WordWolf

Ok, let's see, a new episode.... Ok, got one.... "I want you to start a new piece... I'd like you to sculpt... music." "Music? Counselor. Music is a collection of acoustic vibrations. How can I reproduce a sound with clay?" "Think of the effects that sounds have on people... the images that music brings to your mind... then give them a form."

Hm. This sounds like when the Enterprise was the first ship to find those previous-century Klingons, who thought the Federation was still at war with the Klingons. I'm trying to remember the title, but I keep getting it confused with some others.

Funny how some songs just pop up like that. I never saw "Little House", but I saw a few episodes of the Andy Griffith Show, and Opie was singing that song once.

Opinions differ on that one. There's allusions that are not precise forensic matches, and THAT's what I'm claiming that was. *rolls eyes*Well, obviously he wasn't the HBP. However, mentions of him and where he keeps hopping off and has to be found keep popping up at peculiar times and locations. Apparently they really WERE coincidences- but a peculiar SET of coincidences. After the "Mark Evans fiasco", we're aware that sometimes there ARE innocent coincidences in the books that have NO other meaning. 1) Not enough time-I expect we'll hear about that at the end of Book 7, presuming they both survive. (Remember, the last chapter will be an Epilogue and "whatever happened to...") 2) Eh, whatever. Didn't feel anything either way. 3) The Dursleys, as JKR said, really crushed his curiousity. I would have asked a LOT more questions. Then again, I'm more like a thoughtful Ravenclaw than a brash Gryffindor. 4) I liked the way Voldy did not appear, but was felt nonetheless. 5) Book 7, of course, will have more to say on this. 6) The Dept of Mysteries studies the great mysteries, the big questions, like Time, the Mind, Space, Death, and Love. Ron was damaged by a "think-tank", obviously. :) I personally wanted to hear any reference to the experience later, however. He was exposed to raw thoughts, and my opinion is that it was a VERY traumatic or watershed experience, even with that potion being administered as an antidote. Doesn't he still have scars from that, physical if not mental?

It will fail miserably. First of all, the growth the FIRST time had almost NOTHING to do with vpw. It had EVERYTHING to do with the Jesus People movement and REAL Christians like J1m D00p, St3v3 H33fn3r, and the others. The youth of the time were ready to hear, and the young leaders of the time demonstrated God's Love and God's Power. Without those 2 things, 99.5% or more of us never would have heard of vpw or twi. Second of all, in the Information Age, it's FAR too easy to find all the problems with twi. Hiding them can't work anymore. And the "followers" can communicate freely with each other, moreso than in twi's heyday. Can't just make people "vanish" anymore. Third of all, many modern churches ARE doing their jobs, and BETTER than twi. twi has little that is more practical, or more resonating, or more useful, or more ingenious, or otherwise "better" than is already out there. The people who came in when they were young probably forgot that vpw warmed himself at fires he didn't build. The people who grew up in twi never had a chance to learn that. So, misinformation is welcome at The Way.

