i also (sort of kind of) remember the founding president of the way international (ooh ahh) going to the presidential inaugural ball or something. can't remember if it was a bunch of nonsense (ohmygod, could that be?) or if he threw a tantrum about it -- anyone else not as foggy as i ?
i also (sort of kind of) remember the founding president of the way international (ooh ahh) going to the presidential inaugural ball or something. can't remember if it was a bunch of nonsense (ohmygod, could that be?) or if he threw a tantrum about it -- anyone else not as foggy as i ?
" In 1981, Wierwille obtained an invitation to one of the events of Ronald Reagan's inauguration, and word filtered down through the ministry that Wierwille had access to the president himself. Word had it that Reagan was a "believer", and since the word was used exclusively of Way members, some took this to mean that Reagan was catually a follower of The Way. As evidence, the proponents of this theory would say "Have you ever seen Ronald Reagan going to church?"
In a Jan. 1981 newsletter to Ohio believers, state leader Bob Mirabito wrote: "Dr. Wierwille has personally been invited by President-Elect Ronald Reagan to the Inauguration Ball this January 20th. It is not one of the sattelite balls. There will be only 1,000 people in attendance".
A spokesman for Reagan's Inaugural Committee, speaking to the Empria Gazette, scoffed at rports that Reagan had personally invited Wierwille to anything. "He would not have been invited by President Reagan and ended up in the same computer lists as the 175,000 others" said committee spokesman Bob Billings.
Billings said that there was no ball with only 1,000 people, and that with roughly 43,000 people attending about nine balls, the average attendance was closer to 5,000. Noting that invitations were handed out on request, Billings also said his office had extended an ivitation to a man who identified himself as "King of the Gypsies", and claimed to represent a union of practicing Gypsies.
On Feb. 9, 1981, Kansas Senator Bob Dole, future Republican presidential nominee, wrote in answer to an inquiry from Herb Diamond: "I realize that there has been a great deal of concern about the participation of Victor Paul Wierwille, leader of THe WAy, in the recent Inaugural activities. I want to assure you that Mr. Wierwille's presence was as a private citizen and not an official guest. It seems that the invitation to Mr. Wierwille came as a result of a routine phone request to a congressional office that a V.P. Wierwille attend an Inaugural event. Whoever took the phone message did not recognize the name, and so it was passed on along with other such requests..His presence in Washington in no way represents any kind of official recognition of him or his organization by the Administration.
quoted from The Cult That Snapped by Karl Kahler, p 124-125"
Billings also said his office had extended an ivitation to a man who identified himself as "King of the Gypsies", and claimed to represent a union of practicing Gypsies.
I wonder if they put Drambuie Vic next to the King of the Gypsies at the same table...
You might be thinking of Sen. Hayes Gahagan from Maine. I remember TWI actually got in some trouble over that (about the same time frame you are remembering - mid 70's) - to answer both you and ChasUFarley's layer post. Drambuie Vic organized what he called POWOWs (political WOWs). They were sent to Maine to hand out electioneering materials. TWI got in trouble for a) alleged block voting and b) some kind of improper involvement in the national election process. They got in trouble again later in Emporia when the campus was a voting site and all of the tallies were identical - Might have been for the Carter election. Vic never openly endorsed Carter but simply said at a Corps meeting - "I like the guy...he's a Christian." Of course if Vic liked him you voted for him...how subtle...how wayish...
I don't know how much trouble there actually was, but there WAS talk of block voting allegations when the 9th corps was in residence for its first year. That was the year that Nancy Landon Kassebaum was first elected to the US Senate from Kansas. I don't remember what the narrative was, but I do remember we were encouraged to vote for her, but the words spoken about Bob Dole were not so kind. He apparently had some problem with religious freedom, or so it was said. Dole, however, was not standing for reelection that year.
For those who do not recall, Ms. Kassebaum WAS a republican.
In the case of block voting I don't care if the person is republican, democrat, green, independent, libertarian or American communist party...block voting is illegal and TWI practiced it in some subtle ways. The reference I made to the problems at Emporia where when I was there - didn't know the 9th corps had more allegations later - but thanks for adding more to the fine history of TWI's machinations.
edited for clarification
Let me clarify a bit - yes I know that most fundamentalist christian groups tend to vote very conservatively - i.e. often republican if you discount the southern Dixiecrats - my point is not partisan - it is that block voting is wrong period. My comment about Carter in a previous post was based on actually being in the meeting - odd thing is that victoid "told us" to vote for Carter but four years later considered him the next best thing to the anti-christ...typical
I don't know how much trouble there actually was, but there WAS talk of block voting allegations when the 9th corps was in residence for its first year.
For those who do not recall, Ms. Kassebaum WAS a republican.
Let me clarify a bit - yes I know that most fundamentalist christian groups tend to vote very conservatively - i.e. often republican if you discount the southern Dixiecrats -
The Southern Dixiecrats were conservative.
They were brought over to the Republican Party largely by the "Southern Strategy" of Harry Dent, the godfather of Karl Rove and Lee Atwater. Strom Thurmond would bean example. I believe Jese Helms was also a Dixiecrat.
Dent died about a year or so ago.
Harry Dent is largely forgotten in politics, but to comprehend what took place and the growth of modern conservatism, one needs to understand Dent and the critical role he played in the Republican Party breaking into the "Solid South."
