I have been posting here for 5yrs. I never read this article. I am ashamed of my past relationship with the Way....This is so sad and so pathetic......How in the h*ll can one justify staying in.....Its blasphamy.....the absolute worst. I cannot think right..my emotions have gone arry and I will pull it together soon.......
Driven to Suicide - by Catcup
Note of explanation: Tom Mitchell's widow is none other than recently remarried Ramona (Hannig) Bidon - a named defendant in the Allen lawsuit and sex partner of Craig Martindale for many years.
Tom Mitchell served on staff in the Safety Department at TWI HQ in 1995. Rather abruptly, Tom decided to leave staff and convinced his wife Ramona (Mitchell Bidon Hannig) to come with him.
Craig Martindale became aware during a leader's meeting he was conducting, that Tom and Ramona were leaving. Martindale reportedly became quite alarmed. In the middle of this meeting, in front of a room full of assembled top leadership who witnessed this, Martindale allegedly requested Bill Greene to immediately go out and STOP Ramona from leaving HQ with her husband. It is reported he said something to Greene to the effect of "Tell her I want to see her.. You make sure she doesn't go anywhere... You married her, you have entrée into her life, she will listen to you", basically, Martindale told Greene not to let her leave grounds.
Ramona did not leave HQ grounds that day. Tom left HQ alone.
Take it however you will, but it has been reported that Ramona confided to others that she spent that afternoon with Martindale having sex in his motor coach.
Within 12 - 24 hours of this incident (precise time frame uncertain), Tom Mitchell, obviously terribly horrified and distraught, went out into the back yard of his parents' home and shot himself in the head.
When Martindale was made aware that Mitchell had committed suicide, he was enraged. He went off on a group of in resident WC who reported that he was angrier than they had ever seen him - going so far as to threaten them physically and challenging any of them to take him on in a physical fight.
During a Corps meeting, Martindale bragged to the Way Corps that it was his intervention that probably saved Ramona's life, and slandered her dead husband by insinuating that had Ramona left HQ with her husband, that Tom would have shot her too.
I don't buy Martindale's "cover story". Not for a New York second.
I have a few questions.
What was it that caused Tom Mitchell to want to leave HQ so abruptly and beg his wife to accompany him?
Why was it so important to Martindale to keep Ramona and let her husband go?
What was Martindale's relationship with Ramona just prior to Tom wanting to leave?
Why was it sooooooo urgent that Ramona not leave HQ?
What happened to Tom to so totally devastate and confuse him that he would take his own life?
It is reported by a fellow GreaseSpot poster that immediately prior to walking out into the backyard with that pistol, that Tom phoned him and lamented "I just cannot compete with him (LCM) anymore!"
And why was it Martindale was so angry regarding the attention this suicide garnered? I wonder what it was Ol' Craigger was afraid would come to light if they had both gotten out of HQ that day.
Was Tom driven to suicide? Apparently so. I wonder why?
What is suspiciously absent in this incident is the expression of any concern whatsoever from Martindale for Tom Mitchell. Rather, he appeared desperately distraught over the news that Ramona might leave. Does it bother anyone else, that upon hearing that Tom was leaving HQ, that LCM did not show any concern over Tom or what issues he may have had? I mean, here is a man, who for all practical purposes loved his job. He loved being in The Way corps. He loved being on staff. Then suddenly, out of the blue, he wants to leave? That situation begs to have someone go to TOM immediately and find out what happened to cause him to so suddenly want to leave. However, according to reports of Martindale's reaction, there seems to be an utter disregard for Tom himself.
Why, in that leaders meeting, do we not have anyone telling us how concerned Martindale was that this man who was obviously in a trusted position, and outwardly appeared so happy, abruptly wants to bolt? Why don't we hear Martindale instructing Bill Greene to stop Tom, saying "Tell Tom I really want to talk to him. I want to hear him explain to me what is going on, why he so suddenly wants to leave?" Obviously, he should have been concerned about Tom. Why wasn't he?
I think the striking absence of concern for Tom is alarming in this situation. Instead, Martindale appears to have only been concerned that his piece of tail was about to run away.
TWI teaches that only the weak and devil-possessed commit suicide. It is common for those who have succumbed, to be loudly and roundly defamed by name from the pulpit by Martindale , as being mentally weak and spiritual cowards. Martindale so vehemently defames and slanders the names of such people so as to eliminate any memory of the good these people have ever
done.
Martindale went so far as to claim that had he allowed Ramona to accompany her husband when he left, that Tom would have MURDERED her. Martindale accused this man, who could not defend himself from the grave, of plotting his own wife's MURDER. This accusation, Martindale leveled against a man who just weeks earlier would have laid down his own life in order to protect him.
One believer related how cold and harsh and uncaring Ramona appeared just days after her husband's death. To this day, when Ramona speaks of her late husband, it is said that she speaks of him in the most detestable terms, as being a spineless coward and a spiritual weakling. However, from all indications, specifically to those who knew him well, Tom was an exceptionally strong individual, physically, mentally, and spiritually. I believe what happened to Tom testifies to the severity and the depth and the power of the evil that preys upon people in TWI.
I wonder if Martindale feels any shame over this incident? You'd think if he did, he would have changed his behavior. Instead, it appears he just kept right on going without missing a beat or a single night's sleep over it.
Martindale allegedly continued his sexual coercions for FIVE MORE YEARS. It is amazing how he reportedly could go straight from sexually harassing and groping a woman in the piano room in the auditorium to walking right out and teaching a Corps morning.
This man displays neither conscience nor moral compass. He has NEVER expressed true remorse for anything he has done. And just look at what he has left in his wake. Can you imagine that there are still people in that organization who want this man back? I think it is pretty darned important to keep reminding people of just how reprobate he really is.
All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do *nothing*.
Responses from GreaseSpot's Forum:
Washington Weather:
"This is a tragedy........so sad. How can they live with themselves...all of them. It is the only thing to do to bring honor back to a man who died without the love and respect of his peers who were told all kinds of LIES about his death. The few who are alive who knew and loved him are standing up for him... continue to bring Honor and Respect.. to someone who had
it stolen, killed and destroyed."
Maure:
"I cannot imagine the horror of having your husband commit suicide and have your pastor, who has improperly used his position to have sex with you, claim that by doing so he saved your life."
Wayrunner:
"I was told this very same thing by an ex-corp alumni. I was utterly sickened and (disgusted) by such cold hearted filth like LCM. Iwas also told that Tom M. loved being in the corp and that suicide would have never happened had LCM left his wife alone."
FreshAir:
"Amazing... And, Bill Greene............what a waste of his life. How do people like him sleep at night" [/size]
