Bumpy

Rhino, that was a nice photo. I've never had a fish tank, too many moves around the planet to carry one with me. But maybe one day I will retire and enjoy the hobby. I hear some of those Japanese fish can get real expensive? I have a salt water swimming pool and the water comes from my wells. Some big bugs live in the rocks, but I think it might also support fish as well, but I haven't tried! Best from Senegal, Bump

FISH...That sounds like a safe enough subject, especially as I have no “fishy” videos with me! This one takes place in Saudi. My little fish story is the aquarium called the Red Sea. Several years ago I was dropped in there for a month or so, but nobody in the business checked the calendar to know it was going to be during the crazy month of Ramadan! As no day time meetings took place (obviously), the day could be spent most of the time diving in the sea! My hotel was about 15 km outside of Jeddah on the Corniche, right on the beach. So everyday my partner and I would get in our tennis shoes and diving equipment and hit the water. The beach stretches out to the water which is about one meter deep for about the first 200 meters, then it drops off like a cliff to various depths. The beauty of the plateau cannot be overstated. It is the most beautiful salt water aquarium you can imagine, with all sorts of coloured fish and coral imaginable. Lots of star fish and white waving fan coral, but a variety of fish you can only imagine. Thousand of clusters of coral each teeming with a variety of beautifully striped and coloured fish, crustaceans and creatures all moving at different speeds and all looking for food and safety. It is one of those experiences you never forget. I think the closest most people get, is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia? My other “fish” story is African. Red Tuna off the barbecue last night. The whole fish weighs in at 5 kilos (12lb), approximately because nobody has a scale. Price Cfa. 3.500 or about $US 6 Dollars. And that’s no Fish Story!

In your second paragraph you say "we didn't affect twi as an organization". Could you clarify that? I thought wc had a major affect on twi as an organization? Other than that, what a terrible way to live! Hats off to those who came out...alive! Best, Bump

Dear Sheriff, Please read again the tone of your posting to me. You accuse me of basically of inciting..."incendiary"... remarks?? Excuse me, but if you're going to play "the boss" here, at least be polite! It wasn't even close to a personal attack when I come to think of it. But if your feeling are hurt, I guess you can "delete" me. Were you by chance a prduct of the Way Corps? Just asking??

Hi Garth, I really didn't analyse it, I just thought it was humerous. If it made you laugh great. If it didn't, I don't know what to say? But I think the issue of "being politically incorrect" has certainly found a home from one little video?

Hi Abigail! Nice to meet you! I once had a cousin named Abigail, but sadly she died. Obviously this should be moved out of the just plain silly department and into the politically serious department one. I tried to start there with my original posting as I think you saw? But then the “thought police” arrived by horse and moved me to the present location. I never wanted to be here. To answer your question...The POINT of the video was an attempt at humor, ok? Some I’m sure laughed some didn’t. Not all jokes are created equal, right! I didn’t make the video and it wasn’t an attempt to burn anyone’s fingers. As I explained later, the video was to be threaded to that dire subject of “Being Politically Correct in Amerika”! Obviously I’m learning that lesson by just having this discussion with you! Anyway Abigail, let’s not start off on the wrong foot with each other. Especially as my wife is a “nice” Jewish girl from mid-town Manhattan! We can go into the political ring and start round one...at the sound of the bell! Actually over here it would be at the sound of the Allah microphone! I’ll even give you the honor of creating the thread and hope many others add some interesting thoughts to it. Bump

To the Sheriff with the “wonderful sense of humor”...You may be the only one who knows it! Did you just fall out of the Way tree and bang your head on the way down?? Your reply gives me the feeling of an ill tempered individual who needs to find a new job. Maybe at the local Zoo! ( I didn’t know Americans watched European news broadcasts, surprise, surprise!!)

