MOVE's Battle With Guinness / Guinness Sets Record for Most Lies in One List

If you look close enough you can see history altered before your eyes. Pick up the latest Guinness Book of World Records (Guinness World Records – 2008), flip to page 123 and you will see what I mean. Under the section “Cults, Fans and Followers” the police bombing of the MOVE Organization in 1985 is listed as the sixth most deadly mass suicide in recent history…. Yes, you did read that correctly. A deliberate massacre, in which police dropped a bomb on a house, intentionally allowed the fire to burn and shot at those that dared attempt an escape, was labeled as mass suicide.

This would seem to be very sloppy research for a fundamental resource such as Guinness, but MOVE doesn’t believe that it is as simple as that. MOVE and its support network have been expecting increased attacks and misinformation about the organization. After 29 long years that MOVE prisoners Mike, Chuck, Janet, Janine, Debbie, Phil, Del and Eddie have spent in maximum security prisons, they will finally be coming up for parole in 2008. The MOVE 9 (Merle Africa died in prison under suspicious conditions March 13, 1998) have been in prison since 1978 for the wrongful conviction of police officer James Ramp. They are serving 30-100 year sentences and MOVE knows that the battle for parole is going to be uphill.

As history is re-written those in power tell the tale with MOVE framed as unrepentant, cop killing cultists who in 1978 shot at police and firemen, murdering James Ramp and then in 1985 remaining members committed suicide. This is exactly how those that are opposed to MOVE would prefer that the history be told. After all what parole board would ever release those people and what public would join a movement in their support?

If you do a little research into their list it becomes clear that the whole thing is bullshit…no other word is fitting. It seems as though not only do they have the facts on MOVE all wrong, almost every item on the list is questionable. The first group listed, with the highest death toll (924), is “the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God”. This Cult was located in Uganda and the deaths occurred in 2000. Five hundred and thirty of the deceased died in a church which was intentionally set aflame. Many believe that these 530 were unwilling to participate and where murdered by other members and leaders of the cult. This suspicion is strengthened by the fact that the windows and doors of the church were nailed from the outside (www.religioustolerance.org/dc_rest.htm).

Next listed is the Peoples Temple, known as Jonestown, with a death toll of 913 in Guyana in 1978. Again, in this situation many group members unmistakably committed suicide. However, there was evidence of murder of many by other members and leaders of the cult (www.religioustolerance.org/dc_jones.htm).

Other than the police bombing of MOVE the other two situations that were most inappropriately and irresponsibly labeled mass suicides are the stand off with the Branch Davidians in 1993 and the police murder of members of the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1974. In both situations the deaths were the direct result of careless handling of sensitive situations by government officials or deliberate murder by police. The labeling of these events as mass suicide is even sloppier given that a thorough scan of mainstream media written during the time of these incidents gleaned no mention of either as mass suicide. The same goes for the bombing of MOVE in 1985. In the case of the Branch Davidians in Waco, the event started as a firefight between the Branch Davidians and the ATF. To this day it is unknown who fired the first shot that led to that 51 day standoff. The details of all that led to the deaths of 82 members are still quite unclear. It is undisputed that some members of the group did commit suicide but many died from FBI bullets. To label it a mass suicide takes all responsibility from the Federal government who should bear the weight of these deaths.

In 1974 when six members of the SLA were killed the police used fire as a tactical weapon in a similar fashion as the Philadelphia police in 1985. Police intentionally set fire to the apartment where SLA members were confined and when the first two members ran from the doors they were shot in the head by police. The police claim that the SLA members ran from the building with weapons drawn “trying to kill cops” but other witness testimony tells a different story. Only one SLA member is said to have killed himself rather that surrender. The other 5 deaths were a direct result of police bullets, smoke and flames.

The strategy used in 1974 by the police with the SLA and in 1985 with MOVE brings to mind the methods of mass murder employed by the Puritans in Massachusetts after failing to destroy the Pequot Indians in the 1600’s. After failing to defeat the Pequots in legitimate battle the Puritans began setting fire to their wigwams in the middle of the night. When the Pequots fled from their burning homes they were slaughtered, decapitated at the hands and swords of the English (Pg. 15, People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn). Historically, fire, or “smoking them out” has been a “tactical weapon” of the US government. How can this be misconstrued as suicide?

The bottom line is that the Guinness list is flawed from end to end. It seems that the folks at Guinness feel that if you resist against this government your death is imminent, justified and therefore suicidal.

Now I am not saying that I am in support of the actions or beliefs of all of the groups that I have mentioned. I am a strong supporter of MOVE but I have very deep disagreements with most other groups on the list. That does not mean that I will not fight against the lies and misinformation spread in their blood. Even in the situations in which mass suicide did take place it is a disservice to the dead and their families to lump those that have been murdered in with the rest. It also seems so wrong to list such tragic events with so little explanation and feeling, to list such horror on the same page as the largest assembly of Elvis impersonators is horrible.

In the interest of protecting the real stories of the past to build a brighter future this misinformation must be fought. This is a very large issue with broad consequence. Join MOVE in pressuring the Guinness Book of World Records to correct this serious problem. Don’t forget that there are eight people who have been in prison for 29 years due to such campaigns. Hell, there are so many political prisoners and prisoners in general serving life based on such deliberate revisions in history. Free the MOVE 9 and all political prisoners! No one wins unless we all win!

Comentarios

Another fake cause

Submitted by Tony Allen (no verificado) on Lun, 11/05/2007 - 7:59pm

I have already written about MOVE's inconsequential campaign against the Guinness Book Of World Records, not out of fear that they will succeed, but more so out of a desire to point out that it is yet another example of the cult's absurdity.