Ok, let's see.... As I see it, Estimated Prophet A) thinks whenever I object to his POSTS, I'm objecting to HIM B) forgiveness of the brethren equals letting them continue harming people without consequence C) confronting evil=bad. Exposing wrongs=bad. Dismissing them =good. The reasons I say this follow, and proceed from the latest post, 3:05pm eastern 3/18. BTW, he seems to be a fan of the word "vile." When I said his position was one of lulling the conscience and going about one's own business rather than act, he referred to that and said "What justifies your vile words towards me Mr Wordwolf? How is that different from the motives that justified all the physical and verbal abuse that you are so outraged at CES for inflicting on people?" There's the "vile" thing, and my words were HARDLY strong ones. Oddly, he can't distinguish between my posts and the screaming sessions of Momentus nor the social stigmatizing of people in ces/stfi- the stuff that killed marriages and humiliated people, in other words, what I'm objecting to. Most people CAN. If one's thinking remains black-and-white, distinguishing between the two is harder. EP also thinks that action NOW-only after a public outcry has FORCED THEIR HAND- qualifies as saying JAL was on top of things all the time. When I said "In other words, John Lynn himself was well aware of the evils in twi (and is now oblivious to evils in ces/stfi even when specifics are brought to him by people who know better), and you consider the evils done by vpw himself, lcm and the trained cadre under vpw as INSIGNIFICANT." he responded with "How can you say John is oblivious when his letter admonished Mark G for missing the mark?" Well, EP, it's because he was ASLEEP AT THE SWITCH for several years of this happening, even to the degree that they interfered to some degree with his own marriage, and saw no need to take action until FORCED TO. I call that "being oblivious." If a traffic cop let traffic zoom past him, running red lights, and there came a public outcry because there were crashes at his post and people crippled, and THEN he got tough with traffic, most people would consider that "BAD." ===== As to what I consider are more serious issues, we disagree greatly. When it comes to the public outcry that FORCED CHANGE, EP would have preferred no one ever spoke up, and no change to have been wrought! "Also, I never said the evils done were insignificant. I simply don't care to focus on that crap." "And you still fail to demonstrate how your attack upon me is any different than the attacks you are so outraged at CES for doing upon insubordinates." Well, EP, I criticized your posts. You put them in public, I disagreed vocally and soundly. I confined myself to their subject, substance and presentation. In ces/stfi, people claimed to speak for God, and declared how people were to live their lives, and savaged the reputations of anyone who didn't fall in line. Most people can distinguish between the two. "They also esteem my 'comprehension skills' in low degree. They've never called me "vile" ." Neither have I-I've criticized your POSTS, and considered the positions that justify them as terrible things, but other than your comprehension skills, I've not criticized YOU. Failing to distinguish between the two justifies my comment that your "comprehension skills" aren't up to scratch. BTW, I made THAT comment when I answered your question, and you immediately asked it a second time. "Would you approve of me reacting to your insults by knocking you on the head with a baseball bat? SHAME on YOU. Is that the instruction in righteosness that your superior comperehension skills have determined?" See, EP, that's black-and-white thinking in action again. You're lumping ALL negative reactions together- be they valid criticisms, public face-to-face humiliations, and physical violence. 1) You weren't insulted, except by the one comment about reading comprehension- which seems, BTW, to have been borne out by the evidence. All the other comments were perfectly valid criticisms, which you are free to discuss rather than dismiss as "insults" -which of course is easier.... 