Several comments made a great point about connecting Prince and Prop 8--Jehovah's Witnesses don't vote. For the record, Prince claims he was misquoted. I think I agree with Andrew, in the sense that the NYers fact-checkers are tops in the business. I'd be shocked if they blew something this big.
I'm surprised that nobody has read it as a publicity stunt - It certainly wouldn't be the first time the Purple One said something controversial to taunt the media and his fan base.
The thing about JWs voting isn't quite that simple. When I was a member, back 15 or so years ago, it was clear--Witnesses didn't vote in political elections. It was based on the idea that their allegiance belonged to the kingdom of God found in the Lord's Prayer (thy kingdom come). That's also why they don't sing the national anthem or say the pledge of allegiance.
But apparently, around 1999, the word came down that voting was largely a conscience matter, and that you wouldn't be booted from the congregation if you did. It's still frowned upon, and I'll bet that you'd be hard pressed to find members from my generation who would do it, or that anyone in a position of authority would do it, but it is allowable now.
See, this just bugs me- digital recorders are cheap as chips nowadays- why the hell wouldn't you record an interview with someone?
You don't have to stress about making a mistake when writing down a complicated quote, and if the subject objects to something you wrote, you can release the audio, or at least get the NY Times editors to listen to it.
Is it a curmudgeon, I-don't-need-that-newfangled-crap thing, or is the nytimes cost-cutting that much?
Actually Jehovah's Witnesses have always been able to vote. There are no rules against it. JWs just don't take sides in the world's political affairs, but many things are not political.
Here's a piece no one cared about. Meh, whatever, probably the most enjoyable article I did during my stint at TIME. Premiered a month before I got laid-off. The nail in the coffin? Ya think?
Here's me going after Al. I didn't so much have a problem with him, as I had a problem with media acting like this dude was the go-to guy for everything black.
This was my first real story at time. I was writing for the Business section, a real change of direction for me. At any rate, it's about Wal-Mart's attempts to colonize the inner-city. As much as I enjoyed this piece, I mostly enjoyed going out to Chicago, which is a beautiful, beautiful city.
This a piece I did about the cops just outside our nation capitol, in Prince George's County, a few years back. I wanted to offer a counter to the dumb, conventional wisdom that if you paint your police force black, you could eradicate police brutality. In fact, Prince George's--one of the richest, blackest counties in the country--also had one of the most brutal police force's in the country.
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
I don't care what that freaky little dude said, I am NOT giving up my vinyl copy of Sign O The Times!
Prince veered from good crazy to bad crazy shortly after Lovesexy.
Tom is correct. And I'm not giving up my old copy of Purple Rain, or my...
Oh, wait, all that other stuff was downloaded illegally. Never mind.
I'm surprised that nobody has read it as a publicity stunt - It certainly wouldn't be the first time the Purple One said something controversial to taunt the media and his fan base.
Unless I'm mistaken, you can't fact-check a quote beyond reviewing the writer's notes (assuming the interview was not recorded).
The conversation wasn't even recorded so it he could have been misquoted.
The thing about JWs voting isn't quite that simple. When I was a member, back 15 or so years ago, it was clear--Witnesses didn't vote in political elections. It was based on the idea that their allegiance belonged to the kingdom of God found in the Lord's Prayer (thy kingdom come). That's also why they don't sing the national anthem or say the pledge of allegiance.
But apparently, around 1999, the word came down that voting was largely a conscience matter, and that you wouldn't be booted from the congregation if you did. It's still frowned upon, and I'll bet that you'd be hard pressed to find members from my generation who would do it, or that anyone in a position of authority would do it, but it is allowable now.
See, this just bugs me- digital recorders are cheap as chips nowadays- why the hell wouldn't you record an interview with someone?
You don't have to stress about making a mistake when writing down a complicated quote, and if the subject objects to something you wrote, you can release the audio, or at least get the NY Times editors to listen to it.
Is it a curmudgeon, I-don't-need-that-newfangled-crap thing, or is the nytimes cost-cutting that much?
Actually Jehovah's Witnesses have always been able to vote. There are no rules against it. JWs just don't take sides in the world's political affairs, but many things are not political.