Bruce Hales is deluded. He thinks he is in mortal danger, which is the craziest thing I have ever heard. Crazier than all the other crazy things we hear about these crazy people.
Never – repeat NEVER –has anyone I know in the ex-Peeb community ever expressed a desire or wish to hurt the man. Talk to him maybe. Engage him in some correspondence maybe. But never to lay a finger on the man. I mean- why would you potentially face a court and Bruce’s raft of legal people over clobbering the bloke. You wouldn’t! Plain and simple. He’s simply not worth it. Add to that of course– that we don’t do that sort of thing. All the Peebs I know- ex or current might bore the pants off you – but they’d never resort to an involuntary uppercut. This is all part of the Brethren myth that anyone who is ejected from their midst immediately embraces evil in the worst way. We don’t. We live quiet, decent lives. Sorry to burst your myth.
So why is it that the fellow is so chronically paranoid about his security which not only extends to the doors of their halls but within –where we hear he even dictates who sits where -so he is not bothered or put in harms way. Why would any Peeb need security within the hall grounds? Who among them is packing? (Iron that is.) No one right? So we agree that he is not in mortal danger given the fact that no one has ever lunged – attacked, broken through the pack or invaded his personal space. So why the extreme paranoia?
Simple. The man has delusions of self-importance. He has ‘despotitus’. A nasty condition where a man thinks he is so important that he has to be surrounded by human shields. A good example of this type of condition was the late Muammar Ghadaffi –who took the whole condition that little bit further by having a troupe of female bodyguards –sort of middle-eastern Charlie’s Angels if you will. All soft and cuddly except for their biceps and menacing AK47’s. I daresay if Bruce could get away with it – he would have trained up a group of pectorially enhanced sisters to act as his human shield.
The man is deluded. When he arrived at Launceston airport a couple of years ago to offer his support to the Peeb fight over some poor warring family’s custody battle or whatever – he had three Peeb vehicles illegally enter the runway to shield him from the great unseen enemy. Indeed –normal security- cleared users of the airport were so dismayed by this incredible security breach of a secure zone, that they took photos, which were published in the media the next day. Which made him all the more paranoid. They honestly thought that George Bush had snuck in to have a quiet weekend in Lonny. No such luck- just a fat, potentially drunk, deluded sect boss from New South Wales. They repeated the same ploy at Condoblin Airport in New South Wales, much to the dismay of airport staff.
His reclusive delusions went further. He would engage no one himself –preferring the shield of spokesmen- who would act as his voice and deflect any question that might involve an actual audience or sentence from the man. Even his cousin Jimmy when pressed on the subject –reverted to a nervous laugh and double talk about putting in a request. A request that would never be answered satisfactorily. A request that would never result in his cousin standing there and putting a coherent case. I know of no sect or church where the leader is completely invisible. Most of them can’t wait to get behind a microphone or to banter with a journalist. Some have even been so charming and beguiling as to almost save another soul. But not Bruce. He neither charms nor beguiles. It’s not in his nature or vocab. So he is paranoid also about having to answer anything. Why? Because he has no answers. There are no answers for what he does.
So now if you wanted to actually talk to the Exclusive Brethren as many did given their appalling behaviour and sudden pushes into formerly quiet middle class suburbs- you had to engage the likes of a sweaty palmed Tony McCor-kill or a side-stepping Jimmy Hales or a bullshitting Daniel Hales. Not an honest or straight answer in the lot of them.
So Bruce now perceives that the world is against him. Every public step is fraught with danger regardless of the fact that he has had no direct threat from any human being. Except perhaps from the odd ‘derro’ wanting a fag or a fiver. But because he THINKS he is important – he THINKS there will be people out to get him. Which frankly- there isn’t. Because nobody thinks he is remotely important. To every non-Peeb in the free world –he is a nobody. No one would want to engage him. No one gives a fig about his weird religion. In fact his weird religion is probably more reason to cross the street if you see him coming.
The main threat to the man is probably the Taxation office (read IRS) who might want to talk to him about dodgy charities or money dealings. I mean – Symington had the same grief. Something about you not being allowed to keep money in jam jars in your basement that you haven’t paid tax on. Had he had a few bodyguards like Bruce – they might never have made it into the basement. But even Bruce must realise that a few bulked- up beanie- wearing doormen are no match for the forces of the Taxation office. It was heavily rumoured he went to the wedding of one of his favourite bodyguards! Can you believe that Ex-Peebs?? My jaw is still on the ground.
So we are agreed that Bruce is nuts……quite, quite batty. Deluded with self-importance – he thinks he has to spend millions on security because of a great unseen enemy. That doesn’t exist. An enemy that isn’t there. The thought of being a Peeb today with people checking cars as you come in – of bolting gates after you have come in – and of running round with their walkie- talkies while you are trying to have a meeting is preposterous to me. And to every ex-Peeb I know and I daresay a few thousand current Peebs too.
Do you know why Bruce engages in all this paranoid rubbish? To JUSTIFY the sins of the Exclusive Brethren and their wicked treatment of so many people. To justify their actions in breaking up so many homes and families. In many, many cases for things that are now no breach of Peeb orders at all today. Like computers. And mobile phones. By saying to anyone who will listen that we are dangerous ex-members- all capable of murder and mayhem. All lying in wait to attack when Bruce least expects it. That’s why he carries on like Saddam Hussein and his ilk. That’s why he tells people he has death threats. (From whom?? The Grim Reaper?)
Truth is Bruce- you cannot justify your own and your predecessor’s treatment of thousands of people. And you cannot justify this silly security phobia you live with. The truth is- you don’t need it. You never did need it. No one has ever attacked you. No one has ever given you grief. You don’t need to have human shields. You don’t need to travel in secure vehicles and in private aircraft. You aren’t that important. And you aren’t in any danger. The biggest threat you face is liver disease. Or a heart attack going by your waistline. You have no violent enemies in the ex-Brethren community – just a lot of people who feel sorry for you and wonder why you cannot be honest and open with them. For once in your life. We know however – that that is too much to ask. It might involve something that is a foreign to you, as it is to the more recent so-called ‘Men of God’. Transparency.
Tell you what Bruce. How about you call a forum where you can sit on a pedestal and we – your ex-brothers and sisters can sit in an audience – frisked and weapon free environment –just to answer some questions. I would like to stand up two of my fellow withdrawees and ask you why you withdrew from them for having a computer in their business. Between them they lost their wives, their livelihoods, 13 children and their assets. Today you insist that the Peebs buy all their computers from you. So what was the sin exactly? Then I would like to stand up a whole bunch of middle-aged men –who your church dealt with in the early 1970’s for nothing – no sin at all. You just needed to push someone round a bit and that’s how it ended up. They lost their families and everything else because of that.
Let’s bring in the Great Period of Grace Mark 2. This time – we get to ask questions and to get real answers. What do you think about that? And if you deem that there is no answer you can give –probably because there is no creditable answer to such actions – you can get up and leave. No one will hurt you. But at least we will believe that you are beyond help and common decency. At least we will know we are dealing with a lost cause. A man with no morality. Or credibility.
But one thing is for sure. You don’t been any security!