2) You introduced physical violence as a legitimate response to an insult, then attempted to claim that was MY idea. That's poor "debating", let alone "discussing". Then said that was wrong of me to do- "shame on you." But you put those words in my mouth. Shame on YOU for doing so. Can't you face what I REALLY said? Are you only able to address a poor distortion of it? That's the famous "strawman" of debating, as many here know. I expected better than that of you, EP, but at least you're capable of SOME outrage. You don't have a heart of stone. Now all you have to do is correctly identify what should be WORTHY of outrage and direct it THERE. ========== When EP claimed that the evils performed by vpw were not significant, I responded with a laundry list off the top of my head of evils he performed, all of which were dismissed by EP with an offhand comment. I said you considered all of that INSIGNIFICANT. EP replied "NO Sir. But you are now making the bizarre distortions." Actually, EP, that's hardly a distortion when you yourself said "All that evil is fairly minimal when compared to the tremendous Truth that was held forth by Dr W. Likewise John L." You said "FAIRLY MINIMAL." I said "INSIGNIFICANT." That's not "distorting." That's "saying what you didn't want to hear." You replied "...I am in no way de-valuing anyone's life." However, when you claim their hurts (and deaths) were "fairly minimal", you ARE de-valuing them, whether you mean to or not. "I simply ask that you extend the same courtesy towards John Lynn. God grants him mercy. Why don't you?" As I understand it, God's mercy extended towards Jeffrey Dahmer, who sat in prison. I agree with God's mercy, and I agree that he should have sat in prison. I consider your position to be one that confuses forgiveness with inaction, where all possible consequences, all amends, are eliminated, and those shown incompetent for any office are permitted to retain them indefinitely, with a pat on the head and an injunction to do right. I do NOT think Christians are called to do that. Forgive, yes. Permit injustices? Never. I even gave Scriptural documentation of my position. All I'm saying is that lives are saved by Jesus Christ dieing on the Cross in order to redeem them." I agree, and consider that a NON-ISSUE as to actually addressing wrongs of leaders in office. I say God expects us to use our brains and our consciences while we are here. When I pointed out that "you appear remarkably ill-informed as to the proven doctrinal errors in twi at the pen of vpw, and the practical errors he did and taught were perfectly acceptable (if you were in the inner cadre)" you replied "No, I've never been in the inner cadre except for three years as a Twig Coordinator." Let me rephrase that. Those in the inner cadre were taught these performed evils were perfectly acceptable. As to the proven doctrinal errors, almost everyone here knows about them, because that information is easy to find. We've discussed them HERE. Plenty of times. So, you appear remarkably ill-informed on many subjects concerning the errors vpw taught, and the many acts he performed which the Bible roundly condemns (as well as many that it would have had these crimes been current 2000 years ago, and match the pattern of what it DOES condemn). ====================== Here's our two positions reflected nicely. I said "...to the degree that the entire package of twi- excepting the permissiveness and policies I objected to- were all ripped off from other Christians. The entire pfal class was taken straight from the works of other Christians- Leonard, Stiles, Kenyon, Bullinger- with vpw's name added and their names removed. All the early twi books were taken directly from the books of other Christians- with vpw's name added and their names removed. All the later twi books were the work of twi research people- with vpw's name added and their names never mentioned- and not even mentioned by category (as in "the research dept worked on this".)" You replied "Remarkably, I am aware of most of that. It is outrageous that VP actaully behaved so poorly. I simply approve of the ability VPW had to Teach the Word and cause it to live in people's hearts. And I give God the Glory for that." Somehow, I see in this pious answer the same response you gave to the evils vpw did in destroying lives and treating humans like merchandise-because he wanted to. He gets a free pass because God forgave him, and he taught some good Word, and so those he crushed should just move on with their lives, it's really not so bad, suffering now, since we face glory in the future.... Let's ignore the evils he did, since we should be focusing on godly things. Let's never discuss the lives he crushed, since we look to higher ground. If your higher ground, your more noble plane of spirituality, requires I turn a blind eye to the suffering of others, and permit