The Dixiecrats were a solidly conservative bunch with racist views that made them eventual outcasts from the Democratic Party, but the GOP welcomed them with open arms because then they were abl to expand to the extent they have today in my beloved Dixie...
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excathedra
i also (sort of kind of) remember the founding president of the way international (ooh ahh) going to the presidential inaugural ball or something. can't remember if it was a bunch of nonsense (ohmygod, could that be?) or if he threw a tantrum about it -- anyone else not as foggy as i ?
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WordWolf
http://www.greasespotcafe.com/ipb/index.ph...=0&p=140229
" In 1981, Wierwille obtained an invitation to one of the events of Ronald Reagan's inauguration, and word filtered down through the ministry that Wierwille had access to the president himself. Word had it that Reagan was a "believer", and since the word was used exclusively of Way members, some took this to mean that Reagan was catually a follower of The Way. As evidence, the proponents of this theory would say "Have you ever seen Ronald Reagan going to church?"
In a Jan. 1981 newsletter to Ohio believers, state leader Bob Mirabito wrote: "Dr. Wierwille has personally been invited by President-Elect Ronald Reagan to the Inauguration Ball this January 20th. It is not one of the sattelite balls. There will be only 1,000 people in attendance".
A spokesman for Reagan's Inaugural Committee, speaking to the Empria Gazette, scoffed at rports that Reagan had personally invited Wierwille to anything. "He would not have been invited by President Reagan and ended up in the same computer lists as the 175,000 others" said committee spokesman Bob Billings.
Billings said that there was no ball with only 1,000 people, and that with roughly 43,000 people attending about nine balls, the average attendance was closer to 5,000. Noting that invitations were handed out on request, Billings also said his office had extended an ivitation to a man who identified himself as "King of the Gypsies", and claimed to represent a union of practicing Gypsies.
On Feb. 9, 1981, Kansas Senator Bob Dole, future Republican presidential nominee, wrote in answer to an inquiry from Herb Diamond: "I realize that there has been a great deal of concern about the participation of Victor Paul Wierwille, leader of THe WAy, in the recent Inaugural activities. I want to assure you that Mr. Wierwille's presence was as a private citizen and not an official guest. It seems that the invitation to Mr. Wierwille came as a result of a routine phone request to a congressional office that a V.P. Wierwille attend an Inaugural event. Whoever took the phone message did not recognize the name, and so it was passed on along with other such requests..His presence in Washington in no way represents any kind of official recognition of him or his organization by the Administration.
quoted from The Cult That Snapped by Karl Kahler, p 124-125"
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geisha779
Can you imagine TWI ecouraging anyone to vote for someone named Barack HUSSEIN Obama??
I don't know the current paranoia within Way Walls, but it is not hard to guess who they would not so subtley endorse.
Most evangelicals blindly vote Republican--on one or two issues. Since abortion is one of them, who knows. . .
But, TWI has always leaned -- tilted--swayed right--nearly into fascism--IMHO
. . . . . . . . . . it is no stretch to figure McCain is probably their guy.
Neither candidate can be stupid enough to seek their favor. . . . I hope.
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GrouchoMarxJr
I wonder if they put Drambuie Vic next to the King of the Gypsies at the same table...
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Thomas Loy Bumgarner
Groucho, didn't you realize that VPW secret alias was King of the Gypsies
:unsure: :blink: <_< 
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Rocky
I don't know how much trouble there actually was, but there WAS talk of block voting allegations when the 9th corps was in residence for its first year. That was the year that Nancy Landon Kassebaum was first elected to the US Senate from Kansas. I don't remember what the narrative was, but I do remember we were encouraged to vote for her, but the words spoken about Bob Dole were not so kind. He apparently had some problem with religious freedom, or so it was said. Dole, however, was not standing for reelection that year.
For those who do not recall, Ms. Kassebaum WAS a republican.
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RumRunner
In the case of block voting I don't care if the person is republican, democrat, green, independent, libertarian or American communist party...block voting is illegal and TWI practiced it in some subtle ways. The reference I made to the problems at Emporia where when I was there - didn't know the 9th corps had more allegations later - but thanks for adding more to the fine history of TWI's machinations.
edited for clarification
Let me clarify a bit - yes I know that most fundamentalist christian groups tend to vote very conservatively - i.e. often republican if you discount the southern Dixiecrats - my point is not partisan - it is that block voting is wrong period. My comment about Carter in a previous post was based on actually being in the meeting - odd thing is that victoid "told us" to vote for Carter but four years later considered him the next best thing to the anti-christ...typical
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GrouchoMarxJr
I seem to recall that at the center of this controversy was the IRS threatening to take away twi's tax exemption?
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Deciderator
The Southern Dixiecrats were conservative.
They were brought over to the Republican Party largely by the "Southern Strategy" of Harry Dent, the godfather of Karl Rove and Lee Atwater. Strom Thurmond would bean example. I believe Jese Helms was also a Dixiecrat.
Dent died about a year or so ago.
Harry Dent is largely forgotten in politics, but to comprehend what took place and the growth of modern conservatism, one needs to understand Dent and the critical role he played in the Republican Party breaking into the "Solid South."
The Dixiecrats were a solidly conservative bunch with racist views that made them eventual outcasts from the Democratic Party, but the GOP welcomed them with open arms because then they were abl to expand to the extent they have today in my beloved Dixie...
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