Are they keeping a file on YOU???

[_Ray A]

Hey Ray, I gotta go now. But have a nice weekend. I have to go to the Wasatch Front, and so I am guaranteed of having a terrible weekend.

But I'm hoping for much better times in your neck of the woods.

Bottoms up!

Enjoy it. I'm working all weekend and for the next four nights.

[_beastie]

Ray, you've done it again! Proved that, for whatever reason, some exmormons have a strange proclivity to becoming humorless, irony-impaired automatons.

Of course, in Will's world, it is just unthinkable that Will just isn't that funny.

(except, as runtu already pointed out, when he isn't intending to be funny - I find Will's obsession with trailer trash to be remarkably funny, and suspect he's got more familiarity with trailer trash than he's letting on)

[_John Larsen]

I was just totally creeped out by Ray's thread on the Church's internal espionage system.

And since a BYU professor admitted to the church's monitoring 1500 websites, it is no wonder that many here prefer to post as "anonymous cowards."

Scratch mentioned in another thread that certain parties were trying to determine what computer he posted from, and figure out who he is in real life.

I imagine there might be a file on the infamous Doctor Scratch, or perhaps the infamous Dr. Shades. My question is:

Do you suspect they have a file on you?

and

Are you worried that someone will try to find out who you are?

I don't think it is a worry. Maybe they do, maybe they don't. I have posted under my own name for the last 6 years or so with no repercussion. I have even hosted public post Mormon events and been quoted in the newspaper. Nothing. Not that I wouldn't enjoy an excommunication, but no dice.

[_moksha]

I think a quality education at BYU and having worked with BYU security covert operations pays off big time for some of their students. That NSA-type monitoring and surveillance system can be very demanding in its operation and maintenance. However, the information it can deliver regarding enemies and potential enemies of the Church and its subsidiaries is staggering. As has been pointed out, the hardest thing to do is to decide which enemies pose the greatest threat and require human analysis of the data. The rest is sorted into a vast array of electronic dossiers. Keeping this all a secret is relatively easy when you have a fine team of BYU security covert operations graduates, who take very seriously the oaths they have sworn and knowing full well the penalties which will ensue should they try to break their oaths via the terminator chip that has surgically been implanted in each Church agent.

[_William Schryver]

... I find Will's obsession with trailer trash to be remarkably funny, and suspect he's got more familiarity with trailer trash than he's letting on)

Don't you know it, baby!

In the immortal words of Neil Young:

Welfare mothers make better lovers.

Here's a memento from our most recent party (with apologies to Chance the Gardener):

That's Shades on the right. Kissassman in the middle. Scrotch on the left. cynicpro is sitting behind everyone, having assumed his typically aloof posture.

The Dude is inside pissing on the rug. Again.

Of course, I took the picture.

[_Ray A]

I don't think it is a worry. Maybe they do, maybe they don't. I have posted under my own name for the last 6 years or so with no repercussion. I have even hosted public post Mormon events and been quoted in the newspaper. Nothing. Not that I wouldn't enjoy an excommunication, but no dice.

It depends on your situation. When I reapplied for a restoration of temple blessings in 2000 (which I aborted, much to the SP's disappointment, it took a long time to get approval, and I in fact aborted before it came, and removed my name from the Church records) I had bishop and stake president interviews (which were almost interrogations about "past activities"), and I was told, by the SP, that my "case" was in the hands of a senior member of the Twelve. I believe it was Elder Nelson, If I recall correctly. No doubt they were "scrutinising" everything I had written to that time. They could not have done this without the help of the SCMC, I believe.

If you're out, and out for good, it's unlikely to affect you. But if someone wanted to reapply for baptism, they too would be scrutinised. Likewise active members of the Church. For example, if a candidate's name for bishop was submitted by the SP, it could conceivably be scrutinised. Your situation, if I understand it correctly, would not be a threat (I don't know if you're exed or name-removed).
They are more "interested" in internal dissenters, and as in the case of Lavina Fielding Anderson - keeping them out until they "repent".

[_Yong Xi]

It simply overwhelms my gray matter.

In your case that would be brown.

[_beastie]

Don't you know it, baby!

Yeah, childhood issues can be difficult to overcome.

[_Ray A]

Here's an interesting and somewhat light-hearted look at "spying" from Trevor's old blog The Peep Stone (Feb. 2006).

(And I might add, Trevor is one of my very favourite posters.)

[_silentkid]

(And I might add, Trevor is one of my very favourite posters.)

Dammit, Ray! You keep leaving me off that list.