Their cause, to have the Guinness Book Of World Records remove the reference of MOVE as a cult that committed mass suicide is as just the latest in MOVE antics.

And while I am not one to go out of my way to quote myself, I can't get away from a piece I wrote some time ago questioning the sincerity of MOVE's leadership with regards to their so-called desire to "Free The MOVE 9".

I wrote that:

"No authoritarian cult can exist without it’s "true believers" being deeply involved in a "cause". The likely futility of said cause is largely irrelevant. For the ultimate goal is not the success of the cause, but rather a means to an ends. That end being the continued psychological enslavement of the cult member or adherent."

MOVE's rather silly "campaign" against Guinness, which has a few hundred signatures, a number of them questionable as to their authenticity, do more to make the point that MOVE is a cult than it does to convince one that it isn't.

The comments left by signers of the petition initially makes one wonder if their first enemy is the English language and the Guinness Book Of World Records second. And if it were possible, they make me that much more certain that my choice to abandon MOVE's world of tragic deception, could not have been more correct.

An intelligent comment on the petition is rare, one that comes close to being accurate that much more so. and all of the esoteric blathering evoking images of creepy losers with too much time on their hands, attaching their name and time to whatever anti-American cause that crosses their path.

In that context, it is somewhat surprising that the MOVE petition has not garnered thousands instead of hundreds of signatures.

But in the end, it is what it is. A distraction, an arrogant, and if I were still around MOVE, insulting one.

The petition against Guinness is futile, but it does have a point. It gives people in and close to MOVE something to be upset about, to get worked up over, and to "work" on.

Never mind the fact that it is aimed at causing an already printed book, already in bookstores and selling, to remove a rather inconsequential note from it's pages, because a couple of hundred mis-guided people want them to.

There is no question outside of a few individuals that MOVE is a violent cult, with a violent history, whose members actions directly led to the deaths of 11 people, including children. Even a cursory examination of the facts of that day make it clear that the only possible result of MOVE's actions on that day would have been death. After all, what could be more suicidal than to open fire on hundreds of heavily armed police officers when you had no chance of defeating them?

But more than just suicide, it was murder. The children, who were no more members of MOVE than they were members of the Republican Party were brought to that house by MOVE, to die. There is no amount of rationalization and revisionist history that can alter that fact.

The coward, cult leader, John Africa, could not fulfill his ego by bringing death down only upon himself. Much like Jim Jones before him, he needed to bring down those around him in order to bring himself satisfaction. It is a tired and tragic story that has been repeated again and again and MOVE has yet to explain it in any kind of way without employing tactics of deceit.

But again, to quote myself, it is not that MOVE lies, but MOVE is a lie. And for lies to work on a consistent basis, there needs to be distractions from those lies which may become cause for thoughts to intrude upon.

And more than any words on a page from a book of World Records, that is the biggest danger to an entity like MOVE.

responder

who is breaking "IMC" rules?

Submitted by Tony Allen (no verificado) on Dom, 11/11/2007 - 12:06am

The Philly IMC guidelines specify that there are to be no “Libel, slander, defamation and abusive personal attacks” within posts.

Yet, the person commenting under the name of “Down With Racist Scum” has referred to me as “racist scum”, “an obviously hateful bigot”, an “obvious racist”, an “internet whacko”, and than asserted that I have some “very serious mental problems” and than accused me of calling someone a “filthy animal”, which I never did.

I must say that if all of those ad-hominem attacks do not constitute "Libel, slander, defamation and abusive personal attacks”, I would like somebody from the IMC to show me what does.

This, while at the same time DWRS is arguing that the Philly IMC is too tolerant by allowing me to post on this site. And using as an excerpt from an article that I never posted on this site in order to support their complaints against me.

That said, I am not arguing that “down with racist scum” be banned from this site. But what I am saying is that if a policy is put in place than it should be applied consistently across the board.

To be branded as a racist is clearly one of the worst things that can be said about someone in this day and age and while I think I probably do have some less than appealing qualities, I find it completely unfair to be repeatedly labeled a racist without any proof to back it up.

It is one thing to take issue with things I have written with regards to my comments on this thread, but the references to articles never posted on this site and the vile personal attacks had absolutely nothing to do with the issues I raised in my comment.

But, what I have come to realize and even knew before leaving the world of MOVE, is that there truly is no defense to be made of the group, in light of the facts.

Hence the personal attacks, not-so-subtle appeals for censorship, and the anonymity of someone so apparently insecure in the aforementioned personal attacks that they cannot even muster the courage to use their own name.

And while it is true that I have been critical of the IMC with regards to Mumia, and especially MOVE, it is because I value the concept of “independent media” and view entities like MOVE as authoritarian sects that contribute nothing of value to the community. I have long argued that groups such as MOVE feed upon the good intentions of people who unfortunately do not know the whole of the group’s history or understand the kind of psychological abuse that takes place within the confines of such groups.

In a very real way, I am happy that the pro-MOVE types have again risen up and showed people that they rely on personal attacks, flagrant mis-representation of people, gross exaggerations, race baiting, and calls for censorship in their efforts to try and silence critics.

Is it really me who is “abusing” the forum? Or is it those who cannot offer anything of substance other than a transparent, nearly hysterical, hateful attack, that betrays the frailty of their position. This while they violate the very rules that they so vehemently claim that I have broken.

responder

Recent Similar Articles