Council announcement regarding recent rumors

This is the official statement from the gathering committee.

This is a public announcement from the 2012 Annual Jedi Gathering Committee. It appears that there are rumors being spread about events that occurred at the 2012 Jedi Gathering. Samantha Jayne Owen-Kendall, also known as Temple Goddess, in particular has made multiple posts across the Community containing misleading and incorrect information, resulting in the spread of misinformation and disputes about the events of the 2012 Jedi Gathering. Since Samantha was not even present at the Gathering and is not truly aware of what occurred, it is suggested that you ignore these rumors and not continue to spread them.

The event in question took place in a controlled environment, with several sober and responsible Jedi present in order to ensure nothing would get to fa
r out of hand. The actions of the Jedi at the gathering took place among responsible, consenting adults and have discussed the events amongst themselves after the fact in order to ensure there were no objections. The rumors being spread ARE NOT TRUE.

Please share this announcement with all members of the Jedi Community in order to ensure that the truth is known and the rumors are put to rest. The focus of Gatherings is to meet with fellow Jedi to learn and share and to come together as a Community. Continuing to help spread these vicious rumors only serves to tear the Community apart and severely diminishes the huge role that Gatherings have played in our Community over the past decade. As Jedi it is our duty to seek out truth and not spread lies, so please help us to do that by not playing a role in perpetuating these rumors.

This is a public announcement made by Angelus, Kitsu Tails, and Moonshadow, the official Organizers of the 2012 Annual Jedi Gathering in Hocking Hills OH. Thank you and May the Force Be With You.

The 2012 Annual Jedi Gathering Committee
Logan, OH - July 12-15, 2012
Angelus, Kitsu Tails, and Moonshadow


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The Council of TOTJO hopes this will be the end of this matter. Any and all attempts to engage in the defamation of another member, whoever they come from, will be subject to disciplinary action. It is our view that a real Jedi has far better things to do than place themselves on moral high grounds and spread lies. This reminder is not directed at anyone in particular but it does apply to everyone.

i think we should all know of these 'rumors'

Negative, Pinky. Rumors should be squashed as soon as possible. This announcement is meant to address those who have heard it and know what is being talked about.

If you want to continue to figure out what these rumors are, then it shows you lack of respect for persons involved, and the wishes of both the administration here at ToTJO and those that oversaw the Gathering.

i disagree yes i rumour may just be that but i believe that we should all know all that goes on falsified or not

I agree with Alethea @ Pinkey, the rumours will only further churn around the windmill so to speak, so it's best to be left with the dust settled.

I disagree rumours how trivial should be shared so everyone knows whats going on.

they may be lies yes but everyone should know, to learm to over come.

Or perhaps it's just best if no one hears them due to they might spread even further, if the council wishes to share the rumours, they'd of done so, but from the looks and sounds of it, they don't wish to do it, so it's best left to be at that, alone.

pinkey wrote: i disagree yes i rumour may just be that but i believe that we should all know all that goes on falsified or not

I haven't really heard the rumours, other than that there was some kind of incident, and I have no wish to. What you have to ask yourself, Pinkey, is whether it is any of our business. Firstly, we have been told categorically that the rumours are not true, and so why would we need to know them? If they are not true, there is nothing to know, and nothing 'going on', as you say. Secondly, the rumours concern the individuals who were involved in the incident at the Gathering. I was not at the Gathering, and neither were you. The Gathering was not a TOTJO event. Does that mean that you have a right to know everything that everyone does in their life outside of TOTJO? Look at it the other way around - does everyone at the Temple have a right to know every tiny little thing that YOU do when you are offline?

The event in question took place in a controlled environment, with several sober and responsible Jedi present in order to ensure nothing would get to far out of hand. The actions of the Jedi at the gathering took place among responsible, consenting adults and have discussed the events amongst themselves after the fact in order to ensure there were no objections.

Pics or it didnt happen :laugh:

Sorry, just kidding. I know nathink.

Just to clarify, regarding the "totjo victims" of the rumors... It's not what was being said, but how it was being said they had a problem with. After all a rumor is either true or false. A 'regular' rumor would therefore be either fact, or simply someone being mistaken. In this occasion its not quite that simple, the motives aren't clear and certainly seem unJedi-like. That's it.

Although I guess most of you don't know the details of the recent events, it is safe to say that you should avoid lying unless you have a very, very good reason to do so...

Pinky, I neither want to know, nor care to know. Rumors have a very bad reputation with me, since a person spread a rumor that I'm going back to my old school for whatever reason. On the other hand, you do at least have the right to know the maker of the rumor and the rumor itself to recognize when to take that person at less than face value.

I'm kinf of playing devils advocate, but also am a nosy bastard.

Why not post the 'rumours' so that those of us who are curious can judge the merit and or validity in their own right, taking into account the statement above? After all, this series of vehement denials (I have seen this posted like 3 times now, no joke) only raises curiosity and suspicion.

Why doesn't everyone just simmer down. Whatever these rumors are, they're none of our business. I know that there's a forum post about them, but it's only to discourage them. In fact, the only reason i'm jumping in is because this is turning into something more than it needs to be.

Pinky, this forum is not the place for gossip mongering. I think you should curb your curiosity, you're not likely to find an answer to your question here. But if you're really desperate to know, message Ren and see if he thinks it's something you need to know.

Alethea, I don't think it's a matter of disrespect, so much so as idle curiosity.

Desolous, the truth is out there now for those who it applies to. And should you hear any rumors, you'll be able to decide what you think of them, but this is the TOTJO forum, and Jedi are concerned with truth alone, as it says above. Again, this isn't the place for gossip mongering.

Everyone, this isn't a debate, it's a public announcement.

oh Angelus. Everything is a debate these days.

The world of questioning and self-entitlement.

I don't think that's true, but it sure feels like it (our conversation notwithstanding).

Though, to amend my last post, this SHOULD NOT be a debate.

Discussion is healthy and I encourage it, but we have to draw a line between academic/educational debates and pointless arguments, and this isn't the place for us to be arguing.

Again, the truth is out there now. If you come across the rumors, decide what you'd like to believe, but gossiping around here is pointless.

In my own mind, I have blown these rumours waay out of proportion already solely based on the vehemence of the denials, particularly with the need to explicitly clear up sobriety status.

Ren was posting on behalf of the Council, and he didn't post the rumors themselves. I'd take that to mean that the council doesn't consider them very important, especially considering the fact that the rumors aren't even true.

In MY own mind, rumors and gossip are quotidian and nonsensical, and we shouldn't feel the need to find out what these rumors are.

I'm not trying to put anyone down, I just think some of you are placing undue importance on these rumors.

It's human nature to want gossip

But we're not living by our natural desires are we? We're at a point where we think with our brains and not just our instincts.

So just leave it be, it's a statement, not a Q&A.

Ren was posting on behalf of the Council, and he didn't post the rumors themselves. I'd take that to mean that the council doesn't consider them very important, especially considering the fact that the rumors aren't even true.

That's correct. Whether the rumors are true or not changes absolutely nothing for us. It's a bigger problem for JRC/JGG who organized the gathering. They have to be family friendly.

The council's stance is about the lies, dishonesty and motive that surround the whole situation. These are not Jedi traits, and if it disrupts the temple, it has to be dealt with. Hopefully this friendly reminder will be sufficient in preventing further issues of this type. If not, as stated, there will be sanctions.

'Quotidian and nonsensical indeed'...exactly why playing devils advocate is amusing ro me.

/devils advocate

I could not care less. I have far too many 'rumours' of my own to deal with. For example,I can't wait til friends and family catch me on the news again tonight