leaders to perform any act with impunity, then I don't want any part of it. I don't want to live there, I could not live there, and I don't see Paul the Apostle or JESUS CHRIST living there, either. Both of them SPOKE UP and MADE CHANGES where they were able. When I said "you seem determined to make THE SAME MISTAKE and give John L a free pass. People's lives were ruined? Some had breakdowns? Some were destroyed by Momentus, "personal prophecies", and ridicule from the pulpit? Oh, that's not important- he's teaching the Doctrine I respect! Ignore the lost and damaged lives. In conclusion, you're reflecting a position of "I got mine-who cares if you suffer?" All the pious posting on the internet can't wipe away a callous heart, nor excuse it." You replied "And what justifies the insults you continue to slap on me?" I say none of that was an insult-it reflects accurately your posts and positions. You WANT JAL to get a free pass. The ruined lives DON'T MATTER when it comes to his office. The reason IS the Doctrine. The damaged lives ARE to be ignored. All of that was phrased piously. And it's callous. You may not LIKE that this is how the average person would see your position, including the average Christian, but that's how it looks from outside of yourself. I noticed that you objected to- without addressing it- my comments that "Lives are STILL being sacrificed at the whims of leadership, and other lives are GLOSSING THAT OVER. I consider that SPIRITUAL DARKNESS. You may consider that something else- like "excusable" or "crap" or "minimal". Jesus cares about ALL Christians- not just the leaders- and would NEVER allow the one lost sheep to be cast aside. He makes sure the lost sheep is found." You agreed to the LAST part, but later objected to what I said once divorcing it from its context. "So calling my heart "calloused" and my words "vile" and I reflect "spiritual darkness" is not an exageration ?" Let's see. Practical response to wrongs being committed? Gloss it over, and soundly condemn those objecting to the suffering. Many would call that "callous" regardless of the context. Yes, I know, you've said you didn't like what Elizabeth suffered. Bravo. You can FEEL. But....................... .......................what does one do when she's on your doorstep? Does one simply give a nurturing speech, feel her pain, then send her home and tell her to do nothing, and leave it to God to handle? Or does one actually advocate DOING SOMETHING before someone else gets hurt? Your recommendations-based on all posts and objections- sound like they'd be the former, while mine would be the latter. (Not that there's no place for healing for her heart, but I would not leave the situation with ONLY that done.) As to claims that what was said was "vile" and "spiritual darkness", well, I explained those before. Giving a free pass to vpw- the rapist, thief, and committer of other crimes- because he can teach a great sermon- most people would call that "vile". Burying the problems to protect a sermonizer who's doing great sermons- most people would call that "dark"- to say the least. Perhaps you can't see that at all. Perhaps you can ONLY see a world divided into healing and nurturing and evil and darkness, and righteous action doesn't exist in your worldview. If that's the case, nothing I can say will make a difference to you. I'm speaking a language to which you don't know the vocabulary. ========================= We DID agree at one point. When I said, "Seems the strength of the meaning of the verses is on the Christian being responsible for NOT SINNING." you replied "I absolutely agree." Personally, I don't see how we can agree on that, based on the posts preceeding this, but I'll accept that at face value. We agree the Christian is supposed to NOT SIN. Then you asked what's probably the question that lies at the crux of our disagreements.... "So what shall be done with the people who do sin?" I think that's worth an entire separate discussion. For now, I say "Hold them responsible for criminal acts they perform, and for carrying out their offices properly. Those who show incompetence in offices should be removed from them so as to minimize harm to the brethren/humanity, those who perform criminal acts should face the legal consequences. Mercy within the legal system is possible, and should be weighed carefully with the public good, and the specifics of the case." It seems you're unlikely to agree with me here. What would your version of that paragraph look like?