Dear Friends, I posted my little “funny” video for two reasons. The first to see if the moderators (wizards because all of a sudden, there they are!!) have a sense of humor? Secondly, I wanted to create a thread with the subject heading, “Being Politically Correct in Amerika”. The reasons are varied, but if I told you that coverage of the Palestinian conflict was reported very differently in Europe than in the United States, would you understand that? I think in general the concept of “raising eyebrows” at a social occasion determines what you are “entitled” to say. Is America’s media biased and if so why? Are the politicians no more than “tools” of lobbyists and big business?? Look at Congress. Is their voting on the Iraq war and troop withdrawal nothing more than a stage for the next presidential election? I think, if you step out of line either at the “cocktail party” or in a political forum, there’s a price to pay? So I guess, that was the reason I didn’t want my little funny to be put into just the funny column. But, I suppose it’s fine there, as long as people don’t become too serious. You never know do you, pawtucket? By the way, have any of you ever had an African stomach bug? Two days now running for buckets of water! Humor is always welcome! Bump

Silly or not, I intended my little posting to remain where it was originally posted. But I guess I need to learn who the "wizards" are behind the curtain of GS! Sound familiar? They play the same games all over "journalism" in Africa! Look at Zimbabwe if you need to. Bump PS, I am not looking for "readership", just to contribute in my own little way! Bump

Before I'm completely "logged off" and censored, I just want to say to the the Highway girl, how well she put together this thread. It was never meant to single out individuals as stated in the opening. I appreciate so much hearing your responses as YOU have been under the twi knife. I admire your thoughts and heart in contributing to so much of what transpired! It's my turn to say, I'm not expressing myself so well! God Bless, Bump!

Seems to me censorship is alive and well at gs! How interesting?

Hobbes is on "vacation" but he sent me a postcard which said..."I guess behind every successful man stands an AMAZED woman!! Your Friend Bumpy!

I appreciate what you are saying regarding separating the individual from “the whole” of the Way Corps experience. I accept that, and my viewpoint isn’t to blame any individual. I just addressed the question of who de-railed that particular thread. Anyway, I would like to move beyond that and ask one question... How far would VP and The Way International have gotten...IF those in the Way Corps, as individuals AND as a collective organization, had not given him (VP), General Nightingale, and those in power, their complete support and allegiance? Obviously some drank from the fountain more than others, but the question still remains? Maybe this doesn’t address directly this thread, but it might be something worth discussing? Bump

Hi Ex...I hope you had a nice weekend? It's getting late here in West Africa. Not too much exciting happened here today. The Allah microphones went off as usual all around the village which really drives me crazy! I ask them why do they worship an Islamic "god" when all they see is poverty. Silence is the usual response. I keep telling them our Christian Lord is much "richer" which is the reason for all the mass migration! Some don't want to hear that!! It's a spiritual battle, right? Hope you liked my Irish joke? Someone told me it's not new, but for me it was and made me laugh! Best from here, Bump

One might test the waters before blindly “jumping in”. Most of us are pretty experienced by now having jumped through the “rings of fire”. Most here at gs, I think are quite skeptical of any group out there on the horizon who claims to know more than “we” have been through. Religious organizations are as fallible as the people who design them. If there is intent to take advantage of the weak, they will do so. If money is the over-riding objective it will manifest itself in how the “plate is passed”. If you have a “need to belong”, you will always be at the bottom of the food chain. Your circumspect walk with God and Jesus Christ will determine I believe the fate that awaits you. What to do with the unfit leaders might be best asked in how we wish to pass judgement. Here in this world or at the final day of “Judgement” when all knees shall bow!? Bump

Better Late than Never...Irish prostitute An Irish daughter had not been home for over 5 years. Upon her return, her father cursed her. Where have ye been all this time? Why did ye not write to us, not even a line? Why didn't ye call? Can ye not understand what ye put yer old mum thru? The girl, crying, replied, "Sniff, sniff....dad....I became a prostitute...." "Ye what!!? Out of here, ye shameless harlot! Sinner! You're a disgrace to this family." "OK, dad-- as ye wish. I just came back to give mum this luxurious fur coat, title deed to a ten bedroom mansion plus a savings certificate for $5 million." "For me little brother, this gold Rolex and for ye daddy, the sparkling new Mercedes limited edition convertible that's parked outside plus a membership to the country club....(takes a breath)....and an invitation for ye all to spend New Years' Eve on board my new yacht in the Riviera, and...." Now what was it ye said ye had become?" says dad. Girl, crying again, "Sniff, sniff....a prostitute dad! Sniff, sniff. "Oh! Be Jesus! Ye scared me half to death, girl! I thought ye said a Protestant. Come here and give yer old man a hug.

