Millennial fears linked to deaths of 4

Family members say that he and his wife were involved in groups that believe the coming millennium is going to be the end of the world.
— SOURCE
       THURSTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S deputies found Thomas Briggs, 33, his 27-year-old wife, Dawn, and their children — Jesse, 10, and Deonna, 7 — dead in their Rochester home on Monday after a family friend alerted authorities that something was wrong.
       Authorities said that Thomas Briggs took his own life with a single shot to the head, but it is not clear how Dawn Briggs and the children died.
       The bodies of the woman and children were found in the couple’s bedroom, with the family pets — three guinea pigs and two cats — also dead, laying nearby, the Sheriff’s Department said.
       
PLANNING EVIDENT
       NBC affiliate KING-TV reported that investigators believe the couple had planned the killings for months before carrying them out in the small town where they had lived for about a year, which is about 70 miles southwest of Seattle.
       Except for Thomas’ Briggs body, there was no visible sign of trauma. Autopsies on Dawn Briggs and the children were conducted Tuesday, but no cause of death was determined pending completion of toxicology tests.
       Authorities found five notebooks written in Thomas Briggs’ hand that “made some references to biblical scriptures, as well as a possible interest in the eventual demise of family members,” the Thurston County sheriff’s office said in a news release.
       “This information is being assessed along with information from family members and friends in order to attempt to establish a motive for these killings,” it said.
       
Y2K: The millennium bug

       Thomas Briggs also was paranoid and believed people were always watching him, Matt June, the family friend who called authorities, told the Associated Press. He also was fretting about the impending turn of the millennium, he said.
       A source close to the investigation told MSNBC that they were looking into information that Briggs and his wife had been involved in religious groups with apocalyptic views of the new millennium.
       “Family members say that he and his wife were involved in groups that believe the coming millennium is going to be the end of the world,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Suffice it to say, the Briggses had some similar beliefs that we believe played a role in this incident.”
       
COUPLE WAS ‘DISFELLOWSHIPPED’
       The source said that both Thomas and Dawn Briggs had been members of the Philadelphia Church of God, an Oklahoma-based church that emphasizes biblical prophecies.
       Dennis Leap, a spokesman for the 6,000-plus-member church, said the Briggses were “disfellowshipped” from the church in August 1997, but could not say why.
       He noted, however, that neither the church nor the church’s founder and pastor, Gerald Flurry, have expressed any fears tied to the arrival of the millennium.
       “We definitely believe in the second coming of Christ, but we don’t pretend to know the date and as far as the millennium, we have no teachings on that whatsoever,” he said. “We certainly do not believe in military uprising, anti-government activities, carrying guns, stocking up or any of that.”
       It was not immediately clear whether the family had been affiliated with other religious movements since leaving the Philadelphia Church of God, but June, the family friend, told the AP that Thomas Briggs had disappeared for 10 days at a time for what he called the “feast of tabernacle.”
       The reference to the Jewish holiday might indicate that Briggs had become involved in the Christian Identity movement, which advocates racism and anti-Semitism, though other explanations also are possible, said Eric Ward of the Northwest Coalition for Human Dignity.
       The FBI, in a report to local police chiefs made public last month, warned local police to be aware of what it called “very real” millennium threats that may be carried out by religious and extremist groups on New Year’s Eve or early in the year 2000.
       
       The Associated Press contributed to this report.
       

-- Captain Truth (captain@truth.com), November 25, 1999

Answers

Well, son, if you could read, you'd understand that there is a HUGE WORLD of difference between the way the folks here see the Rollover and the way these people saw it. Seems that WE ALL believe that it is survivable, that we'll all get out the other side alive, and that, because we have prepared we will be comfortable. BIG difference. too bad you haven't found an office of P*L*U*S in your neighborhood, as you might want to avail yourself of their services.

Night train

-- jes an ol readin' footballer (nighttr@in.lane), November 25, 1999.

What were their on-line names here? Before I answer, you tell me how often you beat your wife, okay?

-- Old (timer@helping.out), November 25, 1999.

You seem a little sensitive. Why is that? Recognise yourself as these poor lost souls were described?

-- Captain Truth (captain@truth.com), November 25, 1999.

Hardly. Just underscoring your false assumption.

-- Old (timer@helping.out), November 25, 1999.

You have it all wrong, Cap'n. You'll see some here commit suicide AFTER the rollover. All of those thousands of generators, 10 year supplies of food, guns, underground bunkers.....

Thanks for the humor.

regards

-- Bad Company (johnny@shootingstar.com), November 25, 1999.

B.C.;

Uh, "humor?"

Night train;

READING doesn't seem to be Cap's problem. A few remedial courses in COMPREHENSION might help, though...

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), November 25, 1999.

Think he posted as 'Y2K Pro.' Friends say he grew frantic as the reality of Y2K, which he had passionately denied, hit home. Sad.

-- Spidey (free@last.Amen), November 25, 1999.

How pathetic is someone who uses the deaths of obiviously disturbed individuals (they murdered their children) to torment people who just might, might be thinking of buying some supplies to help thier family survive.

You ignorant asshole. Ask yourself why you felt the need to post something so twisted? On Thanksgiving for Christ's sake! Most of the people here are trying to protect their families, not KILL them.

The only similarities you are seeing are the ones between yourself and this obviously twisted piece of shit who killed his children.

Fuck you.

-- Gordon (g_gecko_69@hotmail.com), November 25, 1999.