*wild swing* "DISASTER"?

Are you saying the movie "THE GODFATHER" is not the only movie with the line "Leave the gun, take the cannoli" in it? Hm. What other movie had gangsters shooting it out and "going to the mattresses"?....

You know, most quotes from "THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW" would have gotten me stuck, but that one's about the only one that would have worked. I once saw that episode, AND wondered-as a kid- about supper ending and dinner being on the way. Which was enough to make me remember the line.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=181062007 =========== Finish or bust - JK Rowling's unlikely message in an Edinburgh hotel room TIM CORNWELL ARTS CORRESPONDENT (tcornwell@scotsman.com) SHE began her journey to literary fame by scribbling in cafés with a baby in a pram at her elbow, while living on benefits. Twelve years and £600 million later, JK Rowling finished her Harry Potter series in a luxury room at one of Scotland's most famous hotels. Click to learn more... And the writer celebrated the completion of the seventh and final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in bizarre fashion, by signing a marble bust in her room. "JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (652) on 11th Jan 2007," she wrote. In the stroke of a marker pen she may have created the most valuable item of Potter memorabilia next to a signed copy of a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The bust was yesterday in the care of Debbie Taylor, general manager, of the Balmoral in Edinburgh. The memorable image of Rowling's first steps on the road to fame is of an impoverished single mother escaping her freezing flat to write for hours in the warmth of a cafe with her baby in a pram beside her. Finding shelter in Edinburgh from a former husband, she would nurse one cup of coffee because she couldn't afford more. Two famous and well-marked venues include Nicolson's restaurant, owned at the time by her brother-in-law and now replaced by a Chinese restaurant. Legend has it that much of the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was written there. She was also a regular at the Elephant House café, on George IV Bridge, writing in long-hand and typing up the work at home on a manual typewriter. The pressures on JK Rowling are very different now. Ten years after she published her first book, her baby daughter, Jessica, is now a teenager, and the concern is to keep a normal life with two other young children and her husband, Dr Neil Murray. There are other Edinburgh cafés where she has written, well after her worldwide fame, keeping their names quiet to discourage tourist traffic. "She has just got into the habit of writing in places other than the house. Writers do need locations other than a bedroom," said a friend. But while Edinburgh residents may respect her privacy, book collectors are not so polite. It has become increasingly difficult for her to be anywhere in public. It remained a mystery yesterday why JK Rowling chose to scrawl on a statue in black marker pen, in an incident that had some hallmarks of a publicity stunt. Her note was reportedly spotted by hotel staff. A spokeswoman for the 188-room Balmoral, where rates run from £290 to £1,575 a night, said: "We can confirm that the author signed a bust, following a recent visit to the hotel." But there are no plans, apparently, to turn the room into a tourist shrine. "It was hotel property. We have many different antique artefacts within the hotel," said the spokeswoman. The bust was believed to be of the Greek god Hermes, not Emperor Hadrian as first thought. A spokesman for the author said: "We can confirm that JK Rowling did write some of the book at the Balmoral last month and did complete the book at that hotel." Rowling announced on Thursday that the seventh and final instalment in the series, which will follow Harry during his final year at Hogwarts, will be published on 21 July. • MANY writers work from home, but regularly go in search of inspiration or escape from the pressures of family life. Sir Walter Scott began his early career as a writer in a summer cottage in Lasswade. Ernest Hemingway wrote anywhere he could. Writer's retreats are always in demand. In the United States, the austere setting of the MacDowell writers' colony in New Hampshire, with 32 its cabin studios, has drawn the likes of Alice Sebold, writer of The Lovely Bones. Author Michel Chabon and his novelist wife Ayelet Waldman are also regular visitors. In Scotland, one well-known writers' retreat is Hawthornden Castle near Roslin, owned by Drue Heinz. Scottish writers who win the Robert Louis Stevenson Award earn two months near the Forest of Foutainebleau, France, where writers and artists from across Europe converge to work. The Isle of Jura whisky distiller, meanwhile, is now offering a month-long fellowship for an established writer to travel to Scotland and write and live on the island at the distillery lodge at Craighouse." ===========

Ahem. Jesus was a Rabbi. He had all the qualifications of the job, which meant he did the work, and had the equivalent of Certification at the time. So, he had the professional qualifications at the time. We know, for example, he had understanding, even at age 12- he REASONED with the scholars at the temple, asking questions, AND ANSWERING. At age 12, he impressed the people present with his skill at both. (Compare that to full adults, whose idea of dialogue isn't "reasoning", it's "we're right and buy our book".) At age 30, he found a precise verse in Isaiah without chapter and verse headings, which means he spent a LOT of time in the Scriptures. We know he UNDERSTOOD them because this is what he did at age 12, and he'd had more than another decade of study since then. So it wasn't just using verses to justify his theology.

I've never heard anything reputed to be his very last words. However, someone reported that, as his days turned to his final hours, that he claimed (or genuinely asserted) that he was thinking over and over, puzzled and trying to figure out where he missed the mark... as in what action he'd taken or skipped taking, such that he was unable to use his magickal believing power to achieve a miracle of healing, thus preventing his own death. If that's true, he either bought into his own myth- and genuinely thought he could do that AND didn't think any of the big sins he committed were wrong, or he was lying to the end. Me, I think it was the former. Since he'd been to Gartmore by then, it's possible cg refilled his head with that stuff before he came home.

