Anth,

Thanks, as usual, for your thoughtful and and obviously caring perspective.  It really goes without saying that we're all basically good people here and that the cult and the cult alone are the culprits in this movie.  Nonetheless, I have to say, tough as the cult was with John, there's a world of difference between what he endured before "breaking", if you will, than what WWII freedom fighters did at the hand of the Nazis.  In fact, with all due respect to John -- and you, for that matter -- the comparison is, well, almost ridiculous.  And, frankly, it seems that one needs that extra dollop of hyperbole in the equation to exonerate John.  Without it, most unfortunately, he doesn't get off the hook that easily. 

I guess the question is, what does it take to make people turn on their friends?  What does it take to make a journalist abandon his principles?  When I look at John's situation I'm left feeling that it should take something more than what they threw at him.  Know what I mean?

Regards,

Jim