What Gordon said (but keep in mind I wouldn't swear like that).

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), November 25, 1999.

Gordon:

Good one. Captain Truth is obviously one of the posters who changed their name after their attempts to destroy this forum were seen for what they really are. Heck, Captain Truth is probably glad that people are dead, just so he can make his point. I bet you giggle every time you think of Auschwitz, no, Captain Truth? You sure seemed eager to revel in the death of this family.

-- X (X@X.com), November 25, 1999.

Captain Truth is Y2k Pro posting under a new name. DELETE THIS THREAD!

-- Dolly Llama (DollyLlama@FreeTibet.com), November 25, 1999.

That is a very sad story Capt.:-(

Persons with paranoid delusions will latch onto any stimuli as supporting their delusional belief system. The historical definition of psychoses is a distorted or false perception of reality. I once interviewed a patient who believed the Royal Family plotted against him, and offered as support the placement of a magazine on the coffee table in the hospital day room with a picture of Charles and Diana (this was '89). That magazine was placed in a locked inpatient facility, he explained, by operants of the Royal Family to harrass him with a reminder of their omnipressance. This man, bless his heart, had been a professor at MIT before he became ill.

Posting an article/link here to a respectable source on the web is quite different from reporting bizarre delusions based on the random placement of a magazine.

Captain, a study conducted by Loyola in Baltimore in the early '90's found the personality characteristic narcissism deviates significantly between psychotic persons and those sane persons who report faith-based experiences. Narcissism in lay terms is self-love or self-absorption. This becomes of pathological significance when one's life suffers pervasive consequences due to one's failure to adjust their cognitions adaptively to their environment. Meaning one projects their cognitions onto reality, rather than evaluating stimuli in their environment or world as a source for developing their thoughts and opinions.

...hope the info helps any come to terms with the Capt's original post.

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), November 25, 1999.

PS--Do you guys think he realizes that I just told him he was crazy? heh, just keepin things lively. Holiday Wishes to one and all! I am thankful for the opportunity this forum creates to explore opinions and also to vent in the utter foolishness and disregard of a youth long past.

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), November 25, 1999.

Hokie, I suspect he's certain you just told him he was crazy.

But I wouldn't put too much into that. I suspect he's also the gas station attendant is telling him he's crazy when he says "here's your change, come back soon," and when the grocery store clerk asks, "do you have any coupons". (He probably prides himself on being able to read between the lines.)

But I digress.

What I wanted to say was something along the lines of, "Isn't that just like a troll, to level a cheap shot at a bunch of strangers, and then start whining about how they seem touchy when they tell him 'GFYS'."

-- Ron Schwarz (rs@clubvb.com.delete.this), November 25, 1999.

"I suspect he's also the gas station attendant..."

should read:

"I suspect he's also certain the gas station attendant..."

(I doubt he's got the smarts to be a gas station attendant.)

-- Ron Schwarz (rs@clubvb.com.delete.this), November 25, 1999.

Captain,

What I see you doing is nothing less than fear mongering. What Truth and your false consciousness have in common remains to be seen.

Sincerely,
Stan Faryna

Ready for Y2K? Got 14 days of water, food, way to keep warm and cook?
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001o cf

Cooperative Preps : Have you checked out the deals we can get on  preps?

One time deal on a inexpensive grain mill
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001q Sw

Water filters for less than suggested retail
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001q T8

Gas masks, potassium iodide, solar ovens, etc
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001q TK

Aladdins: the kerosene lamp for readers
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001p 1v

-- Stan Faryna (faryna@groupmail.com), November 25, 1999.

"New to the forum? Year 2000 resources, sites and links for research"

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001r9N

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), November 25, 1999.

The reference to the Jewish holiday might indicate that Briggs had become involved in the Christian Identity movement, which advocates racism and anti-Semitism, though other explanations also are possible, said Eric Ward of the Northwest Coalition for Human Dignity.

While Christian Identity is an extremely dubious branch of "believers", in my opinion, celebrating Hebrew feasts is not such a bad idea - it might even be humbling. I would like to point out that the only Biblical way to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles would entail a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. I am not planning such a pilgrimage, but I would like to feel free to do so without being eyed as a possible extremist.

The FBI, in a report to local police chiefs made public last month, warned local police to be aware of what it called very real millennium threats that may be carried out by religious and extremist groups on New Years Eve or early in the year 2000.

I hope the FBI and TB2000 readers realize that such extreme reactions are not related to Biblical teachings. I am not aware of any actual verbal "millennial threats" having been made by any groups - even fringe Muslims. Please email me if you have any actual quotes.

Here is a pretty basic and down-to-earth piece I wrote on Salvation, just in case this tragic news item has discouraged anyone.

-- Zach Anderson (z@figure.8m.com), November 25, 1999.

Added stress always brings on more domestic violence, some of it lethal.

Those with guns in the house may find that they are more threatened by those they live with than by strangers.

-- Firemouse (firemouse@fcmail.com), November 26, 1999.

Firemouse, I suspect your right. Isn't it a shame that more people haven't prepared so as to reduce the stress of any problems due to Y2K?

-- Old (timer@helping.out), November 26, 1999.

I go with Gordo on this one, all except it really needs to be stated Properly Gordo

FUCK YOU!

-- Billy-Boy (Rakkasan@yahoo.com), November 26, 1999.

Zach. Nice. Thanks.

-- Spidey (free@last.Amen), November 26, 1999.