rhino

Twig seemed like the answer I wanted My spiritual lack was confronted but then I found out the leaders were louts So I left them an had a lot more fun and they are still full of crap ...

I'm thinkin' the pitcher gets the last choice ... makes more sense to me ... the batter stands up there to bat and THEN the pitcher throws ... so it is he batter that has to keep calling time out, not the pitcher ... he can't call time out forever ... can he? Well Boston and St Lou have had their share ... and Chicago did have the Sox and the Bears and the Bulls ... but the cub fans have been so deprived ... they may need some special law passed for the mental suffering they have endured during the years of drought. Or maybe they could let them hit off a T till they win a championship ... I mean, it has been a century since they won a World Series ...

I'm making my own heaven here on earth .. and you can stay for eternity if you like ... I already described it .. we make our own beer and wine ... all profits are shared fully (like the Chimay monks?)... ummm ... no promises for the after life ... all labor is rewarded in the here and now ... Nirvana is easy .. how do we keep it tax exempt? Grumpy ... jen-o and now I see can work out the details ... I'd prefer to just be the MOG ... exceptit will only be a pseudo position ... like the queen of england ... OK ... get to work you guys ... my our kingdom awaits ye ...

no problem ... I'll bring my own "tent" ... just make sure the drambuie is flowing freely ... We really need to get a petition and exert our "a thor i teeee" ... If we get 5000 signatures and a good lawyer, they will have to submit ... does not good always triumph over evil?

Well Boston did that tea party thang .. so they deserve a few wins ... at least more than the red sox had won .. but every six months may be too much ... perhaps we need a moratorium on Boston championships...these things need to be legislated

I did my ten years plus ... paid my dues, did my time, recruited my quota,gave my 10% 15% ABS, sold some souls to the way corpse borg, ran 20 plus piffles ... don't I get a lifetime invite for my two week annual stay at camp gunnysack? They really need to do right by us .. we the multitude that "made TWI" ... they could just give us 6 months, and they can have six months ... sounds reasonable to me. So someone set that up, and we can figure what activities we want to do for our six months ... Could you get right on that Tom?

Sounds like they were self insured almost ... but I was thinking of way back pre 1986. They maybe got insurance later that covered 80% ... hard to say. Regular check ups would save them money I'd guess ... but at least they encouraged that. I wonder how many labor laws were broken over the years ... or if their lawyers kept them barely legal.

Well the red sox spoiled the sweep ... Cards are a little short in the bullpen ... and on offense for that matter ... still, two out of three ain't bad ...

That's the beauty of living in wonderland ... the cult field is still a pretty wide open market ... no real worldly requirements apply ... just need to find some fresh meat that is as gullible as we were ... and with no internet connection. Still ... sequels are usually a disappointment ...

Well, they had to shine things up a bit ... couldn't just precisely mirror the old TWI that they FINALLY left. The main thing is the money doesn't all go to the trunk. But given that the current leaders were largely part of some of the old guard "bloody" purges ... I wouldn't think they'd be fit to just strike up the band with a few cosmetic changes. But yes they do seem still rather illusive or duplicitous on the new Way Corps thang. They apparently disavow any direct connection, yet link to it and they "trained" the new heir apparent of the family crown. And still no word on just what ministry the new crop of corps will be believing to provide material abundance for. And it seems the new corps doesn't need sponsorship, they just have to give their lives. :unsure: But to be clear, I don't think the new kinder gentler corps will be any better ... and anyone trying to fulfill vp's prohecies of "keeping da wuhrd alive" will live a life of delusion ... and those youngsters will enter their thirities with little to show for their twenties. But with you and Ham on the case, perhaps this thang will abort on the vine ... before more harm is done.

Ha .. yeah ... and that last line ... "I don't care if I never get back" ... well we got our peanuts and didn't get back for ten years ... for many of us. Even though the game lost its appeal for most, after a few years ... it was good theater for a couple innings ... would have been better with more beer in the later innings ... I guess that worked ... as long as those "apostles" kept the image of actually being God's chosen ones. It was basically dictatorship ... and the servants were not treated well. But our odd willingness to "believe" the whole charade kept the thang afloat ...

TWI seems to have had several purges ... but they get rid of the wrong people ... so hard to say what they have now. It took the court system to purge them of one dancing problem ... but others have grown up as replacements. It does seem the new TWI (or at least the new Way Corps group) would respond to questions about their beliefs, if they have nothing to be ashamed of or to hide. TWI and TWI2 could offer a balance sheet ... what are the various salaries and perks ..? I wonder if any of the new splinters reveal finances like most churches do, so the givers know when the trustees are making more than six figures? There seem to be a few improvements with CFF, and not all favor this new corps and many would probably prefer it not reach full term ... but the baby is due in September .... They have a little website ... couldn't they be more forthcoming? If they send the info to you Ham, you would type it up for them and get it on their pages, wouldn't you? Maybe pictures of how the little farm is progressing in their preparations. It could be a neat little place, if they accepted the inspirational ideas Ham has offered.

