Court order keeps spiritual leader's videos off the Internet
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A self-proclaimed spiritual leader from Yelm won a legal victory in her attempt to keep politically damaging videos of her off the internet.
The ruling, which was handed down at the Thurston County Courthouse, means no more videos of JZ Knight can be posted online. It's a victory for Knight and the Democratic candidates she has endorsed, but those who want to expose her say they have their own victory because the damage has already been done.
In the videos that have made it online, Knight claims to be channeling an ancient warrior named Ramtha while she rails against the Catholic church.
A conservative Olympia think tank called the Freedom Foundation spliced together clips of Knight's ranting with local Democratic candidates she endorsed at her Yelm compound.
Those candidates and others seeking statewide or national office have since given away the $70,000 Knight contributed to their campaigns.
Knight went to court to block more videos from coming out. She and her attorney zeroed in on Virginia Coverdale, one of Knight's former students, as the source of the tapes.
"We're not trying to shut the defendant down," said Jeffrey Grant, Knight's attorney. "We're not trying to make her limit her ability to say things."
Grant said Knight's students signed an agreement not to let the tapes out, but Coverdale said she's simply acting as a whistleblower about what she saw as wrongdoings at Knight's school of enlightenment.
"Whistleblowers have been annihilated. I am one that is not going away," Coverdale said.
In the end, the judge sided with Knight, issuing a temporary restraining order against Coverdale and other former followers from putting any more of Knight's videos online.
A spokesperson for Knight said her comments on the Freedom Foundation video were taken out of context and are being used for political reasons. Both sides will be back in court in two weeks to argue over a permanent restraining owner.
The ruling, which was handed down at the Thurston County Courthouse, means no more videos of JZ Knight can be posted online. It's a victory for Knight and the Democratic candidates she has endorsed, but those who want to expose her say they have their own victory because the damage has already been done.
In the videos that have made it online, Knight claims to be channeling an ancient warrior named Ramtha while she rails against the Catholic church.
A conservative Olympia think tank called the Freedom Foundation spliced together clips of Knight's ranting with local Democratic candidates she endorsed at her Yelm compound.
Those candidates and others seeking statewide or national office have since given away the $70,000 Knight contributed to their campaigns.
Knight went to court to block more videos from coming out. She and her attorney zeroed in on Virginia Coverdale, one of Knight's former students, as the source of the tapes.
"We're not trying to shut the defendant down," said Jeffrey Grant, Knight's attorney. "We're not trying to make her limit her ability to say things."
Grant said Knight's students signed an agreement not to let the tapes out, but Coverdale said she's simply acting as a whistleblower about what she saw as wrongdoings at Knight's school of enlightenment.
"Whistleblowers have been annihilated. I am one that is not going away," Coverdale said.
In the end, the judge sided with Knight, issuing a temporary restraining order against Coverdale and other former followers from putting any more of Knight's videos online.
A spokesperson for Knight said her comments on the Freedom Foundation video were taken out of context and are being used for political reasons. Both sides will be back in court in two weeks to argue over a permanent restraining owner.
Wow; some people are frighteningly unaware for being on a news-blog.
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In âshortâ:
John Pettit is a nice guy who wanted to let some Boy Scouts camp on his land; but ran into horrible permit requirements from the County Commissioners. Then some people happen to notice that JZ Knight, who runs a multi-million dollar corporation on a 49 acre "ranch", has dozens of events with thousands of people in a non-commercially zoned area of Yelm and has not had a valid permit since 2000, at which time she was permitted to have up to 999 people at a maximum of 4 events that year. She lied on her permit, stating that she was a âfraternal organizationâ (non-profit!) and had 150 acres. She has failed to obtain subsequent permits. So, people feel there is a bit of two-sided politics going on here since she donates a bunch of money to those county commissioners who have been granting her special privileges! And she sponsors re-election parties for them at her property. Why are Boy Scouts being discriminated against?
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Then, she also donated $120,000 to the fire department, turned off the fire alarms and was lucky that no one was hurt during the two fires she has already had in the building in which she entertains as many as 2000+ adherents on a very frequent basis.
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And, she's a frightfully wicked person, as the videos show. She does and says anything she wants and some folks feel that she no longer deserves such special privileges and the people who give her those unusual special privileges do not need to continue to be commissioners if they can't be fair to the Boy Scouts as well.
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Now, all that's not in the story â but that's the real story. Hence, the whistle-blower. There's a lot more going on.
These judges keep issuing "temporary" restraining orders and injunctions.... temporary, that is, until the elections are over.... Â
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This is political censorship, and it always seems to favor the Liberal side.
What is the nature of this "whistleblowing?" That JZ Knight is a pathetic fraud? I think most of us knew that already.
@Sutekh ...the whistle is being blown about the politicos who are accepting the fraudstress' money.
@newspuppyWhy shouldn't they? Â Â
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Banks have defrauded millions out of people and they make millions in donations.  Same with corporations that dissolved 401k retirements, fired workers and hired Chinese workers instead. Â
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Will you be front and center asking all candidates to return all donations? Â Â
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 @Sutekh I know... its just wierd.  Â
"Those candidates and others seeking statewide or national office have since given away the $70,000 Knight contributed to their campaigns." Â Given away? Â To who? Â How? Â
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As an aside, I had forgotten all about Ramtha.  Hard to believe she is still bilking the gullible for money.
 @NWNative  I know.... How do seemingly normal people get taken in but such nonsense. Â
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Same question goes for any religion as far as I am concerned. Â Â
 @Andrew Bush  @NWNativeÂ
"How do seemingly normal people get taken in but such nonsense."
Easy.
Normal people are amazingly stupid.
 @T-Prop true true..Â
The videos are damaging because everyone knows JZ is a total psychopath. Â And what happened to freedom of speech? Â Everyone has the right to know what kind of wacko's are backing politicians.
 @FBrumfield I just turn on the 700 club when I want to laugh at the extreme wackos. Â
As someone mostly voting democrat, I really don't want someone like this nutball on my side. She's been a joke for decades.Â
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By the way, there are tons of Ramtha videos still available on Youtube.
So the republicans spliced together this woman's rantings while she was pretending to channel some phony spirit all in an effort to somehow discredit democrats? Â Â
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This is what republicans have reduced themselves to? Â Â LOL!!!!
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That is right up there with their voter fraud campaign..... Â Morons. Â
"Grant said Knight's students signed an agreement not to let the tapes out, but Coverdale said she's simply acting as a whistleblower about what she saw as wrongdoings at Knight's school of enlightenment." Im torn! Much as I think this nutjobbers jabbering should be available everywhere this other chick was dopey enough to sign an agreement! Hmmmm
umm... cult much?
 @makeadifference Pot.... Kettle .......Black.  Â
 @makeadifference Says the person with a cross at their avatar.
 @Andywsea @Andrew Bush Oh yea, I forgot. Christianity is also considered a cult in Washington state. Think twice before you jump on the anti-God bandwagon.Â
 @makeadifference Its a cult everywhere and becoming known more and more everyday as just that.  Â
Where are all the self righteous witch-hunters? Too tired from smearing the O'Dea principal?
 @Gino  You do enough defending of the child rapists of the Catholic church for everyone. Â