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I'll get to this shortly.

TWOO "Show me the money"

Casino Royale Jeffrey Wright Basquiat

THAT certainly was true in my case. WOW was successful but the Corps no way. In fact, I got it from the horses's mouth to go elsewhere, but was too thick-headed to listen. I personally asked VPW what I should do after WOW... he put his arm around me and said "go back home and apply what you learned." Had I done that, it would have saved me much grief!

The idea is that any group that runs a program of "leadership training" should be competent to conduct such a program, and be able to understand the FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITIES that go with that. The way corps was started by vpw. vpw was not a graduate in any leadership programs. He was not a participant in any leadership programs. He was not even in the military. However, he had seen movies about the military. He based his ideas about what this program would involve on movies he saw. He envied the movie generals their ability to tell a recruit "jump" and have the recruit obey automatically. He has no understanding of what training and experience the general had before becoming a general, just what was in the movies. So, once again, vpw pretended he had skills and qualifications he lacked. The first few years of the program made that obvious- he was sort-of throwing things together as he went along. There was no overarching goals for the program's teaching. There was no monthly/weekly breakdown of what was to be taught, let alone HOW. The guiding principles were few enough- the students needed to be obedient and be ready to jump off a cliff if told to do so, the students needed to make sure all of their fees were on time, and all things that twi did in the program were to be done in the cheapest manner possible- FREE if possible. Where a responsible organization would consider candidates for a leadership program ready to make a 4-year commitment to be a valuable commodity in themselves- and pay for the program and deal with them carefully-, twi treated them largely as DISPOSABLE and saw them in terms of what twi could get immediately- money, sex- and in the long term to see them as de facto slaves to twi who would jump off a bridge decades later if told to do so. The "screening" was very perfunctory. What vpw said to lcm when he was unsure about being able to raise the money was pretty much the standard for screening- "YOU CAN STAY AS LONG AS YOUR MONEY HOLDS!" When the people had to get from one place to another, a responsible group would have at least an old school bus or a passenger van to move them. No, that costs money. They were told to HITCH-HIKE, and even students raped or killed while hitch-hiking didn't get them to change that policy. (Decades later, the lawyers forced them to change things. How despicable is your religious organization if even the LAWYERS think you're irresponsible?) So, in twi, if you were a stranger, you were pressured to attend twig. If you attended twig, you were pressured to take pfal. If you took pfal, you were pressured to take the Intermediate class. If you took it, you were pressured to take the Advanced class. If you took it, you were pressured to go wow. If you did, you were pressured to go way corps. You were always being leaned on to go further- and to always remember to give twi lots of money. Everything twi did/does was/is at retail prices. They printed books in house- you paid as if you bought them at B & N. They produced tapes in house on the cheapest grade available- you paid as if you bought them from a commercial store. And the TYPES of donations! You were expected to pay 10% for even the least attention from GOD ALMIGHTY. That went up to 15% and even 20% under lcm. Above that was 'abundant sharing'- and that was expected regularly, above the other amount. twi also had the nerve to make up something else. They said to "plurality give." This didn't mean to donate extras of things. This meant to calculate how much you needed to live on- with no luxuries, no investments, no savings at all- then hand over all the rest of it to twi. Ever hear of another group with the nerve to demand that? But the screening to enter any program was largely "confirm the limb leader didn't think you'd get arrested", and "can you pay the fee?" and then you were all set. Many people went into programs that weren't ready or suited for them. A few people had breakdowns or were unstable, and a few people died. twi, naturally, took no responsibility for any of that. So, it should not surprise anyone that women were molested and raped in the way corps and working on staff. It should not surprise anyone that some of them might inflict the same on some males. vpw didn't make it public, but he arranged things to make it easy for him to molest and rape women when he was on grounds. Knowing that, it's not shocking others would follow suit.

This is one of the most disturbing things I’ve heard. I’m so sorry this happened to your mom and you. Has your mom sought legal advice? There’s probably a time limit on legal action against them but it wouldn’t hurt to inquire. And may I ask which family corps you were in?

So sorry this happened. It's beyond disturbing that they call themselves a Christian organization.

