Hi Swimming Free,

You questioned New Voice on why he would feel
there was ‘venom’ or offensiveness within some of the responses to what he
wrote.  Venom is a pretty strong word, and I share your question and value your approach to
dialogue. 

I know that when I read several of the responses to
his first post, I felt a little bad, and I can see why New Voice would feel
defensive, and I’m now questioning whether I should have asked him if I could
post his snippet (written to me in the context of our own communication) in the
first place.

For clarity I am not speaking for him, only for myself, but please carefully
read these quoted responses, and please let me know if you feel that adequate civility
and respect for his veracity and perspective is being extended to someone that
that is coming to this Forum for the first time:

Rawatcher: posted "I was pimping for him
when he was 13. I was buying him booze and dope even earlier." Rawat
turned 13 on December 10, 1970 and arrived in the West on June 17,1971. Our
informant has probably mistaken the age and dates. Could he really have been
supplying Rawat with alcohol in India? Prostitutes? Rawat spent 1 month in
England and then flew to USA and returned to India in November? Could he really
have been supplying Rawat with alcohol and dope during this time? Prostitutes?
Is he talking about Marolyn Johnson when he refers to pimping?

13 wrote: “So long as you never
have to think about the people you were complicit in harming, you can go on
feeling comfortable in yourself. Charming.”

Manincar wrote: “That's a lot of complicity
just hanging around waiting to be let off the hook. I guess I would have to say
"step up and take some responsibility"

13 wrote: “It's hard to forgive
someone else's complicity when they seem to express no regret themselves, nor
acknowledge the harm caused with their assistance. Just shrugging it off and
never thinking about it doesn't cut it for me.”

Swimming Free wrote: “If you truly were the vehicle for him to create much suffering in
people's lives, then I am surprised that you give Rawat such a free pass and
that you don't feel worse about the whole issue of your involvement with Rawat.” 

Lesley wrote: “Of course he was tricked,
trapped and cajoled, as he says earlier up the page, neatly parcelling it as
part of the human lot.  And he was heavily manipulated.  But now he
knows, it's his choice to stay?  Doesn't change a thing about what's
happened in the past and at that point in time, it's ongoing.”

Lexy wrote (to
me): “In the
past, your own posts have sparked a similar reaction in me. I felt that you and
your friend must have encouraged each others denial of the negative side of
premiedom.”

Then today
13 wrote: “Discussions have
occasionally morphed into arguments here, but in the many years I've been
reading here, no-one but people still deluded about Rawat (premies, pwk's) have
issued threats.”  FYI, I interpreted New Voices’ “I will stop you” to say he will try to convince you otherwise,
even offering to communicate in person over the phone towards that end, not as
a “threat”.  And in just a few sentences, 13 effectively
called him a person “still deluded about Rawat”, telling
him apparently cannot be “full of love”, that
he is sees from his “high horse” and considers
himself to be superior, not regarding others on the Forum as “equals”. 

And Jim posted: “I guess a lifetime spent as a lackey to a cult leader will do
a number on one's instincts. The threats are outrageous though. Not to mention
the ISIS comparisons. I wonder how he thinks people will warm up to him and
respectfully consider his past reflections when he peppers them with those kinds
of insults and warnings. Dude, I'm embarrassed for you. No one's going to want
to talk with you unless and until you retract them.” which speaks for itself

I mean I
get the Forum venue format, where things can be batted around freely, love it. 

But is
it just me, or possibly do you also sense any unnecessary questions of integrity,
sarcasm, insults, presumption, snap-judgement and/or disrespect for what he expressed on his
first post (without further questioning and verification) that could influence his
second post?

M