Well, to both of you beautiful ladies...you may think of me as being a little harsh in what I write, but that damn corps stole my girlfriend through guilt, phone calls and the usual pressure of why aren't you in Emporia, and she collapsed. That was the end of us and I still feel some pain about it. You may think I'm just ....ed at corps in general, but I'm not. I just think about how far vp and twi went with the support that "corps" added into the equasion. No actually I do have a problem with it all, but not with the Highway girl or any other individual, just with having to put it out here in a rather unprofessional manner. Those people in Norway did not deserve what happened and neither did 99% of the people still here on GS. I'm just still a little angry, especially when I'm here in Africa thinking of those year gone by. Madame Full Circle knows my feelings! Bump

“What I used to fear in der Vey”! If there was one thing which I “feared”, it was the “tin soldiers” coming out of Emporia with their Way Corps Badges proudly displayed at every twig fellowship (especially if they were visiting!), every class you took, every conference you went to, at limb headquarters when they wanted to have a “little chat” with you, branch meetings...etc. Today, they remind me of the tin man in the wizard of oz who is found by the side of the yellow brick road needing a lube job. Back in the good ol’ days when they were so proud of themselves, they could give each other a little “squirt” of encouragement, especially around the jaw area, to keep up appearances. I remember all these superior beings WATCHING me and everyone else, where we were supposed to sit, handing out class materials, meeting and greeting us at the door upon arrival and departure...and then during these events they would disappear into little groups to discuss how things were “spiritually” going! Oh, how the spirit of God was moving in Vic’s Way Corps...!! Well as Icarus fell, so fell too those tiny tin way corps soldiers of days gone by, who were for me as “parrots” of God’s Word. Like the tin man who was searching for a heart, many could not go beyond the biblespeak of Vic’s organization which they professed to be the only “stairway to heaven”! (Notice if you will, it took 4 minutes (or less) for TheHighWay to respond to my posting. That’s Way Corps...don’t be late! So Ms. TheHighWay, I’m not “lumping” you together with the rest of the way corps. You brought it on in post 33 with YOUR attitude. You derailed the thread not I. I just had a fear of people like you while in “der Vey”! So, maybe if you take a little more time before your next response, you will find that like most of the people here, I find GS to be a nice place to spend some time. And from the bottom of my heart I want everyone to make a “full recovery” from all previous disappointments, following those elusive people in the business of selling God’s Word. Amen! Bump PS. This morning arrived my two favorite birds pecking at my bathroom window reminding me to get up! They look like black parrots with red, yellow and white colors around their necks and face, with large beaks. So many beautiful birds here, I wish you could all see them!

That was an easy response, but it is getting late here in West Africa, and I don't really know what you mean by "our, (or your), limited scope"? You have been posting here a long time along "way corps" lines which you made clear to me, and your obvious attack against me was not lost "in translation". Please don't placate me, I live at the wrong address for such an approach. If you want to "babysit" the impoverished you may be running out of time, at least outside the security system you protect. It was not a "nice post" you made. But mine was a wake up call to those who find it easy to attack or judge without thinking too much about problems beyond GS. "Show me your data and I will show you mine".

When reading through this thread, I keep thinking of Africa and the absolute dire poverty, both physical, financial and mental which exists here. And NO hope of escape (have you been following the boat people leaving Senegal for Spain?). The sickness people live with here and zero hope of hospital care includes not being able to afford even the most basic medical attention! The aids statistics in South Africa comes readily to my mind, wiping out generations, not just there but all over sub- Saharan Africa. Well I think you know, I could go on and on and on... But in short I would say that this continent of Africa has so many MILLIONS of patients with NO HOPE in this world, that I would be hard pressed to find a comparison, especially in the world’s richest nation! Remember, “if you have a roof over your head, and something to eat, be thankful”! That being said, I came up with a few Biblical scriptures which hopefully will be appropriate and helpful for those who have been abused or “allowed” themselves to be. I believe Scripture is one of the great keys to spiritual and physical recovery together with people like those here at GS. Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy...” Philippians 3:13,14 “forgetting those things which are behind and striving...”, “press toward the mark”... Ephesians 5:16 “redeeming the time”... ll Timothy 1:7 “ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear”.... As the Islamic microphones continue to blast their way around the planet creating fear and unrest, behind their “works” lies THEIR commitment. As we nurse our wounds the enemy advances his cause. Who will be left standing? Respectfully Yours, Bump

