Friday the 13th Issue
The Weekly Okie with Randall Watters
February 13, 2009 - 1:7
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Greetings!

The WEEKLY OKIE is one of three publications of Free Minds, Inc.

The Free Minds Journal is a PRINTED publication published three times a year, and you can read more about it HERE.

LIFELINE is a more intimate, behind the scenes look at Free Minds, Inc. and is only meant for the regular supporter. It is sent either by regular postal mail or email (depending on preference) to regular supporters of Free Minds, Inc. Typically that means someone who has chosen to contribute $100 or more per year to Free Minds, Inc., a registered non-profit organization.

The next two Free Minds Journals will be late but will surely be printed! I like to wait until I have some bang-up articles for you, and I should after this letter goes out.

In my last email on January 29th, I mentioned a new 15- year educational program for the new Free Minds, Inc. and Freeminds.org. You can see the "behind-the-scenes" version of this website by clicking on the new logo above. Please do not spread this site link around, as this is our secret until it is finished!

As you will note, Free Minds has become a portal for all things JW-related. Not only is the store revamped and will soon include digital downloads, but we are about to roll out some first-look and exclusive books FREE online, such as Barbara Grizzuti Harrison's "Visions of Glory," Ed Gruss' original classic "Apostles of Denial," and Leonard Chretien's "Witnesses of Jehovah." Then we will begin featuring new books regularly. We will also host a Writer's Forum for new books that may never be physically printed, and we will give kudos to the good ones that SHOULD be printed.


Our new audience will include Jehovah's Witnesses themselves. Free Minds will curtail any bitterness, cheap shots or harsh language against the Witnesses, preferring to use sound arguments from human behavioral studies, the Bible and science. If evidence from these three conflict, then all three positions may eventually be featured. We will not be swayed by good ole' boys who want to silence the "other" information as part of their own cult-like agenda, nor will we allow angry atheists to belittle the Christian Church. Having been an exit-counselor for years, it has always been my belief that a person has the right to know his/her options in order to make an intelligent choice.

Victims of authoritarian systems find they have made wrong choices in their past that have led to their current lack of happiness and fulfillment. They have the right to review their future options. Thus the new phrase you will see, "Reinvent Yourself."

In Christian ministry, I have never found it wise to "put someone else down" so that I could "build myself up." Ad hominem attacks betray not only a lack of confidence in one's own position, but reveal the necessity of using obfuscation, half-truths and outright lies in order to sway others. Free Minds will be no part of that, and will aggressively expose the tactics of those who do, so prepare to see some heat along with the light. We will be aggressive yet kind.

Before you can convince someone that they are being misled, you should show them something superior. If you can't do that without being a horse's ass, then in our 21st century you have already lost the battle. The days of swaying people into your "camp" with one-sided facts and bigoted attitudes will yield the same type of followers. What is it worth in the end? Does God approve of this? Certainly not.

I would like to give sincere thanks to Paul and Samantha Morrison from London, who have lived in Manhattan Beach for a couple of years now, and will soon be moving back to the U.K.

Paul has been of immense assistance to me in both planning web technology, and in doing much of the conversion of articles from the old Free Minds site into the new formats. You might want to make sure Randy hasn't changed anything over the years... you might want to read some of the articles again!

I will soon put up a lot of my Christian sermons on the new site as well, as soon as I can find a volunteer for converting cassettes to digital download format.

I would like to express my thanks To Bob Villella and the mysterious "V" (host of watchtowercomments.com) for their tireless efforts in working behind the scenes. Bob is responsible for much of the hardware and software installation on the new site. V is responsible for ALL of the new graphics that you see... quite a feat for someone I have never met face-to-face!


More than anything I wish to thank you as the supporters of Free Minds. We will continue as a non-profit organization with the same goal we have always had, using the same type of reasoning and the same kindness to others and freedom from judgment. We will still continue as the #1 visited website for critical information related to Jehovah's Witnesses.

I will provide an update on my heath in the new LIFELINE letter which will be sent out shortly to our committed givers as a more extensive update. It is still very difficult for me to work around my physical problems, but things are actually getting better.

God bless you,

Randy Watters


Sincerely,


Randall Watters
Free Minds, Inc.


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Free Minds, Inc. | PO Box 3818 | Manhattan Beach | CA | 90266