True ... I'm just thinkin' the only real benefits "the favored elite" got was more attention. Maybe some had free maid service and played the field and got to be bossy, but I wonder if Claudette got paid any more than the average Joe. Did she leave with a pension in hand? I don't know anything about her throat problems, but I can speculate that HQ did not offer major medical or push people to get regular checkups. The story of someone dying in the dorms getting some sort of voodoo treatment would indicate a problem. Most of us would have been better off doing 10-20 years in the military, and we would have done more "good". Some were higher on the pecking order, and some were real peckers, but few walked away with any real scratch. And it seems some are still sending money in to the old farm to support some old hens. (or they could have taught us the way to farm on the way farm ... yes soybeans, wet spring, but beans are up late, not a great stand, first year out of pasture, fingers crossed )

I didn't say you should not be allowed ... This is a site that tells the other side of the story ... so some that were figureheads and public rep's of TWI are looked at a little more closely. It is often good to chop away at the pedestal some of these folks were put on high. Unfortunately, many that were probably decent folks had their worst points amplified in vp's corrupt value system. But some were more ready to demand that special treatment from their "lessers" than others. At the root of the thang though, we were all expendable ... it was a matter of who was doing most for vp at the moment. I'll take excie's word ... Claudette was just another one of the crowd. Being treated a little better on the field or at HQ was certainly still no bed of roses. Living lavishly was not an option for many except the top dogs maybe.

The way corps was supposedly like the "school of the prophets" ... at Tyranus I think? There was a paper on the subject, but I can't think of any direct justification for constant assignments. There were maybe certain times men in the Bible were sent to do certain duties ... but it all seems about control in TWI, looking back on it now. I suppose we were all caught up in this "exciting movement" ... and then we just accepted the whole enchilada ... kinda weird. :blink:

Thanks for that science tidbit Excathedra ... :) I can't directly relate to your level of stress then, but it does seem the constant push to stay in fellowship .. to move the word piffle, may have lead us to some sort of stress induced altered state. I can't figure another good reason why we would accept assignments for so many years. For me it was only my two WOW years and the two in residence years where I went where I was told, but that is a lot. Yes I'm sure you could have been ordained ... but aren't you glad you were not? Better to be unfavored ...

There was no problem there, I didn't disagree with your opinion ... I was adding to your point. I was referring to the posts about "be careful what you say about other people" .. the self appointed moderator type thing. It seems like an attempt to squelch that free speech / open forum type thing. So I expressed my opinion on that ...

Well I wasn't referring to you .. and I don't think you were referring to me ... But she WAS more special ... she was Royal ... but really, she did have a more special position. The leaves on the Way Tree were just to recruit and give money ... she was up in the hierarchy at least a little ... I would guess she got a little better care. I could be kicked out and no one would care much ... but Claudette was an ingrained part of the franchise.

I AM pretty happy ... you just don't perceive that since you are playing the little cartman policeman ... I have that runner's high right now ... out killing weeds, helping my little soybeans compete ... I'll be lean ad mean by the end of summer ... People have different experiences, some may be completely different ... I think they are capable of thinking about what they write and they don't need anyone chastising them ... maybe I just give them more credit than you seem to give them. Oh .. and go Cardinals ... Go Cubbies ...

Or people that feel they need to police others on what they think is acceptable to post or not post ... These were public figures that had influence over many .... some that were not so fair may get a dishonorable mention ... that seems fair enough ... if the prima donnas showed up in town and stepped on the little people, they "made their bed" ... so to speak... If some tell others to shut up .. who cares what they try to tell others to post ... are they the internet conversation police?

4-2 cardinals ... yahooo ... mstar is probably at the game ... and he probably has one of those green shirts

Well ... the Boston green Shirts are up one to zip ... why are the red sox .. green shirts ? I don't see any red on them ... I think they should be disqualified...

Well ... it is interesting to guess about some of those old timers we knew as figureheads ... some were full of themselves ... but any that were ordained by vp as better than the rest are fair game for surmising ... in one sense ... Those that were so set up (as betters) often played the role ... and took advantage of the power ... I have to say I do regard those less highly than the hard working "true believer" that was deceived but did not lord over others by their ill gotten position ... a fine line perhaps... I only know a little of Claudette ... it is sad she had throat problems ... I guess she was caught up in the ego stuff though ... I'd prefer she was still singing for what we all perceived her to be singing for ... and that she was never out touring and partying with the quartet as elite rock stars ... I hope she leaves TWI and does well on her own ... I see those that stay as those that are still drinking ... or doing coke ... they were good at parties .. now I just hope they get out ... life is short ... twi will not provide ... unless you are a trustee Many willingly stepped all over very good people once they were promoted by VP ... I'm not real eager to say they were just victims ... thought that may be partly true ... still, many seemed to like their role as mother superiors ... But any still in are missing out ... as i see it ...

I called the library to satisfy my curiosity ... and yes, the glass floor was in the stacks, directly behind the desk as you walked in. I'm still not sure what was up those stairs on the south side ... I imagine the stacks had those little metal library stairs to go up ... though maybe it was accessible from the other stairs as well. Divine design used to work out of the basement when I was there.

Happy Birthday Doojable ... hope you have some fun today ... Maybe you'll get new shoes ...