratic counterparts, lost a world war, and of course paved the way for an even worse system of government. The label "czar" thus doesn't historically connect to a model of strongman effectiveness -- it connects to a model of strongman failure." Maybe....some of you non-corps saw it that way too when corps left your areas far worse when they left for another corps assignment????????

The choreography and gayness of the music is yet not healed....

Thanks Mark! I just read through them -- very helpful. I remember now, though I feel nauseous.

Damn. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/arts/music/17travers.html?_r=2&hp

Well larks have very small brains... These guys look happy too

We call those people "TRUST-A-FARIANS"

Something that usually annoyed me about "ministry" themes was that everything had to be jammed into them. If the theme was "Living Sanctified" no matter what you were teaching about had to have the word "sanctified" in there somewhere. You still heard the same insipid teachings every year, they just used different terminology: Sanctified in Outreach Living Abundantly in Outreach God's Sufficiency in Outreach Prevailing in Outreach Outreach: The Way of Holiness Ambassadors for Christ in Outreach ad nauseum... All the same teaching. Then of course the important sounding "research" into Greek words that accompanied each new theme with Way Corps who could barely speak proper English lecturing us on Greek words.

No, Groucho, but you can take things the wrong way if you wish. It's your right (or wrong). I think we can be likeminded that whatever TWI is preaching about it...is probably wrong. And that we would both like to rescue anyone still "in." If you want to debate anything else raised in your post - see you in Doctrinal.

but we do have a pretty good idea of what unrepentant predators do, huh?

Take her to the vet do not pass go do not collect 200 $ she has a urinary infection. They will give her antibiotics and she will get better (((Hugs)) to you and her poor little poppet.. Regarding the wet food. I have spent a lot of time getting Little One to switch to wet food with the eventual goal of getting them onto a raw diet if possible Little one is my "I will only eat dry" she is quite overweight and risks diabetes. so here is what I did to start with I mixed wet and dry for a while .. go slowly. more and more wet.. when she is eating this regularly remove the dry food completely from the house. then gradually add the raw meat in., if you should choose to go raw. Listen do not wait to take kitty to the vet for the pee issue it can kill your kitty. and stop feeding the dry food as soon as possible. Here is an excellent site with info on switching to fully wet food and why Cat Info Web site By the way the site is written by a Veterinarian. Edited to add it took a little over two weeks to get Little one to eat just canned.. she is doing well and has lost almost a lb so far and her hair balls are less. I hope to see that eventually go down as we move on to a partial raw diet.

I think RR did a lot of good considering the situation. She took charge of a cult full of people who had been psychologically/sexually abused and turned it into a positive thinking cult. Now these people can live a meaningful and harmless life. I think shes RELATIVELY good.

Here's the literal according to actual ab-usage. Living the TWI Way: Making your ABS our Sufficiency

Well, the girlies are really settling well, with going out. Tuxy loves to be outside but she stays nicely in the garden, and more or less comes when called. If she want to go out she has taken to yelling at me and looking meaningfully at the door. Crypto is as often to be found inside as out. She goes out for a while then comes back in and stays in. But today she had an adventure. She must have slipped out without my realising. I was pottering about the house for some time (hours) - went downstairs, and there was this miaow, quite loud, from outside. I looked out and there was Crypto, with an anxious look on her face. When I let her in, she ran all around, and is skulking behind furniture. Perhaps she thinks she is in bad books. They seem to be behaving a little better towards each other. Crypto's temporary aggression seems to have settled down. They both come to me much more for a little fondle. That's quite satisfying. They (Tuxy in particulary) like to be near me when I work in the garden. They like eating my lawn. I am wondering if I can train them - like sheep. Grazing cats, LOL! I am not sure if they have discovered the joys of soil (real soil) for excretory purposes. I don't see any little piles of earth in the garden. Plenty in the litter tray (!). I'm almost getting the cats I want...if only they would consent to sit on my lap!