Ex, I forgot to say, I am sorry you feel lonely. I think all of us feel that way, it's not good. Your question isn't easy for me to answer. I just had a lot of resistance inside of me through years of boarding school in the '60's and early '70's. I had to become a survivor or you paid the price through physical confrontation with your "mates"! Whenever people get too close to me in business or for some thing that feels "strange", I take a few steps back. People in the way gave me that sort of creepy feeling that "I needed to belong". Right away I head out in another direction. I remember listening to the Moonies try and convert me at Berkeley with their offers of dinner (rice), but their eyes were always "glazed". They gave me the creeps! What I liked about fellowship were some of the girls and learning about the Bible. It was a good experience but I always had other things to do, like play tennis or ice hockey, squash, ski and meet some of the real smart people who worked at the university. Please, feel free to come to Dakar. I will meet you at the airport and you will have a good time with Andree, my wife and moi. Get your shots, be prepared to be "shocked", but I promise not to kidnap you and sell you to the natives! We stay here until the end of June and then back by car via Mauritania, Morocco, Spain...to France. I said before, every person you meet in life is a miracle, and it's true. You have a friend in Senegal, and thanks for the hugs. You're the only person here that has shown me personal kindness until recently! Love Bumpy!

Bumpy arrived via a recent google search wondering what happened to twi, and GS came up? Then I stumbled into this world of people here and what I went through with twi at Cal. all started to come back. Basically, the people I met in the mid ‘70’s, and what has since transpired here has been sort of a dream of trying to remember the past and the people who were apart of the twi organization. I remember often being reprimanded for not conforming or “living” with a girl who they desperately wanted to be in Emporia. Meeting VP a few time, the last time smoking cigarettes and yakking about this and that in Oslo. Being “managed” by Chris Geer in Sweden and Denmark, trying to build fellowships and once visiting him in the UK, all until that unfortunate “event”. Actually it’s so many years ago, it is almost off my radar screen. I think I was really lucky not to have been more involved judging by the pain threshold I read here. But I think as I’ve said before, there is an amazing amount of God loving hearts at GS which meet here instead of twig. Some probably just wish to forget but find solace in the common experience. I’m so glad I didn’t go Way Corps, my life has been so much more interesting in so many ways. I guess I’m just lucky and God watched out for me!

The verse being, “LOVE” of Money and the ROOT of ALL EVIL is pretty intense for me as a driving force that mankind has used both within the Christian faith as well as the secular realm. Most wars are based and financed on greed, Iraq being the latest example. Look at the world financial markets today, it’s all about one thing, PROFITS and I don’t mean prophets! Quality goes down, profits go up (look at all the product recalls). And then you have all the guys “gaming the system” one way or another just because the individuals within the greedy corporations don’t have enough and never will. The disparity of income was revealed in recent articles saying that roughly 1% of the population controlled 47% of the world’s wealth and 1/3 of that is in Switzerland! Imagine how that plays out here in Africa where corruption is the norm on first base! “Once upon a time”...when “they had all things in common” maybe people didn’t have to work so hard to be the boss in just doing (and speaking) the Lord’s work. As Snoopy said, the Word was FREELY given, the reward eternal life. Where is the modern day “servant” of Jesus Christ when the business of the business is getting that tape, cd or magazine in the mail that has been pre-paid by Visa! I think CES had a problem because they (at least for me) became a publishing house, constantly reinventing the (wheel) same old thing. Publish or Perish, right? And who’s watching it all play out? The Boss who eventually controls the cash flow! So, God is now a business, NOT freely given but sold to make your “life” a...feel better type of thing. Scripture is packaged as a commodity that you can put in your medicine cabinet when you’re finished with it, and pull it (the cd, magazine, etc.) out again when your head needs to go for another ride!

“For our money (pun intended), there's no other place it should go than to Spirit and Truth Fellowship, because, as we see it, the integrity of God's Word is at stake. Without that, we have nothing to stand on, and would be like the grass of the field, here today and gone tomorrow. Praise God for His wonderful Word! We pray that Spirit & Truth will continue to be a beacon of light piercing the darkness of religiosity, speculation, ignorance, and whatever else is holding people in slavery.” I picked this up on the twi link you put down. For me it basically says what most groups are claiming...”invest in us” And if you don’t...you are going to lose, in this life AND in the next! Really appreciated your posting, it says so much to me. “The Love of Money”...always wanted to put that on a poster behind those wizards of Wall Street on CNBC! But I think you hit it on the head. Mainstream Biblespeak is a corporate business with presenters who have done their “research”, but they must have a market because, it’s still being sold. Maybe you have to go through a “cult” type of experience before you are able to see through the charade? Like in Oz, it took a little dog named “Todo” to pull back the curtain and expose the wizard pulling levers! But once exposed...always exposed! Right?