Opinion: Raniere is not evil; he is a frightened child

A reader asked me if I despised Keith Raniere.

No, of course I don’t.

Candidly – and it is just my opinion – I have come to see Raniere as a tormented soul.

Asked to share my opinion, it is this (and I hope the reader will not be offended by the purely opinionated aspect of this post):

One should feel sympathy for Keith Raniere for the terror that must haunt him.

He is frightened, and, with Bronfman millions at his disposal, he tries to buy away his fears – sometime with unbelievable cruelty (Barbara Bouchey, Toni Natalie) – at other times with immature foolishness (The Dalai Lama, suing Rick Ross) and sometimes with either dishonest or incredibly stupid intentions (commodities, real estate scams, loss of $100 million).

With the Bronfmans, plus his group of women devotee/sex partners – women who are essentially good but slavishly devoted, and blind to his immaturity – he has the opportunity to (mis)lead them into a lot of evil.

Hopefully, they will not be criminally charged.

How frightened Raniere must be that he sues old lovers, attacks those he once trusted, denies his own son, frightened the mother into hiding, locked the defiant in rooms for years, deceives his followers about his sexual affairs, loses millions of others’ money, has to hide behind a cloak of secrecy, all the while maintaining he is some sort of divinity.

It’s laughable to an outsider, of course; people mostly laugh at Keith Raniere.

But men and women of sympathetic natures will feel sorrow for this sadly pathetic creature.

And for the many women whose lives he has shaped into caricatures of what they might have been. Women who have lost years of their lives who will one day wake up (as others have done) and marvel at how they misspent their youth following a madman. One can only feel sorrow.

We should have mercy for Keith Raniere. And for the women who follow him.

He is afraid.

He hides in shadows. Using women to shield him.

Some whom he has hurt have ascribed this to pure evil.

I do not.

He is frightened, as all bullies are.

He is evil because he can be – thanks to the Bronfman millions.

(How grotesquely immature the Bronfmans are).

His immaturity overshadows his desire for being good or evil.

All of his machinations – leading to a terrible record – and a trail of tears for many – have nothing to do with good or evil.

He lives in a world of pretense.

Pretending to be a guru, he found he could fleece women out of millions and bed the best looking of them.

He takes advantage of woman’s desire for spirituality and love of genius.

The inability to discern genius from goodness. Or lust from love is the hallmark of his dominance over their mental processes.

I suspect he would be willing to be good or bad, the worst there is, whatever it takes, for the child inside him to get the worship he craves.

Worship him and he will be a good boy.

Believe it.

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For those who doubt Raniere has a track record of causing pain and discord consider reading the following links:

Judge Denies Bid for Sanctions Against NXIVM Developer and newspaper publisher Parlato indicted on fraud, money laundering Records: NXIVM hacked billionaire’s emails with Hillary Clinton, world leaders Transcript filed in People NYS vs. Barbara Bouchey – Ind. No.: 34-7323 NXIVM attorneys pressed criminal case Legal papers: NXIVM officials probed finances of 6 federal judges, Senator Schumer, others Judge tosses NXIVM hacking lawsuit Tighe to serve 70 months in prison Heiress who gave millions to cult suing condo board for measly $160K Blogger pleads guilty to child porn charges Journalist on leave after tangle with secretive ‘NXIVM’ group Blogger pleads guilty to computer hacking charge Blogger’s child porn case now in hands of feds A split from NXIVM Ex-blogger arrested on child porn charges Search darkens blogger’s website Police seize computer of local blogger Purported Cult May Have Case Against Ex-Member New York businessman sentenced in EPISD cheating scheme  Investigator for Accused Cult Won’t Get Paid Yet  O’Hara admits to felony  Is Keith Raniere trying to re-brand his business with a new name?  Private eye lands in public trouble  O’Hara lawsuit delayed  NXIVM sisters win $3.2M  Bronfman heir launches Canada-Libya trade initiative  ‘NXIVM is a litigation machine’  NXIVM pressed district attorney  NXIVM foe indicted in Texas  Probe of DA sought by foe  In Raniere’s shadows  ‘Ample evidence’ to justify investigation  NXIVM leader urges going ‘off the grid’  ‘The girls’ back NXIVM with millions  Ex-NXIVM aide takes NXIVM to federal court  Secrets of NXIVM  Lawsuit filed against NXIVM, Keith Raniere and associates by Joseph O’Hara U.S. District Court New York February 2012  NXVIM v. Susan Faye Dones and Kim Marie Woolhouse (Memorandum Decision October 25, 2011)  Nine years with NXIVM  NXIVM flexes legal muscle  Ex-NXIVM official loses bankruptcy bid  Local developer tangled in legal battle  Lawyer attacks NXIVM ‘scheme’  Guru: Blow off taxes  Papers reveal secrets  Ex-NXIVM trainer: Students are prey  The Heiresses and the Cult  NXIVM sues former officer  ‘Cult’ leader Keith Raniere makes killer claim on newly released video  ‘Cult’ funded by Bronfman girls sues Continental for losing laptop  How to lose $100 million  NXIVM seeks gag order  Ex-NXIVM student: ‘I think it’s a cult’  Press leaks prompt action in bankruptcy  Poor Little Rich Girls: The Ballad of Sara and Clare Bronfman  NXIVM critic’s plea over child gets little action  Albany cult takes orphan  Secret mission: A child  Going for Broke  Ex-NXIVM official seeks protection  Bouchey says Nxivm’s Bronfman sisters chased her into bankruptcy  The Bronfmans and The ‘Cult’  Manipulations of fortune; Daughters of business royalty, alleged cult leader at centre of lawsuit  Liquor Heiresses Reportedly Blew $100M on ‘Cult’  Suits in the News  Seagram ‘cult’ sisters’ trust fund on the rocks  Thumbing through the Nxivm patent  Albany Times-Union gives NXIVM the dead-tree treatment  Seagram Heiresses Sue Adviser In Strange Tale With a Psychic  Ex-NXIVM associate Barbara Bouchey and the private investigator  Court documents claim NXIVM is ‘a cult’  Sue Happy  NXIVM motion to reinstate previously dismissed claims of “Product Disparagement” and “Tortious Interference” against The Ross Institute and Rick Ross denied by federal court  NXIVM’s Senate ties  Odds & Ends  Dalai Lama organizers pay off debt  Dalai Lama’s message comes through  Dalai Lama sponsor spurs critics  Representative explains why Dalai Lama will come to Albany  Dalai Lama representative confirms May visit  Dalai Lama cancels his visit to Albany  We’ve Been Served-Oh Wait  Dalai Lama comes with controversy  Metroland sued for $65 million  Op-ed column: Dalai Lama’s visit to Albany sponsored by cult-like group  Details light on Dalai Lama visit  Details on Dalai Lama’s visit  Times Union FINALLY Breaks Silence on NXIVM  For Dalai Lama, third choice is charmed  Niagara Falls developer Frank Parlato dives into real estate dispute involving Seagrams heirs  The Stars Come Out in Troy  Huckabee has ‘cult’ following  Secret Agent Schmuck — The spooky truth behind the media’s favorite ‘spy’  Case tossed against ex-Nxivm adviser  Charges against ex-Nxivm adviser dropped  Star power of pol ‘cult’  All About NXIVM, the Cultlike Organization With Ties to Albany  Top GOPers ‘cult’ favorites  Bill Golf pal’t ‘cult’ course  Arbitration award of $146,863.54 against NXIVM awarded to Strick and Company Inc. of Los Angeles, California.  Strick and Company Inc. vs. NXIVM, Executive Success Programs — Minutes of Arbitration proceeding  Hillary’s $30,000 fans are her ‘cult’ following  NXIVM’s vexing effect on believers  Political connections take to the air  Federal judge’s order to dismiss NXIVM “product disparagement” claim  Federal judge dismisses NXIM claim of “product disparagement”  Ex-Nxivm adviser faces larceny counts  Judge Approves Disclosure of Company’s Efforts to Discredit Blogger-Critic  New York federal court opinion and order against NXIVM (Feb 9, 2007)  U.S. District Court denying motion to quash subpoenas and granting Ross leave to file counterclaims January 10, 2007  Transcript of hearing before Judge Falk regarding NXIVM v. Ross January 9, 2007  New tenant OK’d for Romano’s  Board puts off Nxivm plan  Dismissal of NXIVM vs. Hochman lawsuit signed by federal judge in California  Order to dismiss NXIVM lawsuit filed against John Hochman, M.D.  NXIVM founder Keith Raniere’s “Ultimate Dreams Realized” chart forecasts hard times for ex-girlfriend  Stress in the Family  Fear and tears after Nxivm class  The Relevance of Bad Faith to Fair Use Analysis  The Bronfmans And the Cult  The Cult Cracker  Ex-aide calls Nxivm ‘extremely dangerous’  Answer and Affirmative Defenses of Defendants The Ross Institute and Rick Ross a/k/a “Ricky Ross”  Answer and Affirmative Defenses to Ammended Consolidated Complaint and Counterclaims of Stephanie Franco  Nxivm Ammended Consolidated Complaint (pdf file)  Nxivm loses assets claim  Nxivm accuses Albany businessman of fraud  High court rejects Nxivm appeal  Executive course in ‘cult’ lawsuit launches in Dublin  Opposition to NXIVM appeal to the US Supreme Court (PDF Document)  Nxivm hopes lawsuit will go to highest court  Court upholds Nxivm ruling  rejects NXIVM appeal  Dennis Jacobs Second Circuit  Judge concurring  An Espian’s brief life  NXIVM cuts training school from plan  Group’s founder settled state allegations  of pyramid scheme  “Human-potential” guru under scrutiny  Business born when former nurse met motivator  Self-improvement program draws mixed reviews  Cult of Personality  New vision for mind in eye of the beholder  County planners say no to NXIVM  Proposed school causing controversy  Ruling lets Web site critical of NXIVM stay online  Court Order regarding NXIVM’s requested injunctions  NXIVM vs. Ross Transcript of Injunction proceedings  Transcript of injunction proceeding  Affidavit of Stephanie Franco  Lawsuit claims group was portrayed as a cult  Group gathers both acolytes, doubters  Controversial Speaker  Group sues its critics over claims it is a cult  NXIVM gets nixed by residents  Plans for human potential school raise concern  Robert Jay Lifton’s eight criteria of thought reform as applied to the Executive Success Programs  A Critical Analysis of the Executive Success Programs Inc.  A Forensic Psychiatrist Evaluates ESP  Liens and Judgments against Consumer Buyline  Deposition of Nancy Salzman, 2000  Some dip, others dive into selling  Consumers Buyline of Clifton Park was forced to close after 25 separate investigations  Consumers Buyline a pyramid scheme,  Abrams alleges  Too ‘different’ for own good?  Description of the Behavioral Structure of the Training  Settlement of class action lawsuit against  Consumer Buyline  State of Virginia vs. Consumer Buyline  National Association of Attorneys General Consumer Protection Report  Abrams wants ‘buying club’ shut down  Arkansas – Consumers’ Buyline, Inc.  Multi-level marketing business to pay $20,000, change operations  Consumer Buyline Agreed Final Judgment and Order in Arkansas  Class Action Lawsuit filed against Consumer Buyline  Discount service target of probe pyramid scheme alleged

Frank Parlato