Picard, Troi, LaForge, & Data came back from a conference. Yes, it's TIMESCAPE. Your turn.

For those wondering, that's this thread here.... http://www.greasespotcafe.com/ipb/index.ph...c=7363&st=0 Personally, I find this other thread useful for a different look, one from inside, when the cameras weren't rolling... "vp and me in wonderland" http://www.greasespotcafe.com/ipb/index.ph...c=8019&st=0

You mean like when he told JD how God was ok with orgies, and used Scripture to rationalize it? I bet EP missed each time we discussed it so far...

[That's the net result of dismissing all problems WITH this program, its execution, and the "aggressive marketing" categorically-that the program is NEVER to blame, but some OTHER source (the victims conned into taking it) are ALWAYS to blame. (Again, not all people who took it feel they were damaged. Bully for them- I'm addressing the victims.)] [There are degrees and degrees of risk. Leaving one's home contains risks. Blindfolding yourself and running around on the highway contains risks. It's amazing I need to spell this out-again- but the issue is "DO THE BENEFITS OUTWEIGH THE RISKS, and CAN WE ACHEIVE THE BENEFITS WITH FEWER RISKS?"] [However, the response so far has been to sweep the claims of harm under the rug- or just to try to remove any legal responsibility for the harm inflicted from the program that inflicted the harm. If those are my ONLY two choices- and any HEALTHY group would at least CONSIDER the THIRD option of a COMPLETE OVERHAUL- then I'd rather "throw the PROGRAM in the dumpster" than the current ces/stfi approach- which is to throw the PEOPLE in the dumpster.] [And the point I made earlier is that all risk =\= growth. And relabelling damage into "growth" in no way makes it growth. Then again, some will argue ALL experiences = growth, and that means that digging your way out of the rubble of the World Trade Center, or surviving rocket attacks in Iraq as part of a convoy both produce growth. Under that model, Momentus always produces growth. However, in each case, does the growth justify the risks involved?] [What's that behind me? Feels like smoke being blown. I almost miss when people who found me frustrating and a trial actually ADMITTED it and didn't pretend they existed on some more profound spiritual plateau...]

Dick Van Patten Spaceballs John Hurt

Looks like we need another clue or something.

"You can't keep playing Parises Squares like you're twenty-one years old. One of these days you're going to fall and break your neck... and I won't be able to heal that so easily." "Actually... I wasn't playing Parises Squares..." "Mmm... Worf's calisthenic program again..." "No..." "Oh? What were you doing?" "I was trying to feed Spot." "Data's cat?" "I told Data I'd feed it while he was away. All I remember is setting down the food... and then a hissing ball of fur came out of nowhere. I hate cats." "So just as I'm leaving the reception, a Ktarian walks up to me and says... '...So Diane... I understand you're an empath. I'm a very...sensitive man myself. I'm doing a thesis on interspecies mating rituals. Would you care to join me in some empirical research?" "Don't tell me -- Doctor Mizan." "That's right." "He's notorious. But he really is an expert on interspecies mating practices." "Did you help him with his research, Counselor?" "Absolutely not." "But I thought that topic interested you." "Yes... but..." "I'll explain it to you later, Data." "It wasn't any better at the physiognomy workshop. Doctor Vassbinder gave an hour long dissertation on the ionization effect of warp nacelles -- before he realized the topic was supposed to be psychology." "Why didn't somebody tell him?" "There was never an opportunity, never a pause. He just kept talk-ing like he was speak-ing in one in-credibly long, run-on sen-tence... .....It was almost hypnotic." "Geordi -- I believe I have an explanation. According to the plasma conversion sensor, the starboard engine has been in continuous operation for over forty-seven days." "Forty-seven days? Let's take a look at that sensor -- it must be malfunctioning." "I'll check the fuel consumption logs..." "My internal chronometer and the ship's computer are perfectly synchronized. There does not appear to be a temporal discrepancy." "Captain -- I believe his species mistook the artificial singularity, which the Romulans use in their engine, for a natural one... a black hole. They tried to use it as a nest. " "In much the same way that deep sea divers can experience nitrogen narcosis -- you experienced a form of temporal narcosis." "I have boiled the same amount of water in this kettle sixty-two times. In some cases, I ignored the kettle. In others, I watched it intently. In every instance, the water reached its boiling point in precisely fifty-one point seven seconds."