In a different thread, I talked about a situation I had with a sub parent in Rome City. It reminded me of another sub parent story that really upset me and to this day I fail to see the logic that TWI used in this situation. My mother was from The Bronx. She had zero camping our “outdoor life” experience. She was also chubby and not in great shape. While she was on LEAD, someone told her to go back to base camp to retrieve something. She told the LEAD coordinator that she didn’t know how to get back to base camp. She was told to take a left at the Gambel Oak. She had no idea what that meant and was yelled at when she said so. Someone told her to “Ask God”. She was afraid to reply so she went on her way and proceeded to walk off the side of a mountain and she broke her back. To this day she has trouble walking. This should have been a lawsuit as her life was never the same after this. She limps and has a lot of pain and was not allowed to see a doctor. As a result, her spine healed incorrectly and vertebrae are permanently fused together. That’s bad enough but it gets worse. She was driven back to Rome City and was “reproved” for failing LEAD and was told she might not graduate. When she got back to Rome City, she was bed bound but was placed in a remote room far away from her actual bed. They basically stashed her in an attic. I had no idea that she had fallen, no clue that she had hurt herself and no one told me she was back. I was living life thinking she was in Colorado on LEAD and my sub parent was in on the charade. She was home for a week before someone let it slip that she was home. I still have no idea why someone thought it would be a good idea to literally hide my mother from me. When I asked leadership about it, I was told that she had a failure in her believing that opened her up to the adversary and that he caused her to fall. They said they didn't want her to see me until she was "ready". It turned out she had been asking for me the whole time. I cannot believe I stayed after this, but I was a child and so I did.

I "lost my virginity" at age 11. AGE ELEVEN. To a 19 year woman who was in the Corps. She was my "sub parent" while my mother was on light bearers. This woman was not at all mature or "ready" to be in a "leadership" training like The Way Corps. Not sure who thought she was a good idea. This sort of abuse would be clearly tragic if I were a woman. As a boy, I told a few adults and got a pat on my back "ATTABOY" but mostly no one believed me. An 11 year old is not ready for the responsibility of sex and the ensuing humiliation of me thinking she was now my girlfriend only to have her laugh at me, threaten me and tell me how bad I was in bed. I also spent a few years in my teens being sexually aggressive in an effort to get back to the promise land. It took years of therapy for me to learn healthy attitudes about sex. Recently, I found her on Facebook and sent her a friend request. She is nearly 60 now. First she blocked me. Then she unblocked me and sent a very long apology that was vague as far as admitting her crimes. I don't think she wanted me to have actual evidence. But what she did say is that what she did to me she had done to her and that she didn't know any better and that she was haunted by it. I told her I forgave her then blocked her. I never want to see her face again.

"Gloom, despair, and agony on me! Deep, dark depression, excessive misery!" George

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4 games to 3 to win the 2025 World Series. The Dodgers also won the 2024 World Series! Congratulations.

Josh Brolin Sin City Eva Green George

I've never heard of that one. I suspect that you've heard of the movie in question, though you might not have seen it. Rock Hudson James Doohan Telly Savalas Roddy McDowall Keenan Wynn Barbara Leigh Angie Dickinson John David Carson Joanna Cameron George

The Prince of Tides Nick Nolte Gangster Squad

Okay, thanks for letting me know, George.

All sorts of actors, all in one movie. "Stage Door Canteen??????"

That's it. That's how most of the episodes ended.

Welcome Back, Kotter (?) George

A not unbelievable, but still incorrect, guess. It's actually an older movie. Rock Hudson James Doohan Telly Savalas Roddy McDowall Keenan Wynn Barbara Leigh George

I'm stuck for the next round. FREE POST. Anyone who has one can take this next round. Otherwise, I'll have something eventually.

"Hey, Julie, did I ever tell you about my Uncle...."

Three actors who should never meet, all in the same movie? Presuming George is neither factually incorrect nor insane, my first guess will have to be "Amazon Women on the Moon."

Madeline Kahn What's Up, Doc? Barbra Streisand George

Got the right year, but you moved too far west on the locale. George

Casablanca "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto!" George