Happy Rosh Hashanah! - Posting Resumes on Sunday (October 5).

Happy Rosh Hashanah (wiki):

Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holidays
or Yamim Noraim ("Days of Awe"),
or Asseret Yemei Teshuva (The Ten Days of Repentance)
which are days specifically set aside
to focus on repentance
that conclude with the holiday of Yom Kippur.


Posting to resume on Sunday (October 5)..

Life ... and Dreams Lost: "Celebrating" a Satanic Miracle - 20th Anniversary of First Acute Pesticide Poisoning at Southwest Baptist University

Today is the 20th (twentieth) anniversary of
Marie O'Hara’s first acute pesticide poisoning
at Southwest Baptist University on
September 26, 1988.

(Guess their Get Well card is still in the mail, ya think?)

For the large majority of that twenty years,
Marie has lived without any income (see here) *
or assistance from local, state, or federal agencies,
due to illegal harassment and injury by SBU associates.

And, this marks a satanic miracle --
in twenty years, Marie has not received
a penny of assistance
from any of the Southwest Baptist University family
or any church or church-related organization.

And yet, apparently,
none of the titans of Baptist ethical leadership at
Southwest Baptist University
or the Missouri Baptist Convention
seem to believe that anything is
wrong with this picture?

Because, as we all know,
if the Southwest Baptist University family
felt that something, anything
was amiss in the way that Marie has been treated,
they would let nothing stop them from doing something --
something good --
to correct the situation, wouldn't they?

Wouldn't they?

~*~

* Since this document was filed in 1996, Marie has received no local, state, federal, church or church-related assistance.

(More postings to follow later THIS WEEK.)

~*~

Slow, Steady Recovery and GOING PUBLIC: Finally, THIS WEEK! ... First, Letters to Rev. Gary Ankrom and the First Assembly of God Church in Bolivar

Over the past week or so, Marie has been making a slow but steady and encouraging recovery from a severe health crisis.

In a series of posts beginning this week, Marie will finally be making public much of what has been happening for the past several years.

First, will be:
Letters to Rev. Gary Ankrom and
the First Assembly of God Church in Bolivar, MO

to be posted shortly.

More Bullying Baptists? A Threat to Marie's Survival ... Again!

Due to changes in her home environment
over the next two weeks,
Marie is facing the imminent threat of further
injury, disability or death.

Although her concerns have been detailed in writing,
it appears the threat and harm are purposeful
and intended to cause distress and injury.

Marie continues to hope that reason will prevail.

Just an accident?

A misunderstanding?

Crossed communication?

Maybe. Hopefully.

But, most of us realize that --
because those involved in these changes
are Southern Baptists --
it seems unlikely that reason will prevail
and far more likely that
Marie will be injured ... or worse.

~*~

If Marie does not survive,
she has given her permission to allow
the publication of her story,
so that others may be warned.

~*~

We will keep posting ...


~*~

New Beginnings: Marie's Letter to Rev. Gary Ankrom and the First Assembly of God in Bolivar, MO to be Kept Private for One Week

Marie has heeded a request to keep
New Beginnings: The Letter(s) to
Rev. Gary Ankrom and the First Assembly of God Church
in Bolivar, MO
PRIVATE for a period of one week.

Therefore, these letters will not be posted today or
this week.

Others letters, however, will be posted shortly.

Some Disturbing News ... and THIS WEEK: Presentation of the "Restorative Project"

This weekend, Marie received some disturbing news, which -- if true -- will necessarily and sadly alter some arrangements.

However, this week, Marie will be presenting "The Restorative Project" to about twenty individuals and entities -- NOT ALL of whom are associated with the Missouri Baptist Convention.

Postings to follow late tonight (Monday) ...

The Restorative Project: Letters to the First Baptist Church of Bolivar and the Missouri Baptist Convention will be Nearly 100 Pages!

"The Restorative Project" (letters to the First Baptist Church of Bolivar and the Missouri Baptist Convention) will be nearly 100 pages long!

Marie has requested help from friends to print this "small book" this weekend; it will be presented to the First Baptist Church of Bolivar and the Missouri Baptist Convention early this week -- hopefully Monday!

Oh, and, major portions of it will be published on the new blog!

The Julian Standard: Should 12 - 20 Southwest Baptist University Staff and as Many as Half of the Trustees Be Fired for the Harm Done to a Student?

"Yes."

That's the decision that Marie has reached
over the last few days.

"Yes, they should be dismissed, if their actions or neglect
meet the Julian Standard,
which the SBU Trustees and Administration themselves
set for others."

The Julian Standard:
Should 12 - 20 Southwest Baptist University Staff and
as Many as Half of the Trustees Be Fired
for the Harm Done to a Student?
to be posted this weekend night
(Sorry for delay. More info has been added.) --

along with
the REVISED LETTERS to
the Missouri Baptist Convention,

the Southwest Baptist University
Student Government Association

and SBU Faculty Senate

and the
First Baptist Church of Bolivar.

A No-Go?: Proposed PUBLIC APOLOGY by First Baptist Church of Bolivar, Missouri Baptist Convention and Southwest Baptist University

The proposed PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND APOLOGY -- which was described yesterday (here) -- may be a NO-GO.

As soon as yesterday's post was published, Marie begun to hear that, in spite of what was being said informally, those involved were (as is the unfortunate custom at Southwest Baptist University) taking advantage of Marie's noble and tender-hearted concern for SBU students and others.

In actuality, they had NO intention of cooperating with an acknowledgement and a carefully-worded apology. In fact, their pleas appear to be nothing more than an effort to stall the Internal Investigation.

To safeguard against this ploy, Marie has integrated two former proposals -- allowing the OPTION of a PUBLIC APOLOGY and participation in the Restorative Justice process and, otherwise, REQUIRING the initiation of the Internal Investigation, which is to be monitored weekly by the officials of the Missouri Baptist Convention until the October 2008 meeting of the Missouri Baptist Convention.

Details to be posted later today ...

PUBLIC APOLOGY to be Given by First Baptist Church of Bolivar, Missouri Baptist Convention and Southwest Baptist University on KYOO Sun, Sept 7 or 14

In lieu of the Preliminary Agreement that was to be finalized by August 31, 2008, Marie has allowed for a carefully-worded PUBLIC APOLOGY.

In light of concerns that Marie's request for an investigation could easily lead to the dismissal of 12 to 20 Southwest Baptist University administrators, faculty and staff and (at least) one third of the Southwest Baptist University Board of Trustees (as well as some within the Southern Baptist and Missouri Baptist Convention leadership) [see details here], Marie has revised her letter to the First Baptist Church of Bolivar, Missouri.

Instead of the Preliminary Agreement, which was to have been signed on August 31, 2008, Marie is requesting a carefully-worded and brief ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and PUBLIC APOLOGY, which will be:

• delivered during the second morning service of the First Baptist Church of Bolivar Sunday morning service
• broadcast on KYOO radio (1200 AM and 99.1 FM)
  
• between 10:45 and noon
  
• on Sunday, September 7, 2008 and/or Sunday 14, 2008.

The nature of this APOLOGY is discussed in the REVISED letter to the First Baptist Church of Bolivar, which is to be HAND-DELIVERED and partially posted on this week to the First Baptist Church of Bolivar.