"Maury, I am out of control. Yeah, I use drugs. I can do what I waunt, biatch! Yeah, I have sex, and I don't use protection!" Cartman getting on the Maury Povich show. " Don't worry. There are no stupid answers, just stupid people. " Mr Garrison's typical snarkiness. "Do your impersonation of David Caruso's career!" An often-quoted line from the first episode--when Kyle needed Ike to drop into the snow. "You know what? I've learned something today..." Stan at the end of many episodes. Respect my authorit-ay!" Cartman, with one of his most famous lines. "But, I'm a psychic." "No, dude. You're a douche." "I'm not a douche. What if I really believed dead people talk to me?" "Then, you're a STUPID douche." Stan and John Edwards. We discussed this episode on the GSC before. "TIMAH! And the Lords of the Underworld!" Timmy's famous "TIMAH!" and "his" rock-band. "But, ladies and gentlemen of this SUPPOSED jury, I have one final thing I want you to consider. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk. But Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. Now think about it; that does not make sense!" "Dammit!" "What?" "He's using the Chewbacca Defense!" "Why would a Wookiee, an eight-foot tall Wookiee, want to live on Endor, with a bunch of two-foot tall Ewoks? That does not make sense! But more important, you have to ask yourself: What does this have to do with this case? Nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, it has nothing to do with this case! It does not make sense! Look at me. I'm a lawyer defending a major record company, and I'm talkin' about Chewbacca! Does that make sense? Ladies and gentlemen, I am not making any sense! None of this makes sense! And so you have to remember, when you're in that jury room deliberatin' and conjugatin' the Emancipation Proclamation, does it make sense? No! Ladies and gentlemen of this SUPPOSED jury, it does not make sense! If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must acquit! The defense rests." Johnny Cochran and the famous Chewbacca Defense. If you've never seen it, you should catch it off YouTube at some point. It's cited online as a tactic of distraction. "But what if when I'm putting on the nose, the snowman comes to life and tries to kill me?!" "Tweek, when has that ever happened except for that one time?" A reference to one of the aborted pilot episodes, and Tweek is mentioned here. That's the jumpy kid whose dad runs a coffee shop, and drinks loads of coffee. "We have to return the 'Lord of the Rings' to the Two Towers." Their LotR spoof episode, where they took the tape of LotR back to the Two Towers video store. "You want some Cheesy Poofs, too?" "Yeah, I want Cheesy Poofs!" C'mon, where else have you heard of Cheesy Poofs? "You know who I am, don't you?" "Well, you ain't Fiona Apple, and if you ain't Fiona Apple, I don't give a rat's a@$$." I mentioned this once. This is what Officer BarBrady said to Barbra Streisand. "Step one: Steal underpants, Step two: (silence), Step Three: Profit!!!" This was the grand plan of the underwear-stealing gnomes, who only lacked a way to get to the profit stage. It's a catch-phrase in some circles. Go, Raf!

Unmistakeably.

And that's ~3000 in the US, at most-including the children. And there are still adults leaving. And there are still kids leaving when they're of age. And new people are almost impossible to bring in, or especially RETAIN. Small wonder twi's been hiding their numbers. Oh, and the way corps has been graduating classes as big as FIVE MEMBERS lately. And some of them are people forced to retake stuff as a show of loyalty. Sooner or later, each frog eventually notices that the water in the pot is approaching a boil, and some continue to jump ship. Some, of course, will proudly boil rather than leave "God's pot".

I thought that was worth repeating. This was worth repeating, also...