waysider

By the way.....you DID know he died from cancer (as did Uncle Harry and Don W.) didn't you? I'm sure, being an advanced class grad, you can see the obvious doctrinal problems that created. Oh, and he had some pretty fine classic cars, too. (I rode in the convertible, for whatever that's worth.)

I wish what you're saying is true but, unfortunately it's not. (Except maybe the part about the plane being a turboprop or whatever). As to proof, there are people (lots of them) here who knew Wierwille on a very up-close and personal level, people who regularly rode on those motorcoaches, rode on the airplane, repaired his twighopper, clandestinely, after he crashed it, women who were "personally violated" after he slipped them date rape drugs. Yes, if it's proof you genuinely want, there is really no shortage of it here in the pages of GSC. You might,also, want to pick up a copy of Losing The Way. You can pick up a Kindle copy for less than ten bucks. Or, you can use the search window to find what you want... I have to warn you, though, you might find yourself feeling a bit like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, when Toto pulled back the curtain, revealing the wizard's hoax.

We used to call it "love bombing". It usually lasted just long enough to get you through the foundational class successfully. Then, they would start throttling it back while asking you to help with refreshments, room set-up, flip charts., etc. Little by little, the process ramped up until, eventually, you were no longer supposed to expect any special treatment (pseudo kindness), but rather to usher in a new batch of recruits in like fashion.

I think Wierwille's profit plan was two-fold. In the short term, classes were there to generate an immediate profit. But, that profit doesn't last. Take my own example. I paid $65 to take the foundational class. That $65 didn't go very far. Then, I had to pay to take this class, that class and so on. Again, those fees didn't last. So, the genius of Wierwille's scheme was in the long term profits generated by the ABS, a system that was introduced from the very beginning in PFAL. Yeah, the 65 bucks quickly disappeared but, then I continued to give them my hard earned cash with every paycheck I earned, week after week, month after month, year after year. The class was only a small cog in the money making machine that came to be known as The Way. And, it worked. Wierwille lived like a king...private jet, motorcoaches that he could use for his frequent sexual exploits, fancy motorcycles, expensive hunting and fishing gear, gallons and gallons of booze, expensive hunting and fishing trips..... and the list continues. So much for needs and wants being parallel.

Oh, how I remember those days. Sigh. Things going well in your area? Must be because you're standing on the word. Things not going well in your area? Must be because you're standing on the word. I'm glad those days are behind me. I wouldn't go back for all the tea in.....one of those places that grows a lot of tea.

Ahh.....That's just nuts. nyuck, nyuck, nyuck

Familia was, essentially, our version of Muesli. You can add anything you like to it. Some popular additives are coconut, slivered almonds, currants and cinamon. It seemed, though, that it couldn't be officially considered familia unless it contained an inordinate amount of flax seeds. (Nature's little intestine scrubbers)

That flavor had become mundane so JAL moved on to yet another "flavor of the month". HERE

I scoff at those who say I don't know beans.

Mung bean sprouts were a staple in fellowlaborers. (I always preferred alfalfa.....less bitter and faster growing.)

If you're really ambitious, you can make your own yogurt and brandied fruit.

Was it Dannon Fruit on the Bottom?

Yeah, it went from helping MYSELF, to serving OTHERS. In the early days, that shift happened rapidly......Had the foundational class?...OK, now you're on chair set-up and it's no longer about YOU...Had the TIP/(intermediate class)?...OK, now you're a twig leader and it's no longer about YOU....Had the Advanced Class?...OK, now you're a class instructor or branch leader or whatever...and it's still no longer about YOU. You were instilled with this lofty notion that you were doing something noble, that you were a vital part of something bigger than yourself. Stop thinking about YOURSELF! Maybe that's part of why it's so hard for some people to let go. They still can't come to grips with the reality that we were just puppets in Wierwille's fantasy play, numbered assets in the organization's inventory. We were like spare tractor parts in Wierwille's tool shed. A part breaks? Go to the shed and fetch another. That's the reality. There was nothing intrinsically "noble" about anything we did.

I never go any place where the people on stage outnumber the audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtVRoFqBxbE disclaimer: I'm not suggesting this,literally.

That wouldn't take a village, it would take a stream roller.

He has an an account here. You could send him a P.M. (I don't remember his handle.)

That's the story of my first marriage, in a nutshell.

Last I heard, The Way was sitting on about 56 million dollars in assets. (probably somewhat less, given the current state of the economy) They're supposed to be a charitable organization, according to their 501 status. What are they waiting for??

501 c(3)

It's rather telling (in a pathetic way) that Wierwille knew more about work animals than he knew about human beings.

.....Beware of P.T. Barnum impersonators and Harold Hill wannabe's.

I don't think anyone is really disputing the need to cover business expenses. What has come into question is the motivation involved. Let me state it another way. When I see all these offshoots springing up and offering new material, I don't see someone saying, "I need to charge for my classes". What I see is someone saying, "I need to have classes I can charge for".

It could never happen.....'cause they'd get rebellation...... Cookies would fall out of the great cookie jar in the sky.....There would be so many cookies, the sky would turn back and cover the gas pumps.